Why Are Pundits And Experts Against The Arsenal?

15 games in and Arsenal are leading the English Premier League by 5 points from their closest rivals. Arsenal fans could not have asked for more especially considering Arsenal's disastrous start last season.

Arsenal have stood firm this campaign when teams around them are leaking points here and there. Much of the good performance can be credited to their efficient use of the ball as well as their collective play when they lose the ball.

Pundits On a Mission....to Write Off Arsenal

This has meant we have had a lot lesser possession than we are used to in recent years but we have been far more efficient in front of goal while also being solid at the back.

This brings me to the point I want to make. The so-called "Pundits" and "Experts" just cannot let go of their habit of taking Arsenal seriously. Why?

A lot of that I believe, is down to the fact that Arsenal have not won anything since 2005(Yes that is a long time ago!). Also, it is a fact that we have been guilty of completely losing our way (2006/2007 season comes to mind) when we were sitting at the top. It is also true that we are relatively inexperienced at winning trophies(Ok make that "very" inexperienced).

To be honest, I don't have a problem with pundits writing us off regarding our title challenge. It is not that I don't believe Arsenal will not win a trophy but because I think it is still too early. Premier League fans will testify to the fact that the league winner was decided on the last minute of the last day of football a couple of seasons ago!

That was after 38 games and we are not even half-way through! So, I don't think you can say team A will win or team B will not.But I do think Arsenal have a very good chance.

The thing that has bugged me the most about the pundits comes mainly from some of their comments following our 1-1 draw with Everton in the weekend.

These were the pundits who have been shouting at the top their voices, year-in year-out that pretty football alone will not get Arsenal anywhere. They have said on numerous occasions that Arsenal need to learn to grind out results and win by playing "dirty" if need be so that they can win games even when they are not playing well.

When suddenly, they saw Everton playing a better passing game than Arsenal in the weekend, they stick with the "pretty football" and disregard "dirty football" again! If that is not farcical, I don't know what is.

My intentions are not to take away the gloss from Everton's performance. They were excellent and they have been excellent throughout this season so far. Yes, they out-passed Arsenal and enjoyed better possession. But out-passing the opponent or having more of the possession will not win you matches.

Wait a second.Isn't this the same thing Arsenal have been criticized for by the pundits for all these seasons? I am forced to use the "F" word once again.

FARCICAL.

Reading Vs Arsenal Preview : Another 12 goal Thriller On The Card?

The last time Arsenal met Reading was in the Capital One Cup a month ago when the teams played in a 7-5 goal-fest, in which Arsenal managed to prevail. It was a remarkable turnaround from Arsenal's point of view, given that they were 4-0 down at one stage. Given how poorly Arsenal have been playing, if anyone could replicate the scoreline again, the bet would be on Arsenal!

Arsenal are currently eighth in the league while Reading are rock bottom. However, by no means will it be a walk in the park for Arsenal. Reading are decent at home and their only problem has been that they have failed to score enough goals which has also been the Achilles's heel for Arsenal. It will also be interesting to see how Arsenal's players react especially after the demoralizing mid-week defeat at the hands of Bradford City in the Capital One Cup Quarterfinals.

Santi Cazorla has claimed that Arsenal's inexperience has cost them this season while Jack Wilshere has called everyone to be united in these tough times. It shows the players too are concerned about the club like the fans, unlike reports in the media that they do not care. There are still doubts whether Arsenl will deliver, not only in this match but the upcoming fixtures, consistently, because only consistency can give them the a top four finish and respect from all corners. 

Prudence Costs Arsenal Dearly

WILL HE WON'T HE SPEND?

For quite some time now, Arsenal have always shown prudence in the transfer market for which they have been criticised by some and hailed by others. However, it is now clear that their policy of not spending at all was a complete failure. They have not won anything because of that.

One could argue that when they did spend last year, they still managed to win nothing. However the singings that were made(Arteta,Mertesacker,Benayoun), with all due respect, though were quality signings but are by no stretch of imagination, world beaters.

Seemingly out of greed to save a few million pounds, Arsenal missed out on signing good players (apparently including David Silva!) or keeping their own players. It has backfired,big time. Now, they will need to spend far more than what would have been required had they spent those extra millions if they are to make this team more competitive. How us Arsenal fans would have loved those in the Arsenal hierarchy to have the same greed for trophies rather than for money. Will we live to see that happen?

Arsenal Vs West Brom: Another Banana Skin On The Cards?

West Brom are a team which started very well in the league this season, which saw them stay in the top 4 of the EPL table for much of the season so far. Infact, they only dropped to 5th after last week's defeat. However, most expected their fine run to come to an end.

Giroud Not "there" Yet?

West Brom, by no means, are in a disaster. They are still 5 points ahead of Arsenal and 3 clear of 6th placed Everton. They might not be as potent as they were early in the season when they often outplayed even the big boys of the Premier League but they did enough to prove that they could hurt even the best. They certainly have quality players in their team who could hurt any team with Odemwinge and Shane Long leading their ranks.

Arsenal have been far from convincing this season. Our performance is quite rightly reflected by our current league position, a paltry 10th! We are yet to see a convincing performance, both attacking wise and defensive wise from Arsenal this season. When we have tried to be defensive, we have found it hard to score goals at the other end. And when we have tried to be attacking, we have left gaping holes at the back for the other teams to exploit. We just have not found that balance yet.

Podolski and Wallcot are out for the match and I don't know where the goals will come from. Giroud has been improving but he has not become "dependable" yet(maybe that is why he recently claimed he picked the wrong time to join Arsenal!). With Odemwinge and Shane Long in the opposite team, Arsenal will do well if they can keep a clean sheet, which is most unlikely. I have a "Banana-Skin" feeling about this match....again!

CAVANI,VILLA,LLORENTE OR GOTZE? EVEN MESSI WON'T DO

FRUSTRATION APLENTY AT ARSENAL

Where should I start?
Well this had been coming. We had doubts before this game even kicked off. We were expecting a comeback from Arsenal but deep inside, we knew (atleast I did) this could prove a banana skin(once again!). The most ardent of Arsenal fans had feared for the worse. So, it was not, in many ways, a complete surprise was it?

CAN WE STILL EXPECT FROM WENGER?

Arsenal keep getting poorer and poorer! Just when we thought it could get much worse, our team consistently proves us wrong.The press, the media and the fans had been pointing fingers at the club for 5-6 seasons that "Arsenal are going in the wrong direction","They cannot expect to win like this", "They will not and cannot challenge for trophies....". Our board and Le Boss completely ignored what others said. Yes, they have the right to take things their way but complete,absolute ignorance......It has only meant they have bigger pockets that keeps getting bigger every year and the scary thing is that they are satisfied with that!

Arsenal have the worst start to the premier league since 1994/95. FYI we finished 12th that year!
We as fans feel so helpless at the moment. We have never been heard for all these years and I doubt any changes(which we need desperately) will be made very soon. We can just hope that the worst part of this "storm" is over and will give way to clearer skies ahead.

 

WENGER: WE WILL CHALLENGE IN THE FUTURE

ARSENE WENGER

Arsene Wenger recently told the media that Arsenal will challenge the best teams financially in the future because we are well placed financially at the moment. In saying so, Wenger revealed a critical facet of his character : living in the future and neglecting the present.

There is no doubt the future looks bright for Arsenal off the pitch. But what about our exploits on the pitch? Yes the off-the-pitch aspect is as important as on-the-pitch aspect but neglecting one for the other can only spell disaster as we have seen so many times with so many teams in football and other sports. What Wenger has done is that he has prioritized the "off field" aspects while almost completely neglecting the "on filed" aspect. This has been felt more and more every year since 2006. The figures speak for themselves. We have made more money and won absolutely nothing after 2005/06! We have been steadily increasing the number of sponsors and the amount of money they "pay" us while at the same time, we are experimenting with young and inexperienced players and expecting them to deliver trophies on the pitch!On top of that, we are selling our best players to get some extra cash! 

ARSENAL FANS WOULD LOVE TO SEE WENGER IN THIS PICTURE!

 Wenger is not, however,  responsible for everything, we all know that.In fact, some even speculate that it is entirely the fault of our board. But we are tired of hearing such statements like "we will challenge in the future","our future is bright", "we have a young team" every year, Mr. Wenger. We desperately want to hear "This is our year......","This our night.......","This trophy is for the fans......".

POST EVERTON : TOP 4 SPOT SLIPPING AWAY!

I don't think I need to say too much after the match. The facts speak for themselves:
1) After 14 games,Arsenal are in 7th position
2) We are 12 points behind league leaders Man United(its goodbye to the EPL trophy....again!)
3) We are 5 points behind 4th placed West Brom
4) We are 2 points behind our rivals Spurs and 1 point behind top 4 hopefuls Everton

WILSHERE WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO STOOD OUT

 Yet, the most important fact is that we are not playing well and, it does not look like we will be very soon. Yes, some players like Wilshere had a decent game but what about the rest? Wallcott scored and was almost anonymous for most of the game( like always). Ramsey got into good positions to score and wasted everything( like always). The rest.....we do not plan to finish mid-table do we? Surely we must do better. I dare say we were lucky to just draw 1-1 yesterday night. We were outplayed many times especially in the second half. Its against the high-flying Swansea next and honestly,things do not look good for Arsenal.

WILL IT BE MIDWEEK MISERY OR JOY FOR ARSENAL?

WILL OUR DEFENSE BE AS HAPPY AT THE END OF THE MATCH TONIGHT?

 Arsenal travel to the Mersyside to face Everton in their mid-week EPL fixture tonight. The match carries much importance to both the teams as teams look to battle for the top four this season along with Spurs and this seasons' surprise package in the form of West Brom.

This encounter has always served up some classics,especially in recent years. Everton have always given made it tough for Arsenal and are expected to do so again. They have always been a well balanced team under Moyes. This year however, they seem to be even more potent, thanks mainly to their impressive attack. Jelavic,Mirallas,Fellaini and ofcourse, Leighton Baines,who has created more scoring opportunities than any other player in the league this season, have been the key figures in propelling Everton to  new heights this season. Everton can hurt teams, no doubt. Just ask Manchester United. Defensively too, they have been very solid.

A few years back, many would have gone for Arsenal to nick it in the end. Infact, when the "Invincibles" were around,very few would have expected Everton to get a result. How times have changed. Pundits and the media put Everton as firm favorites for the match tonight. Sczesny pointed out indirectly,how things were stacked against us by claiming that this is a "six pointer".

Arsenal have been far from convincing this season and tonight's match could be a turning point for the club and the manager who is under pressure to perform. Win and Arsene will be hailed as the savior again. Loose and fans will be braying for his head. We don't want a draw do we?

WHERE IS ARSENAL'S "BEAUTIFUL" FOOTBALL?

WILL THE NEXT GENERATION DELIVER BEAUTIFUL FOOTBALL OR TROPHIES?

One of my friends told me a few years back : "Arsenal will play some pretty football but they won't win anything." It was the 2006/07 season. I don't think I need to say more about that season! Now when I think over what he said, sure he was right when he claimed it. But I wonder. Do we still play "pretty" football?

First of all, what is "pretty" football? Does it mean playing quick,short-passing game; or quick one-touch passing game; or passing your way to the goal; or passing and scoring lots of goals? Most would claim that short,quick passing game is what Arsenal like to play. I don't think anyone would disagree with that. But a key component that made our game "pretty" was one-touch play. The Invincibles were masters in the art and mesmerized the world with such plays. The next generation at Arsenal that came close to emulating the same style were the players from 2006/07 season with Fabregas,Hleb and Flamini at the heart of everything. I dare say such football is a thing of the past if one looks at the type of football that we play at the moment. Infact, Manchester United and even the so-called "smaller" teams like Swansea and Southampton arguably have better chance of winning the title of "pretty" football!

The irony is that we did not win anything when we played "pretty" football and it does not look like we will win anything when we don't play "pretty" football : ( .

WHAT WE WILL ACTUALLY GET IN THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW

WILL THEY DON THE ARSENAL COLOURS NEXT SEASON?

        








As the January transfer window approaches, the talk of the town is- who will get in and who will get out of their club. If you are a Man City fan at the top of the league or QPR fan at the bottom, every fan likes to see quality players(players in their FIFA dream team :-)) to come into their clubs and the player(s) they loath most in the club to leave the club. The transfer window is always an exciting period for all fans alike.

Arsenal have been linked with a gazillion players before this window(hardly a new thing). Interestingly, although Arsenal have almost always signed youngsters and unproven players, we have been linked mostly with some of the best in the business than with rising prodigies this time around. Not that we were not linked to bring in big name players in the seasons gone by;somehow, it is different this time. Most of the rumors are ofcourse  pure works of fiction. But are they all fictitious?

Fact or fiction, what is undeniable is that Arsenal fans have their hopes raised sky high. The mere thought of players like Huntelaar, Llorente, Cavani, David Villa,etc coming to Arsenal gives us goosebumps. What fuels the excitement even more is the fact that Arsenal have recently given preference to signing proven players like Arteta, Mertesacker, Podolski and Cazorla. Also, Arsene is coming under more and more pressure form the fans as well as the media to buy proven talents. The signing of a new and, as claimed by Ivan Gazidis, a "huge" deal with Emirates is another reason for the fans to get excited about.

It won't be an understatement to say that Arsenal fans expect something big in the window; no doubt about that. There are enough reasons to believe that we could get the names(at least one if not some) that we are linked with in the January transfer window. However, I don't need to remind everyone about how many times we have been let down on this front in the past. So, lets keep our feet on the ground yet be optimistic, cautiously.

PAPERING OVER THE CRACKS

The 7-5 win against Reading yesterday night in the Capital One cup was a delight for the neutrals and I dare say it pleased most Arsenal fans at the end of the day.To come back from 4-0 down was really some achievement.But, for me,it was a game one of those games that once again proved that Arsenal are not "there" yet,and sadly, for the 8th season in a row!My view on how Arsenal will perform this season is now more clear and it points at another trophy-less season,sadly.

As I have mentioned so many times in my posts,better defense equals more chances of winning trophies.How did our defense perform yesterday?The less said about it,the better.All the experts,pundits and fans were excited about how well our defense was organized in the first three games of the season which was credited to Steve Bould. We have conceded in every match after those games(except against QPR on Saturday). The "Steve Bould effect" was thrown out of the window yesterday.You might argue it was a reshuffled defense or a reshuffled team but infact,it is more worrying as it proves that defensive frailties resides to the core of Arsenal FC.The club must be built on a solid foundation of defense from the root-level, only then can it lay claim to titles as history has so clearly proven in the past in any league or at international level(or you have to be Brazil or Barcelona who can outscore any opponent and evidently,we cannot do that). Of course out manager wants us to play an attacking brand of football but that does not mean neglecting the defense completely.

If I am to be honest, I actually wanted Arsenal to concede more after it was 4-0 so that it would make the manager realize that we were having problems.But we did the "papering over the cracks" act and came out 7-5 winners.We have ruled ourselves out of being genuine title challengers from yesterday's match in my opinion.Sure Portsmouth won the FA cup and Birmingham  won the Carling Cup a few years ago but if Arsenal win a trophy this season, it would be hailed,as in the case of the aforementioned teams,a miracle!
  
 

CHIT-CHAT

Today is a very important day for Arsenal FC. An important player of our squad,Jack Wilshere is playing tonight for the Arsenal reserves after a 14 month injury layoff that saw him miss the entire season last year.

It will be some time before he makes the first team.But non the less, it is an important step towards making it to the first squad.His return is good news for Arsenal who could benefit from the return of the outstanding player.His return is now more important as Diaby is out injured and we need that "assured" type of player in our midfield like Wilshere who can dictate the pace of the came while also creating countless scoring opportunities.

Midfield however is not at the top list of my concerns because it is a position where we have surplus replacements, also rightly claimed by Le Boss.My main concern is the striker's position. I do not(sadly) see any player in that position at Arsenal who is capable of scoring 20+ goals this season.Even more worrying is the fact that there are 20+ goal scoring talents at clubs that have traditionally been labelled as clubs below Arsenal. Everton have Anichebe and Jelavich (maybe Fellaini too),Sunderland(Fletcher),Aston Villa(Darren Bent),Tottenham(Jermain Defoe,Adebayor and maybe GarethBale), Southampton(RickieLambert), Reading (Shane Long).A club like Arsenal must have a world class striker,I don't see one at the moment. Gervinho could surprise me and score 20+ but he seems to be scared too many times to score especially when it matters(misses against Man City and Chelsea this season).Giroud too seems totally lost at Arsenal.He is already a flop to me.He missed  two chances that could have given us 4 points.Although, I will add that this is his first season and he will take time to settle.Maybe next season he will do better.But I would suggest Arsenal fans not to expect many goals from him this season. Podolski is a great finisher no doubt, but the manager is playing him at the left where he will not get many opportunities to score.And who is our other option?Chamakh? I think the manager knows how "good" Chamakh is.So he would prefer to use a false striker maybe like Barcelona and more recently by Spain.This could be a good option but what we must realize is that WE ARE NO BARCELONA or SPAIN.Our other option,Wallcott is pacey but too "lean" to be a striker in the Premier League.

The way I see it, I think Arsene should mix the "false striker" and the traditional number 9 kind of play with Gervinho upfront and maybe Giroud once in a while.It will be more likely for us to get goals then....ofcourse, from one of our midfielder!