Mputu completes his trial at Arsenal successfully

By Aries

Tresor Mputu’s performances were so impressive for his club TP Mazembe and for his country DR Congo that a host of local and foreign clubs have been very keen to sign him.

This must have alerted Arsene Wenger who apparently has been tracking the African for some time. And move fast he had.

So fast that the player was asked by Wenger to come to London and begin a ten day trial period with Arsenal. This was on Monday November 19th.

Now according to his manager, South Africa-based Bajo Bujani, the TP Mazembe striker is expected back in Kinshasa today, Friday, after what he termed as a ‘successful stint’ in England.

“Mputu completed his trials with Arsenal on Tuesday and is expected back in Congo today, unless something changes. We are still waiting for official word from Arsenal, however Arsene Wenger is said to have been impressed with the striker’s performance.

“We are keeping our fingers crossed that Mputu will realise his dream of playing in Europe and going to Arsenal will be a great move for the player to make his name in international football.

“African players have great reputation of shining at Arsenal and I believe under Wenger, Mputu can go down in history as being one of the best players to emerge from Africa.”

The pint-sized but highly skilful forward currently tops the Caf Champions League goalscoring table with 11 goals to his name.

Wenger, a shrewd transfer dealer, would obviously like to get his man before he bursts on the scene and his value sky rockets.

His price is placed at the moment at £500,000 which is just about right for Wenger!

Former Congo coach Claude Le Roy described Mputu as better than Samuel Eto'o!

Arsenal’s failure to sign Anelka could be Man United’s or Chelsea’s gain in the title race

By 1970’s Gooner

A transfer that looks very likely to happen this January window is that of Anelka who is looking to play in the Champions League.

"I feel well in Bolton, but as I have said before, I want to evolve at a big club that seeks to be in the Champions League”.

As Liverpool and Arsenal look like they have completed their spending for this position the likely candidates are either Manchester United or Chelsea.

Both are indeed in need of a front player like Anelka, but for different reasons.

One of Manchester United’s major weaknesses last season was the lack of quality alternatives in the center forward position.


This problem is again persisting in this campaign with Saha being the only proper centre forward in the traditional sense. He is however very injury prone and has looked out of form recently.

The alternatives used by Ferguson have been Roonie and Tevez. But both are not really genuine centre forwards. They are more effective playing in the area between the opposing defence and their midfield.

Chelsea on the other hand have a quality center forward in Drogba who is scoring goals for fun.


The problem here is that there are no viable alternatives when he becomes unavailable; unless you consider Shevchenko, Pizzaro or Joe Cole as good enough to fill in that position.

And there is his enforced absence looming on the horizon with the Africa Cup of Nations drawing near. Drogba could join Arsenal’s “Ivorians” Toure and Eboue as early as the beginning of January.

Now step in Anelka.

He has a lot of qualities that not a lot of other center forwards have. I have expounded on them as early as last March when in one of my posts (Anelka for Arsenal)I considered Anelka as the most appropriate signing that could propel Arsenal to the title.

Now, alas, it looks as though he might be propelling one of our main rivals towards the title.

Wenger opted to go for Eduardo for about the same money that Anelka would have cost then. Although Eduardo looks a very good player who will be the longed for fox in the box he still has to come to terms with the Premiership.

So much so that during Van Persie’s recent absence Wenger opted to keep Eduardo on the bench and play with only one player up front. It will be interesting to see what Wenger will do now that Van Persie is still out for another three weeks.

Both Chelsea and Manchester United recognise that Anelka has a lot going for him. He is ideal as a forward to play with or without another front man. He is also a very skillful player who scores goals for fun but can keep the ball and bring players into the game.

He knows the Premier League well and at only 28 years old he now has a blend of relative youthfulness along with maturity and experience.

He has scored 11 goals for Bolton last season out of 35 appearances with 5 assists even. This season he has scored 7 in only 11 appearances. And for the goals scored this season he was playing the lonesome striker role; in an average, launch them long and high, Bolton side.

Imagine how many goals he will score in either a Manchester United or a Chelsea side that obviously create a lot more scoring opportunities than Bolton.

If his transfer goes through to either of these two clubs then it could turn out to be the most hotly contested title race for years.

Arsenal’s failure to sign Anelka could be Man United’s or Chelsea’s gain in the title race

By 1970’s Gooner

A transfer that looks very likely to happen this January window is that of Anelka who is looking to play in the Champions League.

"I feel well in Bolton, but as I have said before, I want to evolve at a big club that seeks to be in the Champions League”.

As Liverpool and Arsenal look like they have completed their spending for this position the likely candidates are either Manchester United or Chelsea.

Both are indeed in need of a front player like Anelka, but for different reasons.

One of Manchester United’s major weaknesses last season was the lack of quality alternatives in the center forward position.


This problem is again persisting in this campaign with Saha being the only proper centre forward in the traditional sense. He is however very injury prone and has looked out of form recently.

The alternatives used by Ferguson have been Roonie and Tevez. But both are not really genuine centre forwards. They are more effective playing in the area between the opposing defence and their midfield.

Chelsea on the other hand have a quality center forward in Drogba who is scoring goals for fun.


The problem here is that there are no viable alternatives when he becomes unavailable; unless you consider Shevchenko, Pizzaro or Joe Cole as good enough to fill in that position.

And there is his enforced absence looming on the horizon with the Africa Cup of Nations drawing near. Drogba could join Arsenal’s “Ivorians” Toure and Eboue as early as the beginning of January.

Now step in Anelka.

He has a lot of qualities that not a lot of other center forwards have. I have expounded on them as early as last March when in one of my posts (Anelka for Arsenal)I considered Anelka as the most appropriate signing that could propel Arsenal to the title.

Now, alas, it looks as though he might be propelling one of our main rivals towards the title.

Wenger opted to go for Eduardo for about the same money that Anelka would have cost then. Although Eduardo looks a very good player who will be the longed for fox in the box he still has to come to terms with the Premiership.

So much so that during Van Persie’s recent absence Wenger opted to keep Eduardo on the bench and play with only one player up front. It will be interesting to see what Wenger will do now that Van Persie is still out for another three weeks.

Both Chelsea and Manchester United recognise that Anelka has a lot going for him. He is ideal as a forward to play with or without another front man. He is also a very skillful player who scores goals for fun but can keep the ball and bring players into the game.

He knows the Premier League well and at only 28 years old he now has a blend of relative youthfulness along with maturity and experience.

He has scored 11 goals for Bolton last season out of 35 appearances with 5 assists even. This season he has scored 7 in only 11 appearances. And for the goals scored this season he was playing the lonesome striker role; in an average, launch them long and high, Bolton side.

Imagine how many goals he will score in either a Manchester United or a Chelsea side that obviously create a lot more scoring opportunities than Bolton.

If his transfer goes through to either of these two clubs then it could turn out to be the most hotly contested title race for years.

Manchester United overtake Arsenal to head list of top 20 European Clubs

By Aries

Only a few days ago I reported about how Arsenal’s almost perfect run in the Premier League and also in Europe placed them on top of Eurosport’s Champions League European Power Ranking

Well how things can change. According to Eurosport’s Power Ranking, Arsenal have now been overtaken by rivals Manchester United as Europe’s top club.

United although defeated by Bolton last Saturday remain the only team left in the Champions League with a 100 percent record.

This is due to Ronaldo's late winner against Sporting Lisbon making it five wins out of five. Arsenal however were beaten at Sevilla.

Chelsea and Liverpool also improved their position due to their wins in Europe giving the top of the table a distinctly English flavour.

Werder Bremen are the big risers with a 3-2 win over Real Madrid. They are up seven places to 12th.

Meanwhile Celtic sneaked into the top 20 at Slavia Prague's expense thanks to their last-gasp win against Shakhtar Donetsk.

EUROPEAN POWER RANKINGS (last week's position in brackets)

1 (2) Manchester United - 25.71
2 (1) Arsenal - 25.55
3 (3) Internazionale - 23.67
4 (4) Barcelona - 21.38
5 (7) Chelsea - 21.00
6 (8) Roma - 20.42
7 (10) Liverpool - 19.67
8 (5) Real Madrid - 19.15
9 (6) Porto - 18.55
10 (9) Milan - 17.92
11 (11) Sevilla - 17.50
12 (19) Werder Bremen - 17.14
13 (12) Valencia - 16.37
14 (15) Benfica - 16.23
15 (17) Lyon - 16.07
16 (14) Rangers - 15.91
17 (13) Fenerbahce - 15.77
18 (15) Shakhtar Donetsk - 15.57
19 (16) Rosenborg - 15.29
20 (-) Celtic - 15.01

Scores are based on points per game in domestic league and European games.

Domestic points per game are multiplied by the league coefficient - either 3, 4 or 5 with teams in stronger leagues getting more credit ( England, Spain and Italy are 5).

European victories are counted as three points for a win whether in league stage or not. They are all multiplied by a coefficient of 5.

Arsenal for example are reported by Eurosport to have a coefficient of 25.55 Eurosport calculate it as follows:

33 points from 13 Premier League games = 2.54 points per game. Multiplied by league coefficient of five : 2.54 x 5 = 12.69.

18 points from 7 Champions League games (including qualifying) = 3 points per game.

Multiplied by European coefficient of five - 12.86

Total score = 12.68 + 12.86 = 25.55

However, according to my calculations this should be 24.12, still staying second on the list.

This is because Arsenal’s points gained in the Champion’s League (inclusive of the two victorious qualifying games) are 16 from 7 games (5 wins, a draw and a defeat) and not 18 as assumed by Eurosport.

Fabregas out for 10 days. Step in Rosicky?

By Aries

It looks like bad news for Arsenal and for Fabregas but not as bad as feared. Fabregas came off after 56 minutes during the defeat at Sevilla on Tuesday night with a hamstring strain.

Fabregas said: “I came off because I did not want to take any more risks when we had qualified.

Arsene Wenger said: "It is a hamstring injury. We'll know more on Thursday morning."

Initial fears were that he could miss the next three games against Aston Villa, Newcastle and Middlesbrough

The Mirror however is reporting that Cesc Fabregas is out for only 10 days. He will miss the next two Premier League games at Aston Villa and Newcastle.

Fabregas’s absence comes at the beginning of a testing time for the Gunners as they embark on a run of away fixtures with a game on average every four days starting with rampant Aston Villa on Saturday. They thrashed Blackburn 4-0 at Ewood Park last night.

Arsenal’s fixture list includes an away game four days later on Wednesday at Newcastle and the Sunday after that Middlesbrough away.

This is followed by Steaua home the Wednesday after and then on Sunday Ashley Cole’s return with Chelsea.

And it doesn’t stop there. Tottenham visit the Emirates a week later and there’s an away Carling Cup game at Blackburn on the Tuesday night before the Tottenham game.

This will be an interesting test for Arsenal to see how the team copes with the absence of its main playmaker and also one of its top goalscorers.

It was obvious during the Wigan game that there was not enough creativenesses coming from the midfield and it wasn’t until Rosicky was moved to that position that Arsenal became more inventive.

December is about the Premier League. Player’s ratings and goals on video

By 1970’s Gooner

Arsenal are about to embark on a series of away fixtures with a game on average every four days.

This fixture list includes an away game on Saturday at Aston Villa, four days later on Wednesday we play Newcastle away and the Sunday after that Middlesbrough away.

This is followed by Steaua home the Wednesday after and then on Sunday Ashley Cole’s return with Chelsea.

And it doesn’t stop there as we have Tottenham at home a week later! Oh and there’s an away Carling Cup game at Blackburn on the Tuesday night before the Tottenham game!

So Arsene Wenger was quite justified in fielding a weakened team against Sevilla.

The gamble he took proved too much as the rustiness apparent in the error prone Senderos, the tired Gilberto and Traore’s inexperience were more than enough to allow Sevilla to take advantage.

However as Wenger said having qualified from our group the priority had to be switched to the Premier League.

"An unbeaten record in the Champions League is not important. We had to make decisions because we have a very important December. We had to make choices between the competitions. December for me is about the Premier League."

It will be different on Saturday at Aston Villa.

Player’s Ratings:

Almunia 6; Hoyte 5 (Sagna 6), Toure 6, Senderos 4, Traore 4; Eboue 7, Gilberto 5, Fabregas 5 (Rosicky 6), Denilson 5, Eduardo 6; Bendtner 7.

Arsenal ahead of Manchester United in list of 20 best teams in Europe. Chelsea & Liverpool way behind

By Aries

According to Eurosport’s Champions League European Power Ranking, Arsenal are the best team in Europe. Manchester United lie second despite their defeat at Bolton.

Wins for Chelsea and Liverpool place them in seventh and tenth place respectively. Rangers have, due to their recent good performances at home and in Europe, moved to 12th from 14th. Celtic break into our top 20 at the expense of Slavia Prague.

EUROPEAN POWER RANKINGS (last week's position in brackets)

1 (1) Arsenal - 27.69
2 (2) Manchester United - 25.71
3 (3) Internazionale - 22.92
4 (4) Barcelona - 22.88
5 (5) Real Madrid - 21.15
6 (6) Porto - 20.55
7 (7) Chelsea - 20
8 (8) Roma - 19.17
9 (9) Milan - 19.08
10 (10) Liverpool - 18.72
11 (13) Fenerbahce - 17.92
12 (14) Rangers - 17.09
13 (11) Sevilla - 16.96
14 (12) Valencia - 16.73
15= (15) Shakhtar Donetsk - 16.61
15= (16) Rosenborg - 16.61
17 (17) Lyon - 16.57
18 (18) Benfica - 16.30
19 (19) Werder Bremen - 16.07
20 (-) Celtic - 13.82

Scores are based on points per game in domestic league and European games.

Domestic points per game are multiplied by the league coefficient - either 3, 4 or 5 with teams in stronger leagues getting more credit ( England, Spain and Italy are 5).

European victories are counted as three points for a win whether in league stage or not. They are all multiplied by a coefficient of 5.

Arsenal for example are reported by Eurosport to have a coefficient of 27.69. Eurosport calculate it as follows:

33 points from 13 Premier League games = 2.54 points per game. Multiplied by league coefficient of five : 2.54 x 5 = 12.69.

18 points from 6 Champions League games (including qualifying) = 3 points per game. Multiplied by European coefficient of five - 15

Total score = 12.69 + 15 = 27.69

However according to my calculations this should be 26.02, still topping the list. This is because Arsenal’s points gained in the Champion’s League (inclusive of the two victorious qualifying games) are 16 from 5 wins and a draw and not six wins as assumed by Eurosport.

But if the two qualifying games are ignored (Manchester United did not have to qualify) then it is Manchester United that tops the list with 25.79 points just ahead of Arsenal with 25.19 points.


Clichy is injured. Step up Traore

Manchester United Complain, Chelsea Benefit but Refs are Destroying English Football

Accounts show Wenger has £74m transfer kitty. What should he spend it on?

Clichy is injured. Step up Traore

By 1970’s Gooner

The latest injury news to come out of Arsenal is that the excellent Gael Clichy did not travel to Spain due to a thigh injury he picked up against Wigan on Saturday.

This injury comes at an inopportune moment in Arsenal’s fixture calendar as we are about to embark on a series of away fixtures with a game on average every four days.

Clichy’s injury is described as short term and let’s hope it is indeed that, otherwise Traore could suddenly come into the reckoning.

There’s Hoyte of course and Diarra that could fill in if Wenger wants a more experienced player there.

This fixture list includes an away game on Saturday at Aston Villa, four days later on Wednesday we play Newcastle away and the Sunday after that Middlesbrough away.

This is followed by Steaua home the Wednesday after and then on Sunday Ashley Cole’s return with Chelsea. And it doesn’t stop there as we have Tottenham at home a week later!

The heavy schedule coming up is likely to set difficult selection problems for tonight’s game at Sevilla.

Wenger has to rest players in order to freshen them up but at the same time he has to try and have enough experienced players to assist the youngsters and have a chance of getting a result.

I would however prefer that as many first team players are rested and this should include Almunia so that Lehmann can get in some games in case he is needed in the coming weeks.

Lehmann should start in goal with Hoyte, Toure, Senderos and Traore the back four. Eboue, Diarra, Gilberto and Denilson the four in midfield and Bendtner and Eduardo the front two.

This will give a rest to Rosicky, Walcott, Almunia, Fabregas and Sagna. Although in the travelling party, Flamini will not be risked by Wenger.

Some newspapers have Rosicky and Fabregas starting and they would certainly add a sparkle to the line up.

But should Wenger be risking them with such a demanding fixture list and so close to the run up of the crucial Xmas period? I hope not.

Prediction: Whatever Wenger decides will be good enough to contest the game.

The defence is solid enough but obviously keeping Kanute quiet will be a big test especially for the returning Senderos.

The pairing of Bendtner and Eduardo however needs to click together if Arsenal are to have any success; 0-0

Adebayor should start looking behind his shoulder. There’s a new kid on the block

Arsenal Analysis resident season ticket holder at the Emirates (North Upper Stand Row Q) was there to watch Arsenal’s latest win against Wigan.

He makes some interesting observations about Diarra’s resemblance to Makelele, Rosicky’s play maker role and Bendtner’s announcement of his serious pretentions.

By Eros

It had to happen I suppose, Sir Alex has been moaning about his injuries all year, we had to get our fair share as well.

What I never understand is how it’s possible to get unavailable players at the same positions. We were stretched to the limit in midfield at the weekend against Wigan.

Flamini got injured in training with ‘Les Bleus’, Gilberto was unavailable because he only got back to London on Friday, Hleb got injured playing for Belarus and apparently is out for 3 weeks, and Diaby is injured once again!

Robin Van Persie was supposed to be ready by now but as usual our medical department got their timescales wrong and he needs a couple more weeks to be fully ready. I hope that the Diagnosis for Hleb and Flamini are accurate as we have a lot of important fixtures coming up!

As was expected with a brand new midfield pairing starting the game on Saturday, we started the game slowly and could not get any tempo going in the first half.

Our passing was sloppy and the bullying tactics of Michael Brown in the middle of the park seemed to work as we could not establish our normal dominance, making our pass and move game difficult to execute.

As a result our forwards were starved of any decent service, and the chances created were at a premium.

Still we created two excellent chances that should have been taken; both created by the lively Walcott. First setting up Ade showing good strength and awareness and then with an explosive run and close control to feed Eboue that got his feet all wrong and managed to miss horribly from the 6 yard line!!!

Slight adjustment was made by Wenger at the interval he releasing Rosicky in a free role. His movement, vision and passing created chaos in the Wigan defence which did not know how to handle him. Still some slack passing in the final third made for a very frustrating game.

After a horrible challenge by Heskey on Walcott, Bendtner came on and was involved in the build up of both goals. First releasing Sagna on the right to cross for Gallas to head the first in.

And then getting the ball behind the half way line running at the heart of the Wigan defence and playing a good ball for Rosicky to finish the game off.

Adebayor should start looking behind his shoulder. There’s a new kid on the block and this kid seems to be for real.

After his blunder earlier in the year when he said some daft stuff in the papers – no it was not a coincidence that he was left out for a few games – he got his head down and has done extremely well every time he was given a chance. Reports say he is in line to start against Seville tomorrow.

I said many times Ade needs to sort his distribution out quickly or he will soon be playing back-up to Nicklas.

I was slightly disappointed by Diarra, starting in his preferred position and not playing his own game. What I mean is, he tried unsuccessfully to copy what Flamini does so well, hassle defenders into losing the ball, pressurise them into mistakes and break up play, which is not his game.


He is more of a Makelele type of player, reading the game extremely well, sensing danger and stopping dangerous situations before they arise. He tried to chase the ball a bit too much and Wigan were on occasion able to pass the ball around our midfield successfully.

It also meant that Denilson was dropping deeper and deeper all the time asking for the ball. This was of course ineffective against their five man midfield as we did not utilise our fullbacks at all, especially in the first half.

When we finally did we were a lot more difficult to defend against. Both Denilson and Diarra showed some glimpses of their incredible talent however, and considering this was their first start together they did ok.

Wenger had a moment of genius in the summer by appointing Gallas as the captain. He has grown immensely in the role and seems to have created a great atmosphere within the camp.


Also he is starting to turn superb all action performances week in week out, first it was the great tackle on Steven Gerrard at Anfield, then the controlled finish against Man U and yesterday he begun and finished the move that broke the deadlock.

If he stays injury free he will make sure that his young team fights for every minute of every game, and if we go through a lean spell at some point he will make sure that heads don’t drop like they have in the past.

Finally, a shout to Bac Sagna who was again excellent yesterday. He is very quickly establishing himself as the best in the league.

A great Saturday was capped off by news at the Reebok that ex Arsenal boy Anelka’s goal was enough to put United to the sword.

The league will be won by the team that copes with injuries the best and United looked decidedly ordinary without Ronaldo and Rooney on Saturday.

People in North London are starting to believe this can actually be our year.


Wenger’s Rookies Selection Almost Spoil the Day Against Wigan

Manchester United Complain, Chelsea Benefit but Refs are Destroying English Football

Manchester United Complain, Chelsea Benefit but Refs are Destroying English Football

By The Coach

Why is it that referees in England, week in and week out, make so many wrong game-defining decisions?

Take for example the games of Derby vs Chelsea, West Ham vs Tottenham (which I watched this weekend live) and Bolton Vs Manchester United.

Derby was denied a perfectly good goal for a non existent off side that would have brought the struggling team back into contesting the game.

And as if that wasn’t enough poor Derby was blown a final knock-out by the referee when he allowed play-on at an obvious and flagrant foul committed by Shevchenko from which Chelsea went on to score their second goal.

In any other country such a tackle from behind would have earned the player at least a yellow card.

In the match at Upton Park, again there was clear off-side when Keane found himself on a one on one against Robert Green but was not given.


It was then followed up by a clear penalty offence by the goalkeeper which again was not given.

And to top it all up the referee saw a non-existent penalty in the final minute of the game, which thankfully for the home fans (and for justice) Rob Green went on to save.

At the game at Bolton, Kevin Davies and his Bolton team mates have reverted to old methods.


You even had Ferguson complaining about Bolton’s non- football tactics and blaming referee Mark Clattenburg for being too lenient!

Some cheek if you ask me since it was his United side that kicked the bones out of the Arsenal players at Old Trafford when the Invincibles run of 49 unbeaten games was brought to an abrupt and unjust end.

It was that inept referee Mike Reily in charge. He awarded a non existent penalty to Roonie’s falling over Campell’s leg; and it was him again in charge at Upton Park yesterday.

Nevertheless Ferguson’s cynicism should not detract us from the dire state of refereeing in England.

The above examples are typical of that we become witnesses to every week. Why isn’t anyone saying or doing anything about it?

What is wrong with English football? Why is it so hard to even contemplate change in some sacred areas such as refereeing?

It seems it is against the English culture to criticize authority.

“Criticize the referee but accept it. Don’t demand changes; if you do you will kill the game”.

But I say you should not worry about killing the game because the referees in England are doing a good job of this on their own.

Something needs to be done and sooner rather than later.

What is even worse it affects the way football is played in England and as a result stifles the development of talent in English football. Trevor Brooking should take note!

What needs to go out of the window is the religious belief that football is a physical game.

Not it is not! Rugby is a physical game; football is a skilful team game. Referees should not allow disguised rugby players on a football pitch to spoil it.

When a skilful attacker is dribbling through a number of players, balancing himself finely while running at 30 miles an hour, it doesn’t take too much of a push to put him off balance and surrender the advantage to the defender.

A little shoulder-to-shoulder or a slight body check is enough to render, in an instant, all the skills possessed by the attacking player useless on an English football pitch. The defender is, almost always, given the benefit of the doubt by the referees.

Teams and coaches who need to be successful in these playing conditions in England can ignore the fact that referees favour defensive play at their own peril.

It doesn’t pay dividends to play attractive attacking football in England.

Look at the switch of fortunes for Allardyce’s Bolton when he finally realised that this is how he can get results in the Premiership. It is happening again today with Megson (who has been renamed the new Allardyce).

Arsenal is perhaps the only team in the Premier League that has managed to play attractive attacking football successfully, despite the referees.

Are they the exception to the rule or has Wenger realised something that others have not?

I will ask why this is so in a future article.


McClaren and Wenger blamed for England’s failure: A nation in denial

England will probably never be a world football power

Wenger’s Rookies Selection Almost Spoil the Day Against Wigan

By 1970’s Gooner

I could go on about the new found resilience within this Arsenal team which has learned how to win when things are not running as smoothly as they should.

Or how persistence, fitness and quality which are obviously in abundance, always shine through in the end. What is it? About a third of Arsenal’s points, 13 of 33, have come in the final 10 minutes?

Or even about Gallas’s saving grace once again and Wenger’s vindication in his selection of a new talisman.

Or about Sagna’s repeatedly beautiful displays.


But I will not! Because all these qualities, admirable as they are, need not have come to the for during this game against Wigan at the Emirates. A side that tasted defeat in its last seven games.

There was a major reason why Arsenal struggled to break down this Wigan side and in my opinion it was not all down to “brilliant defending” as Mr Wenger had suggested after the match.

This concerns Arsene Wenger’s selection of the two central midfielders in Denilson and Diarra and the choice of starting Walcott up front to partner Adebayor instead of in his (for now) customary wide midfield position.

Both Denilson and Diarra were content to win the ball and play it safe. This invariably meant a pass back to the defenders or sideways. In this way play was usually delayed and Wigan had therefore the time to get enough men organized behind the ball.

What was equally important is that there was neither leadership nor forward penetration coming from the middle of the pitch. There was no one to take up the mantle and dictate play the way that Fabregas usually provides.

It wasn’t till Wenger moved a more forceful and creative player, Rosicky, into that area behind Adebayor and the midfield when things got better.

Eduardo’s introduction on the 68th minute for the ineffective Eboue meant that Walcott was moved to the right of midfield. Eduardo stayed more on the left and Rosicky started coming infield from his wide left position dictating play.

Arsenal suddenly had forward movement and urgency and as a result were circling round Wigan’s area pushing them back more and more.

You would have expected Bendtner’s entry for Walcott ten minutes later to have added more firepower. But it added more creativity instead.

He was the one that spread play to Sagna to get his cross in for Gallas for the first.


Bendtner was again the one that gave the assist to Rosicky who, having been released from his wing duties, found himself in a more creative area in the middle of the pitch to race on and score the second.

Yet it was Rosicky who should have been given a starting booth in one of the central midfield positions as he is more experienced and far more creative than the two rookies of Diarra and Denilson. Eboue and Walcott (or even Denilson) could have been the wide midfielders.

Let’s hope that we are not short of central midfielders again!

Man of the Match: William Gallas

Arsenal: Almunia 7, Sagna 8, Toure 7, Gallas 8, Clichy 6, Eboue 5 (Eduardo 68min, 6), Diarra 5, Denilson 5, Rosicky 7, Walcott 6 (Bendtner 79min 8), Adebayor 6

Wigan: Pollitt 7, Boyce 7, Granqvist 6, Bramble 6, Kilbane 6, Brown 5, Scharner 6 (Skoko 90min), Landzaat 6, Olembe 5 (Heskey 68min, 5), Koumas 7, Bent 6 (Sibierski 84min, 5)

Xmas wish for West Ham fans: Bilic as West Ham's new Wenger!

By The Coach (who is really a crypto West Ham fan!)

Bilic is an ex-West Ham great who has proven to have Wenger-like qualities in building up teams that are young and exciting and most of all effective.

He can be the new Wenger of the Premiership and I am sure he would jump at the chance to coach a Premiership team especially at his old stamping ground, Upton Park.

The West Ham Board should recognise opportunities when they arise and find a way to make them happen.

I was totally impressed with Bilic's ability to bring together young talent and shape a team that can play good football and most of all a team that is capable of beating anyone.

The style of football that Croatia displayed at Wembley the other night is indeed the football that West Ham were known for but sadly now only seen in glimpses.

It wasn’t that long ago when Sir Trevor Brooking et al and even before him when the Great Bobby Moore was the captain that West Ham were admired for the way they played the beautiful game.

Bilic is the man and the Board should be clever enough to see and grasp this opportunity to transform West Ham into a power in football again. It won't happen overnight, but Bilic more than Curbishley knows how to achieve it.

The most Curbishley can manage is to use his old and trusted methods to just keep West Ham away from trouble. But is this enough?

Having been a West Ham admirer for so many years, I think it is time the club moved on. It is time to show a little more ambition.


England will probably never be a world football power again

West Ham Don’t Need a Director of Football but a New Manager

Six players are out so it’s a Carling Cup side for Wigan

By 1970’s Gooner

The news coming out of Arsenal with regard to injuries is not good.

Alex Hleb is out for 21 days with a hamstring injury picked up playing for Belarus against Holland (2-1). He was substituted at half time.

Mathieu Flamini was sent home by Domenech after he picked up a thigh injury in the seven minutes he played for France. He will be out for one week.

Abu Diaby hurt his back against the Slavia Prague game and has not participated for the France Under 21s. He will be out for three weeks.

Robin Van Persie’s knee has not healed sufficiently and he needs another ten days before making his come back. He will also miss the Sevilla Champions League game in Spain.

Gilberto will return very, very late from international duty with Brazil and he will only come back on Friday jet lagged!

Cesc Fabregas stupidly went and got himself yellow carded so he is also out of the Wigan game.

Philip Senderos is back though which is small consolation as he is not likely to start anyway.

The selection dilemmas for Wenger will be focused on the central midfield positions and on who will partner Adebayor up front.

Gilberto obviously is a definite starter if he can get back in time from his duties as captain of Brazil.

For the other central midfield position it looks like a straight choice between Denilson and Diarra as Song’s only outings so far have only been a few last minute substitutions.

It will be interesting to see which Wenger will choose although Denilson is more of a creative player and creativity will be needed to compliment Gilberto’s industry and defensive inclinations.

Up front I think Eduardo will get the nod as he looked sharp for Croatia on Wednesday night.

So Wenger will be forced to field a Carling Cup side for Saturday. The possible 11 are as follows:

Almunia

Sagna Toure Gallas Clichy

Eboue Gilberto Denilson/Diarra Rosicky

Adebayor Eduardo

Arsenal Brazilian trialist wants to be like Buffon but prefers to stay at Botafogo

By 1970’s Gooner

Guilherme Loreno Marcelino Alves otherwise known as 'Luis Guilherme' has impressed everybody including the Arsenal scout who was present at the recent South American Under 15s championships.

He is one of a long list of goalkeepers that are on Brazilian team Botafogo’s books.

His displays helped Brazil win the contest just ahead of Uruguy who failed to beat Argentina in the final game of the tournament.

He was also picked in the list of 11 outstanding players of the tournament.

With a surprising maturity for a boy of only 15 years, Luis is thrilled with the opportunity of playing at Arsenal.

But at the same time he realises that he must take each step in the ladder of becoming a successful goalkeeper with caution and without trying to climb too fast for his own good.

“The important thing is not to skip any of the stages needed in the development of a professional goalkeeper because the most important thing for a goalkeeper is experience”

He appears to be a very level headed lad and we all know that Wenger always checks these things out before going for a player.

Luis includes Italian goalkeeper Buffon and Brazilian goalkeeping legends Júlio Caesar, Taffarel and the goal scoring goalkeeper Rogério Ceni among his idols.

Although Luis describes the Arsenal trial as important he indicated to Brazilian sports news site Globoesporte.com that it may be better to stay at Botafogo and complete both his football and academic education before joining Arsenal on a more permanent basis.


'Luis Guilherme' Fact File:

Name: Guilherme Loreno Marcelino Alves
Surname: Luis
Known as: Luis Guilherme
Date of birth: 04.06.1992
Nationality: Brazil
Position: Goalkeeper
Soccer-Club: Botafogo

McClaren and Wenger blamed for England’s failure: A nation in denial

By The Coach

Sure, McClaren was never a brilliant football manager and yes, a better choice could have been made in May 2006. But isn’t this typical of a nation that goes into mass denial once again?

The problem of English football is deeply rooted and has to do with an archaic footballing culture that is fostered and maintained by all, including those who are now taking to pieces poor McClaren.

All these experts and professors of football are quick to advise the eternal formula, “sack the coach and start again”. If only it were that simple!

Wait, haven’t we tried that many times before? Terry Venables, Glenn Hoddle, Sven Goran Ericsson and even Sir Alf Ramsey did not escape becoming the scapegoats for the more obvious reality that a whole nation does not want to even consider, let alone, come to terms with.

The fact is that football in England is bad! It is too physical, too square, too predictable, too English!

The mass hysteria has even reached the point of blaming it all on Wenger! Yes, unbelievable as it may sound, some gurus in England actually profess that the problems with English football emanate from having Arsene Wenger type managers in the Premiership!

“If only Arsene Wenger would try to create successful teams in the Premiership using young British rather than international talent, then…”

Wenger is not racist or anti-British! He would love to be able to build a championship winning team using available talent from England. The problem is that there is no such talent (and surely not at the same cost) to be found as could be sourced from abroad.

Looking into the problem a little deeper, the talent that can be developed into the Fabregas, the Van-Persies and the Hlebs of this world is so rare in England for a very good reason.

Young kids in England are unfortunate enough to grow up in England. By the time they learn the rules and have the British footballing values embedded into their persona it is far too late to explore and develop their natural qualities for creativity, imagination and flair on the field.

To use an analogy, it is like having Van Gough or Mozart create their beautiful work while serving in the army.

Back in early September I along with 1970’s Gooner began a series of articles that expounded on this very issue (see our posting England will probably never be a world football power again).

In our opinion the reason for this lies on the emphasis placed by the English society on several character related attributes, which in the end help to stifle any skills that a young player may possess.

These attributes, admirable as they are, concentrate more on the traditional English values of commitment, work ethos, effort and physical and mental strength.

All very important and very necessary elements in what makes a world class player.

But alas not sufficient. And they inevitably manifest themselves in all aspects of the English game.

In the way the players themselves play the game. In the way English coaches encourage their players to conduct themselves on the pitch. In their choice of strategies and tactics. And in the way the referees interpret the laws.

In fact most English players are made to look better when they are playing for their club teams which mostly consist of foreign players.

But when they have to co-exist with the rest of the England squad and line up against their club colleagues and other more skillful players in an international game they have no such “shield”

The truth is that England are really an average team who is made to look a little bit better when a few world class players emerge now and then.


England will probably never be a world football power again

Wenger’s Arsenal would have torn this England team apart

By 1970’s Gooner

It was a pathetic performance by England.

Pathetic from the coach in selecting the wrong formation and the wrong keeper.

Pathetic from the players who played like a bunch of schoolboys.

And pathetic from the football authorities in destroying Wembley’s turf by greedily staging an NFL game there only recently.

Mclaren got the formation wrong by playing a 4 3 3 system. He tried to pack the central midfield positions with three players in Gerrard, Lampard and Barry.

But this meant that Crouch was often isolated up front with no one there to feed off his headers. What is the point in playing Crouch without giving him some support?

McLaren’s biggest boob was to drop Robinson and give the young and inexperienced, at this level, Carson a starting place.

In such a decisive and crucial massive game! He bottled it of course with that blunder, as Bob Wilson feared he would in his Daily Telegraph piece yesterday.

Hell, even Almunia would not have conceded that first goal and I think he would have kept Croatia’s third out.



May be the next England manger should look Almunia’s way for his next international call up. No I am serious!

The midfielders couldn’t put two passes together and none of them could go forward to assist Crouch. All the players in general bottled it on the night and looked way below in the quality stakes compared to their opponents.

But the truth is Croatia did not perform at that high a quality level anyway.

Yes they were intelligent, efficient and executed a sensible game plan but they did not play fantastic football. They didn’t have to of course.

They are a good footballing side with skillful players. But the truth is that there are a lot of national teams like Croatia out there.

Now if Arsenal were England’s opponents last night the massive difference in quality between the so called superstars of the Premier League and Wenger’s young kids would have been there for everyone to see.

Judging by the way England performed Arsenal would have scored a lot more goals against them.

The passing and movement of the Arsenal players would have run rings around Gerrard and Lampard and Barry and the difference in class would have been more apparent and even more embarrassing. Yes it was that bad!

Can you imagine Fabregas orchestrating play form that central midfield position and even venturing forward to give support to the front strikers.

Hleb and Rosicky would have run rings round the inept Bridge and Adebayor and Van Persie would have dragged the ageing Campell and the inexperienced Lescott into all sorts of avenues.

And in the end they would have scored more goals like Croatia’s second.

Fantasy League Prediction: England 0 Arsenal 3


Arsenal’s "Totaalvoetbal" a First in the Premiership. Wenger and Michels, Hleb and Cruyff

Accounts show Wenger has £74m transfer kitty. What should he spend it on?

By 1970's Gooner

A few months ago Arsenal Holdings Plc announced bumper financial figures for the year ended May 2006. The results include the hugely positive effect of the extra revenues arising from the move to the Emirates.

Arsenal now take in £3.1m per match day as opposed to about half of that during the Highbury days and this extra revenue has generated a lot of cash that are available for transfers.


The financial figures revealed at the time that £74m is cash was sitting in the company’s bank account! It is very interesting to note what the Board had to say about how this cash is to be used:

”The Board believe that the best long term policy is to re-invest the cash back into the development of the team. The objective is to make available to the manager the maximum possible funds for the development of the playing squad.”

Also added to this income is the extra net cash generated by Wenger’s transfer activity during the summer which includes the lucrative transfers of Henry to Barcelona and Ljumberg to West Ham (see my posting: Arsenal’s transfer kitty is still bulging).

There is no doubt that there is a lot of cash available for transfers; if Wenger chooses to spend any that is!

But which are the areas that he may consider strengthening?

Goalkeeper

The sensible thing to do here is to see if Lehmann will continue until the summer. If so Wenger may resist strengthening for January, giving Almunia the chance to prove himself. He will then know what to go for; a new number one or another number two.


However if Lehmann is to leave in this January window then Wenger needs to recruit a new and experienced goalkeeper that will be able to challenge and provide cover for Almunia; and vice versa.

Right back

No need to strengthen. Hoyte, Eboue and Diarra are very adequate back ups for Sagna

Left back

There is a need to have an experienced defender to cover for Clichy. But Wenger values Traore and will not want to jeopardize his prospects by buying another left back.

He has cover after all, as the players available for the right back position can fill in, but additionally there is Gallas and Flamini.

Central defenders

The two first team choices of Toure and Gallas are beginning to jell at last but it is in their cover again that reinforcements are needed especially with the African Cup of Nations drawing near.

The current second choice central defenders are Senderos, Djourou, Gilberto and lately Song.

The problem is that of these only Djourou looks capable of rising to the task. Gilberto is experienced but lacks pace and Song is still too young to be trusted.

Senderos has not been convincing this season.

Lack of pace and positional sense being his two major deficiencies.

Wenger may utilise some of that available cash to bring in a new experienced centre back and consider allowing the young lad to move on.

Wide midfielders

There seems to be an abundance of wide midfielders available for Wenger to choose from. His preferred options are Rosicky and the excellent Hleb. There are of course Eboue and Walcott available who have been coming into form lately.

Wenger may not add to this list in January as he will want to give first team games to both Eboue and especially Walcott in order to allow them the chance to blossom further.

He will probably want to reassess the situation ready for the summer transfer window especially if Eboue does not continue to improve.

Central midfielders

There is an abundance of riches for these positions and if anything Wenger may be forced to unload than to recruit.

There is Fabregas and Flamini of course but there is also Gilberto, the captain of Brazil, the excellent prospect that goes by the name of Denilson, Diaby the new Vieira, the newly arrived Diarra who looks promising and Song whom I rate highly as a central midfielder.

The more likely candidate to be sold on is in fact Gilberto. His transfer will create the space for the other players to blossom even further and the transfer income and savings in his wages makes even more financial sense.


Judging by Wenger’s transfer behaviour so far do not be surprised to waive good buy to Gilberto! However this may come next summer as his experience will be very valuable for this young and title chasing team.

Forwards

The pairing of Robin Van Persie and Adebayor needs time to jell further and Arsene Wenger will want to give it every opportunity of doing so as this combination has the potential to grow into something beautiful.

He has already bought Eduardo and brought young Bendtner back from his loan stint at Birmingham. He will also want to give them the opportunities to show what they can do.

The problem however is that Eduardo has not settled in yet and as such has not been able to offer the outlet that the recent absence of Van Persie cried out for.

Bendtner, although promising, is still young and as such has not been trusted by Wenger to start important games (I disagree of course).

Wenger recognising this lack of cover reverted to the rather conservative 4 5 1 for the two crucial games against Liverpool and Manchester United leaving Adebayor, by his own admittance, isolated. (See my posting on this subject: Arsenal’s Formula One Car Cannot Run With The Handbreak On. A Critique)

He has the Hleb option available of course which is a realistic one; as long as Hleb actually plays that support role behind the front striker.

So it is unlikely that Wenger will buy in any more front players during this window.

Conclusion

Yes there is a large transfer kitty available to Arsene Wenger and if he does use it in January, it will probably be for experienced back ups in the goalkeeper and central defensive positions.

Otherwise he is unlikely to use any substantial amounts in strengthening what is already a strong squad; which is “getting better all the time”!

Remember the Beatles song?


Arsenal’s "Totaalvoetbal" a First in the Premiership. Wenger and Michels, Hleb and Cruyff

Wenger’s midfield options for Wigan limited due to injuries and suspension

Wenger’s midfield options for Wigan limited due to injuries and suspension

By 1970s Gooner

The news coming out of the France national team’s camp is that Mathieu Flamini has cut short his international week and is flying back to London to be attended by Arsenal’s doctors.

Flamini 'suffered a little something', Domenech said without explaining the extent of the injury.

He will not travel to Kiev to face the Ukraine in France’s last qualifying game.

Fabregas is also out due to the fifth yellow card he “intentionally” received at the away game at Reading.

This leaves Wenger with the possibility of having to field a totally different pairing for the centre of midfield against Wigan.

It has been Fabregas and Flamini that have been pulling the strings so magnificently since the first game of the season against Fulham.

However the bad luck does not stop there. France Football is reporting that Diaby is out of the Under 19's next game which is today. It appears he is carrying an injury.



If both Flamini and Diaby do not make it for Saturday then the available options against Steve Bruce’s Wigan will be limited to any two from Gilberto, Diarra, Denilson and Song.

Gilberto obviously is a definite starter if he can get back in time from his duties as captain of Brazil.

It would also have been nice to see Diaby line up in his favoured position and to be allowed to show what he can do. These two would probably get the nod if fit.

In the possible absence of Diaby then it looks like a straight choice between Denilson and Diarra as Song’s only outings so far have only been a few last minute substitutions.

It will be interesting to see which Wenger will choose although Denilson is more of a creative player and creativity will be needed to compliment Gilberto’s industry and defensive inclinations.


Arsenal’s "Totaalvoetbal" a First in the Premiership. Wenger and Michels, Hleb and Cruyff

Spurs Look to Cash in on Wenger’s Prodigies. Not on your Nelly!

Are these the seven handsomest Arsenal players?

By 1970's Gooner

There are top quality footballers playing the most attractive football, scoring the most beautiful goals or defending in such a manner that getting past them becomes a real feat.

At least that is how all the fans see and mostly think about the players who represent their favourite side. And they are adored for this reason.

But there are some footballers who develop a bigger fan base not only because of their footballing ability but because of their good looks!

Have you wondered what marks each Arsenal player would get on the “good looks” League?

I asked a small group of female friends (who are not all football fans) to look at the Arsenal players with a different eye!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say so there are bound to be a lot of different opinions about this very subjective matter.

Nevertheless in descending order these are the top 7 that they came up with.

7: Theo Walcott (cute)



6: Manuel Almunia (looks manly)



5: Nicklas Bendtner (nice)



4: Gilberto Silva (sweet)



3: Eduardo Da Silva ( latin looks)



2: Robin Van Persie (very cute)



1: Jens Lehmann (very handsome!)







It must be said that the rest of the Arsenal players were ….nowhere!

Ed: I am sure that there are a lot of different opinions about this subject and that the above list is by no means definitive.

Who do you think is the prettiest of them all?

Rosicky scores a beautiful volley for the Czech Republic (watch it on video)

By 1970’s Gooner

It seems that Tomas Rosicky has been rewarded for his performance on Saturday night after he scored the important third goal for the Czech Republic in their 3-1 victory over Slovakia.

He has been allowed to miss the Czech Republic’s last game of this campaign against Cyprus so that he could return to London and get in some needed rest.

The Czech Republic went in front when Zdenek Grygera scored inside the first 15 minutes and then went two up with a late goal from Marek Kulic.

An own goal from Michal Kadlec on 79 minutes gave Slovakia hope but Rosicky's goal four minutes later secured the victory. You can watch it on top of the page by clicking on the video screen.

His goal came when a cross from the right was headed out by the Slovakian defence but Rosicky latched onto it hitting it on the volley form inside the area.

Tomas said: "My goal came on the back of a fast-paced counter-attack. I was in the second wave and the ball found me after one of the clearances.

"It was going straight against my foot and I hit it with my instep well."

The Czech Republic is already assured of qualification in Group D along with Germany but the win over the Slovaks ensured they remain in pole position.


Spurs Look to Cash in on Wenger’s Prodigies. Not on your Nelly!

Lehmann back to his best

Arsenal’s "Totaalvoetbal" a First in the Premiership. Wenger and Michels, Hleb and Cruyff

Spurs Look to Cash in on Wenger’s Prodigies. Not on your Nelly!

By 1970’s Gooner

The People published a story that Diaby, Denilson and Traore are wanted by Spurs. And of course, not to be outdone, the other newspapers picked it up and started regurgitating the same story over and over again.

A sign that we are due to enter the “silly” period that is called a “transfer window”

There are football, financial and rivalry reasons why Diaby, Denilson and Traore will not be transferred to Spurs.

All three players have been handpicked and groomed by Wenger to provide top quality cover for their respective positions.

But more importantly to be ready in the next few seasons to take up the mantle if needed from their first team counterparts.

Diaby in particular has since his return from injury been very impressive especially on the few occasions he has been allowed to play in his natural position in the centre of midfield.

He has been likened to Vieira and in my opinion not without reason. His potential to grow into a great footballer is phenomenal.

So not only has he a great future at Arsenal but also to sell him on now especially when his transfer price will sky rocket in the future does not even make financial sense.

The more likely candidate to be sold on is in fact Gilberto. His transfer will create the space for players like Diaby, Denilson and Diarra to blossom even further.

Also the transfer price and savings in wages makes even more financial sense.

Judging by Wenger’s transfer behaviour so far do not be surprised to waive good buy to Gilberto! But most probably not to Spurs!

Denilson to my mind can be characterised as a prodigy who at only 19 is beginning to show that he can hold his own in that Fabregas role.

Surely he is being groomed to offer cover for Fabregas and also to play along side him if need be. Again why sell him now? It does not make much sense.

Traore is still learning his trade but we have seen how he resembles and plays like Clichy and even Ashley Cole before him. Wenger is obviously grooming him to be the next in line after Clichy.

But the problem of course is that he is still a little bit too young at 18. Wenger will make do at the moment with what he has and provide cover for Clichy from other sources such as Flamini or Diarra.

So again it does not make much sense to sell him on.

And what does not make much sense does not happen.

Especially if Spurs are involved!


Arsenal’s "Totaalvoetbal" a First in the Premiership. Wenger and Michels, Hleb and Cruyff


Lehmann back to his best

Lehmann back to his best

By 1970’s Gooner

The news coming out of Lehmann’s corner recently has been that he will stay in London until the end of the season; and this after taking into account his family’s wishes.

"My goal is to play for Arsenal again," said the keeper "I don't know if I can expect my children to change schools halfway through the year. I can't deny my family is more important than Euro 2008."

What usually happens when a period of uncertainty is finally brought to a close is that the settling of the mind brings the best out of the player (or anyone come to that). And Lehmann certainly produced his best during Germany’s game against Cyprus which was won 4-0.

You might say that playing well against the minnows of Cyprus hardly qualifies as a top level performance. You may be right; but this argument does not hold for a goalkeeper, as a save is a save whoever is firing the shot at goal.

Although Germany dominated the game the Cypriots created enough chances to have scored at least one goal but they were denied by Lehmann’s excellent saves.

He made goal saving blocks when the Cypriots were in on one to one on goal on three separate occasions and several saves from shots inside the area; all reminiscent of his saves when he was on top form for Arsenal.

One save in particular was from point blank pushing the shot on the post when it looked a certain goal.

“He had a good game and appears to be in good form even if he does not play for Arsenal a lot” said Joachim Löw, the Germany coach.



Lehmann’s decision to stay on is a major boost for Arsenal’s title aspirations as having two capable goalkeepers available for the rest of the season will provide excellent cover when needed; whoever of the two is going to provide that cover.

And judging by Lehmann’s performance for Germany last night who knows who will be the number one goalkeeper.

Adriano to attend specialist centre in Brazil before coming to Arsenal!

By 1970’s Gooner

Italian press is reporting that Adriano of Inter Milan is to travel to his home country Brazil and attend a specialist “psychophysique center” in order to help him recover his football form.

It is well known that his form for the last two seasons has dipped to very low levels. He has during this time put on a lot of weight and there have been rumors concerning his drinking habits. As a result he has not been able to hold down a first team place.

Just how Arsene Wenger was reported to have been interested in a player with so many problems is beyond me. Obviously another prank.

However the Italian press is reporting that the intention is for Inter Milan to loan the player out to either Arsenal or Manchester City in January when he is expected to have finished his therapy in Brazil.

Dream on I say.


Arsenal’s "Totaalvoetbal" a First in the Premiership. Wenger and Michels, Hleb and Cruyff

Wenger prank transfer target due to cross the Atlantic

By 1970’s Gooner

You will remember last summer when “The Sun” published a sensational story that Arsene Wenger was ready to sign Argentinean hot shot goal scoring sensation Rodrigo Palacios.

A lot of newspapers and other news related media and blogs (!) were taken in because it did concern a known player of certain ability just after Henry had departed from Arsenal.

It turned out to be a big prank of course.

But now it appears that his goal scoring ability has attracted interest from a host of European clubs including the French side Lyon.

They are about to ditch ex Liverpool and Aston Villa player Milan Baros and are on the look out to augment their attacking options as their other forward Alex is injured at the moment.

Palacios is 25 plays for Boca Juniors and is considered to be the best Argentinean not to have crossed the Atlantic! His transfer fee is put at £12m.

Wenger trialist Mputu hailed as the new Eto'o. Watch him on video

Arsenal’s "Totaalvoetbal" a First in the Premiership. Wenger and Michels, Hleb and Cruyff

Wenger trialist Mputu hailed as the new Eto'o. Watch him on video

By 1970’s Gooner

Tresor Mputu’s performances were so impressive for his club TP Mazembe and for his country DR Congo that a host of local and foreign clubs have been very keen to sign him.

The list includes Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns and also three Belgian teams as well as Bayern Munich.

Mputu, 21, has reportedly already had trials in France and Belgium.

This must have alerted Arsene Wenger who apparently has been tracking the African for some time. And move fast he had.

So fast that, as Mputu’s agent announced, the player is arriving in London to begin trials with Arsenal on Monday November 19th.

“There is a 70 percent chance that he could sign but Arsenal still want to look at him before making final arrangements,”

“He is one of the most talented players to come out of Africa in the past two years and his performance in the African Champions league is there for all to see, he told Kick Off Magazine.


The pint-sized but highly skilful forward currently tops the Caf Champions League goalscoring table with 11 goals to his name.

Mputu is expected to make his mark for DR Congo in the upcoming African Nations Cup and Wenger, a shrewd transfer dealer, would obviously like to get his man before he bursts on the scene and his value sky rockets.

His price is placed at the moment at £500,000 which is just about right for Wenger!

Former Congo coach Claude Le Roy described Mputu as better than Samuel Eto'o!

Le Roy famously picked Eto’o for Cameroon for the 1998FIFA World Cup in France as a 17 year-old. If he is right then Wenger has unearthed another gem.

As you can see from the videos we have assembled Tresor is a cool finisher in front of goal.

He is also blessed with pace and good technique which is of course a sine qua non for any player if he is to be given half a chance of making it through the London Colney doors.

He can also kick where it hurts!

Tresor Mabi Mputu Fact File

Date of Birth: 10 December 1985
Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Playing position: Striker
Current club: TP Mazembe
Number: 8


Arsenal’s "Totaalvoetbal" a First in the Premiership. Wenger and Michels, Hleb and Cruyff

Arsenal’s "Totaalvoetbal" a First in the Premiership. Wenger and Michels, Hleb and Cruyff

By 1970’s Gooner

It has really been amazing to watch this young Arsenal team play such wonderful football with so much ease, skill and technique.

Each and every player whether a defender, midfielder or attacker possesses an astonishing amount of talent that allows him to be almost equally proficient in various positions and areas on the football pitch.

It is reminiscent of the “total football” (or Totaalvoetbal in Dutch) that Ajax introduced with great effect to the world in the early 1970’s.

Although its foundations were laid much earlier at Ajax by Jack Reynolds it was his disciple Rinus Michels during his tenure at Ajax that really perfected it.

Ajax won the equivalent of the Champions League (then named the European Cup) in three successive seasons, 1971, 1972 and 1973.

The Dutch national team under his tutelage reached the Final of the 1974 World Cup beating Argentina, Brazil and East Germany on the way. They lost the final narrowly to West Germany 2-1.

Total Football is a system where a player who moves out of his position is replaced by another and in this way the structure of the team is kept intact.

In this fluid system no position is fixed and at the extreme any player can be an attacker, a midfielder or even a defender.

And judging by Arsenal’s performances so far in the Premiership Arsene Wenger seems to be a modern day Rinus Michels.

He has resurrected total football again. A first in the Premiership.
We have often seen the Arsenal players leave their original positions and venture in areas where the opponents would not have expected.

As Markus Hahnemann the Reading goalkeeper said after the game:

“They constantly drift into new positions and organising a defence is very difficult. Our back four and midfield couldn't stick to their own positions because their men were moving all over the place"

A prime example is Alexander Hleb who wonders around all areas of midfield, left, right and center weaving his marvelous magic.

Eboue was also doing it against Reading coming infield and at one stage playing as a second forward; Clichy was covered by Flamini when he ventured forward and even Toure was trying his lack further up the field.

Fabregas found himself in the box laying the ball back for Arsenal’s center forward, Adebayor, to score that sumptuous second goal.

The same can also be said of Flamini who of all people was in the centre forward position to receive the ball from Hleb and score the first goal.

Adebayor, the center forward, was the supplier of the wonderful through ball to Hleb who then gave the assist to Flamini.

The case of Hleb is however particularly poignant when comparing the total Football played by Arsenal with Ajax of the 1970’s.


And the unavoidable comparison is with the great Dutch forward Johan Cruyff who was the system's most famous exponent.


Although Cruyff was fielded as a forward, he wandered all over the pitch, popping up wherever he could do most damage to the opposing team. Just as Hleb is doing for Arsenal.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not suggesting that Hleb is of the same stature and influence as the great Cruyff.

But he has the potential to get there. As Arsenal have the potential to emulate the Ajax team of the 1970's.


Reading Vs Arsenal Ratings plus goals on video

Arsenal put on the Harlem Globetrotters Show at Reading

Reading Vs Arsenal Ratings plus goals on video

By 1970’s Gooner

Have a look on the video window at Arsenal’s second goal. It epitomizes the way Arsene Wenger’s teams play their brand of beautiful football.

Adebayor passed to Rosicky who gave it to Fabregas who laid it back for Adebayor to score from just inside the box with the minimum of back lift and with the inside of his right boot put a swerving shot beyond the despairing Hahnemann.

Arsenal’s 1000th Premiership goal could not have had such a wonderful execution.

Player’s Ratings

Almunia; decisive and very good on high balls into the area. Was let down by his defenders for the Reading goal. Will keep his place foe Arsenal’s next match. 7

Hahnemann; Did the best he could under the circumstances. 7

Sagna; did not have much to do but was not as penetrative enough on the right wing as he could have been. 7

Murty; kept his position well throughout. 6

Clichy; probably his best performance of the season. Lightning quick and strong in the tackle at the back and also contributed going forward. 8

Shorey; I rate him as a full back and he should get more international call ups. Was there at the right place to put the ball in the net. 7

Gallas; it was an easy night out for the two central defenders but he was not strong in the air as he could have been. 7

Sonko; tried manfully to combat the Arsenal wave of attacks but kept making mistakes and on occasion was loosing possession easily. 5

Toure; same holds for Toure as for Gallas. Kolo ventured forward more but did not really have a clear plan of what to do when he got there. Fluffed a free kick wide. 7

Ingimarsson; strong in the air but had a handful in containing Adebayor. 6

Hleb; was involved in almost everything Arsenal did well, weaving his magic and scoring a goal only he could have contrived. 8

Convey; had pace but Clichy had more. Was subdued throughout. 4

Rosicky; more lively during this game than in his last outing. Made a lot of runs on the wing and played his part in Arsenal’s sumptuous second goal. 8



Hunt; asking a winger to play as a defensive wide midfielder for most of the game was not really Hunt’s game. Yet he stuck to his job. 6

Fabregas; fabulous again. Was at the heart of everything that Arsenal did especially for his assist for Adebayor’s goal. 9

Harper; played most of the game trying to stop Arsenal’s central midfielders from performing. A difficult task at the best of times. 6


Flamini; another box to box lung bursting performance. His first goal of the season typifies his style of play- from a defensive position ran the length of the pitch to get into the penalty area so that he could offer an outlet to Hleb. 9

Kitson; as with Hunt a wide midfielder asked to play defensively. Rather a waist of talent really. Why not play a defensive oriented player in the first place? 5

Eboue; Was involved in the play often enough but without real penetration on the wing. His partnership with Sagna although growing still has some way to go. His shots were hurried and off the mark. 7

Doyle; the lone striker playing in a thankless position coming up against two central defenders most of the time. Yet I was impressed with his heading ability. 7

Adebayor; Started rather lethargically and the chance created by Rosicky on the 4th minute when he put him clean through came a little bit too early in the game for him.

Made up for it though with his second. He was quite a handful for the Reading defenders but needs to improve on his control and close passing. 8

Arsenal put on the Harlem Globetrotters Show at Reading

Coppell: "Reading have three different ways of playing against Arsenal". Really?

Arsenal put on the Harlem Globetrotters Show at Reading

By 1970’s Gooner

It was men against boys; only the other way round if you see what I mean. But it was not like that all the way through. Coppell went for the conservative approach packing his midfield with five men and playing only one man up front.

Arsenal started somewhat lethargically and although they were enjoying 60% of possession they could not find a way round the packed Reading defense.

Yet it could have been very different from as early as the 4th minute when Adebayor put through by Rosicky clean on goal rather casually stroked the ball round Hanemann only to see it hit the outside the right hand post and go out of play.

Reading’s defensive formation was working quite well until the 43rd minute when they won a corner! As on many occasions that is when the defensive team is most vulnerable with the commitment of players in the opposite box opening up space on the other end of the pitch.

Arsenal were in the Reading box in a flash and Hleb was squaring the ball to the on rushing Flamini to score his first goal of the season.

That spelled the end of Reading’s mental resilience. The second half was monopolised by Arsenal adding the second on 52 after a sumptuous passing movement.

First Adebayor passed to Rosicky who gave it to Fabregas who laid it back for Adebayor to score from just inside the box with the minimum of back lift and with the inside of his right boot beyond the despairing Hanemann.

Now it was cruise control and exhibition “Harlem Globetrotters” staff as Reading were reduced to just a spectator part.

The Arsenal players were more interested in putting passes together and keeping the ball for very long spells rather than going for the jugular. Just like a cat plays with a captive mouse whose fate is already beyond doubt!

Hleb got the third on 78 after Oster passed to nobody outside his area. Hleb picked it up went through one player dummied the goalkeeper, dragged the ball back to his right foot and shot into the net off the defender’s stretched leg.

Wenger’s insistence on making double substitutions at the same time rather than spacing them out disrupted the flow again just as they did in Arsenal’s last game against Manchester United.

This gave the impetus for Reading to push forward and as Arsenal relaxed a bit more they managed to score a goal after a header hit the post with Almunia already out of position trying to stop it.

Fabregas got an “intended” yellow card and misses Arsenal’s next game against Wigan at the Emirates.

But Arsenal are top of the League again. Where they belong.


Coppell: "Reading have three different ways of playing against Arsenal". Really?

Arsenal put on the Harlem Globetrotters Show at Reading

By 1970’s Gooner

It was men against boys; only the other way round if you see what I mean. But it was not like that all the way through. Coppell went for the conservative approach packing his midfield with five men and playing only one man up front.

Arsenal started somewhat lethargically and although they were enjoying 60% of possession they could not find a way round the packed Reading defense.

Yet it could have been very different from as early as the 4th minute when Adebayor put through by Rosicky clean on goal rather casually stroked the ball round Hanemann only to see it hit the outside the right hand post and go out of play.

Reading’s defensive formation was working quite well until the 43rd minute when they won a corner! As on many occasions that is when the defensive team is most vulnerable with the commitment of players in the opposite box opening up space on the other end of the pitch.

Arsenal were in the Reading box in a flash and Hleb was squaring the ball to the on rushing Flamini to score his first goal of the season.

That spelled the end of Reading’s mental resilience. The second half was monopolised by Arsenal adding the second on 52 after a sumptuous passing movement.

First Adebayor passed to Rosicky who gave it to Fabregas who laid it back for Adebayor to score from just inside the box with the minimum of back lift and with the inside of his right boot beyond the despairing Hanemann.

Now it was cruise control and exhibition “Harlem Globetrotters” staff as Reading were reduced to just a spectator part.

The Arsenal players were more interested in putting passes together and keeping the ball for very long spells rather than going for the jugular. Just like a cat plays with a captive mouse whose fate is already beyond doubt!

Hleb got the third on 78 after Oster passed to nobody outside his area. Hleb picked it up went through one player dummied the goalkeeper, dragged the ball back to his right foot and shot into the net off the defender’s stretched leg.

Wenger’s insistence on making double substitutions at the same time rather than spacing them out disrupted the flow again just as they did in Arsenal’s last game against Manchester United.

This gave the impetus for Reading to push forward and as Arsenal relaxed a bit more they managed to score a goal after a header hit the post with Almunia already out of position trying to stop it.

Fabregas got an “intended” yellow card and misses Arsenal’s next game against Wigan at the Emirates.

But Arsenal are top of the League again. Where they belong.


Coppell: "Reading have three different ways of playing against Arsenal". Really?

Coppell: "Reading have three different ways of playing against Arsenal". Really?

By 1970’s Gooner

There are indeed, as Steve Coppell has said, three different ways available for Reading to play against Arsenal. But are they all viable options?

Coppell knows that if Reading play a 4 4 2 as they did the last time these two sides met at the Madejski Stadium they will get hammered again.

The open spaces that such a system will leave for Fabregas et al to exploit will in the end allow Arsenal to dictate the game carving up Reading’s midfield and creating chances for Arsenal’s forwards.

Especially if Arsenal play a 4 4 1 1 system with Hleb just behind Adebayor.

So Coppell’s only other options are to either deploy the man to man marking that worked so well against Manchester United at Old Trafford in the first game of the season or pack the midfield with five men and deploy the lone striker up front.

Playing man to man is likely to prove very risky against this Arsenal side. More than it did against Manchester United. This is because Arsenal’s style of play is full of quick passing and more importantly movement.

As Marcus Hannemann the Reading goalkeeper said of Arsenal “they're the give-and-go kings”

And it is the mobility that usually untangles this tactic which requires only one man to falter in his covering or positioning and you are already chasing the game.

Also it is very difficult to switch into a new formation should you wish to do so. If you fall behind for example.

So Coppell has only one option really. He will pack his midfield in a 4 5 1 formation and hope to catch Arsenal on the break or score from a dead ball situation.

What is also interesting however is the formation Wenger will choose to deploy.

This game comes after his “Mea Culpa” following the draw against Manchester United at the Emirates where he accepted that the formation selected meant that there was no real support for the front striker.

"Sometimes Adebayor was a bit too isolated up there. Maybe I could have played Theo Walcott up front, or Eduardo or Niklas Bendnter. But I went for a different approach.

"Without Robin van Persie the balance in the final third was not completely right. “That's my fault. I'd look at that again.

It seems that for the difficult games Wenger tends to go for the more conservative approach. But for games such as tonight’s I would be very surprised if he chooses a conservative 4 5 1.

It’s more likely to be a more attacking 4 4 1 1 where Hleb will be the support striker or a more traditional 4 4 2 with Eduardo or Walcott partnering Adebayor.

Since Arsenal ex boy Steven Sidwell departed for Chelsea, Reading have been missing not only his industry in midfield but also his creativeness.

Sidwell often carved up chances for his teammates and for himself. In this respect Coppell has failed to replace him and the team is suffering for it.

It is no surprise therefore that only Wigan, Derby and Sunderland have scored less goals at home than Reading (6 vs 7 for Reading).

What is more ominous however is that Reading has the weakest defence in the Premier League along with bottom placed Derby with 26 goals conceded.

They tend to concede on average one goal every 42 minutes. Arsenal on the other hand score on average one goal every 41 minutes!

Prediction: Away win 0-3

Blackburn will push Roonieless Manchester United all the way

By 1970’s Gooner

Every team has a player who is the driving force behind it. A player who with his drive and footballing ability energises the rest of his team mates.

Thierry Henry used to do it for Arsenal and now Cesc Fabregas seems to have taken over this role. Steven Gerrard is the heart of Liverpool who on many occasions changed the course of games and Didier Drogba and John Terry have a similar impact for Chelsea.

It is in this esteemed list of players that I would place Wayne Roonie and his undoubted contribution to the way Manchester United play their football.

He is positioned just behind the front striker and in this way is the link between the midfield and attack. And from here he has the platform to energise the rest of his team mates.

It is for this reason that I consider the absence of Wayne Roonie from Manchester United’s line up next Sunday against Blackburn a significant loss.

However for some this may be a blessing in disguise.

Ferguson may now have to play Saha, a traditional centre forward, that so many have been arguing is missing from this team.

It was missing last week against Arsenal until he was brought on to great effect.

Balance, so important in football formations, will now be restored. And I would agree with this logic.

Also Roonie’s loss and Saha’s inclusion means that Tevez will assume his role of support striker; a position he is more accustomed with. However I doubt whether he can be as effective as Roonie or as energizing.

And if he repeats his tame performance at the Emirates then United will not find it easy against Blackburn.

Ferguson may of course keep Saha on the bench and play Giggs or Ronaldo with Tevez up front. A viable combination but not as effective as the Saha option. However I doubt whether anyone of these players can effectively replace Roonie.

Rovers are enjoying a strong run of form and travel to Old Trafford on Sunday unbeaten away and only five points behind United with a game in hand.

They are one of the toughest sides to play outside of the 'big four' and head into this in fantastic form, with seven wins in their last eight.

More significantly they have gone up against three out of the big four and come out of them unbeaten and they have kept eight clean sheets in all competitions, including scoreless draws against Chelsea and more recently Liverpool.

I expect them to push Roonieless United all the way.


Manchester United are running scared and Liverpool are lacking in quality

Arsenal pursuing the next Tony Adams but so are Manchester United!

Arsenal’s Formula One Car Cannot Run With The Handbreak On. A Critique

Arsene Wenger likely to be a failure as England manager

By 1970’s Gooner

Look at it this way. Arsene Wenger possesses some very important attributes which make him a brilliant football coach and manager.

He is fantastic in spotting young and gifted players from all over the world through a world wide scouting network and contacts.

And he is not only fantastic in spotting these young players but in developing them to reach their lofty potential. Nicolas Anelka, Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy and Cesc Fabregas are prime examples.

He is equally astute at spotting more mature players and bringing them in at ridiculously “reasonable” transfer prices. Players like Emanuel Petit, Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Gilberto Silva, Robert Pires and Robin Van Persie.

He is the type of manager that drills his philosophy of playing “total” football into each and every player from the first team squad to the last academy youngster. His close daily involvement on the training pitch ensures that this adhered to.



He is particularly attentive to all dietary matters and living styles of his players. His use of statistics on each player’s performance allows him to guide them through a fitness and diet regime specifically relevant for each individual.

In this way he ensures that all Arsenal players are at peak condition when they enter the football field.

His man management skills according to ex players are second to none. He passes on to the players self belief and responsibility and they respond in kind; on the pitch.

You will remember Paul Merson’s remark when asked what Wenger has brought to the players: “unbelievable self belief” was his eloquent response!

Once all these have been achieved then 75% of what is needed to win football games is already in place. The rest will come from, what I would call, match day skills.

The choice of formation for the day (and even this is sometimes is not altered), the selection of the players who will take the field of play and the substitutions that may be required according to how the game progresses.

In fact I would venture as to say that Wenger’s match day skills are not his best attributes!

Sometimes he gets the substitutions wrong and sometimes, as he has himself admitted last week after the Manchester United game, he gets his formation wrong! Something I pointed out in my post after that game only to be “abused” and castigated by die hard Wenger fans!

Now I ask you which of all the above attributes would Wenger have any reasonable control once he becomes the England manager. Or come to that any National Team’s manager?

The answer is that mostly it will be the “match day” ones.

But will that be enough?



England will probably never be a world football power again


Arsenal’s Formula One Car Cannot Run With The Handbreak On. A Critique

Manchester United are running scared and Liverpool are lacking in quality

By Eros

It’s been an interesting couple of weeks. I wonder if we are going to look back at them with regret or whether it will be just the tonic this young squad needed. More like the second as you will see what I mean.

Sir Alex confirms we are the best team in the league

The United game is probably the worst we had in the league this season. We did not keep the ball well enough and that made life very difficult for our midfield because if the ball is not moving at pace then the usual spaces created are not there any more.

Hargreaves had a good first half protecting his back four and constantly biting on Cesc’s heels, however the Spaniard got his own back in the second half when he made him look at best ordinary.

Clichy had the most difficult task of the afternoon. He had to balance his forward runs with keeping half an eye on Ronaldo. He did it quite well. However he was out of position and duly punished for Manchester United’s first goal. I am not saying that it’s totally his fault as that’s the risk you take when you play attacking fullbacks.

Sagna was again impressive and hopefully put to bed once and for all the notion existent only in some Mancunian eyes and blogs that Wes Brown is a better player!

Hleb was a constant pain in Utd’s backside and looked dangerous as always. The free role suits him very well.

But even though we conceded twice, Gallas and Toure were superb. Their partnership is growing with every game and Gallas looks to enjoy his role as a captain and starting to show his Chelsea form in n Arsenal shirt. Very encouraging for the future.

It was a very exciting game but the real fireworks came after the game and continued well into this week. Sir Alex started throwing everything he’s got at this Arsenal team.



First it was the referee, then it was security at the Emirates, then it was an alleged dossier that Arsenal asked his security to prepare and finally it’s all the foreign players!

Arsenal have thrown more fuel to the fire by saying that the United bench provoked the crowd repeatedly.

All this whinging from Ferguson is annoying, but complimentary at the same time.

He knows he has a real battle on his hands to retain the title. He also knows that this Arsenal team has got unbreakable spirit to go with its footballing ability. But what really got to him was that his team were not good enough to defeat a below par Arsenal.

All he is trying to do is to convince first himself and then his players that they have a chance of retaining the trophy!


We left Liverpool off the hook

As I said in my pre game post, Liverpool’s best chance of scoring was a set piece. And I was right, baring a huge hole in our wall. We could have played all day and I m sure they weren’t going to create much.

Benitez set his stall out to contain our midfield, but realistically how long can you keep players like Cesc and Hleb out of the game?


Not very long and as it proved. Bendner had a chance to become an instant hero but he fired over from 5 yards facing an open goal, Cesc did something similar earlier on in the second half.

Masherano should have been given his marching orders for a horrible challenge on Hleb, as should have Carragher for several yellow card offences, hugging the referee in one occasion to avoid a yellow card!

As I again said in the post before the game Arsenal players need to ‘be out of action for a couple of months’ for any dirty tactics to be given any merit.

For all my complaints however, we had enough chances and should have walked out of there with all three points.

Mascherano and Gerard did quite well, but other than that the Liverpool squad is severely laking in quality. My opinion on Benitez is that he is a very good coach and tactician but he is terrible in the transfer market. Kuyt, Crouch and Voronin are not going to win you much.

Manchester United are running scared and Liverpool are lacking in quality

By Eros

It’s been an interesting couple of weeks. I wonder if we are going to look back at them with regret or whether it will be just the tonic this young squad needed. More like the second as you will see what I mean.

Sir Alex confirms we are the best team in the league

The United game is probably the worst we had in the league this season. We did not keep the ball well enough and that made life very difficult for our midfield because if the ball is not moving at pace then the usual spaces created are not there any more.

Hargreaves had a good first half protecting his back four and constantly biting on Cesc’s heels, however the Spaniard got his own back in the second half when he made him look at best ordinary.

Clichy had the most difficult task of the afternoon. He had to balance his forward runs with keeping half an eye on Ronaldo. He did it quite well. However he was out of position and duly punished for Manchester United’s first goal. I am not saying that it’s totally his fault as that’s the risk you take when you play attacking fullbacks.

Sagna was again impressive and hopefully put to bed once and for all the notion existent only in some Mancunian eyes and blogs that Wes Brown is a better player!

Hleb was a constant pain in Utd’s backside and looked dangerous as always. The free role suits him very well.

But even though we conceded twice, Gallas and Toure were superb. Their partnership is growing with every game and Gallas looks to enjoy his role as a captain and starting to show his Chelsea form in n Arsenal shirt. Very encouraging for the future.

It was a very exciting game but the real fireworks came after the game and continued well into this week. Sir Alex started throwing everything he’s got at this Arsenal team.



First it was the referee, then it was security at the Emirates, then it was an alleged dossier that Arsenal asked his security to prepare and finally it’s all the foreign players!

Arsenal have thrown more fuel to the fire by saying that the United bench provoked the crowd repeatedly.

All this whinging from Ferguson is annoying, but complimentary at the same time.

He knows he has a real battle on his hands to retain the title. He also knows that this Arsenal team has got unbreakable spirit to go with its footballing ability. But what really got to him was that his team were not good enough to defeat a below par Arsenal.

All he is trying to do is to convince first himself and then his players that they have a chance of retaining the trophy!


We left Liverpool off the hook

As I said in my pre game post, Liverpool’s best chance of scoring was a set piece. And I was right, baring a huge hole in our wall. We could have played all day and I m sure they weren’t going to create much.

Benitez set his stall out to contain our midfield, but realistically how long can you keep players like Cesc and Hleb out of the game?


Not very long and as it proved. Bendner had a chance to become an instant hero but he fired over from 5 yards facing an open goal, Cesc did something similar earlier on in the second half.

Masherano should have been given his marching orders for a horrible challenge on Hleb, as should have Carragher for several yellow card offences, hugging the referee in one occasion to avoid a yellow card!

As I again said in the post before the game Arsenal players need to ‘be out of action for a couple of months’ for any dirty tactics to be given any merit.

For all my complaints however, we had enough chances and should have walked out of there with all three points.

Mascherano and Gerard did quite well, but other than that the Liverpool squad is severely laking in quality. My opinion on Benitez is that he is a very good coach and tactician but he is terrible in the transfer market. Kuyt, Crouch and Voronin are not going to win you much.

Slavia do a lap of honour and Arsenal stumble to qualification. Plus player ratings

By 1970's Gooner

It was a disjointed performance in wet conditions with dreadful whether. Yet this is no excuse for a dreadful display by admittedly a Carling Cup side.

You would have at least expected a repeat of the fine display away at Sheffield United with a commitment to the passing game that all Arsenal sides under Wenger are well known for and the creation of some chances; even some half chances come to that.

But no nothing. Diaby was on the ball a lot but was not doing anything with it and he kept trying to use his body instead of adding to his game his undoubted skill.

Walcott reverted to running like a headless chicken and was largely ineffective and Denilson did not assert himself enough in the middle of the pitch. Up front Bendtner and Eduardo were largely anonymous and did not play as a pair.

The only one who can claim he had a good match was Almunia who made two excellent saves. In the first half he tipped the ball over the bar from a strong shot from outside the box but more significantly rushed out of his area to save what looked a certain goal after the Slavia forward escaped Gallas’s attention.

Lehmann's exclusion from the first eleven does tend to point to his departure in the january transfer window.

The result left both teams satisfied. Slavia avoided another humiliation and bagged a point; they did a lap of honour afterwards! And Arsenal got the draw that was needed to qualify.

Almunia; back to form 9

Clichy; his usual purposeful and energetic performance 8

Diarra; played as well as he did at Sheffield United but was not penetrative when going forward 7

Gallas; made one mistake which nearly cost us a goal 6

Song; strong and determined. Had a good game 7

Denilson; did not dictate play as well as he can 6

Gilberto; his usual strong and calm performance 7

Diaby; frivolous in possession and largely ineffective 5

Walcott; was not penetrative enough and did not pose any significant threat 5

Bendtner; below his best and did not connect well with his partner in attack 5

Eduardo; was largely anonymous 5

Arsenal’s B team good enough to win in Prague

By 1970’s Gooner

This game comes after two draining clashes against Liverpool and Manchester United and since a draw will be enough to see Arsenal through to the knock-out stages it has allowed Wenger the luxury to shuffle his pack.

Alexander Hleb and Cesc Fabregas are both rested after making 29 starts between them so far this season, while Kolo Toure (calf) and Tomas Rosicky (groin) are carrying minor knocks.

However Arsenal’s squad is littered with experienced internationals and gifted youngsters as well so it’s not really that big a risk to field a version of the B team.

In fact Wenger has blooded the youngsters so early in their career and in competitive matches that though young, immature and inexperienced they are not.

And they have shown that when they are complimented by a few seasoned campaigners such as Gilberto and Gallas they are capable of producing top class performances.

In a recent article after the victory in the Carling Cup tie at Sheffield United I reiterated the idea of teams like Arsenal being allowed to field “B” teams in the championship as they do in Spain. Arsenal’s B team was so obviously a class above the championship side.

Wenger has, in a way, the opportunity to field his Arsenal B team for the rest of the games left in this relatively easy group.

His biggest decision is who to field between the posts. Almunia needs to start in order to recover some confidence and ease his nerves.

Lehmann also needs a start if anything to be match fit and ready to step in the first team if Almunia’s two “lives” are exhausted. My hunch: Lehmann is a goner in the transfer window.

For the right back position Hoyte deserves a start and for left back I would rest Clichy and give Traore his first Champion’s League game. Gallas and Song will play in central defence.

I do not trust Song in defence. Having watched him play for Charlton in midfield last season I was impressed. I think he will be a very good central midfielder rather than central defender.

Denilson and Gilberto will be a strong pairing in midfield flanked by Diaby on the left and Walcott on the right. Eduardo and Bendtner will resume their productive partnership up front.

It sounds pretty strong to me.

For Slavia Prague ex Liverpool midfielder Vladimir Smicer is available, but Ladislav Volesak is suspended. Meanwhile, second-choice goalkeeper Michal Vorel is likely to make his Champions League debut in place of Czech international Martin Vaniak.

Slavia’s best hope is to qualify for third place and enter the UEFA competition. I wouldn’t expect them to play open and attacking football but they will be looking to get something out of this game.

Prediction: Arsenal’s B team find it hard to settle at the beginning but once in their stride can outclass Slavia. 0-1

Wenger’s “top class” Vela scores a great goal for Osasuna

By 1970’s Gooner

Carlos Vela, the Mexican wonder kid who is on Arsenal’s books, has scored a fantastic goal for Spanish La Liga side Osasuna helping them win away at Real Betis 0-3. The striker was then left out as Osasuna slumped to a 2-0 home defeat by Getafe. Maybe they should play him more often.

As you can see on the video he takes the ball from the left wide midfield position, cuts infield and after playing a one two he strikes an unstoppable shot from outside the area into the top right hand corner of the goal.

He is not a regular first team player yet but with goals like that he will soon be starting games. He is currently being used as a substitute but when he comes on he plays on the left side of midfield.

Wenger however has said his position will be in the middle of the attack. It’s not normally that Arsene Wenger lavishes so much praise on a player as readily as he has for Carlos Vela. When Vela signed a permanent deal at Arsenal at the beginning of the year Wenger was 100% convinced of his ability.

"He's top class. I like his intelligence and his pace. He scores goals but he can also create them. "He's a special talent and I believe 100 per cent that he will make it at the highest level."

Praise indeed!

A Mexican Youth International, Carlos shot to prominence in 2005 when he helped Mexico win the FIFA U-17 World Championships. He scored five goals in the tournament to win the Golden Boot.

In the summer he represented Mexico at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. He played in all five matches but Mexico were knocked out at the Quarter-Final stage by eventual winners Argentina.

Vela has already stated that he is dreaming of copying Cesc Fabregas and becoming a hit at Emirates Stadium. As you can see from the photo he has even adopted Fabregas’s goal celebration!





Arsenal’s Formula One Car Cannot Run With The Handbreak On. A Critique

Wenger's mea culpa! Plus player ratings for Arsenal Vs Manchester United

Arsenal pursuing the next Tony Adams but so are Manchester United!

By 1970’s Gooner

The rumors concerning Arsenal’s interest in Socrates Papastathopoulos of AEK Athens (in yellow above) will not go away.

If you remember we first published Arsenal’s interest in this exciting 19 year old central defender last month.

Arsenal and AEK Athens have been cooperating since last year on issues of football management and training methods especially after the visit to London Colney by the Greek team’s Spanish manager and the club’s president.

In addition Arsenal have this year formally established an Arsenal Academy network consisting of 25 selected academies spanning the whole of Greece.

So it is not a surprise that, as reported by the Greek press, Arsenal’s German scout, Thomas Kost, has already been dispatched to the Greek capital to watch Papastathopoulos from close quarters; in every match, even during training!

Kost is the scout that tracked Tomas Rosicky prior to his transfer to Arsenal.

However interest appears to be hotting up as Manchester United are also watching.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s brother Martin, who is one of United’s chief scouts, was also dispatched, according to the Greek sports press, to assess the player during Greece’s recent friendly Under 19 game against Italy.

Socrates is the captain of the national side which reached the final of the world tournament last summer. He can play in central defence but also as a defensive midfielder.

Although only 19 he has European experience under his belt with three Champions League appearances last season already.


Ed: Most English newspapers and others, especially those who copy and paste, put his age at 15!

This is a mistake as they are confusing him with Spanish 15 year old Real Madrid Academy player, Pablo Saparia, who is also interesting Arsenal!


Arsenal’s Formula One Car Cannot Run With The Handbreak On. A Critique

Wenger's mea culpa! Plus player ratings for Arsenal Vs Manchester United

Arsenal interested in promising young Greek defender

Wenger's mea culpa! Plus player ratings for Arsenal Vs Manchester United

By 1970’s Gooner

Arsene Wenger admitted as much after the game. The formation he selected meant that there was no real support for the front striker. Adebayor was more often than not isolated.

Wenger said: "Sometimes Adebayor was a bit too isolated up there. Maybe I could have played Theo Walcott up front, or Eduardo or Niklas Bendnter. But I went for a different approach.

"Without Robin van Persie the balance in the final third was not completely right.

“That's my fault. I'd look at that again.

As I pointed in my post match analysis it was indeed very apparent that the formation was not really an attacking minded 4 4 1 1.

It was actually a 4 5 1 formation, as the outstanding Hleb did not play just behind Adebayor as you would expect but much more behind, in the midfield area, in more of a playmaker’s role.


Almunia

Could not be faulted for the first goal conceded but the same can not be said of the second one. He came out of his area unnecessarily as Gallas was already closing in on Evra. This left his goal unguarded for a simple tap in by Ronaldo. He made the same mistake in a similar situation earlier on but his defenders bailed him out on that occasion. 5

Van De Sar

Could not be faulted for any of the Arsenal goals but can be faulted for his persistency, with the ball so clearly over the line for Arsenal’s equaliser, in trying to convince the referee otherwise. He made a good save from Adebayor’s close volley that eventually led to the goal. 8

Clichy

Performed well apart from United’s first goal. He was nowhere near Ronaldo when he put in his low cross. When the shackles came off in the second half he became more attack minded. His persistency in keeping the ball in play on the left touch line and putting a very dangerous cross which had the United defence in panic resulted in the dramatic equalizer. 7

Evra

Had mixed fortunes. Was instrumental in United’s second goal when he was well placed to receive Saha’s reverse pass and then place it on the plate for Ronaldo to score. However he was at fault for Arsenal’s first goal as he allowed Sagna to steal in behind him and screw the ball to the unmarked Fabregas. 6

Sagna

Performed well and was solid. Played an important part in Arsenal’s first goal and could not be faulted for United’s second as Walcott did not track Evra’s run into the box as he should have done. 7

Brown

Did not have the best of games. He was troubled by Clichy’s runs and looked uncomfortable when faced with fast players attacking him one to one. Was slow to pick Clichy up when he put his cross in for Arsenal’s equalizer. 6

Toure

Had a very solid game. Did not put a foot wrong and also ventured forward in the second half. He is becoming the rock in this Arsenal defence. Along with Gallas made sure that Tevez had a quiet game. 8

Vidic

A solid performance. Very good in the air and did not give much room to Adebayor to operate in. He was lucky that a penalty was not given against him when he was pulling on Hleb’s shirt inside the area. 8

Gallas

He is beginning to live up to his captain’s role. More importantly the rest of the Arsenal players are beginning to realise it. He was slow by his own admission to cover Roonie’s run for the first goal but he was there where it mattered to score the equalizer. 8

Ferdinand

Another solid performance but along with Vidic they only had Adebayor to deal with. His partnership with Vidic looks ideal. One is strong and the other is also good at tidying things up and distributing. 8

Rosicky

Had a subdued game and did not get involved as much as he could have. Kept to his defensive duties well. 6

Ronaldo

Also had a subdued game. He was denied space by the tight marking of Sagna and Rosicky as well as the packed midfield from both sides. 6

Fabregas

The little maestro was again the main pivot for a lot of the Arsenal moves. He was, probably by design, more defensively minded in the first half but he was there again at the right position to score the equaliser at the beginning of the second. 8

Hargreaves

Performed his duties very well. He balances this United side beautifully forming the anchor on which the more creative players can perform. 8

Flamini

Plays in a similar role to Hargreaves and has the same effect on this Arsenal side. He was everywhere and anywhere during this game. 8

Anderson

I was impressed by his strength and tenacity. Supported Hargreaves in the middle of the United midfield helping to keep it tight and competitive. 7

Eboue

Much improved in this game. He seems to improve the more games he plays. Put aside the theatrics and was positive throughout. This was probably because he was much more focused on the job he had to do. He had only one misplaced pass but did not misplace his beautiful cross for Adebayor which led to Arsenal’s first goal. 8

Giggs

Was for me anonymous throughout the game. Not the same Giggs we knew. Will this be his last season at United? 5

Hleb

What a performance again. Top draw. His skill and close dexterous control of the ball is unparalleled in this league. But when used as a second striker the level of his performance is compromised. Kept the ball under pressure from a bunch of United players and found the ball to Fabregas who began the move which led to Arsenal’s first equalizer. 8

Roonie

Tenacious and dangerous as always. Played the role he was assigned very well popping up at the near post to score United’s first goal. He did the same last season at the far post. 8

Adebayor

Played the lone striker role well but did not have enough support from Hleb or from the other midfielders. His control sometimes led him down and he desperately needs to score a goal. Good run and shot on the volley from Eboue’s pass which eventually resulted in Arsenal’s first goal. 7

Tevez

Was quite subdued throughout the game and did not contribute much towards United’s overall play. United will need a front man like Saha especially when they play against the strong teams. His influence when he came on was very apparent. 5


Arsenal’s Formula One Car Cannot Run With The Handbreak On. A Critique

Arsenal’s Formula One Car Cannot Run With The Handbreak On. A Critique

By 1970’s Gooner

You can not have the most attractive team on the land, littered with players who possess amazing technique and skills yet ask them to play in a straitjacket type of formation which stifles their natural tendency to play the beautiful game.

It’s like having a Formula One car but running the race with the handbrake on.

It was obvious form the beginning of the game that Arsene Wenger showed too much respect to the opponents, as he did at Anfield last week when Liverpool were not really good enough to even get a draw.

Yet he repeated the same formation, apparently 4 4 1 1, for this vital game against Manchester United. But it was not really an attacking minded 4 4 1 1.

It was actually a 4 5 1 formation, as the outstanding Hleb did not play just behind Adebayor as you would expect but much more behind, in the midfield area, in more of a playmaker’s role.

This had the result that Fagregas was more withdrawn than normal. But more importantly, when Arsenal attacked, Adebayor was more often than not isolated with no midfielders pushing forward to offer support or try and pose a more potent goal threat.

This scenario did not of course evolve naturally on its own as the game wore on. It was Wenger’s choice to put the hand break on by instructing Hleb and Fabregas to be less adventurous territorially.

He probably had a game plan of putting the shackles on in the first half and then, if need be, become more adventurous in the second.

But it doesn’t work like that. Not against the Manchester Uniteds of this world. They don’t need much to clinically strike you where it hurts most because they, more than any other team, have the players to capitalise on any single mistake that unavoidably will occur during a football match.

No other team can boast of having so many “killers” in their midst such as Roonie, Ronaldo and Tevez. And they were very close to winning this game.

So it was no surprise that again the same scenario unfolded more or less at the Emirates as it did against Liverpool the previous week.

Arsenal start the game with the hand break on, no real support in the offensive positions, the other team get a goal (from a defensive lapse) and then release the handbreak to salvage a draw.

I am sorry but the teams the Arsene builds can not play in this way. They cannot play in a restricted manner, defensively minded, midfielders not venturing forward and with a lone front man. Of all people Arsene should know that!

Do you remember a few years back at the beginning of Wenger’s reign when Arsenal were supreme in the Premiership but flattered to deceive in Europe? Everyone was wondering why.

In my opinion one of the major reasons for this was the application of the “handbreak”, a submission to the tactical chess games that most managers like to play in the pursuit of getting a draw away from home.

Come on Mr Wenger. This team you have built is much better than that.

Wenger and Ferguson faced with interesting selection options

By 1970’s Gooner

Does a football coach select his starting eleven according to who’s available and on form? Or according to the system that is the most appropriate for the particular game coming up?

It’s usually a combination of both of course and for the Arsenal Manchester United clash at the Emirates it is intriguing to see what formations the two managers will go with.

Let’s look at the visitors first.

Ferguson’s options appear to be much more compromised than Wenger’s.

The injuries to key players such as Neville, Saha, Scholes and possibly Carrick will go a long way in dictating not only who he selects to start but more crucially which system he will deploy.

This is because in that critical area of the pitch, the midfield, he is deprived one if not two of his best midfielders. Scholes of course has been out for some time now and the additional absence of Carrick recently forced Ferguson to rely on new young recruit Anderson.

Carrick is now considered to have overcome his injury. But he has been out for the last four weeks and I am not sure that Ferguson will risk him. There is a chance of the injury recurring but more importantly there will be concerns over his match fitness.

So Ferguson may have to decide whether to stick with Anderson or bring back Fletcher who can add a bit more steel in an area where a lot of Arsenal’s play is directed form. The excellent Hargreaves of course will be the other central midfielder.

If Ferguson sticks with Anderson then he might feel that his midfield may need bolstering further and therefore ask Roonie to drop back into that area in a 4 4 1 1 come 4 5 1 formation.

In fact he may still decide to choose this system even if Fletcher is selected as he has not being playing recently and might also be rusty.

At the end of day we all know that Roonie will be playing in that hole behind the main striker. But it is how attacking minded Ferguson wants him to be that will decide whether he is more offensively or destructively oriented.

Another reason why Ferguson might be more conservative is the vulnerability of the United full backs O’Shea and Wes Brown.

Evra, who might be fit to start, has been out of action too and may lack match fitness. Ferguson therefore might want to give his full backs more protection by detailing support from the midfielders. And a 4 4 1 1 system will allow him to do that.

There is of course a price to pay and that is the forward areas of the pitch might be starved of support.


4 4 1 1 for Arsenal too?

On the other hand Wenger has even more options. He can play the same way he did against Liverpool with a 4 4 1 1 formation with Hleb just behind Adebayor.

This is risky as it will leave only Flamini as the only defensive minded midfielder. Roonie will then find a lot of space as that will be his favourite patch of the field.

In order to counter this Wenger can go for the more conservative 4 3 3 by bringing Gilberto back into the midfield along with Flamini and Fabregas.

Adebayor could then be flanked by Hleb and Rosicky. Gilberto parking himself infront of the defence countering Roonie’s threat and Fabregas and Flamini pushing forward in support as and when the occasion demands.

The second option is to bring Bendtner or Walcott on to partner Adebayor in a 4 4 2 formation.

I watched Bendtner perform very well for Denmark in the Euro qualifiers and also in the Carling Cup. His direct physical style is very effective.

I doubt whether Wenger will try this as he is yet inexperienced for such a big game. The same goes for Walcott who is much more effective coming off the bench at the moment.

This 4 3 3 formation will be my preferred option as it provides defensive cover but at the same time it allows you the use of three attacking players plus any of the midfielders who may venture forward.

Arsenal more than Manchester United have “impact” players on the bench such as Walcott, Eboue, Bendtner or Eduardo to change the game if needed.

Ed: what do you think should be the formations for the two managers? Leave your comment and your vote on the poll we have set up