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.


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Selection dilemmas for Wenger

By 1970’s Gooner

Arsene Wenger has a decision to make for the Champions League Group H encounter against Sevilla. Does he continue with Gilberto in central defence or does he opt for the returning Senderos.

This is a much more difficult decision than it first appears because either selection will have repercussions elsewhere in the formation of the team but also in Wenger’s future planning.

Let’s be more specific.

On the footballing side if he sticks with Gilberto then he has another dilemma. Who plays in the central midfield position next to fabulous Fabregas?

I know what he will decide because when faced with the same selection question before it was Flamini rather than the unlucky Diaby.

I say unlucky because Diaby to my mind is a far more forceful and powerful player best suited for this position than Flamini.

Especially when you consider that Sevilla’s midfield includes Keita who is a strong battler and powerful player who provides the engine in this attractive Sevilla side.

However if Wenger sticks with Gilberto in defence this leaves Senderos out of the starting eleven. Not a problem you might say; and I would agree.

His positioning has been suspect which is, however, important for a defender whose pace is not his best attribute.

Having watched Sevilla demolish Recreativo Huelva 4-1 the other night I am worried about their forward line which includes the very wily and pacy pairing of Kanoute and the Russian Kerzakov.

Gilberto and Senderos are not blessed with a lot of pace but Gilberto may just get the nod due to his experience and better positional sense.

Leaving Senderos out will be a big psychological blow for the young player.

He will inevitably interpret this decision to mean that the manager has lost faith in him and start questioning his future at the club.

Another dilemma?

The other selection decision for Wenger is whether to stick with Robin Van Persie in attack. You might be raising your eyebrows at this moment, but I like to call them as I see them.

Van Persie has gone off the boil in recent games. He was largely absent at the Lane and also during the game against Portsmouth.

We should not let the exciting win at Tottenham distract us from judging a player’s performance.

As I said in my analysis of the game we are going to face tougher opponents than Spurs in the future who are not going to miss chances and who are not going to hand us goals on a plate.

Eduardo was not even on the bench against Spurs so he has been rested and is ready to go having scored three goals in his last two international games for Croatia. He has also scored for Arsenal in the Champion’s League qualifier at the Emirates against Sparta Prague.

If the selection decision is simply based on form then Van Persie should be on the bench.

I would hope and expect that Wenger will reinstall Rosicky on the left flank. He was probably rested for the game against Spurs for this purpose.

My starting 11 would include Gilberto in defence, Diaby in central midfield, Rosicky on the left of midfield and Eduardo in attack. The rest pick themselves.

But Wenger knows best right?

Prediction

We managed to come out on top with our predictions so far this season but after all when the team is doing well and winning it’s more difficult to get it wrong than right!

However the predictions for a 1-1 draw at Blackburn and that of a 1-3 away win at Tottenham are the ones that we are proud of.

For tonight’s game both teams play open attractive football in a 4 4 2 formation. This means that there will be goals and I expect Arsenal to come out on top; 3-1


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Fabregas is a more effective player than Scholes. The statistical analysis backs it up

Arsenal Vs Fulham: Line up considerations

By 1970's Gooner

Arsenal’s line up for the first game of the season against Fulham is not yet that clear. Nor is Fulham’s.

Arsenal are giving a late fitness test to Eduardo who therefore looks likely to start if he passes it and partner Van Persie up front.

But if he doesn’t then Wenger is faced with a very interesting choice between rookie Bendtner and more experienced Hleb. Both have impressed during the pre season and both will to my mind do an excellent job.

If he chooses Bendtner then the likely formation will be a straight 4 4 2 with Bendtner the front man.

If however Hleb gets the nod then the formation is more likely to be 4 4 1 1 with Van Persie the front man and Hleb playing just off him as he did so well against good opposition in the pre season tournaments.

He showed that his skills in close ball control and dribbling can be very effective when playing off a front man.

More importantly however these are the skills that will come in very useful when trying to unlock defenses, as I suspect Arsenal will be trying to do against Fulham.

For a preview of the game see my posting “Preview of Arsenal Vs Fulham. Breaking up packed defenses is hard to do”

The other consideration is who to play on the left side of the midfield. The choice is between Rosicky and Hleb (if Eduardo passes the fitness test). Wenger may opt for Hleb as he has impressed lately and has shown that he is returning to form. He even scored a goal.

Rosicky on the other hand looked subdued during the pre season which may count against him.

In the absence of Silva this is a perfect opportunity for Wenger to pair Fabregas with the excellent Diaby. If Diaby is fit that is as he had a slight knock on the knee which kept him out for the Ajax game. If he is not available then Flamini will most probably get the nod.

For the rest of the positions it looks straight forward with the interest focusing on the Sagna Eboue combination on the right side. Will they repeat the very good performance they put in against Ajax under the pressure of a football league game?

Fulham

Fulham will be missing their best player Jimmy Bullard, who has been out for nearly a year.

Antti Niemi who will play in goal has thwarted Arsenal before with excellent displays when he used to keep goals for Southampton.

New signing Aaron Hughes looks like he will be missing due to injury (ankle). Also centre-backs Philippe Christanval (knee) and Ian Pearce (ankle) are rated doubtful for the match.

In the center of defence Bocanegra could therefore be paired with Zat Knight.

Also new signings Chris Baird and Paul Konchesky look likely to make their debuts at right and left back.

It’s difficult to guess what Sanchez will choose for midfield as he has signed a few players. Lee Cook may play on the left, and American Dempsey on the right wing. Alexei Smertin and Steve Davies ex Aston Villa look to get the nod to start in the centre of midfield.

In attack, Brian McBride the new captain could be paired with new boy Diomansy Kamara but David Healy and Buazza who was only signed two days ago are in consideration.

“Preview of Arsenal Vs Fulham. Breaking up packed defenses is hard to do”

Arsenal look ready to hit the ground running, more so than the others

By Arsenal Analysis season ticket holder at the Emirates, South Stand: Row 5

The two pre-season tournaments that Arsenal participated in proved the perfect vehicle for fostering team spirit and bonding between the players. And this involved playing time for all the active members of the squad.

The excellent work done on and off the pitch at the Emirates and in Amsterdam culminated in that performance against Ajax.

Arsenal proved to everyone watching, but more importantly to themselves, that they can cut it against tough tackling and intimidating teams.

I was impressed by the way the players fought against a team that had pretty clear instructions to kick them off the park in order to unsettle their rhythm.

Throughout pre-season Arsenal played as a team and look ready to hit the ground running, more so than the other contenders.

Their pre-season was mainly centred in different geographical zones with strange and hard surfaces. The result is that players are fatigued with injuries creeping in.

Also they played against relatively weaker opposition whereas Arsenal had to face tougher opponents from Europe. When compared to Arsenal they do not seem to be as battle ready.

In addition Arsenal made some important "discoveries"

Gael Clichy:

Has achieved consistency and maturity in his play. He is extremely important as he will be providing the width from the left, releasing the likes of Rosicky to play more of a free role. Potentially player of the season.

Denilson:

Have you ever seen anyone get the ball off him? Amazing balance, extremely quick feet and a passing range rivalled only by the very best. He is only 19 but showed that he can be trusted in any kind of game.

The Sagna & Eboue combination:

These two have gelled well together very quickly and they compliment each other very well. Eboue is far more dangerous going forward and Sagna has the pace and power to cover any empty space left behind.

Defensively Arsenal are now more stable and against Ajax the back four showed for the first time they can form a formidable unit.

Bendtner:

He has bags of talent and tremendous self-belief. Did you see the boy claim the penalty against PSG; nobody challenged him.

He scored a couple of un Arsenal like goals and will provide a different option up-front. Wenger will have his hands full to keep him happy.

Diaby:

No words needed; the guy is awesome, a powerhouse, he is going to help our counter attacking style by winning the ball and setting up attacks with his powerful running and robust frame

Not sure about Dudu yet simply because I haven’t seen enough of him. I have a feeling he is going to score a few for us this year. He is a good finisher and moves very well without the ball, Cesk and him will link up very well

Hleb showed during the last few weeks how dangerous he can be when deployed centrally. I fully expect to see him playing there this season.

For all the positives however some of the old problems persist. If a serious challenge is to be mounted then the silly defensive errors, especially from crosses have yo be eliminated.

On the other hand we haven’t seen anything new from the other top three.

They haven’t assimilated their new players in, to the extent that Arsenal have done; they haven’t introduced any new youngsters with any success and to me they looked as though they have not reached the same level of fitness as Arsenal’s.

This was pretty evident during the Charity Shield where both teams looked out of sorts and disjointed; still going through their paces.

United have still to bring in Hargreaves, Scholes, Neville, Saha and Tevez. All have to get fit and taught how to play together. But time is running out. I am not mentioning Anderson and Nani as I think until at least December they will be restricted to cameo appearances.

Chelsea have still to get Drogba, Terry, Ballack, Shevchenko and new signings Pizzaro and Alex fit. They still have to assimilate Malouda in his new surroundings and they still have to buy a new right back let alone get him battle ready!

Liverpool, well what can you say! So many new players in and such a short time to assimilate all of them in the team. The players need to play consecutive games together in order to learn each other’s way of playing and find the time to gel.

Benitez is good tactically but, like Houllier, I think he will end up wasting a lot of money with little to show for it.

I hope that this is not me being over optimistic, but I think we will surprise a lot of people this year.

I think that the team will gel defensively and because of our pace teams will find it difficult to get in behind us. And defensive efficiency will give confidence to the attacking players to perform more freely.

I am not saying we will win the league, I am not saying we will not. It’s too early. As usual the team with the least amount of injuries will be the most consistent team. And we all know that the most consistent team wins the League.

But for now just bring on Fulham, I have a feeling we will score a bagful on Sunday.


Who will win the title? Arsenal against the odds?
Salzburg v Arsenal 1-0. Diaby is the new Vieira and even better
Bendtner makes a case for starting against Fulham.

Ed: You can leave a comment on what you think and also vote on the poll we have set up "who will win the title?"

Strength in depth eases Wenger’s team selection worries for the coming season

By 1970’s Gooner

One aspect that seems to characterize this new Arsenal side is the real strength in depth that exists in the squad. And by real I mean that this squad has quality replacements in all positions. This has been very evident during the very satisfying and successful tournament wins at the Emirates and in Amsterdam.

Take the goalkeeping position with Almunia proving more than adequate especially as a shot stopper and on the one to ones.

He has improved quite a lot since his arrival at Arsenal and this was evident during the preseason friendlies. He has convinced that he can replace Lehmann if need be.

Fabiansky hasn’t played much during the preseason but I would tend to trust Wenger on his potential.

In the defensive positions there is Hoyte and Sagna on the right and Clichy and Traore on the left. Hoyte, Djourou, Gallas and Flamini have proved adequate stand ins for these positions in the past. Hell even Eboue can drop back into defence if the need arises.

In the central defensive positions Senderos and Djourou are improving all the time but more importantly don’t forget Gilberto Silva who was a more than adequate cover for Toure and Gallas when he was used in this position.

Especially now that Diaby has evolved as an excellent central midfielder and has become the new Vieira; and even better!

In central midfield there is an abundance of riches with Denilson, Flamini (both have played very well in the Amsterdam Tournament), Song and Rosicky who can be deployed there too as that is his natural position rather than the wide areas.

All these players are in addition to Fabregas, Gilberto and Diaby. And there will be occasions when only two of these three may play in some games if the formation dictates for only two central midfielders!

The wide midfield positions too are now looking more filled in.

This is due to the excellent Eboue’s promotion infield and the recruitment of Eduardo who, although earmarked for the forward positions, can be deployed on the left, as Wenger has hinted.

Additionally there is of course Hleb who has shown that he will be more focused this year, Rosicky, Walcott and even Clichy who can, if need be, play as effectively in a more forward position just like Eboue has done.

If Traore is judged as too young then Hoyte could then cover for him at left back or even Flamini or Gallas!

In the forward positions Wenger could select any one or two (depending on the formation to be deployed) from RVP, Adebayor, Eduardo, Bendtner and you can add on this list Hleb who showed that his skills in close ball control and dribbling can be very effective when playing off the centre forward.

There is indeed a lot of versatility and flexibility inherent in this team and, as a consequence, a lot of strength in depth.

It is fast becoming a coach’s dreamland in working out formations and selecting the right players to fit in and vice versa. And this bodes well for the gruelling needs of the coming season.

Ed: You can leave a comment on what you think and also vote on the poll we have set up "who will win the title?"

Diaby is the new Vieira and even better.
Who will win the title? Part I: Arsenal against the odds?
Who will win the title? Part II: Liverpool it's getting serious

Goals from crosses give hope for the coming season

By 1970’s Gooner

It’s usually the other way round. Arsenal dominate, fail to score and at the end fall to the sucker punch. This was the story of Arsenal last season and it repeated itself in the friendly against Salzburg in Austria a few days ago. This time for the Emirates Cup PSG dominated the game in the first half but wasted the good chances they created. Arsenal promptly took a couple of theirs and it was practically game over.

An interesting aspect of the two goals Arsenal scored is that they both came from high balls crossed into the box. Something unusual for Arsenal. The main reason was the presence of Bendtner who with his height and physical strength provided the outlet for such a tactic to be employed.

And it was noticeable that this was the intention from the beginning of the game as the midfielders and central defenders were all too willing to send the long ball in from deep onto young Nicklas head.

Fort the first goal he chested, what was to be an assist, onto Flamini’s path who promptly sliced it into the net from inside the penalty area. For the second he rose above everybody else to head a well taken corner by Denilson and then pushed the ball into the net from the resulting fallout. When was the last time Arsenal scored from a corner? I don’t remember!

Clearly this gives Arsenal another important option in their usual quest of trying to break up packed defences. The long ball from deep straight into the heart of the opposing defence does not give them enough time to reorganize and get everybody behind the ball.

Something that was happening all too often last season when Arsenal’s built up play was too concerned on weaving pretty patterns and as consequence rather slow.

Arsenal dominated the second half mainly because Wenger corrected the unbalance he had created by his team selection for the start of the game. The team had no width as two central midfielders, Diaby and Flamini, were played on the flanks. The knock on effect was that the central midfield was not at its usual best as Denilson, up to then, was not having the best of games.

This double negative was reversed when Diaby returned to his natural position. He then put in another strong performance. He is the new Vieira and even better! Hleb was also moved into a roaming role in midfield which helped Arsenal dominate even more.

The introduction of fast and penetrative wingers albeit Eboue and Clichy on either flank allowed Arsenal to be more thrustful and free flowing which pinned PSG back for most of the second half. This resulted in the creation of many chances and the penalty which was duly missed by Bendtner!

It looks to me that Eboue, who gave a very good performance on the wing will form part of the pool of players who Wenger will be considering for this position. Is Wenger about to abandon his search for another wide midfielder? The others will be Hleb, Walcott, Rosicky and Eduardo, especially if another forward is brought in before the deadline.

Arsenal haven’t learned from last season’s mistakes

By 1970's Gooner on the friendly game at Salzburg

It was like watching one of the many games that Arsenal played last season. Domination throughout the pitch, playing the beautiful fame but lacking penetrative threat up front with no killer instinct when needed. And finally making mistakes at the back which allowed the inferior opposition to steal an unexpected win. Heard that one before haven’t you?

Granted there were several “first team” players missing from the Arsenal line up like Fabregas, Silva and Adebayor and the opponents were already several games into their domestic league. But it was obvious that even if those players had graced the game with their presence we still would have witnessed a dej a vu with a repeat of last season’s follies.

The most important ones being the inability to convert the numerous chances created so that they could have killed the game off and the lack of defencive nous. It’s one thing not scoring but when you can’t keep a clean sheet then a respectable draw turns into a painful defeat.

If Wenger will not enter the market to recruit a proven premiership experienced goal scorer who will be able to take a small percentage of the chances created then the onus will fall on Van Persie, Adebyaor and Eduardo. I personally don’t see the first two being so prolific in front of goal although I would expect that their improvement will be very marked this season.

Eduardo on the other hand impressed with his technical prowess, pace, acceleration and positioning awareness. I liked him. But he couldn’t put the ball in the net.

He opted to take one more touch rather than pull the trigger. Yes I know it was only his first game with his new club and he is bound to get better with more games. Let’s hope he is the answer to our prayers because that is where there is ample room for improvement.

On the defencive front, as explained in other postings, (what does Arsenal need to do to challenge for next season?) the errors that seem to be recurring can only be cut out by better organization and awareness. But annoyingly it doesn't look like they will be cut out do they?

The only time the opponents got a sniff of a chance was when there were lapses of concentration. In the first half by young Traore and by the older Gallas.

The goal itself came from two successive errors; first from the central defensive pair who got too near each other in trying to cut out a cross thus exposing Hoyte who had to come inside. And although near, Hleb’s lack of awareness to cover for Hoyte.

As explained in my previous posting, “Salzburg v Arsenal 1- 0. Diaby is the new Vieira and even better” apart from Eduardo’s promising debut the shining light from this friendly was Diaby’s performance which was awesome.

Salzburg v Arsenal 1-0. Diaby is the new Vieira and even better

By 1970's Gooner

Never the mind the defeat. It was only a friendly and Arsenal played some beautiful football albeit without penetration again. But more on the game in a later posting. What has inspired me is Diaby’s performance. He is the new Vieira and even better.

Until he was substituted in the middle of the second half, he was immense, running the game from the central midfield position with power, determination and an overall presence that points to a very exciting season for him and for Arsenal.

He is of course built and looks like a young Vieira but he is in my opinion a more skillful player. He was not only making tackles in front of his defence, he was taking the ball forward with pace, transforming defence into attack in seconds. Just like Vieira used to do.

There was one instance when he won the ball in the central midfield position and took it forward in a strong run, passed several opponents ending up right into Salzburg’s penalty area. His cut back was intercepted by the goalkeeper.

Fantastic play from a box to box galactico in the making! You can watch some video clips of Diaby on the video window which shows him in action at the age of 13.

It’s a pity that Arsenal are not yet playing that quick counter attacking football they used to. If they do again this year then Diaby will be even more effective.

He has Viera’s temperament in that he gets carried away with his desire to stop the opponents. And by utilising his long legs he sometimes tackles from a distance which can of course look bad when the tackle is slightly mistimed.

He will get a lot of bookings next season, like the one he got in this friendly game, but I don’t see him getting as many reds as Vieira did in his earlier years.

Wenger simply has to start with Diaby in every game next season and this may point to a three pronged central midfield of Fabregas, Silva and Diaby unless the captain drops to the bench; which I don’t see happening. All this implies that the formation next season is more likely to be a 4 3 3 or even a 4 5 1 depending on the occasion.

Vassiriki Abou Diaby Fact File

Date of Birth 11th may 1986
Place of Birth Paris, France
Nationality France
Height 1.88 m /6 ft 2 in
Weight 78 kg /12 st 4 lbs
Position Midfield
Squad No 2