Palacios has called home and he is alright. He has impressed Wenger and the medical people

By 1970's Gooner

After reporting that neither Wilson Palacios ‘s parents or his club, Olimpia, could confirm his whereabouts, the Honduran Newspaper “Tiempo”, has now been informed by Palacios’s father that he is alright and living in London Colney!

His father, Eulogio, was relieved to hear from him at last. His son who sounded well and lighthearted confirmed to him that he has been having a trial at Arsenal and that he has been able to satisfy the medical and fitness requirements. He will learn in the next few days whether he is kept on.

Wilson for the last 30 days has been traveling around Europe trying his luck with various clubs leaving a big gap in his home side’s line up as he is considered their top player.

His travels took him first to Serbian club Red Star Belgrade where he impressed but the deal was not concluded as their offer for the player was dismissed by Olimpia’s President, Osman Madrid, as way below his valuation of the player.

There were also rumours that Italian club Cagliary was interested but again Olimpia’s president denied there was anything in it.

Palacios next traveled to France and had a trial with Monaco but they seemed unable to take him on as the quota for foreign players has already been exhausted.

Wenger has been impressed

According to his father, Wilson has made a very good impression on Wenger who was quite happy with him. Apparently Palacios has understood that he is earmarked to replace Ljumberg as they are similar players.

The financial side of the deal has not yet been discussed but the whole thing may be finalized in the next few days.

His father said:

“this is not important for us, what I want is that my son continues playing in England. The probabilities of remaining are great.”

The Honduran Newspaper has even given the Arsenal shirt numbers that Palacios could choose from!

These are indeed numbers which have not yet been allocated:

8, 12, 14, 18 and 23.

Palacios labeled the “magician” is considered one of the national team’s best players.

He is 23 years old and a right midfield player who can also play in defence.

He is most remembered for scoring a goal from the half-way line against Marathón in the final minutes of a game in 2006. You can watch it on the video window.


Wilson Palacios Fact File

Date of birth July 29, 1984 (age 23)
Place of birth La Ceiba, Honduras
Playing position Midfielder
Current club Olimpia
Appearances 102
Goals 10


Preview of Sparta Prague Vs Arsenal. Part I: Sparta’s manager fears Rosicky

Spurs fly like a bee and sting like a butterfly!

Spurs fly like a bee and sting like a butterfly!

By 1970’s Gooner

Well who would have believed it? After spending 40m over the summer and reaching the dizzy heights of third biggest spenders in the league, after Manchester United and Liverpool, Spurs have plunged to such low depths where it matters. On the football field.

Yet at the end of last season their weaknesses were apparent for everyone to see. The lack of creative midfielders and quality in defence.

And what does Mr. Jol goes out and buys? A £16.5m forward to add to the other four he already had (Defoe, Keane, Berbatov and Mido).

And in defence he brought in two relatively young and inexperienced defenders, Bale and Kaboul. The former was out due to injury and the latter limped out during the game.

As often happens in football, due to its zero sum characteristic and reliance on team coordination, if one or more of its parts or players is not functioning well the whole of the team suffers.

Tottenham last night in their efforts to appease the plethora of forwards at their disposal sacrificed shape and the balance of the team by playing three forwards, Bent and Berbatov up front and Keane just below them.

This had the effect of depriving the midfield of a genuine central player and putting too much load on Jenas’s shoulders to strive to control it. A task which he is not that capable of performing at the best of circumstances anyway.

On the other hand Moyes is not that an idiot to make such selection mistakes. He played a 4 4 2 even if it was an away game. But at least his team was balanced and his four man midfield had the extra midfielder to provide protection.

We Arsenal fans were starting to get sick of all this Spurs hype during pre season that they will finish above us in the League. They were even talking about challenging the top two for the title!

Lay off it please.


Preview of Sparta Prague Vs Arsenal. Part I: Sparta’s manager fears Rosicky

Neither club nor family can confirm that Wilson Palacios is training with Arsenal

Spurs fly like a bee and sting like a butterfly!

By 1970’s Gooner

Well who would have believed it? After spending 40m over the summer and reaching the dizzy heights of third biggest spenders in the league, after Manchester United and Liverpool, Spurs have plunged to such low depths where it matters. On the football field.

Yet at the end of last season their weaknesses were apparent for everyone to see. The lack of creative midfielders and quality in defence.

And what does Mr. Jol goes out and buys? A £16.5m forward to add to the other four he already had (Defoe, Keane, Berbatov and Mido).

And in defence he brought in two relatively young and inexperienced defenders, Bale and Kaboul. The former was out due to injury and the latter limped out during the game.

As often happens in football, due to its zero sum characteristic and reliance on team coordination, if one or more of its parts or players is not functioning well the whole of the team suffers.

Tottenham last night in their efforts to appease the plethora of forwards at their disposal sacrificed shape and the balance of the team by playing three forwards, Bent and Berbatov up front and Keane just below them.

This had the effect of depriving the midfield of a genuine central player and putting too much load on Jenas’s shoulders to strive to control it. A task which he is not that capable of performing at the best of circumstances anyway.

On the other hand Moyes is not that an idiot to make such selection mistakes. He played a 4 4 2 even if it was an away game. But at least his team was balanced and his four man midfield had the extra midfielder to provide protection.

We Arsenal fans were starting to get sick of all this Spurs hype during pre season that they will finish above us in the League. They were even talking about challenging the top two for the title!

Lay off it please.


Preview of Sparta Prague Vs Arsenal. Part I: Sparta’s manager fears Rosicky

Neither club nor family can confirm that Wilson Palacios is training with Arsenal

Preview of Sparta Prague Vs Arsenal. Part I: Sparta’s manager fears Rosicky

By 1970’s Gooner

Last season, Sparta became the first club to record a league and cup double in the Czech Republic since the country split from Slovakia in 1993.

For the first two games of the current season Sparta have one win against Slovan Liberec FC with striker Libor Došek scoring the only goal of the game. A goalless draw against Viktoria Plzen was the result of their second game.

In Tomas Repka, now 33, they have a captain who is accustomed to London, having played for West Ham United for five seasons.

The defender’s 12 yellow cards last season reflect his reputation in England, where he was sent off twice in his first three appearances in the top flight. He has not featured for the first two matches of the league campaign due to suspension, but will be back for this one.

Their creative and inspirational player is Pavel Horváth in midfield. He has not played in the last game which may mean he was rested for the Arsenal encounter.

Tomas Postulka, the Sparta goalkeeper, believes that Arsenal will be an easier proposition than they would have been last season.

“Arsenal are totally different to before,” he said. “Henry and Ljungberg have left and there are young players.


The Sparta manager Michal Bilic speaking to Czech internet paper “Sportonoviny” has identified the quartet of Fabregas, Hleb, Van Persie and Rosický as the players to look for.

The key, he implied, is not to allow space to the Arsenal players especially old boy Rosicky.

Rosicky started playing for the club at the age of eight so it will be an emotional return for him.

He won three league titles and the Czech Player of the Year award while he was there.

"It will be strange to go back, but I'd rather have played them in the group stage," said Rosicky.

"My brother played for Sparta Prague and my father played for Sparta Prague so it is a bit emotional".

Let’s hope that his performance is not affected.

Other outstanding former Sparta players include among others Petr Čech of Chelsea, Karel Poborský ex Manchester United, Pavel Nedvěd of Juventus and Jan Koller of Monaco.


AC Sparta Praha Fact File

Full name: AC Sparta Praha fotbal, a.s.
Nickname : Železná Sparta(Iron Sparta)
Founded : November 16, 1893
Ground : Toyota Arena, Prague
Capacity : 20,111
Chairman : Jozef Chovanec
Manager : Michal Bílek
League : Gambrinus Liga
2006-07 Gambrinus Liga, 1st


Ed: Part II which will deal with Arsenal will follow on match day.

Neither club nor family can confirm that Wilson Palacios is training with Arsenal

Neither club nor family can confirm that Wilson Palacios is training with Arsenal

By 1970's Gooner

According to The News of the World Arsenal are giving a trial to Honduran international Wilson Palacios.

However according to Honduran Newspaper “Tiempo” no one from the player’s club, Olimpia, or his family, when contacted, could confirm that Palacios is on trial at Arsenal.

What is true however is that the player, for the last 30 days, has been travelling around Europe trying his luck with various clubs leaving a big gap in his home side’s line up as he is considered their top player.

Palacios labeled the “magician” is also considered one of the national team’s best players.

He is 23 years old and a right midfield player who can also play in defence.

He is most remembered for scoring a goal from the half-way line against Marathón in the final minutes of a game in 2006. You can watch it on the video window.

On the playing side of things it’s difficult to see where such a player would fit in Arsenal’s current squad.

He is after all a right sided midfielder and currently Eboue, Walcott, Hleb and Rosicky could fill that slot. If Arsene will go into the transfer market for a wide midfielder it would probably be for a left sided one.

Palacios’s travels took him first to Serbian club Red Star Belgrade where he impressed. However, the deal was not concluded as their offer for the player was dismissed by Olimpia’s President, Osman Madrid, as way below his valuation of the player.

There were also rumours that Italian club Cagliary were interested but again the club’s president denied the rumours.

Palacios next traveled to France and had a trial with Monaco. This would be just before jumping over to London Colney; if he is indeed with Arsenal.


Wilson Palacios Fact File

Date of birth: July 29, 1984 (age 23)
Place of birth: La Ceiba, Honduras
Playing position: Midfielder
Current club: Olimpia
Appearances: 102
Goals: 10


Bendtner should start every game. It makes more tactical sense

Back to back for Manchester United?

Bendtner should start every game. It makes more tactical sense

By 1970's Gooner

There were two tactical weaknesses apparent during Arsenal’s first game of the season against Fulham at the Emirates. The first concerned Hleb’s positioning during the game and the other the obvious lack of a strong centre forward.

In my preview of this game (and considering that Wenger was not going to select Bendtner) I favoured Hleb to partner Van Persie over Eduardo even if the latter had been available.

Hleb looked sharper and rejuvenated during the pre season relishing his new role behind Van Persie and getting on the score sheet too. A feat which he promptly repeated again in a real game.

However what he tended to do a lot during the game was to drop deep into midfield and try and dictate play from there.

This crowded out Fabregas and Flamini not only in terms of space but more importantly restricting Fabregas from running the show as only he knows how.

And I think that we all agree that Fabregas is much better at it than Hleb; who has shown however that he can replace Fabregas if need be.

This had another negative effect. There was no support for Van Persie which restricted his passing options when he was able to receive the ball.

The second tactical weakness concerns the role of Van Persie himself. He is better deployed behind or next to a strong centre forward and not as a lone striker.

This was very evident last season when Henry was around and now with Bendtner in the friendlies. This is probably the way Wenger intends to deploy him when Adebayor returns.

However he chose not do so for this game probably because, as he has said recently, he does not consider Bendtner ready for the Premiership yet.

In my posting after the Ajax game for the Amsterdam Tournament I argued that Bendtner was the new fox in the box that we have for so long been looking for and that he should be starting against Fulham.

Wenger I think has underestimated the boy’s capabilities. The answer is staring him in his face yet he refuses to see it.

Bendtner has proved more than capable of playing that role and it clearly showed when he was brought on the pitch at 72 minutes.

This had a multiple of positive effects as you often get in football games when a weakness is corrected.

The introduction of a strong and tall centre forward raffled the opposing defence and allowed Van Persie to play off him thus becoming more effective himself. Additionally Hleb’s repositioning on the left flank (to make room for Bendtner) released Fabregas to weave his magic.

Bob’s your uncle Fabregas releases the killer ball that Hleb dispatched into the net on 90 minutes for the winner.

The latest news is that Eduardo has joined Adebayor on the injury list. Bendtner, if called upon, is well capable of performing well in the Champion’s League qualifier.

We have set up a poll on the issue of who should partner Robin Van Persie. Please cast your vote and leave a comment!


Bendtner makes a case for starting against Fulham

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


Ed: Can Asa or anyone linking here from the "Same old Arsenal" blog please contact me using the comments box as the link from Arsenal Analysis" does not appear to be working!

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”

Who will win the title? Poll results

By 1970's Gooner

About ten days ago I began a four part series of analysing each of the top four’s strengths and weaknesses and giving my prediction as to where they might end up by the end of next season.

These posts were:

Part I: Arsenal against the odds?
Part II: Liverpool. It’s getting serious.
Part III: Chelsea come back?
Part IV: Back to back for Manchester United?

They attracted a very large number of visits to the site as well as votes on the poll we had set up on who will win the title.

In total 918 votes were cast which are only a very small fraction of the total number of visits. Nevertheless I am told by my statistician friends that this is indeed a large and more than adequate sample to derive meaningful observations.

Let’s get one thing clear. The largest number of visitors to the site are of course Arsenal supporters and you wouldn’t expect any other result but for them to vote Arsenal as the team they expect to win the title.

However what is interesting is the overwhelming support for such an outcome (86% of the total).

It seems that us Arsenal fans have recently grown more confident about our team’s future and expected performance this coming season.

You would not have expected such an outcome for example in the immediate aftermath of Henry’s departure.

In addition the excellent performances in the two pre-season tournaments that Arsenal won appear to have rekindled our spirits. I certainly feel that way.

What is also interesting is that from the other three contenders, Liverpool received the least support with only 2% of the votes! It seems that you, like me, are not convinced that Benitez’s new signings will make any difference to where they will end up this year: 4th.

Manchester United received almost twice the support Chelsea did with 8% of the votes. This might be a reflection of what many people consider that Man U, with their recent signings, have edged a little bit ahead of Chelsea.


Who will win the title? Poll Results

Arsenal 86%
Manchester United 8%
Chelsea 4%
Liverpool 2%

Total votes cast : 918

Thanks for your support, comments and votes!


Who will win the title?

Part I: Arsenal against the odds?
Part II: Liverpool. It’s getting serious.
Part III: Chelsea come back?
Part IV: Back to back for Manchester United?

Preview of Arsenal Vs Fulham

Ajax Vs Arsenal. Interesting choices for Wenger’s team selection

By 1970's Gooner

With only days remaining for the opening game of the new season and no more friendlies scheduled I would expect that Wenger will field what his starting eleven will be for the Fulham game tonight (against Ajax in the Amsterdam Tournament).

This will give them a last outing before the curtain opener and the opportunity to jell together under the pressure of an important game in front of a large crowd and very capable opponents.

Eboue has impressed with his performances in both tournaments and he seems to me to have done more than enough to be starting tonight. This means that Wenger has to make a decision for the right back position between Hoyte and Sagna.

Sagna’s performances have impressed me. After only two appearances he settled in very well and formed a very effective pairing with Eboue when they played together. I think he will get the nod over Hoyte.

Assuming Clichy plays at left back then for the other wide midfield position there are two possibilities. Rosicky and Hleb. I would go for Hleb as he has looked much sharper recently albeit in a different position.

Wenger could of course play Hleb just behind Van Persie where he was very effective in his last game. And Eduardo could be tried on the left wing which would be an interesting choice.

As far as the attack is concerned the question is who Wenger would pick to partner Robin Van Persie. He will most probably go for Eduardo. He did after all score a goal in the last game and you don’t put your new 8.5m signing on the bench do you?

But to me Bendtner’s performances so far have impressed me. And his linking with Van Persie was very good; much better than Eduardo’s.

In addition Van Persie is much more effective playing off a strong front man rather than leading the line. And this was very evident last season when Henry was around and now with Bendtner in the friendlies. When Adebayor returns he will most probably be the front man so where would Eduardo play then?

The rest of the team picks itself I would think, with Lehman in goal and Toure with Gallas in central defence. In the absence of Gilberto Silva a central midfield pairing of Fabregas and the excellent Diaby looks very likely.

Arsenal sign 16 year old Gilles Sunu. The latest addition to Wenger’s babes

By 1970's Gooner

Arsenal's official Web site has included Gilles Sunu in the list of Arsenal reserve and youth players stating that he joined Arsenal on the 31st of July 2007.

Sunu, who has been hailed as Europe’s best prospect, has according to the Daily Mail signed terms with Arsenal for four years and will cost an initial £1million rising up to £2.7m.

The deal, apparently agreed at the beginning of this year was delayed until the youngster turned 16. He was signed on the recommendation of the club's French scout Gilles Grimandi.

Liverpool were also considering making a move for the top French starlet at the beginning of the year when he impressed for the French Under 16s.

Sunu who played for French Second Division outfit Chateauroux is the son of former Togo international, Manu Sunu.

Chateauroux's vice chairman Patrick Trotignon told the Daily Mirror as far back as February of this year when the deal was apparently agreed betweeen the two clubs that:

“He plays as an out-and-out striker like Thierry Henry, but he also can play in midfield. Gilles is lightning quick and he has great technical skills. But the key is that he is very intelligent, older than his years.

Arsenal’s Head of Youth Development, Liam Brady said on Arsenal's official web site:

“He's an all-action centre forward. We had him come to a tournament in Italy in late April and he did very well. He's hard-working and good on the ball.”

It appears that Wenger is relentlessly pursuing his policy of recruiting the best youth talent in the world and nurturing it to maturity and fruition for the benefit of the team and Arsenal’s financial health.

Wenger also recruited the highly promising Nordtveit by traveling all the way to Norway himself to convince the club to release him and secure the signatures!

It doesn’t look to me that Wenger will be leaving Arsenal.

Gilles Sunu Fact File

Date of birth: March 30, 1991
Nationality: French
2nd nationality: Togolese
Height: 180 cm
Weight: 81 kg
Club: Châteauroux
Position: Striker