Fabregas has added a “Peter Storey” attitude to his vast arsenal of talents

By 1970’s Gooner

Francesc Fàbregas Soler is a wonderful midfielder playing football the way it should be played. He has vision, creativity and accurate passing which suits Arsenal's intricate passing game.

But an addition to Fabregas’s armoury of talents is his physical toughness and the desire to not only play the beautiful game but, if the occasion demands it, to be prepared to mix it.

In this aspect, and in this aspect only, he reminds me of Arsenal 1970’s legend Peter Storey.

Peter Storey was a very tough player who never shirked out of tackles. He relished physical games which was just as well as, in those days, you had to have players in the team who were prepared to really mix it.

He was also always ready to protect his own, less than physically endowed, players.

I remember that if an opponent had made a bad tackle on one of the Arsenal players then the crowd would shout the player’s shirt number to him. Especially for the off the ball incidents.

Bob’s your uncle that player was soon on the floor writhing in pain!

Peter Storey could also play football.

He played in two consecutive (unsuccessful) League Cup finals for Arsenal in 1968 and 1969, before winning the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1970 and the famous double a year later under Bertie Mee.

He played for England at right back. He made his debut in 1971 against Greece and went on to win 18 caps during the early 1970s, later filling the midfield role vacated by the retiring Nobby Stiles.

Now you may well ask how does Peter Storey remind you of Fabregas?

Fabregas dished out the punishment to, of all people, Tomas Repka, the hard man of Sparta Prague and ex West Ham defender. And Repka is built like a tank!

Fabregas’s tackle came just after Repka started putting himself about culminating in a hard challenge against Robin Van Persie. Repka tried to carry on after that but had to come off with a swollen knee.

That showed the opponents who was boss in this game! But it also gave the signal to his team mates that “we will not be intimidated”.

A cry which will need to be repeated many times during this critical, make or break, season for this maturing team.

A cry from far back. From Peter Storey's time.


Is Justin Hoyte the new Pat Rice?

Hleb is top scorer, Robin needs a Batman and Fabregas is the real captain

By 1970's Gooner

There were three very positive aspects to come out of this tough encounter in Prague (apart from the win).

The first was the resilience and character to tough it out against very physical opponents. The second was the midfielders finding their goal scoring touch; at last. And the third was the vast potential that exists in this team when the proper centre forwards return to give it balance and extra scoring potential.

Resilience

This attitude expressed itself in the game against Ajax in Amsterdam for the pre season tournament. We all commented on it but I think we put it at the back of our minds thinking that it was probably a one off.

Or at least we wanted to wait for more games until we were convinced. I am now convinced that this Arsenal team will be no easy push overs this season. And this augurs well for the tricky encounter against Blackburn next Sunday.

What in particular impressed me was Fabregas’s contribution. He has moved on this season up the ladder of what will eventually lead him to world stardom and star status.

This year he is more confident about his scoring ability thus he takes more shots at goal rather than passing the ball; it was usually to Henry last season.

Maybe the latter’s absence has forced him to look at other alternatives.

He has also added steel to his game. His tackle on Tomas Repka was the turning point of the game for me. It forced Repka out of the game and also gave the signal to his team mates that “we will not be intimidated”.

He is the real captain of the team.

The midfielders are finding their goal scoring touch

In the absence of Henry last season, goals were difficult to find especially since the midfielders were not chipping in with their expected contribution.

Well three of the four goals scored so far in have come from midfielders. And the other was a penalty which was not won by a forward player.

The difference this season is of course Hleb’s contribution which is in direct contrast to last year where he was afraid put his boot in and more importantly to shoot. He is in fact top scorer now!

The contribution from the midfielders is more important than one may suppose. This is because of the formation that Arsenal are deploying at the moment.

The lone forward up front is indeed lone and his primary task is first to bring other players in. So if the midfielders don’t score you are in trouble. As we were last year.

The return of a proper centre forward

This team is crying out for a proper centre forward. A tall, strong and physical player who can hold the ball and bring players into the game.

Robin van Persie isn’t that player. 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 RVP when Adebayor returns.

My view on Bendtner’s utilization is that he is indeed ready to do a job for Wenger. As regular visitors to this site are aware.

Lack of support for RVP puts more strain on the midfield and defence as the ball keeps coming back. When this imbalance is corrected this team has the potential to increase its efficiency quite substantially.

And surprise a lot of people.


Bendtner should start every game. It makes more tactical sense

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

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

Line up considerations for Arsenal plus prediction

By 1970’s Gooner

Arsenal have won all four of their matches against Sparta, each of which has come in the Champions League group stage.

Two seasons ago, a half-fit Henry marked his return from a six-week absence through injury to supply Arsenal’s goals in a 2-0 win in the group stage match in Prague, breaking Ian Wright’s club scoring record in the process.

The striking aspect of that game was the conservative approach adopted by Wenger who appeared to give a little bit too much respect to the opponents than was merited.

The system adopted was a rather timid 4 5 1 with the lone striker more often than not left isolated. It wasn’t until Henry was unleashed from the bench that the whole team was liberated.

Arsenal won their home fixture 3-0 with goals from Henry and two from RVP.

How Arsenal will play

I can see Wenger adopting a conservative approach again as this has served him well in the head to head counters with Sparta Prague. In addition this is an away tie and there is always the home game to come at, hopefully, fortress Emirates where things could be put right if need be.

There is also the need to accustom the players in treating this first European game in the manner that will be followed in the away games of the Champions League competition proper.

So a 4 5 1 formation is likely to be adopted

Judging by Hleb’s performance and crucial goal he scored against Fulham he will again play the withdrawn role behind RVP. Only this time he will be instructed to stick to that and not venture too much back into midfield crowding out playmaker Fabregas.

Rosicky and Eboue are likely to be trusted on the wings again although the latter was rather subdued against Fulham. However his defensive background will come in handy if Arsenal have to defend a lead late on in the game.

Diaby and Denilson have not travelled due to ankle problems. The players to travel include the same 16 which were picked to face Fulham, plus full backs Justin Hoyte and Armand Traore. The players on the bench against Fulham were Almunia, Senderos, Song, Walcott and Bendtner.

It is a pity that Diaby in particular could not participate as it is this type of players that have the qualities needed to protect the defence in those difficult European or indeed Premiership away games.

Nevertheless, according to our resident season ticket holder at the Emirates, Flamini put in a very strong performance against Fulham and the same will be required of him again.

Bendtner will probably be on the bench and ready to come on late in the game if need be. I can see him scoring if he comes on. He nearly did against Fulham.

Prediction

I don’t see many goals in this game as both teams will not want to risk too much lest they concede; especially the home team.

Arsenal will also be thinking about the difficult away encounter with Blackburn on Sunday, so if they go a goal up they will probably not break leather to add to it.

Away win. 1 - 0

Best odds at time of writing this post:

Arsenal win : 5/6 Bet 365
Draw : 5/2 Paddy Power
Sparta win : 19/5 Expect.com

Arsenal win 1-0 : 11/2 Bet 365, Better, Betdirect, Sporting Odds, Blue Square

Bendtner to score the first or last goal: 7/1 Skybet, Extra bet, Stan James
Hleb to score first goal : 14/1 VC Bet
Hleb to score last goal : 12/1 Bet Fred, Stan James


Part I: Sparta’s manager fears Rosicky

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”