Refs Miss Commonsense, Nutty Catalans & Don’t Expect Any New Signings

It’s Too Late To Say You’re Sorry

So Arsene is to receive an apology from Keith Hackett for his sending off. Perchance that may carry some weight within the smoke-filled corridors of the Football Association where the butcher, baker and candlestick maker decide the fates of players and managers alike. And according to reports. it will carry such weight which is more than I expect from UEFA tomorrow.

The incident was symptomatic of the poor decision making by the referee at Old Trafford. On the TV replays, the fourth official, Lee Probert, quite clearly says to Wenger, “Kicking that bottle was totally unacceptable”. The only way in which I can describe his body language was that of a six year old child, stomping off after an argument to tell a parent that someone will not do as they want and is ruining the game.

Did Wenger merit a dismissal? No, not under any circumstances. If the official was so incensed, he needs to question whether or not he has the mental acumen to be officiate since he was too emotional. It is apparent he feels no empathy with managers and more to the point, it brings into severe question his man-management abilities. If genuinely concerned about the atmosphere, Probert should have quietly walked over to Wenger to suggest that the Frenchman reassesses his behaviour.

My question to Probert is, why? Wenger accepted the offside decision but was utterly frustrated to be denied a thoroughly deserved point. More to the point, it begs the question as to what we want from our managers. Even the most implaccable is under tremendous scrutiny from the media, with nowhere to hide. Emotions are bound to run high, especially in a big game such as Saturday’s. To keep them bottled up would, I feel, inevitably exacerbate health issues. The stress that all of them feel is incredible and it is not hard to see why they snap in the heat of the moment.

Instead, remonstrating and calling over the referee merely served to intensify the pressure of the situation. Ordering Wenger to the stands subjected the manager to abuse and gloating from the Manchester United supporters. Standing atop the dugout was not perhaps the best place to be especially in light of events at Upton Park in the week. One push and whoops, there goes a season for the manager.

Prior to the match, Keith Hackett had spoken of the need to monitor the behaviour of managers. Perhaps a better idea for his organisation would be to monitor more closely the actions of the fourth officials. Even so, nothing will come of this situation. Probert will still be officiating in the next round of Premier League matches. Dean and co will still be officiating with the whole incident swept under the refereeing carpet.

The Curdled Journey

Making an issue of tapping up is for the most part, entirely pointless and totally futile. All clubs do it, in the spirit of football law, since the media constantly ask managers about specific players. As soon as the question is answered with anything other than, “We do not talk about other players since they are contracted to another club“, tapping up essentially occurs. There is little that can be done about a one-off scenario.

The Spanish clubs have this off to a fine art. Using their pet media outlets as the driving forces, they merely respond to the questions posed, even if they were planted in the first place. Take Cesc for example. Barcelona continually talk about him, Laporta did so once more, with the temerity to speak of his respect for Arsene Wenger in the same breath.

Let’s be clear. Barcelona has no respect for Arsenal or Wenger. I am not even convinced that they really want Fabregas other than to salvage their affronted pride at the way in which he left them. Not so long ago, Berguistain told the world that the player was not wanted by the Catalans as he had left and would need to almost beg to return. Laporta contradicts that constantly but always refers to the manner of his departure. This is a face-saving exercise on his part to play politics, one that the English media is only too willing to participate in.

Last Days Of Summer

Closing the transfer window is perhaps a cause of celebration. It ought to put a stop to the continual flood of ill-informed guesswork that permeates the back pages, airwaves and electronic media. Over the next two or three months that will be case, ready for the winter window warm-up in December.

Of course the flipside is that continual moaning about how we have not signed a world-class goalkeeper, another centre back, a defensive midfielder or a new striker. Add into that the tiresome whinging about how the board has not given Wenger any funds and it all becomes incredibly wearing and tiresome. Do I think Wenger will sign anyone this time? No to the extent that if he does, I will be entirely amazed. He has a good squad of players and it takes an exceptional talent to improve it. There are plenty of those players out there but few who their current employers want to sell at a good price for Arsenal. We shall see.

’til Tomorrow.

Two Mistakes Cost Arsenal Three Points

Manchester United 2 – 1 Arsenal

0 – 1 Arshavin (40)
1 – 1 Rooney (59 pen)
2 – 1 Diaby (64 o.g.)

It is a defeat and one that will rankle simply because a mad five minutes undid the excellent work that came before it. More to the point, they will be scratching their heads to wonder how the game slipped from their grasp. It was a lost opportunity but there should not be any storm clouds gathering for even in this adversity, the signs of the collective improvements made as the squad matures are encouraging.

The tone of the game was set in the formations employed. United set out their stall to spoil, something that should not be lost amid any rancour. For a team who have been the most effective attacking unit at home to deploy defensive tactics is recognition of the standards of Arsenal’s play this season. If the result did not bring forth any vindication of Wenger’s belief in his squad, Ferguson’s starting line-up certainly did.

Football statistics are notoriously subjective, irrespective of their basis in fact. Yet United managed a paltry three shots on target, one of which was Diaby’s own goal. Arsenal countered that, one goal, one logic defying save and a crossbar which is still reverberating from van Persie’s free-kick. Had one of the latter efforts found the net, the match would have been over. They did not and United still breathed.

Before the game, I had hoped that Bendtner would be restored to the attacking line-up, especially in the absence of Cesc, adding to the goal threat. Arsene disagreed and retained Eboue. For an hour it seemed the correct decision on the part of the manager as Arsenal were the more effective of the two sides. Gallas and Vermaelen ruthlessly shackled Rooney, the only real attacking outlet for the hosts.

The first half was a scrappy affair. Arsenal used the ball well but too often surrendered possession. United faired even worse with Valencia setting out to prove that spending £16m does not guarantee quality; Berbatov provided ample evidence that £30m gives no more reassurance in that respect.

In the end, it took a moment of sublime technique to separate the sides at the interval. Wrongly denied a penalty by the ineptitude of Mike Dean, Arshavin picked himself up and received possession from Denilson. Invited to move forward, the Russian did so unimpeded before unleashing a powerful shot. Foster got his hands to it but was unable to prevent the strike entering the net. Had it been Almunia, no doubt he would have been severely castigated by media and fans alike; no such criticism of England’s Number One.

The Spaniard would not have to wait long before putting himself in the firing line. Four minutes after the restart, van Persie should have buried the game. A swift break on the United left found van Persie in the centre, his shot seemingly heading goalwards, interrupted on it’s route to the back of the net by Foster’s outstretched boot. Moments later, Eboue had the time but not the confidence, to volley home, unmarked on the right hand side of the area. He chose to try to control the ball instead and the chance passed.

On the hour came what seemed to be a temporary redemption for the hosts. Giggs sent Rooney through and from the moment that Almunia came to meet him, there was only going to be one result. Rooney was en route to the floor before the Spaniard’s momentum forced a collision. Was the decision to meet the United attacker rash? No, the execution was, Almunia should have stayed longer on his feet, forcing Rooney wider of the goal. The resultant penalty was as coolly despatched as Eduardo’s earlier in the week.

Even then, the fates teased Wenger and his men, the luckless van Persie’s viciously curling and dipping free-kick evading Foster but not the woodwork. How costly was that to prove for within a minute, United had struck their winner. Giggs’ deliver from the set-piece was unspectacular but into a decent area of the box. Inexplicably, Diaby miscued his header into the net. There was no pressure and the safest option was to head towards the touchline from his angle of ascent. The Frenchman was not finished though. Minutes later, some sublime footwork opened an excellent opportunity but a wide swing of his left boot rendered all of the previous good work unrewarded.

The farcical refereeing decisions were unfinished. Fletcher walked from the pitch unscathed at the final whistle, something that a stronger official would not have allowed to happen. Continual foul play is a booking. Fletcher committed enough sins to warrant three yellow cards but even then Dean is so inept he would probably not have sent him off. The only dismissal was that of Wenger for the technically superb despatch of a water bottle. Even then, the officials could not convey their decision accurately, failing to inform Wenger that the stands do not include the technical area.

For all of the disappointment, there are many positives to draw upon. They outfought United, a total turnaround from the Champions League and previous visits to Old Trafford. Six bookings in one match draws an automatic fine from the FA but shows a willingness to stand and trade blows with their supposed physical superiors. Arsenal used the ball more effectively in the final third than United, creating more danger than their opponents. Missing their creative hub, Arsenal still had enough to win the game.

The forwards though need to score. van Persie is an ideal striker in a 4-3-3 and growing in maturity, not just in his play but also his leadership, highlighted by his interaction with Diaby immediately after the own goal. He needed more support, something Eboue was not able to totally provide on the right since his game is not based on attacking instinct. In midfield, the mantra that Arsenal lack depth does not stand up to scrutiny. Song, I thought, continued his impressive start to the season, ably supported in the hardworking Diaby to form an effective shield for the defence. Denilson was more than a match for Fletcher, Giggs, Valencia and Nani. Less flashy and individualistic than his opposite quartet but more in tune with the Arsenal play than any of them.

A lot of positives to draw but a galling defeat nonetheless. Losing at Old Trafford is not as detrimental to a season as other early defeats have been in the past. United will drop points to Chelsea who will reciprocate by doing so to Liverpool who will complete the circle by doing so against Arsenal. The top four matches do not win titles; United has proved that in the past. Let Arsenal do so this season.

’til Tomorrow.

Here’s The Tin Opener – Too Late, UEFA Open A Can Of Worms & Old Trafford Beckons

Platini – Small Man, Even Smaller Mind

No sooner had the UEFA President spoken than a lackey announced that the Croat would be charged. Ever the populist, Platini lacks the intellectual verve to consider the wider implications of his organisations actions. They do not have the stomach for a fight with the former G14 clubs yet that is exactly the outcome of UEFA’s actions.

UEFA must now intervene on every occasion in which a dubious interpretation of an incident takes place. Failure to do so renders them even more impotent on the world stage, a point that will not be lost on those who wish for the clubs to take more control of the game. It will be a fascinating month or two in the Champions League. Will the powers that be have big enough cojones to charge Messi, Henry or Ronaldo? They won’t.

Bringing about disciplinary action gives UEFA the moral high ground in PR terms. A failure to deal with every single incident where a player is accused of diving creates a moral vacuum. There are few enough morals and scruples within football as it is, the potential here is not for cleaning up the game, more to create a cheat’s charter.

Arsenal, Arsene in particular, has made it abundantly clear that they will vigourously defend Eduardo. With the disciplinary committee already undermined by the referee reiterating his belief that he called the decision correctly, Arsene outlined the defence that will be applied:

To single out a player who is coming back from injury like he had, when he was hit in the way he was, for going down… well I don’t blame him. When you saw his leg after that tackle I don’t blame him for getting out of the way of the goalkeeper

It is a defence that must succeed in theory. Suffering a horrific injury will affect someone whenever the chance of a similar outcome presents itself. In practice, UEFA will not care one iota about that. And therein is the rub for UEFA. The past is the point that they cannot escape; Eduardo was brutally assaulted on a football pitch yet they did not take further action against Taylor. Pleading that the Football Association has ultimate responsibility for domestic matches does not wash; UEFA and FIFA ultimately sanction all professional football matches and can interfere wherever.

The flaw in UEFA’s proceedings was highlighted by Wenger

It is completely [a] lack of logic in this case. Why? Because people have reacted emotionally, which I can understand. Secondly, because this case has been ruled by the media

The media drives football’s revenues from all sources. Now they drive the regulation of the sport. Platini’s lack of intellect was rammed home by Wenger:

Usually a situation that has been assessed and judged by the referee can’t be touched again. Now every single decision made by a referee can be challenged. So for me they’ve opened a very dangerous door here

Crucially, Platini has not spotted this. If he did, then his wider motivation is apparent since this is at direct odds with everything that Sepp Blatter and FIFA has declared. Referees have a greater infallibility than the Pope. No longer. Moreover, the only logical conclusion if this is the case is that Platini wants to rule the world, the footballing part of it anyway. A Napoleon complex perhaps?

If anyone truly believes that Eduardo will escape this charge, they are delusional. Platini has chosen to immolate Eduardo in order to establish his own credentials as the saviour of football. Disconcertingly for the English game, and Arsenal in particular, they are the sacrificial lambs to be slaughtered.

The Visit To Old Trafford

The tea time kick-off presents Arsenal with a genuine opportunity to inflict some damage on Manchester United’s defence of their title. It will not be fatal but a victory will put considerable pressure on United in the same way that Liverpool are now similarly afflicted. Two defeats in the opening five games is a considerable mountain to overcome.

Having won all four of their games thus far, with a vastly superior goal difference, the Arsenal squad should be brimming with confidence. And in fairness, there is no doubt that they are extremely so. The crucial thing is to keep that confidence in check, stopping it from dissolving into arrogance and over-confidence.

Yet if Arsenal win, it will be in tough circumstances. A by-product of UEFA’s actions ought to be to instill a sense of injustice amongst the players. This is a useful psychological tool for Arsene to exploit, particuarly in the absence of Cesc for this fixture. His absence will be detrimental; players of that quality are always missed. Yet for once, Wenger has options, most of which revolve around his deployment of Andrei Arshavin.

The obvious solution is to drop Abou Diaby into the midfield and move Denilson to a more central role. That would not impact on the attacking third of the pitch whilst bolstering the defence. However, there is a chance that Wenger may sense that United are vulnerable. The defeat at Turf Moor creates a sense of doubt. A win at Wigan does little to alleviate that.

Playing Arshavin in central midfield, a crucial role in the 4-3-3 deployed this season, would be a bold attacking move. Arshavin has the vision and ability to carry out such a role. How Arsene must be wishing that Tomas Rosicky was further down his road to recovery. It would essentially mean a forward line at kick-off of Eduardo, van Persie and Bendtner with no-one in reserve as an outright attacker. For that reason, I do not believe he will be so bullish and that Diaby will come into midfield.

Technically gifted, the midfield has purred. Retention of the ball has been good, leaving opponents chasing shadows at times. Forcing them to rush their passes has been a marked change this campaign. In other words, United can expect everything that they throw at teams back. In spades.

One of the reasons for increased confidence is the form of the defence. The partnership of Thomas Vermaelen and William Gallas has, so far, looked formidable. However, they have yet to be tested. None of the forwards from Everton, Portsmouth or Celtic has worked them hard. Part of that is the positional and overall defensive play of the Arsenal duo, the rest is the paucity of talent in the opposition.

The Belgian is not over-awed by the prospect of Owen, Rooney or Berbatov:

No I’m not nervous, every player looks forward to playing these types of games. I think if you play for Arsenal in the Premier League, every game is a hard game…You are looking forward to every game but Man United is a special game. I think they are a good team, they might have sold Cristiano Ronaldo but still they have very good players.

The start he has made has silenced the doubters about requiring a neanderthal in the centre of the defence. His distribution and positional sense are reminscent of Beckenbauer and Krol. Certainly, there is a strong case for him being not just the Arsenal player of the month but also the Premier League player of the month for August.

I would expect the line-up to be:

Almunia; Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Clichy; Diaby, Denilson, Song; Bendtner, van Persie, Arshavin

Having these fixtures this early in the season is invigorating for the supporters and for the players. A win builds belief on and off the pitch. The flip side is that defeats allow plenty of time to recover and in that respect, the result is not season shaping for Arsenal. It would be different for United and that is why a reversion to the physical approach that ended the unbeaten run in 2004/05 should not be ruled out. Yes, you guessed it, that defeat still rankles.

Enjoy the match wherever you are watching it. ’til Tomorrow.

A Kind Champions League Draw, Eddie Takes Centre Stage & More

Play To Win

The Champions League draw has been made, as you are no doubt aware. I half-joked in yesterday’s comments about the ‘easy’ draw and to be honest, the opponents drawn suggest that failure to reach the first knockout round will require the squad to wear sackcloth and ashes for the remainder of the season. That said, if I was asked to choose – the PL title or winning the Group Phase – I would forfeit the CL quite happily.

The full draw is:

Group A: Bayern Munich, Juventus, Bordeaux, Maccabi Haifa.
Group B: Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, Besiktas, Wolfsburg.
Group C: AC Milan, Real Madrid, Marseille, FC Zurich.
Group D: Chelsea, Porto, Atletico Madrid, APOEL Nicosia.
Group E: Liverpool, Lyon, Fiorentina, Debreceni.
Group F: Barcelona, Inter Milan, Dynamo Kiev, Rubin Kazan.
Group G: Sevilla, Rangers, Stuttgart, Unirea Urziceni.
Group H: Arsenal, AZ Alkmaar, Olympiakos, Standard Liege.

That said, it leaves you looking at the runners-up spot in each group, wondering who the likely opponents would be and I guess that they would be any one from Bayern, CSKA, AC Milan, Atletico, Internazionale or Stuttgart. Liverpool’s group is a tad too tight to call between themselves and Lyon although I suspect Fiorentina may just have a thing or two to say about that.

Despite being told that this season’s competition is one of the strongest yet, it seems more as if Platini’s tinkering has cemented the progress of the top sixteen clubs in the tournament. Only a paucity of form on one or more of their parts will prevent qualification. The hardy perennials of the knockout stages will not be looking in any fear for the most part at the third and fourth seeds in their groups.

Dive

Eduardo finds himself at the centre of a storm in a D-Cup with football administrators everywhere rushing to join the assembled hacks in making right tits of themselves. Gordon Smith, still smarting from his disasterous miss in the 1983 FA Cup Final, has more contentious issues to deal with at the SFA like, for instance, ooooh, I dunno, qualifying for the next World Cup. Instead he is whining that the footballing world won’t listen whenever he complains about diving.

Michel Platini believes that the implementation of two assistant referees behind goal lines will enable officials to make more definitive calls in these instances. Up until now, measures to improve the decision making by officials have got nowhere fast, the resistance to anything that implies the fallibility of referees utterly rejected by Sepp Blatter. It is curious though that UEFA believe they can intervene on this subject. As I understand it, if a referee sees an incident and deals with it, then the matter is closed. In this instance, a penalty was awarded and therefore the incident was dealt with. Well, I wonder if this will quietly go away?

No doubt there will be some backtracking over coming weeks as the enormity of the can of worms which is gradually being opened. If anyone should ask, Platini, no longer a charming man, will probably fly into a panic, questioning what difference does it make if UEFA does nothing or acts decisively, with a suitably Gallic shrug of the shoulders accompanying his rash statements.

Perhaps the most baffling aspect of the media coverage this week was The Sun and its “Security Watch” at The Emirates on Wednesday. They were disappointed that everyone seemed sweet and tender, hooligans not rampaging through the massed ranks of Prawn sandwiches, knocking the collected G&T’s flying as they marauded. The media is currently rushing to get on various high horses since the violence in and around Upton Park earlier in the week. It is simply another bandwagon upon which they can hitch their horses. At the end of each day though, nothing changes since they rush home, ruffians that they are, to search for another pot to stir.

Back In Fat

It was a week where the criminally vulgar rose to the surface. Sheriff Fatman, never described as a charming man, snaffled some more shares up. Surely it is a case of “I Want The One I Can’t Have” with Arsenal as far as he is concerned? It has to be. Heaven knows I’ll be miserable if he gets his grubby mitts on the club. A sneaking suspicion is emerging in the back of my mind now that he is purchasing more shares to ensure that the payday from Stan Kroenke, when it comes, is absolutely huge.

At least this weekend’s fixture has come around quickly. The small matter of a visit to Old Trafford will be a most welcome diversion. ’til Tomorrow.

Eduardo Hysteria But Arsenal Complete Celtic Job

Champions League Play-Off, Second Leg
Arsenal 3 – 1 Celtic
Arsenal win 5 – 1 on aggregate

1 – 0 Eduardo (28 pen)
2 – 0 Eboue (53)
3 – 0 Arshavin (74)
3 – 1 Donatti (90)

Qualification for the Champions League is what Arsene demanded, it is what he received. When the draw is made for Group Phase, Wenger will once more be waiting to see what obstacles lie ahead. Celtic worked hard in both legs, Tony Mowbray can have no complaints about the efforts that his players put in. The difference between the two sides was technique and speed of thought. Arsenal were slicker in the pass, faster in the mind and more fleet of foot than their opponents.

It is easy to deride the standards of the domestic league in Scotland when you support one of the ‘Big Four‘ English teams. The simple fact is that the money generated in the English game is such that the gap between the upper echelons of the two countries elite is growing ever wider unless the Scots can attract more investment. A brutal assessment at this moment in time would put Rangers and Celtic definitely capable of top ten finishes in England but not certain of European football were they to play in the Premier League.

The opening quarter of the match saw great endeavour by the visitors but as with the first leg, no end product. The stats do not lie, one shot on target in each of the games was never going to be enough to create problems. Even then, Celtic should have found themselves behind. Bendtner brought a save from Boruc from point-blank range before Eduardo stretched, poking the ball wide with his studs.

Controvesy surrounded the opening goal. Eduardo was brought down in the area by the onrushing Boruc or so it seemed from where we were. Frustration appeared to have boiled over until later inspection of the TV replays showed the reaction was more righteous indignation as, let us not beat about the bush, Eduardo went down with no contact made. He ignored the fury to calmly slot home the resultant penalty to finish the tie. A lead that might have been extended were it not for an excellent save from Eduardo’s curling drive.

Eduardo’s finishing was left wanting early in the second half when having created himself space on the edge of the area, he proved his right leg is purely for standing on, swinging at a shot when to score seemed easier. It was left to Emmanuel Eboue to show him how to do it properly.

The Ivorian found himself in the penalty area, receiving Diaby’s pass, sidestepping a defender before planting the ball in the bottom left corner of the net. It was a fitting goal. Eboue had one of his best games for the club, certainly over the last eighteen months. Everything that you expect from an Arsenal player was summed up in his performance. Thoughtful in his distribution, swift and never static in his movement, content to be involved on the left, right or in the middle. Eduardo may have been named Man of the Match but Eboue must have been a serious contender.

Introducing Andrei Arshavin with a little under twenty minutes to go was a nod towards the weekend. The Russian took just three minutes to make his impact. Robbing the ball in midfield, he took Denilson’s return pass to calmly slot past Boruc. Celtic restored some semblance of pride in their performance with Donatti’s excellent finish, technique that was not out of place on the occasion, drilling his volley across Almunia into the opposite corner of the goal.

There is an element of over-reaction following the Eduardo incident (or is it Dudugate). The hypocrisy of certain pundits and players is laughable. None of them has ever gone down softly or dived. No, they are clean and have never cheated in any way, shape or form, never sought to gain an unfair advantage over their opponents by moving the ball forwards for a freekick, for example. For that is the same as diving in the area. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone, or something like that seems entirely appropriate.

Were it the deciding factor in the tie, an understanding of the hysteria might be made. It was not, as Tony Mowbray admitted afterwards, but it provides comfort to those seeking to deny the truth: Arsenal were simply too good for Celtic. It also deflects attention away from what was a decent performance. It is fair to say that the team barely got into third gear. In midfield, Song, Denilson and Diaby retained possession well, breaking up attacks, defended in all areas of the pitch and attacked with pace.

Once more, Vermaelen and Gallas were imperious in defence, marshalling well. For the latter, it is a rediscovey, a voyage towards his best form, to the extent where his confidence is bordering on an almost youthful exuberance to attack, step overs and angled drives now a seemingly important part of his repetoire. Vermaelen meanwhile continues to impress. He is not the biggest centre back but technically I would be surprised if there is a better exponent of passing and reading the game in England, certainly on current form. They are ably supported by the full backs. The new formation encourages Sagna and Clichy to attack which they are doing well, providing more crosses from the flanks than has been seen in the past.

The first major objective of the season has been achieved. Now we move our thoughts towards Old Trafford on Saturday.

’til Tomorrow.

Celtic, No-one Coming Or Going Yet & More

Celtic pitch up at The Emirates for the second leg of the Champions League play-off, trailing by two goals, an advantage which should be enough to see Arsenal progress. Celtic have had a wretched time on the road in recent years, their win in Moscow in the last round apparently their first in Europe’s top club competition since decimalisation came into effect in the United Kingdom. Or at least that’s quite possibly how it felt to their travelling support.

With Cesc injured, Arsene made it quite clear that there would only changes to personnel not the formation which it seems will keep everyone happy with Song and Arshavin both expressding their contentment with the 4-3-3, high pressing game that the team has employed this season.

I suspect that will mean Song coming back into the side with Diaby settling centrally for the match. Ramsey could be preferred but Arsene will believe it important to score the first or at least not concede. Diaby offers more defensive power than the Welshman.

Wenger gave quite a wide ranging press conference yesterday. Qualification is not vital financially but is, according to the manager, from a football perspective. Without doubt, the opportunity to have the chance of winning the Champions League is a key element for the players and Wenger knows it. Equally, for a manager who has lost his three European finals thus far, it will be building into an obsession of sorts, pursuit of glory in the highest echelons of the game.

For tonight, it would be a surprise if Wenger did not revert to a similar line-up to that which worked so effectively at Parkhead a week or so ago. This would mean the return of Sagna, Clichy and Bendtner. Wenger was at pains to praise William Gallas:

He has taken the right attitude which is what you expect from a top-level sportsman. What’s more he has scored three goals in Arsenal’s first three games in all competitions.

What is the most important for me is that he’s looking sharp defensively. We know that he will score goals, although some of them have been a bit accidental but very helpful.

What I mean is that it’s not what I expect from him if he doesn’t score any more – but as a defender I’m very happy. That’s all I want from him.

And that is what he is getting. The decision to sell Toure has put responsibility of being the defence’s senior partner back onto Gallas’ shoulders, a burden he has worn impressively so far this season.

Vermaelen’s start in the side will have helped the Frenchman, knowing that he has a sure-footed defender beside him will enable Gallas to concentrate more on his own game without being concerned about his partner.

I would expect the line-up to be:

Almunia; Sagna, Vermaelen, Gallas, Clichy; Denilson, Diaby, Song; Bendtner, van Persie, Arshavin

Arsene meanwhile is keeping his options open with less than one week to go before the transfer window closes. Blaise Matuidi has not been the subject of a bid although Arsene did not rule out being interested in him. Philippe Senderos has not signed for anyone nor reading between the lines, is he likely to do so before the transfer window closes. The question is whether the player is waiting for January to sign a pre-contract when he can demand a higher signing-on fee and salary since he will be available on a free transfer.

Elsewhere, The Mirror is reporting that Fran Merida’s promotion to the first team squad is to be rewarded with an improved deal as is Alex Song, reflecting his continued presence in the starting line-up.

Enjoy the match wherever you are watching it. ’til Tomorrow.

Cesc, Local Diaby & Nice Decor But It Lacks Soul

The Champions League play-off, second leg, against Celtic is looming large on the horizon. Arsenal will update Cesc’s status but even if he is fit, I would suggest that resting him anyway is the right option considering it is a hamstring injury. The players within the squad are available to cover his absence. Abou Diaby is none the wiser:

I don’t know what’s happened with Cesc

Damn! You would have thought that the players might have the inside track. We will have to wait then. The Frenchman was brimming with confidence after his two-goal haul against Portsmouth:

We can definitely challenge everyone this season. We are ready to fight and to get something this year. It will be hard against Celtic, they are a good team and now we are focused on this game. Everyone knows it will not be easy even after winning the first leg so we will have to be focused to go through. We have scored 12 goals in three games, we have confidence and hopefully we can keep going

That is exactly what has to happen. The upcoming visits to Manchester will not define the season as has been suggested. They will lay down a marker though if victory is achieved. Wins keep the confidence high although being written off by all and sundry appears to have done the players no harm at all.

Diaby is under considerable scrutiny this season. Like a number of players before him, he has struggled with fitness. Problematically, Wenger has made it apparent that Mathieu Flamini would not be thought of so fondly by many if Diaby had not been injured during the inaugural Emirates Trophy.

Comparing him defensively to Vieira does not help the player’s cause either. He needs to be thought of as the first Diaby rather than the ‘next Vieira‘. He has not had a decent run in central midfield to prove himself consistently, appearances racked up on the left hand side of midfield which is patently not his role. Hopefully he will get the chance to do so this season.

Which brings us to the Arsenalisation of The Emirates. In other words, redecoration.  Ivan Gazidis may talk of making it more of a home, improving the experience and all the marketing guff that is associated with it. That is all well and good, and important but Wenger hit the nail firmly on the head:

Highbury had a natural soul because of all the history. We have to create history here first by winning titles but also by making the place warm so you feel the history of the Club.

The history of this Club we left behind in a different building. But it is important that in this new place the history and the values of the Club are kept alive.

Moving to The Emirates was rather like leaving a period cottage for a newly built house: it is more up to date, more modern, has probably everything you could wish for but lacks character. That takes time. Decades will pass and the new stadium will be a bit lacklustre compared with those that go up as time passes. And then, because it has a bit of history, memories of Highbury diminish and Ashburton Grove, sponsored by Bob’s Cornershop will suddenly feel like home.

’til Tomorrow.