Like All Good Things, Transfers Come In Threes.

A busy day at Arsenal, even with the manager reportedly in Paris. Or to adapt an unfair prejudice, perhaps because the manager was in Paris. New signings all round, ropey defenders sold on to QPR. The best day’s transfer business for this summer certainly. And supposedly there is one more to come tomorrow.

First off was Armand Traore, a prized asset in Queens Park Rangers battle for survival this season. One can only assume that the deal was too far down the road for Rangers to be able to pull out of it following his shambolic performance at Old Trafford on Sunday. Which ever way you look at it, selling the player was fantastic business. No, genuinely, I cannot believe it. They say that the English game is awash with cash and QPR, under new ownership, have tucked up like a kipper. They paid for him!

Next up, Nicklas Bendtner’s dad was hot on the trail of the exit for his son but it isn’t to Stoke. Big Daddy Bendtner though was giving nothing away to the Danish press, refusing any enticement to deliver the final destination for his son. Which leaves you to wonder if he is indeed leaving. Rumours surfaced in France that Marouane Chamakh was the subject of a Paris St Germain bid recently and perhaps Arsène has had a change of heart, preferring to release the Moroccan instead. No, I don’t believe that either.

Which brings us to the new boys. The only surprising one is Per Mertesacker, more of that later. Park Ju Young, or Chu Young Park whichever one you prefer, confirmed his signing, falling back on footballing cliches but we’ll forgive him,

I am very hounoured and I feel very happy to be at Arsenal. They are a team that I dreamed about when I was young. I am very proud to be an Arsenal player. I just want to show how good I am and prove myself. It feels like a big step up but that doesn’t mean I won’t be able to perform.

I will work very hard, I will train very hard and I will show that I am able to be part of this Arsenal team. I will work hard to prove myself and build a reputation with the Arsenal fans. I have to show what I can do on the pitch. I will do my best, show heart and give everything for this Club.

It would be interesting to hear his thoughts on the squad following the drubbing at Old Trafford, he must be looking at it and thinking he has a fair chance of starting every week. The reception has been mixed, nothing like a positive welcome for a player but perhaps that has more to do with the mood surrounding the club following the weekend than Park.

He will be joined tomorrow by Andre Santos, the Brazilian reportedly granted a work permit yesterday afternoon. A left back is desperately needed to restore balance to the back four and allow the best right back in the Premier League to revert to his natural position. Again, Santos has had a mixed reception, few people commenting have seen him regularly for his club side and with Fenerbahce embroiled in a match-fixing scandal, I would be reluctant to pass judgement on him even if I had. How can you be sure about someone’s ability when their opponents are allegedly chucking a match?

I read recently somewhere – either in The Secret Footballer column in The Guardian or a pundit passing on their wisdom – that the average transfer takes around ten days. It seems unlikely with Arsenal. Park and Santos may have been left-field signings, under everyone’s radar until the deals are all but completed but Per Mertesacker has been linked with Arsenal for years. This is as long running as Cesc to Barcelona and like the Catalan, this one is being done!

Arsenal fans are nothing if not demanding and before he has even signed, Mertesacker is being criticised for being too slow and having no Premier League experience. Neither did Vermaelen or Sagna – they did not turn out too bad either. And more to the point, as a metric man (2 metres tall if he is 6’6) surely Mertesacker is the monster centre back being demanded.

All of which begs the question, why leave it so late. Arsenal have proven that they can move swiftly and decisively – I don’t buy the panic buyer theory being peddled – so why wait until the last minute before doing deals. It would be good for an honest answer from the club so that we understand the ‘plan’ but I am not expecting it, just more ‘seagulls and trawlers’.

The Express couldn’t believe it and had to tell themselves twice

A picture? A PICTURE? What the hell is that doing here? Yea Gods. It’s all change everywhere around Arsenal.

’til Tomorrow.

Baring Chests, Raw Emotions

Thanks to Bluebob for the temporary solution to yesterday’s IT, if you’re reading this, well done Blue. If no-one is, well, you useless…

Under different circumstances, many jokes would be told of Arsène getting a Brazilian. Funnily enough, now does not feel like a time for jokes, even though it is probably the most productive and therapeutic outlet for the angst and anger pervading the Arsenal universe. There were enough of them on the pitch on Sunday…

No hiding from it, the absence of an internet connection at home was a source of distress not just for me but No.2 son who was sure that he was going to be a Club Penguin Special Agent, whatever one of those is. Maybe today will be a better day for both of us. It cannot be much worse for Arsène in footballing terms. I am sure he has done so but I cannot recall him welcoming an international break.

Whatever we may feel, the only reactions to Sunday’s humiliation that I cannot see any justification for are those that are personally abusive toward the manager, the players and fellow Arsenal supporters. I don’t understand it, never have, never will. Those who believe it to be the way forward, well, you’ve lost my interest in anything you have to say. The only reason I can see for these outbursts are (a) social inadequacies, (b) anger management issues, or (c), puberty has yet to arrive. Gentlemen, Ladies, Boys, Girls; grow up.

As for the rest, I understand the anger, the grief, the humiliation, the blasé dismissals of the result, the restraint, the ignominy, the primeval screams; everyone spent time on that spectrum of emotions. The result was an aberration. I tried  them all, you fool no-one. It just hurts like hell, the humiliation, the anger, the capitulation, the shame. If only I could be sure that all of the squad felt that. They don’t.

I found no surprise that Traoré and Lansbury are reportedly on their way out of the club, short-term initially; longer term, well? No matter what either says, post-match laughter and smiling showed an absence of responsibility for the result, unprofessional to the point of amateur. No matter what length of time, even if there was none, was spent on the pitch, the squad at Old Trafford suffers collective responsibility for the performance and the abject capitulation.

I found the performance bewildering. Wenger blamed lack of recovery from Wednesday in part; how can that be? They should have been on a high, qualifying against outside expectations. Why would three days be insufficient recovery time, especially since at least four players did not participate? A player who cannot recover this early in the season from a midweek match is going to be worse than useless in February.

Eight players out? United had five. The three imbalance? All self-inflicted, suspensions for stupidity or over-exuberance. You choose which cap fits, I know what I believe. Late withdrawals? Sagna and Vermaelen not playing were harsh blows, not least because it meant Traoré was on the pitch. More so, Djourou was in defence, bereft of belief in himself defensively. But more so because it robbed the manager of options, choices.

But and this is where it comes in, ‘but’ always does. Had Arsène completed his summer transfer activity, some – not all – of Sunday’s problems might have been avoided. A defender with experience – not just Premier League – might have been able to make a difference. Replacing Cesc immediately – his departure was no surprise – might have resulted in young players not being thrown into the Lions Den. If, buts and maybe’s but all sticks with which the manager is being beaten.

It is impossible to say that anyone is exempt from criticism. We don’t know what is going on in the club, whether Wenger and the Board are differing in philosophy over spending or not, whether Stan has any, many or full input. It’s conjecture, nothing more. No matter what is going on, the appearance to outsiders is that of a machine which has developed faults, cogs worn down, the new and old abrading.

The final score is an aberration. Let’s not kid ourselves that Arsenal conceding eight is a regular occurrence. It has never been and never will be. Most people saw the defeat coming, no-one the scoreline. Anyone who says they did or that it has been coming, is a charlatan. The defeat less so, most of us hoped for something more but were geared up for a defeat. It is a rare feeling but the opponents, the referee, the squad travelling, it felt like the points were not coming home.

August has ended. Eight points and a whole lot of goals separate 17th place and top. September? Thirty days in which to reclaim the season. Not to close the deficit entirely but an inroad is required. Any wider and genuinely, I fear for the sanity of us all. Not because it is irretrievable but because the mercury might explode its’ casing with the collective high blood pressure.

The next two days are crucial. Signings in the right positions, of the right quality, will settle nerves to some extent. Yes, the argument will be about the delays in signing players – and I do genuinely feel that there are answers needed to explain these intense finishes to transfer windows – but if they come in, the ailments may not be instantly cured but there is a better chance of a long-term fix than currently exists.

’til Tomorrow.

United Preview, Park To Fill Space At Arsenal & More

Arsenal travel to Old Trafford this afternoon for a match which they may as well not turn up for, written off by the professional pundits and a sizable portion of their own support. If ever the pressure ought to be considered off, it is this afternoon. The players thankfully will not see it as such and following their win in Italy, will be more confident than at the final whistle last weekend.

Wenger will be hoping that Arsenal break their ducks this afternoon. First domestic goals of the season, first Premier League win and first time in a league match that no-one gets sent off. I am not sure he has the squad to cope with another midfield dismissal, even if the next fixture is Swansea at The Emirates.

It is tempting to say that Old Trafford has never been the happiest of hunting grounds for Arsenal but when things go in their favour, it is a portent of a decent season. The last victory there was too long ago, September 2006. The start to that campaign had been equally poor; two home draws and an away defeat, two goals in three games around a successful Champions League qualifier. Arsenal were in 17th place going into that fixture, some uncanny parallels.

That was the last of Arsenal’s fifteen victories at United, only 25 of the other 77 league visits have garnered a point. Arsenal have only scored 78 goals in the total 95 league matches there, conceding roughly twice as many. There are many trends to be bucked for a win this afternoon.

I cannot even offer the positives of Arsenal always win on the last weekend in August at Old Trafford, we don’t, we have never won at Old Trafford in August, four draws and three defeats whilst the only time the teams have met on this day, Manchester United left Highbury with a single goal victory under their belts. History is not looking kindly on Arsenal.

With the turmoil that has beset the club this summer, low expectations are of no surprise. Demands for a new defender are not quite met although the reported value here does not sit with the same newspaper’s ‘exclusive‘ that Arsenal bid £6m last week. Wait, no, they did not and Phil Gartside made himself look the biggest idiot chairman since, well, the last time a Premier League chairman opened his mouth.

A new midfielder might have been nice going into this fixture, Wenger presumably hoping that Djourou, Koscielny and Vermaelen are all fit as the Swiss international can then drop into the defensive midfield role, the position he was playing in when signed by Arsenal. Arteta for Bendtner and cash? Perhaps, it fits in with the comments from the manager about Bendtner last week, rather too snugly. Lucho Gonazalez is this morning’s long time target who won’t go away. The new one? Mateo Kovacic.

One deal that has been missed entirely by all of those who are ‘in the know‘ was Park Chu-Young for around £10m from Monaco. It has a hint of the archetypal Wenger deal, being something of a left-field signing, although Park has been known to turn up on the right or down the middle. The politics of it all bring back memories of Emmanuel Petit’s signing, the Frenchman borrowing the taxi fare from Alan Sugar to come to Arsenal for his medical. Apocryphal or not, it brings a smile to think that one of Sugar’s Carlos Kickaball‘s stiffed him. Mind you, most of them that turned up at Tottenham did just that…

Lille apparently had not inkling that the Korean was going to do a runner but we now know why Gervinho was originally talking in the third person during interviews. His former chairman does exactly that and Seydoux may now be regretting his decision not to deal with Arsenal on Eden Hazard.

Recent weeks have seen Arsène defend himself against charges of being stubborn, something he elaborated on at his press conference,

You have to be open-minded and humble, but also determined when you have beliefs. We care about opinions, but at the end of the day you have to make decisions. I personally try to do what is right for this Club when I make a decision.

I look at the opinions of people, of course, but if I feel deeply about a decision then I do it. It is sometimes controversial. I do not think I know everything about football but I have massive experience.

All of the managers have a stubborn streak in them, the successful ones anyway. I have never had a problem with that, a number do though. The problems is, as Kenny Dalglish opined last week, who do you replace Wenger with and what guarantee do you have that they will spend, spend, spend, which is the desired Modus Operandi. It is not as if the board can be relied on, although it is hard to see how Alisher Usmanov is undermining anyone since he is on the outside with little input into the club and no sign of an increase in popularity, despite populist soundbites.

A hint of paranoia once more though, it is hard to credit his theory that the fixture list has been sold out to Sky since none of the other teams have had their big clashes this early in the season. I would have thought that broadcasters would be begging for an end of season finale rather than early season bonanza’s. Nothing wrong with a good conspiracy theory though. A shame this one isn’t very good.

The line-up I expect this afternoon is:

Szczesny, Jenkinson, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Sagna, Ramsey, Djourou, Rosicky, Walcott, van Persie, Arshavin

There are one or two options, Arshavin dropping out for Lansbury for example, in a more orthodox 4-4-2 but I suspect Arsène will want some consistency in the formation / selection.

A win is the objective, it always is. However avoiding defeat would be almost as much of a boost, especially if accompanied by a strong performance. Either way, a continuation of the fighting spirit shown so far, the willingness to work hard for each other will bring positive results. Perhaps starting this afternoon.

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

Arsenal In Low Bid Transfer Shocker & More Gossip

Whilst Arsène no doubt feels some benefits accrue from buying late in the transfer window, for example capitalising on a selling clubs desire to cash in, there are numerous unpleasant side-effects, not least of which is media questioning and misinformation. It hit the extremes of that yesterday with the misreported amounts being angrily retweeted, withdrawn and chastised from Bolton, Wenger having to call out Bolton’s Chairman, barely disguising his contempt. Not the sort of exchanges that members of Arsenal’s negotiating team will have wanted.

Wenger did admit that he was still in the market, having a look around the produce, aware of the shortcomings in his squad,

I will try to strengthen the squad in depth because at the moment we are a bit short number-wise but if we get two or three players in we have the quality to challenge. I am anxious yes because I want to do it and I try everything to do it.

Before adding a warning that brings a chill wind to the arena,

But I am confident as well because we have some good young players who can make a big step very quickly. There is a chance [we could make no signings] because again we are dependent on the desire of the people who have the players to sell the players.

It seems unlikely that no-one will join. Bolton were more upset at Arsenal’s incorrectly reported valuation of Gary Cahill than they would have been were this just a rumour. In speaking out, Phil Gartside warned Notlobians that their prize asset may well be on the move. In incorrectly reporting the fee, the media served to reinforce a million prejudices against Arsène. But they bought him some time, knowing that he is at least trying.

Everton want a similar amount for Phil Jagielka and not much less for Mikel Arteta. Given we could buy the club from Bill Kenwright for about £20m, that may be the more attractive option. Elsewhere, Arsenal are still interested in Yann M’vila, £22m is believed to be enough to entice Rennes and have been linked with P’tang Yang Kipperbang from Caen. He would be a Blockbuster signing.

Looking ahead to Sunday, Arsène has few problems picking his squad for tomorrow, essentially every fit and unsuspended member of the first team squad will travel. Having failed to sign anyone in time to enhance his choices, the squad is what it is. Paul Merson has written Arsenal off which I always find re-assuring, even before Arsène’s press conference.

Injury news got better with Laurent Koscielny returning to partner Thomas Vermaelen (if he’s fit) with Johan Djourou presumably moving to be the defensive anchor in midfield. Tomas Rosicky is also fine and dandy. Arsène said he had enough bodies for midfield. He recently watched ‘300’ and worked out that the Spartan tactic of building a barrier with dead bodies could be adapted for the football pitch. Let’s hope the victims were all home-grown otherwise the squad list might become a tad cramped.

The Champions League draw has not been unkind to Arsenal; the away trips are a summer holiday flight as opposed to the journeys which could have been demanded by St Petersburg, Donetsk and to a lesser extent, Istanbul. As it is, nobody is suggesting that the matches in Dortmund and Marseilles will easy. Hopefully the trip to Greece will be rendered irrelevant by a storming set of preceding performances.

It is the only away fixture preceded by a domestic away game whilst September’s trip to Dortmund is the only one of the three followed by an away game, and even then there are three clear days between the two. We may have complained in the past about fixtures but they have been reasonably kind this season.

Manchester City and Chelsea provided unintentional humour in the hoopla surrounding the draw. Villas-Boas observed that Chelsea had “always been in the Champions League”, an Orwellian re-writing of the competition’s history which now began in 2005. Anyone who considers the Champions League roots to be in the Champions Cup, first played in 1955, will receive a visit from the Thought Police.

Meanwhile Brian Marwood bemoaned the “irony” of the top two seeds in City’s group – Bayern Munich and Villarreal – having to qualify to reach this stage. It’s not irony, Brian; it’s called being employed by a club with no European pedigree. Actually I could have left the word ‘European’ out of that phrase entirely. As if to emphasise to Marwood what the word ‘irony’ really means, there was no hint of it when Michel Platini spoke yesterday that the duties of the Presidents of Fifa and Uefa included ensuring the integrity of the game. No, really, he did say that. More frighteningly, he actually seems to believe it.

Finally, Sir Alex Ferguson has ended his squabble with dear old Auntie. I wonder if it has crossed execs minds at the Corporation to dub Sir Alex’s voice in the way they were ordered to for Sinn Fein in the 1980s. Surely the choice is between Leslie Phillips and Terry-Thomas in that instance. Failing that, we could just all sign this petition. No doubt his feud will be replaced by one at Manchester City, Brian Marwood pouting over being called ‘administration officer’…

‘til Tomorrow.

[Publicize Twitter]

One Of Us Speaks: Snow, Royal Weddings & Udinese

If Arsène can have a day off to scout players, I’ll have a day off to scour the web. In the meantime, ACLF’s own Elwood, Big Al, is your Arsenal guide for the day…

Part One – Wednesday Afternoon:

Across Europe, earnest looking, and brow-furrowed employees were the ones getting the least work done. If they were fixed to their monitors it wasn’t because they were immersed in their tasks, drawing up spreadsheets or whatever. If it seemed they were deep in thought, they weren’t pondering some crucial workplace decision, business deal or concept.

Like Samir Nasri after January, they were going through the motions – an army of the living dead, discernible only to those who knew and felt the same way. Bosses were blissfully ignorant of the productivity-killing, inner torment haunting their workforce. Others might have remembered some bland conversation in the past, and offered an awkward pleasantry like, “You’re a Gooner, aren’t you? Ooh, big match tonight”.

It was indeed going to be a big match. Even if you’re immune to hysteria, the stakes were quite ridiculous – Pot One of Europe’s premier club competition, or wading through European football’s putrid backwaters with Pulis and Redknapp for company. This was the first Arsenal game in five years to warrant the full preposterous Sky-style promo treatment. A game of potentially earth-shattering importance. If the unthinkable were to hap- no, no; it’s called unthinkable for a reason…

Some gluttons for punishment were no doubt compulsively scanning the news, as if the barrage of uplifting stories at the start of the week hadn’t been enough. By Wednesday morning I wouldn’t have been surprised to hear that Agent Busacca had been reactivated to get the job done for UEFA.

Others were really trying to get something done, but when every topic leads back to Arsenal’s depleted midfield, you’ve lost before you started.

And all the while there was this ghastly background noise, audible during moments of foreboding. It was the dreadful scrape of blades being sharpened. If that unutterably bad thing were to happen there were packs of scavengers waiting, licking their lips, dying to make it worse.

Then there was the build up; on the eve of a crucial match for Wenger and Arsenal, Samir Nasri’s exit couldn’t have been timed any better; revenge by villainous hangers-on and a massive insult to the man and club that helped him realise his potential. Before that we’d had news of Jack Wilshere’s setback, rumours of discord between manager and board, and Wenger’s scandalous two-match ban.

Since I couldn’t avoid thinking about it – what to expect from tonight’s midfield? This past fortnight has seen the emergence of Emmanuel Frimpong as a contender for the first team. At this stage he’s like a devastating weapon hurried onto the battlefield before an adequate testing phase. His very deployment should contravene the Geneva Convention, and despite his formidable power and destructive capability, there’s always a chance he’ll combust, blowing our game plan to pieces.

In defence Vermaelen has looked assured and belligerent at centre-back, reducing the powerhouse Andy Carroll to a quivering wreck, weakly begging for scraps but mercilessly denied. The striker’s biggest contribution to the match was dunking Koscielny and triggering his back spasm. 

There have been promising performances across the pitch, but it’s clear that something has been missing; we’ve been forming attacks as usual, but once the wide players are in possession there has been no support. Now, we all wish Theo could occasionally heed that dead end sign before he joyrides down blind alleys but on Saturday, none of our midfielders, the over-congratulated Nasri included, were offering him or Arshavin any kind of early option in the build up.

People have talked about this need for midfield creativity, but it’s not something that can be offered by just one player; the team needs to function properly first. Every passer needs a runner. Against Udinese in the first leg there was a tantalising gap between the away side’s midfield defence – if we can get RvP and our own midfielders to exploit it a little better than last week, we’ll create chances.

Part Two – Wednesday Night:

There was so much promise in this performance.

Yes, we conceded a couple of opportunities in the first half, but – and this might sound bold – Arsenal will not come up against a more intelligent striker this season. To try and avoid scaring us all to death, I held back when assessing Di Natale last week. He is among the most talented forwards on the planet right now; he moves and communicates with his midfield so well, he’d even make Karl Henry look an imaginative passer. How satisfying it was to see his body language change as the night went on.

So it’s even more exciting that players such as Carl Jenkinson were so comfortable, particularly in the second half when the pressure was on. Churlish types are scouring the footage right now to confirm their assertions that he’s not ready. They miss the point. He’s shown enough in his early appearances to suggest he can be relied upon in the event of another injury crisis. And it’s also telling that he was picked ahead of the competent Traoré.

Rosicky, anchored by the immaculate Song and tireless Ramsey, demonstrated why he’s going to be so important, at least until the return of Jack Wilshere. We missed him against Liverpool – he’s an unheralded team player, and with his second half inclusion we got a much-needed injection of experience and technical quality. That’s not to denigrate Frimpong of course, who tenderised them in the first half.

So now our season does have a different complexion. After one result there’s a lot more money and a more coherent team on the back of one of those bond-building nights. Meanwhile, in Gervinho we have a forward who can totter past any defence in the league. If he doesn’t know where he’s going to end up then what chance do they have?

til Tomorrow.

Arsenal Progress Is Business As Usual

Champions League 4th Qualifying Round, 2nd Leg
Udinese Calcio 1 – 2 Arsenal

1 – 0 di Natale (39)
1 – 1 van Persie (55)
1 – 2 Walcott (69)

Szczesny world class penalty save (57)

If this was a season defining match, the season is defined as business as usual.

Arsenal overcame the negative headlines beforehand and destroyed a million tabloid layouts by winning in northern Italy to qualify for the Champions League for the fourteenth consecutive season. Afterwards Arsène resisted the temptation to stick out his tongue and shout, “Ner-ne-ner-ne-ner” to his detractors, settling for his sardines and trawlers moment by bringing up a pilot analogy.

In all seriousness, this was a much needed victory, hard fought for a match that Arsenal were largely comfortable in. Udinese threatened as they had done in the first leg, Arsenal exploited their hosts defensive weaknesses in equal measure. If Arsenal had the woodwork and Wojciech Szczesny to thank for the scores being level until close to half-time, the Italians had Samir Handanovic to be grateful to as well, the Slovenian goalkeeper producing a brace of double saves from close range that would have led to a more emphatic scoreline at the final whistle.

Despite the win, Wenger and Robin van Persie spoke of their desire for new signings in their post-match interviews. The manager gave no promises about newcomers arriving before the weekend, other than it was his desire to strengthen his squad before the window closes. Given the zealousness with which his critics were hammering his players, it is naive to believe that there will be any less relentlessness before the weekend. Reason has gone out of the window as far as this squad is concerned, too many happy to criticise.

We know that they could do with a newcomer or two to strengthen but they could do with support as well, especially since this season has seen them fight harder for each other than anything in the two previous.

From the kick-off, both sides were determined that this match be finished within 90 minutes. Samir Nasri moaned that Arsenal fans lost the passion in the move to The Emirates; it was a two-way street with more passion being displayed by the midfield in one performance this evening than Nasri has managed in the whole of 2011 wearing an Arsenal shirt. Can’t wait for Manchester City to visit The Emirates this season although Nasri will probably show his customary lack of bottle and not show up.

Emmanuel Frimpong snapped into tackles, hassled and harried during the first half, with Alex Song providing a defensive partnership which stifled Udinese attacks in the first half. When more guile was needed to gain the equaliser, Tomas Rosicky was on hand to give a cameo performance that served as a reminder as to why Arsène prised him from Borussia Dortmund in the first place.

In the back four, Carl Jenkinson served notice of the potential with a solid performance at right back whilst Bacary Sagna sat comfortably on the wrong side of the pitch whilst in the middle Vermaelen and Djourou were kept busy by the once more lively di Natale. The Italians leading scorer found a formidable opponent in Szczesny. And when the young Pole was beaten, the battle became between di Natale and the woodwork, the score even at the end, one in-off, one bounced out.

It was a similar score with Szczesny, a looping header found the net in the first half as Udinese made their pressure pay. Pinzi’s pass begged for the finish it got as di Natale found the space to deliver a blow just before half-time. Szczesny would have his revenge in the second half. As Handanovic had done in the first, producing an outstanding double save immediately after the opening goal, Szczesny produced an outstanding penalty save when the referee displayed as much incompetence as Massimo Busacca. The softest of handballs, a well-struck spot kick and an outstretched palm to turn it over the bar. As the ball span onto the top of the net, you could sense the belief drain from the Italian team.

If Theo Walcott wants to play centrally, he would have learned a lot from the more experienced Udinese player. Too often Walcott found himself shooting from distance, his craft a homage to Thierry Henry with sidefooted shots Theo’s forte. Too often they were comfortable for Handanovic to save, parry and generally gather.

Even so, Walcott pounced fifteen minutes after his captain had volleyed home from the impressive Gervinho’s cross. Walcott’s finish was more definitive when Sagna sent him clear, Handanovic comprehensively beaten.

To the chagrin of many, the draw for the Champions League will feature Arsenal, pot one, a seeded team. Sunday is another day. Today is about yesterday. Lets enjoy looking back before looking forward.

’til Tomorrow.

Arsenal’s Season Defining Match. Apparently.

Arsenal face Udinese in a ‘season defining match‘ according to the trailer on ITV last night. It is nice when broadcasters go for the understated approach in advertising their wares. A little early to call it season defining since exiting the Champions League does not end interest in Europe, merely shifting attention to the Europa League instead.

Not even Sunday is a season defining moment. Far too few games have taken place for any inferences to be drawn or conclusions made about where the title will go, who will be relegated and which three teams will join the eventual champions in the top four come May. Yet you know that the newspapers have already made their plans for tomorrow: broken cannons across the banners, teary-eyed former players questioning where it has all gone wrong accompanied by a montage of Arsène in various stressed and angered states, nestling in a bed of pen pictures of former players.

The Istanbul clubs used to have banners proclaiming, “Welcome To Hell“. We should adapt it, “Welcome To Our Living Hell“.

Thankfully there is a match taking place tonight. It is probably just as well that the second leg is in northern Italy, the players away from the storm clouds over the club. The sale of Samir Nasri was no shock and the saga is over. Arsène is being hung by his own words, accused of lacking ambition. Football is a business and the maths made the decision quite simple: lose £22m or take the money now and run. I have no issue with Arsenal doing just that.

It is not a signal that ambition is gone from the club, simply that the money was too good to refuse for either Arsenal or Nasri. There is little point in retaining a player who has made it clear that he wants out, especially one who is beset by inconsistency and one for whom there are replacements already at the club.

Nasri was a good player, not consistent enough to be considered world class yet. Perhaps he never will be or maybe moving to a club where he knows that a substandard performance is going to see him relegated to the bench, is what he needs to achieve that standard. In wistful moments we may look back at the mercurial performances but in the cold light of day, he will not feature highly in the list of Arsenal Greats. He will be there but the nature of his departure has chipped away at the store of goodwill he had built up.

And so to Udinese. Despite achieving a clean sheet in the first leg – one of the two Holy Grails of European club matches, the other being a two goal advantage – Arsenal are being primed for an early exit from Europe’s top table. Udinese had their chances at The Emirates but did not take them. The presumption being made is that they will do so this evening, conveniently overlooking that Arsenal could – and should – have scored more. To me Robin van Persie being available for selection is a big bonus over the inclusion of an out-of-sorts Marouane Chamakh.

Defensive concerns have surfaced once more. No sooner does it look like a solid partnership is building than one of them gets injured. Laurent Koscielny’s absence gives Arsène a selection headache that he could do without. Johan Djourou has returned to training but is his inclusion in tomorrow’s team too soon and is it more preferable to rest him ahead of the trip to Old Trafford?

Personally I would go with Miquel. Overall he had a decent game on Saturday and may find the Champions League qualifier is more to his liking that being thrust into the action at Old Trafford on Sunday. This option, instead of using Alex Song as a makeshift centre back, allows Wenger the chance to bolster the midfield, using the Cameroonian and Frimpong as a defensive barrier against the Italians. Likewise Ramsey should continue in midfield, ahead of Rosicky, allowing Little Mozart to recover fully from his minor knack.

As Arsène observed over the sale of Nasri, this is about the whole of the season not just one match. Yet this one match might have a huge impact on the season. A win would boost the confidence of the squad, especially if RvP and others were amongst the goals. More important though is the statement of intent, a desire to qualify, to prove their critics wrong, to dumbfound them.

Arsenal must retain possession and not being profligate in front of goal. An early away strike would certainly lift some of the pressure off the visitors. Walcott and Gervinho are likely to complete the forward line, Arshavin and Chamakh on the bench.

We need to remember a draw is enough tonight, even a single goal defeat will send Arsenal through provided it is one in which they score. The objective is qualification in whichever form it arrives. A resounding win would be great for confidence but so would a flukey one. The team have worked hard over the three matches so far this season with scant reward for their efforts. Time to change that tonight.

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