Arsene rebuffed the claims by Alexander Hleb’s agent that the player was leaving. Whilst answering the question posed, Arsene was being somewhat disingenuous by claiming that no one – agent or otherwise - had contacted him about the Byelorussian. In choosing to ignore the Article 17 aspect, the journalist missed an opportunity to push Le Boss perhaps for a more definitive answer.

Wenger subsequently argued quite logically that the wage structure does not hold him back, the inference being that he cuts his cloth accordingly. That may not satisfy those who are hell-bent on replicating their Football Manager squad at Arsenal. Arsene gave no indication about his summer targets pretty much re-affirming his stance of previous seasons,

I cannot spend my whole summer answering newspaper speculation

So speculate freely they will because Arsene answered questions about whether he would have a lot on his plate about signing players, commenting that the manager’s lot was one of always being busy.

Wenger exuded confidence in the squad though, commenting,

We will have a team competitive next year to fight for the championship

One of those players, linked with moving away Emmanuel Adebayor has issued a statement calling yesterday’s reports of him moving away unless he got a big pay rise as ‘rubbish’. The player went on,

I am very happy here…I love the club and the fans…We have had a good season but next year we want to go one better

No doubt there will be those who dismiss these words along the lines of ‘talk is cheap’ but then that suits their own opinion about the man.

Bacary Sagna is on a high, his reward for the consistent season reportedly being a new contract. He is rightly satisfied with his start although that is tinged by the absence of silverware.

We had the qualities to win silverware but we managed badly some vital moments. But we learnt so much that we will be even stronger next season. We will be even hungrier for titles

The words are slightly different but you wonder if the squad sat down and worked out a strategy for the media, so similar are their utterances. It could genuinely be that they, for the most part, believe that, particularly the younger ones but do not go mentioning that too much otherwise people might start believing there is a unified squad at the club.

Off the pitch has its own issue to be dealt with. Whilst Vic Akers role with the Football Club should not be diminished, the ladies will miss him more than the men. Causing greater concern for Arsene though will be the desire of Fabio Capello to have dedicated England men around him. That Gary Lewin combines a role for club and country ought to have meant that he could continue to do so. The Italian has other idea so not only do we have a situation where the players are desired by other clubs, now the backroom staff seem destined for the same overtures.

Reports of Edelman’s chosen successor being Karen Brady although she believes that opportunity to have fallen by the wayside. Perception is king. At the moment, it seems that Arsenal is on the verge of self-destruction. Flamini seemingly followed out of the door by Hleb on the pitch; Edelman possibly by Akers and Lewin. It needs some firm leadership in media terms to take place otherwise a cyclone of negative news swirl through town and ill-will generate off of it in certain circles.

Anyway, Number One Son has his First Holy Communion today so be nice to each other, people, and enjoy your day. No doubt that there will have been more twists and turns in the Alex Hleb saga by the time you read this so be gentle with me…

’til Tomorrow.

In the blink of an eye, various substances of a dubious nature dived headlong into a fan and got sprayed everywhere. No sooner had Arsene called upon the squad to remain united and to stay together to win things, the fluttering of Roberto Mancini’s eyelashes has proved too seductive and Alex Hleb’s agent has proved fickle enough to fall for them. Nikolai Shpilevski said,

He is leaving Arsenal even though they want to offer him a new long-term contract and better conditions. Only time will tell if leaving is the right decision, but there’s no way back now. Everything will be cleared up in the next two weeks

However, remember this is Mr20% speak and may not necessarily represent the views of his client. Credibility will be given to the comment only when the player speaks out. By contrast, it will gain credence also through his silence. There is nothing to gain by Hleb remaining quiet on the subject, he is not going to force Arsenal’s hand into offering him a new deal as Mr20% has already confirmed that they have already broached the subject.

Were Hleb to leave, his loss would be more felt than that of Flamini. I know some have doubts about him - those have been there from the start - and as you well know, I think his biggest failing is the inability to score more goals. Hleb has complained in recent weeks that the Premier League is too physical for him. He will not find much respite in Italy but will be afforded greater protection by the referees. It has been apparent through his body language that he is unhappy; his slap against Graham Murty’s neck being the eruption of that discontent.

For the media it is a godsend. Another piece of turbulence surrounding the club, enabling them to portray another summer of crisis, Nicklas Bendtner being linked in the same Daily Telegraph article with a move to Germany. His father denied knowing of these which as his Mr20% he would surely have done and re-affirmed his son’s commitment to Arsenal. No sooner had this broken than moves for Gareth Barry and Alberto Aquilani (of Roma) were mooted. I do not give them much credence either. For Arsene though, it is all about perception as well as signings. The perception is that the club is losing players and not doing anything about it. A quick signing would calm nerves ‘in the stands’.

As for Hleb, if he were to leave it would be disappointing. He is a skilful player whose dribbling abilities are not matched at the club. As with Flamini though, he is not irreplaceable. His departure might make some slight changes to the way in which the team operates but that depends on who replaces him. Whatever the case may be, the club must be seen to be doing something otherwise it is going to be a long, long summer.

Three players have heeded Arsene’s calls for unity. Gael Clichy did so the most forceful in The Sun with Emmanuel Adebayor not far behind him, both believing that as well as the team being on the verge of something great, the supporters deserve some loyalty. The former gets it from us, the latter still has vocal critics. Gilberto Silva also hinted that he is minded to stay. A long time cast member in the epic, ‘Escape From The Emirates‘ - as I type it, I have this image of him being played by Kurt Russell with an eyepatch; I must stay away from the wacky baccy! Gilberto is not as universally popular as he ought to be with the same criticisms of him now as when he first arrived - too ponderous for the team - yet he proved them wrong then and may yet do so again. However, a long-term solution he is not. Another issue that may hamper his desire for regular first team action is the Olympics. He has in the past stated his desire to participate in Beijing and I wonder if that is partly behind his wanting to stay, knowing that his absence would not be a major selling point to any suitors.

Arsene admitted that the club had got it wrong with Flamini in the Q&A session by allowing him to run down his contract. Not learning from Edu is one thing but to allow a repetition is disappointing. One would expect the club to more focussed from now on in this area. They have to be for until trophies start filling the cabinets again, there will always be a view that the grass is greener elsewhere and more chances to win something which is after all, a driving factor for most players at this level. The Independent has a decent, if somewhat panicky, precis of this very issue.

Meanwhile, Arsene defended William Gallas’ captaincy,

I don’t share the view that Gallas is a bad captain. I think he is a captain who is very committed and tries to work hard for the team. He had an outburst at Birmingham but I still believe today that, even if that was a mistake, that was not why we did not win the championship. That would be too easy as an excuse because there are other incidents. That would be a cheap excuse. At the time, we were five points in front and everybody has been praising his captaincy. I believe we all make mistakes and we had to come back as a unit and try to win the championship. It [the captaincy issue] has been raised by a lot of newspapers but I must say I have not looked at the situation yet

Gallas has learned much this season about himself and what is expected of him. Whether it will be put into practice is another matter but Arsene has not been unequivocal in his support and permitted those media doubts to resurface. It has not been a pleasant experience for the player and he would probably have chosen a different route with hindsight. I do wonder though if the end-of-season poll that he will no doubt have on his website, might contain the question, ‘What do you think was the highlight of William’s season?“. Somehow it seems unlikely that his outburst at St. Andrews will feature high on the list.

Finally, for those who wish to subscribe via email, the fault that beset Feedblitz seems to have been rectified and you can do so now by clicking on the icon under the section on the right which is imaginatively called, “ACLF By Email, Click Below“, or if you have got this far and want someone to do the hardwork for you, click here. I will probably have a look at Feedburner as suggested in yesterday’s comments but nothing will happen immediately as this weekend is a busy one (again) at home.

’til Tomorrow.

]]> http://aculturedleftfoot.wordpress.com/2008/05/09/alex-out-gazza-in-bert-may-come-and-go-capn-bill-all-fun-in-arsenal-world/feed/ Yogi's Warrior http://aculturedleftfoot.wordpress.com/2008/05/08/phew-wow-and-arsene-backs-the-squad/ http://aculturedleftfoot.wordpress.com/2008/05/08/phew-wow-and-arsene-backs-the-squad/#comments Thu, 08 May 2008 08:24:45 +0000 Yogi's Warrior http://aculturedleftfoot.wordpress.com/?p=1237

Peter Hill-Wood has given Arsene a vote of confidence. In normal football circumstances, a P45 would swiftly follow except Arsenal do not operate in normal football circumstances. When the Chairman says such things, you have the impression that any question about Arsene’s future is batted away with an answer preceded by a five-minute laughing fit. PHW said,

It’s laughable to think he doesn’t have the support of the board. We are very happy with him and I think he is with us

I do not know anyone who knows anything about football who wants Wenger replaced. Some dislike the presumed power that he has but the criticism of him centres on his transfer policy, not spending the future now for a populist big signing. It is something that has the backing of the club’s hierarchy,

We have never denied Arsene Wenger a penny. Whenever he has wanted to buy, he has. What he is not prepared to do is to buy a big name that everyone will be happy with until they see them play. He is a very good judge. He has brought in so many world-class players, some of whom people had not even heard of at the time, and I am sure he will continue that

This summer Wenger has already admitted to wanting a creative midfielder and a defensive player. We presume he will be looking for a replacement for Mathieu Flamini as well but that may not necessarily be the case. What I do think is likely is that signings of a similar ilk of Sagna and Eduardo are the course Arsene will follow. He has a number of young players on the fringes of the first team squad and the balance he has to strike is to allow those who he thinks will make the grade to progress, or have that chance to, without blocking their path with a number of players in the way. In that respect, we might see two or three fringe players depart and replacements come in otherwise signings ought to be ready for immediate first team action.

Alas for Arsene, the rumours feed on perceived inaction in the market. Despite the close season not even starting, Tottenham are rumoured to have been speaking with David Villa (Madrid-bound if the Spanish media are to be believed) and to have sounded out Samuel Eto’o yet nothing about Arsenal because the manager keeps his cards close to his chest. Sunny afternoons seem destined to be filled with similar complaints to 2007 when missed opportunities such as Ribery, Babel and Torres were all heavily linked with the club and taken as the truth, the whole truth and nothing vaguely resembling media lies. It is easily forgotten that if a journalist asks a player specifically about joining Arsenal, the club’s name is easily interchangeable with any other.

Hill-Wood was more circumspect about the season that draws to a close on Sunday,

I don’t feel depressed about it. Overall, it’s not been a bad season. Other clubs would have been happy to be in our position. I was very happy with the way we played, but we are in the results business and I’m disappointed with the final result, I suppose

The inference being drawn is that the Board lack the drive, based simply on PHW’s last two words. Had he carried out a later thought, that might have been enough for some,

We will start next season with the aim of winning something. If we don’t, I will not be jumping off Tower Bridge. It’s not easy winning the Champions League and the Premier League

Indeed, it is not. That does not preclude trying hard and this season, the team did just that and came up short but not so much as people would like you to believe. However, in this world for some that is not enough. Everyone wants to win but acknowledging those efforts is derided, seeking positives is deemed to be accepting second best. It is an attitude that misses the point. I do not know anyone who supports Arsenal that is ‘happy’ the club did not win anything. Looking for strengths without denying weaknesses ought to be the aim; simply throwing out the latest name that has been bandied around does not solve any problems. It is easier to criticise destructively than to look for truths. In Arsenal’s case, I would suggest that the truth is more palatable than some would have you believe – the many technical strengths were derailed by a lack of leadership in tough times, lack of midfield goals, costly momentary lapses in concentration and a list of injuries that would make even the best wince.

William Gallas may yet pay the price of being relieved of the captaincy. There is no shame in that if there is an experienced replacement. Let us not forget though that it was his first season in that role and he has learned much from it. Yet the captain is not the only leader on the pitch, other experienced professionals can influence upon their colleagues performances in equal measure. Perhaps some of the squad did not realise that at the time when struggling against Villa, Birmingham or Wigan. We do not know.

As for the injuries, who could have predicted Eduardo’s and RvP hurting himself so badly? If Arsene had that much foresight, he would have signed more strikers or looked for a free-scoring midfielder. There is a strong case for looking for a left-sided midfielder who is genuinely that rather than fitting other players into that role.

The job that Arsene and the coaching staff have this summer is to work on those weaknesses and turn them to strengths. New faces will help, making the squad stronger. Signing freely is not the solution for as much as new players can re-invigorate, they can destabilise at a time when Arsene wants the squad to prove that they are ‘winners’.

Retaining the services of Alex Hleb for at least one more season would allow strengthening to take place and give Arsene more options for difficult away games such as those at the rest of the top four where as he rightly points out, leads were thrown away in various competitions.

Meanwhile Arsene has praised Manuel Almunia. Despite improving, there are still muted calls for a new goalkeeper on top of the new signings. This misses the point; there is a paucity of world-class custodians and those such as Buffon and Casillas are not going to leave their current homes and even if they were to be prised away, it would use most if not all, of the transfer budget to do so. To my mind, there are more pressing concerns that replacing someone who has done more than a decent job this season.

The Times meanwhile reports that the British Government has introduced rules that mean as from October 2008, non-EU nationals joining English Premier League clubs must have mastered English to a suitable level otherwise work permits will not be issued. I would have thought that their attentions should be concentrated on English players because some of them are barely able to string two words together in their native tongue…

‘til Tomorrow.

Did I mention yesterday that this summer would see Cesc targeted by Real? They did not even wait for summer to begin with Ramon Calderon starting the Chinese water treatment by telling anyone who would listen, and that was all of theworld’s media outlets, that he greatly admired young Fabregas and as he wanted to make Madrid more ‘Spanish’, Cesc would be the perfect player. Without the slightest hint of irony he said,

Every coach likes him (Fabregas) but my policy is that it has to be the player who makes the first step for the signing because we don’t want conflicts with any team

Perhaps Calderon thinks that Flamini’s departure and Hleb’s unsettled status would make the maestro tell Arsene that he would like to chuck his ticket in? On the subject of Hleb, one small nugget that seems to be missed by the media in throwing their worldly-wise morsels around is that the Byelorussian leaving under the provisions of Article 17is not quite as straightforward as it is portrayed. Hleb has a fifteen day window withinwhich he may advise Arsenal of his intention to terminate his contract. That timescale commences as soon as the club has played its last official match of the season, i.e. this Sunday after Sunderland. It is reasonable to assume that the speculation about his future will intensify between the 12th and 26th of this month. And gossip I am sure people will.

Jens Lehmann’s parting shot at the club is being interpreted as a bitter swipe at Arsene,

Something is wrong. The way we tried to do it with just young players playing beautiful football did not work. If we don’t win things it is either my fault for not playing well enough or you have to ask yourself other questions

Far from being anything of the sort, it is a pertinent observation, the content of which you would expect Arsene to be doing. Strengthening the squad covers exactly that and you can pick any of several hundred players linked to club on what seems to be an almost daily basis.

Emmanuel Adebayor has received a very public motivational speech from Arsene,

There is some room for him to improve - and that makes me very positive. I believe he has to keep a good working attitude. We have seen players before, when they start getting the recognition, they ease off in their teamwork, and very quickly, they die. If Ade keeps his work ethic, there is still 20 per cent more to come from him. Does he want it enough - to get this extra 20 per cent out? Well that is where his future lies. If you lose that desire, you quickly become a nobody

He improved more than twenty per cent this season so if he can get another six goals or more next time around, that will be phenomenal. However, that does not exclude the others from their scoring responsibilities. Having removed Henry from the equation, the midfield set about finding the net more regularly at the start of the season when Adebayor was missing. However, once he returned they quickly settled into a familiar pattern which created a problem or two in the winter / spring spell of poor form. A consistent goalscorer from the midfield would solve the issue of who will score when
Adebayor and his fellow strike partners are confronted with a well-drilled defence.

Arsene continued,

I believe our quality of the season overall has been absolutely outstanding, but because we have ended up without any trophies, people are naturally very negative. We have to take a distance from that, and say that we have produced quality and we have produced consistency. We know we need to improve our killer instinct, but keep believing in this team because it is very special

It is not just the supporters who have to do this but the players must buy into that vision. Whilst they have much personal loyalty to Wenger on the whole, successful challenges for titles must follow otherwise the elite will move sooner than expected.

Take Fabregas for example. He has been in the team for four years, and has passed a double century of games. If he keeps that rate up, by twenty-eight he could have become the clubs record number of appearances and still be free to move on in his peak. That highlights the precedent he has set and by which many quickly judge youngsters coming through. However, the new signings will be more crucial to the club; they breathe belief into existing players, re-invigorating them, motivating if they are competitors for places.

For some of the support, the only way they will forget their ‘negative’ feelings will be to see Arsene bring in a ‘big-name’ straight away, failing to remember that this is not his style. The pattern of the summer signings is likely to be a youngster first,followed by two players who are perhaps in their early twenties, on the fringes of their respective international squads. That might not satisfy them but it should not be forgotten that despite his excellent record at that level, Eduardo only had a dozen or so appearances before joining and Bacary Sagna was not in the French set-up. The summer is likely to be long and full of speculation unless Arsene moves quickly.

Euro2008 will prolong that agony unless the business is done beforehand although that need not preclude any signings as Tomas Rosicky proved when he joined in the summer of 2006. Patience is an easy virtue to preach but difficult to provide. The key to it is to never lose sight of the fact that simply because a news outlet says Arsene is interested in a player does not mean it is true. Indeed, it probably means the opposite. When they sign for someone else, before bemoaning that fact, ask yourself whether you think Arsene even contacted their employers. The reality is probably not.

‘til Tomorrow.

So the worst kept secret in football is out and Mathieu Flamini has signed a four-year deal with AC Milan. I wish him well and thank him for the service he gave the club last season. His decision appears to be driven by money but with his family heritage coming from Italy, it might be too simplistic to put it purely down to that. Without wishing to seem nasty or to have sour grapes, I will be disappointed if he plays at Sunderland this weekend. His time at Arsenal is over and Arsene should continue to play those who will be at the club in the future.

Even if it had been a home fixture, I would have been dead against Flamini appearing in an Arsenal shirt again; there is no ‘fond farewell’ for services rendered – one excellent season does not warrant that and it is more important that planning ahead takes precedence. Indeed, with second place now out of sight, there is a strong case for Arsene to put youngsters into the squad and to exclude Flamini entirely. That might seem churlish but it is pragmatic. It is another match for someone to gain experience in, particularly as it is away from home against a team who will play with a more direct style.

It does seem a case of the biter bitten though and for Arsene it is depressingly familiar. Flamini joined with some rancour from Olympique Marseille and history is repeating itself, someone who has turned into a valuable player has left for peanuts or in this case, absolutely nothing. For Arsenal, it is another player who they have signed through contractual escapism leaving in similar circumstances; Sol Campbell tucked them up like kippers to join Portsmouth, having apparently indicated that he wanted to move abroad, given a ‘free’ to facilitate this. More disconcertingly, the hierarchy at the club have allowed someone who was important to go through running down their contract, in a similar fashion to Edu. The question is why have those lessons not been learnt?

No doubt, there will be calls that this would not have happened had David Dein still been at the club. Well, he was there when Edu left so that is no guarantee and in any case, one set of circumstances does not dictate that he should be welcomed back now especially considering he would be smuggling in a twenty-stone suitcase full of unwanted baggage. Indeed, Edu and Flamini are similar cases. Both had struggled to get into the midfield on a regular basis and once they had achieved their aim, they left through negligence on the Board and Arsene’s part.

The key issue for the club is that the long-term replacement for Keith Edelman must have football connections. It is no good using the ex-CEO of Birds Eye if the man cannot open doors; Arsenal have to decide if the Board is there to service the City or the football club. Whilst the property revenues are as important as the football-related revenue streams, the club will be around long after the flats and warehouses have been developed and sold. The gene pool might be smaller for them to choose from when selecting the new man or woman but it is the busiest time of the year in the transfer market and a repetition of last seasons timing for transfer deals hinders rather than helps. I would almost beg the Board and Arsene to get all deals done and dusted before the start of Euro2008 to get matters resolved.

Alexander Hleb seems to be the most likely target next for press speculation, followed no doubt by a summer of Spanish-based rumour about Cesc Fabregas. The Times this morning seeks to cast doubt on the Byelorussian’s future, printing unsubstantiated claims that Hleb ‘has confided in several of his team-mates that he is planning to join Inter Milan and his representatives are understood to have agreed a four-year deal with the Italian champions’.

According to the paper, ‘Hleb is understood to be frustrated by Arsenal’s failure to win silverware, as well as concerned that the club’s pay structure will prevent him earning what he could pick up elsewhere particularly given the policy of awarding only one-year extensions to players approaching 30.’

That last part is, as I understand it, incorrect with Arsene offering that type of deal to those over 30. However, as I mentioned the other day, it strikes me as curious that the club knowing the FIFA Article 17 and its contents have not moved to offer Hleb a new deal. Arsene’s reaction to the meeting in Milan in February suggested that he wanted the player to stay and his subsequent desire to report them to the highest powers in football indicate the same. This last part is a hollow threat and Inter know it.

Arsenal had the chance to report Real Madrid when they defaulted on part of the Anelka fee but chose not to; the same club tapped up Vieira and received no complaint other than in the media. Even Fabregas admits to meeting with Calderon last summer and nothing was done about that. If the Board are to do something, do it otherwise silence is golden would appear to be the better option.

‘til Tomorrow.

Arsenal 1 – 0 Everton

1 – 0 Bendtner (77)

A real end-of-season game with three points gratefully received at the end and not entirely deserved. A reasonably bright start faded, as Everton were more than comfortable in containing Arsenal’s forward line, Adebayor marshalled tightly by Yobo for the whole of the ninety minutes. The visitors had set their stall out to get a point or to nick something more, Andy Johnson denied in the first half by a good Fabianski save and then Denilson cleared off the line from the resulting corner.

The match had snapped out of its’ sleepwalk as Adebayor latched onto a through ball to force a save out of Howard, a rare opportunity in the first half. If the Arsenal back four watched their opposite numbers carefully, they will have seen a well-drilled unit in operation, undone finally by an excellent cross from Traore, met with a firm Bendtner header with thirteen minutes remaining.

Fabregas, omitted through injury, was sorely missed. Denilson, a decent prospect, lacks the authority of his more experienced peer as you would expect at this stage of his career. Walcott was busy on the flanks but made little headway in the first half on the left. Switching to the right later on, he improved although like Eboue before him, the tendency to drift inside rather than take people on was infuriating. The Ivorian had what could only be described as a shocker yesterday; little that he tried came off, the only cross I can recall reaching its intended destination was in the first half was glanced wide by Adebayor.

It is not just I who thought it was a poor match, Arsene agreed observing afterwards,

The fluency was a bit difficult sometimes and you could see that it was a bit of an end-of-season-of-season game. Everton did not open up at all but we were controlled at the back. We did not create as many chances as usual but scored a great goal and just about deserved the win today

A win that kept the team unbeaten at home in all competitions this season that goes some way towards creating an intimidatory arena for opponents to step into. The step next season is to turn some of the draws into victories to allow the team to push on for another tilt at the top spot.

Jens Lehmann got to say his goodbyes and deservedly got his applause for his on the field contribution to the club’s success over the past seven years, fittingly keeping a clean sheet for his time on the pitch. Arsene was fulsome in his praise for the German,

He was the best ‘keeper in the Premier League. He reads the game well, he is brave and had all of the assets to come into the Premier League because he is not frightened of anybody

His achievement in being part of the ‘Invincibles’ will not be easily forgotten nor should it be.

Mathieu Flamini need not expect such plaudits despite a good season with the club. Reports this morning suggest that Flamini has arrived in Milan for a medical Money talks loudest in his world and that is fair enough, it is his choice but do not expect any tears to be shed from this direction. It is a curious thing that Arsene has lost two central midfielders in six months and may lose a third although he said after the game that he would like the Brazilian to stay, hardly surprising given the paucity of cover at the club at the moment!

Reports at the weekend suggest that there will be two new arrivals at the club before the end of the month, leaving Arsene with the whole summer to find a new defensive midfielder.

‘til Tomorrow.

Everton arrive at The Emirates this afternoon knowing that a point will secure them European football next season following Aston Villa succumbing to Wigan yesterday. With that in mind, it will be no surprise if they string five across the midfield in an attempt to secure a repeat of last season’s draw at The Emirates.

In this morning’s Observer, they produced a raft of statistics that showed the various top passers, scorers, etc., by team and individual. It is no surprise to read that United had the most shots on goal both on and off target. What might surprise people is that Adebayor is marginally more accurate than Ronaldo, Arsenal are only just shy of United in shot conversion.

What is evident though is emphasising everything you knew about Arsenal; five of the top ten passers are from the club with Fabregas, Clichy and Flamini occupying the top three slot, Hleb at five and Sagna ten. That he has been offered a new contract already by the club is good news on two fronts. Firstly, it is recognition of his season. He has been so consistent that at times it is difficult to remember this is his debut season for the club. More importantly though is the fact that the club are being proactive in retaining the services of key players. This is a change from recent seasons when they have tended to focus on the top names. It needs to be more focussed on the whole of the squad, not just the relative few.

Back to the stats. They give the overall impression that United pose more of a threat to the opposition, rightly or wrongly. It also creates an impression that United put opponents under more pressure. They are the top tacklers in the country, Arsenal not registering in the top six. They have scored more and conceded least. Most of this will be derived from their home form; United have been pretty much phenomenal at Old Trafford, dropping just five points all season. The Emirates has yet to inspire capitulation in the same way Old Trafford does. An undefeated season would help that but there is still a perception that Arsenal can be blocked out in a way that United do not allow opponents to. That will improve over time but it is a slow process.

Arsene yesterday moved to quash speculation about Alex Hleb’s future stating that he was not for sale. As rebuttals go, it was not convincing simply for the fact that if Hleb does decide to leave then it will be his decision not the clubs, using the provisions of FIFA Article 17. Nothing that Arsenal can do about it yet it is worth provoking the player into a response by perhaps starting contract negotiations. Any reluctance upon Hleb’s part should be viewed with suspicion in those circumstances. Yet we all assume that Wenger wants to keep him. Perhaps a more accurate reflection might be that he wants to keep him right now.

One area of doubt has to be the lack of goals. For all of the appreciation I have of him as player, and he is hugely talented, I do wonder if he has reached his plateau? It seemed at the start of this season he might have addressed the issue but he slipped back into old habits of spurning shots to pass to a team-mate. Hleb freely admits that this stems from his youth when it was drilled into him that he had to “pass, pass, pass” but he needs to free himself from those mental shackles if he is to improve his performance level. Undoubtedly he has been destabilised by his ice cream in Milan but the question yet to be answered is that why a happy player would have attended such a meeting in the first place? He had to be unsettled to even consider it given the situation surrounding his tutti-frutti.

Back to Everton. There seems little room for Arsenal to juggle the squad. Fabianski ought to continue in goal, it is all good experience. Denilson in the centre of midfield will find Everton a different kettle of fish to woeful Derby. However if he is to develop into the player that he has the potential to then this is the sort of game where he has to learn to impose himself upon. The only possible experimentation would be to put him on the left, Gilberto in the centre and Walcott as support striker to Adebayor, dropping Bendtner to the bench. There seems little point in that to me but you never know what weaknesses Arsene has seen until the match unfolds.

Apologies for the lack of links to The Observer article but this is being typed in a well-known coffeehouse on the way to the game and with their charges for the twenty minutes I have for typing, it is pushing it a bit. Enjoy the match wherever you are watching it. ’til Tomorrow.

The departure of Keith Edelman continues to rumble on with Arsene professing surprise at the changes in the Boardroom,

Edelman was strongly against foreign ownership at Arsenal and will be missed. I have asked for records of Usmanov’s human rights record in Uzbekistan be made public. I want to keep watching the situation to make sure that Arsenal is safe for the fans

All good PR stuff but can the Right Honourable Gentleman actually do anything about the ownership of the club? He stopped short of saying that but did the most that he probably can in the circumstances by keeping the Uzbek’s, ahem, dubious past in the public eye,

Many people hugely appreciate the football club and look to it and its players as role models and that is why I believe the public needs, and is entitled to know, the character of the person who has bought such a large stake in the club

Not that Jezza is entirely happy with the current owners of Arsenal, blaming Edelman (who he likes, remember) for being one of the key decision-makers in reneging on a ‘promise’ to build a new sports centre in the Borough,

Arsenal are now saying they will just do up the Sobell Centre. It actually means we will have fewer sports facilities than before the new stadium was built. I am determined that any new development contains a new sports centre

A row that could rumble on for some time.

Talking of things rumbling, Arsene has predicted a riot, sorry, an end to the Mathieu Flamini saga this weekend which seems to have gone on longer than The Archers has been running. The media are preparing everyone for his departure by claiming that he has demanded Arsenal match the Milan offer of £144k per week. By a quirk of fate, the net salary is more or less equal to the £85k per week that was reportedly asked for by his ‘crew’ as a gross salary some months ago. Who said that journalists do not have cunning and devious minds? According to The Mail, and this is where the 2+2=5 scenario arrives, Arsene said,

Flamini had 48 hours to decide if he was going to accept Arsenal’s deal which, with loyalty bonuses, would be worth £21m over four years

Hold on, no-one except The Mail has said Arsenal will match the offer. And I do not think that Arsene would have said,

He tells me he wants to stay and I want him to stay, but it will be down to numbers as well and we want to respect our wage structure

Erm, £144k a week is not mentioned by him nor is it showing anything resembling a bow and a scrape or doff of the cap in the direction of the clubs salary structure! Still, it would be nice if the whole thing was sorted this weekend, one way or another. If he does go, Patrick Vieira believes the club has a ready made replacement,

I really like Diaby from Arsenal, he has great qualities even though they play him on the left. However he is a very strong central player

OK so he was talking about his successor - presumably at Internazionale - but if he is good enough to do that, PV4 must believe he is good enough to do it for Arsenal is. Were Diaby to be considered the man for the job, quite feasibly he might edge Flamini out of the national team, a delicious little irony. Leave for pastures new, be replaced by the new model.

Diaby is one whose name is not circulating as the man of the moment, mainly because he is injured so frequently. However, it is the position for which he was signed so perhaps PV4 is not that far off the mark with his suggestion. A final thought of Flamini’s situation. It strikes me that much of the sympathy / goodwill that was generated through his performances and the fact that the club whilst not treating him shabbily, contributed to the current scenario more than just a little bit, has been lost. The player will need to improve on this season’s levels to regain that feeling were he to stay due to the delays and dilly-dallying over the contract. Were he not to do so, I do not think it would be long before detractors start observing that perhaps the club should have let him go this summer.

As the comings and goings begin, at least one player has done his damndest to make everyone aware that he is happy at the club. Step forward Gael Clichy,

I feel that Arsenal are one of the best clubs in Europe so I really hope I will stay there

That’s my boy. And if you are feeling sorry for yourself this day about the lack of trophies, fear not for Gael is hurting bad for you as well,

The first thing is that, in football, you have to entertain people and they want to see good football but of course you cannot be proud of just playing well without winning any trophy. But you have to keep that in mind because that’s amazing to play every home game in front of 60,000 supporters and you have to give credit to the fans.

To be honest I feel really sorry for the fans. I know that next season we’ll be better and we’ve got to win things. That was the time to win something this year because we had a really good season so I really feel bad for them because we let them a little bit down.

Of course you cannot say that you want to play good football for 10 years without winning anything. But I’m sure that if we stick with the game we play and the quality we have, we can do both: entertain people, have pleasure and win trophies

Oh, come on, admit it. You love him just a little bit more but cue the comments that say, “You let us down more than a ‘little bit’”…

Finally, my apologies to Dr Jeff Halperin for not mentioning his site before. Jeff runs an NHS Project on stress - Sort Out Stress - that is specifically aimed at stress and its impact on young men. There is a features section which contains some interesting thoughts on Arsenal this season here.

’til Tomorrow.

Leading into the Everton game, the thigh of Robin van Persie has struck back with the Dutchman being rested for the match. Given the injuries that he has suffered this season, the thought of him participating at Euro2008 beggars belief. For all of FIFA and UEFA’s protests, the health of the players is the least of their worries. All that they care about is having the ‘stars’ at their events and to hell with club football.

Yet international football is not the lifeblood of the game; it is the cherry on top of the cake. Whilst it is right that injuries are assessed prior to international fixtures, there is no ‘give’ the other way in that a player who has suffered a disrupted season, as van Persie and Rosicky both have, should not be allowed to take their place in an international squad unless their club have agreed to it. If they participate having missed over half of the season through injury, there is a high probability that one or both will suffer a recurrence of their woes, which is disruptive for their employers and disappointing for the fans.

UEFA and FIFA have just about settled their differences with clubs by agreeing a compensation package of sorts but they could take one-step further and implement such a rule. Instead of constant bickering and sniping, the governing bodies might just find that an olive branch offered on this subject gets something in reward for the rest of the international calendar. As it is, they use psychological pressure – ‘the tournament is the pinnacle of the player’s career’ – to induce the players into playing when rest would have more benefits in the long-term.

With a link so tenuous that even Terry Wogan would be scared to use it during a Children In Need appeal, I stumbled across some memorabilia last night, these files are my ticket and a matchday programme of sorts from the trip to Austria for the 1991 European Cup-tie at the Prater Stadium (now the Ernst Happel Stadium where the final of Euro2008 will take place).

The journey was a nightmare and the last time I have taken a coach to a football match. A cobbled together unofficial trip in the days when you did not have to buy a ticket beforehand, it was Arsenal’s first foray onto foreign fields following on from the ban on English clubs following the Heysel Stadium disaster. Suffice to say, we knew we were in trouble when the drivers pulled in to a service station just outside Dover and bought a map of Europe. It took thirty hours to get there, the drivers obsession with turning off the French motorway network became wearing very quickly; the residents of Lille looked totally bemused seeing a coach with Arsenal flags draped over the windows in their backstreets; being refused entry to Germany until we had paid the Border Guards with football badges; bribing our way in and out of Luxembourg with football badges (who knew they would be such a useful currency?) and drinking in Viennese brothels after the game because we could not get into any bars in the city centre. You know when it has been a bad trip when the drivers had a whip-round, bought several slabs of Stella on the ferry on the way back, and gave them to us for directing them back to good Old Blighty. We flew to Lisbon for the next round…

Back to the here and now. Mathieu Flamini is due to return to training today and Arsene has hinted that he might be on the bench on Sunday for the visit of Everton to The Emirates. Given that there is no public indication that he is going to stay at the club, I believe it is time that Arsene planned for next season and for him to exclude his compatriot from this match and the visit to The Stadium Of Light the following weekend. It is not personal but Arsene needs to plan for next season. Denilson should start as he did at Pride Park or if Bacary Sagna is fit, put Toure or Song there.

In this month’s issue of FourFourTwo, Nicolas Anelka answers readers questions. He is hard pushed to say which team was the better, 1998s Double Winners or the current squad whilst asserting that it was his decision to leave and nothing to do with his brothers as Arsene is supposed to have said at the time,

He knows very well that everything was down to me – it was what I wanted. I have no regrets because at that time, what I wanted was to leave…I wanted to go to Real Madrid, who wouldn’t. That said, when you look at what happened afterwards, you can always say, “Ah Well, he should have stayed”, but it is too easy to say that. There’s no point in living with regrets. I’ve always loved Arsenal; the club, the supporters and the players. I don’t have any problem with anyone there but once you’ve turned that page, you’ve turned that page

The magazine also has a double page spread on Dennis Bergkamp’s hat-trick at Filbert Street in 1997, still the only time the same player has had the 1-2-3 in Match of the Day’s Goal of the Month competition. Answering the question, ‘Was the Bergkamp goal to make it 3-2 one of the best you have seen?’, Leicester’s Steve Walsh replied,

One of them. I was only too pleased that he made a fool out of Matt [Elliott] not me! Seriously, there was not a lot any defender could have done. Fortunately, I was on the other side of the defence

Who says it is all for one and one for all in a football team? More like, there but for the grace of God…

And so to Edelman’s departure. Safe Hands Ken Friar returns but it is all of the media this morning that Arsene has won a ‘power struggle’ in the Boardroom and wants a footballing man in situ from now on. Edelman’s focus was right for the time he was at the club, growing the business but if he is not interested in becoming a ‘football man’ then it is right for him to move on. Anyway, you can read The Times, The Guardian, The Sun and The Mirror views and work out where they will fit the club in crisis routines in over the summer. Arseblogger has an interview with Tim Payton of the Arsenal Supporters Trust in this weeks Arsecast where it is discussed.

The upshot of it seems to be the reins being slackened and Martin Samuel makes a persuasive case for signing Michael Johnson or Gareth Barry but shhhh, don’t tell Arsene they are English.

’til Tomorrow.

Cesc Fabregas spoke after the victory at Pride Park on Monday of Arsenal’s season,

We can see the games against Birmingham City at home [1-1], Birmingham away [2-2] and Aston Villa at home [1-1] where we can regret that we didn’t get more points. If we could have had these points that normally if you want to win the title you have to get, then we would be at the top

Add to this Wigan, Middlesbrough [home and away], Newcastle and a record of six points out of eighteen against the other teams in the top four and you can take your pick as to what matches caused the title to be cast aside when a good position to seal it was in hand. The pain that this has caused still rumbles on with fingers being pointed around at various players in such a scattergun approach it is little surprise that there appears to be any number of victims to this pointless witch-hunt.

Fabregas is not blind to the strengths and the weaknesses of the squad,

I don’t think that we can allow teams to score these kinds of goals when we are having the ball 90 per cent of the game. We know that we can score when we push forward, but we still need to improve defensively…If we had defended well as a team, they would not have scored any…We can learn from it. Definitely. Because we are young, because we want to play, because we are hungry for titles. We will improve for next season. In fact, I would say that it has already started for us. In our last two games we know that we have started a new season. For us, it is now

Aside from the obvious of winning titles, there is not much more Arsenal’s own Bruce Forsyth can say. He has been pivotal to the team’s improvement this season and will no doubt be as important next year. Concerns about what would happen if he were to be injured or unavailable for long periods miss one crucial point. Fabregas is the sort of player that you cannot directly replace, the dynamic of the team has to change in his absence, the style becomes different because no two players have the same vision and that is one of Arsene’s biggest challenges, preparing for injury meltdown – not just to the Spaniard - again.

Much has been lost in recent seasons through a lack of depth in certain positions – look at the scoring charts last time around and this to see what happens when a forward line gets decimated – and that needs to be rectified but the squad has sufficient quality that once a replacement for Flamini is found, adding to the numbers can take place.

On that subject, Gael Clichy has added fuel to the fire by suggesting that Flamini is expected to leave and that Lassana Diarra was too eager to jump ship,

From my point of view it’s always good to have a little bit of patience. I have been second choice left back behind Ashley Cole and I knew it was difficult for me to play if he was there. You have to believe in your own qualities and wait for your time. If Mathieu wants to leave it’s up to him and we wish him good luck if we win. But we hope he will stay

The clubs wage structure is under severe pressure when players are targeted to become ‘high earners’ in foreign fields. In every walk of life, there are higher earners for the same job. Should the club look to change their internal finances is a tough choice. They are financially sound without needing a backer to fund ordinary activities but it does put them at a disadvantage in a minority of cases.
The question that knee-jerk reactors need to ask themselves is whether or not they want the club to be beholden to one man with a risk of meltdown in the future when the backers money runs out or whether immediate glory is all and to hell with the consequences? Personally I will take the former and if that means that serious title challenges have to put up with cyclical rebuilding, then so be it.

Given that Arsene’s rebuilding of this squad should end in the summer, have the past three seasons been so bad? Disappointing in that there is no silverware, yes because we all want Arsenal to win the title but to counter that, the club are in a better long term position than they were three years ago and one might hasten to add, than their rivals who have to buy each summer to maintain their position rather than organic growth.

The spending is now going to be more sharply in focus with the top two in the Champions League final and yes, it is an envious position. It does not take rocket science to work out that the coming months are going to be more intense in terms of ‘Fantasy Football’ signings to keep up with the Joneses. The reality is that if Arsene gets the signings right this summer, there is no reason why the squad cannot match their peers in every department.

The Boardroom is expected to take on a different dynamic with Keith Edelman reportedly jumping ship in a move that will give the media their chance to enhance their club in crisis – all the players want to leave now it’s the board’ type stuff. Edelman has done well in a difficult period of the clubs history with the rebuilding on and off the pitch.

Emmanuel Adebayor is the latest player to be linked with a move to Italy after media outlets reported that his agent had met with representatives of AC Milan’s board. No doubt the comment that he will be sitting down with Arsenal to discuss the future in the summer will be seized upon by Adebayor’s detractors as a sign of him getting too big for his boots, conveniently forgetting the fact that they – if employed – probably sit down and have an annual appraisal with their bosses, looking to get due reward for their own efforts in the past twelve months, wanting to know what plans are, etc. Oh, and as usual, the Mr20%’s talk out of their Arsenal’s.

‘til Tomorrow.