by Joel Abraham

The festive season is coming early for Gooners! Arsene Wenger has brought down Terry Venables' christmas tree from the attic, unseen since Euro '96, dusted it off, and is ready to put the lights and tinsel up in an audacious bid to make his house the most christmassy in the land.

Let me abandon that strained metaphor. Arsene Wenger has a new formation, and it's a 4-3-2-1. The golden rule as a manager is to play to your team's strengths, and Wenger has at his disposal a glut of central midfielders, playmakers and deep-lying forwards who simply cannot generate enough width to stretch teams. So why bother playing Diaby on the left wing? Just let everybody play in the middle!

Wenger's last tactical epiphany came at the inaugural Emirates Cup in 2007, where the tenacity of Mathieu Flamini inspired the creation of a team based on mobility, energy, and pressing high up the pitch. The class of 2009 is of a similar ilk, where we will see the front six harrying the opposition in their own half, and getting the ball in the final third as quick as possible.

The benefits:

- It remedies Arsenal's weakness for being caught out by counterattacks, by having plenty of covering bodies in midfield

- It takes into account Arsenal's lack of genuine wingers and plays to the strengths of quick-thinking playmakers: vision, short passing and movement

- It's much more direct, and will get the ball to the forwards without wasting possession in midfield

- It's safer to lose the ball high up the pitch than in midfield, where attackers can be the first line of defence in attempting to win back possession

- It relieves pressure on the defensive midfielder

- It doesn't draw out your fullbacks

- It encourages more fluidity and unpredictable movement than a rigid 4-4-2

- It creates more competition for places

I would expect (when fit) a starting front six of:

Nasri Fabregas Song

Arshavin Rosicky

v. Persie

But with plenty of scope for change. Bendtner, Eduardo, Walcott, Wilshere and Vela will all be vying for a spot up front, whilst the midfield trio will face stiff competition from Denilson, Diaby, Ramsey, Merida and Eboue. Having five interchangeable fluid attacking players will be much more potent than banging square pegs into the round holes that is 4-4-2. 

Six players all in the same position? It's so crazy, it might just work.

 By Michael Sinnerton

Patrick Viera returning to Arsenal is fast developing into the strangest transfer of the summer. Forget Michael Owen to Manchester United, this sort of transfer just doesn't happy in England. The Premier League is supposed to be the best league in the world, once you're deemed surplus to requirements, that's it, you're out. And if you do come back you drop at least a level or two in terms of club.

This is also a hugely un-Wenger-like transfer. Wenger, allegedly, sells players at the perfect time for wonderful prices - Overmars, Anelka, Petit and so on. Re-signing Viera is something of an omission from Wenger. Perhaps not that he made a mistake in selling him in the first place, since the price was good and Viera wanted to leave, but that in 4 years he has not adequately replaced the giant Frenchmen.

Viera, of course the captain of the ‘Invincibles' of 2003/04, was voted Arsenal's 5^th greatest player of all time on Arsenal's official website. Despite his age then it seems almost certain that Viera would be welcomed back with open arms. Yet re-signing a midfielder who seemed to show his age when a young Arsenal side ran Juventus ragged in 2006 does show signs of desperation from Wenger.

However, with most Arsenal fans admitting defensive midfield is a major area of concern and Kolo Toure bemoaning the lack of leaders at the club, Wenger may have found the perfect way to kill two birds with one stone. Viera should add steel to an already slick midfield and with so many youngsters about Arsenal may just have the players to make up for any running he can't do himself.

I'm not sure Patrick Viera is the ideal signing most Gunners had in mind this summer but whilst Blaise Matuidi offers a better long-term option, Arsenal really don't need another promising twenty-something. What they need is leadership and solidity - and frankly who better?

By Michael Sinnerton

Is Liverpool's stability starting to become stagnation? Rafa Benitez's call for stability in the Liverpool ranks this summer was one that seemed very sensible at the time. However, with only one first team signing all summer, Liverpool look to be one player short at a time when their greatest rivals are most vulnerable.

With Cristiano Ronaldo gone, Manchester United's likely starting midfield (Nani, Anderson, Carrick and Valencia) scored a total of 8 league goals last season. That's not to say they won't improve goals-wise (Park is another midfield option) and I certainly expect a much better return from Rooney and Berbatov but nevertheless Liverpool have never had a better chance to strike while the iron's hot, taking last season's form into this.

But they have so-far just upgraded right-backs. Glen Johnson is probably a better all-round player than Alvaro Arbeloa and certainly offers more going forward, which is arguably what Liverpool have needed against the league's weaker teams. But I was still slightly loathe to lose Arbeloa who to me is both excellent right back cover and probably a better defender than either Aurelio or Dossena at left-back.

With Xabi Alonso somewhat ironically taking Gareth Barry's role as most prolonged and boring transfer saga of the year, Liverpool's midfield is still only pencilled in. Given the time spent over this transfer Benitez must have a replacement lined up if Alonso does decide to leave. Ideally, both in terms of stability and ability, Alonso will stay but unless Ryan Babel finally develops into the player who promised so much Liverpool still need one more quality attacking addition.

If Alonso stays that addition should really be a striker who can play either up front on his own, in the hole or occasionally out wise. Hence Benitez's purchase of Robbie Keane but given the lack of success there, the options for Rafa are somewhat limited. The problem with the signing of David Silva (excellent though he would surely be) is that another Fernando Torres injury leaves Dirk Kuyt and David Ngog as the front-line options. Rooney and Berbatov they are not.

With a fit Torres Liverpool could certainly win the title, without him they won't. But one brilliant signing could mean the Spaniard gets the rest and recovery time he needs to be at his best. And that could make the difference.

by Joel Abraham

Both men have cashed in on the revolution at Middle Eastlands, yet there has been a world of difference in the sentiments aimed at their respective departures.

It should be noted that Gooners do not seem particularly concerned about losing either men. As much as hacks might tell us we should be hitting the panic buttons, seeing the back of a lazy, wasteful striker and a defender who failed to match the promise of his first two seasons for more than £40m is not the worst thing to have ever happened to Arsenal Football Club.

Enough has been said about Adebayor. But put simply, Ade will be booed on his return to the Emirates, and Kolo will not. Whilst fans were delighted by the sale of Ade, they will be genuinely sorry to see the departure of Kolo Toure the man, if not the player.

Whilst both have essentially traded down their ambitions for a hefty pay packet, you won't see many fans calling Toure a mercenary. He is a humble gentleman of a player, and therein lies the difference between himself and his Togolese friend. The Ivorian's performances may not have always been up to scratch, but there was never any doubting his commitment to the cause. Here was a passionate, dedicated professional who was never left wanting for effort. He was also a private man, who never felt the need to publicly flirt with other clubs or complain about his teammates. And in negotiations with City, he did not attempt to whore himself to Chelsea and Man United at the last minute.

His Arsenal career took a turn for the worse last year. A combination of African Nations Cup burnout and a nasty pre-season bout of malaria led to a disappointing 18 months for Toure. But he leaves fans with plenty of great memories, from his goal that sent Arsenal to their first ever European Cup Final, to his stellar performances in the unbeaten season of 03/04. We wish him all the best.

On a less sentimental note, it's not all doom and gloom for Arsenal. Wenger is once again showing his ruthless side, showing the door to the underperforming Adebayor and Toure (and most likely Eboue) and sending a message to the rest of the squad: if you don't improve, you're out. Players that leave Arsenal are players that Wenger allows to leave. His decisions are almost always vindicated in hindsight, and he has a knack of producing great sides from unfancied squads. Gooners can look forward to a no-nonsense defensive pairing of Gallas and Vermaelen, a deeper-lying Fabregas who will no longer be burdened as our sole creative player, a match-fit Eduardo and Rosicky, Robin van Persie coming off the back of his best ever season, and most intruigingly a side built around the genius of Andrey Arshavin.

by Alice Reeves

**DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of the entire SOTG team**

1) Adebayor was Arsenal's best player

Like him or not, Adebayor was one of Arsenal's most important men. 62 goals in 114 starts cannot be ignored, not to mention crucial strikes in big games at Man United, Spurs, Villarreal and Milan to name but four. Likewise, Kolo Toure has been a key part of Arsenal's defence since 2003. Both have  been sold to a major rival.

2) Wenger can no longer cope tactically

Arsene Wenger simply cannot deal with the kick-and-rush physicality of the Premier League, dropping points to inferior teams who can stifle his play. Wenger has built a side that cannot attack or defend set pieces, and comes unstuck far too easily in routine away fixtures. He also consistently fails to replace key players who depart, leaving too much faith in youth to the overall detriment of the team.

3) They have the weakest central midfield in the Top 10

Fabregas is undoubtedly a talented player, but had a poor season by his own high standards. Beyond Fabregas, who else is there? Denilson? Song? Diaby? Ramsey?

4) Poor squad depth

Arsenal have an injury-prone squad that is liable to collapse at any moment. The likes of Fabianski, Djourou, Silvestre, Gibbs, Denilson, Diaby, Song, Bendtner and even the overrated Theo Walcott are not good enough deputies for their first team counterparts.

5) Financial problems

Attendances are falling, with more and more games going on sale to Red members, and some failing to sell out at all.  Understandable, as Arsenal charge 40% more than their league rivals, to watch a team that cannot challenge for honours. Wenger has to sell before he can buy, and the sale of key players has become an annual necessity. They cannot match the teams around them for spending power.

6) No prestige

Nobody sees Arsenal as a threat anymore. They do not have the draw or history of the likes of Milan, Juventus, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Man United or Liverpool, and consequently struggle to attract the big names. Wenger is left to scrabble around for the signatures of relative unknowns. Arsenal are viewed by most as a feeder club to the big boys.

7) Weak team spirit

Just look at the disputes last season between Adebayor/Bendtner and Gallas/Toure. More and more players speak out on dressing room discord, which would never have happened five years ago. The problem being that Arsenal are a one-man team - it's just been a different player each year.

8) Fickle fans

Gooners are so quick to jump on a player's back for whatever reason that it's no surprise so many of them end up leaving. Adebayor, Bendtner and Eboue have all come in for vitreolic abuse from the so-called 'fans'. These same fans are responsible for creating the worst atmosphere in the league, with the stadium emptying well before the final whistle.

9) Curse of the captaincy

The skipper's armband has caused a dramatic downturn in the fortunes of Henry, Gallas and Fabregas over the years, and nobody has the character to hold this responsibility. Gilberto was the one player who was capable of leading the side, and was unceremoniously jettisoned from the team.

10) Not enough Englishmen

Playing for Arsenal Football Club means nothing to foreigners, who see the team as a stepping stone to a bigger club. Nobody cares about the team because there are no local lads.  Having no English core means that there is no team spirit, as everybody is too different and have nothing in common, which lead to rival factions in the dressing room. Only English players care about the fans, and it's no coincidence that Arsenal's trophy drought coincided with the departures of the likes of Adams, Keown, Parlour, Campbell and Cole.

By Michael Sinnerton

With victories over both the Milan clubs and the less heralded Club America, Chelsea have that feel good feeling about them. A new regime, a re-committed club captain and a new formation all mean Chelsea enter the season promising much.

A 4-4-2 diamond system looks to be Carlo Ancelotti's favoured method of using the resources available to him at Chelsea, and with a host of central midfielders and with Florent Malouda the only out-and-out winger at the club that seems to make sense. With Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka promising a potent partnership up-front (forgive the alliteration) Frank Lampard can tuck in nicely behind them.

That leaves one of Essien or Mikel to play the holding role (although Deco could be tried in an Andrea Pirlo-esque role) and Ballack, Deco, Zhirkov and the returning Joe Cole to fight for the other midfield places. If Ricardo Carvalho regains his motivation to play for Chelsea then the defence is as solid as ever with Cole, Terry, Carvalho and Bosingwa forming a formidable back four. Alex and Zhirkov provide more than useful replacements and Peter Cech, despite the odd mistake, is still one of the best keepers in the league.

I see two or three possible problems for Chelsea, presuming the system clicks into place, firstly an injury to Anelka or Drogba would leave only Daniel Sturridge as a front-line option with Pizarro and Shevchenko seemingly on the way out. An injury to Bosingwa could prove problematic as I don't rate Ferreira as highly although Ivanovic proved an able, if different, deputy towards the end of last season. Lastly an injury to Peter Cech would leave the untried and, seemingly, not especially good, Ross Turnbull to take his place (Liverpool have the much the same problem is Pepe Reina gets injured).

So another promising pre-season, another chance for Chelsea to dominate under a new coach with new ideas. Haven't we been here before?

 P.S. I'm off to get 7/10 drunk in Prague so hopefully Joel will pick up the blogging baton as he usually does so well.

By Michael Sinnerton

Rounding off Students of the Game's Italian previews is AC Milan. Perhaps the most interesting of the 3 big teams, Milan have lost their long-term manager, their star player and the club captain.

With Ancelotti, Kaka and Maldini gone, new coach Leonardo has his hands full in making his first taste of coaching a successful one. Much may depend on how much Leonardo can get out of his fellow Brazilians, with Ronaldinho, Pato and Thiago Silva all likely to play key roles in any success.

Milan's squad, as ever, seems to be too old to challenge successfully for both of the two main prizes, and so far with only Silva and Oguchi Onyewu added to the squad, the Rossoneri don't look especially strong. Having sold Kaka for €67m, Leonardo should not be short on funds to strengthen and Adebayor, Huntelaar, Dzeko, Fabiano and now David Trezeguet have all been linked. Trezeguet it seems to me might be the worst signing of the whole lot given his age (he managed only 8 games last season due to injury) but it may be that Berlusconi has tightened the purse strings again.

Milan will likely line up with something approaching a 4-4-2. A fit Alessandro Nesta would make a world of difference but with that hugely unlikely, the defence will probably be too porous despite the best efforts of Kaladze (often injured), Zambrotta, Bonera, Favalli, Oddo, Jankulovski and the new boys.

In midfield where Milan has traditional strength, fans will be hoping that Gattuso and Pirlo rediscover their form after noticeable dips last season. Mathieu Flamini will hope to get a look in somewhere other than full-back and with Seedorf and Ambrosini providing tried and tested options Milan look fairly strong through the middle. Ronaldinho may take up Kaka's role at the tip of an attacking diamond or may play closer to the main striker.

Forward options of Pato, Inzaghi and Marco Borriello are decent but for a Championship winning team can be dismissed as too young, too old and too inconsistent. Adding one top quality striker would make a world of difference but I feel Milan probably need a top-class signing in each area of the pitch.

A £10-15m defender (probably someone who can play centre-back and one of the full-back positions), a midfielder who could give them some width and a top striker would rejuvenate this Milan team. Luis Fabiano (20m), David Silva (20m) and William Gallas or Kolo Toure (10-15m) for example would completely change the dynamic of this Milan team. I'm not suggesting that those 3 transfers are necessarily plausible but three signings of that type could completely change my view of this Milan team who currently could struggle to out-shoot Roma and Fiorentina for the Champions League places.

by Joel Abraham

It was the signing of Lorik Cana that made me sit up and take notice of the quiet revolution taking place at the Stadium of Light.

Cana is a fiery pitbull of a midfielder, who I am tipping to be a big hit in England. He was previously linked with Arsenal, and is arriving off the back of a terrific season where he captained a Marseille side that outshone perrenial champions Lyon and were narrowly beaten to the punch by Bordeaux. Luring the Albanian to Wearside is one hell of a coup by Steve Bruce, not to mention the outrageous €6m pricetag.

Let's not forget that Bruce has an excellent eye for quality, having plucked the likes of Mauro Zarate, Amr Zaki and Wilson Palacios from relative obscurity. With the financial muscle to get who he wants, Sunderland could well be a force to be reckoned with. The talented Fraizer Campbell and experienced Paraguayan stopper Paulo da Silva may turn out to be inspired signings, and more will surely follow.

Niall Quinn has been pumping his fortunes into the club with little to show for it thus far. Roy Keane spent £60m on two entire new teams of Irish players; Steve Bruce is sure to spend more wisely. Sunderland's spot in the Amsterdam Tournament was also surprising and impressive - do they know something we don't?

The Mackems are also geographically dominant, being the only survivors of last season's North-East slump. One could argue that they might suffer from losing out on four derby matches, but they could profit from increased casual business, as well as young local kids choosing to play for them over their Championship-bound neighbours.

Top half? Europa League? Stranger things have happened.

by Joel Abraham

It's the time of year that every football fan dreads. You're on Amazon and you've stuck Football Manager 2010 in your basket. Then comes the toughest decision overweight, hairy-palmed armchair dwellers like us have to face: PES or FIFA? You can't buy both (it's unheard of) so you end up having to pick sides in a war as old as time itself. Up until last year, the divides were clear cut, two loyal camps and very little switching of allegiances. PES was widely regarded as the game for the purists, with FIFA the choice for those who liked official kits and badges. But in 2008, FIFA dramatically upped their game whilst PES struggled with the next-gen console conversion, and FIFA began to take the lead in the war. After a couple of years under the cosh, word is that PES have dusted themselves off and are about to bring their A-game to the table. Both games are expected to be released in late September/early October. So how are things shaping up so far?

PES:

The Konami boys have gone back to the drawing board after losing their way somewhat with their previous efforts. The biggest change reported is the pace of the game, which has been dramatically reduced in order to create a more realistic gameplay that requires a tactical approach, rather than bombing from end to end with Messi. Dribbling is more difficult, and no longer can you sprint through an entire team unchallenged.

One new gimmick is the Strategy Gauge, which enables a more intricate tactical approach. It features sliding cursors on bars for several key aspects of your gameplan, allowing you for example to park the bus or hit the opposition on the break. Player Support (deciding the number of players to commit to attacks), Support Range (how close teammates get to the man on the ball) and Attacking Style (width of play) are some of the gauges available to tweak your attacking options, allowing you to opt for a swashbuckling, short-passing style or a more cautious direct build up, or something in between. Defensive gauges include Pressing and Defensive Line, all of which combine to let the player set out his tactics with greater precision than the last instalments.

There is also the card system which replaces the special ability stars, the major difference being that a player's unique skill can be switched off to support your team strategy. For example, you might wish to turn off Dani Alves' overlapping runs if you're defending a lead.

The penalty kick system has also been changed to the FIFA approach, with more control over direction and power, whilst automatic computer actions have (praise the lord) been removed. Anyone who's been precariously defending a one-goal advantage only to have the computer decide to help you out with a scything two-footed penalty area tackle will know that this is joyous news indeed.

With the game only partially completed, we have yet to find out whether all the other silly PESisms will be removed. One bugbear of mine was the way players threw their heads back and backs straight in order to sprint, looking a bit like road runner, and also the ridiculous off-the-ball running, where someone like Eric Abidal could match Theo Walcott for pace in order to nab a loose ball. We can only pray that the commentary is also improved.

The Champions League and Europa League are licensed and will be included in the revamped Master League mode, which may go some way to clawing back credibility on the fully licensed FIFA. The graphics look much sharper, leaving PES looking alot more promising this year.

FIFA:

EA Sports have won over many new fans (myself included) with their ultra-realistic gameplay, edging them in front in the game wars. It doesn't sound like they've been resting on their laurels, with several new mouthwatering features on the menu.

The main offering so far is the 360° dribbling system, replacing the standard eight-way-run mechanics. There is no more limited movement or predictable running patterns. For the first time ever, you can put your player and the ball EXACTLY where you want, enabling cunning playmakers like myself to exploit tiny tiny gaps in the defence to devastating effect.

The dribbling is much more skilled, allowing players to switch the ball to their stronger foot, quickly lose a defender, or work yourself an extra yard of space to unleash a shot in a crowded penalty area.

The ball physics have been changed and are now more fluid, halving the time it takes for the ball to travel. This has also made the shooting less 'floaty', whereas past instalments felt like you were launching a balloon rather than putting your foot through a lump of leather.

The goalkeeping AI has been improved, as keepers will now rush off their lines to deal with oncoming attackers, and actually clear crosses rather than standing around waiting for them to reach Didier Drogba's head. The refereeing has also been changed, with more liberal application of the advantage rule, which along with the removal of several annoying animations, allows the player to take quick free-kicks and generally create a more fluid gameplay.

So that's where we stand. There are certain to be a few more tricks up sleeves between now and October, but already it looks like the competition will be much closer than it has been in previous years. My money is still on FIFA, but I wouldn't be surprised to be proved wrong.