There’s more news today about Cesc Fabregas and the heart wrenching decision he’s facing. Well there may be more news if the quotes are authentic. And he’s not really facing a decision because he’s signed to a long term contract. Okay, so maybe there’s nothing new going on with Cesc Fabregas, but that doesn’t fill column inches, now does it?

Some quotes appeared today that have been attributed to Cesc. Whether they are authentic, new, and unedited remains to be seen. The quotes seem to suggest that he has a love for Barcelona because he was a child there and that he has a love for Arsenal because he has become a man there. And he loves Arsene Wenger like a second father. Okay, does that clear everything up for you? Not exactly revelatory or groundbreaking stuff.

Here’s the part I still don’t understand: where is the intrigue? Cesc is staying at Arsenal where he will continue to be a fantastic player. Considering his tender age, and the developmental curve for players during that period of their career, it’s likely that he’ll be even better than we’ve ever seen him before. Some people want closure on this topic like it’s some kind of high school romance, but that’s nonsense. Cesc has stated that he is still an Arsenal player, Arsenal captain and has great respect for the team, its fans and his manager. That is sufficient. All we hear during the season is that football is a “results oriented business.” Then during the summer it’s all about sentiment and talk. Hogwash.

The media created this story before it ever existed. They filled their inches with quotes from peripheral figures who had no influence over the situation. Rumors swirled that Cesc wanted to leave and had said as much to the boss. But Cesc himself has never said that. Again, (and we’re covering old ground here) he never said that he wanted to stay at Arsenal either, but he doesn’t owe anyone that statement. If you think back for a moment, Cesc has been asked about a move to Barcelona before this summer madness. He was asked last season and he said clearly that he was happy at Arsenal, planned to stay, and wasn’t going to discuss it any further. Cesc tried hard to quiet the rumors last season. He said “no” to them in every way possible. He pointed out that he cannot control what others say. Now that he’s not denying the rumors openly, people want to criticize him. I say it’s asking too much.

Since the Cesc story bores me and he’s obviously staying with the club, it might be fun to talk about some other silly rumors for a moment. The transfer window refuses to heat up, but that hasn’t stopped the media from heating up the rumor mill. We are now “strongly linked” with Schwarzer, Mertesacker, Marchetti, Veloso, Jagielka, and probably a few other’s that I’m forgetting. If rumors are true that Manchester City are looking to sign Marchetti, then they’ll have a goal-keeper to offload and you can bet that we’ll be linked with him for better or worse.

I think we’ll sign Mertesacker. We need a CB and Arsene has acknowledged that we’re looking to sign one. He’s relatively affordable if what you read can be believed (loaded comment). But most of the links between the German and Arsenal are coming from fairly reliable sources. And we know that Gadzidis was in Germany last week so there’s some fire to go with the smoke. Mertesacker would be the perfect addition in many ways. He’s the right age, the right size, the right level of experience and he can start for us immediately. Some people I respect on Twitter have pointed out his deficiencies as a player. But my response is that every player has deficiencies and I would argue that his strengths match our needs. Moreover, we shouldn’t be dismissing Djourou and Koscielny. They are good players already at the club and Mertesacker will have to compete for his place in the starting lineup.

Signing Mertesacker would be a necessary boost to the defense, but I also think Arsene will spend a few more pounds on a goal-keeper. The links to Marchetti are getting stronger, but that could be media bluster. After all, he’s being linked to Manchester City which seems a convenient and lazy way to build a transfer rumor these days. My personal belief is that we’re still after Schwarzer. I’ve always thought that the delays in signing the Australian were down to Fulham’s lack of a manager. But now that Fulham have signed the odious, Arsene-hating, Mark Hughes, it might be more difficult to complete the transfer. There is a sense that any keeper would be better than our current options and I hate to admit that I’m in that camp. So if it’s not Schwarzer or Marchetti, or Akinfeev, or any other keeper linked with Arsenal, that’s okay as long as it’s some keeper not named Almunia or Fabianski.

Now we come to the part of the blog where I might have to murder Arsene Wenger with an ax. It would be unfortunate. I don’t want to ax murder Arsene. I rather like him a lot. But it may have to be done nonetheless. You see, Arsene Wenger has suggested that Cesc and RVP might not be ready for our match at Anfield on August 15. And here’s the part where I go apoplectic...

I think it’s great that Cesc and RVP had so much fun at summer camp. They got to put on their cute little football costumes and play for their country at some fun tournament in South Africa. Yay! Summer fun! But now Candy-land time is over. Boo! It’s time to go back to work and earn a living like the rest of the fucking world. That’s right, playing football is your job. Arsenal are your employer. And I don’t give a flying rhinoceros fuck about your country or the world cup. You will be ready to play at Anfield or you might as well give your fucking paycheck to the away fans.

If players had to choose between playing for their country or playing for their club, and they could only choose one or the other, then every player in the universe would choose their club. You know why? Because patriotic pride doesn’t pay the electric bill. And it certainly doesn’t buy Bentleys. There’s a reason that players retire from their national teams before they retire from club football. Because they like money. A lot. And so do the rest of us. That’s why we expect a lot from our players when we spend our money on tickets and shirts and expensive television packages and internet subscriptions. That money goes into the clubs’ pockets. Then the club takes it out of their pocket and puts it into the players’ pockets. And then they decide they’re not ready to play for the club because their feet are still sore from their playtime at South Africa camp. Well I say “fuck-off.”

You want rest? You want some recovery time from your summer exertions? How about you take two weeks off during the next international break just a few weeks after the season starts. How about you recover when you’re rested during the Carling Cup or FA Cup. And don’t give me any crap about the players getting injured if they play at Anfield because that’s bullshit. They’ve rested. They’re young. If it was the World Cup final they’d be miraculously ready to play. Well guess what? Our opening fixture at Anfield is bigger than the World Cup final because it’s their fucking job!

Maybe I don’t understand this because I’m American. This would never happen in American sports. I find it funny that Americans are often criticized for being overly patriotic, but we would never allow our favorite athletes to prioritize playing for the USA over their club. Can you imagine Peyton Manning, or Kobe Bryant, or Derek Jeter getting injured and missing time for their club because they were playing for the USA in some international tournament. It’s so impossible that just suggesting it sounds absurd. And it should be equally absurd in football.

Arsenal is a business that’s trying to succeed. RVP is part of Arsenal’s product. Without RVP, Arsenal’s product suffers and the business is threatened. Yet RVP was lost for most of last season playing for Holland. Can you imagine another business where one company would allow another company to damage their product without repercussions? Can you imagine Apple saying to Samsung, “here, take our iphone, redesign it with a bunch of defects, and sell it to the public.” Ummmm....No. (maybe that’s a bad example but this is a rant and I don’t have time to stop and work on my analogies.)

The reason I want to ax murder Arsene Wenger is that he shouldn’t even be suggesting this as a possibility. I’d much rather hear him say, “RVP and Cesc will be back August 5th and will have to work hard because I expect them to be ready for Anfield.” That’s what the customers (us) deserve and that’s what the employer (Arsenal) deserves.

Here’s why I’m making a big production about this. We have five very winnable fixtures after Liverpool. If we win at Liverpool it will lift the team, quiet the critics, engender optimism and possibly help push us on to victory in those next five fixtures. Then we travel to Stamford Bridge at 6-0-0, top of the table and full of confidence. That’s where we want to be.

But what if we head to Anfield without our two best players and lose? The critics will already be clamoring for change. There will instantly be doubts about our title credentials, and we will already have ground to make up on the leaders. All the concerns from last season and the season before will swirl around the team before we’ve even played in front of the home fans. And maybe that would have an impact on the players. Maybe we drop one of those very winnable five fixtures that follow our trip to Anfield. Then we head to Stamford Bridge with two losses, knowing that a loss to Chelsea in just our sixth match could already spell doom for our title chances.

Is that overly pessimistic? Probably. But that’s life in the Premier League. Calamity is a snowball that starts rolling downhill at light speed if you give it the chance. So we mustn’t give it the chance. We must get a result at Anfield if possible. And the best possible way to get that result is to put our best players on the pitch. So RVP and Cesc should play in that match. After all, it’s their fucking job.

And that’s all I have to say about that. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to stand by my front door until my RVP10 home shirt arrives. I can’t wait to wear it on August 15th. Hopefully I won’t be the only one.

It’s preseason. We’ve won all of our games. Our stars are still on holiday and for the most part, we’re injury free. But seriously everyone, it’s time to PANIC!

Panic because our keeper situation is a disaster that will inevitably begin with Fabianski gifting Liverpool the winner in our season opener, and Almunia costing us fourth place on the final day. Panic because we have no capable central defenders to partner Thomas Vermaelen. Panic because Sol Campbell, the would-be savior of our defense, is off to Newcastle. Panic because Arsenal and Barcelona have secretly agreed to a deal that will see our captain leave on the final day of this summer’s transfer window leaving us no time find any kind of replacement. Panic because Arsene Wenger won’t spend any money, the club doesn’t care about the fans, and we’ll surely go another season trophy-less. In fact, don’t just panic, PROTEST! Wear a black scarf to the Emirates. Nothing teaches those fools running our club a lesson like imitating a poorly constructed protest from our friends in Manchester. Yes, it’s time to panic and protest dear friends, because surely this is the end of Arsenal.

That’s one way to look at the world. Lately, it’s becoming a very popular viewpoint indeed. But perhaps, just maybe, there is another way to look at the state of Arsenal Football Club as we approach the dawn of a new season. It’s possible, there’s reason for optimism.

First and foremost, Cesc Fabregas isn’t going anywhere this season. I won’t rehash my defense of Cesc’s behavior. If you’re interested, that argument can be found in a previous post. But Cesc is our captain and most talented player and he’s going to be here for another season. When asked about the Fabregas situation, Wenger was unequivocal in his statement about the spaniard’s future and his desire that all the discussions stop. Arsene Wenger may not always be transparent with respect to his transfer dealings, but I cannot believe for a moment that he would come out with such a forceful statement about Cesc’s future at the club, only to be undermined by the board and Mr. Gadzidis. With Cesc at the heart of our midfield again this season, we will always be a formidable side.

With respect to the transfer market, it is important to remember that this is a World Cup summer. While Arsene was able to conduct some business with alacrity this sumer, to-wit the acquisitions of Chamakh and Koscielny, World Cup transfer windows are notorious for late activity. Many key players are still on holiday, and some of the clubs we might be targeting (you know who you are Fulham), don’t even have a manager at the moment. Moreover, City’s spending spree has created artificially inflated asking prices for many players. Combine that with the diminishing coffers at some big clubs and you have the recipe for very limited transfer activity. However, as the new season approaches, and clubs realize that they might not get the deal they’re looking for, it’s possible that bargains will start to emerge. And nobody spots a bargain like Le Boss.

Right now the en vogue criticism of Arsene Wenger is his parsimonious approach to management. Perhaps he’s a bit more thrifty than we’d like, but let’s remember that he has done some his shrewdest business in recent memory in just the last two years during which time his critics have been the most vocal. Arshavin would be a 25 million pound player in this transfer market, but we acquired him for half that sum. Vermaelen was an absolute gem of a signing at the right price. Chamakh was acquired for the lovely sum of ZERO pounds and Koscielny arrived with high praise and a bright future at a reasonable fee. While he might not be staying, Sol Campbell proved a useful signing in January that cost the club practically nothing. And I think it speak volumes about the respect that our players have for the manager that Cesc will be staying this season. If Wenger prized only youth and money, then he would gladly take 35 million pounds for Cesc, but he didn’t. On the opposite side of the ledger, Wenger also filled our coffers with money received from the brilliant sale of Adebayor and Toure.

Fear-mongers rightly point out our deficiencies in central defense and goalkeeper. If Campbell is indeed leaving, then we really only have three central defenders and we’re not sure if two of them are good enough to start. The situation is made all the more dire by the injury to Johan Djourou apparently suffered during Tuesday’s friendly in Austria. We can only hope the damage is minor, but the injury is a reminder that Djourou is not a player we can blindly trust to be a regular figure in the starting lineup.

As for goal-keeping, we are simply one of the worst teams in top-flight football at the position. It’s really that simple. Almunia isn’t good enough and Fabianski’s composure could only be further impugned if he wet himself during the match. I want to be believe the hype surrounding Szczesny but regardless of his much ballyhooed talent, his tender age suggests that he shouldn’t be our starting keeper this season.

So it seems that the nay-sayers are correct in their assessment of our defensive and goalkeeping frailties. Or are they? Wenger was clear in his statement that he is still looking for additions to the defense. Even today, the Mirror’s usually reliable John Cross suggests that we are close to a deal with Werder Bremen for German international Per Mertesaker. Surely he is the type of player that can come in and start alongside Vermaelen on opening day. And while Koscielny isn’t exactly the Verminator, he’s a highly regarded defender who received plaudits in France and claims to enjoy the physical side of the game. To rule him out as a viable center-back option is absurd, especially considering that most of the people making that determination have never seen him play.

When people start piling on the criticism of our defense, they fail to mention that we are as talented at full-back as any team in the league. All four of our full-back options are good enough to start. Clichy and Sagna are excellent, and Gibbs and Eboue are good enough to challenge the former pair for their starting spots. If you’re going to analyze the defense without mentioning 50% of the lineup, then you’re not going to arrive at a fair conclusion. In point of fact, our first choice defensive lineup of Clichy, Koscielny, Vermaelen, and Sagna, could actually be exceptional. There’s no denying that we do not have sufficient cover at CB, but Wenger is working on that.

There’s another important point to make about depth at defense. It’s not like other positions on the pitch. You don’t bring in a central defender on 60 minutes to change the match like you do with a striker or attacking midfielder. The only reason that substitute CBs ever play a single minute is due to either injury or squad rotation. If your starting central defensive pairing stays healthy, then they will play 90% of all your matches. I realize that staying healthy isn’t a strong suit for Arsenal players lately, but with a little bit of luck on the injury front we won’t need as much depth defensively as some suggest. The arrival of a player like Mertesaker or Jagielka could be sufficient.

It’s easy to make the defense for our defense, but harder to defend our keepers. (Just ask our defenders...) For me, this is a very simple issue. Szczesny isn’t ready yet, and the others aren’t good enough. Just look at the keepers from the other top teams: Cech, VDS, Reina, Gomes, Freidel, Howard, Given. Quality keepers with loads of experience. You can argue that point with Gomes perhaps, but if it weren’t for Hurelho, we wouldn’t have lost at WHL last season. We need our own experienced keeper to settle things at the back. He doesn’t even have to be spectacular. But he must know how to organize the defense on set-pieces and command his box. He must have the nerve for the big moment. Without that player it’s hard to envision this Arsenal side returning to the summit of English football. But Wenger must have some idea about this problem. Our interest in Schwarzer seems like it was more than a passing flirtation and that would never have developed if Arsene had complete confidence in his current platoon.

When you do some examination of this team, it just isn’t that bad. No matter how much we know we must panic and protest, it’s really hard to see why we should. And whether or not you think I’ve painted an overly rosy picture, I think we can agree that there’s talent to spare in midfield and attack. Just try to pick six players from this list:

RVP, Arshavin, Chamakh, Bendtner, Theo, Vela, Rosicky, Nasri, Cesc, Diaby, Denilson, Ramsey, Wilshere, JET, Song, Eboue, and a few other youngsters who look poised to break into the senior squad.

Find me that kind of depth anywhere else. (City doesn’t count. Having 40 players doesn’t mean you have a team.) That’s 16 players for six spots. And while it won’t be quite that straightforward due to injuries and dips in form, it’s still a lot of talent for one team to manage.

What strikes me as funny is that there’s so much complaining right now that you’d think we lost all three of our preseason matches. But that’s not the case either. We’ve won them all and comfortably. I know the competition hasn’t been great, but tell that to Liverpool who were held to a scoreless draw by a team of life-sized grasshoppers. Ask Manchester City about their preseason. They can’t beat anyone and they look terrible in losing. Even mighty United found time to lose to a team of Wizards from Kansas City. (How did they even play football in their heavy velvet robes and pointy hats?) As far as I can tell, our preseason is going just fine thank you very much.

But still some people want to complain. They want to panic. Worse, they want to PROTEST! Yes, we must protest Arsenal until they care about us fans! That’s just what’s needed. Unless of course you live in reality. Arsenal built the fans one of the finest football stadiums in the world. Arsenal continue to produce some of the most exhilarating, sumptuous football on the planet for the fans to enjoy. Arsenal manage to compete at the highest level every season despite disparate budgets with our direct rivals. (Arsenal have lost to their most hated rival once in a decade.) Arsenal communicate directly with fan groups and use that feedback in a variety of ways. For example, the Arsenalisation of the Emirates Stadium is a direct result of supporter feedback. Arsenal are even learning to take the blogging community seriously (big mistake!) and have gotten involved with some of the supporter’s blogs, such as Arseblog. Football clubs are businesses and not a single one is perfect. But Arsenal comes pretty close to perfection for the average fan and the idea that we should be wearing black scarves like bastard Utd malcontents is despicable. (And unoriginal.) If you don’t like the club, don’t go to the games. Don’t watch the games on TV. And when you’re dying in your bed at 90 years old wishing you could see your beloved Arsenal take the pitch just one more time, then tell me if you’re happy about your protest.

On August 15th Arsenal will begin the new season at Anfield. Once again we will challenge for the title. Once again we will be a force in Europe. Will we win those trophies? I don’t know. There’s so much money being spent by the biggest teams and such a high level of competition that no team is assured of trophies. But we will be in the conversation and that is the best a fan can ask. I am excited for this season. We still have needs to address, but we still have time to address them. So considering the fact that it’s only July 28th, maybe we should all just take a deep breath and be excited that proper football will be here soon enough. Then the talking can stop.

There’s not a wealth of information coming from Arsenal’s training camp in Austria. Probably the biggest news is the return of Sol Campbell for yet another season with the Gunners. It’s either a great signing or the worst decision ever depending on the ramifications.

Sol’s return provides a great experienced defender for some of the younger players to emulate. He’s well liked and adds good character to the dressing room. But if Sol’s return means that Arsene will no longer attempt to sign a center-back, then it’s a terrible move for the club.

Sol proved last season that he has some good football left in him. His work-rate, determination and defensive nous was great to see. But he’s unlikely to be able to play two matches in any given week and his ability to hold up for an entire season is questionable. Adding him to the list of Vermaelen, Djourou, Koscielny and one of the younger players, still doesn’t add up to a defensive assortment that will inspire a lot of confidence. Arsenal need another CB in his prime who can compete for a starting role. If retaining Sol means that we’re not getting that player, then it was a bad decision. Hopefully that’s not the case.

There's some news floating around about teams being interested in Thomas Rosicky. While it's still possible that Rosicky could leave this summer, I think Eduardo's departure more or less ensures that the cech will stay. He's experienced, versatile and if he returns to form, can still add a lot to the squad. Rosicky can play in midfield or on either side of the attacking trident. Considering Wenger's claim that he is not looking for any more midfield or attacking players this summer, I find it unlikely that he'd let Rosicky leave.

In other news, David Villa’s “tap up Cesc” contract clause has kicked in. Good for him.

The most worrying news of the day comes courtesy of John Cross in the Mirror. (Also a good fellow to follow on twitter if you’re so inclined. @johncrossmirror.) He suggests that, while we are still in for Mark Schwarzer, he is our only goal-keeping transfer target. If Schwarzer doesn’t come to Arsenal, then ... wait for it ... wait for it ... Lukas Fabianski will start the season as Arsenal’s number 1. Sadly, this blog is not equipped with a defibrillator so you’re on your own dealing with that massive heart-attack.

There’s really no need to comment on the goal-keeping situation. I think we all know that a new goal-keeper is an absolute necessity if we have any interest in competing for top honors. This might sound blasphemous, but if we haven’t signed a keeper by the start of the season I almost hope that we lose 4-0 at Anfield with all four tallies coming from Fabianski own-goals. At least that might make Wenger realize that something must be done. But until we head to Anfield with Fabianski as our number 1, I think AW deserves the benefit of the doubt. He will sign someone. Really. He will. Don’t worry...

Finally, Theirry Henry did what he does best last night. He scored against Spuds. Henry looked a little rusty in his 45 minutes for his new club, but it was good to see the great man scoring against the scum again. Sadly, after the half, Spuds recovered to win the match 2-1. Technically that’s the first time Henry has lost to Spuds in his career. Since he only played the first half, and Red Bulls won the first half 1-0, I’m going to count it as a win for Henry. So that’s solved.

If you’re bored today, you might want to head over to gunnerblog.com. He’s been doing a series entitled “ready or not” profiling some of our youth team players. It’s good pre-season fun and gets your prepared for the kids who will be “like new signings” this season.

Happy weekend everyone.

Arsenal comfortably dispatched Sturm Graz 3-0 in Austria today in a relatively quiet and unimpressive pre-season display. Nasri bagged a brace and Lansbury delivered the third to account for the scoring. Nasri’s performance was probably the highlight of the first half, but the most notable aspect of the first 45 minutes was some worrying defending from the Gunners.

Nasri opened the scoring with a lovely low shot from the edge of the area after Chamakh miscontrolled a pass and it fell to his right boot. Unfortunately miscontrolled passes were the order of the day for our new Moroccan front-man. Arsenal’s second came from Nasri again. This time he curled a free-kick over the wall and into the net from 20-yards out. The keeper probably showed him too much of goal, but the shot was well struck. That was all the scoring before half-time. Arsenal had been the better side, but Graz had created several chances thanks to some slipshod defending.

The second half saw Arsenal take greater control of the match and Graz rarely threatened. As expected Arsenal made wholesale changes in the second half and JET was certainly the standout of the new arrivals. Lansbury had a relatively easy finish for Arsenal’s third after JET made some nice moves on the edge of the area and maintained his composure to find Lansbury in space just outside the six yard box. There was more nice play from JET and a few close calls for Theo, but no further scoring before the final whistle. A 3-0 win over a decent Sturm Graz side is a good result, but there were certainly some “teachable” moments for Arsenal’s defenders.

It’s clear that Djourou is still getting into playing shape and he was caught out on far too easily on several occasions, particularly in the first half. Graz created a few too many clear scoring opportunities for the boss’ liking early in the match, although the hosts did fade dramatically as the game wore on. Arsenal defenders were caught playing very square at times and Graz were able to easily play balls in behind the defense. Against the pace and finishing quality of premier league teams, that could certainly prove fatal.

Some of the youngsters deserve praise for their participation today. Nordveit was solid and JET made an outstanding appearance in the second half. JET looks like a mountain of a young man and he displayed some excellent technique to go with his physical attributes. He’s often criticized for his inconsistence and lack of application but his work rate was excellent today, and as a 19-year old there’s certainly time for him to come good. Consistency comes with experience and considering his possible upside, it would seem wise to be patient with JET. Whether he will feature for the first team this season is difficult to say because of the fierce competition for places in attack. Having said that, I expect that we will see him in the two domestic cup competitions at least.

It’s good to have the Sturm Graz match behind us but we’re going to have to maintain our focus and composure as we prepare to play 3rd tier Austrian side SC Neusiedl 1919 on Tuesday. If we don’t bang in ten goals while keeping a clean sheet it will be a massive disappointment.

That’s all the news at the moment, and it’s been difficult to get any word from Wenger’s post match comments. Hopefully there’ll be more from him later. I imagine he’ll announce the two world-class CBs and experienced GK that are arriving any day now. But for now I want to briefly touch on the Cesc Fabregas debate.

It seems that many supporters are disgusted by Cesc’s actions this summer and would actually prefer to see him leave now. I simply don’t agree with that viewpoint. As I see it, there are two distinct issues here. The first issue is the loyalty of a player to their club. It’s the question of whether a player must pledge fealty to their employer and go out of their way to make the supporters feel that the player loves their club. The second issue is the performance of the player on the pitch. For some, the first issue is every bit as important as the second. For me, that’s naive. Players will never love their club as much as the fans do. That’s reality. They’ll go where the money is, where the weather’s better, where the nightlife is more exciting, or in this case, they’ll go home.

Cesc Fabregas was always going back to Barcelona. We have always known that. But during the time he has spent at Arsenal he has been a model professional, not to mention developing into one of the best creative midfielders in the world. Cesc has never publicly agitated for a move back to Barca. He has never tried to force Arsenal’s hand. He even signed a contract extension knowing that it might make it more difficult for him to return to Barcelona. So what is Cesc guilty of doing?

Some say he’s guilty by his silence. He has allowed everyone from players, to executives to relatives speak on his behalf without making the effort to silence them. If you believe that he would be able to silence them, then there’s some truth to that argument. But Cesc is in a difficult position. He may be completely committed to Arsenal today, but he also wants to go back to Barca at some point. If he goes out of his way to silence his future teammates, he might damage his relationship with the club he hopes to someday join. That might seem a specious argument, but it’s also a bit naive to believe that Cesc could just come out and tell his friends and future teammates to “shut-up.”

To be fair, when Cesc has spoken, he’s been careful to say the right things. He hasn’t been perfect, but some of his comments have shown his deep respect for Arsenal and its supporters. Face facts, if Cesc didn’t have respect for Arsenal, he could force a move. He hasn’t done that. He’s not Adebayor. Moreover, he said publicly that his conversation with Arsene Wenger was the best conversation of his life. The best of his life! Consider that he probably told Arsene he was thinking of going back to Barca. Arsene probably told him that he’d prefer Cesc to be patient and to trust him. I think we can all agree that Wenger did NOT say “Okay Cesc, off you go.” And yet, Cesc called it the greatest conversation of his life. So it’s fair to say that Cesc knew he was likely staying at Arsenal and that he clearly wasn’t devastated about it.

Even if you still don’t agree that Cesc has publicly handled this issue properly, that still doesn’t address the issue of his contribution on the pitch. I want Arsenal to win trophies. To win trophies we need talent. And as far as I’m concerned there’s no talent at Arsenal on par with Cesc Fabregas. With Cesc on the pitch we can win trophies. I believe that. Moan all you like about what’s happened in the press, but I don’t believe it will have the slightest impact on what happens on the pitch.

And don’t tell me that he can’t be captain because he didn’t say the right things to the press. He is well liked by his teammates, he’s a world cup winner, and he commands respect. Regardless of his flirtation with Barca, players will follow Cesc’s lead. He plays as hard as you can play. Remember, this is a man that took a penalty kick with a broken leg ... AGAINST BARCELONA! Remember how he single handedly rescued us against Aston Villa with the greatest substitute appearance in recent memory. And he was injured at the time. Cesc only knows how to play one way and that’s with all his heart and soul. He’s a well grounded young man and if he has to wait for his time at Barca then I have no doubt that he’ll make the most of the time he has left at Arsenal.

In today’s sports world, where players abandon teams at the drop of a hat (some even do it live on ESPN...), the best you can ask for is a collection of talented, committed players who give your team a chance to win. Cesc is a committed, talented player who makes Arsenal better every time he steps on the pitch. If you don’t want Cesc around, then you probably don’t want Arshavin either. After a while, it’s harder to find players you’re willing to keep than players you’d rather see leave. When I look at our starting eleven this season the first name that I’ll hope to see is Cesc Fabregas. If I see him, I’ll know we have a chance to win. If you still aren’t satisfied then you can look at our lineup each week and hope to see Diaby or Denilson playing instead of Cesc. Forgive me if I don’t join you.

I realize this is a difficult topic and one that elicits passionate disagreement. These are my opinions and they are open to criticism. But I am Arsenal through and through, as we all are. No matter what happens with Cesc, nothing changes that.

An early look at the squad, the fixtures, and the possibilities

Arsenal’s pre-season began in traditional fashion on Saturday, with a visit to Underhill and a comfortable win over Barnet. The match itself was unremarkable, but after two months of decidedly tedious international football, Arsenal have returned to us and another season approaches. As such, there’s the opportunity for endless speculation, hand-wringing, optimism, pessimism, and more arsenal-related goodness. So without further ado, let’s take a peek at where we stand.

As of this post, it appears that Cesc Fabregas is certain to stay at Arsenal for at least another season. It’s great news and very important for the future of this great club that we stuck to our guns. Selling Cesc would’ve had obvious footballing implications, but even farther reaching effects on the status of the team going forward. If we are seen as a team that cannot keep it’s most talented players from moving to bigger clubs, then there will always be a limit to what we can achieve. Our ability to keep Cesc at the Emirates, and give the impression that money was not the issue, sends the message that we are not a selling club. It tells our current crop of players that they need not look to another club in order to achieve their career goals. There’s a lot of young talent at Arsenal, and it does us no good to develop that talent only to watch them leave as they approach their prime. Hopefully our success in keeping Cesc will further benefit the club over the long-term.

While it might be difficult to convince some publications, Arsenal did conduct other business during the summer. Marouane Chamakh has arrived along with Laurent Koscielny. The former looks likely to be a starter in attack, while the latter (all 78 pounds of him) might be a looking at a substitute’s role in central defense. Additionally, Eduardo, Gallas and Silvestre are all departing. Eduardo’s departure is particularly sad because he had his arsenal career stolen from him at St. Andrews. But Gallas’ departure might be the most significant. He’s never been a fan favorite, but Willie G is an experienced center-back who forged a solid partnership with Vermaelen last season. Djourou and Koscielny will be his replacements, and they have about 7 minutes of Premier League experience between them. With regard to Silvester, it’s a case of addition by subtraction.

So that’s what’s happened. It begs the question; is more business required? Arsene Wenger conceded that our defending wasn’t good enough to win a title last season, yet we currently have one fewer central defender than we had two months ago. Most people seem to think that we need another CB and Wenger himself has acknowledged that he is on the case. Whether he will find what he’s looking for (an unproven youngster no one has ever heard of) remains to be seen.

While the defense is somewhat concerning, the goal-keeping situation is downright terrifying. Arsenal won’t win anything with Almunia or Fabianski in goal. Some might say that’s too harsh on Almunia in particular, but his shortcomings only serve to exacerbate our weakness in central-defense. When defenders don’t have confidence in their keeper, it effects their play. Considering the dearth of experienced central-defenders at Arsenal, they need all the confidence they can muster. Interestingly, an article appeared on the official website yesterday declaring that Szczesny wants to fight for the number one this season. Almost everyone seems to think he has the talent for the role, but few believe he’s ready at 20. If he’s the next Iker Casillas, then maybe it’s time to give him his chance. But the smarter move would be to sign an experienced keeper and let Szczesny watch from the bench as the number two. Given the club’s injury record, I’m sure he’d get plenty of chances anyway. Is Schwarzer the solution? Some say yes, some say no, but he’s probably an upgrade from the current selection.

Arsenal won’t outscore every opponent, especially during a particularly rough stretch of fixtures in early winter. If the season started today it would be hard to argue that our defense is likely to be any better than it was last season. And according to Wenger’s logic, that means another season without a title. The addition of a keeper and one more CB might be enough to fix the problem sufficiently.

There’s also some questions about defensive midfield. Some supporters feel strongly that we don’t have enough cover for Alex Song. It’s always nice to go out and buy an extra player at every position but it’s not always realistic. Finding an affordable but quality DM willing to be mostly a back-up option certainly wouldn’t be easy and I have no expectation that anyone fitting that description will arrive. So the question remains: are we strong enough at DM?

First, if our defending and goal-keeping improves, then we don’t have to have the world’s best DM. Alex Song was tremendous last season and fairly resilient (by Arsenal standards). If he stays healthy, I don’t think we have any problem at the position. But what about the options behind Song? Right now, you’d have to say that those options include Denilson, Diaby, Eastmond and maybe Frimpong.

If you’ve ever read this blog or follow me on twitter, then you know I’m not the head of the Denilson fan club. But most of his problems seem to be on the mental side of the ledger. His lack of application was appalling at times last season and a fight for playing time might be just what he needs. However, I have doubts about him as a DM that extend beyond attitude. I don’t see him as a naturally gifted tackler and his penchant for the sideways pass isn’t helpful. He’s dispossessed too often in dangerous areas and gives away far to many free-kicks.

Diaby is obviously gifted with enormous talent and exceptional physical attributes, but he’s not Viera. Tackling isn’t his strong suit and his love for the dribble can be very dangerous when he’s protecting the back four. Frankly, I just don’t think he’s a DM at all.

As for Eastmond and Frimpong, I don’t feel like I know enough about either player to have an educated opinion (assuming my other opinions are somewhat educated). Eastmond made the occasional appearance last season and while he wasn’t awful, he looked very raw. I don’t think either player is a satisfactory backup for Song. However, since I don’t think another midfielder is coming this summer, one of these four players will have to do the job in Alex’s absence. It’s that simple. Whether they are up to the challenge will be an important factor in Arsenal’s success this season.

From an attacking standpoint, there’s little reason for analysis. Arsenal are probably blessed with the best attacking talent in England. You could argue that point, but there’s no arguing that we should be scoring goals at an alarming rate this season. Injuries would seem to be the only thing that can stop the Gunners from delivering another season of entertaining attacking football.

It will be interesting to see who the manager chooses for that opening match at Anfield. It will be equally interesting to see who is on the bench. Some of the players that have recently been first team regulars, will struggle to even make the squad this season. Players like Theo, Rosicky, Bendtner, Vela, Denilson, Diaby, Eboue, and eventually even Ramsey, will probably have days when they don’t make the squad at all. If you think that’s crazy, consider this possible first choice XI and substitute’s bench:

Arshavin, Chamakh, RVP

Cesc, Nasri, Song

Clichy, Djourou, Vermaelen, Sagna,

Someone not named Almunia or Fabianski.

Subs: Szczesny, Koscielny, Gibbs, Diaby, Bendtner, Eboue, Rosicky

In the above example, Theo, Vela, Denilson, Ramsey and players like Wilshere and Eastmond would be left out of the squad entirely. I’m not saying that’s the squad that we’ll see on opening day. But it’s certainly a viable example and it leaves some very talented players fighting to simply make the bench. It also makes an interesting argument for loaning Wilshere out again.

The schedule always plays a role in any team’s success, but as we proved last season, you shouldn’t read too much into it. We had an easy run-in. That was the idea anyway. If we had won all our matches from Birmingham away until the end of the season, we would have been champions. Instead, we gave away 2 points at Brum, and had one of the most disappointing finishes to a season imaginable. So it doesn’t make a lot of sense to scrutinize the schedule too closely. But if we simply look at our first six fixtures, there’s a distinct opportunity. If we can win at Anfield, there’s no reason we can’t win the next five matches. And then we’d be heading to Stamford Bridge at 6-0-0 and top of the table. For a young team, that kind of start is just what is required to gain confidence.

So that leads to the most important question of them all: can we win trophies this season? I think we can. I think we have a strong first choice eleven and a strong bench full of attacking options. Our goal-keeping situation must be resolved, and we probably need another CB in the mix. But I believe that both of those things will happen. Obviously injuries were a major disruption last season, but it’s pointless worrying about injuries at this moment. You must evaluate the squad based on the players you have and that’s what we should be doing now.

Almost as important as the strength of our squad, is how it compares to the rest of the league. That’s an intriguing debate. Chelsea clearly have a powerful starting eleven, but they’re aging. And they’re not particularly deep. Regardless, they are the clear favorites again this season. Everyone else has serious questions surrounding them. United can’t continue to count on Giggs and Scholes and it’s unclear whether they’ve adequately replaced them or provided help for Rooney up front.

Manchester City could be a tremendous team, but they could also just be an interesting and expensive collection of big name players that don’t fit together. Spuds are Spuds and I expect them to have a disappointing season. Liverpool have problems everywhere and there’s no guarantee that Hodgson is going to be better for them than that fat spanish waiter. And that’s without discussing the possibility that some of their best players might be leaving. Aston Villa will continue to be a good team that’s limited by their lack of depth. And beyond those teams, there’s some strength in the middle of the table that will surely cost some of the title pretenders a few points here and there.

Overall, the league is approaching something like parity, at least among the top 7 or 8 teams. It’s more than likely that the title will be won with fewer points this season than in any previous campaign. And I think that helps us. As a young team with defensive frailties, it’s unreasonable to expect us to be perfect. We’ll drop some points that we shouldn’t, but we should also do better against our direct rivals that we did last season (it would be hard not to do better). And since it’s likely that the top teams will be dropping more points than usual this season, we’ll have plenty of chances to stay in the title race. Hopefully by the time the business end of the season arrives, we’ll have the maturity to get the results that are required.

In the coming weeks we’ll have a better idea of what to expect from this side and we’ll certainly know whether any additional players are joining the cause. But at the moment I’m optimistic. I don’t think the questions surrounding the side are any more troubling that those facing the league’s other top teams. Additionally, while teams like Chelsea suffer the effects of aging, another year of development will only improve our squad. Look at Alex Song last season and think of where he was the season before. If players like Diaby, Denilson, Theo, etc can make that kind of improvement, we’ll be in fantastic shape. That’s a lot to ask, but it’s also what’s expected from this would-be golden generation. It’s also frightening to think of how good Cesc could be this season when considering the improvement in his game from year to year. We’ll need more from Arshavin and a strong contribution from Chamakh, but I don’t think that’s too much to ask. There’s enough competition for attacking positions that no player can afford to be complacent. And that’s a good thing.

Here’s hoping for a fun, successful and injury-free pre-season ... and the arrival of several world-class GKs, DMs, and CBs on free transfers.

The season’s approaching. I can’t wait.

How much hatred is too much?

Trick question. In the case of Chelski, there's no such thing as too much hatred. If they were comprised of ten former nobel peace prize winners and one Ashley Cole then they would be worthy of extreme contempt. But when you consider that they also feature John Terry, Michael Ballack, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, and numerous other contemptable characters, it's nearly impossible to express adequate disdain for their team.

Sunday's match at the Grove is being billed as a "must-win" for Arsenal. It's an overused term and I don't believe that a loss would leave us too far behind the leaders to overtake them. However, if we want to win the league we have to play like a team that believes it is a genuine title contender. We need a signature win that serves as a statement of intent. While I'm loathe to acknowledge it, we really haven't won a challenging match this season. Spuds are crap and I refuse to consider beating them worthy of any added signficance. Beyond that, we have lost three times this season and those losses came in our only other tricky fixtures. While you can do well in the league by beating up on the lesser lights, at some point you have to beat one of the top clubs to finish atop the table. Sunday we'll have our chance to do that and pull right back into the title race.

There will be some interesting tactical battles on Sunday, but the most important battles might be waged by the phsyios. Chelsea seem to be getting fit at just the wrong time as Frank Lampard might return for Sunday's match to join what looks like a full lineup of attacking options for Ancelotti. I had hoped that we could at least avoid Drogba but after he played in midweek, I think we must accept that he will be on the Emirates pitch flopping about and generally causing us all kinds of problems. Defensively, Chelsea will be without Jose Bosingwa which is a good news because he would have been providing the width to their attack on the right. Considering that either Traore, Silvestre, or an out of position Sagna will be playing there, we're fortunate that he's unavailable.

Our injury news is considerably less upbeat than Chelsea's. In fact, Chelsea don't even have an "injury news" link on their hompage. Where would we be without that link? Perhaps having that link is courting danger. Maybe if we just remove it from the site, the injury problems will disappear with it. Maybe. As usual we head into a massive fixture without the services of several key players. Van Persie, Bendtner, Clichy, and Gibbs are obviously all missing for Sunday. But the biggest question remains the fitness of William Gallas who appeared to have gone 12 rounds with Mike Tyson (Circa 1993) after a clash of heads with Andrey Arshavin on Tuesday. According to Arsene Wenger he might miss the match with a severely swollen eye, although the boss went on to say he was optimistic.

We'll just have to cross our fingers because the options behind Gallas don't inspire confidence. If I'm not thrilled by the prospect of Silvestre playing left back, then I'm positively terrified by the idea of seeing him lineup at center-half. And I have to believe that Arsene wouldn't bee too keen on the idea either. Considering that Senderos has entered the witness relocation program, it seems unlikely that he would take Gallas' place. In fact, my guess is that Wenger would play Song at center-half and let Denilson take over the holding midfield role. I think Song could do a job in defense, but considering his recent form in midfield, it'd be a shame to move him. At this point, I'd bet that we'll see Traore, Gallas, Vermaelen and Sagna in defense. I think that's our best option and I'm guessing that Gallas will do everything in his power to play on Sunday. As I said before, we'll just have to cross our fingers.

Injuries aside, Sunday's team selection should be fascinating. While Wenger has a shortage in defense, and will miss Robin Van Persie, he has a surplus of attacking options from which to choose. You have to assume that Arshavin, Cesc, Song, Vermaelen and Sagna are certain to start. After that, there's a lot of possibilities. Obviously Gallas will start if he's healthy and I genuinely believe that Wenger will rely on Traore rather than pulling Sagna out of position or playing the much slower and less attacking Silvestre. Remember, our left-back is an important part of the attack and Silvestre adds even less going forward then he does with his defending.

I think it's fair to assume that Eduardo will start in the center of the attack on Sunday. While Vela might have been considered, his lackluster performance in midweek probably rules him out. The only other option is Andrey Arshavin but I think Wenger will be inclined to leave him on the left where he's started almost every match this season. Arsene recently said that he doesn't like to make many changes between games because it's too disruptive. Therefore, I think it's fair to assume he'll try to start as many of his regular players in their regular positions.

The two most difficult selections will be the remaining forward and midfield positions. For some reason, I think the boss will give Theo his chance to start the big game on the right side of the attacking trident. His pace will trouble Chelsea, and, if nothing else, it will force Ashley Cole to think twice before joining the attack. If Theo doesn't start then Rosicky or Nasri would be the natural options for the position. That leaves the final midfield place. Arsene might choose Denilson to provide a little added defensive support. However, Denilson has just returned from injury and he doesn't provide the same creative spark that we get from Nasri or Rosicky. I think there are two likely scenarios. Either Wenger elects to start Theo in attack and Nasri in midfield, or he leaves Theo on the bench and plays Nasri and Denilson. It's really impossible to know what he'll do. Most people seem to think that Theo will be on the subs bench, but he's a big part of this team and it's time he started contributing.

No matter who starts on Sunday, they're probably going to need to wear their favorite high heel boots. There's no denying that our lilipution stature could be a problem against a very tall, and very physical Chelsea side. We've already demonstrated our struggles dealing with set pieces this season and there's no doubt that Chelsea will look to float the ball into the box at every opportunity. Drogba has always been a monster against us, and not just because he looks like one. Add Ballack, Terry, Alex, Essien, Ivanovic and even Lampard, and we could have real problems matching up. While I'd take a 1-0 victory in a heartbeat, the last five minutes of that match would be gut-wrenching as Chelsea continued to punt the ball into our box with every possession. In order to win this match, we'll have to find a way to overcome our height disadvantage and be extremely disciplined on set pieces.

While I can't stand the sight of Didier Drogba, I'm somewhat excited to see Thomas Vermaelen get his chance to stop the Ivorian. Drogba has dominated us in the past, but Vermaelen gives us a little extra mettle in the heart of our defense and I have a feeling that he might try giving Didier an early couple of kicks to let him know what to expect for the next 90 minutes. Vermaelen has starred for us so far this season, but this will certainly be his biggest test to date. If he can contain Drogba, then he will have already achieved something that few Arsenal defenders have accomplished in recent seasons.

Now that Chelsea have yet another new manager, they have a new formation as well. Carlo Ancelotti has brought his favored diamond midfield formation to Chelsea. From what I've seen of them this season, it's produced mixed results. Chelsea, like us, have destroyed many of the league's weaker teams, but they've also had some dreadful performances along the way. As far as I can tell, they're still learning the nuances of their new formation and they can get caught out of position from time to time. The diamond midfield doesn't provide any natural width, so that responsibility falls to the left and right-back. Expect Cole in particular to get forward regularly, leaving space behind to attack.

Michael Essien plays the holding role while Deco or Lampard are likely choices for the top of the diamond, with Malouda and Ballack on either side. Anelka and Drogba are the obvious choices as the two strikers. Although Chelsea are big, they aren't particularly fast. They've been vulnerable to counter attacks this season and that's another reason why I think Theo would be a big asset on Sunday. Chelsea's diamond, combined with our free-form 4-3-3 could make for a very congested midfield and that will put added emphasis on counter-attacks to create chances. While Chelsea will certainly rely on set-pieces to create opportunities, we'll need to create our chances when we can get behind Essien and run at the center of their defense.

No matter who starts on Sunday, the eleven players on the pitch will need to be focused and aggressive. Against United we were the better team for 90 minutes, but a couple lapses in concentration cost us the match. We cannot afford any loss of concentration against Chelsea. If we get the lead, we must continue to press because any long ball could be our undoing. It's nearly impossible to see us keeping a clean sheet, so we have to believe in our style of football and show that we can get goals against even the best defenses. This would be a good time for Arshavin to lift his play to that level that we saw at Anfield last season, and there's no doubt that Eduardo cannot afford to spurn any gilt-edged opportunties. We need him at his clinical best.

Most importantly, we must show some strength. Chelsea will surely try to bully our smaller players. They will make an effort to push and kick us out of the game. We cannot let that happen. We have to use their size against them and punish them on the counter-attack when they get forward for corners or free kicks. If we don't let them use their size to boss the game, then we can show off our superior technical ability.

Ultimately, I think we will win on Sunday. I think this team is desperate to show that it's a serious title contender. In fact, I think the anticipation of Sunday's match might explain some of our lack of focus at the Stadium of Light. These players were written off before the seasons started and that seemed to galvanize the team. Now they have a real chance to continue to prove the doubters wrong. Although Chelsea will cause us problems in the air, they're not completely comfortable with their new formation. They are vulnerable to the counter-attack and don't have a lot of pace in midfield. They just played a difficult away fixture in Portugal on Wednesday and some of their players are just returning from injury. Against United they took all three points, but played poorly. If they play that way at the Emirates, we will take all three points.

It's a massive fixture. Even if the title race wasn't involved, beating Chelsea is always a priority. But now that we seem to have a real chance to battle for the title, the stakes are high. It's up to our players to show that they they are up to the challenge. It will be a nerve-wracking 90 minutes, but I think we'll come through it victoriously. I really can't wait.

Since I'm working out of the country all weekend, I won't have a chance to write another blog entry, so allow me to say:

COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!!

With a game almost every four days until May, the season now begins in earnest


"The best laid schemes o' mice an' men Gang aft agley." - Robert Burns

Robert Burns sure knew what he was talking about. I had schemed to write this blog on a daily basis, but my need to earn a living made that "gang agley." Now I must accept that this blog is a periodical. And in similar fashion, Arsenal's scheme to win the premier league seemed to rely heavily on the contribution of in-form striker Robin Van Persie. But now that gang agley as well. So it's time to find out what this team is really made of, as we enter a truely grueling period of Premier League football.

It's laughable how willingly supposedly reputable media outlets will rush to print even the most dubious story. As soon as the news of Van Persie's injury surfaced, there was a surplus of reports that he would miss the entire season. I must admit, given Van Persie's injury history, I was quick to accept his fate. But it now appears that rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated. And while six weeks without our main man in the middle wasn't part of the plan, it's certainly not the end of the world.

Maybe we should even keep our fingers crossed that RVP's recovery could be more swift than any of us imagined. After all, he is going to see a Serbian houswife renowned as a healer. According to Van Persie, "She is vague about her methods but I know that she first massages you for a long time with placenta fluid. I am going to give it a try." Sounds good to me. Of course, you could probably get the same treatment on a street corner in Amsterdam for about 20 Euros but who am I to judge? If it gets our striker back sooner, I say we start stocking up on placentas at Arsenal's London Colney training ground.

But all kidding aside, this is when the season really gets going and we're going to have to push on without the flying dutchman. We have Chelsea coming to the Emirates in twelve days, and it's our first chance to show that we're ready to contend for the title. Contrarians might argue that we have failed our biggests tests of the season, losing both matches in Manchester. Naturally, I would say those people should be hit by a bus. But they have a point. When you consider the relative weakness of our Champions League group, combined with the fairly straightforward league fixtures we've played since our last loss at Eastlands, maybe we do still have to prove that we're ready to compete at the top level. Beating Chelsea would not only see us likely climb above them in the table (with a game in hand), but it would send a powerful message that we are legitimate title contenders. Losing to Chelsea wouldn't deliver a fatal blow, but a win could be a springboard to better things.

There's been a lot of speculation about how we'll deal with Van Persie's absence. Some have made the absurd suggestion that Wenger will now be forced to abandon the wildly successful 4-3-3 formation. Naturally, that's ridiculous. As far as I'm concerned, the solution is straightforward and obvious. Eduardo will take Van Persie's role as the central striker, and while his fitness and form might be in question, he is unquestionably the second in line for Van Persie's position. Ironically, in the hours before the injury, stories had surfaced (most likely fabricated) that Eduardo was unhappy with his playing time. Now he should have more playing time than he knows how to manage.

With Eduardo in the center of the attacking trident, and Arshavin presumably entrenched on the left, that only leaves the right wing position to consider. Once Theo returns from injury, that position should be his to lose. Amazingly, this Arsenal side are short on pace in attack and Theo brings plenty of that into the team. Of course, if he's not available, Wenger can call on either Diaby, Rosicky or Nasri to play on the right, and eventually Vela or Bentner as well. As far as I'm concerned, while we don't have a better striker than Van Persie, a front three of Arshavin, Eduardo and Theo (or Nasri/Rosicky/Diaby/Vela/Bendtner) is still fearsome.

Moreover, with Nasri and Rosicky both back fit, either one can slot into the midfield alongside Cesc. Both players are better passers than Diaby who has been a fixture lately. Their presence in midfield should help offset some of the creativity we lose in Van Persie's absence. Diaby has been this season's polarizing player (much the same way Denilson was last year). Some supporters feel that he has been a weak link, while others praise him for the goals he has scored and his relative consistency. As far as I'm concerned, Diaby is probably better suited to play in the attacking trident rather than midfield. He has pace, power and can finish, but he rarely finds the pass to unlock a defense. Eduardo knows when to make a run and he can be a killer finisher. With both Cesc AND Rosicky providing the delivery from midfield, I think he'll have plenty of chances to score.

While Eduardo is the natural choice to replace Van Persie during his convalescence, Arsene Wenger might also elect to give Arshavin a chance to play in the middle. Considering Eduardo's fitness concerns, Wenger could be reluctant to play him every four days. In that case, Arshavin is capable of playing through the middle. He's not exactly the prototype of a central striker, standing at roughly 4'7" tall, but then again, long-balls and crosses aren't exactly the Arsenal way these days.

Van Persie's assists have been just as important as his goals this season and Arshavin can certainly distribute the ball just as effectively. Moreover, moving the diminutive Russian to the middle of the park would have two additional benefits. First, it would provide added cover for young Gibbs at left-back. Arshavin's not exactly adept at helping defend (to be polite), and whoever took his place on the left (Rosicky or Nasri perhaps) would certainly be a bigger help defensively. Second, playing in the middle might keep Arshavin more involved in the match. At times this season he has drifted out of games or looked a little disinterested. Playing in the middle would let him see more of the ball and give him more chances to provide that moment of genius we've seen from him on occasion.

Regardless, of who plays in the middle, Arsenal still have a variety of attacking options. So many in fact, that the competition for starting places will still be fierce even without Van Persie and Bendtner. Consider that Wenger must choose six players from this list: Cesc, Song, Nasri, Rosicky, Denilson, Diaby, Ramsey, Vela, Theo, Eduardo, Arshavin, and even Wilshere and Merida. Naturally, Cesc, Song, and Arshavin are automatic first choice selections when available. Wilshere, Merida, and even Ramsey and Vela are probably still on the outside looking in. Denilson will likely provide cover for Song when he's off to the ACN. But that leaves Nasri, Rosicky, Diaby, Eduardo and Theo fighting for three places. Not a bad competition there. No one can replace Van Persie considering his recent form, but we have enough options to make his absence more tolerable.

For me, the real wild-card player is Walcott. He's played about 10 minutes this season and even in those 10 minutes he looked dangerous. So many questions surround him at this point. The most important questions are whether he can stay healthy for any length of time, and whether he can pick up where he left off before he was injured. If he hasn't taken a step back in his development, then his return will be instrumental. While Bendtner has many important attributes, there's no denying that Theo is better suited for the right wing. And considering the aforementioned lack of pace in the side, Theo gives us back an important quality that we've been missing despite our glut of goals. Consider this: can Cashley Cole, or Patrice Evra really feel comfortable rampaging forward against us if they know that they have to chase back after Theo? That's something they don't have to worry about when Bendtner is playing on the right.

Regardless of who plays what position and who is missing for how many games, there's no denying that this Arsenal side have the look of a team capable of winning trophies. Two seasons ago we were unlucky. Last season we suffered injuries, but the young players weren't ready and the senior players weren't properly motivated. This season the young players are coming good and the spirit in the team is strong. Maybe just as importantly, the teams contending for top honors both in England and in Europe look weaker. In the Premier League, United has already lost to Burnley, Liverpool are a mess, and Chelsea have concerns that will only grow with the start of the ACN. In Europe, some of the perennial favorites have already suffered questionable defeats including holders Barcelona.

For Arsenal, success and failure may be as simple as surviving the winter, and thriving in the spring. I know that I've mentioned it before on this blog, but our schedule this season is peculiar. We play Aston Villa, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool within a fortnight at the end of January and beginning of February. But from that point, there isn't another league fixture that should worry us. It is highly unlikely, but not impossible, that we could win every match we play in the league from the second week of february until the season ends. Certainly we could go without losing during that stretch of games. And while that would be a massive accomplishment, it will only bring us a title if we survive the period between now and the ninth of February. If we come through this gauntlet within sight of the top spot, then a league title will be well within our reach. Two seasons ago we suffered a brutal run-in that cost us the title. This season's finish should prove much mor straightforward.

I have enjoyed watching Arsenal play football immensely this season. I assume most supporters have enjoyed what they've seen from this season's Gunners. It makes me realize that while trophies are important, being proud of your team's performance is almost equally satisfying. Last season it was difficult to take pride in what we saw from Arsenal on and off the pitch. This season has had a special feel about it. From the opening 6-goal demolition of Everton, to Thomas Vermaelen's instant hero status, to Cesc's return to dominant form, to our record goal-scoring pace, nearly everything about this season has been worth celebrating. Now we have a team to be proud of. In some ways, this Arsenal team is the envy of the league. Hopefully it will also be the team that ends our current trophy drought.

Wednesday there are more international matches to endure. Some will decide World Cup qualification, some are farcically meaningless. All that really matters is that our players come through unscathed. After that, there will be nonstop Arsenal football all the way until the end of the season.

Until next time...

Two points dropped, now everyone PANIC!

It was a disappointing game. It was a miserable result. It was two points dropped when they should have been safely tucked away without the slightest worry or concern. West Ham clawed back from a two goal deficit, in a match we were winning at a cantor, and managed to earn a draw. But judging by the reaction of many Arsenal supporters, apparently we just lost the title.

I'm an emotional fan and I get overly frustrated when the team fails to perform according to expectations. When they stupidly allow a lead to slip from their grasp in a game that should have been easily killed off, it's infuriating. But at some point, you have to let reason re-enter the equation when examining the ramifications of this lone result. So let's rationally consider what happened at Upton Park, and why it may not actually be the end of the world for Arsenal.

To begin with, the starting eleven left something to be desired. Due to injuries (per usual), Eboue and Diaby were both in the lineup. Abou Diaby is not my cup of tea and I will be the first to say that I think we are vastly weaker when he's in the lineup. There's always some supporter that wants to take up the cause but consider this; he doesn't add any real defensive solidity to the midfield, and he doesn't make that killer pass that you can get from Rosicky, or Nasri, or even Denilson from time to time. Diaby might have bags of talent, and seems a composed finisher in the final third, but his distribution is poor, he gives the ball away too often, and doesn't do enough defensively. Disagree if you must, but that's my opinion at the moment.

Eboue is a different kettle of fish all together. He has the creativity and pace to worry any defense on any day. Even more encouragingly, he seems to have improved his work rate and gets himself into good positions regularly. But his final ball is inevitably shocking and his penchant for taking a dive is nauseating. What good is a player who gets into dangerous positions if you know that he will inevitably squander any opportunity he creates? That's the problem when Eboue is in the lineup; no matter how dangerous he might appear, ultimately he fails to make enough scoring opportunties.

So when the match began on Sunday, we were without the services of Theo, Rosicky, Eduardo, Nasri and Bendtner. The latter three were only fit enough for the bench, while the former two are out at least a little while longer. Carlos Vela, a player who seems to have so much promise when he does get on the pitch, wasn't even named to the bench. So Eboue and Diaby were in the starting eleven. While they might be decent players, they're not exactly first choice selections.

Despite our absentees, we started brightly and bossed the game. Our passing was sharp, our defending looked relatively composed, and we were the only team creating chances. From some great buildup play, (admittedly involving Diaby) a good Sagna cross, and some poor keeping by Green, Van Persie scored our first goal. From a well taken corner, Gallas got us our second goal. From there we started pulling out the party tricks and playing with rather less intensity than is required for a Premier League match. But West Ham weren't exactly striking fear into our hearts and we made it to half-time with the job seemingly done already.

The second half was far from a spectacle, but West Ham still failed to put us under any real pressure. We looked comfortable, and maybe missed a few opportunities to get that all-important third goal. Zola made some substitutions and that changed the game to some degree. In particular, Diamante looked immediately dangerous. But that wasn't the turning point. The turning point came when the Hammers were awarded a very dubious free kick on the edge of the area. At the time of the award, I "tweeted" that it was a big moment in the game. It just felt like one of those situations where West Ham could drag themselves back into the match. Sure enough, they got the goal they needed. It was a well struck free kick, and it was poorly parried by Mannone back into the path of Carlton Cole who pulled the Hammers within one goal.

That goal changed everything. We had been cruising so comfortably through the match, that we suddenly seemed rocked. West Ham had the crowed invigorated, renewed energy and we didn't have an immediate response. But despite the change in momentum, we still had a lead and our goal wasn't exactly coming under siege. There was still no reason for panic. But the reason for panic arrived soon enough. And it arrived in the form of a very contentious penalty. Minutes earlier, Scott Parker tried to win a penalty with a blatent dive. Although the penalty wasn't awarded at that moment, it might have played a part in the decision to award a penalty for Carlton Cole's weak tumble in the box. Here's a player who was holding off two defenders all match, suddendly incapable of staying on his feet as Alex Song brushed against him from behind. I didn't think it was a penalty, and I think it was particularly harsh considering that Cole had his back to the goal, and Song's minimal contact was nothing more than routine jostling. But the penalty was awarded, and despite Mannone guessing the right way, Diamante equalised from the spot.

At his point, it was a distinct possibility that we would lose all three points. But I think Arsene Wenger has realized that draws and losses are essentially the same when it comes to challenging for the title. Rather than protecting the single point, he brought on Eduardo for Diaby and Bendtner for Eboue. It might have been too little, too late, but we finished the match with four strikers in an effort to secure all three points. And were it not for an outrageous save by Robert Green from a Van Persie header, we would have salvaged a win. But it wasn't meant to be.

So when the final whistle blew, it felt like two points dropped and certainly a lost opportunity to pull within three points of the league leaders with a game in hand. It was a lost opportunity to gain some separation from the pack of teams chasing fourth position. And finally, it was a lost opportunity to keep our momentum going and dispel any concerns from our late collapse in midweek. So it's completely understandable that any Arsenal supporter would be rather forlorn. And although there's every reason to be concerned, I'd like to make the case, that there are reasons not to prematurely condemn the Gunners to another trophy-less season.

Let's start by looking at the other teams supposedly competing for the title, or at least a top four position. Aston Villa, who looked a threat to crack the top four last season, have already lost to Wigan and Blackburn. Sp*rs, who have made a strong start to the season, lost at home to Stoke City. Chelsea, who apparently are being annointed champions already, lost to Aston Villa, and to a Wigan Athletic side that we pummeled with ease. United lost to Burnley and were held to a draw at home by Sunderland. Liverpool have looked a complete mess until they managed to defeat United yesterday. And our upstart friends at Manchester Citeh have been held to three consecutive draws by Villa, Wigan and Fulham. When you consider those results, a 2-2 draw away to West Ham, largely thanks to a dubious penalty, isn't the end of our title challenge. If Chelsea can lose to Wigan, and United can lose to Burnley and still be considered top contenders, why can't Arsenal draw at Upton Park without being written off?

Here's another reason why we shouldn't panic; the schedule is still in our favor. Chelsea play United on November 8, before coming to the Emirates three weeks later. The very next weekend they travel to Manchester Citeh. So between now and the end of November, at least one of the two teams ahead of us is guaranteed to drop points, and we'll have a chance to take down the leaders at home. Not a bad situation. And although it might seem a minor point, we play our next two European fixtures at home, while Chelsea have to travel to Madrid and Porto for potentially tough away matches.

And there's still more reason for optimism. If Chelsea are considered our primary competition this season (which remains to be seen), then they'll have to overcome a difficult January without some of their biggest stars. More than any other team in the league, Chelsea will be significantly weaker when their African players leave for the ACN. While we'll miss Alex Song, Chelsea will be without the likes of Drogba, Kalou, Essien and Obi Mikel. By the time we face them at the start of February, those players will just be returning from a grueling tournament in Africa. Not a bad scenario for our trip to Stanford Bridge.

And then there's simply this to consider, we're playing good football. Last season we had mental lapses and dropped points where we shouldn't have, but it was because we weren't playing well. We got the results that our play deserved last season. We looked weak defensively and out of sorts in attack. As a result, we conceeded bad goals and failed to score against even the weakest competition. This season isn't remotely similar. While we dropped points today, we were unfortunate. We scored two goals, bossed the game, and maybe became complacent. We were victimised by a couple of bad referee's decisions and still almost won the game in the dying minutes. We didn't play poorly, we just lacked a bit of focus. I'm not suggesting that lacking focus is acceptable for a team with title ambitions, but I am suggesting that it's a different issue from last season. The quality of our play has been exceptional so far, and that is telling.

The only thing left to consider is the health of our key players. And certainly things look brighter than last season. Eduardo is back. Nasri is finally back in the team. Theo and Rosicky are hopefully close behind. And with money in the bank, there might even be a january signing. (I know it's a remote chance, but we did it last season.) Provided we can get Denilson healthy before Song leaves for the ACN, there's enough talent on this team to compete on all fronts.

Everyone is still hurting from last season. It wasn't just our fourth place finish, but the manner in which we arrived there that made it such a tough nine months. But we can't allow the disappointment from last season to cloud our judgment about this one. We are going to drop some points along the way, and nothing about the West Ham game reminded me of our struggles from last season. We defended well enough. We scored the goals. We bossed the game. Our complacency cost us but so did the referee's decisions. Again, I'm not suggesting that we should be happy about the outcome, but I think we should look at it for what it was: two points dropped. Nothing more, nothing less.

Our first team regulars have already played a lot of football. Many of them have played even more when you consider their international committments. And our injuries have meant that players like Cesc and Van Persie haven't had much opportunity for rest. With the Carling Cup tie with Liverpool on Wednesday, most of our regular starters will have the night off. That means we should be relatively fit and rested for the North London derby at the weekend.

It was the devastating home draw with Sp*rs last season that really seemed to start our winter swoon. But truthfully, we had seen some of the writing on the wall before that match. This season, it's a different story. If we can beat Sp*rs on Saturday, and get three points away to Wolves the following weekend, then there's a real chance that we can go into the next international break within a point or two of the Premier League lead with a game in hand. Not exactly the end of the world after all.

So if you found yourself cursing another lost Arsenal season Sunday evening, take a deep breath and consider this; if we beat Chelsea at the Emirates on November 29th, we could very realistically finish that weekend leading the Premier League.

Birmingham City come to the Emirates bringing bad memories with them

Unfortunately, there have been a fair share of unpleasant moments for Arsenal fans in recent seasons. But two of the most painful memories both took place the last time we faced Birmingham City. On that day at St. Andrews we lost Eduardo to an horrific injury and essentially lost the title thanks to a dubious penalty conceded at the end of the match. After that our season, which showed so much promise both domestically and in Europe, came crashing down around us. Shortly after we were eliminated from the Champions League by Liverpool thanks to some of the worst refereeing you'll ever live to see. It was a depressing time for Arsenal supporters and I'll be happy not to think about it again.

So today's match is a chance for a modicum of revenge and possibly an opportunity to exorcise some demons. Ironically, however, all the key figures from the last match will be missing today. Martin Taylor will avoid the wrath of the Emirates crowd due to injury and his victim, Eduardo, is also out of action. Gael Clichy, who was guilty of losing possession and giving away the "penalty," will also miss the match with an ankle problem. Perhaps it's just as well that none of them play. With any luck, today's game will bear no resemblence to the travesty of 2008.

In reality, there should be very little drama playing out on the Emirates pitch today. Birmingham have made a relatively respectable start to the season, but they're recent form has been poor. Meanwhile, Arsenal have been on a tear since the two games in Manchester and the first 5 minutes in Belgium. We've been scoring goals for fun and our last match saw us nearly put 10 past Blackburn. The players seem together and focused and you really couldn't ask for a better match to welcome them back from the international break.

Although this is the kind of fixture that might induce a mental lapse, perhaps the memories of St. Andrews will be enough for players like Gallas and Cesc to light a fire under their teammates. And our manager knows how important these games can be. As he so uniquely put it yesterday: "We do not play for pieces of chocolate, we play for trophies and that’s what we want to win." So true Arsene! (But imagine how motivated Vermaelen would be if we did play for chocolate. Those beligians love their chocolate. And what about RVP? If he had more chocolate he could add it to his "chocolate leg" and make a super-size chocolate leg capable of striking the ball right through John Terry!)

As usual, the international break has left us with some new injuries to contemplate. Clichy and Bendtner are both out today, although neither problem sounds serious. And from the redundancy department of redundancy, Abou Diaby is carrying a slight knock that might limit him today. Unfortunately, Carlos Vela, who probably would've had a chance to contribute today, arrived back from Mexico too late to be involved. Eduardo still isn't ready to play and Nasri has only recently returned to training.

On the flip side, both Almunia and Fabianski are close to returning. Wenger confirmed that Lukas has suffered a minor setback that will keep him out today, but that Almunia might be able to return. It's a situation that has me less concerned considering Vito's recent form. Who would have guessed two months ago that we'd all be relatively comfortable relying on Mannone as our starting keeper for a while? (Assuming, of course, that we are relatively comfortable...which I'm not certain is true.)

The current injury scenario hardly registers as an issue considering what we've become accustomed to recently. However, it does open the door to some interesting lineup possibilities. Arshavin, Van Persie, Cesc and Song will almost certainly start. At the back, Wenger has already confirmed that Gibbs will start for Clichy, most likely alongside the first choice trio of Vermaelen, Gallas and Sagna. But that leaves two starting spots up for grabs. And the options are fun to consider.

Personally, I'd love to see Theo and Rosicky start. It would be a dynamic, creative and attack-minded choice. At some point this season I think Arshavin, RVP and Theo will be our first choice front three. Today would be a good chance to see how it works. And considering that Birmingham are probably planning to "park the bus" in front of their goal, Cesc and Rosicky would make a formidable midfield pairing capable of prising open a compact defense. Song can more than handle what little threat Birmingham are likely to pose. In games like these, early goals relieve pressure, and that would be the lineup to go get the goals.

Unfortunately, I just can't see Arsene going that direction. It's not that I think he's too conservative. I'm just not sure he's ready to hand a starting role to Walcott and he's been inexplicably loyal to Diaby over the past few weeks. If Abou is able to start today, I'm sure that's what we'll see. Theo certainly fits the mould of a game-changing substitute and I'm guessing that's the role he'll play today. Whether Rosicky starts is probably a question of his fitness. But there really aren't that many alternatives at the moment besides Eboue so I suspect that Tomas will go if he's ready. As competitive as things are getting for starting places at the moment, Ramsey and Wilshere are probably still quite a few rungs down the ladder.

In fact, when you look at the team right now, it's really a case of abundance and scarcity. We have a surfeit of attacking midfielders, but a paucity of holding players. We have an excess of wingers, but limited options in central defense. It really makes it hard to evaluate the team. (Other than simply looking at the performances of course.) What it does show, however, is where Arsene's interests lie. Not that there was ever any doubt. He's happy live by his attacking ethos, even if it's occasionally at the expense of defensive cohesion. And there's no denying that it leads to very entertaining football. Hopefully it will also lead to some silverware in the near future.

Whatever lineup Arsene selects today, it's certain to have enough talent to overcome Birmingham City. This is one of those fixtures that might have been frustrating last season. But this season we've dominated lesser opposition and showed a real killer instinct. Considering the circumstances of the last meeting with Birmingham, the players should have that extra motivation necessary to get their minds back on club (aka. proper) football.

There's also the possibility of gaining more ground in the league table this weekend. Liverpool will see what life's like without Gerrard and Torres. And I'm guessing they won't like it one bit. I don't think N'Gog and Babel are going to strike fear into the crowd at the Stadium of Light today. As for Chelsea, they have a tough away fixture with Aston Villa and the distraction of a battle against their transfer ban. And although United will be heavy favorites to beat Bolton, they may have to do it without Rooney and Berba. Kind of hard to see where their goals will come from this weekend.

So all things considered, we should consider ourselves lucky. We're back from the international break with a winnable home game and enough healthy players to make up a strong starting lineup. Meanwhile, our rivals find themselves in increasingly precarious positions.

And as if we didn't have enough in our favor, Robin Van Persie became a father for the second time this week. (Congratulations to him on the birth of his daughter.) I'm sure he'd love to get a goal so he can do that classic "new born baby" celebration.

Most importantly, the interlull is over. It's a sneaky, dirty character and it will be back before we know it. But it's gone for now and left us with our beloved Arsenal once again. After each international break I convince myself that I've never been so excited for club football to return, but this time I'm certain it's true. (Until next time.)

I can't wait for kickoff and I hope you enjoy the match where ever you will be watching.

Come on you Gunners!