Ten Years After, Walcott Still An Enigma

Arsenal forward Theo Walcott celebrated a decade at the club on
January, 20. The 26 year old arrived Arsenal as a fresh face 16 year
old from Southampton for £9m in 2006.
The likes of Thierry Henry and Robert Pires were still on the books of
the club when he joined in what was the final closing chapter of the
life of the club's former ancestral home of Highbury.

He did not play a game in his first six months at the club, but he was
part of the English squad that went to that year's World Cup in
Germany in what was a surprise.
He remains the only player who is a link between the Arsenal of
Highbury and the Arsenal of the Emirates.

His first contribution as an Arsenal player came from the bench in the
club's first ever league match at the Emirates, when he emerged as a
substitute to set up Gilberto from the left wing to score an equaliser
against Aston Villa in August, 2006.

His first contribution as a Arsenal player which was typified by his
electric pace made many to raise expectations that the club was unto
something great. And going by his numbers, he has got something going
for him even though he is not the be all, and have all that many had
hoped he would turn out to be.
In over 300 games for Arsenal, he has 81 goals and 64 assists. He
would certainly have since reached a century of goals, if not for his
numerous injuries which cumulatively has taken over two years of his
time at the club.

Yet despite his clear positive numbers, he still divides alot of
opinions largely due to his tendency to ebb and flow in a game without
giving much to the team during a match situation. He can both
frustrate and excite at the same time.
Some of his memorable assists have come from the right wing, bursting
with pace from there to cross, he had a lethal combination with Van
Persie through this, and most of his excitable moments came in the
Champions League, the cross he supplied to Emmanuel Adebayor at the
San Siro for the 2-0 win in March, 2008, and the same way he did a
similar thing for Adebayor against Liverpool at Anfield to tie the
match at 2-2 in what turned out to be defeat in the Champions League.
Then the goal he scored against Barcelona in 2009 to spark a comeback
after he emerged from the bench.

These moments have also been spiced with frustration with his
sometimes questionable decision making in picking a pass, and holding
on to possession.
He has never been a technical player, and it is unlikely that he would
suddenly become one as he enters his peak years. It is his ability to
both frustrate and excite at the same time that is what makes him an
enigma. Though the consistency of one is greater than the other.

Arsene Wenger claims the quality of his movement is what makes him
such a huge player. And his movement has been aided by his pace, which
is his best weapon.

This year he started as a centre forward keeping Oliver Giroud out of
the starting line-up. This was largely the state of affairs until his
calf injury in late October.
Yet despite the fact that he does not possess the physical attributes
to be a centre forward, as well as his inability to play with his back
to goal, his pace means he prevents defenders from venturing too far
forward when he is on the pitch as a forward.

His career has span through the turbulent times at the Emirates when
players came and left in droves. He should be one of the players who
has seen the highest turnover of players since he came to the club a
decade ago.

In a football landscape where it is rare to find a player who last a
couple of years at a club, that he has been at Arsenal for 10 years is
not to be sniffed at. Granted, he remains an enigma. Yet he is one
most clubs would love to have. And he possesses something that all
defenders do not like which is pace.
He is entering his peak years, and he definitely would reach a century
of goals for the club, and for a player that he is not a striker
strictu sensu that would be a great achievement, especially for an
English player in the Wenger era.

As he starts a new decade at the club, his enigmatic status might not
change, yet his moments of frustration and excitements would continue
to divide the fanbase.

Ozil back, Coquelin Returns To Full Training

Arsenal have received a major boost in their title push as Francis
Coquelin has returned to full training. This was confirmed by Arsene
Wenger in his weekly press conference on Thursday.
The French defensive midfielder has been out with a knee ligament
injury since November. Wenger has now confirmed that he is ahead of
schedule in his recovery.

"Coquelin is back in full training today. He is ahead of schedule. He
still has a full step to go through"

Apart from Coquelin's near return, Ozil is certainly available for
Sunday's match against Chelsea after he missed the game against Stoke
with a foot injury.

On Alexis Sanchez, Wenger is still adopting a cautionary line with the
Chilean. He was on the bench last week, but Wenger is drawing a line
between his recovery in training and playing in a match with
intensity. He is clearly taking it easy Alexis to avoid any setback.

"The doubt is that he has been out for a long time. There is a risk of
a setback if you go too early. To be clear on all tests is one thing,
after he is clear on training is another thing, after that the
intensity of a big game which you can never repeat in a training
session."

Wenger is clearly intent on easing the Chilean back into the fold as
muscular injuries can resurface if not handled properly.
The manager's reticence to rush him back could be because the team has
coped well with the injuries with 7 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat from 10
games in all competitions since the start of December.

Danny Welbeck is expected back in training next week, while Tomas
Rosicky is primed to feature in a reserve game with the U21s.

"Welbeck is back in full training next week, so that positive news"
Wenger said.
"It is possible Tomas Rosicky will feature in the U21 game on Friday."

Ozil: You Are Either A Hero Or A Scapegoat

Arsenal and German play maker Mesut Ozil was recently voted as the
German player of the year for 2015. It is the fourth time he has won
the award. However, his performance for the German national team has
not been without criticism with claims that he did not do enough for
the team in the last calender year. However, he responded to these
criticisms in some quarters in what is perceived as his inconsistent
performances for the German national team. When he said thus,

"That's football, I am used to this," Ozil said in an interview with
the German Football Federation. "Sometimes you are the hero, and
sometimes the scapegoat.

The 27 year old has been in good form for Arsenal this season with 16
assists and three goals in the Premier League.
Drawing comparison between his performance for Germany and Arsenal, he
concluded that his performance for his club has not been up to that of
Germany in the preceeding year.

"With that said, I am aware that my performances for Germany may not
have been as consistent as they have been for Arsenal. My aim for 2016
is to impress [for] both."

Fall Out From the Britannia: What Direction For The English Core?

Arsenal retained the leadership of the Premier League table after a
hard fought goalless draw against Stoke City at the Britannia on
Sunday. It was a game were the goalkeepers at both ends of the stick
were called upon on several occasion, especially Petr Cech who did
enough in the second half to earn Arsenal the point, while Jack
Butland kept out efforts from Oliver Giroud, (twice) and Oxlade
Chamberlain.

The talking point before the match was the absence of Mesut Ozil, who
missed out through a foot injury, that Wenger described as short term.
The German's absence was clear for all to see on Sunday evening as
Arsenal's creativity suffered while the game lasted. Ozil has 16
assists this season, and he has created 87 chances for his team mates
this season. Arsenal also equalled their lowered shots on target for a
league game this season, with just four shots on target.

With the conditions in which the team went into the match, especially
with the absence of key attacking players, it did not come as a
surprise that the match is seen as a point gained rather than two lost
by many.

However, it was the performance of two of the team's players in the
attacking third that left much to be desired.
Theo Walcott started again from the left wing, and he was
disappointing once again. His uninspiring performances have led many
to assert that he should be the player to be dropped when Alexis
Sanchez returns to the side, because of the form of Joel Campbell.
Walcott just went through the motions at the Britannia, contributing
very little in attack, and next to nothing defensively in helping
Nacho Monreal cover the left side, in contrast to Joel Campbell who
was both effective in the final third and defensively. Walcott had six
successful dribbles out of the seven he attempted, but that does not
give a clear picture of his game. Besides the fact that he was
dispossesed twice, his overall numbers were disappointing.
Even though he is one of Arsenal's outlets to get a goal, that did not
stop Wenger from substituting him for Alex Iwobi, a substitution he
was not enamoured by judging by his reaction.
He has been poor lately, he gave the ball away for Liverpool's first
goal last week when he attempted a dribble out of defence. And Besides
the goal he scored against Manchester City in December which brought
his for goals for the season to five, he has not been consistent in
front of goal.

This month he marks ten years as a player of Arsenal, and he was one
of the players Arsene Wenger earmarked to be part of the English core
(Walcott, Ox, Gibbs, Wilshere [injured] Jenkinson [loan] Calum
Chambers was not at the club when Wenger made the statement of a
English core) at the club that could be heading for greater things. So
far, it seems the manager spoke too soon at the time, as non of these
players have lived up to the expectation so far.

It would not be for want of games, as he has been involved from the
start in all of Arsenal's games since he returned from a calf injury
to start against Olympiacos in Athens.

Another one of the English core that has not inspired much this season
is Oxlade-Chamberlain, he was deployed in Ozil's position at Stoke
behind Giroud in a 4-3-3. Apart from some fleeting display where he
forced a save from distance from Jack Butland, he was largely one
paced and ineffective. Although his attempted five dribbles were
successful, and he was only dispossessed twice all game, he could
still have done more given that the opportunity to feature regularly
would regress once the players that are out starts returning from
injury.
The Ox as he is popularly called has been one of the disappointments
of this season to date, especially when the way Joel Campbell has
risen from the ashes this season to become a key player is considered.
The Costa Rican has been so consistent in the last seven weeks that
Wenger recently dubbed him the Coquelin of this season.
When the Costa Rican all round display in such a short space of time
is appraised, and how he has improved, it calls into question what the
English players at Arsenal are doing wrong that they seem to make the
same mistakes, and there game always suffers when they are expected to
improve despite the fact that they have been playing amongst some of
the best and most technical players around in Ozil, Alexis, Rosicky
and Cazorla.

It says alot about the direction of the English core at Arsenal that
when the injured players returns from their spell out, they will not
be first choice.
Walcott has become ineffective playing from the left, and with Alexis
set to return to the side against Chelsea, he could be set for a place
on the bench in the coming weeks.
The Ox is already second choice to Joel Campbell. While Kieran Gibbs
lost his place to Monreal long ago.
Jack Wilshere is always injured.
What direction for the English core?

P.S. Calum Chambers and Danny Welbeck are in their second season at the club.

EPL Preview: Arsenal's Britannia Hoodoo, Alex Ferguson As John Lennon of Football & More

The English Premier League enters week 22 this weekend as league
leaders Arsenal visit Britannia to play Stoke City, while no longer
surprised package Leicester City going to Villa Park to play
relegation folders Aston Villa. The pick of the bunch is Manchester
United's visit to Anfield as guess of Liverpool. Manchester City are
at home to Crystal Palace. While Chelsea entertain Everton at Stamford
Bridge.

Stoke City v. Arsenal
Sunday
Britannia Stadium

Arsene Wenger's Arsenal have only won just one of its league matches
at the Britannia in seven visits to the Stadium, and that victory
cames in February, 2010. The Stoke City side of previous years under
former manager Tony Pulis where very physical and direct in their
approach, a combination that repeatedly troubled Arsenal. However, the
coming of Mark Hughes and the signing of flair players has given Stoke
another attacking dimension.
They have beaten Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea this
season at home scoring five goals without conceding any.
A win for them will see them beat all of last season's top four clubs.

Arsenal on the other hand come into the match on the heels of the
pulsating 3-3 draw with Liverpool on Wednesday. Wenger would hope that
his team does not stumble once again in the hostile atmosphere of the
Britannia.

Liverpool v. Manchester United
Sunday
Anfield

Jurgen Klopp described former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson
as the John Lennon of football at his press conference on Friday. It
was obvious that he holds the Scotsman in high esteem. Yet the
Manchester United side of Ferguson is a far cry from that of today. As
Louis van Gaal's present Man United side has repeatedly been
criticised for the lack of excitement in their approach to the game.
But the 3-3 draw against Newcastle United on Tuesday had enough
entertainment, but it still did not fetch Man United the needed three
points. The Dutchman would settle for less exciting football, but with
the maximum three points.
Its a North-West rivalry in English football, and it should be intense.

Chelsea v. Everton
Saturday
Stamford Bridge

Guus Hiddink was not pulling punches when he said that Chelsea were
still in a relegation battle and that relegation was a still a
possibility. The blues are currently six points from the relegation
places going into this match, but were one point off it when Hiddink
took over.
However, despite their recent improvement which has culminated in an
unbeaten run, they are still to win back-to-back League matches this
season after West Brom held them to a 2-2 draw on Wednesday.

Their opponents on Saturday Everton arrive on a high after they shot
out Manchester City from scoring at the Etihad. Tim Howard was
Everton's best player on Wednesday. Roberto Martinez will be hoping
that the talk would be about his attacking players this time around.

Wenger Considering Gamble On Alexis' Fitness

Arsene Wenger has intimated that he could take a gamble on the fitness
of Alexis Sanchez provided the Chilean comes through his fitness test
successfully. The 27 year old has been out with a hamstring injury
since November 29 when he limped off against Norwich.

After almost two months out, he has returned to full training, but
Wenger is still adopting a path of caution with the Chilean and as
such his comeback has been pushed back on several occasions after he
suffered a setback in December.

"He has two decisive days," Wenger said of Sanchez. "Today [Friday]
and tomorrow [Saturday]. He's fit. Do we take a gamble or not on his
injury?"

Alexis Sanchez is known to be a resilient player that pushes himself
hard, and it is understandable that the club is handling him with a
bevy of caution in order to avoid another setback.
However, Wenger would know as much as anybody else that it is better
for him to sit out the match away at Stoke instead of the risk of
losing him for a longer period.

The manager also spoke on the possibility of signing more players
after Mohammed Elneny's capture was confirmed on Thursday, but the
Frenchman would rather that his injured players return from injury.

According to him,

"I would prefer to have the players back from injuries," he opined.
"Welbeck is two to three weeks away and I am confident I will not find
a better player than Welbeck on the market."

With just one win in the Premier League in six visits to the Britannia
Stadium in the last couple of years, Arsenal would have to rewrite the
scripts to underline their title credentials.

Odion Ighalo Joins The Okocha & Odemwingie club

Super Eagles and Watford striker Odion Ighalo has been named the
Barclays player of the month for the month of December. The 26 year
old helped Watford to 10 league points last month by scoring 5 goals.

He becomes the third Nigerian that has won the award, joining the
likes of Jay Jay Okocha who won it while at Bolton, and Peter
Odewingie who had it during his time at West Brom.

He was the top scorer in the top four leagues ( Premier League,
Championship, League One and League Two ) in England in the calender
year 2015 with 30 league goals spanning over his time with Watford in
the English second tier, the Championship, and the league goals he has
scored in the Premier League since the season started.

It was a joint award for the North London club as the manager of the
month award was won by it manager Quinte Flores.

Watford are currently in 10th position in the league with 29 points
after a strong first half of the season.

They resume their league campaign next monday with a visit to the
Liberty Stadium as guess of the struggling Swansea City.

Aaron Ramsey And Arsenal's Missing Midfield

Arsenal conceded a last minute equaliser to draw 3-3 with Liverpool in
a pulsating match at Anfield on Wednesday. But besides the result
which was two points lost for Arsenal, there were several sub plots to
the match, one of which includes Arsenal's midfield that went missing
yet again.
It is important to lay a foundation on this, so that there would be a
better understanding of why Arsenal's midfield has simply become
porous.

The midfield partnership of Santi Cazorla and Francis Coquelin
happened by accident, but through it, Arsenal have been able to struck
gold with both players dovetailing in a parlance of midfield
understanding. Both players are adept at defending, with Cazorla's
ability to recircle possession while receiving the ball as the last
man from the centre halves, this was always a delibrate tactics
between both players because the ambidextrous Cazorla is very
technical and the ball could stay glued to his foot. And both Coquelin
and Cazorla are always close to each other which makes it difficult
for teams to easily penetrate Arsenal's midfield. The catalyst for
this emerging glint was the complete performance from both players in
the 2-0 win over Manchester City at the Etihad last season.

However, this blossoming partnership was cut short after both players
got injured in a space of one week against West Brom and Norwich
respectively in November. Since both players sustained knee ligament
injuries, another midfield partnership emerge between Aaron Ramsey and
Mathieu Flamini.
While Ramsey has taken up the Cazorla role, and Flamini the Coquelin
role, Arsenal have practically played with a one man midfield when
both Flamini and Ramsey have played together, that ability to control
matches and retain possession under pressure have become history. As a
result of Ramsey's tendency to go for the glory of goals, Flamini has
become most times like an abandoned fisherman left alone to pull out
full net of fish from the sea, and the pressure of that pulling has
led to more sinking.

The struggles of this midfield partnership has not been too obvious at
the Emirates, but away from home it has been exposed repeatedly.
Although it must be said that Arsenal's first match in December
against Sunderland at the Emirates was an accident in terms of the
midfield partnership between Flamini and Ramsey. One consequence of
this partnership is the fact that it gifts the opposition lots of big
chances during periods of games.

On how this partnership has been exposed away from home, none more so
than the 4-0 defeat at Southampton on Boxing Day when Arsenal's
turnovers from giving the ball way when pressed by the Saints forward
line increased because of the lack of technical nous between Flamini
and Ramsey.
The same happened in Wednesday's draw at Anfield, but the only
difference was that the team responded offensively.

Mathieu Flamini's time in the defensive midfield position would have
been less stressful to the Arsenal defence if Ramsey does not
repeatedly abandon his defensive responsibilities. Some observers
would point to the three goals he has scored in the league since he
moved to the middle of the park, yet it should be pointed out that
what made him such an effective player in the 2013/2014 season when he
scored 16 goals from midfield was his discipline, and the fact that
Mikel Arteta was beside him in midfield to act as the technical player
that would keep the ball ticking.

Frank Lampard made a key point last month when asked about Ramsey's
tendency to go searching for a goal, he said the Welshman must
understand that in a two man midfield he must understand and undertake
his defensive duties while adopting a disciplined approach to going
forward.

His deep runs into the opposition box to get on the end of crosses is
something nobody can iron out of his game, but he is getting to a
stage where he has to draw a line between the glory of the team, and
personal glory. He focuses more on goal scoring than trying to balance
the act of goal scoring with defending alongside Mathieu Flamini.

With the confirmation of the signing of Mohammed Elneny, it remains to
be seen how Arsene Wenger approaches Arsenal's away days in the league
in the coming weeks, as it is clear that Arsenal's continuous missing
midfield will not be found as long as Ramsey continues to leave
Flamini shielding the back four alone in the middle of the park.

Some would point to the five wins, a draw and a defeat in seven league
matches, and the two wins in other competitions, which is seven wins
from nine matches through that midfield partnership. Yet it is the
hairy moments that has become a regular fixture in matches that has
left this partnership in dire need of a revisit before it cost the
team.

DONE DEAL: Wenger Confirms Elneny Signing

Mohammed Elneny, Photo: Independent UK

Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Egyptian midfielder Mohammed Elneny, the 23 year old arrives from Swiss champions Basel for a fee in the region of £7 million.

He is expected to provide cover in midfield after several injuries to key players in the last couple of months. The midfielder has 40 international caps for the Egyptian Pharaoh’s national team since he made his debut in 2011. He has over a 100 appearances for Basel, and boasts three Swiss league titles since joining over three years ago.

The 5ft 10in midfielder is not new to English teams, in the last couple of seasons, he featured prominently in the Basel team that defeated Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham in the Champions League and Europa league respectively.

A player that is blessed with technical ability and a wide range of passing that has endeared him to fans of the Swiss champions during his stint at Basel. He is more a deep lying midfielder than an archetypal defensive midfielder.

His signing would serve as a boost for Arsenal's title push as the North Londoners are short of numbers in midfield following the injuries to Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla in November as well as long term absentee Jack Wilshere.

Excitement Returns, But No Joy For Van Gaal

Louis van Gaal put it in apt terms when he said it felt like a defeat
after the exciting 3-3 draw with Newcastle United at St. James Park on
Tuesday night.
Van Gaal's side were two goals up inside the opening 30 minutes, but
the Magpies were rewarded with a goal before half time for taking more
risk, and they were on level terms through a penalty to level scores
at 2-2 in the second half.
Wayne Rooney thought he had done enough to win the match for
Manchester United when he side footed home from 22 yards to make it
3-2, but a Paul Dummet shot which took a deflection of Chris Smalling
tied the match at 3-3.

A visibly disappointment Van Gaal said after the match that they
should have scored six. He was right as the chances where there.
Felliani headed straight at the keeper when he should have done
better, while Lingard blazed over when it was easier to score. But
Steven McClaren's side could still lay claim to the chances they
created as David de Gea was called on on more than one occasion,
although most of the big chances on Tuesday night fell to Manchester
United.

The six goal thriller raises some questions as regard the approach of
Van Gaal. The question is could it be the reason why he loathes an
open game is because of his lack of confidence that his defence can
hold out for 90 minutes. Because going by evidence and statistics,
when Manchester United have opened up to attack, they have been all
over the place defensively.
The 3-2 defeat to Wolfsburg in the Champions League was an instance
where an open game meant the German side scored three goals.

On the few occasions that Van Gaal has set his side out to play an
open and attacking game, his side has failed to pick the maximum three
points in the league, Tuesday's match was an instance, while the
others includes the 0-0 draw against Chelsea as well as the
aforementioned defeat to Wolfsburg in the Champions League.
With this, Louis van Gaal might decide to continue the conversative
approach that has led to calls that his team lacks any excitement.

One reason why Manchester United might continue to adopt a reserved
approach in most matches is the composition of its central midfield.
Bastian and Michael Carrick are not the fastest players available, and
as such they cannot keep up with a high tempo game or give full proof
protection to the back four. The way they were ran ragged in the 3-0
defeat to Arsenal in October is an example of how Bastian and Carrick
struggle to cope with the fast pace movement of opponents. It is no
surprise therefore, that they both play quite deep with each taking
turns to push high up to support the attack. However, their ability to
pick up pass from deep gives them an advantage.
Morgan Schneiderlin has not really settled into any defensive midfield
role since he arrived at Old Trafford. At Southampton, he was used to
playing the box-to-box role, while Victor Wanyama played the deeper
role.

What is obvious is that when Manchester United plays an open game they
inevitably concede big chances to the opposition which in itself is
inevitable because, playing attacking football is taking risks, which
means your opponent is more likely to catch you on a counter attack
when you push men forward. Whether it is a risk would like to take
continually remains to be seen.

With Van Gaal on a tactical crossroad, it remains to be seen how he
approaches the rest of the season. Does he bow to the pressure of
fans, and continue to play the kind of open football that was offer on
Tuesday, or will he stick to his guns and continue his conservative
approach?

Feast of Boredom: Van Gaal Confesses He has Also Been Affected

Louis van Gaal,  Photo: Telegraph UK

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has confessed to been bored by some of the football his side has played this season. The Old Trafford outfit has been criticised by ex-players and the media for their lack of attacking verve in most of the matches they have been involved in.

Louis van Gaal's side has been lacking in excitement and entertainment especially at Old Trafford where they have failed to score a first half goal in 10 of their last home matches.

Now their manager has claimed to have been affected by the boredom brought about by some of the matches involving his side.

Firstly, he stated that there have been matches he has enjoyed while some have been a feast of boredom.

"There are matches that I have enjoyed," he said. "And there are also matches where I'm very bored or angry because we are not disorganising our opponent's defence, but that is football."

Following the latest feast of boredom involving Manchester United in the FA Cup third round match against Sheffield United last weekend, where it took a last minute penalty from Wayne Rooney to win the tie, Paul Scholes pull the strings of criticism out yet again, when he said the team and the manager looked bored. The winner of eleven Premier League titles at Old Trafford has been one of the club's fiercest critics this season. 

It remains to be seen whether Manchester United can turn that boredom into excitement when they visit St. James Park as guest of Newcastle United on Tuesday night in one of three Premier League games in the midweek programme of league football in England.

Jurgen Klopp Hails Arsene Wenger

Ahead of Premier League Wednesday's match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield, the reds manager has spoke glowing of Arsene Wenger. The former Mainz and Borussia Dortmund manager praised the Frenchman for his longevity in the Premier League in spite of the evolution that has taken place over the years.
Jurgen Klopp joined Liverpool in October, and Arsene Wenger would be 20 years at the helm at Arsenal in September this year. That the Liverpool manager sees as something special especially when the intensity of the league is taken in consideration.

“My respect [for him] goes up day by day,” Klopp said in his pre match press conference “It’s really intense to work in the Premier League, especially in a team with international matches too. He always had my biggest respect but now it’s a little bit bigger since I’ve been here.
“It’s a really brilliant job what he has done for about 19-and-a-half years. He’s a high quality manager, one of the best in the world for sure.
“It’s really rare that you can do this - but he has. He’s a football maniac in the best understanding.
“It's always a challenge to play against him but I’m looking forward to it.”

Both Klopp and Wenger have an history, they met on six occasions in the group stages of the Champions League while the German was manager of Dortmund. Arsenal won three of those fixtures, with the Germans winning two. While the other ended in a draw.

Arsenal v. Borussia Dortmund under Jurgen Klopp

2011/2012 season

Emirates: Arsenal 2, Borussia Dortmund 1
Signal Iduna Park: Borussia Dortmund 1, Arsenal 1

2013/2014 season

Emirates: Arsenal 1, Borussia Dortmund 2
Signal Iduna Park: Borussia 0, Arsenal 1

2014/2015 season

Emirates: Arsenal 2, Borussia Dortmund 0
Signal Iduna Park: Borussia Dortmund 2, Arsenal 0

Pep Guardiola Issues Apology

When Pep Guardiola announced in mid December last year that he would be leaving Bayern Munich at the end of this season, the announcement did not come as a surprise to many observers, because it was an open secret that he would be leaving the bundesliga at the end of his three year contract. It was his next destination that has left many people wondering, until he announced last week that he would like to test himself in the Premier League, as a result several top clubs are speculated to be scrambling for his services, but his announcement that he is heading for the world's most popular football league has put pressure on several Premier League managers.
Obviously noticing the pressure he has put some premiership manager's under, he has subsequently issued an apology to managers in the Premier League this Tuesday.

he claimed he was  "sorry" if his comments last week were disrespectful to his fellow managers

"It was not my intention to offend anybody," he continued.
"Normally in my career as a trainer and as a player, I respect my colleagues a lot."

When asked about the club he would be managing next season, he declined to give anything away, but he concluded by saying: "I don't know. Of course I'm focused on Bayern Munich, but this doesn't change the fact that I will be training a team next season."

According to reports, he is odds on to take over at Manchester City at the beginning of next season, but he has also be linked to Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

FA CUP 4th Round: Arsenal To Face Burnley, Man United & Chelsea Get Away Ties

FA Cup Trophy Photo English FA

The draws for the fourth round of the English Fa Cup was done on Monday evening. The draw pits the cup holders Arsenal with championship side Burnley, While Manchester United will face championship high flyers Derby County at Pride Park. Premier League holders Chelsea will play either Nottingham Forest or MK Dons. The matches for the fourth round will be played on the weekend of January 29- February 1

Full FA Cup fourth-round draw

Arsenal v Burnley
Bury/Bradford City v Hull City
Carlisle/Yeovil v Everton
Colchester v Tottenham/Leicester
Crystal Palace v Stoke City
Derby v Manchester United
Eastleigh/Bolton v Leeds United
Exeter City/Liverpool v West Ham
Huddersfield/Reading v Walsall
Ipswich/Portsmouth v Bournemouth
Northampton/MK Dons v Chelsea
Nottingham Forest v Watford
Oxford United v Newport County/Blackburn
Shrewsbury v Sheffield Wednesday
West Bromwich/Bristol City v Peterborough
Wycombe/Aston Villa v Manchester City

Wenger: Ballon d'Or is Messi's

Ballon d'Or Trophy

The winner of the 2015 FIFA world player of the year would be announced later on Monday, and Barcelona's Lionel Messi is the overwhelming favourite to win the award for a record, fifth time from the pack of Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar.  The 28 year old lost out to Cristiano Ronaldo at the last awards ceremony, but on the strength of what Barcelona achieved last season and in the calender year 2015 where they won five trophies, the Argentine maestro is the overwhelming favourite to win it.

Arsene Wenger was asked about the award and who he thinks would win it this time around, the Frenchman has never been a fan of personal awards in football, preferring rather that the collective effort of a team should be rewarded rather than what an individual player did, to him a player would not have achieved same without his team mates, he reiterated this line when he bared his mind on where he thinks would be the destination of the award.

"I'm not a big fan of this award" he told journalist at London Colney. "It will be Messi. Barcelona won everything."

Which about confirms what everybody in the football world knows already. Anything, but Messi would be the biggest surprise of the year so far.

Tomas Rosicky Returns to Full Training

Arsene Wenger held a press conference Monday morning ahead of Arsenal's visit to Anfield on Wednesday. and the Frenchman had some positive news on the injury front when he confirmed that long term injury absentee, Tomas Rosicky has returned to full time training. the 35 year old Czech international has been out since last season when he injured his knee while playing for Czech Republic in a Euro 2016 qualifier in June."Rosicky is back in full training" he confirmed.

On the hamstring injury that has kept out Alexis Sanchez for the last seven weeks, the Liverpool game would come too soon for the Chilean, but he is expected back in the squad for the match against Stoke at the Britiania at the weekend. " The Liverpool game will come too soon for Sanchez" the Frenchman told the assembled media." he finished by saying that "he should be okay for  Stoke, he's developing very well."

"We are try to be cautious, but with a muscular injury you never know. He's very close. If you look at him training, he's very. very close."

Arsenal have managed well without their injured talisman as they have won all matches bar one match since he has been out.
With the fixtures coming thick and fast in the coming weeks, it seems the Arsenal manager would be able to call on some of his injured players that have been out for a long time this season.

FA Cup: Iwobi Starts, as Wenger Makes Five Changes

Alex Iwobi

Arsene Wenger makes five changes to the lineup ahead of the third round FA Cup match against Sunderland at the Emirates, Nigerian midfielder and Jay Jay Okocha's nephew Alex Iwobi makes his first start for the club. Mesut Ozil, Mathieu Flamini and Per Mertesacker did not make the squad as they are rested entirely. Arsenal begin a third defence of the FA Cup as they bid to become the first team to win the cup three times in a row for the first time in almost 120 years.

LINE UP:

Petr Cech, Hector Bellerin, Gabriel, Laurent Koscielny, Kieran Gibbs, Calum Chambers, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alex Iwobi, Theo Walcott, Joel Campbell, Oliver Giroud

Subs : Matt Macey, Mathieu Debuchy, Nacho Monreal, Aaron Ramsey, Mikel Arteta, Chris Willock, Jeff Reine-Adelaide

Caf Awards: Why Yaya Toure’s Anger Is Not Justified

From L-R, Andre Ayew, Pierre Aubameyang and Yaya Toure at the glo Caf Awards in Abuja on Thursday 

Photo: Getty Images

In a gala night in Abuja on Thursday, Caf crowned Gabonese striker Pierre Emerick Aubameyang as the 2015 African player of the year. The 25 year old striker had a good calendar year for his German club, Borussia Dortmund. This season he has 18 goals from 17 league appearances and has scored 63 goals in over a hundred appearances for the Signal Iduna Park outfit since he joined in 2013.

However, the player who won the award four times in the last four years before he was dethroned on Thursday did not take the fact that he lost out to the Gabonese striker likely.  According to him he expected to be crowned the winner for captaining his country to the African Cup of Nations title early in 2015. For this he has strongly criticised the African football governing body. In an interview with Radio France International, he said

“"I think that's what makes the shame of Africa," 

"To behave in this way is indecent! But what can we do?"

"We Africans, we do not show that Africa is important to us," 

"We give more priority to what's going on elsewhere than in our own continent. This is what is appalling. "I give an example: it's Lionel Messi who wins all the trophies but it's Ronaldo who is Ballon d'Or. What would you say? It would be unfair."

"Yaya will look after himself, and let Africa look after itself. Like I'm often told, you shouldn't worry too much about Africa, because Africa will be the first to let you down." 

Despite his emotional outburst after failing to win the award for what would have been an unprecedented fifth consecutive time, the question is, is he justified in his outburst?

Firstly he lost narrowly to Aubameyang with the 25 year old winning the award by just seven points of 143-136, which means it was a close shave, and the Gabonese victory holds much to his strong performances for Dortmund in the past year, because Gabon were knocked out of the group stages of the African Cup of Nations.

Yet, Yaya Toure’s outburst is not justified for the simple reason that the previous four Caf player of the year awards he won was purely down to what he won with his club side Manchester City, and not his performance for his country the Ivory Coast. It was the same criteria that were used to hand him the award in the last four years that was used to grant same to Aubameyang. Though, the Gabonese did not win a trophy in Germany in 2015, but he was a consistent goal scorer. For Toure to now claim that for the fact that he captained his country to the Afcon title, he should have been the winner reeks of sour grapes.

It is an individual award for which your performance for your country and your club determines how a player wins it. If anything Yaya Toure was a shadow of himself in the Afcon tournament in Equatorial Guinea. Players like Gervinho and Max Gradel had more influence on the Ivorian team in the tournament than Toure that failed to really influence proceedings.

The Ivorian won the Afcon title in 2015, what you have to ask yourself is what were Yaya Toure’s contributions to his country’s success on the field besides being captain? He seldom influenced proceedings, and was largely a lumbering figure in midfield. His best Afcon tournament for the Ivorians was in 2012, when he was an influential figure, but they lost in the final to Zambia on penalties after being the better team throughout the tournament.

Apart from winning the Afcon title, there is the consideration of how influential a player was to the triumph of his country in such tournament. If winning a tournament is purely the criteria for winning such individual awards, then one of the German players such as Thomas Muller should have been crowned the Ballon’Or winner for 2014 because Germany won their Fourth World Cup in Brazil, but it was Ronaldo that won that year’s award, despite the disappointing World Cup that Portugal had where they crashed out of the group stages. He won that award on the strength of his performance for Real Madrid that year.

On these grounds, Yaya Toure’s outburst is not justified as Pierre Emerick Aubameyang was the best African player of 2015 on the strength of his performances for Borussia Dortmund and for leading Gabon to the latter stages of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

Although many would obviously disagree.

Wenger: Elneny Deal to Happen In Three Days Time

Mo' Elneny, Photo: Independent UK

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed that the deal to bring in Basel and Egyptian midfielder Mohammed Elneny will be completed early next week.

Wenger described the deal as complicated because of the issues presumably surrounding the player’s work permit. This is the case because of the recent work permit rules introduced by the English FA last year, where a player must not only have played 75% of his country’s matches in the last two years, but he must also be from a country ranked within the first 50 in the world in FIFA rankings. Egypt are currently ranked 54 position in the world, which makes it complicated to secure a work permit for the player. Under the old rule with was the first ranked 75 countries, he would have easily met the criteria.

Despite the holdup, negotiations have since been completed with Swiss club Basel with a fee in the region of £7million agreed. The club announced on Tuesday that the player missed training because of his imminent transfer, and a teammate of his took to the social media too wish him goodluck at Arsenal, which all add up that what is holding the deal up, is the delay in securing work permit.

Arsene Wenger commented on the situation in his press conference of Friday,

“The deal is complicated a little bit” he said “we work hard on it. We hope in the next two to three days we get to the end of it.”

He went further to emphasise what the signing would mean to Arsenal’s season when it goes through.

“He [Elneny] will at least be one of the signings and comes in an area where we are short at the moment”

Alexis Out of Sunderland and Liverpool Games

Arsenal talisman Alexis Sanchez is expected to miss the club’s next two games against Sunderland in the FA cup third round on Saturday and the league clash against Liverpool at Anfield next week Wednesday. This is after failing to sufficiently recover from a hamstring injury. The Chilean suffered the injury against Norwich in November. He was initially scheduled to return for the match against Manchester City in December, but suffered a setback in training. The club has decisively opted to adopt a cautionary line with the 26 year old to avoid further setback ahead of the business end of the season.

Speaking on the player’s condition, Arsene Wenger confirmed thus

“Sanchez is a bit short to be involved in the squad, but he’s not far”

Arsenal have coped well in his absence winning all, but one match which was the defeat against Southampton on Boxing Day. However, no player offers what the Chilean gives to the Arsenal side in the final third and defensively as his work rate is unrivalled.

With the spate of setbacks that have played other players recovering from injuries especially Jack Wilshere and Danny Welbeck, it does not come as a surprise that his comeback is being deliberately delayed.

However, he should be available for the trip to the Britannia to face Stoke City a week on Saturday.

Liverpool Without Half It Squad

Anfield, Photo: Agencies

 Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool go into this weekend FA Cup tie at Exeter without majority of its first team squad. The club's injury crisis took a new turn in the last couple of days after Philippe Coutinho and Dejan Lovren limped off with hamstring injuries in the league cup win over Stoke City on Tuesday. Both players have now be ruled for a month and three weeks respectively.

Kolo Toure also suffered cramp in that match, and is now expected to miss the next three matches.

Liverpool have as many as six players out with hamstring injuries, and they will be without a recognised central defender for this weekend's FA Cup match.

Jordan Ibe, Divock Origi, Mamadou Sakho, Daniel Sturridge, Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Danny Ings are all out injured.

Jurgen Klopp has been criticised in the English media for the increased spate of hamstring injuries at Liverpool since he took over. His unique pressing style which requires his team to cover lots of ground on the pitch while running is seen as the reason for the increased spate of hamstring injuries which specialist claims is caused by overloading of the muscles.

However, in his press conference on Thursday, Jurgen Klopp debunked the claim that the style of play is the reason for the injuries. According to him, he does not have a playing style, as his players are just playing a normal football style. 

Arsenal Injuries eases, But Alexis Still out

Arsenal will be without Alexis Sanchez for this weekend third round FA cup tie against Sunderland. The Chilean who has been out his late November with a hamstring problem was initially scheduled to return this weekend, but he is not yet ready to make his comeback. Arsene Wenger confirmed this to the club's official website.

However, the Frenchman confirmed that Arsenal captain Mikel Arteta would return to the squad for this weekend match after he recovered fully from his longstanding calf problem.

The former Everton midfielder played 45 minutes in Arsenal's U21s 3-2 win over Blackburn earlier in the week as part of his comeback from injury. He has been plagued by repeated calf injuries in the past year. He had a surgery on his ankle in December, 2014 to fix a problem in the calf that kept him out for nearly four months, but the calf injuries has resurfaced several times this season, as he has not featured since he limped off against West Brom in November.

His return will be a welcome boost for Arsenal as the club has been short of numbers in midfield in the last few months.

The other positive from Arsene Wenger's update is that Tomas Rosicky is expected to resume full training next week, while Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla's recovery is going well that they could return in February.

Arsenal have several players that have not featured this season because of injury. Danny Welbeck, Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky have been out all season after they went under the knife at various times in 2015, and it is looking very likely that the Czech captain will be the first to return before the English duo.

 

Pep Guardiola: Which English club will the cap fit?

Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola announced on Tuesday that his next destination would be the English Premiership. The 44 year old confirmed last December that he would be leaving Bayern Munich when his contract expires in the summer. The former Barcelona manager came to limelight in his four year stint with the Catalans by winning 14 trophies from 2008-2012 after he made the transition from Barcelona B side to manage the senior team. The trophy haul included a treble of La Liga, Champions League and Copa Del Rey in his first season. After leaving Barcelona, he took a one year sabbatical, and he returned to manage the most successful club in German football Bayern Munich, he has two bundesliga titles in his first two seasons, and he is well placed to claim a third straight league title with the Bavarians in his last season as Bayern Munich manager are seven points clear of Borussia Dortmund ahead of the second half of the season. However, the failure to bring a champions league title so far to the Allianz Arena has been a blot on his otherwise unrivalled managerial career, especially when the manner of the semi final defeats to Real Madrid and Barcelona in 2014 and 2015 is put into consideration, where they lost 5-0 and 5-3 on aggregate in both matches.

Whether he can go one step further this season will depend on how they fare against Seria A champions Juventus in the round of 16.

With his declaration that his next destination is the English Premiership, there will be an inevitable scramble for his services. The overwhelming favourite is Manchester City because of the presence of Ferran Soriano who is the club’s chief executive and Txiki Begiristain who is the director of football in the Citizens management set up at the Etihad Stadium, they were Guardiola’s bosses at the Nou Camp during his hugely successful four years in Catalonia. With that structure already in place, he has a ready made platform with which to work on, as well as people he knows very well from his days at Barcelona. This should swing it in the Citizens favour.

The Abu Dhabi Investment Group owners of the club have ambitious plans to turn the fortunes of the club around. That they have done with the two league titles, an FA Cup and League Cup they have won in four years, but it is the dominance of Europe which have eluded them in spite of the turn over of managers and millions spent at the club since Sheikh Mansour took over the club.

It would seem that the club’s hierarchy see Pep Guardiola has the man that can deliver that consistent dominance in Europe that they have craved. To them he is the anointed one that would take them to that European elite club.

The money to mould the squad to his image is there, but the present Manchester City manager, Manuel Pellegrini would have to step aside for Pep to come in. The Chilean still has 18 months in his contract, and with Pep available in the summer, the club is likely to dispense with his services in order to take advantage of Pep’s availability.

However, despite Manchester City’s strong position in the race to win Pep’s signature, Roman Abramovich could have a say or two in the drama. The Russian Oligarch has been a longtime admirer of Pep’s managerial ability. Over the years, he has tried albeit unsuccessfully to bring him to Stamford Bridge, as he has never been enamoured by the Chelsea owner’s plans to bring him to West London.

With the managerial position at Stamford Bridge expected to be vacate this summer when Guus Hiddink’s short stint ends, the Russian would certainly try once again to see whether he can bring him to London.

While it is possible that he might settle for the job at the Bridge, it could be difficult because of the quick fire and hire policy of the Chelsea owner, such an attitude which has recently accounted for several managers could put off the Catalan from considering any offer from the Premiership champions.

Then there is Manchester United. It is no secret that former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson met Pep Guardiola on two occasions while he was on sabbatical in New York to discuss the possibility of his taking over at Old Trafford. Alex Ferguson had not decided to retire at the time of those meetings. However, at the time he announced his sudden retirement, Pep had already agreed a deal to take over at Bayern Munich. Something that took Ferguson by surprise. Even with his availability once again, it very unlikely that he would be heading to Old Trafford. As Louis van Gaal could end up seeing out his contract which will have one year to run from this summer.

Like the aforementioned clubs, Pep has also been linked to Arsenal, but this have the least possibility of happening, largely because of Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman still has 18 months in his contract, and there is a real chance that it could be extended if he can get more trophies in the cabinet. There is no sign that Wenger would be ending his almost 20 years association with Arsenal anytime soon.

A couple of years ago few would have thought that Manchester City would be the overwhelming favourite to get Pep Guardiola as manager, but how times have changed in the football landscape in England, that they can now call on some of the best players in the world, and in what would be a coup de grace, the best manager in the world in club football in Pep Guardiola

 

The Conundrum of the Ox

The Ox, Credit: Independent UK

The development of a young player always takes an unknown trajectory. How he develops is a path that is not readily clear to any person even the most sagely of football personality cannot discern how he would turn out.

Such a player could blossom as a teenager, and then later suffer a dip in form in his early twenties before he manages to pick up later in his mid to late twenties.

When Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain joined Arsenal in the summer of 2011 from Southampton in a fee in the region of £15 million as a raw 17 year old, very few persons even Arsene Wenger that has a reputation with young players could have ascertain how is transition from league one to the Premier League would be. He made his debut in the 8-2 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford in August, 2011.

Despite going on to make over a 100 appearances for Arsenal, he has not lived up to the hype that greeted his arrival almost five years ago. If anything his development has stunted for the past few seasons. Some of his best performances came when he was still a teenager, but he has struggled to maintain any semblance of consistency.

Arguably his best and most complete performance for the club came in the Champions League round of 16 second leg tie against AC Milan at the Emirates in March, 2012. He was deployed in central midfield where he orchestrated and dictated play. His solid performance that night earned Arsenal a 3-0 win, but they crashed out 4-3 on aggregate after they lost 4-0 in the first leg at the San Siro.

If a player's best performance since he joined a club is nearly four years ago, then it is easy to see that such a player is struggling.

Another moment that showed his ability was when he was deployed again in central midfield against Crystal Palace at the Emirates in February, 2014, after Arsenal suffered several injuries in that position; he scored two goals to earn Arsenal all three points on the day.

His bright side has been fleeting, but his poor display has become a common feature. It is clear that he is not developing to match his talent which is not in doubt.

He showed great promise in the first half of the 2014/2015 season where he did not miss a game for five months as the signing of Alexis Sanchez galvanised and had a positive influence on him, something he spoke repeatedly of at the time. His performances meant he was Arsene Wenger's preferred choice in the right side of midfield, he capped what was a bright few months that season with the equaliser against Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates in November, 2014 in a match that ended 1-1, his growing influence was depicted when he got injured, and several Arsenal fans were distraught at his injury. After returning from injury that season, he failed to match the height he had set for himself, but he still got an assist in the FA Cup final after he came on as substitute.

As a result of his bright sparkles which were dimmed by injury last season, it was natural that he was earmarked as one of the players that would have a breakthrough season this time around.

And he seemed to leave up to that billing when he scored a brilliant goal to win Arsenal the Community Shield at the expense of Chelsea at Wembley in August, 2015.

He was rewarded with a start against West Ham in the opening weekend of the Premier League, but he was culpable for the second goal the Hammers scored in a 2-0 defeat.

His knack for losing possession in dangerous areas is a weakness in his game that has continued to plague him. And most of his give away have led to goals for the opposition. (The third goal Monaco scored at the Emirates is a key example)

So far this season, he has not showed any sign that he is about to recapture any sort of form. He was disappointing when he started against Bournemouth and Newcastle United. His start against Bournemouth was understandable because of Arsene Wenger's needed to rotate as the match came 48 hours after the defeat to Southampton. But his start against Newcastle did not go down well with some of Arsenal persuasion, as several preferred Joe Campbell to him. And yet again he had a poor match with most of his crosses failing to find a teammate, and others ended up as throw in for the Magpies. It was no surprise that Joe Campbell did more in 25 minutes to affect the match positively than the 65 minutes he had going by the present form of both players.

Now that there is a sudden preference for Joe Campbell over Oxlade-Chamberlain by some Arsenal faithful, it only shows how far he has fallen in the estimation of many because of his poor displays.

By July 2016, he would have spent five years at Arsenal, and he would be 23 in August. He cannot claim to be a young player anymore, even though technically he is still young in football terms.

The time has come for him to start leaving up to the expectations and early promise he showed. His end product needs to improve and his record in front of goal is very poor, as his finishing could do with more polishing.

The contrast with the aforementioned Joe Campbell cannot be more stack, the Costa Rican has risen from the ashes to become an important player at the club after seizing his chance following the injuries that has affected key players. It can easily be said that he is now ahead of Oxlade-Chamberlain in the pecking order at the club.

However despite his struggles, what he has going for him is that he has a manager in Arsene Wenger that has a record of standing by players irrespective of the situation they are going through whether its injuries or lack of form.

Yet several players that Arsene Wenger has stood by over the years have showed glimpses of their abilities to give observers that they may be returning to form, but so far the Ox has not showed such in his performances this season.

For a player that was first choice in the first half of last season, now when everybody is fit he might not make the squad, which shows how far he has fallen.

The onus is on him to rediscover his form back, and it can only come through hard work on the training ground. He can borrow a leave from Joe Campbell who has turned his form around to force himself into Arsene Wenger's plans after being on the verge of leaving the club in the summer.

The ball is in the Ox court.

Mohammed Elneny: To Join Arsenal in Coming days

Mohammed Elneny

Swiss champions Basel have confirmed through its website that Egyptian midfielder Mohammed Elneny missed training on Tuesday because of his imminent transfer to Arsenal which they expect to happen in the coming days.

The English media have been awashed with reports linking the 23 year old to the Emirates in the last couple of weeks, and with Basel all but confirming the transfer, it could go through before the weekend.

Arsene Wenger has been his usual cryptic self when asked about the club's transfer plans for this January, the usual line of nothing to confirm yet has been what he has told the media when pressed on transfers.

The transfer fee of Elneny is reported to be in the region of £7.5million, the midfielder has 40 international caps for the Egyptian Pharaoh’s national team since he made his debut in 2011. He has over a 100 appearances for Basel, and boasts three Swiss league titles since joining over three years ago.

The 23 year old's 5ft 10in midfielder is not new to English teams, in the last couple of seasons, he featured prominently in the Basel team that defeated Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham in the Champions League and Europa league respectively.

A player that is blessed with technical ability and a wide range of passing that has endeared him to fans of the Swiss champions. He is more a deep lying play maker than an archetypal defensive midfielder.

His signing would serve as a boost for Arsenal's title push as the North Londoners are short of numbers in midfield following the injuries to Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla in November. Although the former has started running, while the latter is expected back in February according to Arsene Wenger, while Mikel Arteta and Tomas Rosicky have returned to training.

Mohammed Elneny is a breed between Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta because of his running and passing ability.