Gooner Talk

Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby has returned to full training this week and could start against Burnley on Saturday.

The 22-year-old is fit again after recovering from a knee injury and looks set to replace the injured Aaron Ramsey who broke his leg at Stoke last week.

With Alex Song also ruled out through suspension, Arsene Wenger will have to decide whether to play either Diaby or Samba star Denilson in the defensive midfield role.

Andrey Arshavin is likely to make the bench for Saturday’s clash.

Possible Line-Up Against Burnley:

Almunia
Sagna – Vermaelen – Campbell – Clichy
Fabregas – Denilson – Diaby
Nasri – Bendtner – Rosicky

So who do you want to see protect the back four this Saturday? Should the leggy Frenchman start in the centre or will Denilson continue there?

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Let us know your thoughts in the poll above and the comments section below.

With Wednesday’s last-gasp away draw to Everton, even the most amateur of supporter could see just how lacking in attacking quality the current Arsenal side are. Unfortunately, it appears that Wenger is so blinded by his ‘belief’ in the current squad that a blind man in a fog has more sight than he.

While Everton do not possess the most potent attacking threat, they nevertheless have weapons to use. Fellaini, Pienaar, Arteta, and Cahill all are legitimate attackers in their own right, and for the most part Arsenal’s defense held them at bay.

The problem with this current team is their inability to maintain possession. Indeed, previous teams were accused of contriving to walk the ball into the net, yet currently that would seem beyond this team’s ability to even attempt. While Myles Palmer may believe that Arsenal are a ‘possessive’ team, the truth is that they simply are not.

Our current best uninjured central midfielder, Denilson, was relegated to playing wide right, because Eboue has been woeful and Wenger seems reluctant to play Wilshere out there. Removed of our driving force in the center, it was down to the incredulous Diaby and Song to forge their way through the opposition. If Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso can only score 1 goal a game against this Everton side, then those two players sure as hell are not going to get it done. Luckily, we do possess one world-class player in Robin van Persie, and he committed daylight robbery in stealing the points.

What this current team needs, at the bare minimum, is another potent attacker. To be blunt, Arshavin is a must. There can be no excuses for not capturing his services. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the Champions League and the subsequent cash windfall are what at stake. Nasri and van Persie need another partner of guile to partner them.

Adebayor, all 90,000 pounds of him, is not up to the task. Whether his head be in his chequebook, in Barcelona, or up his arse, is hard to determine. His lack of committment is not.

Clichy and Sagna are having massive down seasons compared to last year. As much stick as Clichy got for Hull’s goal, Sagna should get just as much, if not more, for his lackadaisacal defending and inability to close his man down. How you watch a man take a throw-in and subsequently let him cross the ball is a violation of all defending laws.

The only bright light this season has been the form of Robin van Persie. In fact, he has either assisted or scored every Arsenal goal in the month of January. Clearly, his desire is not lacking. It is a shame the same could not be said for Adebayor.

Wenger must do something, right now, to stop the rot. With each passing game, the nightmarish prediction of Arsenal missing out on the Champions League is becoming more and more likely. Recently, Wenger was quoted about his ability to make money for the Club. I wish his dedication to winning football games was the same.

As much as he has done for the Club, he will never lose the responsibility to win football games. Not in a million years. That is his one fundamental task as manager, and currently he is edging ever closer to failure. He surely knows what could be done to save our season, but whether or not he deems it pertinent is another issue altogether.

It could have been a great weekend.

At halftime Villa was losing and Man United and Chelsea were tied. Then Stoke took the lead and in an instant visions of Arsenal vaulting ever closer to the top started churning in my mind. Villa’s comeback was annoying, but I found myself cheering on Bolton, the team I’d hated so intensely last week. As time ticked by it all seemed too good to be true, Man United and Chelsea dropping points, and then it all came to an end. A defensive error by Bolton and Tevez found Berbatov.

I felt like kicking the poor dog lying by my fireplace. And then … word came of Chelsea’ s miracle comeback. Bloody Hell. All my hopes and dreams came to naught. Well, at least Everton came back and forced a draw on Liverpool. There was a little consolation.

What this does mean is that the Gunners are six points out of first place (nine if Man United wins their game in hand)? Several weeks ago they were ten points back, so they’ve managed to slide back into contention.

However, the big game for the Gunners is next week’s clash with Everton at Goodison Park. Everton have managed to hang around on the edge of the title race, much like Arsenal, and probably have visions of finishing in the top four. A loss and all the good work the Gunner’s have done over the past weeks could come to naught. A win against Everton would boost their confidence and perhaps take them ever closer to the top. Following Everton the Gunners have a long stretch of games with teams they should beat, teams who are almost all vulnerable to relegation. Looking over the fixture list for the next two and a half months one can see that Arsenal could challenge for the title if they play consistently and if their players really lift their games.

What is encouraging is that several players appear to be finding their form. Van Persie and Nasri are playing well, Bendtner is suddenly producing, Sagna is looking like he did a year ago, Eboue is reproducing his form of a year ago where he only gave the ball away outside the opponents box rather than giving it away in his own half as he did a month ago … Eduardo could even be on the bench this weekend, the Arsenal defence never panicked against Hull as they have in recent months, Andrei Arshavin could even be a Gooner soon (maybe … hopefully …), Djourou has helped the Arsenal defence deal with high balls, Rosicky and Walcott could even be in training soon. In other words there are some encouraging signs.

We’re almost through two-thirds of the transfer window and Arsenal have yet to purchase anyone. They’ve sent two of our youngsters out on loan, there are rumours that they may purchase a Hungarian youngster (Arsene Wenger can never resist buying a teenage prospect), and there are constant rumours of the impending purchase of Andrei Arshavin. We also now hear that Man City may turn to Arshavin if the Kaka offer falls through. In other words they need to finish the purchase as soon as possible if they are serious about buying him. We’ve yet to hear any solid rumours about Arsenal buying a defensive midfielder, a purchase I feel is necessary.

One can only hope that they start concluding deals as time is starting to run out. They are only six points back right now with a string of winnable games approaching. It’s more than possible that this motley group that struggled in October and November could challenge for the title. They just need to keep winning.

Hull City

While Saturday’s contest with Hull City was by no means their best performance, it nevertheless shows an ever-apparent resilience that the current Arsenal side lacked just a few months ago. On an unbeaten run that has showed more defensive solidity than offensive firepower, this team is becoming increasingly more substantive than stylish, and it surely has been Wenger’s wish lately to marry those two together. Although Hull did score, it really did come from a bit of bad luck. If the same luck were to be applied to Arsenal’s attacks, surely three more goals would have been added to the tally. Robin van Persie’s freekicks and Bendtner’s unlucky header needed only a trifling of fortune to have been counted, yet they were not to be. That said, Nicklas Bendtner’s goal did come from an offside van Persie, so it appears that we got our just rewards.

Carrying on with the discussion of Arsenal’s attacking, Nasri, Diaby, Ade, and in particular, van Persie, all showed a developing cognizance for interchanging and no look passes, which were characteristic of the Flamini, Cesc, and Hleb era. Quite a bit of attacking responsibility has fallen onto the shoulders of our attackers, what with the losses of Hleb and Flamini, and the injuries to Cesc, Theo, and Rosicky, and it appears that our current team has stepped up to the plate.

Arsenal Loanees

This weekend’s Premier League action was pleasing not only because of our first team’s performance, but also because of the performances of both Jay Simpson and Armand Traore. Simpson got himself into good scoring positions and was a real menace throughout West Brom’s 3-0 win, and surely his confidence has gotten even higher. A player many wrote off not too long ago, he has gone from strength to strength and has given Wenger plenty to think about. Here’s hoping he continues his current form for the rest of the season.

Armand Traore has been a valuable player for Portsmouth, and Sunday’s game against Twattenham further underlined his worth. While Pompey struggled to maintain possession, the few times they got the ball to the French winger, good things happened. Indeed, a driving, 40-yard run by him set up David Nugent to smash home Pompey’s only goal of the match. Traore, like Simpson, is also giving Wenger plenty to think about, and has really seized his loan chance.

Arshavin

A smorgasbord-style review of the weekend’s action would not be complete with a review of the ‘new Nasri,’ such has Andrey Arshavin’s prolonged transfer been. Many quotes in the papers, and indeed from his agent, indicate a resolution will be reached within this week. I, for one, would be quite delighted to see him holding up an Arsenal shirt. If there remains anyone who thinks he would not be a real potent attacking threat for us, then I thoroughly cannot wait for you to be surprised. He has the pace of Clichy, the vision of Nasri, and the finishing of Adeba…er, of a striker worth 15 million. May his inclusion into the squad come quickly;

I cannot believe it. Back in early December I was asserting that the Gunners needed to win everything in December in order to keep pace with the leaders … and they didn’t. Draws with Middlesboro, Liverpool, and Villa were amongst the results that also included  wins against Chelsea and Portsmouth. But wouldn’t you know it, we’re still in with a chance to win the title. Our saving grace has been the poor form of Liverpool and Chelsea, both of whom will rue the opportunities they had to put some space between themselves and Arsenal (as well as ManU). The big question is whether we’re going to take advantage of this opportunity or whether we’re going to stub our toes against one of the leagues minnows.

Our last two PL victories have been ugly wins, but they’ve been wins. However, there was a serious lack of creativity against Bolton, a team which never really tried to pressure our midfielders the way a better side would’ve. We were allowed to set up camp in their half and push the ball around outside of the box and only challenged when we attempted to come inside. Diaby, Denilson, Eboue, and Nasri appeared unable to pry the defence open and few chances were created. Once Wenger removed Diaby and Eboue and brought on two extra strikers were we able to create a few more chances and the winning goal. It was the second time we scored late to grab the three points, but they really need to raise their game if they hope to take the title. Watching Manchester United hammer Chelsea one could see that the Gunners have a long way to go in order to become a champion. Manchester played with a confidence and directness that the Gunners lack right now. We really should’ve pummelled Bolton and scored three or four goals, which is why we still need to buy someone who can give the midfield a boost.

For me Diaby has been the biggest disappointment. Cesc Fabregas’s injury is the biggest opportunity he’s had to show Wenger just how good he can be in running the midfield. I always felt he had the potential to play Cesc’s position … and I was wrong. Diaby’s passing is not precise enough, he lingers too long on the ball, and he likes to make cute moves which seldom come off. I really think Wenger will sell him at the end of the season if he doesn’t turn things around.

As for the rest, Almunia does not inspire me with confidence. Sagna is starting to find his form  and he’s playing a lot better as of late. Clichy is still pretty solid. Djourou is becoming more and more confident. Gallas appears to make at least one error a game (sort of like Senderos!), Toure’s miraculous recovery might also see him turn his season around. Denilson works hard but is still too lightweight. Song has improved, but his passing needs to improve. Eboue is starting to get back to form, but his form was problematic as of last year. Nasri shows flashes of potential, but I still think he’s not that comfortable out on the left wing. Adebayor has yet to reach the form he had last season and doesn’t work as hard as he did either. Van Persie is starting to come around and has been playing well as of late. If he could just get his shots on target more often. Bendtner gets involved and has scored a couple just recently. Maybe the imminent return of Eduardo is spurring him on to preserve his playing time.

I still believe Wenger will buy a holding midfielder. Battaglia of Boca Juniors is the latest name to be linked to Arsenal. I haven’t seen him play so I have no opinion on him other than it’s the position we need to fill most of all. Whether we buy him or M’bia, or Defour, or Matuidi, or Annan, or whomever, I hope the deal happens soon. As for a more creative midfielder like Arshavin, our recent performances show us to be in need of someone who can break down a defence. Unfortunately we cannot seem to conclude a deal quickly and cleanly. The Arshavin saga appears to be set to drag out another couple of weeks, leaving Arsenal fans to die a thousand deaths as they follow the story blow by blow.

Regular readers of this site will know that I recently advocated the acquisition of Andrei Arshavin, before concrete rumours were ever spread. At this point in time, I am delighted to see the likelihood of Arsenal actually acquiring him has evidently gone up.

At 5′7″, Arshavin is not the most imposing figure. At 27, his rise to stardom has come late. Even his shining moment, last summer’s Euro’s, came at the expense of a dreadfully ineffective performance against Spain. He is also a player who some believe has temperamental issues.

Certainly, he is a player with much baggage. If he is bought, it will not be on the cheap. He quite possibly might be the biggest single-player gamble Wenger has taken. But is he worth it?

I wholeheartedly believe he can be a massive player for us. Here is a player with speed, technique, eyes for both passing and scoring, and according to Myles Palmer, is Pires-esque in that he is a two-footed winger.

At 27, time is certainly not on his side. As a child growing up, he avidly followed Barcelona. Only now is he getting a chance to play for a club to rival them.

He comes from a former Communist country. He is used to cold weather and harsh realities of life. He is not a pampered wannabe pop star. He is older, and likely wiser than many of our players.

On a personal sense, he has the skills, mentality, and drive to achieve great things. He has wanted his chance at the top for awhile, and a club like the Arsenal will give him that.

On a tactical sense, as stated in an earlier article of mine, his pace and dribbling skills are much needed. Nasri, Denilson, Song, Diaby, and to an extent Eboue, do not have speed as a main asset. They rarely go on singular forays into the opposing defense’s final third, drawing defenders out of position. While his dribbling style is not the same as Hleb’s, it nevertheless can be just as effective. His virtuoso displays against the Netherlands and Manchester United displayed his ability to attack the top defenders. He has a goal scoring record to prove his threat. On the left of midfield, he can be a massive thorn in the side of the opposition. In a side that seemingly did not have the desire to fight against teams like Hull, Stoke, and Fulham, Arshavin’s directness can be a blast of fresh air in the faces of our other attackers. Because he can play in midfield or up front, he will cause competition for places, something Adebayor could certainly use a bit of. One only needs to look at the early-season emergence of Vela to see how van Persie’s form has been affected by a new player; Arshavin would most likely have that same effect.

Andrei Arshavin will not be cheap, and he will have to adapt to the Premier League, but he is not a player who will want to dally around with his career. The Russian Premier League is over, and he has had quite a few months to relax. He will be able to jump right into the squad and be a right kick up the arse of our team. Everyone knows that is exactly the effect we need to marshall us forward.