Time to take harsh decisions Arsene!!!

And we lost again. Twice in a row in EPL. I think this time January was a bit kind to us? From the time I have been watching Arsenal, I have seen all the ups and then downs and then I have seen us reaching the dumps and then the molten core…  Now I am searching for Centre of the earth!!!! I know times are tough, I know we have many players in injury list and blah blah… But tell me one thing isn’t the same thing happening to Manchester United? Do you see DeGea playing after making horrendous errors? Do you see Tevez playing after being unprofessional? Do you see Balotelli play regularly, because of his attitude? And what about players like Drogba, Torres, Anelka and the list goes on and on!!! Haven't Newcastle lost influential players like Tiote and Ba to African Cup of nations? Well the answer lies in one and only one thing and that is ‘we won’t change, come what may’!!!

 

By change I mean that we won’t substitute players at half time, or before half time. We would do that only when 60 minutes are over. If a particular player is performing badly, then let it be, who cares!!!! By change I also mean that we know what our starting 11 is, and those players won’t be benched or removed even if they are playing poorly or are non committed on pitch!!! By change I also mean that we won’t change our formation at any cost to accommodate a great player who can bring difference to otherwise lack luster team!!! By change I also mean that we won’t buy players who are dearly needed to launch a formidable title challenge or offload players who are surplus to our requirements!!!

I have and always will admire Wenger for what he has done for the club. But he needs to understand people have to change with changing times. He needs to bend a little for the club. He has to make tough decisions. He has to stop blaming referee for poor performances and should blast the non performers.

On the same track of changes, I would like to discuss the complacent/Non performing players:

1.       Per Mertesacker: He is what some 7ish feet tall giant and still is unable to win header in the box. He is not mobile or a good anticipator. Only player he was able to win a header yesterday was Dyer (A mere 5 foot something player). He was at fault when Djourou was Red Carded against Fulham and we lost the match eventually. He was at fault against Norwich when Morrison out muscled him and scored. He was at fault yesterday when he was not able to hit the shot on target from 2 meters and I can go on and on!!! I know he has come from a different league and he is not used to the physical game in EPL, but the mistakes he makes are cardinal and shouldn’t be accepted in a top club like Arsenal.

2.       Andrei Arshavin: He showed what he can do against Liverpool long long time back. Since then nothing I have seen to justify why he is Arsenal’s most expensive player. Agreed he had a good ratio of assists in the league last season. But he lacks basic skills what wingers should, which is to help the full back in defense, run at the oppositions and score goals, and not lose possession at crucial places. Even when he loses possession, there is no drive to get the ball back. Even when he misplaces his pass there is no zeal to rectify the mistakes. These all things have been happening again and again and as a result we lose games.

3.       Theo Walcott: He is a player who is overhyped, overconfident and overzealous. He just wants to run when there is an open field in front of him. otherwise he'll play a back pass. He never make decoy runs to help RVP. He never shoots when required and when he does usually he doesn’t score. I am not saying he a bad player, but a little bit of competition will help him improve his game. Ox should be brought in his place and he should be benched for few games. Also, he shouldn't ask for a raise until he proves something and becomes worthy for wearing Number 14 on his back!!!

4.       Aaron Ramsey: He is a player who is loved by all. Why? I don’t understand. He is actually a mirror image of Messi (Left becomes right kind of way). He plays brilliantly for his country and is unable to replicate the same form at club. I see a spark in him here and there, but he is not what we need in midfield. At the start of season he said he is ready to fill in the shoes of Cesc. But he is far far away from being 10th of a player what Cesc was for Arsenal. He fails to understand the game, he shoots left, right and on top of the Goal, but rarely towards it. I wonder if there was space below the goal, he would have definitely shot there too. He has missed so many golden opportunities to score in recent times that I wonder will he be next Eduardo. Eduardo was loved by all Gooners, but after injury he was not able to replicate the form and was sold eventually. Same story could follow with Ramsey if he doesn’t improve.

5.       Abou Diaby: He was also a victim of reckless challenge, and since then he is an esteemed guest at our medical facility. I think Arsenal got this idea of a new high end medical centre after seeing him. All the Patrick Vieira Part two chants have faded and so has his game. Needs to be sold ASAP.

6.       Sebastien Squillaci: Another player who was brought last year to provide some experience to our inexperienced Defence. He currently finds himself way down the pecking order. No class, no nothing.

7.       Kieran Gibbs: He is another Diaby in making. Spends more time on medical bed than on pitch. A very good talent, but too fragile! Either he should work on his fitness or should be sold, as everybody is not RVP, who after working hard on the fitness proves to the world what they are.

8.       Manuel Almunia: Enough said already.

9.       Thomas Rosicky: He doesn’t have a long term future here and has faded as Arshavin. Hence needs to sort out where he would like to retire and should move there!!!

10.   Marouane Chamakh: He needs to get his confidence back. He is so afraid of Wenger that everytime he scoops the shot, or is not able to keeps possession, or misplaces a pass, or does any mistake, he looks to the bench towards Wenger in a apologetic look!!! This is what has brought his downfall. He was playing freely when RVP was injured. When RVP came back, he has been given very little opportunities, which he has not been able to capitalise upon and hence every mistake of his is scrutinize. He can be a good player for Arsenal, provided he starts to play his natural game again.

11.   Ju-Young Park: Could somebody please tell me why he was bought?

I am not saying all these players should be sacked. But some needs more playing time then others and some need to improve their game to stay in the club. If boss is unable to drill this into them then we won’t be qualifying for Europe in any competition. Boss should also relax upon his stubbornness of playing the same predictable 11 and same predictable formation and same predictable substitution timings and same predictable everything. I want 'The Professor' back!!!

Always remember a person who loves you will criticise you the most when he/she sees something is wrong and needs improvement.

I want my club to succeed and want to see the same passion in the players. Want to see the same passionate players as are the supporters on the pitch.

If you agree with me, then do follow me on https://twitter.com/OnTheGunPoint

Until next time. Hail Gooners!!!

Vintage Henry - A fairytale which should never end!!!

And he is back… Back with a bang… Bang, which will explode your ears… And he is back!!! I have not been blogging for quite sometime now, but this is something which I couldn’t resist. The reason I was off blogging were my day job pressure and Arsenal’s a bit indifferent form. And now when King has returned, I was forced to come out of my self imposed semi retirement…

So the match was going in the same way as Arsenal has been in playing in last couple of weeks. Lots of possession in and around Midfield, no creativity in the final third and no end product either. Ramsey was shooting left, right, top of the goal. I am just wondering, if there was space below the goal he would have drilled a kick there too, but never goal bound!!! I am fed up by players like Ramsey, Walcott, and Gervinho who have good skills, but lack the composure to score or atleast have few on target shots. Ox needs a lot of improvement in his crossing, otherwise he played well. Unlikely live wire was Arshavin, he moved, dribbled beautifully, also had few very good through balls. Miquel played his part and did fine against Leeds, he was like a silent assassin who went about doing his work with publicising it. Szcz made good saves in dying stages of the match to help us win the game. Kos and Squillaci were not tested much. Yennaris came on for Coquelin (who got injured increasing our defensives woes) and he played well without any major mistakes. Song has a very quite game until he provided assist for our goal. He is slowly getting into the habit of providing killer through passes when team is in need of (Ref: game against Aston). Arteta was fouled too many times without getting favours from referee and this rattled his game and was not looking his usual self. Now coming to awful duo of Chamakh and Ramsey; they would have helped the team by not playing at all. They have the brilliance which we see in bits and pieces, but with no zeal to excel upon it!!! Chamakh clearly lacks confidence and Ramsey was trying to be the hero in absence of RVP.

Now onto ‘The King’. The moment he stepped on his home turf, he received an ovation which no other superstar in any sports will get. He started running the channels and was maneuvering his position quite nicely. He was the live wire and intimidating presence which we were missing from a long long time. He came and within 10 Minutes he conquered. (Note to Paul Scholes: This is how you make a comeback!!! ) His position, first touch and finishing were just top notch. I don’t think so anybody would have been able to finish this ball as calmly as Henry did it, not even RVP. The curve on the ball was just amazing. I was just spell bound when the ball entered the goal. And to top it all was the celebration from TH14 (He will always be TH14 for me and I want Walcott to give away the number to someone else and not make a mockery out of it). He was joined by all the team members in that celebration on the team bench, even Szcz ran from his goal to celebrate. He was not buoyed by the occasion and delivered the goods required. He was not over shadowing the team, but helping them achieve like he did in his hay days. I am not expecting anything like this from again, I am not expecting goals from him too. I just want to see him play, to help non performing players like Ramsey, Walcott, Gervinho (if he gets a chance to play with him or have a long chat with him), and Chamakh etc. I also want him to stay here forever. After all this is his home and this is where he belongs, nowhere else. Here are the highlights of the game for you. Also here are bonus video links for you.

Arsene Wenger's Post Match Comments

Henry's Post Match Comments

Arsene Wenger's Post Match Press Conference

On this note I am signing off, hopefully would be writing soon. Pray for me that I am not over burdened by work and I can carry on blogging. By the way you can also follow me on Twitter for updates.

Till next time. Hail Henry….. A fairytale which should never end.

Weekly Roundup: This is what champions are made of and Chamakh’s truth finally revealed!!!

First things first, a video for all of you who missed watching our 125th Year celebrations!!! Enjoy and Happy 125th B'day!!!

Now what happened after that was for all of us too see. Agreed we were not very clinical in front of goal, agreed we were letting too much of space to Everton and agreed that we could have won the game during first half itself. But if everything is going well you can judge the character of a team! This is the same team which was ridiculed at the start of the season. We have now shown to the world that we can win big, we can win easy and also win ugly!!!

Everybody is saying the occasion took over us and overawed our play (for those morons who don’t know what occasion I am talking about should not be reading this blog at all!!!)!!! I don’t agree to it, we had lost 2 drawn 1 and won 1 of our last 4 matches, hence there was pressure on us. We were ugly no doubt about it, but haven’t we seen ”Man’s breast are united” winning the same way throughout last season and clinching the trophy as well!!! Their fans were chanting ”FUMU” throughout those matches!!! Well we can do that and too in a better way which only Gunners can… Anyways our club is not in financial debt and is far better than theirs!!!

This week the most improved player was Theo Walcott. Yes I have been very critical of him and yes I ridiculed everybody who said he is a great player, blah, blah!!! But he showed that he can defend too!!! Providing good cover to Djourou on couple of occasions and was applauded by our fans too. Now we know the value of competition. Rising star Ox had made him improve upon his game. He knew his place is under threat and that made him work extra hard. Point to be noted here is Boss’ comment on Ox from December 2nd press conference:

“Defending is not his preferred side but unfortunately at the top level today you have Messi doing it, Rooney, Ronaldo, Van Persie - so why should he not do it?”

This means that if Walcott improves his defending then Ox won’t be able to replace him easily!!! Hence we saw Walcott running from one end of the pitch to another. Not that I am complaining, I liked the way he defended, as it showed his zeal to stay in the team.

Song oh Song, oh my unsung hero! He was trending on twitter after a long long time I guess!!! I have always said that he is one player who has grabbed his opportunities with both hands and Abu Diaby’s injuries have helped him too. But any day he can walk into my world 11 (Only players who are still playing in Europe). I know I am biased and my team would atleast have 5-6 current and ex arsenal players!!! Vermaelen, Sagna, Song, Cesc, Wilshere and RVP are definitely in it. These are the players who can walk into any team and make them proud!!! 

Good News!!! We won our match and Spuds lost their match!!! Hurray!!! Now I am eagerly awaiting ManC and Chelsea’s match. I want either ManC to win or atleast get a draw out of this match. Why you ask? It’s because Chelsea’s loss is our gain. We can maintain our 4th Position if Chelsea has to lose or if they get a draw out of it, then we would be 5th but equal on points!!! Only thing which i am afraid is that ManC will go 12 points clear of us if Chelsea loses and 10 points if match is a Draw. Remember I still have hopes of Title!!!

Anyways that’s something we can look in future. Currently we have other pressing issues in hand. After Frimpong, Coquelin and Fabianski making statements about leaving in January either on loan or permanently, we have another addition in that group; Chamakh. Now he is not getting playing time because of RVP is playing like a God. Also he is not very quick like Walcott and Gervinho, and can’t play on flanks too. Hence he won’t be playing lot of games in PL. I do pity him, because when he came to Arsenal, he was like a storm. In his first match against Liverpool last year, he made that important challenge on Reina and made him concede a own goal. That helped us in getting a Draw out of that match. Notable was how Koscielny was also Red Carded in that match and we were down to 10 men in dying stages of that match. After that when RVP was out nursing his seasonal quota of injuries (Fingers crossed and it never ever happens again), he handled the responsibilities of leading the attack very well and scored 11 goals in that period. After that he was injured and RVP returned. End of story!!!

Well he has said that he won’t be looking out in January but will discuss his options in June. A possible move to Bordeaux is a high possibility. And I feel for that guy. I really do!! He is a great talent, only thing lacking in his game is his confidence.

Anyways what has to happen would happen. I don’t want any player from this current crop to leave except Arshavin and Fabianski (because of their form), Diaby and Gibbs (Because they have spend more on medical bills then they have actually played for us). This is only from first team and I am in no mood right now to get into Steve Bould’s business.

Hope you liked what I have to say, if yes then share it on your Facebook and Twitter!!! You can also follow me on Twitter for regular updates on my blogs and Arsenal.

Until next time. Hail Gunners!!!

Pre Match Review - Arsenal Vs Everton - Manchester Sloppy, London Happy!!!

So after a wonderful Champions League Week, we are gunning for a win against Everton. CL week was wonderful because of many reasons:

Firstly, Arsenal lost and our second fringe players now know why they are not getting first team starts regularly. Likes of Frimpong, Coquelin, Manone, and Fabianski were crying foul on less number of chances given to them this season. Amongst the group, Frimpong was the only one who was positive in his statements where as Fabianski and Coquelin have already shared that they want to leave in January if they don’t get enough starts. I guess with a dismal performance like that of Wednesday would make them realize that they will never play in a big club if they don’t improve. And if they only want to play football, then they can be sold off to lower league clubs, where they might turn out to be very very talented!!! I still have a soft corner for Manone, and I feel that if given opportunities, then he will show that he is better than Szczesny. I feel he is better and his howler can be excused for the fact that this was the first time since 2009 he was playing in first team and that too in Champions League, which can make anyone nervous!!! I would also like to add here that the way Fabianski faked his injury to get out of onslaught was quite dramatic!!! He just needed an excuse and he got it!!! He now should definitely keep mum and try to work on his goalkeeping skills, if he wants to play regularly for either Arsenal or Poland!!! On the senior player front Arshavin was awful again, so were Squillaci and Djourou and to an extent Benayoun and Vermaelen were found at fault too. Only saving grace was the performance of Oxlade-Chamberlain. He is a live wire and because of him we can now see that Walcott has also started working harder on the pitch to make sure his by default starting position doesn’t come under threat!!!

The only worrying thing which came out of that insignificant game was that my favorite player Santos was injured. I still feel that Santos and Vermaelen should have been given a rest too.

Secondly I loved to see Manchester United out of Champions league. Men Vs Boys, Grand daddies Vs Baby sitters or whatever shit they say, I just loved the way how they crumbled!!! Oppositions to ManU now have to learn how to cross ball in ManU box and make sure the cross falls behind David de Gea. This will give opposition an easy opportunity for a tap in, because their goalkeeper is shit!!! He is good as a shot stopper, but not in other aspect of goal keeping and crosses are his weaknesses.

Thirdly and most importantly, Manchester City is out!!! I didn’t know that Nasri joined ManC to get laurels in Europa League. And I would like to add that “Nasri!!! You are a Cunt!!!” Enough said I guess!!!

Now coming on to the game against Everton. It’s going to be an emotional ride for Arteta, as this would be the first time he would be playing his old club which he love. Also this would be a good test of our bench!!! Now we’ll show the world that we can play and win without a full back (Tongue in cheek remark, ofcourse!!!).

The biggest news is this that Alumina is back in reckoning and would be on bench against Everton!!! This will definitely instill confidence in the team!!! :D… Now coming to some serious stuff; Team from my side would be somewhat like this Szczesny, Vermaelen, Squillaci, Koscielny, Djourou, Song, Ramsey, Arteta, Walcott, Gervinho and RVP. Subs would be Almunia, Miquel, Frimpong, Coquelin, Benayoun, Diaby and Chamakh.

As far as score line goes, seeing Squillaci in our back four, I would go with 3-1 wherein RVP and Arteta will score the goals for arsenal and Cahill will be on score sheet for Everton. I think his goal drought will come to  end against Arsenal and anyways we always are very generous to out of form teams and out of form players!!!

Boss' pre match conference is here for all to see!!!

Follow me on twitter for regular updates on Arsenal.

Till next time. Hail Gunners. #COYG.