Arsenal has finished higher than the Guardian’s preseason prediction for six years running. You know, their writers aren’t idiots – as a group they’re about as good as it gets in the football world.
And I’m sure you’re aware that they’re not the only ones – Arsenal’s slide has been predicted all over the place for at least ten years. In August 2003 we were about to drop out of the top two because we hadn’t done any business, while both Chelsea and Manchester United had added to their squads.
On a train journey during that hot summer I remember picking up a discarded tabloid and reading an opinion piece suggesting Wenger would be a managerial casualty in 2003-04. Yeah, we know what happened next.
On the cusp of 2011-12, as Cesc, Nasri and Clichy scurried out the door, it would have taken a brave Arsenal fan to predict that we’d finish further up the table than in the previous season. I don’t think I did it, and I can’t remember seeing such a thing written anywhere.
So do you know why so many people underestimate Arsenal in preseason? I think it’s because, as outsiders, we either need to have lots of faith or some kind of mystical divining ability, to be able to say for certain that Arsenal is no weaker than the season before. We need this because we don’t know; we don’t see players train and don’t know how confident they are in the team or their own abilities.
We can only trust that Wenger’s doing what he does best – turning promising players (and sometimes apparently unpromising ones) into stars.
For outsiders it feels far safer to look at the previous season, see who’s gone, and assume that the players who remain will play the way they did before. Yeah, it feels safe to do that, but it’s also highly misguided, as the last six years have proven. The players change before our eyes, and the truth is it occurs so often, and to such impressive degrees that we take their huge strides for granted, and only notice the difference when we think back to how they used to be.
The gloomy types among us would presuppose that Gervinho, for instance, will be just as inconsistent this season. I tend to disagree, although as I’ve said before, I can’t be sure. What I do know is that his ability to dribble past defenders is shared by only two or three other players in this league. It’s spectacular, and after a year learning the Premier League ropes under the tutelage of a manager who has produced more stars than almost any of his rivals his cut-backs, crosses and shots should find their target more often.
I have the same optimism for our “panic signings” last year. Though it’s likely we snatched Park from the same kind of record shop basket that used to have Bread and the Starland Vocal Band’s Greatest Hits on cassette, the others like André Santos, Mertesacker and Arteta have something very promising to build on, and should be looking meaner (in Santos’ case, leaner too) after a real preseason at the club.
Many assume that because Diaby and Wilshere have been through the injury mill over the last year they won’t be able to offer us anything this season. Well, van Persie and Vermaelen have been in the same points at various times over the past few years, and both completed last season pretty much unscathed. Rosicky was completely written off; Benayoun had also missed a season of football before we took him on loan, and both contributed to our season.
Let’s look at about Wenger for a moment. Back when his hand wasn’t being forced by players who could earn more at financially doped clubs, Wenger was often praised for sensing when to let a player go, as if he could predict the future.
But here’s the point I’ve been labouring towards. Wenger isn’t prescient; he’s just a very talented man who swears by facts. His estimation of players isn’t swayed by reputation or what’s come before; he’s more interested in the now, and the possibility of future improvement. Whereas fans need to have faith that players will get better and the team will click, Wenger will oversee training sessions, study Prozone data, spot trends and perhaps most importantly will have close a relationship to the player, knowing what he’ll need to do to improve.
If the BBC story is true then Wenger will have studied the data and drawn on eight years of working with Robin van Persiem and decided that £24 million now is a better choice than the option of keeping him for a final year, or even trying to persuade him to sign a new contract. In Nasri and Cesc’s cases, this was never an option.
Let’s see how it pans out I suppose.
In the meantime, we’ve got Santi Cazorla. Of course, as with RvP’s sale, it’s too early to say how what will happen, but from what I’ve been able grasp there’s widespread mystification in Spain that he didn’t end up at Barcelona or Real Madrid. But I’ve read some people here claim that he can’t be a world-class player, as he didn’t start for Spain in the Euros.
The players keeping him out of that team were Xavi and Iniesta, who have been on the Ballon d’Or podium (although they haven’t yet won it) as much as Lionel Messi these last few years. And the few pundits who are aware that domestic is played in other countries tended to place Cazorla in their continent-wide teams of the season this summer.
But for all his talent, he seems to be on a different plain to other stars as a person; twice rejecting a move to Real Madrid, first to stay at Villareal, and then in favour of Arsenal. Little old Arsenal! For everything Wenger’s had to deal with, it must be a breath of fresh air.
So Santi, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
A wanker is a wanker by any other name
Just ignore him. He is just trying to wind people up.
Come on Arsenal
I can honestly say I am more excited at the start of this season than I was for the start of last season.
Awww poor ickle baby. No one wats to play.
Time for beddikins, like all those tired points you insist on regurgitating.
Balance the books, oh how we laughed.
Dups;
Thats good advice, I promise to follow it tomorrow, night super fan, I’d love to say its been fun, but that simply would be lying on your scale.
currently
the way i see it, weve swapped van tithead for giroud, podolski and carzola..
not bad..
losing song is a minor blow, simply because the timings abit shit and we’ll see how the boss deals with it, hopefully we can snatch sahin, i heard AW had phoned him personally to convince him we want him..
but come kick off it doesnt matter, fuck the politics, its all about the football..
Starting eleven, won’t matter to me. So much talent.
What is the number for our Fantasy League?
I am happy with the sorting out that Mr. Wenger has done this off season. I am not complaining about anything. In fact, I am looking forward to what I suspect may be one of the most enjoyable seasons of Arsenal Football. Everything has been done in a timely manner with but few exceptions. Fortunately for me the game is broadcast in my Province at six-thirty in the morning.
OK guys. I joined our Fantasy League for the 1st time ever. Shotta smelling the crisp air, the first parting of the clouds by the rising sun, the fresh dew on the ground, the hope of a new season.
Proper football is BACK!
Looking so forward to tomorrow, football is back, wengerball is back. Props to all on this board who have kept positive through another crazy off season. Enjoy the game everyone.
Two Owls, I must be from the same province as you, I’ll be up at 6:30am, raring to go. Funny, getting up for work at 6:30 is a massive struggle, getting up for Arsenal and I literally jump out of bed.
My respect to our manager.
Amy Lawrence on Wenger:
Wenger is a forgiving type. No matter how often he must let go of a diamond that he has patiently polished, no matter how painful it might be on a personal level to see someone in whom he has invested countless hours strutting off with a rival, he never betrays the slightest hint of bitterness.
Screw the ex players. None is bigger than the club. Proper football is here and I’m looking forward with excitement.
Fasten your seat belts, ‘ere we go again!
‘Imagine it? All those years pretending to go along with the views of the regulars on here, yet all the time living a lie.’
Dexter, that reminds me of someone i used to know
it feels like xmas morning..
the boy inside me screams arsenal
Arsene would tell the crowd not to boo van persie when they visit. oh, that is if felliani doesnt take him out on monday and leave him out injured for the season.
JJ
i bet wenger phoned sahin in german too.
WHOOP! WHOOP!
IT’S A NEW DAWN. A NEW DAY. LET’S SMASH SOME BLACK CATS.
SMASH ‘EM LIKE WET TONGUES. SMASH ‘EM WITH THOR’S HAMMER.
I WOKE UP TOO SOON.
I STILL HAVE NEARLY HALF A DAY TO GO BUT I’M TOO EXCITED TO SLEEP.
BTW I’M NOT SHOUTING. THIS IS A TELEGRAM.
STOP.
Crikey. That looks loud.
more than likely mate..
i can see why theres reports hes stalling on liverpool..
no CL no AW..
the choice is easy, we’ll see what happens over the weekend..
but theres a game to play first..a good win on the cards today, we have a point to prove..
Morning all!
im sorry jonny, i didnt quite catch that
That IS loud for this time of day Jonny – emboldened capitals? What WERE you thinking? Could at least have shut the windows!!
On the upside, t’interweb still appears to be working … #who’dhavethought
the gooniverse is up early this morning..
posting this again from last night
http://twitpic.com/aknith
i was wrong. there might still be some hope in football after all.
no broken tinterweb
no broken cannon either..
I’m not thinking Andrew. I’m a ball of energy this morning.
Windows are for smashing.
Sorry – I am a bit giddy this morning.
All of my words should be partially discounted.
Like votes in Florida.
Give me a few minutes JJ.
I’ll have it down round your ankles or reflected in shards in no time.
The shock of departee number 1 has definitely softened the blow of departee number 2. In usual circumstances I would have been really gutted, but now I’m like, meh.
Can we sign M’vila now, please.
Not sure which three players to have in the fantasy team.
Poldi; Arteta and Santi.
I figure Poldi will play every week, either up top on out wide, so he should rack up points on a number of fronts.
Arteta is relatively cheap and will be even better this year.
Santi is worth a gamble, as he looks awesome and his price will surely have risen when everyone else realises and tries to include him.
You heard it hear first : )
hahaha..
loving the positivity this morning..
http://www.aclfarsenal.co.uk/?p=9138
The Big Match Returns: Arsenal vs Sunderland
lets hope we still feel this way at 5 o clock