Summer 2013 will once more involve a jaunt to the Far East with the club announcing a trip to Indonesia and “further fixtures in Asia“. With no international tournaments of note once the season ends, there will surely be a strong squad travelling as Arsenal seek to consolidate the brand work done in the two previous Asian trips.
As much as Arsène may not like them, these tours are commercially driven and are the club’s lifeblood in terms of exploiting the markets. They lag behind United and Chelsea to some extent. Both of them were active in the Far East whilst Arsenal stayed in their Central European training base for the Summer. They have moved onto the USA and one wonders with that being the owners base, how long Arsenal will resist such a tour? Quite possibly for Wenger, that is one trip too far and with the way the club organise themselves, someone is probably talking about this in the same breath as an Asian tour.
You can understand why the manager might view these events as intruding on his preparations for the coming campaign but there is no evidence that they are in anyway detrimental to his preparation. The biggest impairment to that are international tournaments and this is something which the FA have to collaborate with Fifa and Uefa, working towards reducing the size of the top flight so that players can properly rest before joining up for pre-season training. Less clubs means that the Premier League can introduce a later starting, and consequent finishing, date for a season as well as looking at mid-Winter breaks, maybe after the FA Cup Third Round until the end of January which is when most postponements seem to happen.
It’s a quiet time for the club despite the regular flow of matches. You know that nothing is happening of note when a newspaper mocks up a picture of David Beckham in an Arsenal top with the former England star training with the club to keep fit. It must be really boring at Wapping this week. Midfield – certainly the wide positions – is not somewhere that is suffering from a shortage of talent at the moment. The right side is better stocked with Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott, Santi Cazorla in the background for either flank.
Centrally is a different story. It is repetitive, I know, but relying on Abou Diaby is a high-risk strategy for a conservative club. There are, of course, concerns with every player but they are fleeting whereas the Frenchman’s are constant with his body’s recuperative strength a worry for his manager. To that extent, it would be surprising if no additions were made this transfer window and yet not so. Arsène will have been heartened by recent displays from Aaron Ramsey. The Welshman is unfairly maligned, played out of position by his manager earlier in the season and suffering abuse that if it were pointed towards an animal, would bring about a prosecution by the RSPCA. Each team has such a player, one whose name brings an audible groan but that does not make it right, or even alright.
Playing in his favoured central role has seen his form return and Ramsey appears contented with this,
I think I’ve played well in the last two games. That’s pleasing for me and hopefully I can keep myself in the team and carry on. Hopefully I get picked for the next game. I had a meeting with the boss the other week and he explained to me what’s required for this role. I think I’ve done that in the last couple of games and I feel good in myself.
[I’ve been] getting stuck in and winning the ball back, been involved a lot more and got a lot of touches of the ball so hopefully I can continue the form I’m in at the moment. You always have to be wary of the hole you’re leaving behind you, but there are occasions when I can get into the box and one of the other midfielders sits.
I got into the box a couple of times [against Brighton], maybe it didn’t break for me but I got forward and Abou Diaby sat. I can still get forward but I’m a bit more restricted as to what I can do.
It is certainly the role I envisaged he would play in when he signed for Arsenal. Nothing since has suggested he has the pace for that role and it must be dispiriting for the player to know his efforts are unappreciated through performing in a position which is unnatural for his game. Despite the derision, Ramsey has comeback and shown form in Arteta’s absence, sitting deeper to cover other players. Whether it is enough to keep him in the team when the Spaniard recovers is another matter and for this season, probably not. However, as a longer term plan, there is some considerable sense in the idea with the stats supporting his inclusion in a deeper-lying role with high ball retention and completed passing percentages on Saturday a hopeful sign.
’til Tomorrow.
@GA
Applying your logic thoroughly I am sure you will see that even the goals statistic doesn’t really tell the whole story. MA already had a good point with penalties, which can skew any players goal tally but you just have to look at Drogba to find a really good example of a really good striker with a not that outstanding goal scoring record. He only scored once more than 20 goals for the Chavs in the league and he has been scoring well below 1 in 2 games (which puts him on a similar level to, say, Berbatov, Adebayor, Tevez, Torres, Bent, Yakubu etc. ) which is worse than those really prolific strikers like RvN, the other Rv, Henry, Rooney etc.
Furthermore, his scoring record is very inconsistent, scoring 20 goals one season and then 5 the next. Nevertheless, I think if you’d pose the question to anyone who has been one of the outstanding strikers of the 00s in the PL, Drogba would surely be one of the names that pops up, despite his distinctively average scoring record for what is a top striker.
I have had a soft spot for the Ravens ever since the Colts loaded up and moved to Indianapolis in the mid 80s – if you see what I mean
How in Gods name can you do that to your fans ?
I do wonder what plan B is if we dont get Villa. It would indeed be weird to go into the last half of the sesason with only one striker. For a while i thought we delayed it unitil Walcott signed, but its weeks since he signed now.
We already lost Mbiwa which would have been perfect as the utilityplayer in the back.
Hope something happens before the window closes.
Something more than Beckham, though it would not suprise me if the board wanted him to sign, he would selll alot of shirts after all….
you just have to love chezzer.
good interview with him:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jan/29/wojciech-szczesny-arsenal-defence
Anicoll it’s a bizarre thing – LA had two teams and now have none. Owners eh?
C – wow, who is the player. Will I see him?
Also – valid reasons!
Evil – Yeah, that is very true. I suppose that particular Chelsea team scored loads though, so that aspect was overlooked. Generally though, a successful team will have a striker who gets 20+ goals.
Drogba was certainly a big game player though. He scored when it mattered. I am glad he has gone, he seemed to like playing us.
In the loosest sense of the word I fucking hated Drogba, Andy.
Nightmare to play against and raised his game against us but a commonly a devious, injury-feigning, pathetic, egocentric, manipulative tit with shit hair.
So much talent, so little to admire.
@GA
Actually, that particular Chelsea team never did score loads — that’s probably the even funnier thing. When Chelsea won two league titles in a row they scored 72 goals both seasons. Only once did a team score even fewer goals than that to win the league since the turn of the century.
That one season when Drogba was actually prolific, scoring 29 goals, Chelsea scored over 100, though.
But I can’t agree more with your last sentence. I was always confident of our players handling any striker but not Drogba.
@Jonny
Yes he starts on defense and is #55, Ahmad Brooks. He plays outside linebacker.
Yea so that’s why I want the 49ers to win, but I just want a good game when its all said and done.
Formidably average game at the Stadium of Light – I’ve sad it before but this time I mean it
And another bit of witchcraft from Arry in Shepherds Bush
Football eh
Just looking at the table after tonights results. We are closer to 2nd bottom that top of the lge. Amazing.
@GA
Thanks mate for that lovely bit of knowledge.
And that is why Andy, given tonight’s result at Loftus Road, and the crushing of Chels at the Bridge, it would be foolish to write Arry off for a late run at a CL place
C – My pleasure.
Anicoll – Heh.
Wow Villa lose again, how long can a manager hang on for?
@GA
I must admit though that we are only 8 points away from 3rd, 4 points away from 4th! You failed to mention that.
@GA
I’ll add some pointless trivia to your pointless trivia. Last season at the end of January we were equidistant to the top and 2nd bottom of the league. Not sure what we can do with this information. Got an idea?
@C
I got something on that, too! Last season at the end of January we were 5 points away from 4th and 10 points away from 3rd.
http://www.football365.com/mediawatch/8452155/Mediawatch
The bit on Redknapp is very funny.
The bit on AW goes some way to shining a light on why some fans get frustrated with him when it comes to transfers.
C – I am not trying to paint some picture of how we are going to get sucked into a relegation fight, because we obviously aren’t. I just noticed the figures and found it quite weird. No sinister agenda.
@Evil
Not to mention we seem to be rounding into form and the Chavs and Spuds seem to be in turmoil right now. If we win and keep the pressure on those to squads who knows what could happen especially with the Chavs pretty much hating Benitez(both fans and club officials alike) and not knowing how long Hazard will be out with a leaky defense. The Spuds confidence is even more fragile than ours not to mention their best player Dembele questioning the team and AVB.
If we get 6 points from the next 2 matches we could very well be in 4th with our great GD.
All it means, Evil, is that we aren’t in the title race nor are we in a relegation struggle! But we knew that…
For all the talk about finishing 19 points back last season and our current gap with the top, in 06 we finished 24 points back, 07 was 21, so we’ve been there before. In 08 we were just 4 points back so there is always hope for next season. The right players combining well and we can be in the hunt.
What’s the story with Dembele, C?
@GA
I was just ragging you a little mate. The question is who will the pressure get to: The Arsenal, Spuds or Chavs. Well the good thing for us is that WE ARE ALWAYS UNDER PRESSURE from Gooners, Doomer and Neutrals alike so its nothing new for us.
WE ARE THE ARSENAL AND WE WILL SECURE 4TH IF NOT 3RD!!!!
C – All good mate
I am still hesitant to say we are hitting form though. Aside from the West Ham game we are seeing the worst and best of this squad on a game by game basis. Awful first half’s followed by a much better 2nd half.
I hope we do get some consistency, as I think we are a better side than all the others around us battling for fourth.
@LSG
I am in full agreement. I do think it’s a bit weird that we have turned from a team that starts strongly and then fades away after January to one that misses the starting shot but then turns it up in the second half of the season. Can’t we do it both? Like, start well and finish well? That’s my personal recipe for a credible title challenge right there!
@LSG
Apparently Dembele questioned the players and manager and direction of club after their lost in the FA Cup. Trying to find the article now.
@GA
I think if we do well against Liverpool, we are probably going to have the momentum to catch up. Last season our January was even more miserable, losing to Fulham, Swansea and ManU and then we drew against Bolton but somehow after that we turned it up. We have a similar fixture list coming up (playing a lot of the same teams we played during our winning run) so I will keep my fingers crossed we can emulate it.
@GA
I do think that we are starting to see the best and understanding. I noticed it by the way we pass the ball and the way we have pressed. We seem to be getting an understanding of how and where and when each other will be.
@Evil
I think what really hurt us this year is that we had started quite fast and yea its tough to point the finger but I think a major part of our early struggles this term was the Chavs match when Diaby went down. We were flying and playing and defending and starting to figure out scoring and then Diaby got hurt, Jack wasn’t available and then we hit a rough patch that Arsene or anybody really knew how to get out of. So the Diaby injury was MASSIVE this term.
That is just my honest opinion.
Hopefully. Can’t wait for the game tomorrow either way.
GA very funny read about Harry, that guy doesn’t know when to shut up does he?
I have noticed that he never seems to know if his chairman has made bids for players as well. Who is he trying to kid?
Let’s hope next season, Evil!