Arsenal Transfer Rumours And General Chat

Post pre-season review

As I’ve nothing better to be doing with myself this wet Sunday evening, I thought I’d write something on the state of the current Arsenal squad going into the new season. There may be additional signings and I know many people believe that there will be, but the season starts in a week so this seems as good a time as any to collect my thoughts on the team. Warning: this is a LONG post.

Arsenal’s pre-season results read as follows (including scorers):

2-0 vs Barnet (Adebayor, Barazite)
3-0 vs Genclerbirligi (van Persie 2, Walcott)
0-1 vs Salzburg
2-1 vs Paris Saint Germain (Flamini, Bendtner)
2-1 vs Inter Milan (Hleb, van Persie)
2-1 vs Lazio (Bendtner, Eduardo)
1-0 vs Ajax (van Persie)

I only got to see the games against Inter, Lazio and Ajax, so I can’t really say too much about the other four games. From what I’ve heard the performance against PSG was pretty poor. Against Inter though, Arsenal were superb, dominating the game from the start to the finish. The only concern was that a goal was conceded cheaply from a cross again. A very weak side was less convincing against Lazio, but a win over the 3rd placed Italian team is still a good showing. Finally there was the Ajax game, which was a tough work-out. Good in places, poor in others, I think the win was deserved and it completed a very successful busy period of games with 4 wins over 4 good European sides.

Goalkeepers – Jens Lehmann, Manuel Almunia, Lukasz Fabianski

I didn’t get to see new boy Fabianski in action as he wasn’t involved in the final three games. From what I’ve read he looked very accomplished, brave and commanding in the earlier games, which is nice to hear as, judging purely on YouTube videos, he seems to be an agile shot-stopper too. He also is apparently a bit nuts, so we may have a true successor to Jens Lehmann here.

Manuel Almunia looked very sharp in pre-season and seems to have developed into a fine goalkeeper over the past 18 months. His decision making was dreadful when he first arrived here, but that has improved considerably and compliments his impressive shot-stopping abilities nicely. He has been excellent when called upon over the last two seasons, so that should continue this season.

Most important though is the form of our #1, Jens Lehmann. His form last season wobbled a bit and did not reach the heights of the 18 months prior to that. A lot of people, including myself, think that was partially to do with motivation, and not age. He had his eye on the #1 spot in the German team, and had to be in top form to beat off Kahn. With the Euros coming up next summer, combined with the arrival of Fabianski and Almunia’s continued improvement, hopefully Jens will be back to his best this season.

Goalkeepers Verdict: Sorted here, at least for this season.

Full-backs – Gael Clichy, Bacary Sagna, Justin Hoyte, Emmanuel Eboue, Armand Traore, William Gallas

The unexpected arrival of Bacary Sagna from Auxerre has boosted what I already felt was a good set of full-backs. Gael Clichy has cemented his place as first choice left back, and it looks like Sagna will be first choice right-back. Traore, Eboue and Hoyte will be understudies, with Eboue getting additional games in midfield. I wasn’t sure what to make of the arrival of Sagna, but having watched him a few times now I am encouraged. He reminds me of Lauren, but with more pace. A solid, tough, gritty defender who gets up and down the flank tirelessly all game. He looks much more solid than Eboue, and can play at left back too.

I’ve always had faith in Gael Clichy, but there were some Gooners who questioned his ability at the beginning of last season (in terms of footballing ability, as well as fitness). He has resoundingly put those concerns to bed. One of Arsenal’s players of the season last year, his defending has improved massively and his ability going forward is slowly improving also. His superhuman energy levels and pace truly are a sight to behold. He has a superb attitude and is on the fast-track to becoming an Arsenal legend. I don’t envy Armand Traore’s task of dislodging him from the team.

That said, Traore continues to show a lot of promise. His defending leaves a lot to be desired, but so did Ashley Cole and Gael Clichy’s at the age of 17. What he has over both of them is a tall, powerful physique, and technically, I think he is a better footballer than both. I think a loan deal would benefit him, as I’m not sure he’ll feature much next season, much as Wenger rates him. If Clichy is injured, I imagine we’d see one of Gallas, Sagna or Hoyte filling in instead.

Justin Hoyte was another player who the fans had doubts about early last season, but his improvement has also been considerable. He’s no Gael Clichy, but he has proved to be a solid, dependable player who can play well on both flanks. He gets on with it, doesn’t moan, fights for the cause and is an Arsenal boy through and through (though whether that means anything these days, is open to debate). A valuable player to have around.

Last of our full-backs is Emmanuel Eboue. It is looking like he will feature more prominently as a winger this season. I must say I’m pleased. Defensively he was always suspect, but going forward he is brilliant. He still has a lot to learn about playing in midfield, but I think that’ll come with games. He will still be a valuable option to have at right-back, especially against teams that won’t exploit his defensive weaknesses.

Full-backs Verdict: Sorted for the foreseeable future.

Centre-backs – Kolo Toure, William Gallas, Philippe Senderos, Johan Djourou, Gilberto

Question marks over this area for me. I have yet to be convinced that Toure and Gallas, both outstanding individual defenders, can form an effective partnership. I think they are both at their best when partnering a more aerially dominant centre-back like Terry, Campbell, or even Senderos. That said Gallas was either at left-back or injured for much of last season, so they never really got a chance to form a partnership. We’ll have to wait and see how they do.

The lack of depth is a problem. I’m not sure Wenger still has full faith in Senderos, as he hasn’t really developed much in the last three years, and he still struggles against the same challenges that he did then. I do feel he compliments Gallas and Toure well though. One thing I have noticed in pre-season is that he is slimmer, and as a result a lot nippier, which could really benefit him. I’ll have to wait and see what happens this season.

Johan Djourou is a big talent. He reminds me very much of a young Rio Ferdinand, which I consider a compliment. He is tall, quick, strong, and very good technically. He is the typical Wenger type of defender, and I feel in a few seasons his defensive abilities will grow and he will be a superb player. At the moment though, he is inexperienced and prone to making mistakes – but a nonetheless a decent fourth choice centre-back.

Centre-backs Verdict: Only four recognised CBs makes Gilberto or young Havard Nordveidt fifth choice – this could be a problem if injury problems occur again. This area needs improving.

Centre Midfielders – Cesc Fabregas, Gilberto, Abou Diaby, Denilson, Mathieu Flamini, Alexandre Song

This is the team’s strongest area in my opinion. I hate using these ‘football manager’ terms, but Gilberto has shown himself to be a world class defensive midfielder, Cesc is a world class all-round CM, Diaby and Denilson have shown themselves to be ‘wonderkids’, Flamini is a solid enough utility player, and Alex Song is a good prospect.

I expect Gilberto will be made captain and will form a secure partnership with Cesc. Nothing much really needs to be said about either of these two. Gilberto will be missing for the first few weeks of the season, and it looks like Flamini will cover for him during that time. Flamini looked like he was leaving in the summer, but has had a change of heart and is developing into a decent player. He’ll never be good enough to be first choice, but he looks like a capable backup to Gilberto. His defensive positioning has looked a lot better in pre-season. Abou Diaby and Denilson are more all-round central midfielders in the Cesc mould, but could also fill in effectively, especially as most opponents in the EPL do not require a DM.

Centre Midfielders Verdict: Sorted.

Attacking Midfielders – Aliaksandr Hleb, Tomas Rosicky, Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Eboue

This is the main problem area for me. There is a lot of potential here, and perhaps it will be realised this season, but experience suggests there will be consistency issues here again.

Aliaksandr Hleb is an immensely talented footballer, and when on his game he is the club’s best attacking midfielder by a mile. However, that day hasn’t been often enough so far in his Arsenal career. In his first season he started well, got injured, and only regained his form in the CL run at the end of the season. Last season, he was terrific and the key creative force up until around Christmas, when he got injured again. His form after he returned was very poor, and it never returned. True to form, his form in pre-season this summer has been excellent, so hopefully he can keep that going all season long. He needs to, or we’re in trouble.

Tomas Rosicky is a talented but injury prone footballer, who is more of a central-midfielder than a winger. He has never played more than 30 league games in a season, so I think we have to assume that Theo Walcott and Emmanuel Eboue will be deputising for him frequently next season. This makes it very difficult for him to get any kind of run of form going. At the end of last season he started showing signs of getting there though, and he was adjusting his play to be more like the ‘winger’ that Arsenal need. Hopefully that will continue, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

Unless another player is signed, there will be a lot of pressure on Theo this season. He needs to perform better than he did in the second half of his season, but I think he can and will. He is injury free now, and a year older. For all his flaws last season, he was still the club’s second highest assister after Cesc Fabregas. He is more of a striker than a winger, but he will have to learn to use his talents in midfield for now.

I covered Eboue above, so I don’t need to say much. He has looked good in midfield in pre-season though, and looks to be a genuine option. All the same, I think we are looking for a lot of things to go right in this area and could do with reinforcements here.

Attacking Midfielders Verdict: Another player please.

Strikers – Robin van Persie, Eduardo, Emmanuel Adebayor, Nicklas Bendtner, Theo Walcott

It’s impossible to talk about this area with mentioning a certain Frenchman, so I’ll get the obligatory mention over – Thierry Henry. Anyway, Robin van Persie has started pre-season in outstanding form, scoring 4 goals and generally looking very lively. His link-up play and movement has improved a lot since he first came to Arsenal, and if he stays fit I think he could score 20 league goals.

New-boy Eduardo has looked very good in pre-season. He hasn’t looked fit, but his qualities have been evident. He is a battler, he is quick and is good technically. He links play well and can play ‘Arsenal’ football. Most importantly, he looks like a goal-scorer. His record certainly suggests that, and the way he has played for the club so far also suggests it. He seems to have a knack of getting into the right place and the right time. That is not to say that he is just a ‘fox-in-the-box’ – he likes drifting out wide, deep and getting involved in play. He looks like he could be a real hit in this coming season.

Adebayor pretty much symbolised Arsenal last season. Brilliant build-up play, terrible finishing. He improved considerably, and gave some of the league’s best defenders a torrid time, but he needs to improve his finishing. If he can do that, then the sky is the limit, as his other attributes are outstanding. Hopefully he can continue on his path to being ‘Arsenal’s Drogba’.

Lastly there is Nick Bendtner, who has scored two goals in the ‘big’ pre-season friendlies after a good loan spell last season at Birmingham. In pre-season his first touch has been very poor, but everything else about his game has been good, including his ability to find chances. I saw him last season and his first touch was much better, so fingers crossed this was just rustiness. He looks capable of scoring a few goals in the coming season, and surely can’t be any worse than Julio Baptista.

Strikers Verdict: Looking good.

Overall, I think the squad is good shape. If one or two players were added, it would be ready to compete for the league title, once the new signings had settled. As it stands, I think it’ll be a case of third or fourth again, but closer this time, and with a good cup run of some kind. The side is a young one, it is settled, team spirit is strong and things are looking very good for the future.