Arsenal will continue their Champions League campaign on Wednesday night at the Stade Velodrome. Olympique de Marseille are struggling in Ligue 1, but they have won both their Champions League matches.
Injury News: Kieran Gibbs will miss the match due to a muscle strain in his stomach. Arsene Wenger said that Gibbs will be out for around “two weeks.” Aaron Ramsey is back and has been named in the 18-man squad. Thomas Vermaelen, Bacary Sagna, Jack Wilshere, and Abou Diaby are still recovering from their long-term injuries.
Arsene Wenger is not taking Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the trip to France. The Ox scored in the victory over Olympiacos, and it is surprising that he has not been included. Chamberlain has played very well when given the chance, but Wenger has chosen not to pick him for some inexplicable reason.
Another young, promising player was included in the 18-man squad for Wednesday night. Francis Coquelin, the tough tackling midfielder, will be at the Stade Velodrome. Coquelin was impressive in the loss to Spurs.
Marseille currently sit at 15th in the Ligue 1 table, with only nine points from ten games. Arsenal are not doing much better, with ten points from eight matches. Marseille’s last two results have been draws, including a 1-1 against Brest. Despite this poor form, Marseille have been great in Europe this season. They crushed Borussia Dortmund 3-0 at the Stade Velodrome, and also beat Olympiacos 1-0 in Greece.
Arsene Wenger is very familiar with Olympique de Marseille from his time in France. He told Arsenal.com: “I have memories of some big battles there because with Monaco we did always fight with Marseille for the championship. There was massive passion around the games. It is a football city in France and L’OM is part of the French culture in Marseille – the life of every family is linked with this club. Maybe more than anywhere else.”
Loic Remy is Marseille’s top scorer this season with five goals in all competitions. Mathieu Valbeuna, who was rumoured to be an Arsenal target, is a dangerous player. He has two goals and five assists in all competitions. Andre Ayew is another key player for the French club who was linked with a move to North London. Arsene Wenger denied those reports (from Arsenal.com):
“I like the player but we didn’t approach him.”
Two traditional powers are struggling in their domestic leagues but they may find success in the Champions League. Arsenal could face the Marseille that drew against Brest or the Marseille that beat Dortmund. And who knows what kind of Arsenal performance we will see?
Let’s end this preview with some final comments from Arsene Wenger (from Arsenal.com): “A positive result will put us in a strong position to qualify because you could see until now there are three contenders – Marseille, Dortmund and Arsenal.
“It will be interesting to see how strong Marseille are tomorrow because after that we play them at home. For us to get at least four points from these two games will put us in an extremely strong position.
“We are a bit less under pressure than we are in the Premier League where of course we are absolutely in need of winning the games. So we play a little bit with more pressure.
“This is a game with pressure because these two games will basically decide our Champions League future.”
Centre-back Thomas Vermaelen has signed a contract that will keep him at the Emirates Stadium until 2015. Arsene Wenger was delighted that Arsenal were able to sign a deal to keep Vermaelen at the club long-term.
Some of the best news of this season arrived on Monday. Thomas Vermaelen has committed to the Gunners by signing a long-term contract. The Belgian centre-half was mentioned as a player who could depart from the club, but he has made his intentions clear by agreeing to the extension.
Vermaelen told Arsenal.com: ”I am really happy to have signed a new contract with Arsenal. I always had the intention to stay here. I feel there is a big belief in me from the Club, from the boss and from the fans and that is one of the reasons why I stayed. Arsenal is a fantastic Club. We have great supporters, we’re doing well financially and we are playing with some quality young players now and they will develop, which is very good for the future.”
Arsene Wenger told Arsenal.com: “We are absolutely delighted that Thomas has signed a new long-term contract. Our plan is always to sign top quality players and with Thomas extending his contract, we have done just that. Thomas is a special player, who has always made a huge contribution on the pitch and we are looking forward to him being a part of our future at Arsenal Football Club.”
With the lack of quality at centre-back, it was absolutely essential to sign Vermaelen long-term. He and Bacary Sagna have been our two most relable defenders. The Belgium captain is only 25-years old, and is set to spend the peak of his career in North London.
Will Vermaelen’s decision to sign a long-term contract extension have an effect on the rest of the squad? Many players felt unsettled after the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Na$ri. Now that a quality defender like Vermaelen has signed through 2015, will other players also choose to stay at the Emirates?
Every Gooner would love to see Robin van Persie’s contract extended. The RvP saga has already started, and we are still months away from January. Vermaelen is one of our best and most important players. If Arsenal can negotiate a new contract with van Persie, then our club will have recovered from the destabilisation caused by Na$ri and Fabregas.
Robin van Persie’s brace propelled Arsenal to a 2-1 victory over Sunderland at the Emirates. The Dutchman also dispelled rumours about his committment to the club. Former Gunner Sebastian Larsson’s fantastic free kick was not enough to earn the Black Cats a point.
Robin van Persie scored early and late. And by early, I mean the quickest goal in a Premier League match this season. Twenty-nine seconds was all it took for RvP to put the Gunners in the lead. Tomas Rosicky started the move with a chip pass to Gervinho. Gervinho slid the ball across to van Persie, and the Dutchman calmly directed the ball past Simon Mignolet.
Van Persie was just spectacular throughout the match, but escpecially in the first half. His looping chip deflected off the inside of the far post in the 12th minute. Another few centimeters and van Persie would have had a goal-of-the-season candidate.
Sunderland struggled to mount an attack until Sebastian Larsson converted on a free kick. Szczesny could not be held accountable because Larsson’s strike was simply brilliant. The shot danced in the air as it headed towards the back of the net. After the match, Arsene Wenger praised Larsson for his free kick ability (from Arsenal.com):
“Yes he among the best in the league, with Sebastian Larsson. I think Larsson is maybe the best free-kick taker in the league.”
Things were looking bleak for Arsene Wenger in the 80th minute. A draw at home against a terribly inconsistent Sunderland side was not acceptable. Fortunately for Arsenal, van Persie was unstoppable on Sunday. The Dutchman earned a free kick by way of a Wes Brown foul. RvP matched Larsson with a curler that slipped inside the far post (82nd minute).
Before van Persie’s winning goal, Arsenal had struggled hitting the target on set pieces. Mikel Arteta and Andre Santos both wasted free kick chances. Arteta, supposedly a free kick maestro, has failed to deliver on set pieces so far. The situation became so desperate that even Theo Walcott tried his luck from a free kick. Obviously, Theo blasted the shot over the net.
At times, the Gunners brought back visions of recent seasons gone by. While they were looking for the winning goal, Arsenal players kept passing on open shots in order to pass to a teammate. It is incredibly frustrating for fans to watch their team pass their way out of a dangerous goal-scoring opportunity.
Suprisingly, Andrey Arshavin performed very well after entering the match as a substitute. The little Russian made weaving runs around Sunderland defenders and curled in crosses. He was playing more centrally, almost behind van Persie. Maybe that is the position for him.
Other top performers for Arsenal included Alex Song and Wojceich Szczesny. Song seems to improve every single game. He is evolving into a very solid midfielder who protects the back four but is not afraid to thread a pass or join the attack. Szczesny made a magnificent stop in the 35th minute.
Lee Catermole thought he had a goal when he headed a cross towards the net from close range. Surely the keeper could not recover that quickly from the near post! But Szczesny was there tracking the Sessegnon cross all the way across and made a game-saving save. I cannot see Arsenal coming back if Cattermole scored at that point in the match.
“I want to say something about my commitment to Arsenal because there have been many stories in the media lately. I am committed to Arsenal, and that’s how it is, despite people [in the media] making up stories. For example, they said I was selling my house, but that’s nothing recent, I moved house last year.
“I see stories which make me laugh, but I can see how frustrating it is from the fans’ point of view. But I am committed to Arsenal. I am captain, and fans should not believe everything they read. ” Van Persie went on to say that he moved into a new house in London.
Pundits will say that Arsenal are nothing without van Persie. I would not go that far, but the Gunners certainly would not have gained the three points on Sunday without their world class striker. While the performance of the team was not great, all we need right now is results.
With the victory, Arsenal have jumped five spots in the table to 1oth. Arsene Wenger will want to see his team climb farther up the table in the coming weeks, but at least the Gunners are in the top half. We are only six points behind Newcastle for 4th. Arsenal will look to build on this performance when they go to France to play Marseille on Wednesday.
The Gunners will look to recover from defeat in the North London derby against Sunderland. Steve Bruce will be under pressure if the Black Cats continue to struggle. Robin van Persie said that he is as fit as ever after the international break.
Injury News: Abou Diaby and Thomas Vermaelen will miss the match but both should be back fairly soon. Bacary Sagna and Jack Wilshere are out long-term. Arsene Wenger gave an update on Vermaelen’s progress at his press conference (from Arsenal.com):
“He’s two weeks away. He is running out on the pitches. He looks alright but we have to respect the progression, you still have to give him two to three weeks to be competitive again.”
Tomas Rosicky will be available despite suffering a minor injury while playing for the Czech Republic.
Robin van Persie is feeling great. He told Arsenal’s Official Matchday Programme: “I played 90 minutes in both international games, and I feel great. I feel so fit these days, I recover well, don’t have any pain, and feel really good.
“I’m enjoying it, playing all the games, doing all the training sessions. A couple of years ago, I had periods where I struggled to play two 90 minutes in a few days, but now I can do it, recover well, and for me it’s the best feeling for years.
“I also love the fact that the international week is over on a Tuesday – it gives you an extra day, and with our game being on a Sunday, we have two extra days, so it should be like a normal week for us.”
Because of the extra two days, the players should be rested and ready to go on Sunday. Sometimes we see exhausted players after the two-match break, but hopefully that is not the case against Sunderland.
Sunderland sit at 16th in the able, one place behind Arsenal. Steve Bruce has come under criticism for inconsistent results. Bruce is under so much pressure because of the amount of cash he spent during the summer. The newcomers have yet to fit in.
I watched the Black Cats play Norwich City at Carrow Road a few weeks ago in a Monday night match. Sunderland had some bright spots, but were largely outplayed by the Norwich. Nicklas Bendtner performed well in the match, but he will not be able to play at the Emirates because of the loan deal. Sunderland’s last match was a 2-2 draw against West Brom at the Stadium of Light.
Former Gunner Sebastian Larsson was one of the players signed by Bruce during the summer. Larsson had this to say leading up to the match (from the Metro): “For this one game I’ll be more than happy to make that happen (put them in the relegation zone) and see them struggle.
“Since my time there I have always followed them. The fear factor has gone a little but if they do put in a good performance then you will be in for a hell of a tough day.”
Larsson also said that he did not have “one bad word” to say about Arsene Wenger. Wenger was asked about Larsson at the press conference (from Arsenal.com): “He has done extremely well. He has been educated here and we are always very happy when we can contribute to the career of a player.
“I was always confident he could make it because he had a fantastic attitude, a great engine and good technique. I am not surprised he is doing well.”
Larsson may be able to torment our central defenders with his fantastic crosses.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is a player that Gooners are very excited about. The 18-year old has scored two goals in two senior matches at Arsenal. The Ox also scored a hat-trick for the England Under-21 team during the international break. Arsene Wenger was asked whether Chamberlain should be considered for England’s Euro 2012 squad (from FIFA.com):
“I don’t rule him out. It depends on his progress here.You cannot rule him out because he has the basic talent. In the next five, six months we will see how he adjusts to the physical intensity of the game.”
Wenger also said that Chamberlain “has the quality already for top-level Premier League games.” Hopefully, The Ox will get another chance to shine against Sunderland.
Alisher Usmanov is looking to make a strong push to become a factor in the Arsenal boardroom. This could create a feud with majority shareholder Stan Kroenke. So we must ask this question: Who would you rather see as the majority shareholder and decision maker at Arsenal?
Earlier this week, news broke that Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov will try to increase his stake in Arsenal from 29% to 30%. According to a number of sources, Usmanov will offer £14,500 a share to the smaller shareholders. Usmanov has repeatedly attempted to become a decision maker at the Emirates, but has failed so far.
American Stan Kroenke currently owns 66% of the shares. Kroenke and the shareholders that sold to him during the take over last season effectively shut Usmanov out of the boardroom. They did not want Arsenal falling into the hands of a sugar daddy with a checkered past.
Usmanov, like many Arsenal supporters, believes that more money needs to be spent on transfers and player wages. He has been critical of Kroenke’s self-sustaining model. The self-sustaining model, which was in place before the Kroenke takeover, has seen our club drop out of title contention this season.
It is clear that Usmanov desperately wants control over the Gunners. He is the 35th wealthiest person in the world, so he will be able to test the resolve of the minor shareholders, and maybe even Kroenke. If our club continues to skid, Gooners everywhere will be holding Kroenke partly accountable. Maybe the American does not want to deal with the pressure and decides sells his shares to Usmanov at a massive profit.
So far, Silent Stan has only been interviewed once about Arsenal, not counting his press releases on Arsenal.com. Kroenke seems to be the responsible football owner, so I doubt that he will decide to just abandon his interest in the club. Kroenke knows that there is money to be made in football. He does own several American teams, but those clubs are forced to adhere to strict revenue sharing and parity laws.
As Gooners, who do we want? Do we want the noble American buisnessman who runs a sustainable operation? Or do we want a Uzbek billionaire who wants to win at all costs?
Above all, a second Abramovich is not needed in London. I do not want to see Usmanov micromanaging every decision on and off the pitch. Arsene Wenger would not put up with a manipulating owner who buys players that do not fit the system.
On the other hand, Kroenke may be more worried about making a profit than winning anything. There is a possibility that, over the next few seasons, he could just sit back and watch as Arsenal are forced out of the top-4 and into the middle of the table. Silent Stan could be afraid to stand up to Wenger. While Wenger is undoubtedly a genius, everyone needs a second point of view at times, and Kroenke could be yet another yes-man.
If we could merge both Kroenke and Usmanov, they could create the perfect majority shareholder. Unfortunately, there is little chance of the two forming a partnership. Both men are competitive buisnessmen, and that type of person usually doesn’t like sharing power or cash.
My choice in this battle is Kroenke. I worry that Usmanov may sack Wenger (and his successors) at the first hint of a drop in performance, like Abramovich. Silent Stan seems to have complete faith in Wenger, but hopefully not blind faith. Many Gooners have grown to dislike the transfer policies of Manchester City and Chelsea, and I don’t want our club to be like City and Chelsea.
Many Arsenal stars featured for their country during the international break. Ju-Young Park cannot stop scoring for South Korea. Aaron Ramsey helped Wales end their qualification run with two victories. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s hat-trick on Thursday proved that he is one of the top young English players.
Ju-Young Park scored two for South Korea in their 2-2 draw with Poland last Friday. The first was a powerful strike off of a low cross. Park completed his brace when a break put him one-on-one with the keeper. Park confidently slid the ball past the Polish keeper. Ironically, the Poland keeper was Arsenal teammate Lukasz Fabianski.
Park also scored for South Korea in their 2-1 win over United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.
Wales captain Aaron Ramsey converted on a penalty for his country on Friday in their 2-0 victory over Switzerland. Ramsey also featured in Tuesday’s 1-0 win against Slovakia. Despite their strong finish to their qualification campaign, Wales will not be competing in Euro 2012 this summer.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is a lethal finisher. The Ox scored a hat-trick for the U-21 England team in their 3-0 win over Iceland. Chamberlain used his blistering pace to score the first goal. His second came after the Iceland keeper made a terrible mistake. The Ox maneuvered around three defenders before sticking the shot near post to complete his hat-trick.
Theo Walcott must be feeling the pressure. Not only is Chamberlain pushing for a spot in Arsene Wenger’s starting eleven; he may be entering Fabio Capello’s mind ahead of the European Championships.
Andrey Arshavin captained Russia as they sealed their qualification to Euro 2012. The little Russian assisted on a goal as his side bashed lowly Andorra by a score of 6-0 on Tuesday. Arshavin, ever-present in the Russian team, also played on Friday in the 1-0 victory over Slovakia.
Per Mertesacker has been holding his place in a strong German team. Per featured for the full 90 against Belgium and Turkey during this international break. Germany did not drop a point during the qualification process, and will be one of the favourites to win the European title this summer.
Robin van Persie also played 180 minutes this week for Holland. Holland, after losing to Spain in the World Cup final, will also look to go far in the European championships.
Marouane Chamakh helped Morocco qualify for the African Cup of Nations on Sunday. Chamakh’s header was the first goal in the 3-1 win for Morocco over Tanzania.
Gervinho assisted on a goal from former Gunner Kolo Toure that helped Ivory Coast qualify for the African Cup of Nations. Toure’s goal was the first for Ivory Coast, as they edged past Burundi by a score of 2-1.
Last but not least, Theo Walcott featured for England in the 2-2 draw against Montenegro. Walcott fed a delicious cross to Ashley Young for the first goal of the match. The Three Lions blew a two goal lead, thanks in part to hot-headed Red Devil who was shown the red card. England did successfully qualify for the tournament.
The January transfer rumours are starting already. The Line-up: Anzhi Makhachkala are targeting several world-class stars, including Robin van Persie. Arsenal are close to signing 16-year old Jose Rodriguez from Real Madrid. Salomon Kalou could make a move to the Emirates in the winter.
Manchester City are not the only super-wealthy club who are hoping to sign Robin van Persie. Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala are looking to add high-priced stars, and captain Roberto Carlos named a few of their targets (quotes obtained from ESPN):
“Anelka is not the only player. Nene from PSG and Van Persie from Arsenal are players we are following. And Neymar? I talked to him. If Real, Barca or Manchester United cannot pay the transfer fee, we will pay it. Suleyman Kerimov can offer what he wants.”
Remember that Anzhi signed Samuel Eto’o away from Inter and made him the highest paid footballer in the world. If Robin is looking for an inflated wage bill, he should look no further. It is likely that the Dutchman would not want a move to Anzhi, where the players live in Moscow and only visit Makhachkala on match day due to the violence in the city.
Apparently, Anzhi want to offer Ashley Cole £200,000 per week. I assume that Cashley booked the first flight of the day to Moscow.
According to various sources, Arsenal are set to complete the signing of Real Madrid 16-year old midfielder Jose Rodriguez. The Gunners decided to move for Rodriguez after his player of the tournament display at U-17 world club championship. According to the Daily Mail, Rodriguez has been in London for two days preparing for the switch.
Wenger’s tastes are shifting. It used to be young French players, and now he fancies young Spanish players. Three teenagers (Ignasi Miquel, Hector Bellerin, John Miquel Toral) have been plucked from the Barcelona youth academy recently, and now Wenger is raiding the Madrid youth system.
The Daily Mail are reporting that Arsenal and Liverpool are interested in signing 26-year old Chelsea forward Salomon Kalou. Arsene Wenger originally wanted to sign Kalou from Feyenoord, but Chelsea won that battle. Arsenal are ready to offer £6 million for Kalou.
Kalou could form a nice attacking partnership with Gervinho. Both players know each other from the Ivory Coast national side.
Usually, I do not post about transfer rumours this early, but news is slow during the international break. Speaking of which, check back tomorrow for a full report on the Gunners who played for their country during the break.
Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina revealed through his new autobiography that Arsenal were ready to sign him for £20 million, but the move was blocked by the former Liverpool owners.
Reina said that the Gunners tried to sign him in 2010, and that he wanted the move to the Emirates Stadium (passage from book obtained from Daily Mail):
“Arsenal had made their determination to sign me clear by offering £20m, a phenomenal amount for a goalkeeper. Part of me felt that I was well within my rights to consider my future even if I did so with a heavy heart.
“When Liverpool received the bid, they rejected it. This was not because I had been told that I was too good a keeper to leave. The reason I was given was quite different – and it left me feeling down. I was told that my continued presence was crucial to the sale of the club. I was simply a bargaining chip in the sales process.”
Apparently, Reina asked Liverpool to talk with Arsene Wenger about a potential move to Arsenal, but Liverpool did not want to sell him because they were in the process of selling the club. It makes me wonder what would have been different about last season if Reina had joined in the summer of 2010.
Remember that Reina did make that error that allowed us to escape Anfield with a point in the first Premier League match last season. But the Spanish keeper is world class and certainly would have helped Arsenal last year.
With the emergence of Wojceich Szczesny, Arsene Wenger will (hopefully) not need to buy another keeper for a long time. People will point to Kyle Walker’s winning goal, which Szczesny should have saved. But supporters, writers, and pundits who have been watching Arsenal all season know that Szczesny is emerging as a top young keeper.
If Reina had been brought in, then Szczesny would not have received his chance. On the other hand, we may have won the Premier League, and/or won the Carling Cup, and/or advanced past Barcelona in the Champions League. But no keeper would be able to withstand the terrible displays from the back four so far this season. A wide open defence conceded eight against United, and Szczesny was not at fault for that, nor was he at fault for the two own goals against Blackburn. Not even Pepe Reina would have been able to prevent those two defeats.
The Starting Line-up: Ivan Gazidis said on Thursday that Arsenal can “cope” and “compete” without participation in the UEFA Champions League. Aaron Ramsey finds relief in playing for Wales after the poor start to his Arsenal season. Robin van Persie said that he is unsure of his future (again).
Let’s start with the chief executive of our football club. Ivan Gazidis spoke at a football conference, and he said that Arsenal will be fine without the money generated from the Champions League (from ESPN):
Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis
“We would rather qualify for it but we have a really sustainable model that can cope without it. Not just cope, but we can do well and compete. It would be very foolish to build a business model that relied on being in the Champions League for perpetuity and I don’t think any clubs do that and, if they do, then they probably aren’t being run as responsibly as they should be.”
You have to be an extremely positive Gooner to believe that we will finish in the top four this season. Obviously, Arsenal’s budget does not need that £26 million (amount Arsenal made from the UCL last season) to run the club. But the Champions League is symbolic to players and supporters. Top players want to play in the competition, and supporters know their club is at an elite level when they watch them on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
Gazidis went on: “Every club has the temptation to think that money is the answer to issues and if we only spend just a little bit more, it would push us over the top of a curve’ and that is what drives the cycle of spending that you see in the game and that is not by any means always what is successful, actually.
“It is tempting to think that it is. It relieves pressure for a while but actually builds long-term pressure in other ways. We will continue to act with discipline to make sure we have got a good short-term and long-term future.”
In case you have not heard Ivan, the short-term future for Arsenal is not looking too bright. We sit at 15th in the table, and our manager has already conceded that we are not title contenders this season. Long-term, especially if Financial Fair Play works as planned, looks fantastic. The question will be whether the Gunners can revive themselves and the reputation of the club, because the football-power slope is slippery.
Aaron Ramsey feels more pressure at Arsenal than he does playing for his country. He is the Wales captain, but he said that the Gunners’ poor start has made life at the Emirates frustrating (from ESPN):
“It’s been a difficult time for my club. It’s been quite frustrating so far with the performances we’ve shown in the last few games. But hopefully that can turn around pretty quickly.”
“Absolutely (it is easier to play for Wales). Arsenal, at the moment, are under a lot of pressure and we haven’t produced the results that we know we are capable of doing; everybody is surprised by that.”
To me, this is an obvious answer. At the international level, you feel the pressure, pride, and passion of your fellow countrymen. No disrespect for Welsh Gooners, but they were never expected to qualify for Euro 2012. At Arsenal, the expectation is success, and, when success is nonexistent, there will be more criticism to go around.
Robin van Persie, when asked about his future, said he does not know if he will remain at the Emirates Stadium (quotes obtained from ESPN): “I do not know [what I will do], I cannot predict the future. Everybody makes his own history and only afterwards can you see how that went.”
Regarding a possible move to Manchester City, van Persie said: “I do not know. For one thing, as an indication, when I came to Arsenal we immediately beat City. But in recent years much has happened in England.
“Nevertheless, I think the Premier League is still the best league in the world, it gives me everything I want.”
These comments make me sick to my stomach. The Dutchman has refused to deny the rumours, and he even acknowledged the rise of City. Robin is determined to play in the Premier League, but I doubt that he will be at Arsenal too much longer.
Wojceich Szczesny answered several questions after Arsenal’s loss in the North London derby. His answers were fairly tame and uncontroversial, but that did not stop the media from twisting his words to make an interesting headline. Interesting headlines at best, stonewall lies at worst.
A headline on the ESPN: “Szczesny: We’re better than Spurs.” The headline and article gave you the impression that Szczesny rushed to them to proclaim that the Gunners are still the best team in North London despite the loss. Here is what Szczesny really said (from ESPN):
“You can’t make such a statement after a couple of months after our poor start to the season or after just one game. I think Spurs are a great club and they have shown today that they can play really good football, but are they better than Arsenal? I don’t really think so.”
Judging by his answer, Szczesny was asked the obvious question about a possible power shift from Arsenal to Tottenham. Yet the media want you to think that he went out of his way to make the comments. What else is Szczesny going to say? He plays for Arsenal, so he is not ready to admit ultimate defeat in the battle against Spurs.
“I feel that when I say something, everyone listens to me. More so on the field than in the dressing room, but that’s more important, I think. I want to be captain of the team. I feel I am able to take on that responsibility.”
According to The Sun’s Darren Lewis, Szczesny added “fresh controversy” to the club. No, Darren Lewis has added the controversy. Many, if not all, footballers aspire to be the captain and leader of their team. The problem with Arsenal in recent years has been a lack of leadership. I would like a team full of captains.
When there is no leadership on the pitch, the writers and pundits call for more vocal leaders. When a leader like Szczesny is vocal, the writers and pundits say there is turmoil over who should wear the armband. There is no way Arsenal or Szczesny can win in the media.
ESPN also ran a story titled: “Arsenal’s Szczesny tempted by Barcelona.” Right away, I knew this was going to be a bias-filled rumourfest. The media love kicking a club when they are down. Anyway, this is what Szczesny said (from ESPN):
“I can’t declare that I will spend my entire career here, but if I leave I will have a very important reason or I will go to Barcelona. I can’t imagine a situation where I would leave this club just for money.”
Alarm bells went off when he mentioned Barcelona, but then I came to my senses. All players in world football want to play for Barcelona right now. Also, it is unrealistic to expect Barcelona to go after Szczesny. The media love to speculate about the next Gunner to leave.
