Arsenal’s poor defending was exposed by Manchester United on Sunday. Rooney’s hat-trick along with two curlers from Ashley Young helped United rout the Gunners at Old Trafford. Arsenal were missing eight players but that does not make up for the eight goals allowed.
Arsenal held the Red Devils until Danny Welbeck header’s marked the first tally of the match in the 22nd minute. Anderson chipped the ball towards Welbeck, and the Arsenal back four misplayed the pass. The ball bounced close to Szczesny before Welbeck nodded home the goal.
Just four minutes later, Theo Walcott earned the Gunners a penalty. Jonny Evans made minimal contact with Walcott, and Arsenal had a chance to draw even. David De Gea saved the awful attempt by Robin van Persie. The Dutchman tried a soft, low strike towards the middle of the goal. A very poor shot indeed.
Ashley Young scored two brilliant goals (28th minute and 90+1). The former Aston Villa man really knows how to bend a ball into the far corner. Szczesny did not have a chance to save either of the attempts.
None of Wayne Rooney’s three goals came from open play. The first one (41st minute) came from a free kick just outside the Arsenal penalty area. Szczesny got a hand on the near post strike but not enough to keep it out of the net. Rooney’s second (64th minute) was a free kick as well but this time he picked out the far post. Szczesny was completely beaten and did not [...]
Arsene Wenger's squad face a tough test on Sunday.
Arsenal will be without several key players as they travel to Old Trafford. Alex Ferguson complimented Arsene Wenger this week, but he also said he would not let Manchester United struggle the way that the Gunners have in recent years.
Gervinho (suspension), Emmanuel Frimpong (suspension), Jack Wilshere (injury), Alex Song (suspension), Abou Diaby (injury), and Kieran Gibbs (injury) will miss the trip to Manchester. Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen could be fit to face United. Arsene Wenger gave an update on the two centre-backs on Friday (from Arsenal.com):
“Vermaelen has a test on Saturday and Koscielny had a positive fitness test today. There is a little doubt about Vermaelen but he should be alright.”
Johan Djourou, meanwhile, will be able to play for the Gunners. Vermaelen is desperately needed for this match. He was excellent against Liverpool, and hopefully he can heal quickly from this knock. Vermaelen was bothered by a nagging injury for the almost all of last season.
Manchester United have received an early season jolt from several young players. Tom Cleverly (centre midfielder), Danny Welbeck (striker), and Phil Jones (centre-half) have refreshed United’s rapidly aging squad from last season. Nemanja Vidic will be forced to sit out on Sunday due to a calf problem, while Rio Ferdinand could be back.
Arsene Wenger said this about Manchester United: “They are definitely [still the team to beat]. For us to beat them would be a great boost and would put us in [...]
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini threatened to end the Samir Nasri talks with Arsenal. Arsene Wenger said that no club is close to signing Nasri. He also said that Manchester United still have interest in his French star.
Manchester City may turn away from Samir Nasri if the midfielder plays in Arsenal’s mid-week contest against Udinese. Roberto Mancini said it would present a hurdle in a potential deal: “If Nasri plays against Udinese, it could be possible [to pursue other targets], yes. I think we can close [the deal] in the next two days, but if he plays in the Champions League, it will be a big a problem. A big problem.
“It’s a big problem because we have followed Nasri for 40 days and I have hoped (it would be completed) in two days or in three days. I don’t know why we didn’t close it, but for Nasri, it will be important to play all the Champions League with us.”
Arsene Wenger said he would not hesistate to play Nasri in Italy. If the Frenchman plays, he would not be allowed to compete for Manchester City in the Champions League this season. Wenger said that his main goal is to qualify for the group stages of the competition.
Mancini continued talking about Nasri: “I am sure we can close this in 24 or 48 hours, but I don’t know why it hasn’t been closed.
12 July, 2011: Arsene Wenger is confident that both Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas will stay at Arsenal. Sir Alex Ferguson has ruled out a Manchester United move for Nasri. Arsenal are battling with Juventus to sign Kevin Doyle. Click here to see the article on Gervinho official move to Arsenal.
Wenger said this during a press conference in Malaysia yesterday: “Our position is always the same – we want to keep Cesc and I will fight as hard as I can to keep him. Samir Nasri is exactly the same. We will do everything we can to keep him. I’m confident we can get both of them to stay.”
“I expect Samir to stay. There is always speculation, but he is committed to the club right now.”
“We know that this story for Barcelona has gone on for years now, we have to close that and focus on the season, hopefully with Cesc Fábregas.”
Strong conviction from Wenger as he delivers he stance on the speculation surrounding Cesc and Nasri. He was even more firm when he told The Telegraph: “Imagine the worst situation — we lose Fabregas and Nasri — you cannot convince people you are ambitious after that. The message we give out is important. For example, you see about Fabregas leaving, Nasri leaving. If you give that message out you cannot pretend you are a big club.
“A big club first of all holds on to its big [...]
Samir Nasri had this to say yesterday: “Let’s find out if their (Manchester United’s) interest is true first, and then we’ll talk about it.
“I don’t know if I will sign a new contract. Anyway, the discussions are on-going. For the moment, I don’t want to think about this. We will speak about it after the match with Poland [on Tuesday]. Do I want to go to United? We should see if their interest is real and if it is concrete first.”
This is a very troubling sign. Nasri was one of our best players this season, even though he tailed off as the season wore on. He is creative player who can play in the middle or out on the wing, and he is a serious goal-scoring threat. Nasri scored 15 goals in all competitions for us this season.
I would rather have Cesc leave than Nasri. Cesc’s longing for Barcelona has been well documented and he will inevitably end up there someday. Nasri had a breakthrough season this year and he could be part of this side long-term.
Of course, Nasri could just be taking cues from his agent. Does he really want to leave Arsenal? Or does he just want to get Cesc Fabregas money? We will know soon enough and possibly as soon as Tuesday night after the French play Poland. He could be talking with Alex Ferguson right now for all we know.
The Guardian are reporting that Wenger has priced Nasri at £10m. I seriously [...]
Arsene Wenger has promised not to sell Samir Nasri to Manchester United. Arsene also said that Barcelona are no longer interested in Cesc Fabregas. Jack Wilshere thinks that Arsenal need to work the match officials more. Reports say that Nicklas Bendtner will bring big money to our club.
First up, Arsene Wenger had some interesting things to say on French radio yesterday: “One thing’s for sure: we’re not selling him (Nasri) to Manchester United. Are we still in discussions with Nasri? Yes, but we are still in disagreement over the financial contract on offer, which we haven’t settled. We are trying to extend his deal.”
Hopefully Nasri can get a deal done to keep him at the Emirates soon. He has been key this season in helping us qualify for the Champions League. I would rather Wenger sell Cesc than Samir. Speaking of which, here is what Arsene had to say about his captain:
“Barcelona were interested last year in Cesc but not this year. For me, he’s the world’s best midfielder. He’s our captain. We’ve built the team around him. Of course we want to keep him.”
It would be stupid for Barca to spend around £50m for a super-sub at this time. Reports say that Guardiola may make the move for Villareal striker Giuseppe Rossi for £21.8m. Barcelona will not spend over £70m this summer with the new financial fair play rules that will be in effect in the coming years.
We watched as Barcelona completely dominated Manchester United, the Premier League champions, at the weekend. Barca proved that a side can play football the ‘right’ way and still be successful. Guardiola’s men made United look like boys. Of course, they did the same to us earlier in the year. If Barcelona play their best, nothing can stop them.
Arsene Wenger likely watched the match and saw Barcelona’s free-flowing 4-3-3 at work. Barcelona have shown the footballing world that their passing philosophy can beat United’s physical onslaught. The side playing the traditional English way cannot stand a chance against Barca.
Ferguson’s mistake was playing Barcelona the same way they play against English teams. It works in the Premier League because most other teams play the same way, and United are the best team at playing in that style.
Arsenal are the closest team to Barcelona in England that plays the ‘tippy-tappy’ football. Wenger places extreme emphasis on possession of the football. Barcelona confirmed that their style is not only breath-taking to watch, but superior to all other ways of playing.
Sure, every now and then a team like Mourinho’s Inter can sit back and defend if they are good enough. But Mourinho was unsuccessful at holding Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, and co. back this season. This Barcelona side may be the best team in memory and it is what Arsene should strive to build at the Emirates.
We did have a supremely talented team at Highbury back during the Invincible era. Of [...]
Arsene Wenger has confirmed that he would like to sign Karim Benzema. The Real Madrid striker has been linked with Arsenal in the past, but only in rumours. Wenger clarified yesterday: “Signing him does not seem impossible. He’s a player that I like.
“He’s intelligent in his movement; he is capable of combining well with others and making a difference, and of doing individual moves as well.
“So, for me, he’s a player who’s at the top level in the world.”
We definitely need a striker to compliment Robin and to fill in when the Dutchman is injured. If we signed Benzema, it would likely be a record transfer for Arsenal. Would Wenger still be willing to spend even more to remedy the defence, the main weakness with this team? Do we even have enough cash to sign Benzema and a centre-half?
Karim Djarziri, Benzema’s agent, denied any talks with Arsenal: “I went to London for personal business, not to discuss any transfer.
“Karim Benzema has a contract with Real Madrid so let’s wait and see.
“He loves Madrid and wants to play every time as he loves playing football.”
Benzema is unhappy at his limited playing time under Mournho so he could try to force his way to the Emirates. Sky Sports are reporting that the rumoured deal is for £21.6 million. Wenger may be able to convince players like Cesc and Nasri to stay if he pays that much for a player. It would show the club’s commitment [...]
We were able to get the win today and prolong the title race in a thrilling affair at the Emirates. We looked the stronger side for much of the match, and we were rewarded for it. Despite a horrible no-call in the first half, we fought through the adversity and beat United. This will set up a huge match next week between Chelsea and United at Old Trafford. Not that I like helping Chelsea because today the players showed that they can win the big games.
Wenger made a surprising decision not to start Cesc Fabregas. Apparently, this was due to injury and a failed fitness test on Saturday. Wenger went with a 4-3-3 with Ramsey taking the place of Fabregas and alongside Wilshere and Song in the midfield. The usual three were up front along with the usual four in the back.
We started off well. Ferguson dropped his team backand defended for just about the entire first half. We were unlucky not to score, with all the great runs and passes being made. The controversy started in the 32nd minute. Sagna played in a cross (that is what he does now) and it looked to be a perfect ball to the head of RVP. But Vidic stuck his hand up and purposely deflected the ball ever so slightly away. It should have been a penalty and a straight red for Vidic but nothing was called.
Referee Chris Foy annoyed Arsenal fans greatly throughout the half by not getting out [...]
This match was supposed to be a title decider. But that was before we imploded and started dropping points at home in a sloppy fashion. Nonetheless, this will be an intriguing matchup. We can see how far away we are to United and how we need to improve to catch them next season. The Red Devils will be looking to clinch the title. A point would be enough for them in this matchup, escpecially if Chelsea drop points later today against Spurs.
The focus at Arsenal has been on Arsene Wenger. Wenger has been under a tremoundous scrutiny from supporters and the media alike. Perhaps rightly so, given the amount of collapses this team has had. Many are already focusing on the summer but I would like to see how we perform against the league leaders with minimal pressure on us.
United are coming off of a 2-0 vicotry over Schalke in Germany in the Champions League semifinal first leg. In their last league game, Javier Hernandez grabbed the winner over Everton. As much as I hate both Chelsea and United, I would love to see United collapse and fail to win the title.
Everyone talks about how United are a team of winners and leaders. Apparently, these traits are the same ones missing from our team. United have “mental strength” and we do not. They have a tough backbone, and we do not. The media loves Alex Ferguson’s side and I would love to see these pundits eating their words.
