Young Guns send Arsenal through

West Brom 1-1 Arsenal

Penalties   (3-4)

 

 

Arsene Wenger opted for a blend of youth and experience for last night’s Capital One Cup tie against West Brom as the Gunners progressed to the next round after holding their nerve in a penalty shootout. The manager selected the likes of Vermaelen, Mertesacker, Monreal and Jenkinson in defence, while Bendtner made his first Arsenal appearance for two years, with youngsters Gnabry, Miyaichi, Eisfeld and Hayden in midfield, alongside the returning Mikel Arteta.

Before the game, the major focus was on Niklas Bendtner, with Arsenal fans intrigued as to how the Danish striker would apply himself, following Wenger’s comments regarding a new found humility and change of attitude from the man who with one year left on his contract, has much to prove at the Emirates.

Set piece masters!

Arsenal 3-1 Stoke

The Gunners despatched Stoke City in rather unusual fashion yesterday, with all three Arsenal goals coming from set pieces.

On his home debut, Mesut Ozil certainly lived up to his billing as king of the assist, as he had a helping hand in all three goals. With such excellent set-piece delivery, Arsenal may well start to increase their threat from corners and free-kicks, which can only bode well for the future. It may not always be possible to break teams down with wonderfully slick passing football and the lack of alternative options has often been Arsenal’s Achilles heel. The introduction of Ozil, a player who has inch perfect delivery in his armoury, has therefore provided the Gunners with an added attacking dimension, which could prove crucial in the months ahead.

Kieran Gibbs comes to the fore

Marseille 1-2 Arsenal

 

 

 

Arsenal recorded a club record 10^th successive away victory yesterday as they got their Champions League campaign off to a perfect start in the so called group of death.

The Gunners were not at their free flowing best last night, but produced a performance full of grit, determination and spirit to secure all three points at the vociferous Stade Velodrome. During the first half in particular, Arsene Wenger’s side appeared slightly sluggish and often came out second best in those crucial 50-50 challenges. As a result, they struggled to gain any momentum and with Marseille pressing the Arsenal midfield at every opportunity, the home side’s play up until the final third was impressive at times. However their final ball often let them down, as the Arsenal back four defended extremely well.

Ozil stars on debut

Sunderland 1-3 Arsenal

 

Mesut Ozil began life as an Arsenal player with a truly sumptuous display at Sunderland on Saturday. The German international, signed on the last day of the transfer window and therefore at the start of the last international break, had only been able to participate in a light training session with his new teammates on Thursday, before having to miss the Friday session due to illness.

Yet Ozil underlined his world class credentials with a performance which left Arsenal supporters awestruck and excited for the future. Particularly in the first half, Ozil’s first touch, movement and vision were a joy to behold as he seamlessly fitted into the Arsenal midfield, as if he had been playing there for years.

Ozil signs for Arsenal!!

They finally did it! After months of intense frustration in the search for a truly world class player, Arsenal managed to secure the services of the outlandishly talented Mesut Ozil on the very last day of the transfer window.

Throughout this summer transfer window, Wenger seemed completely obsessed with his desire to sign a top quality player, like Indiana Jones in search of the Holy Grail. Bids were made for several stars, most notably and as it turned out, embarrassingly Luis Suarez for whom Arsenal bid £40 million plus £1. Before that infamous bid there was the pursuit of Gonzalo Higuain, whose move to the Emirates seemed a formality, until Real Madrid demanded a significantly higher transfer fee and Arsenal ultimately lost out to Napoli, having dithered when believing they could sign Suarez for just over £40 million.

As the days went by and with the close of transfer window fast approaching, there appeared to be little hope that the club would sign that elusive world class player. With Tottenham having spent lavishly on players such as Etienne Capoue, who would have been a perfect addition to the Arsenal squad, while Wenger had only managed to secure the services of Yaya Sanogo and Mathieu Flamini on free transfers, the mood around the Emirates was depressingly low. The club were an embarrassment, a laughing stock and changes had to be made.

But there is a banner at the Emirates which reads “In Arsene we trust” and the manager proved once again that we were wrong to doubt him. The signing of Ozil may have come out of the blue, but it is an extremely significant one. Arsenal can no longer be seen as a selling club, one which refuses to spend big in the transfer market, or break away from their strict wage structure. Suddenly Arsenal is a club which the top players in world football will give serious consideration to, when deciding on their next destination.

Yes, it could be argued that the Gunners are already well stocked when it comes to small, technically gifted central midfielders but such is his supreme ability, if Mesut Ozil comes on the market, you would be a fool to pass that opportunity by. In addition, the signing of the German international provides Wenger with added options in this area, enabling him to rotate and rest the likes of Wilshere and Rosicky, hopefully reducing their risk of injury.

It will be interesting to see how Wenger fits Ozil into a midfield which has performed extremely well since the beginning of the season. Aaron Ramsey in particular has been outstanding, picking up the player of the month award for August, while the interplay between Cazorla, Rosicky and Wilshere has also been most impressive. If Wenger is to deploy Ozil in his preferred position, just behind the main striker, then Cazorla or Rosicky would have to switch to the left flank, even though this is a position which does not get the best out of either player. However, Wenger must feel that a group of such outstandingly talented players would be able to fluidly and continually change positions amongst themselves throughout the game. This prospect alone must send tingles down his spine as the opposition would struggle to get to grips with the one touch passing and movement which would have Ozil at its centre and could simply tear teams apart.

Theo Walcott could even be provided with another opportunity to impress up front and develop what could turn out to be a devastating partnership with Ozil. The Englishman’s searing pace makes him practically impossible to catch once through on goal, but Arsenal have often struggled to find that killer through ball to Walcott, with the opposition often sitting deep when playing against the Gunners. However, this could soon change with the introduction of the “king of assists” Ozil, who can thread the ball through the eye of a needle. In fact, even if Walcott isn’t playing up front, if he can cut in from the right flank and be picked out by Ozil, the two could develop an understanding akin to Dennis Bergkamp and Freddie Ljungberg which propelled Arsenal to the league title in 2002. 

With Ozil on board, the whole club has been lifted and the possibilities for the future suddenly appear endless. The sheer importance and significance of this landmark signing simply cannot be underestimated.

One - nil to the Arsenal!!

Arsenal 1-0 Tottenham

 

 

 

One – nil to the Arsenal. It just has a certain ring to it, a score line which has served the Gunners so well over the years. Yesterday it secured all three points and those oh so important bragging rights in a pulsating North London derby.

Having spent £110 million in the summer transfer window, compared with Arsenal’s dismal lack of spending, Tottenham were portrayed as a club on an upward curve. A look at the substitute’s bench told its own story, with Wenger having to rely on inexperienced youngsters, Sanogo, Gnarby and Zelalem, while Tottenham included their record signing Lamela amongst a host of seasoned internationals. Yet the Gunners were absolutely outstanding, particularly in the first half, as they dominated the midfield with Spurs simply unable to live with the neat intricate passing between Ramsey, Cazorla and Wilshere.