Arsenal’s Season in Pictures – Part 1

The pre-season was impressive with Vela being the top performer

Wilshere also impressed

So did Ramsey

And it ended with a trophy...the Amsterdam Tournament

The season kicked off with our new signing getting his first goal for Arsenal inside the first five minutes

But we lost... with the season only into the second week

So Wenger had some thinking to do...

And we bounced back in style... thumping FC Twente 4-0 to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League (6-0 on aggregate)

After the Fulham defeat, Arsenal produced a string of superb performances including a 4-0 thrashing of Blackburn with Adebayor getting a hattrick

The first team were doing a good job in the Premier League, while the fringe side produced an even better performance in the Carling Cup. 6-0 win against Sheffield United with Vela grabbing a hattrick

But the joy was short lived... Geovanni stunned the Emirates with a thunderous strike to hand Arsenal only their second defeat ever at the Emirates Stadium

But Arsene Wenger still shook hands with Hull manager Phil Brown; something that has been erased from Brown's memory ever since

Arsenal's Premier League ambitions had suffered a set-back but not the Champions League. An Adebayor inspired Arsenal cruised to a 4-0 win against FC Porto

And Arsenal were nearly handed a third Premier League defeat only for Fabregas to rescue a point with a last minute header

Next week Arsenal created history with the 5-2 thrashing at Fenerbahce. Ramsey scored his first goal for his new club

Arsenal tried to keep their challenge for the Premier League alive getting a 2-0 win at Upton Park

But in one of the matches of the season, Spurs held Arsenal to a 4-4 draw at the Emirates

After that draw, it seemed Arsenal will have to wait for yet another year to win the Premier League

If Arsenal still had a chance of winning the Premier League, it was effectively ended by Stoke

But Arsenal bounced back from the recent dissapointments

...as Nasri won it for Arsenal against Manchester United with a brace

The Young Guns though continued their impressive run in the Carling Cup dumping Wigan's first team out of the competition. Vela was a hero once again

But soon the season started getting worse…

Barry Wants An Arsenal Move

Barry keen on an Arsenal switch

He is not young, he is proven quality, a central midfielder, Premier League proven and he is English!

One would usually expect another 20-25 year old to be linked with Arsenal but this time it’s 28 year old Gareth Barry.

The Englishman was linked with Liverpool and Arsenal last summer and same is the case this year. But this time around he himself wants a move to the Emirates.

Arsenal lacks a quality partner to Cesc Fabregas and Barry could prove to be exactly that. And at the reported £12m price tag, he is not as expensive as one would expect. It is being quoted that Wenger is looking to bid for him. Lets hope he does. I would love to see Barry at Arsenal.

But is he exactly what we need. More of a holding midfielder… Cana seemed a good choice. But looking at video of him it seemed his tackles are too rough and you can’t get away with them in the Premier League. Lets wait and see who Arsene goes for. Who do you think would be a better choice?

Arsenal Win a Trophy!

Ok it may only be a Youth Cup, but it is a trophy still the same and provides further evidence, if we ever needed it, that our youth policy is continuing to flourish.

It was perhaps fitting that the young lads stepped out at Anfield 20 years on from that famous night in the same stadium, when Michael Thomas’ late winner brought the Championship to Highbury.

After a season of disappointment it is also a good idea to concentrate on the positives, and the performance of Steve Bould’s young Gunners is certainly one of them. They came into the game on the back of a convincing 4-1 success in the first leg and never really looked like surrendering that advantage, sealing a 6-2 aggregate win. The victory also meant that the side is the first to win the league and cup double (http://betting.betfair.com/football/fa-cup/televised-match-previews/fa-cup-betting-arsenal-v-cardiff-150209.html) since the academy system was reformed – a fitting tribute to the class of ’89.

So who is best set to make the step up next season? Well Jack Wilshire seems the obvious one. He has skill to burn and his performance over the two legs reminds of Joe Cole’s stand out performance for the West Ham youth team a few years back, when he was head and shoulders above the other 21 players. Not that Wilshire is anything like Cole of course – he is far more skilful than him!

Striker Jay Emmanuel-Thomas finished the season top of the scoring charts but I foresee a loan move before a first team appearance, he is well down the pecking order with the likes of Carlos Vela and Jay Simpson on the fringes of the first-team – though a Carling Cup appearance could be in the offing next season.

Experience is the key for Wenger this summer as he seeks to give some of his young talent the support and strength require to upset the Premier League odds (http://betting.betfair.com/football/premiership/) and compete in the big games. But to see your youth team performing so well always bodes well – remember Man United’s treble winning side had a core of young players who all moved through the United youth ranks together. If Wenger can get the right type of leader to guide and nurture these young players, the future could be very bright indeed.

Arsenal’s Season Stats (For All Competitions)

Total matches played – 59
Wins – 33
Draws – 14
Defeats – 12
Goals scored – 113
Goals conceded – 54
Average goals scored – 1.92
Average goals conceded – 0.92
Clean sheets – 28

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Matches played at home – 32
Home wins – 22
Home draws – 6
Home defeats – 4
Goals scored at home – 73
Goals conceded at home – 21
Average goals scored at home – 2.28
Average goals conceded at home – 0.66
Clean sheets at home – 21

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Matches played away from home – 27
Away wins – 11
Away draws – 8
Away defeats – 8
Goals scored away from home – 47
Goals conceded away from home – 33
Average goals scored away from home – 1.74
Average goals conceded away from home- 1.22
Clean sheets away from home – 7

*Pre-season friendlies not included
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So which one do you think are the main points to ponder?

EXCLUSIVE – Arshavin Post-Stoke Interview

Andrew, what a nice conclusion of the season. Will you tell us about the game?
And why not? Today we had a good, decent game. As always, filled with “Emirates” waiting for us in the last match of the season a lot of heads at the gate “Stoke City”. I think that the goals Arsenal fans pleased. We got almost everything right, we played for fun ….
When the scoreline was 3-0, their goalkeeper asked to be taken off. Perhaps he picked up an injury. Injuries are always a bad thing. Today his departure from the field probably saved him from more serious moral emotions.
During the second half we continued to escalate.  We constantly kept the ball but could not make it to the last goal, but it was not so important, the team enjoyed the game, and the result allowed us to do so.

Andrei Arshavin enjoyed playing together with partners. A few striking episodes in your performance forced the stadium a few times for a standing applause and to chant your name. Did you hear it?
No, it is difficult to understand. Andrei Arshavin merges with Arsenal.

What moment in the game you like most?
My blow “through itself”. If I had scored that goal, it would have been a beautiful end to my first season in London.

So the season completed.
The first part of my overseas career is over. I want to say that all was not bad for me. Apart from the fact that Arsenal could not fight for the League. I hope that next year will be much better for the team and for me.

Let us suppose that we in the school. What would your conditional instructor Andrey Sergeyevich teach his student Arshavinu for the first season in England?
Solid four… However, in the everyday plan at the beginning of my London life there were the problems. Now they are practically solved. I hope that at the beginning the new season it will be completely solved.

Off to a meeting in London?
Yes, today until August we bid farewell to the club mascot – a sweet Dinosaur, I personally shook his hand, and tomorrow we will be in St. Petersburg, a city in which I am bored. I am pleased that there is a lot of time that I spend in will spend im my native St. Petersburg now.
I want to say a big thanks to the management of Zenit and the chief coach. They gave me the opportunity to train together with a Zenit prior to the collection of the national team of Russia.

Hleb: “I spoke with Cesc Fabregas and he’s very happy. He wants to stay at Arsenal, but he wants to win.”

Fabregas wants to stay on...

Former Gunner Alexander Hleb after predicting a gloomy summer for Arsenal went on to mention that he talked with Fabregas and the Arsenal captain is happy at Arsenal and wants to stay.

Fabregas has been the target of interest from a host of big clubs including Spanish giants Real Madrid but the Spaniard has come out time and again to re-affirm his commitment to Arsenal.

This year again as the summer transfer window draws near the Arsenal captain expressed his desire to stay at the club for a long time because he loves Arsenal.

Now his close friend Hleb has told what we all knew already:

I spoke with Cesc Fabregas and he’s very happy. He wants to stay at Arsenal, but he wants to win.

Arsenal vs Stoke City – Team News and Preview

It is a match that hardly has any importance for either side. Arsenal have secured the Champions League spot and Stoke have avoided relegation.

So one gets the feeling Arsene Wenger might not be able to resist the urge to play a few youngsters. Nasri isn’t available because of an injuryu so he is the only new absentee. Almunia and Adebayor remain out with Fabianski back fit.

I think Vela and Ramsey could start today. And maybe one more youngster.  I would love to see a start for Wilshere but he will probably not be risked so he remains fit for the second leg of FA Youth Cup. Though he at least deserves a substitute appearance.

So the line up I expect:

Fabianski
Sagna     Toure     Song     Gibbs
Walcott     Ramsey     Fabregas     Arshavin
Vela     Bendtner

Maybe Diaby or Denilson start in place of Arshavin and Fabregas respectively as well.

Moving on to the team’s forms now. Arsenal have only conceded 4 goals at the Emirates in their last 9 games, and those came in the last game here against Chelsea.

On the other hand Stoke have won two of their last three away games.

Nicklas Bendtner has scored three of Arsenal’s last 4 goals.

And Stoke’s famous long throws have only managed to get one goal away from home.

So Arsenal will be looking for revenge and should get it. It isn’t easy to beat the Gunners at the Emirates. Though Stoke’s physical nature of the game could prove to be a menace.

Lets see what happens on this “Arsene Wenger Day” when fans will first march for our manager before the game and then during the game, they will be singing his name. That’s the fans gift for Arsene. The players’ gift should be a win!

Prediction: 2-0 to Arsenal.

Wilshere feels he and his team-mates are good enough to break into the first team

Wilshere - Exceptional talent

The Arsenal under-18s ripped Liverpool apart in the FA Youth Cup final’s 1st leag at the Emirates. It has brought Steve Bould and his side in the limelight with all Arsenal fans coming up with heaps of praises for the youngsters.

It’s a fact Jack Wilshere is the best among those lads and he certainly showed it with his performance. Truly world class (Though one has to admit Henri Lansbury is not far behind either.) The young Englishman is certainly a bright prospect for Arsenal and England; and he feels his team mates are good enough as well and ready to step up in the first team:

“I think any of us can break into the first team because we are all that good.

“We’ve all got talent and we know we can push into the first team. We love playing together, especially with 33,000 fans in watching us.”

Though the statement is a bit of an exaggeration but it shows how much confidence he has in his and his team-mates abilities. No doubt there are 4 or 5 players in there who can be termed future Arsenal stars, and Wilshere tops that list.

Hangeland Denies Any Official Approach From Arsenal. + Goals of Young Gunners Ripping Loserpool Apart

Arsenal are continually being linked with Fulham’s centre half Brede Hangeland, despite the 15m tag on the Norwegian international.

But Hangeland has now outrightly denied any official approach from from Arsenal or any other club and insisted he is happy at Fulham and has no intentions of leaving.

“I haven’t heard anything and therefore I don’t think about it,” he replied on being inquired about any official approach from a club.

“I am a Fulham player and in case this will be my only Premier League club, it will be all fine with me.”

The lad surprises me. It’s Arsenal that is being linked with him! He should be saying Arsenal is a top club and that he would love to play for them! But he isn’t. And that is odd!

As for the goals of the FA Youth Cup Final. Check them at Arsenal SPOT

Barca’s Bench Warmer Predicting a Tough Summer for Arsenal

Alexander Hleb

So Alexander Hleb is tired of just sitting on the bench week in week out that he decided to speak up and be hated even more.

The Belarus international and former Gunner feels Arsenal will lose players in the summer because of Arsene Wenger’s strict wage policy. That will make the job very difficult for Arsene (just like last year when he left to warm the bench at Barca).

“Arsenal have had a lot of problems this year. They have the same problem every year with players leaving. They have a great team, but at the end of the season players leave and the boss has to find a new team and buy new players. This is not easy.

“You know better than me why players leave. Finances are always an issue there, but you’d have to ask Arsenal and Arsène. A lot of the problem is to do with money. Players arrive at the club, have a good season and get a lot of better offers from other teams. A football life is short and, of course, you want to enjoy football, but together with this you need to earn money.”

So he thinks other Arsenal players will turn out be as greedy as he himself is, and Flamini as well. Adebayor yes. I doubt about the others.

And I just can’t get it why does he care to make such comments. As if they help to improve his popularity. Stupid lad.