Arsenal opened their campaign with a 0-0 draw against a very, very cynical Sunderland side. Arsenal dominated the game but couldn’t create many chances, thanks to the 10-man Sunderland defence. They came for a point and got it, sadly.
With that said, there are a lot of positives. Gervinho and Diaby looked much improved, while Cazorla was as class as we expected. Giroud could have scored towards the end, but it was on his weaker foot, and hey, it took Bergkamp 10 games to score.
Naturally this led to some hilarious reactions from pundits. I keep forgetting that Manchester City never drew any games last year, let alone 0-0.
There’s Matt Le Tissier saying Arsenal have a lack of quality up front. This was these players first competitive game together. They’ve been together for three weeks. They came close a number of times. A large reason for why Arsenal didn’t score yesterday was rustiness. Podolski has been stated as not being fully fit. Giroud has spoken to L’Equipe, pointing out that he didn’t score on his Montpelier debut, and to be patient with him.
Here is Giroud’s miss I mentioned earlier. Could have been put away, but it was on his right foot. Comparisons with Van Persie are unfair right now, because Giroud’s played 10 minutes, while Van Persie played 194 times. Van Persie, Henry, Bergkamp, all the Arsenal strikers worth mentioning, have missed worse than that. Remember Robin’s miss against Milan? If Giroud has done that people would be calling for his sale.
Patience, children.
We don’t have a Song
Arsenal confirmed Alex Song’s sale to Barcelona shortly after the game finished yesterday. This will supposedly free squad space for Nuri Sahin and another midfielder to join the squad. It’s difficult to see how Arsenal will accommodate 9 or 10 midfielders in a 3-man midfield, but A. It’s good to have depth, and B. Some loans, for Frimpong or Ramsey perhaps, seem likely.
In terms of who’ll replace Song, Etienne Capoue supposedly asked to leave Toulouse before their game against Saint-Etienne yesterday. He’s been linked with Arsenal, as can be seen from my blog yesteday, and is by all accounts a very athletic player, who keeps it simple and doesn’t go forward unless he feels it’s safe.
With that said, and this is just a hunch, with no backing, Yann M’Vila wears 17 for France and Rennes. He’s a ball-playing defensive midfielder, which Arsene would like. His value couldn’t be lower right now. Wenger loves fixing bad boys. Deadline day swoop?
Guardian Angel?
Angel Rangel of Swansea has supposedly moved closer to his move to Arsenal. I know this isn’t exactly a signing to get the fans excited, but he’s alright and better RB cover than Jenkinson. It’s only for a few weeks until Sagna returns from injury anyway, and if he gets injured again.
Strikers
Fernando Llorente was booed at a training session recently, as he’s refused to sign a new contract at Athletic Bilbao. He’s been named a few times as an Arsenal target, though he does have a buyout clause of roughly 27 mil, which I can’t imagine Arsenal paying. Probably a bit too much for him anyway.
Apart from that, Arsenal haven’t been linked with any other strikers. That suggests signing one would be more of a luxury than a necessity for Arsene Wenger, though it would help.
What does Wenger make of it all?
In his post-match press conference, Arsene hinted at a change of formation in the future, admitting his three-striker system “did not work” against Sunderland’s stubborn defence, and probably against Stoke’s equally unforgiving backline. He also confirmed Arsenal will “probably” bring “someone else in” now that Alex Song has been sold. His attitude to the Song deal seemed to be one of mild regret, mixed with a “really, I don’t care” kind of tone, as he pointed out that Arsenal have Diaby back, Wilshere back soon, as well as the potential new signing.
That’s all for today. Let’s all hope there are some new signings soon.
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