Paul Abbandonato: Aaron Ramsey was the star man as Arsenal saw off Swansea City

  Head of Sport Paul Abbandonato takes a look at Wales star Aaron Ramsey's contribution to Arsenal's win at Swansea City.
“He scores when he wants,” sang the Arsenal fans of Aaron Ramsey , a chant once reserved for their favourite son Robin van Persie.
First by those very same Gunners supporters, more recently by Manchester United followers since the Dutchman’s title-winning switch to Old Trafford.Van Persie, for some time, has been the master marksman of the Premier League, but even he would be proud of the rich vein of scoring form Ramsey is currently in the middle of.
The Welsh youngster’s winner at the Liberty Stadium was his eighth goal in the last nine Arsenal matches and his ninth already of the 2013-14 season when you throw in a penalty for Wales in Macedonia.
Van Persie, of course, is an out-and-out striker expected to only score goals for struggling Manchester United. Ramsey is a box-to-box midfielder who contributes throughout the pitch. And how.
To put his current achievements into some sort of context, perhaps I should point out Ramsey scored three goals in 52 matches last season.
Already he has trebled that tally, prompting Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to say afterwards: “If he carries on at this rate, Aaron will have around 40 goals for the season!”
nZNTOkYapA8 That, of course, is not going to happen. But if there is some solace for Swansea fans in defeat to Arsenal, it is that the Welsh youngster is fully recovered from the horror leg break that could have finished his career and displaying the midfield magnificence those who brought him through the age-grade system here always gushed so profusely about.
John Toshack’s former Wales youth guru Brian Flynn used to argue, many years ago, that by the time they reached their mid-20s, three largely unknown Welsh teenagers would be the best in their positions in the Premier League.
Gareth Bale got there quickest and Ramsey is the man of the moment. Goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey hasn’t made it, but hey, two out of three isn’t bad!
It’s stretching it a little, I guess, to suggest Ramsey is better just yet than Yaya Toure, Steven Gerrard or other midfield greats who strut their stuff week-in, week-out in the hurly-burly of the top flight.
But he is younger than the rest of them and, at just 22, is going to get better and better. And better again.
Pick any Premier League star XI at the moment, and his would be one of the first names on the team-sheet.
Put it this way. The London media harp on and on about Mezut Ozil and Jack Wilshere and I can understand why because they are wonderful players.
But without Ramsey, Arsenal would not be top of the table, simple as that. They haven’t made it there because of Ozil and Wilshere, they have done it because of Ramsey.
You judge a player best by how much he influences a match and Arsenal would not have beaten the Swans were it not for Ramsey.
And I’m not just talking about his goal. At the Liberty, he produced the most complete midfield display I’ve seen from anyone for quite some time.
In the first half, when if anything the Swans had the better of things, Ramsey was the only one trying to get Arsenal to go forward, and also had a fire-fight to stop Michael Laudrup’s side creating anything of note, as Wilshere and Ozil went missing. In the second half he was even better. He tackled back, won possession, kept the ball, dribbled, created Arsenal’s best chances.

Napoli midfielder confident ahead of Arsenal contest

Napoli midfielder Gokhan Inler believes that the Azzurri’s victory over Genoa on Saturday evening will provide the team with confidence before they square off against Arsenal in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The Partenopei had been keen to get their Scudetto challenge back on track after drawing with Sassuolo last Wednesday and Goran Pandev’s two goals ensured Rafael Benitez’ side secured three points at the Luigi Ferraris.
“After Wednesday we wanted to show how much we wanted this victory,” Inler told Tuttomercatoweb.
“On top of our high concentration, Goran was very good and he had got two great goals.
“Our game can still improve a lot, there are so many good teams in Serie A and each game can be difficult.
“The group is wonderful, the team is united and we all pull for the same goal.
“This is a victory that can help give us peace of mind for the Champions League on Wednesday. It is going to be a great game.
“The Scudetto? It is always nice to be up there but we have to keep our feet on the ground, the road is still long.”
http://forzaitalianfootball.com/2013/09/napoli-midfielder-confident-ahead-of-arsenal-contest/

Swansea 1 - Arsenal 2: Powerpack Aaron Ramsey wows Jack Wilshere

JACK WILSHERE reckons Aaron Ramsey is on the brink of something special.

Aaron Ramsey celebrates scoring yet again 

The 22-year-old star bagged yet another Premier League goal as Arsenal gunned down the Swans at the Liberty Stadium.
That's four goals in six league games and eight in all matches this season.
The Welshman also set up 18-yearold German midfielder Serge Gnabry for Arsenal's first four minutes before his 62nd-minute strike.
It was another wonderful performance from the Premier League's form player.
And Wilshere couldn't care less that the former Cardiff kid has stolen his mantle as the darling of the Gunners' midfield.
"If he carries on playing the way he is and working hard, he can improve further," said Wilshere.
"He's got a great appetite for the game. He's fit, he's young and he's showing his best form. Hopefully he can continue and get even better."
Ramsey was head and shoulders the game's best player on a day when boss Arsene Wenger celebrated his 17th year in charge.

“He's got a great appetite for the game. He's fit, he's young and he's showing his best form. Hopefully he can continue and get even better”

Jack Wilshere

His passing was polished, his workrate even better and his finishing sublime. Wilshere added: "His fitness levels are not normal. He's naturally so fit, he can score at any time.
"You saw that today. He's pushing on in the 94th minute, trying to get another.
"Not many players can do that. Hopefully he can keep this run going. The great thing is that he's got his confidence back."
Horror It is three-and-a-half years since Ramsey's career was hanging by a thread. A horror clash with Stoke's Ryan Shawcross left him with a badly broken leg.
It took him months to rediscover his fitness and loan spells at Nottingham Forest and Cardiff to find his confidence.
Even then, there were concerns that he might never realise the potential he displayed as a teenage Gooner.
Wilshere, who is no stranger to longterm injury problems, added: "His injury was different to mine. I can't remember a moment where I got kicked and thought, 'Oh God!'.
"Aaron can remember that horror tackle and that is a tough thing to get over.
"For the first couple of months, or even a year, if you're going into a 50-50 tackle, it's in the back of your mind. Thankfully he's over that now."
Having seen Spurs take over at the top earlier in the day, Arsenal were less than impressive in a first half of precious few chances.
top earlier in the day, Arsenal were less than impressive in a first half of precious few chances.
Jonjo Shelvey had Swansea's best opportunity, Olivier shot Jonjo Shelvey had Swansea's best opportunity, while Olivier Giroud shot wide when put through by Gnabry in stoppage-time.
It was a different story after the interval with Ramsey setting up Gnabry in the 58th minute. Mesut Ozil would have doubled the lead two minutes later but for Michel Vorm.
However, Giroud and Wilshere combined in the 62nd minute to leave Ramsey to finish with aplomb from 12 yards.
Wilshere said: "It's nice to look at the table and be top, but we know we've got to keep it going. There's an international we've got to keep it going. There's an international break coming up soon, when we won't play for a fortnight, and we want to be top then. That's when it counts and again at the end of the season."
Swansea keeper Vorm said: "If you don't concentrate 100 per cent of the time, you will get punished. But we are not worried and we won't change our style or approach."
Full-back Ben Davies snatched an 81st-minute consolation but it was too late. "It's disappointing really, we conceded two sloppy goals," said Davies. "There's not too many teams who have or can come back from losing two quick goals to a side like Arsenal."
"There's not too many teams who have or can come back from losing two quick goals to a side like Arsenal."
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/341878/Swansea-1-Arsenal-2-Powerpack-Aaron-Ramsey-wows-Jack-Wilshere 

Wenger Admits Chasing Higuain, Gnabry Praised, More Bender Bids, Owen Dismisses Gunners…

Wenger Admits Chasing Higuain in summer
Arsene Wenger has revealed how he tried to sign Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain from Real Madrid this summer before the player secured his move to SSC Napoli.
The Gunners boss, for the first time, has admitted he rates Higuain very highly and was in the running for his signature after Los Blancos decided to make him available for transfer in the summer transfer window. Despite his best efforts to land the 25-year-old marksman, a deal never materialised, and the player ended up signing for Napoli, who agreed to stump up the £34.5million Real wanted.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Tuesday-night Champions League encounter with the Serie A club, whom Higuain now plays for, Wenger told Arsenal.com: “We were working on two or three targets and he was one of them. It didn’t come off in the end, that doesn’t take anything away from his quality.
“Napoli took advantage of that at the right moment, it’s more about timing as well. In the end Real Madrid sold two great players, one of them went to Napoli, one [Mesut Ozil] went to Arsenal so it’s 1-1 on that front.”
Despite having great admiration for Higuain, Wenger doesn’t exactly regrets not signing him, and that feeling is mutual.
“I am very happy that I have joined Napoli,” Higuain told the Sunday People. “We have started well in the league in Italy and have got off to a good start in Europe too. I know there was other interest from England and Italy, but I am very sure that I made the right choice by joining Napoli and have no regrets. It is a club where I can achieve everything I want.”
Higuain, who spent three goal-laden years with Ozil at Real, then lavished praise on the new Arsenal man.
He added: “I had the pleasure to play with Mesut and he is one of the best players in the world. As a striker he is a dream to play with because you know he is going to create you chances. When you look at some of the crazy fees that players moved for this summer, you have to say that Mesut was a great deal for Arsenal.”

Gnabry Earns Wenger’s Praise
Arsenal starlet Serge Gnabry earned Arsene Wenger’s praise after he starred in the club’s 2-1 win over Swansea City on Saturday.
Making use of a clever Aaron Ramsey pass, Gnabry, 18, took little time to set up his shot, which went past Michael Vorm for the opening goal of the match. It was the first senior goal of his career, and at made him the second-youngest Gunner – behind Cesc Fabregas – to do so.
In addition to that strike, he was extremely vibrant all game long, and Wenger is confident that the youngster could do great things, thanks to his footballing talent as well as his personality.
“He is surprising,” the French trainer said of Gnabry. “He has the talent, but he has the personality on the pitch as well. He doesn’t look timid, he looks to play with belief and, of course, talent. Unfortunately he is another player for Germany, he’s not English.
“He was one-year-old when I came to Arsenal, I can’t believe it. Now I have some players in my squad who were not born when I arrived at Arsenal. The two players who scored (Gnabry and Aaron Ramsey) have a combined age of 40.”
New Bender Bid in January
Arsene Wenger will reignite his interest in Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender in January, according to a report published by The Daily Star.
The Gunners boss purportedly tried to recruit the Germany international with a bid of £18.5million in summer but failed. The 31-year-old Mikel Arteta is currently Arsenal’s primary pivot player, but his age and injury problems mean that Wenger cannot rely on him for a long time.
Hence, he would attempt to recruit Bender as the Spaniard’s competition once again by placing a bid in excess of £20m when the transfer window opens up next year. It will not be an easy task though as not only are Bayer reluctant to sell, but the player is also of some interest to Manchester United.

Wenger’s Contract Talks Will Be ‘Straightforward’
Arsene Wenger has dropped a major hint about his Arsenal future by saying that whenever he and the club sit down for extending his contract, the negotiations would be very short.
In a recent interview, he said: “The good thing with me … if I have one quality, you don’t need a lot of talks to extend the contract I have. When will I sign? I don’t know. When we find time. I don’t think that [the contract] is the most important problem at the moment. That’s straightforward.
“I would love to be here for ever because that would mean I would be immortal! I’m not naive enough to believe that. I just want to focus on the quality of our season. I don’t believe that anybody can question my commitment to this club. I want to feel that I do well and then the question of me staying will be secondary after that.”
A few days ago, Arsenal FC’s majority shareholder Stan Kroenke had also commented on Wenger’s future, suggesting it is totally up to the Frenchman to stay or leave.
“Arsene is his own man, he will make up his own mind,” Kroenke said. “There is a lot of pressure in the job, he has handled it very well but at some point we all make up our minds whether we continue in our careers.”
http://www.arsenalinsider.com/9487/wenger-admits-chasing-higuain-gnabry-praised-bender-bids-owen-dismisses-gunners/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wenger-admits-chasing-higuain-gnabry-praised-bender-bids-owen-dismisses-gunners

Swansea vs Arsenal preview: Eight Straight Away Victory Looms large for the Gunners

Arsenal will face Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday, looking to extend their impressive away record to eight consecutive victories.

The Gunners are on a rampage here. After the opening day debacle at the hands of Aston Villa at home they have bounced back strongly, winning the next four matches on the trot, securing the top-spot in the table along with North-London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

The signing of Mesut Ozil, the goal scoring form of Olivier Giroud and the resurgence of Aaron Ramsey has changed the atmosphere, body language and mentality of the Arsenal camp completely. Suddenly the expectations are more acclivitous like the barometer readings of a Sub-continent summer, and no longer are people concerned with top four places rather the hubbub of challenging for honours is ringing all around the Gunner-sphere.

They are the only team in the league to have scored in all five of their Premier League games this season. They have the best shot conversion rate (20.4%) and shooting accuracy (61.1%) in the league while the new darling of Arsenal, Mesut Ozil has already assisted (3) more Premier League goals than any other player this season. No wonder, why Arsene Wenger’s side are bubbling with confidence, despite missing so many stars through injuries.

Manchester United manager David Moyes had fret about the tough fixture handed to his side. But they are not the only one to be the victim of it. After their six opening games, Swansea under Michael Laudrup will have faced four teams of last year’s top eight already, and the Dane is not whining about it.

The Swans have bounced back strongly in the league, after their opening 4-1 defeat at the hands of Man Utd. Michu has found his goal-scoring form again and has netted his fifth goal of the season in the last League match against Crystal Palace. On the flip side, they have just collected one point from their two home games so far, and their mid-week defeat to Birmingham City in the League Cup won’t boost the morale any further.

Team News

Swansea skipper Ashley Williams is a major doubt for this tie. The Wales defender has been suffering with an ankle injury and is highly unlikely to feature against the Gunners. In his absence, Laudrup will recall Jordi Amat to marshal the defence. Also, winger Pablo Hernandez will miss out through hamstring injury.

Arsenal have a long list of injuries to deal with but the good news is several of their stars will return back within next month. Midfielder Aaron Ramsey (thigh) and Mathieu Flamini (shoulder) will undergo a late fitness test ahead of the trip, but Arsene Wenger expects them to be ready for the match. Theo Walcott is expected to be out for another three to five weeks following stomach surgery.

Key player

Olivier Giroud – The Frenchman may have a poor passing accuracy of just 63.1% in the league but he has already racked up four league goals and an assist to his name.

Prediction: Swansea 1-3 Arsenal

Wenger Likens Michu To Bergkamp

Wenger Likens Michu To Bergkamp

Arsene Wenger has likened Swansea’s Spanish forward Michu to Arsenal and Holland legend Dennis Bergkamp ahead of their Premier League clash on Saturday.

The Arsenal manager has been linked with a move for Michu in the past and says he sees Michu playing the sort of role for Swansea as Dennis Bergkamp did for Arsenal during the early 2000s, the Daily Mail report.

“I see him like a little bit, position-wise, like a Bergkamp, more than an up-front striker,” said Wenger.

“They can play with both [strikers] because Michu’s the kind of striker who is a midfielder as well. He can play both positions, that's why they are 4-4-1-1 or you can call that a 4-4-2 when Wilfried Bony plays.”

Michu had an incredible impact on Swansea’s first season in the Premier League having joined for just £2million from Spanish side Rayo Vallecano in the summer of 2012.

He has once again proven his incredible goal scoring ability this season, netting five times in ten games in both league and Europe.

According to the Daily Mail, Swansea are unwilling to part with Michu for anything under £20million having rejected claims that they might sell towards the end of the summer transfer window.

Swansea are looking to end Arsenal’s run of five straight wins in the Premier League on Saturday.
http://www.sportsvibe.co.uk/news/football/wenger-likens-michu-to-bergkamp-28324/

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Arsene Wenger: I'm Gunner stay at Arsenal

ARSENE WENGER is ready to sign a new contract to extend his love affair with Arsenal.

Wenger says he wants to feel like he is doing well at the club in order to stay [GETTY]

The Premier League's longest-serving manager celebrates his 17th anniversary in charge of the Gunners today.
And 63-year-old Wenger, whose contract expires next summer, has no plans to walk away.
He said: "The good thing with me, if I have one quality, is you don't need a lot of talks to extend the contract I have.
"I don't know when I will sign a new deal - when we find time. I love this club and want to do well for this club. I don't believe that anybody can question my commitment to this club.
"I want to feel that I do well and then the question of me staying will be secondary after that.

Owner Stan Kroenke still has faith in Wenger [GETTY]

“If I'm still here today, it's because I got that consistent support from inside the club.”

Arsene Wenger

"Honestly, I would like to be here for ever because that would mean I would be immortal."
Despite failing to bring any silverware to the Emirates since 2005, owner Stan Kroenke insists Wenger is a key part of the club's long-term plans.
The Frenchman added: "I'm very grateful to this club.
"During the 17 years we had ups and downs, but they have always shown a big faith in me and always let me do the job like I thought it had to be done.
"If I'm still here today, it's because I got that consistent support from inside the club."
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/341467/Arsene-Wenger-I-m-Gunner-stay-at-Arsenal 

How Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey is on course to join Gareth Bale among world football's elite

Wales' midfield star Aaron Ramsey has enjoyed a superb start to the season and the plaudits are piling up as he comes back to Wales to face the Swans

Aaron Ramsey has silenced his critics this season

Gareth Bale has grabbed Welsh football’s headlines this season with his £86million record move to Real Madrid, but it is his Wales midfield team-mate Aaron Ramsey whose deeds on the pitch are earning him rave reviews of ‘best in the world’.
That is the tag Ramsey has been given by his Arsenal team-mate Carl Jenkinson, who argues there is no finer midfielder on the planet right at this moment in time.
Former Gunners cult figure John Jensen has joined in the plaudits ahead of today’s big clash with Swansea City, saying: “I don’t think he’s the best player in the world right at this moment but if he can continue at this level over the next 10 or 12 games he’ll definitely be up in the top three.”
Tributes indeed.
Little wonder Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, another to sing like a canary this season about Ramsey’s ability, is desperate for his Welsh wonder to pass an 11th hour fitness test ahead of the tea-time clash at the Liberty Stadium.

 While headline act Bale has been limited to little more than a couple of impressive cameo appearances thus far for Real Madrid, Ramsey has undoubtedly been Welsh football’s star performer this season.
The London media and national radio shows will drool about Arsenal’s sensational new German capture Mezut Ozil, and understandably so, too.
But the Premier League facts and figures demonstrate that Ramsey is not only very much Arsenal’s kingpin at the moment, but also the finest midfielder in the country.
Bar none, including his highly-trumpeted Gunners team-mate Jack Wilshere, Manchester City colossus Yaya Toure, Manchester United’s £27million capture Marouane Fellaini and in-form Liverpool and Chelsea legend Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.
Much has been made of the fact Ramsey has scored seven goals in his last eight Arsenal appearances, three in the Premier League, four in the UEFA Champions League.
For the record, you can also throw in a goal for Wales in Macedonia, too, making it eight thus far for 2013-14.
Only Robin Van Persie, with six for Manchester United and three for the Netherlands, can boast a better scoring record to date.
Last season, in 52 appearances for club and country, Ramsey managed a total tally of just three goals, so he has already almost tripled that.
But it is his general form , coupled with the goal-getting, which marks him out as the best around at present, including classic midfield characteristics of tackling, touches on the ball and quality of pass.
Image Gallery: Aaron Ramsey's Premier League stats by numbers

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Aaron Ramsey by numbers: Premier League stats

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  These are just some of the stand-out statistics.
GOALS: The three struck by Ramsey put him joint second in the Premier League scoring charts, behind only Olivier Giroud, Christian Benteke and Daniel Sturridge, who each have four apiece.
None of those have his record in Europe though, where Ramsey has also found the net against Fenerbache (three times) and Marseille as well as for Wales in Macedonia
TACKLES: The 26 tackles Ramsey has made in five Premier League matches, ie winning possession back inside his own half, put him top of the tree with Liverpool’s Lucas.
He averages more than five clean tackles per match, compared to his own tally of two last season.
POSSESSION: Ramsey has an average of 77.4 passes per match, which makes him the best at Arsenal and second only to Toure (79.8 per game) in the whole of the Premier League.
Toure’s tackle ratio, two per match, is down on that of Ramsey.
What the passing stats demonstrate is how Ramsey is controlling matches again, just as he used to do as a precociously talented teenager before breaking his leg at Stoke.
The amount of times he gets on the ball is way ahead of midfield peers such as Gerrard (average 62 passes per game), David Silva (65), Michael Carrick (72) and Fellaini (73).
Ramsey’s average tally last season was 53, so he is clearly dominating proceedings far more this time around.
His passing stats, in fact, put him as one of the finest in Europe, behind only the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Xavi (Barcelona), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona and) Roma’s Daniel de Rossi.
Ramsey’s accuracy with his passing is also impressive, with an 89 per cent success rate of finding a Gunners team-mate with the ball.
He is also shining in the areas of the field that matter, demonstrated by the fact that 198 of the 387 passes Ramsey has thus far made have come in the opposition half of the pitch.
His tally in these offensive positions is followed by Toure (191), Kyle Walker (also 191), Carrick (189) and Fellaini (183).
SHOTS: Ramsey is also way ahead of last season in the number of efforts he is having on goal.
In the first five matches of 2012-13, he had just four shots. This season, that has trebled to 12... and a lot of those efforts are finishing up in the back of the opposition net.

He is not only getting in better positions, but also displaying more composure in front of goal. So why the enormous turnaround? Well, for starters Ramsey is playing in his preferred Wales role of playmaker in the centre of the Arsenal midfield, rather than stuck out on the flank as he was too often last season.
Those close to the player also point out it has taken this time for him to overcome the physical and psychological trauma of his horror injury, as well as dealing with the Gary Speed tragedy.
It was Speed, of course, who gave Ramsey the Wales captaincy and the Arsenal man forged a close bond with his national manager.
What happened was bound to take its toll on a player who was just 20 years of age at the time.
Wales youth gurus have videos of Ramsey going box to box, scoring goals, tackling back and dictating the tempo of matches when he was playing age-grade football for his country.
He started to do that when John Toshack brought him through at senior level and Speed helped hone his game further.
At the age of 22, Ramsey is also beginning to display those ‘complete midfielder’ qualities with Arsenal.

Enjoyed this @DaveHytner piece on Aaron Ramsey's sensational form this season: http://t.co/VrJXQDPgYp
— Stuart James (@StuartJamesGNM) September 27, 2013

  Swansea be warned, Ramsey also has an impressive record at the Liberty Stadium.
Arguably his finest display in a Wales shirt came there at under-21 level when he led the young Dragons to a 2-1 victory over Italy, scoring a stunning colley in the process.
He produced a man of the match display, scoring again, as Wales defeated Switzerland 2-0 at the Liberty in a Euro qualifier.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/how-arsenal-star-aaron-ramsey-6106029

Long Term Arsenal Target’ Contract Talks Stumble – Should Wenger Make A Move?

Arsenal target Yoann Gourcuff is having trouble to extend his contract with this current club Lyon. Gourcuff is Wenger’s target for well over three years now and the French International has always attracted interest from the Arsenal manager.

The midfielder is alleged to be unhappy with his club’s decision to slash his current £90,000 a week salary as they are trying to reduce their wage bill and might move out this January if things are not improving. There are not any real interests from the Gunners, who have Mesut Özil, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere to play in the same position but Daily Star and Guardian says so. Gourcuff almost joined Lorient and was also linked with Rennes and Arsenal this summer, but after a couple of  poor seasons, he is finally starting to show his best form this season, that he once displayed grabbing attractions from all over Europe.

The French International still has two more years in his current deal and if Wenger might think about swooping in, he can get his hands on Gourcuff for a much smaller amount than he was tagged this summer. 

Wenger who has already received backing from Gazidis and Stan kroenke, has been told he has money to spend in January, although he has made signing a centre back and a centre forward his main priorities.

Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas has admitted Gourcuff could be on his way, but has confirmed he will only sell his prized asset to a foreign club.

“All that I know, if I understood correctly, is that he was ready to lower his salary to go to Arsenal, but that’s not the same thing,” he said.

http://www.soccersouls.com/2013/09/long-term-arsenal-target-contract-talks-stumble-should-wenger-make-a-move/

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Stan Kroenke breaks silence

Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke says he would love to extend Arsene Wenger's contract at the Emirates, and revealed his burning desire to end the Gunners' trophy drought this season.

GettyImages 

Stan Kroenke has broken his silence.

Kroenke, in a rare interview, told the Telegraph that he hopes Wenger will remain at Arsenal for a third decade, praising the Frenchman's performance over the 17 years of his tenure.
"There's no one I feel more strongly about and I think he is doing a great job," Kroenke said. "We have been very supportive, we have never wavered, we are proud of him, proud of the club, the way the club is run and how it holds itself out to the world.
"Arsene knows how we feel, what our philosophy is, what we want to do and I feel like we are totally aligned. I think he wants to do it the exact same way as we do."
"Arsene is his own man, he will make up his own mind. There is a lot of pressure in the job, he has handled it very well but at some point we all make up our minds whether we continue in our careers.
"I don't want to say something about Arsene that is not the way he feels but, to me, I think he seems to love what he does. I had my son and a bunch of his friends at the training ground. A couple of them are NBA players.
"We were standing out in the rain watching. It rained like hell. This was going on for several hours. I was getting worried about players getting hit by lightning and Arsene was out in the middle of it. He's out there coaching every day. You've got to love that or you can't do it. That's a passion."
"I really enjoy Arsene -- very smart, very intelligent," says Kroenke. "He has an absolute view on how he runs that team and the club. He has earned that right. Don't look for me to interfere with that. I have learnt over the years that sometimes owners try do that and it is not so good."
Wenger is in the final season of a three-year contract, but has the Gunners flying at the top of the Premier League standings after five matches.
The recent run of form coincides with the club-record signing of playmaker Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid, and Kroenke believes the club are on track for a "thrilling" achievement.
"We've always said that there are resources available. There are guys who say that we should push Arsene harder to spend. That's fair enough -- there are always lots of opinions but Arsene is an independent thinker and planner.
"He works very hard at it and has a wonderful record. He was trained in economics, my undergraduate study was in economics.
"There would be nothing more thrilling [than winning the Premier League title]. I'm not getting any younger. It's something I would like to achieve. I've done it a couple of times in the US [in NHL, NFL and Major League Soccer] and it was unbelievable.
"For the players, for the coaches and the manager, as well everyone around the club, I can't imagine the level of excitement. The idea that no one cares or is passionate about that sort of thing is just beyond the realms of imagination.
http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1564923?cc=3888

Santi Cazorla's Gun salute for Arsenal

 

The German has given boss Arsene Wenger even more midfield options, which will be increased further when Cazorla returns from an ankle ligament injury on Sunday week at West Brom.

“I speak with the coach and tell him I can play wherever you want”

Santi Cazorla

Cazorla said: “I’m lucky because I can play on the left or on the right or as a second striker.
“So for me it’s no problem whatever system we play. I speak with the coach and tell him I can play wherever you want.
“My preference is to start on the left but then [as the game unfolds] go to the middle.
“Wenger speaks with me before every game and he’ll say, ‘You play on the left, but only left when we don’t have the ball. When we have the ball, you can come in – you are free’.
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/341212/Santi-Cazorla-s-Gun-salute-for-Arsenal

Of Wenger, Mourinho, and Özil: a contrast in styles

Of Wenger, Mourinho, and Özil: a contrast in styles

Now that we've advanced in the league cup, we'll face Chelsea in round four at the end of October as well as in late December in the Prem. Of course, most of the news out of Stamford Bridge centers around the conflict between José Mourinho and Juan Mata, a carry-over of a recent trend that has seen the manager run down players at

each club he's managed, whether it's Mata at Chelsea, Casillas at Real Madrid, or Balotelli at Inter. It seems almost to be a calling-card or a running joke: how do you know that Mourinho has managed a team? One of its best or brightest has been ground down into dust. Of course, for those players whom he favors, the sun couldn't shine brighter and the birds couldn't sing sweeter. That's all well and good for those favored few, and perhaps it's a useful motivational lever on the rest of the squad. However, the contrast between Mourinho and Wenger couldn't be more stark, as Mourinho has developed a reputation for a certain nomadism and penchant for undermining players to prove a point while Wenger has, for better or worse, now stands apart for his longevity and for his ability to support and develop players into superstars.

Setting aside my own personal, sentimental reasons, I really do hope that we deliver at least three spankings to Mourinho, if not just to progress in the league cup or climb the Prem table [editor: we're top of the table] but to send a message. That message? One can and should build success on a foundation of building players up, not on tearing them down. I'll admit that I have a soft spot for Casillas, and this might bias me a bit against Mourinho. Casillas is easily on the short-list for the world's best keepers, and he seems, by all accounts, to be a class-act as well. To see how his career withered on the vine under Mourinho is therefore an issue for me. For as well as Diego López has done, the fact that he's benefitted from the submarining (sub-mourinho-ing? too much?) of Casillas's career is too much for me to stomach.

To then see the same happen to Juan Mata, who I've heard turns in a tolerably decent shift from time to time, is more than a bit aggravating. Yes, I know that we could've had him a few years back and were even linked to him over the past summer, but that's not what I'm going on about at the moment. Long story short, I can't stand a manager who will undermine a player to prove a point. The lame excuse for Mata's dilemma is that his abilities don't suit Mourinho's preferred tactics. When you have a player of Mata's qualities, why not just explain those tactics and ask him to play to those tactics? I'm sure Mata is more than willing to give it a try. Instead of sussing that out privately between them, Mourinho seems to have opted for publicly undermining the player, apparently to send a message to the rest of the squad that he's in charge, dammit, and that reputations, achievements, or careers matter little if it all.

At the other end of the spectrum then is Arsène Wenger, who has built and staked his name on his ability to find, sign, and develop unheralded players into superstars. Again and again and again, Arsène has proven himself to be a master of actual management—at least as defined in terms of making players and squads better than they might otherwise have been. Given the talent that has surrounded Mourinho at almost every club he's managed, it's hard to assess just how good each squad might have otherwise been without him—how much of a difference, for example, did he make for a Real Madrid squad that features some of the world's best, such as Ronaldo, Casillas, Alonso, and Ramos? By contrast, how well would Arsenal have done without Arsène? With the temporary exceptions of van Persie and Fàbregas, which Gunners could we name as established, world-class players? A select few.

The point here is that, between Mourinho and Arsène, the former gets about as much as you might expect out of a squad, given its talent, and the latter gets a bit more than you might expect—even if that hasn't been quite enough to fully satisfy the Arsenal faithful.

The tie that binds, then, is one Mesut Özil. He was good at Real Madrid, no doubt, but he did so under a manager who seems to insist, nay demand, absolute fealty. As such, all of Özil's gaudy statistics, whether it's key passes or assists or chances created, might actually do the man a disservice, as he was playing within a system not necessarily tailored to his abilities. Put another way, Özil had to play Mourinho's way or get Mourinho-ed. Freed from that strait-jacket, playing in a system and philosophy and under a management style that fosters and encourages, we might actually see a version of Özil that renders the pre-Arsenal Özil absolutely obsolete. That would be exciting to see on two levels: one, it would catapult us towards the top of the Prem; and, two, it would further validate Arsène's philosophy of maximizing the potential of each player.Yes, the name on the front of the shirt matters more than the name on the back, but the two dance a delicate minuet. Under Arsène, we might just see an Özil unchained and free to explore the full range of his skills, and that would be an exciting thing indeed.

By the time these two clubs meet in the league cup's fourth round, we may have a clearer sense of what Mata's role will be. We'll almost certainly have a stronger sense of Özil's contributions to the squad as he'll have four more matches under his belt by the tame we face Chelsea. Despite our rivalry, I respect Mata and would like to see him treated better than this.

Right. I'll walk the line of rooting for Mata while rooting against Mourinho. It's a fine line, no doubt. 

http://woolwich1886.blogspot.com/2013/09/of-wenger-mourinho-and-ozil-contrast-in.html 

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Is Giroud the new Van Persie?

Robin Van Persie was sorely missed by Arsenal last season. The striker who had carried the club the season before had left for arch-rivals Manchester United. The man brought in to replace him was Frenchman Olivier Giroud and despite a promising debut season he was unable to fill the chasm created by Van Persie’s departure. However, this season Giroud is in inspired form and can potentially fill the gaping void up front. you can see he’s not too far off being the favourite for the Golden Boot.

Giroud’s debut season saw a goal return of 11 in 34 games. In comparison Van Persie scored 26 in 38 for United. For a debut season that is promising from Giroud. After 50 league games for Arsenal Van Persie had only managed ten goals!
There are promising signs that Giroud can step up, his blistering start to the season being the main contributing factor. Four goals in five games is a good indicator that Giroud has class. Like his predecessor, he’s a towering centre forward blessed with strength, aerial ability and a delicate touch.
When Van Persie was a Gunner he was blessed to have the skilled Cesc Fabregas alongside him. Frankly a striker is only as good as the service provided for him, and this was sorely missed last year at Arsenal with Jack Wilshere injured for most of the season and other players not stepping up. Now that Arsenal have signed Mr Assists himself Mesut Ozil, the service provided to Giroud should be second to none. This should fill every Arsenal fan with confidence that the big man will be able to score on a regular basis.
With the combination of a fully fit Wilshere, an in-form Aaron Ramsey, and the creative flair of Ozil, as well as his own natural ability, Giroud looks every bit capable of filling the big shoes of Robin Van Persie.
DENNIS BERGKAMP REVEALS ALL
The Arsenal legend's biography is released on 26 September and is set to be a must-read for all Gooners and football fans alike.
http://allarsenal.com/news/is-giroud-the-new-van-persie/

Nicklas Bendtner: Lightweight, Makeweight, Overweight Or Dead Weight? - Sabotage Times

Nicklas Bendtner: Lightweight, Makeweight, Overweight Or Dead Weight? - Sabotage Times

P 26 September 2013 U Layth Yousif

Dogged determination and an ability to never accept defeat saw the team through. But that’s enough about the America’s Cup.
Arsenal beat West Brom last night in the Capital One Cup – or as Gary Neville called the tournament after the United v Liverpool game, The “Carling Cup”, causing consternation amongst credit card executives, if not the ones of a certain beer company.
There may also have been a feeling of consternation amongst many Gooners yesterday as it dawned on us that our Great Dane, Nicklas Bendtner was back playing for the club for the first time since a 2-0 home defeat against Liverpool in August 2011.
In between living in Wearside and Lombardy he has been accused of being a makeweight, a lightweight, overweight and a dead weight. Last night, after a long weight he simply looked like a Nordic Gutierrez with his goatee and swept back hair into a ponytail – or whatever it is the style merchants call it. To me he also looked like a tall and cumbersome Tom Cruise lookalike from The Last Samurai, although to be fair judging by how slow he was I think it could may well have been more than merely sushi and ramen he’d been eating.
And no I’m not getting into a debate right now about what would happen if Olivier Giroud’s knee decided to pack up much like Theo’s Stomach muscles. While we are on the subject of Theo I blame him for fully for the injury – anyone who has stomach muscles that are so tight they snap clearly isn’t eating enough kebabs.
767 days have passed since Bendtner last played. To paraphrase a cricketing sledge to a well-known batsmen walking to the crease after a lengthy ban led saw him asking in a mickey-take what the bowler had been up to since he last played: – ‘Don’t worry about what I’ve been doing in that time mate’, the bowler replied – ‘but it looks like you’ve spent the time eating’. Our Nick did look like he’d put on a few pounds, though I can’t imagine it was through drinking too much alcohol – especially when it was reported that he allegedly poured a beer over the Danish ‘Miss Fitness’ during the summer. Was it Carling? Probably.
God bless him though. Any bloke who asks for the number 52 for personal reasons – personal reasons in his case meant the number on his back representing the first two digits of his reported weekly wage – cannot be accused of lacking in self-confidence, even if they could do with a large injection of irony.
Likewise, a bloke who has lived in a Scandinavian Castle, who has married (and divorced) a member of the Danish Royal Family and is now father to an heir to the Danish throne is probably not going to be too concerned with facing Craig Dawson. (Even if you could argue Craig Dawson probably wouldn’t be too concerned with facing the father to an heir of the Danish throne either).
5,000 Gooners made the trip last night to see our 11^th away win on the bounce. I don’t care what people say about the atmosphere at the Grove, our away support is nothing short of superb. We have sold out every away league game since 2006. I wonder how many clubs who criticise our fans have done that?
With our record stretching back to March now reading P 20, W17, D2, L1, AVB’s Google Translate quote on the 3^rd March 2013 that: ‘for them, possibly a downward spiral is occurring and maybe will be developing and continuing’ is looking about as prescient as buying a Real Madrid shirt with Mesut Ozil on the back on the 1^st September.

I last went to West Brom in 2008/09 when we won 3-1. Can you remember the line up? Almunia, Clichy, Denilson, Djourou, Toure, Eboue, Song, Arshavin amongst others. And I seem to remember we played well that night. Or at least I think we did, I had been drinking since midday for a 7.45 kick off. I do however recall a certain Nicklas Bendtner scoring two goals that night. Maybe he likes the Hawthorns, as it was his assist last night that set up our young German Thomas Eisfeld to score, as well as slotting his penalty away in the shoot-out with aplomb.
Either way if you can’t recall half the side that night with a team that was supposedly going places I doubt we’ll remember the majority of last night’s League Cup line-up this time next year. (It will be interesting to learn how many will still be at the club in Sept 2014, let alone pushing for a first team spot – but that’s another matter entirely).
Hayden, Miyaichi, Gnabry all started, along with Bellerin, Ollsen and Akpom coming on meant that we wouldn’t have to worry too much about extra time taking it out of us ahead of our trip to the Gower peninsula this Saturday. Just out of interest though, why did Sky say Gnabry he was making his full debut? Unless I had drunk one too many of Alan Partridges favourite drink the Ladyboy ahead of our game at Carrow Road last year I’m pretty certain I saw him with my own eyes swaying unsteadily in the away end back then (me swaying unsteadily not him) – and that was a few weeks after playing in a 6-1 win v Coventry in the League Cup third round.
Anyway, even if we do have a German who misses penalties it was job done as they say. Olivier Giroud, obviously thinking in French simply tweeted ‘Ouff’. Tweet of the night for me though had to be from @WengerSir who wrote after the relief of winning the shoot-out: ‘All the Arsenal youngsters deserve a happy meal”.
I think the Gooner summed it up as well as anyone: “it wasn’t the best of games but the boys stuck at it and got their rewards. Bring on the chavs”.
I couldn’t agree more. However, I do seem to recall our reserves playing Chelsea’s first team back in 98/99 at Highbury, for a league cup fourth round game which saw us getting tonked 5-0. It was a result that resulted in me being unable to speak to anyone after the game through a mixture of shock and shame, a feeling that persisted well into the next day.
Here’s hoping “The Happy One” brings his B team next month to avoid that doomsday scenario.
Although knowing the ego of our Nick he’ll probably think it’s in tribute to his surname
http://sabotagetimes.com/reportage/nicklas-bendtner-lightweight-makeweight-overweight-or-dead-weight/

Capital One Cup Match Report: West Brom Vs Arsenal

It’s out of the frying pan and into the fire for Arsenal as they now have a home meeting with Chelsea in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup after disposing of West Brom in a penalty shootout on Wednesday. The Gunners and West Brom played to a 1-1 draw at the Hawthorns and nothing could be settled in 30 minutes of extra time. The match went to the shootout with Arsenal converting on four of their five chances and West Brom scoring on three of theirs. It was the London side’s eighth win in a row in all competitions and 11^th consecutive away from home.
The never ending debate about fielding a weakened team will a hot topic again tonight after manager Arsene Wenger fielded a squad of youngsters mixed in with a few veterans. However, that’s another story for another day. Lukasz Fabianski started in goal for the Gunners along with veterans Per Mertesacker, Thomas Vermaelen, Nacho Monreal, Carl Jenkinson and Mikel Arteta. Youngsters Ryo Miyaichi, Serge Gnarby, Isaac Hayden, and Thomas Eisfeld also started along with Nicklas Bendtner. All three substitutes were also youngsters in the form of Chuba Akpom, Kris Olsson and Hector Bellerin.
West Brom also made several changes from their 3-0 win over Sunderland on the weekend. In fact they made eight of them, just one less than Arsenal. Craig Dawson had the best chance to open the scoring in the first half, but Fabianski managed to push the ball over the crossbar. The Gunners didn’t threaten too much in the opening 45 minutes and they might consider themselves lucky that the 18-year-old Hayden was given a yellow card rather than a red for a reckless challenge on Youssouf Mulumbu in the 33^rd minute.
The first half ended goalless and Fabianski kept it that way on the 60 minute mark when he made a fine save on Mulumbu. It was a turning point at the time as Arsenal opened the scoring about 60 seconds later when Mulumbu lost the ball and Bendtner picked it up and fed it to the 20-year-old Eisfeld. The German midfielder slid the ball into the net to make sure his first Gunners start will never be forgotten.
The lead lasted exactly 10 minutes though as West Brom made it 1-1 when Saido Berahino scored on a close-range header after meeting a cross from Shane Long. Bendtner was sent in alone on goal late in the match by a fine pass from Gnarby, but he waited too long to shoot and was tackled cleanly in the box. There weren’t too many clear-cut chances after this and the score remained level after 90 minutes. West Brom had a couple of good chances in the second half of extra time with Morgan Amalfitano coming the closest when he rifled a shot off of the crossbar.
The match went to a shootout. West Brom shot first with Steven Reid scoring to jump out to the lead. Bendtner was the first Gunner to shoot and he leveled the score. Markus Rosenberg put West Brom back in front and Gnabry had his shot saved by Luke Daniels to give the home side the advantage. James Morrison scored for West Brom to take a 3-1 lead with Olsson scoring to narrow the gap to 3-2. Things were even after Dawson missed the net on his attempt and Akpom slotted his home for Arsenal. Amalfitano also missed his shot and the Gunners wrapped up the win when Monreal scored on his spot kick.
Arsenal’s next game is a Premier League encounter against Swansea in Wales on Saturday September 28.
Arsenal Player Ratings-Wed. Sept. 25
West Brom 1-1 Arsenal (3-4 on penalty kicks) –Capital One Cup Third Round
Lukasz Fabianski – 7
This was the Polish international’s first match this season and he played well. He made several big saves and took charge when he needed to.
Carl Jenkinson – 6.5
Jenkinson put in a good effort and tried t help out in the attack whenever he could. Also did his job defensively.
Per Mertesacker – 6.5
Mertesacker did well when it came to clearances and was solid in his own end.
Thomas Vermaelen – 6.5
The skipper got better the longer the game went and put in his usually steady effort.
Nacho Monreal – 6.5
Monreal also played a steady game without any noticeable errors. Played better in the second half and his penalty won the game.
Isaac Hayden – 6
Hayden, making his debut, could have arguably been sent off for a bad challenge, but got a break with a yellow card instead. He worked hard and was replaced by Kris Olsson after 84 minutes.
Mikel Arteta – 6
This was Arteta’s first start of the season and he played well enough, but understandably wasn’t at his sharpest. Was replaced by Hector Bellerin after 95 minutes.
Thomas Eisfeld – 6.5
The young German scored the Gunners goal and was trying to link up the attack with the midfield. Not bad at all for his first start. Came off after 82 minutes for Chuba Akpom.
Serge Gnabry – 6.5
At times Gnabry looked like a seasoned veteran and at other times he looked like the youngster he is. He tried, which is the main thing, but had his penalty saved in the shootout.
Nicklas Bendtner – 6
Bendtner was set up a few times, but his timing was well off. He lasted the entire game though and scored in the shootout. He also set up Eisfeld for Arsenal’s goal.
Ryo Miyaichi – 7
The Japanese youngster didn’t always achieve the results he was looking for, but he showed creativity and imagination on more than one occasion. He tried the unexpected and that’s why his passes often didn’t find the mark.
Substitutes

Chuba Akpom – 6
Came on for Eisfeld after 82 minutes. He showed some energy and scored in the shootout.
Kris Olsson –  6
Came on for Hayden after 84 minutes. He didn’t look out of place and the Swedish youngster was calm when scoring in the shootout.
Hector Bellerin – 6
Came on for Arteta after 95 minutes and fit right in with a good effort.
http://www.arsenalinsider.com/9475/capital-one-cup-match-report-west-brom-vs-arsenal/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=capital-one-cup-match-report-west-brom-vs-arsenal

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The hype around Mesut Ozil has now reached ridiculous levels

Posted On 26th September, 2013

Mesut Ozil has garnered a lot of hype after being Arsenal’s buy of the summer and that certainly seems to be going out of control, especially with the German reported to be joint favourite with Robin van Persie at 5/1 to be Player of the Year.
Ozil is still to live up to his massive £42.5 million price tag and isn’t even the best player for the Gunners, so far this season. The right to that esteemed tag should belong to the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud, with the German still miles away from the honour. He has yet not proven himself to be called a game changer, and has been pretty average in his performances for the club, barring a solitary decent performance. Also, Ozil is yet to feature against a top class team this season and is yet to give a true test of his mettle, no more deserving than 66/1 shot Steven Gerrard is at this point of the season.
Having said that, the fact remains that the German could well turn out to be one of the most influential players in the Premier League in due course. But that doesn’t mean that he should be automatically considered a frontrunner for the pedestal, going by the hype surrounding him in the press, classifying him as some sort of world dominator.
http://astralfootball.com/the-hype-around-mesut-ozil-has-now-reached-ridiculous-levels/22641

Arsenal 4-3 West Brom (pen); undeserved, but, well...

Arsenal 4-3 West Brom (pen); undeserved, but, well...

It wasn't pretty, but we managed to pull off the win, and that's really all that counts. I do regret that West Brom came so close only to come away with nothing, for the league cup offers clubs the rare opportunity to do something famous. It's similar to the movie Hoosiers, in which any club, no matter how small, has a chance to knock any club, no matter how large. We saw a dose of this last spring when Wigan knocked off Man City to claim the FA Cup. For the first sixty minutes and again for most of the rest of regulation and into overtime, West Brom simply outplayed Arsenal and arguably deserved the win more than we. That we came out with a win anyway proves only that outcome and effort are sometimes miles apart, for we were certainly not the better squad on the evening.

That said, there are few moral victories in sport, and so I doubt that there are many Baggies trudging home thinking, "well, at least we hung tough". To those who are, it's cold consolation, if any at all. I've been on the other side of such losses, and I'd almost prefer to have been roundly thrashed. Once Gnabry missed his spot-kick, I thought, "well, that's it." I can't imagine (and don't want to, either) what it must have felt like to be on the other end, thinking, "we're going to pull this off" only to see not one but two misses slam shut the door. To have come so close only to see victory slip through their fingers must be agonizing, and I hope it doesn't provide West Brom with too much motivation against us going forward.

Back to Arsenal. Back to Gnabry. For as much as we might bemoan the saved kick, let's be honest. Penalties are a lottery. The shooter picks one of three basic options: left, center, right. The keeper chooses from the same. Even if the keeper matches the shooter, there's placement, pace, timing. On the whole, Gnabry's shot was among the better-taken of the ten. He just had the bad luck of being the only one whose shot was saved. Here, then, is a quick review:

1. Reid: 8/10—well-taken, top-right corner and out of reach despite Fabiański guessing right.
2. Bendtner: 6/10—decent but only midway between the center of goal and the right post. Good thing Daniels guessed wrong.
3. Rosenberg: 4/10—very nearly down the middle, almost saved by Fabiański who dove to his left but almost deflected anyway.
4. Gnabry: 5/10—similar to Bendtner's but towards the left post. Daniels guessed correctly and parried.
5. Morrison: 9/10—nearly perfect, top-left corner shot. The only element missing would be to have it glance in off the post.
6. Olsson: 6/10—good shot, beating Daniels who guessed right. Extra point given for responding well to the pressure of the moment.
7. Dawson: 1/10—plain and simple, you must make the keeper save, at a minimum. Putting it that far wide is inexcusable, especially given how a goal would have all but sealed the victory.
8. Akpom: 5/10—again, another decent shot but only midway between the center and the post, benefitting more from the keeper guessing wrong than from the quality of the shot.
9. Amalfitano: 1/10—as with Dawson, one must put it on-frame. Knowing that the squads were now level, it was all the more crucial to do so.
10. Monreal: 6/10—similarly, the shot was midway between center and post and went in because the keeper guessed wrong.

That was enough to seal it. It may not be fair or just, but we advance and will host Chelsea in the next round, set for October 29 or 30. West Brom will nurse its wounds while we savor the win. I'd like to offer up a platitude along the lines of "that's the way the ball bounces", but it might be more-true to point out that we escaped by the skin of our teeth. On to a few other individual performances...

The Squad

Ah, to be Arsène Wenger. On one hand, you're lambasted for rotating Academy players in. On the other, you're lampooned for the injuries to first-team players. The critics can't have it both ways. If Arsène plays Giroud, Ramsey, or Özil, he'll be criticized for over-playing them. When he plays Gnabry, Akpom, or Miyaichi, he's criticized for throwing in the towel. Sure, there's a middle ground, a magical fairy-tale land in which every single signing works out exactly as planned (or in which a club can simply buy any available player), but that is, after all, a fantasy. Last season, we threw on a full-strength squad against Bradford and were humiliated. On this night, we threw on a squad of second-choices, the recently-injured, and the youth of today, and it worked out (barely). Whenever you throw together a bunch of players who are unfamiliar (and far from fitness—Nicklas Bendtner, I'm looking at you...), there's bound to be some disjointedness and sloppiness. We got through despite that. On to a few players...

Nicklas Bendtner

Look, the man hadn't played competitive football for club or country since May 2013. Between the width of his waist and the breadth of his beard, his aerodynamics were understandably off. For him to have played 120 minutes of football is therefore astounding. Well, "astounding" might be overstating it, but still. He delivered an assist on our only goal of the game, a well-weighted pass, and had a few chances that he might have delivered on had he been more in-form. His spot-kick may have been his first Arsenal goal since 2011, but it came at just the right time and with the appropriate amount of celebration.

Lukas Fabiański

Mr. Flappyhandski actually turned in a decent performance despite conceding the equalizer to Berahino. By the time the keeper has to make a save, I've always maintained, ten other guys have let him down in one way or another. To criticize Fabiański for failing to save a point-blank header misses the point. Where were our center-backs, each of whom towers over Berahino, on Berahino's header? Why didn't anyone close down on Shane Long to prevent his little chip? By the time the ball was in the net, a sequence of other failures preceded Fabiański's. Otherwise, on the whole, he acquitted himself tolerably well.

Thomas Vermaelen
While it may be too early to memorize and declare lines from Walt Whitman's "O Captain, My Captain!", it was gratifying to see Vermaelen take to the field and perform as well as he did. According to whoscored.com, he led the team in interceptions, shots blocked, effective clearances, and passing accuracy. In the absence of a true, in-form defensive midfielder (Arteta working back from injury and Hayden being, well, 18), Vermaelen linked defense to offense quite well and looks to be regaining the form and confidence that had abandoned him a year ago. Should this hold true, a center-back rotation of Vermaelen, Koscielny, and Mertesacker could be formidable indeed.

Long story short, we may not have deserved this win, but we got it. There's a tricky visit to Liberty Stadium to face Swansea on Saturday, and we've continued a run that has seen us win 17 of our last 20 competitive matches (including eleven in a row on the road). We may have underestimated Swansea a bit last year, but we won't do so again this year. On top of that, this is a squad that wants to win and knows how, whether it's a squeaky bum like tonight or a 3-0 over Fener. In either case, we're on a nifty little run. Enjoy it while it lasts!

http://woolwich1886.blogspot.com/2013/09/arsenal-4-3-west-brom-pen-undeserved.html

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Who is the latest German wonderkid Arsenal are trying to sign?

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Arsenal have been linked with Leverkusen's Maximilian Wagener.

A report in The People claimed that Arsenal have set their sights on another German, Maximilian Wagener.
Wagener is a prospect at German club Bayer Leverkusen and is highly thought of by the club who are presentely managed by former Liverpool ace Sami Hyypia.
We decided to take a look at the prospect and see what we can tell fans about Wagener, who Arsenal are said to have scouted last week.
Here are five facts about the starlet:
1) Wagener is a right-winger who is 18-years-old, he is yet to feature for Leverkusen's first team.
2) He was one of Leverkusen's scorers in their 4-3 defeat to Manchester United in the opening round of the UEFA Youth League.
3) The manager who handed him his debut in the youth team, Sascha Lewandowski - no relation to Robert - resigned from his post at Leverkusen in May.
4) He is the current captain of Leverkusen's under-19 side.
5) Wagener's current contract expires in summer 2014, meaning the Gunners could try to persuade him to sign a pre-contract agreement in the New Year.
http://hereisthecity.com/2013/09/25/who-is-the-latest-german-wonderkid-arsenal-are-trying-to-sign/

Mesut Ozil wows Arsenal fans, but former player says they ‘paid too much’

Following an impressive hat-trick of assists on the weekend vs Stoke, Arsenal fans will be forgiven for singing the praises of their new record signing.
Mesut Ozil joined Arsenal from Real Madrid in a record deal for the Gunners on deadline day; Jens Lehmann says Arsene Wenger’s side “paid too much for Mesut Ozil”
“In all honesty, Arsenal paid too much for Mesut Ozil, but that’s because Gareth Bale went to Real Madrid for so much more money. Nobody is worth that much. The Ozil deal was much better. I don’t see a €50m difference between the two players. That’s how that market works when a club like Real Madrid loses the plot.”
“Arsenal are profiting from Ozil’s level of game and performance and his success is not a surprise to me. Wenger did not fail and, given time, he demonstrated a great success in the market.”
Arsene Wenger, long mocked for his shrewd ways, broke the bank for Ozil and, with Theo Walcott out for over a month, the German international may have to chip in a few goals.
http://www.championsleague.ca/2013/09/24/mesut-ozil-wows-arsenal-fans-but-former-player-says-they-paid-too-much-91631-8080

Arsenal Receive Massive Injury Boost As Super Play Maker Returns

  Tomas Rosicky is easily one of the most under rated players in the world. At prime, he can match neck and neck with the likes of Cazorla or Ozil. But sadly, constant injuries are roadblocking him from performing on a consistent basis.

Rosicky is out of action since September 10 when he suffered a thigh injury while playing for Czech Republic. But the recovery process is almost over and he is about make his return next week.

Rosicky returns for Arsenal

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger  said to Arsenal.com,

“Rosicky is the first back [of the injured players], but not in time for this week.
“Next week we will start to speak about that. He could come back in the squad for Sunday or Monday.”

Other Injury updates

Fabianski

Wenger said,

“Fabianski will be alright [for the cup game]. He had a nasal problem but he will be alright. Fabianski and Viviano are the two goalkeepers in the squad.”

Lukas Podolski, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Abou Diaby

Wenger said,

“They are doing well but they are nowhere near ready,” “The next one back might be Lukas. Ox will be one and a half months more.”

http://www.soccersouls.com/2013/09/arsenal-receive-massive-injury-boost-as-super-play-maker-returns/

Arsene Wenger: 'Nicklas Bendtner in squad for West Bromwich Albion'

© Getty Images

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has declared that Nicklas Bendtner is in line to make his first appearance for the club in over two years against West Bromwich Albion tomorrow night.

Bendtner last featured for the Gunners in August 2011 but has returned to the Emirates this season, with Wenger blocking his deadline-day move to Crystal Palace after being left with limited options in attack.

Wenger included the Dane among his substitutes for last weekend's 3-1 win over Stoke City, with the forward now competing for a return to the starting XI at the Hawthorns.

In an e-mail to Arsenal fans yesterday Wenger said: "We have a Capital One Cup game at West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday and I will rotate the team, of course.

"Nicklas Bendtner has a chance to be involved but Jack Wilshere will not play. Rotating the squad is important, we will need everyone to play their part."

The 25-year-old is no stranger to the League Cup, scoring seven goals in the competition during his formative years at the Emirates.

http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/arsenal/league-cup/news/wenger-bendtner-in-squad-for-west-brom_106786.html 

Bendtner in line for Arsenal return

Nicklas Bendtner was on the bench for Arsenal's clash with Stoke © Getty Images

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Nicklas Bendtner is set to play his first game for Arsenal since August 2011 in Wednesday's Capital One Cup tie against West Bromwich Albion.
Danish striker Bendtner has been sent out on loan to Sunderland and Juventus in the last two seasons, but he struggled to make an impression with either club and failed to secure a move away from Arsenal over the summer.
Wenger admitted Bendtner "was supposed to leave" the club ahead of the transfer deadline at the start of September, but he is now back in the fold and looks set to replace Olivier Giroud, who is expected to be rested for the trip to the Hawthorns.
"We have a Capital One Cup game at West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday and I will rotate the team, of course. Nicklas Bendtner has a chance to be involved," stated Wenger, in an email sent to Arsenal supporters. "Rotating the squad is important because we play again on Saturday and after that we have a massive home game in the Champions League [against Napoli]. We will need everyone to play their part."
Wenger went on to join the chorus of acclaim for record signing Mesut Ozil, who contributed three more assists in Sunday's Premier League victory against Stoke at the Emirates Stadium.
"When you look at his numbers, the assists are not a coincidence, it's just the reality of his game," he added. "I believe that once he is completely integrated we'll see even more from him. It shows how important the delivery is and Mesut Ozil can provide that.
Wenger also confirmed Jack Wilshere will not play against Albion, after revealing he "was exhausted" following his efforts in Sunday's win.
http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/240991.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

Arsenal to make January raid for Frenchman

Arsenal are pondering a January move for Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, according to reports from the Daily Star.
The Gunners were strongly linked with the French international over the summer, but were unable to make a serious move as the La Liga champions elected to keep him at the Bernabeu.
However, Benzema’s future in the Spanish capital is far from clear, with new coach Carlo Ancelotti said to be unconvinced by the forward’s abilities.
Real have been linked with a winter move for Liverpool’s Luis Suarez, which would only be possible if one big name player were to be sold.
This has led to rumours that the 25-year-old may be available once the transfer window re-opens.
Arsene Wenger is thought to have money available to spend, which would allow him to make a big move for the ex-Lyon front-man.
The Emirates Stadium boss is thought to be keen to further bolster his attacking options, and linking Benzema up with £42.5m arrival Mesut Ozil – also signed from Real – could be appealing.
Arsenal have also been linked with Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, but with the England international firmly back in the first-team under David Moyes a transfer looks unlikely.
http://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/arsenal/arsenal-to-make-january-raid-for-frenchman

Kieran Gibbs vows to stay injury free and make England’s World Cup squad

Fit and ready to go: Kieran Gibbs is delighted to have returned to peak fitness (Picture: Getty)

Arsenal full-back Kieran Gibbs says he is desperate to fire his way into the England squad ahead of next year’s World Cup.
Gibbs, who has two caps for England at senior level, has seen his bid to make the squad on a regular basis halted by a number of troublesome injuries.
However, after a faultless start to this season, the full-back says he is on a fitness regime and is confident it can help him earn a recall to Roy Hodgson’s side.
‘This is the best I’ve felt physically,’ he explained.
‘I have always felt that when I am able to get a run of games, that is what I needed to kick on. Now I feel I am kicking on. I need to keep that going and stay fit.

‘I am getting stronger and stronger.
‘My first challenge is to stay fit and concentrate on Arsenal and give myself the best chance [to return for England].’
Gibbs knows that even if fully fit, he will struggle to make the Three Lions’ setup with Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines both regulars.
But the defender says he is up for the challenge of trying to oust them from the team.
‘It is a challenge to compete against two world-class left-backs, both at the top of their games,’ Gibbs added,
‘I just have to see it as that and give my best.’
http://metro.co.uk/2013/09/24/kieran-gibbs-vows-to-stay-injury-free-and-make-englands-world-cup-squad-4098459/

 

There is not a €50 million difference between Mesut Ozil and Gareth Bale.

 
The 43-year-old admits Arsenal paid too much for the Germany international but says the market was influenced by Real Madrid 'losing the plot' over their move for the Welshman Former Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann insists there is not a €50 million difference between Mesut Ozil and Gareth Bale.

The Wales international's world-record £86m move from Tottenham in the summer transfer window paved the way for Ozil's switch to Arsene Wenger's side in a £42m deal.


Lehmann believes Arsenal's acquisition of the German midfielder represents better value and says the Spanish club's inflated prices dictate the high transfer fees paid elsewhere.

"In all honesty, Arsenal paid too much for Mesut Ozil, but that’s because Gareth Bale went to Real Madrid for so much more money. Nobody is worth that much," Lehmann told Sporx.

"The Ozil deal was much better. I don’t see a €50m difference between the two players. That’s how that market works when a club like Real Madrid loses the plot."

Ozil already has four assists in the Premier League this season, and had a hand in all three of Arsenal's goals against Stoke as the Gunners climbed to the top of the table.

Mark Hughes: "It's still a work in progress"

© Getty Images

Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has admitted that his side are still a "work in progress" following their 3-1 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.

The Potters fell to their second loss of the season at the Emirates Stadium as goals from Aaron Ramsey, Per Mertesacker and Bacary Sagna won the game for Arsene Wenger's side.

"It's still a work in progress and we shouldn't forget that," Hughes told the club's official website. "There were a lot of positives to take away with us, particularly with the way that we controlled the game, especially in the second half.

"We work hard every single day, and I can see improvements with every game that we play. We have had a very difficult run of fixtures but I am very much encouraged with how we are progressing.

"We are playing a different style of football, and in the long term it will help us to progress on the field."

Stoke are 10th in the Premier League after five games this season.

http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/stoke-city/news/hughes-its-still-a-work-in-progress_106587.html