http://monthlyjobpay.com/
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Revealed - Why striker is desperate to join Arsenal
http://monthlyjobpay.com/?id=mwesige
Antonio Sanabria reason for wanting out at Barcelona appears clear.
Paraguayan strike sensation Antonio Sanabria remains poised to join Arsenal, with his agent shedding light on the deal over the weekend.His agent Raul Verdu told The Mirror: "His agent Raul Verdu said: “Our contacts with Arsenal are advanced and I expect a solution in the next week.”
A compensation fee in the region of €3 million is expected, with the Gunners ready to get their hands on one of the world's most highly rated young strikers.
Sanabria made his full international debut for Paraguay earlier this season - now having three caps, but wants out of Barcelona.
So why would a young player with the world at his feet want to leave arguably the world's greatest club?
It isn't all about a lack of first team chances, Sanabria has never played a minute competitively for the La Liga side, it's also about money.
Sunday Times journalist Duncan Castles has revealed Sanabria earns just €18,000 at Barcelona... a year.
Sanabria does have 'generous appearance bonuses' in that contract writes Castles, but the striker is unlikely to have triggered any of these as he hasn't yet played for the first team - adding to his frustration.
Compare this with Chelsea teenager Ruben Loftus-Cheek being set to earn staggering £1.7 million before he turns 20 - and it's easy to see why the South American's eye has been turned by the Premier League.
Barcelona have left Sanabria's contract until too late, Arsenal were originally linked with him back in the summer, and they should have acted then to avoid losing him.
Now it appears the teenager who has four goals in three UEFA Youth League games is North London bound, all because they didn't value him accordingly.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Premier League Winners And Losers: Arsenal Are Still The Favourites, Liverpool And Everton On The Rise
Premier League Winners And Losers: Arsenal Are Still The Favourites, Liverpool And Everton On The Rise
Hello and welcome to this week’s winners
and losers column. Because of the mid-week action, this piece focuses
on game week 14 & 15 looking at the players and managers who are
feeling confident as the new year approaches and those whose bad
performances have left them praying for Christmas miracles.
As usual, this column is in the spirit of good fun and as usual, your comments and opinions are welcomed.
Winners and Losers for Game Week 14 & 15
Winners:
Arsenal
If this column gave a weekly award to
the club that won the most during each round of games [new column
idea?], Arsenal will be the undisputed champion for this week. Not only
did they see off a determined Everton side [ask Moyes if you doubt their
ability] but their major challengers lost vital points. Their draw
against Everton means they now 5 games without a loss. Their last loss
[2nd of the season] came at the head [or rather shoulder] of
former captain Robin Van Persie. With back to back games against
Manchester City and Chelsea coming up, Wenger and his team find
themselves in a position of strength where a draw against both title
contenders or a win and a loss to the other will ensure they remain on
course to end this year on top. Their nearest rivals, Liverpool have
pressing issues of their own and it will take a brave man to bet against
Wenger ending 2013 on top of the EPL table.
One of the many worries this column
raised when discussing the Gunners title credentials was the lack of
competent cover for Giroud, their overworked French forward. Up stepped
the Danish samurai, Niklas Bendtner to makes us all look foolish with a
headed goal against Hull in the 2nd minute. The obligatory
goal and assist came from Özil and Ramsey to make it a routine 2-0 win.
To appreciate just how much this title is Arsenal’s to lose, Wenger now
has Walcott back after a long injury spell. Flamini and Rosicky are back
as well with the OX and Podolski expected to feature for the first team
in the New Year. Yes, it is premature to crown them title contenders
and let’s be honest, based on these last couple of seasons, most pundits
will probably back Chelsea or Manchester City until it becomes
mathematically impossible for Arsenal to NOT win the title because of
how they implode during the final run-in. BUT, this team is playing with
a resolve not seen at the Emirates and Wenger’s status as the longest
tenured manager is suddenly giving him and his team an air of
invisibility that Manchester United fans remember feeling but not sure
if it was a figment of their imagination.
It takes a big person to admit when he
is wrong, and this column though not quite ready to call Arsenal title
favorites, will humbly concede that Wenger knows best.
Liverpool
No Sturridge, no problem for Liverpool
it would seem as Suarez is proving more than competent to do the work of
two talented and in-form strikers. Like Arsenal, Liverpool face off
with Manchester City and Chelsea and this will be a test of their
championship credentials. News of Gerald’s injury is bad timing but a
test of the strength of this team as they are without their captain
fantastic and Sturridge for the next 6weeks.
Raheem Sterling is back in the squad and
has shown flashes of brilliance but continues to choose the wrong
option whenever he has the ball. He has amazing pace but cannot rely on
that to justify his selection for every game. Lest no one forget, he
forced Liverpool to give him a huge contract based off a half-season of
consistent performance. A level he is yet to attain this season. Whiles
Arsenal can boast of quality players on the bench, Rogers’ questionable
transfers have left the proud reds more than a little short on talent.
By all indications, Iago Aspas is supposed to be a mini version of
Suarez, his 7 appearances of which 3 were as substitutes have not
convinced his coach, and indeed anyone else that this is the case. Joe
Allen just doesn’t strike you as someone to rely on for a team of
Liverpool’s stature and Victor Moses is proving to be a streaky player.
Not really sure which will show up any given game. The unpleasant truth
is this, they form Suarez is in right now, he could very well drag
Liverpool through their difficult set of fixtures until his strike
partner comes back and Gerald returns. Much like Rooney has been doing
for Manchester United all season. The worry is that an injury to Suarez,
loss of form or burn out will expose Liverpool’s lack of squad depth.
With the World Cup 180+days away, even Suarez will not want to risk a
burn-out before playing in the penultimate football competition in the
world.
It’s not all doom and gloom for
Liverpool though. Coutinho has proved to be a revelation as playmaker,
Mignolet has been more than capable in front of goal and Henderson was
having a decent run of games. Another injury to any of the current
starting 11 will start a downward spiral and in their upcoming games
against Chelsea and Manchester City [both away], they will have to dig
deep to earn a point or more. The Suarez show continues to light up
Anfield and entertain the Kop faithful and maybe that is all that
matters.
Everton
The above should read ‘Roberto Martinez’
but as he is quick to point out in press interviews, the team’s success
is due to all the players and coaching staff. I am sure he will approve
of attributing Everton’s success this week to Everton.
No other team in the EPL has made Arsenal look as ordinary as the Toffees did during the 1st half and indeed some of the 2nd
half in their Sunday showdown. In fact, the only other team that have
done so this season was Dortmund. Not a bad company to be associated
with. Ross Barkely was unplayable behind Lukaku who himself, despite
having a quite came did enough to unsettle the Arsenal central defense.
Oviedo has filled in for Baines so much so that he has not been missed.
Without his side’s best player, Martinez orchestrated an historic win at
Old Trafford and took the game to the current league leaders. Finishing
in the top 4 might not be possible for Everton this season and Europa
might be their best bet. With Lukaku and Deulofeu due to return to their
parent clubs next season [Chelsea and Barcelona], you wonder if
Martinez can re-create this magic again. The answer to that is yes.
Despite inheriting his predecessor’s team, he has been able to re-shape
them from the defensive dour that characterized their play to the quick,
forward passing attack that the Toffees now play. Not bad.
Still not impressed? This team has gone 8
games without a loss. The current longest unbeaten run despite facing
the free-scoring Suarez, Arsenal and Manchester United [Manchester’s
game against Everton was a must-win for Moyes and despite their league
position, Everton worked hard for all 3 points] It is their league
position that does them justice though, 5th after 15 games
played. Who else is giddy for the next major transfer window to see the
players Martinez manages to sign as he continues to mold this team into
his image? I know I am.
Crystal Palace
Say what you will about new coach, Tony
Pulis but facts are facts and he has never led a team into relegation.
Cue up two improbable wins over the week. A 1-0 win at home to West Ham
and a shock 2-0 home win against Cardiff see them with 2 vital wins as
they climb up from the bottom of the league. They are finding the
formula to winning, have both their forwards Charmakh and Jerome Thomas
scoring and keeping clean sheets. The early season whipping boys will
not be going down without a fight. There really are no easy games and
it’s the determination of smaller teams such as Crystal Palace to
compete against the big boys that’s making this season by far the most
exciting.
This column is tempted to start a bet as
to how many seasons it takes before Crystal Palace fans start demanding
Pulis plays attractive football. Now, there are 2 major assumptions
being made here. First that Tony Pulis will keep Crystal Palace in the
EPL. The second assumption is that the long-ball technique is all Pulis
knows. If this season has confirmed anything about football is that you
never know as much as you do and even in the rare chance that is true,
Football plays by its own rules. Simply, watch this space as anything
could happen but Crystal Palace avoiding relegation is looking possible
with each goal scored and clean sheet kept.
Tottenham Hotspurs
The last team in this week’s round of
games to win both games [the other 2 being Liverpool and Crystal
Palace]. It is looking like AVBs solution to the Soldado problem is to
start Defoe. His midfielders are showing signing of understanding each
other’s game and ensure he has quality on the bench to change a game.
His team is comfortably 6th in the league table and their
next 5 fixtures see them play Liverpool, Southampton, West Brom, Stoke
and the return leg at United in January. That return match at Old
Trafford will show just how much of his team AVB has sorted out. He
seems to have too many midfielders whose position and playing times he
is uncertain about. It doesn’t help that Lloris is looking increasingly
suspect in goal and that despite giving Defoe a run of games, it is
difficult to view him as the team’s first option up front. Will
Adebayor’s re-introduction into the first team yield a premier league
start and will AVB revert to a 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 formation? These are
intriguing questions. AVB is proving this season that he is a coach that
is not afraid to speak his mind [him calling out Spurs fans for not
supporting the team when they play at home] and making enemies
[launching attacks at the press]. You could call it stress or a young
manager failing to handle his fans and the press. For this author, it is
an indication that AVB is resolute and has a definite way he wants his
team to play [his favored 4-2-3-1] and no amount of bad performances
will likely dissuade him.
Spurs will most likely, as the season
progresses become this season’s dark horses. Not many people giving them
a fighting chance to finish in the top 4 and AVB’s comment will not
endear him to most members of the press [this column is a fan of
manager’s outbursts in all forms] but there is the perfect storm brewing
at white hart lane and teams are well advised to prepare when facing
them.
Honorable Mentions:
Because this week had 2 games, there
were some standout performers that deserve to be mentioned even if this
column can’t give them their own paragraphs.
Manchester City – They
used this week to banish their bad away form. Whiles the 3-2 win at
West Brom and a 1-1 draw with Southampton were hardly mouth-watering
displays, these were far better than the losses that have come to define
their away form this season. With David Silva returning soon, maybe
this was the moment that caused a 4-0 score line to become a common
occurrence at venues not called the Etihad stadium when City play.
Wayne Rooney—Absence
makes the Old Trafford’s heart grow fonder. He could very well leave
this summer but at this point, it is his solo effort that is keeping
Moyes’ inaugural season from being a more complete disaster.
Alan Pardew—Not many saw the 3-0 loss away at Swansea coming. Then again, not many saw the 1-0 win at Old Trafford happening. Nested in 7th
in the table, it is hard to believe that after 6 games into the season,
it was hard to see Pardew ending the season as the magpie’s manager.
Not if his assembled French squad has anything to do with it. Viva la
revolucion!
Rene Mulensteen—He
got his midfield with an average age of 32 to run rings around a young
Aston Villa squad. Are his Jedi mind tricks are taking hold at Craven
cottage? Your guess is as good as mine.
Has Lukaku found a way out of Koscielny’s pocket yet
Has Lukaku found a way out of Koscielny’s pocket yet?
First of all, how good are Per, Kos and Szczesny this season? It is because of them that we have the best defense in the league. I mean can someone tell me if Lukaku has found a way out of Koscielny’s pocket? The two have formed a defensive partnership that no one in the EPL can match. At least not at the moment. And what of Szczesny? He makes saves that Oliver Khan would be proud of. The three (along with Sagna) have been nothing short of world class. Which brings me to the left back position. I feel (and have always felt) that Monreal is a better defender than Gibbs.
The few games he has played continue to reinforce my stance. Yesterday, Gibbs had an below average game defensively and he may have cost us 2 points. He did not close down Deulofeu for the goal and considering he was in our penalty box, I find it a bit hard to forgive. Gibbs is good at making interceptions but his positioning at times and his one on one defending leaves something to be desired. Maybe he is jaded from all the games he’s been playing, but either way I feel it’s time Monreal got his chance.
Secondly, there is the midfield conundrum. In a previous post I mentioned that having so many options to choose from can sometimes be negative. In this case it is. I feel that Wenger should find space for Walcott in that side one way or another. Wilshere has been outstanding the last 3 games and Ramsey is one of the best players in the league this season. That said, playing them all takes away not just our width but also our killer instinct. We play so well but once we get to the opposition box there is no one willing to enter the box. Ironically, playing so many creative midfielders has restricted the number of clear cut chances we create because we pass and tease at the edge of the box but it so often ends up breaking down as there is no one willing to makes runs into the box, or shoot.
The omission of Theo has also made our counter attacks toothless. When we win back the ball and we have a chance to counter, the ball lands to Ozil or Santi and you feel like crying because everyone else either isn’t willing to make runs or just isn’t quick enough to make it count. Many people call Theo a one trick pony but when that one trick is being supported by Ozil and Cazorla, it is a devastating trick. Even on Ozil’s debut, that potential partnership showed from the go. The fact is, Walcott will greatly increase our goals. Since his return, we have scored every time he is brought on.
Thirdly, if the Everton game showed us one thing it is that we need a killer striker to really take us to that elite level. I have always said Giroud is a fantastic player but he doesn’t have that ruthlessness that Suarez, Cavani, Falcao, Lewandowski, Aguero and RVP have. There are games (like yesterday’s) where having a striker who takes his chances makes the difference. Yesterday towards the end of the first half we came alive and with a more clinical striker, could have gone into the half 2 nil up effectively ending the contest. Wenger must really make this a priority when entering the market in January.
In conclusion, I feel that the game against Everton was the hardest we’ve played all season. The draw was a very fair result but because I know we can do better, it came as a disappointment to me. More so, because we really needed that 7 point cushion going into the double header against City and Chelsea. Now we have to make sure that we win at least one of those two games which will be no easy feat. That said, we are THE Arsenal and we are more than capable of doing so.
In other news, I am glad Podolski is back and we are almost at full strength and now we can begin to see how good we really are.
http://bergkampesque.com/2013/12/10/has-lukaku-found-a-way-out-of-koscielnys-pocket-yet/
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Bad news Arsenal - Don't expect favour from Marseille as key player is ruled out
Bad news Arsenal - Don't expect favour from Marseille as key player is ruled out
Mathieu Valbuena has been ruled out for eight weeks. So Borussia Dortmund will feel confident of beating Marseille.
Arsenal, by all intent and purposes, should be through to the next round of the Champions League. However, their four team Group of Death has turned into a three team round robin - thanks to Marseille.The French side have whimpered out of the competition and currently sit on zero points behind Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal and Napoli.
The final fixtures are rolled out next week - which sees Arsenal travel to Naples and Marseille welcome Dortmund into their back-yard.
All Arsenal need to do is avoid defeat in Italy and then they will be through to the next round of the competition. But that is easier said than done, and Arsenal know it will be tough in the Stadio San Paolo to come away with a win.
But even if they do lose to Napoli they could get some help from Marseille. If l’OM manage to take any points off of Dortmund in the South of France then Arsenal are through anyway - regardless of their result.
That was unlikely anyway, but now it seems potentially impossible - as perhaps their most influential player is not available for the tie.
Winger Mathieu Valbuena is a French international who brings the guile and spark to the Marseille team along with summer recruit Florian Thauvin - but he severely injured his shoulder v Lille on Tuesday and is now out for six to eight weeks recuperating.
The loss of Valbuena should hopefully not affect Arsenal at all - the hope is the Gunners will do the job in Campania and the rest will not matter.
But of they do lose convincingly against Napoli - the absence of Valbuena means they should not count on any favours from Marseille.
http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2013/12/04/bad-news-arsenal-dont-expect-favour-from-marseille-as-key-player/
Arsenal line up bid for Premier League midfielder
Arsenal line up bid for Premier League midfielder
West Bromwich Albion midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu is reportedly ready to quit the Midlands club, with Arsenal interested in bringing him to The Emirates.
The tough tackling Congo international arrived at The Hawthorns for a fee of just £175,000 from Paris Saint Germain in 2009, and after 4 years at the heart of the Baggies’ midfield, he is reportedly looking for a move.
Mulumbu has played over 150 Premier League games for West Brom, and has become a favourite amongst the Baggies supporters, forming a combative midfield partnership with the diminutive Claudio Yacob.
Professional
The Sun though, as reported by The Mirror, believe that a move may be on the horizon.
“I’ve had approaches from Arsenal,” said Mulumbu.
“I could leave this winter. This is the right time for me to set my sights higher. I’m ready to join a top-four club.
“We are not professional enough in the way we manage our games – for example our draw at Chelsea. We are not mature enough.”
Europe
With the midfielder still harbouring ambitions of playing in Europe, moving to the Gunners would give him the opportunity to do that.
But he would face stern competition from the talent already occupying their midfield, with Jack Wilshere, Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini being just a few of the names fighting for a starting berth in the league leaders engine room.
It remains to be seen if Arsenal put a bid in for the Congolese enforcer, but there could be other areas in the North London club’s side that would benefit more from being strengthened in the January transfer window, with the club shorn of options up front.
It’s been reported that Mulumbu denied saying he wanted to leave the club, claiming he had been misquoted, but there is still uncertainty as to where the midfield man will be plying his trade when the winter window closes.
http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2013/12/04/bad-news-arsenal-dont-expect-favour-from-marseille-as-key-player/
Monday, December 2, 2013
Wenger hints at rotation as Szczesny hails defence
Wenger hints at rotation as Szczesny hails defence
Well, that turned out to be an interesting weekend in the end.
As expected, Chelsea and Man City both won, getting closer to us at the
top of the table, but Liverpool went down 3-1 to Hull while Sp*rs and
United drew 2-2.
There’s still such a long way to go this season but it’s good for us when teams with ambitions and aspirations drop points. Then, after their game, the Sp*rs boss went to town on a journalist who he accused of making personal attacks on him. Slightly precious he might be, but when you realise it’s the same fella who Wenger had a pop at earlier this year (“Why do you look at me?”) then it makes it all the more amusing.
I can understand the desire for a manager to hit back at certain journalists, often some of the stuff that’s written genuinely deserves correcting. But to my mind, considering the protagonists, this is a bit like Phil Collins having a go at John Terry. You don’t want either of them to win, but it’s funny to watch them smash each others heads in with bits of lead pipe. All the while we sit comfortably out of the way at the top of the table. Laughing.
We now go into a week with two home games and I’m convinced we’re going to see some changes for the game against Hull on Wednesday night. When you look at the opposition following that (Everton, Napoli, Man City, Chelsea), this is the last chance for the manager to give some legs a rest, and he’s already stressing the quality of the squad and the way the team plays. Speaking about Aaron Ramsey in particular, he said:
More than anyone he seemed to be feeling the effects of playing almost every game. He’s got some big battles against some very good defenders coming up, and maybe the Hull game is a chance to let him recover just a little. It would mean something of a change of style, because unless he starts Bendtner – which would be a massive surprise – he’ll have to deploy Walcott there. We can’t expect Theo to do what Giroud does, so it’ll be interesting to see how adaptable we are.
One area where there’s unlikely to be any changes, unless forced by injury or absence, is the back four with Wojciech Szczesny singing their praises. The Pole in Goal has been outstanding this season, but he’s happy to give props to the men in front of him, saying:
Now, there’s stability in the one area you most need it on the pitch, and our defensive record his improved out of sight. While not taking away from the team’s work-rate and desire to defend from the front, you can’t overlook how important it is to have the same defenders playing together game after game. It has to be a unit, and if you’re constantly having to chop and change then that’s very often reflected in the performances.
I have to admit it’s still an area I think we’re a player light in. While all the January focus will be on a striker I think we really ought to be looking seriously at another centre-half just to ensure we have enough cover should anything go wrong. In the meantime though, let’s hope the ones we have stay fit and continue to play as well as they have.
Right, that’s that for this morning. Keep an eye out later on (hopefully) for something that could solve all your Christmas present worries (if you’re buying for an Arsenal fan). Something very cool and exclusive on the way.
Have a good one.
http://arseblog.com/2013/12/wenger-hints-at-rotation-as-szczesny-hails-defence/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+arseblog+%28Arseblog+-+It%27s+fucking%27+excellent+-+an+Arsenal+blog%29
There’s still such a long way to go this season but it’s good for us when teams with ambitions and aspirations drop points. Then, after their game, the Sp*rs boss went to town on a journalist who he accused of making personal attacks on him. Slightly precious he might be, but when you realise it’s the same fella who Wenger had a pop at earlier this year (“Why do you look at me?”) then it makes it all the more amusing.
I can understand the desire for a manager to hit back at certain journalists, often some of the stuff that’s written genuinely deserves correcting. But to my mind, considering the protagonists, this is a bit like Phil Collins having a go at John Terry. You don’t want either of them to win, but it’s funny to watch them smash each others heads in with bits of lead pipe. All the while we sit comfortably out of the way at the top of the table. Laughing.
We now go into a week with two home games and I’m convinced we’re going to see some changes for the game against Hull on Wednesday night. When you look at the opposition following that (Everton, Napoli, Man City, Chelsea), this is the last chance for the manager to give some legs a rest, and he’s already stressing the quality of the squad and the way the team plays. Speaking about Aaron Ramsey in particular, he said:
I have to treat him like all the players and give them a breather when they need it. I don’t want to put too much pressure on his shoulders and we have a game that is based on team play.Sometimes I think we forget these are professional athletes and playing every 3/4 days is part and parcel of the job, but in a game when fine margins make the difference, keeping things fresh is important. If you look at Wednesday we could bring in Walcott to start, Rosicky into midfield, Flamini could come in, Gnabry is an option, and I do wonder if the boss will be thinking of resting Olivier Giroud.
That’s why I think we have to respect our game – once we do that, anybody can score. We have seen Flamini – he scored a goal. It’s the first one in five years. When the team plays well anybody can score.
More than anyone he seemed to be feeling the effects of playing almost every game. He’s got some big battles against some very good defenders coming up, and maybe the Hull game is a chance to let him recover just a little. It would mean something of a change of style, because unless he starts Bendtner – which would be a massive surprise – he’ll have to deploy Walcott there. We can’t expect Theo to do what Giroud does, so it’ll be interesting to see how adaptable we are.
One area where there’s unlikely to be any changes, unless forced by injury or absence, is the back four with Wojciech Szczesny singing their praises. The Pole in Goal has been outstanding this season, but he’s happy to give props to the men in front of him, saying:
I have been working hard myself but the defence have helped me massively. It is smashing to play behind the same back four every week. You don’t know how important that is. Yes I am keeping clean sheets but I have not had many saves to make.It’s a fair point about the saves but the key thing is that when the saves are there to be made, he’s making them. His general point is a good one though. It’s no coincidence that our defensive record is as good as it has been in years when the manager has been able to play more or less the same back four week in, week out. We’ve had central defensive issues, partnerships which didn’t work, individuals who simply weren’t up to it, and a procession of full back problems for what seems like an eternity.
Now, there’s stability in the one area you most need it on the pitch, and our defensive record his improved out of sight. While not taking away from the team’s work-rate and desire to defend from the front, you can’t overlook how important it is to have the same defenders playing together game after game. It has to be a unit, and if you’re constantly having to chop and change then that’s very often reflected in the performances.
I have to admit it’s still an area I think we’re a player light in. While all the January focus will be on a striker I think we really ought to be looking seriously at another centre-half just to ensure we have enough cover should anything go wrong. In the meantime though, let’s hope the ones we have stay fit and continue to play as well as they have.
Right, that’s that for this morning. Keep an eye out later on (hopefully) for something that could solve all your Christmas present worries (if you’re buying for an Arsenal fan). Something very cool and exclusive on the way.
Have a good one.
http://arseblog.com/2013/12/wenger-hints-at-rotation-as-szczesny-hails-defence/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+arseblog+%28Arseblog+-+It%27s+fucking%27+excellent+-+an+Arsenal+blog%29
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