Category: General

The biggest dilemma that has faced Arsene Wenger lately is the question mark surrounding Mesut Ozil. The 42.5 million signing from Real Madrid set the Premier League alight with some strong performances but his form has somewhat deteriorated just when Arsenal needed their record signing the most.

He played just 24 minutes against Stoke City and had no effect on the outcome of the game. It never seemed Ozil would really stamp his authority on a game against a side that are extremely physical. This was more than likely the thinking behind Wenger’s exclusion of Mesut from the starting 11.

His body language indicates that he isn’t particularly a player who is prepared to graft and cover the yards to retain possession and with Arsenal at home to Swansea City this Saturday the midfielders will need to press high to win the ball. But his defensive contribution is what seems to concern Arsene Wenger the most and Mesut may be considered a luxury player to have at this point.

However, the German playmaker still possesses the natural killer pass instinct which can unlock any defence at any given time. Olivier Giroud will thrive off this type of service. His ability to hold onto the ball in crowded areas is one of his strongest attributes. Swansea City, their next opponents are a team who like to keep hold of the ball so Arsenal will need to be equally as efficient with the ball.

His ability is obvious for all to see and it is just a spell for the German where he is low on confidence. Wenger will need his record signing to start performing if Arsenal stands any chance of maintaining a realistic title challenge for the rest of the campaign and giving him 25 minutes here or there isn’t going to improve his confidence which is why the German’s return needs to be sooner rather than later.

Arsenal strolled to victory by grabbing a convincing 4-1 win over Sunderland to move just one point behind Chelsea at the top of the Premier League.

An Oliver Giroud brace and goals from Tomas Rosicky and Laurent Koscielny kept Arsenal´s title bid in full flow as the team bounced back admirably from a difficult few weeks. Indeed, whether the Gunners finish trophy-less this season or not, the campaign will be defined by a definite shift in mentality. Gone are the days where Arsenal would sink without a trace following a bad result, this is now a team with ambition and mental strength.

Faced with a humiliating defeat against Liverpool and a disappointing loss to Bayern Munich, Gooners in the Emirates and beyond would be forgiven for thinking the same old Arsenal had returned. However, this display shows that the team is now ready to compete consistently at the highest level and Arsene Wenger is seeing his vision come to fruition.

Not that Sunderland posed much of a challenge; the Black Cats clearly have one eye on next week´s Carling Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. However, the way Arsenal took victory is encouraging, especially during a first half that all but killed the game

Lukas Podolski was brought in to replace Mesut Ozil, with the German sidelined with a thigh injury, although there is a suggestion that Ozil was actually dropped. Also returning to the team was Mikel Arteta (suspended on Wednesday) for Mathieu Flamini and Tomas Rosicky for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

It took the team just five minutes to take the lead when Jack Wilshere´s guile saw him scamper into Sunderland´s box. The England man found Oliver Giroud and the striker wasted no time in slotting the ball cleanly into the net for 1-0.

Sunderland defender Santiago Vergini collected the ball on the defensive right and played a shocking ball towards goalkeeper Vito Mannone. The pass was too short and Giroud rushed in to thread the ball past the helpless goalkeeper to double the lead in the 31^st minute.

Arsenal continued to be on the front foot and the third goal came before half time, essentially ending the contest before the midway point. Wilshere and Santi Cazorla were the architects after a sweet piece of play resulting in Giroud laying on Rosicky for a feint chip into the Sunderland net. Dennis Bergkamp was honored before the game with a bronze statue outside the Emirates and the club legend, who played 400 games for the Gunners, arrived on the pitch at half-time to answer some questions, much to the delight of the fans.

Arsenal started slower in the second half as Sunderland posed more of a threat, but in the 57^th minute the hosts scored a fourth when Cazorla´s corner was met by Koscielny, who was free to head into the net. The game was won and Arsenal went down a gear, which allowed Sunderland to grab a consolation in the 81^st minute when Sczcesny´s weak punch was met by Giaccherini with a stunning finish.

Arsenal will have it all to do when they travel to the Allianz Arena after Bayern Munich grabbed a 2-0 lead at the Emirates last night.

Wojciech Szczesny was sent off midway through the first half after felling Bayern winger Arjen Robben in the box. There will be plenty of debate today about whether the goalkeeper should have seen red, but a penalty was arguably the correct call, despite Robben´s overacting in the event. David Alaba sent the spot kick wide of the post to keep the score at 0-0, but the damage had been done for the rest of the game and arguably for the tie.

Arsenal had been containing Bayern well before the sending off even if that did mean letting Bayern have the lion’s share of the ball. In fact, the Gunners could have taken the lead when Jerome Boetang felled Mesut Ozil in the Bayern area, resulting in the ref pointing to the spot. Boetang was booked for his efforts but Ozil sent a woeful penalty into the welcoming arms of German stopper Manuel Neuer.

Arsene Wenger opted for the young Yaya Sanogo instead of Oliver Giroud, likely in an attempt to add more physicality and ability to hold the ball up in attack. However, Arsenal´s forays forward became increasingly rare, especially after the sending off as Bayern spent extended spells camped in the Arsenal half.

While the Bavarian side was not peppering the Gunners goal, it was the kind of slick possession football that defined Pep Guardiola´s spell as Barcelona manager. The Spanish tactician has got an already well oiled Munich team playing fantastic football that is easy on the eye but has plenty of steel too. With so much talent on the field and an extra man it quickly became a question of when Bayern would score, not if they would.

The breakthrough did not come until the 54^th minute as some neat interplay down the right saw Robben find Tony Kroos on the edge of the box. The German attacker curled a delightful shot past the flailing Fabianski to give Bayern a 1-0 lead and a first vital away goal.

Despite losing a goal Arsenal showed the team´s renewed defensive strength this season and continued to mostly keep Munich at bay. However, with tired legs creeping into the side the second goal was inevitable, and it came in the 88^th minute when Thomas Muller met Philipp Lahm´s cross and headed home.

So the game ended 2-0 and Arsenal have it all to do in Germany in three weeks time. However, Arsene Wenger will remember that his team claimed a 2-0 triumph in the Allianz last season while leaving the Champions League on away goals, so he will know that there is hope of an upset, however unlikely it may seem right now.

The Gunners tasted FA Cup success on Sunday after a 2-1 win over a resilient Liverpool team at the Emirates; the club will now progress to the quarter final. Arsenal exacted revenge on Liverpool and went some way to forgetting last week´s crushing 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Anfield club. More importantly though the team showed signs that the loss had not caused confidence problems and the game hinted that the players may be getting back to their best.

It seems crazy that fans and the press have been getting on Arsene Wenger´s back this week, especially as a title challenge is very much still in motion. The Frenchman has showed unwavering belief that his squad and can recover from blips this season, and the players are repaying the manager by proving that to be true. With Liverpool arguably the most feared team in the Premier League at this moment in time, it was a win that positioned Arsenal as a real force for the remainder of the season.

As we suggested before the game, Wenger shuffled the pack and started with a team that had a touch of a cup selection about it. Lukasz Fabianski was drafted in to replace Wojciech Szczesny in goal, while there were also starts for Carl Jenkinson, Lukas Podolski, and Yaya Sanogo. Key to success was the return of Mathieu Flamini who brought some much needed organization and defensive strength into the midfield.

Liverpool always looked dangerous, especially as manager Brendon Rogers named arguably his strongest team, while the players that tore Arsenal apart a week ago were present and correct. This time though the Gunners seemed more organized and more prepared for what Liverpool threw at them, and during the first half Arsenal looked comfortable.

The Emirates had something to cheer in the 16^th minute when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain continued his good form since returning from injury to put Arsenal in front. Mesut Ozil received a Liverpool clearance on the half way line and pumped the ball back into the box where it was greeted by the impressive Sanogo. As Wenger pointed out after the match, it was very much like a debut for Sanogo, and he did well in the circumstances and on this occasion drove a shot that was blocked by Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. Oxlade-Chamberlain collected the rebound and slotted home.

Arsenal doubled their advantage early in the second 45-minutes. Oxlade-Chamberlain was the architect of the goal with a silky run down the right wing that ended with a cut back to Podolski, with the German wasting no time in finishing for 2-0.

Liverpool improved greatly for the remainder of the game and there were moments where the Gunners were under pressure. The Reds halved the score when Podolski felled Luis Suarez in the area and Gerrard found the net with his penalty. Despite pushing for the rest of the game that would be as good as it got for Liverpool as Arsenal held on for the win.

Arsene Wenger and his troops will face Everton in the next round of the cup, but full attention turns to the Champions League and Bayern Munich this week.

In what proved to be a dull and frustrating encounter Arsenal were held 0-0 at home by Manchester United.

Any pre-match hopes of a classic between two clubs needing a win were quickly dashed as neither team could gain momentum or put any classy moves together. In fact, it became a tense game as neither team wanted to make the mistake that could sacrifice the game. With Arsenal coming off a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool and United being generally awful for months, the nerves were understandable, but ultimately made for a poor match.

Arsene Wenger admitted his troops were shaky after the game, when he praised the defensive effort and said he was happy to take a point. However, a point is not great for Arsenal´s title push and after taking just 1 point out of a potential 6 (5 from 12 over four games) the Gunners have seen their position at the top of the league crumble.

While the match was always heading for a stalemate, it will be United who come away from the Emirates the most disappointed of the two teams. The champions had the clearer chances as former Arsenal captain Robin Van Persie was thwarted by Wojciech Szczesny on several occasions, including a wonder save from a header.

Arsenal´s recent form has pointed to a blip as the team has hardly played well since the turn of the year. Wenger will have to rally his troops through a difficult period and hope they can remain in touch for the Premier League title. With other contenders like Chelsea and Manchester City having their own struggles, the Gunners will still have a chance come May. However, the team will have to improve over the next few weeks to sustain a challenge.

Arsenal will look to bounce back from Saturday´s disastrous defeat against Liverpool when the team welcomes Manchester United to the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.

Of course, this is and has been one of the biggest fixtures in English football, but there has been a fear that this contest would not mean so much due to United´s struggles this season. However, with the Gunners getting thumped on the weekend and Man Utd continuing to look weak, both teams will be desperate for the win and we could get a classic.

Arsenal were undone on the weekend by the pace and skill of Raheem Sterling, Coutinho, Luis Suarez, and Daniel Sturridge. There is little doubt that United boast an equally potent (or more so) front four in Wayne Rooney, Adan Januzaj, Juan Mata, and former Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie. Arsene Wenger will be wary of a United team that is like a wounded animal right now and will know if those four click then serious questions will be asked.

However, the Frenchman described the Liverpool humiliation as an accident and with the team undefeated in ten matches before the weekend, he may have a point. The Gunners go into the match as favourites for perhaps the first time in several years, and Wenger will know three points here will put everything back on track.

The seasoned tactician played arguably his best available 11 against Liverpool and while the players underperformed he will surely be tempted to stick with that line up. However, Wenger has options in the form of Lukas Podolski coming in to replace Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Kieran Gibbs possibly coming in for the out of sorts Nacho Monreal.

While counting out Manchester United has never been wise in the past, the way David Moyes is setting his team up will play into the hands of Arsenal. It seems the Scotsman does not know how to get the best from his still talented squad, so the Emirates faithful will be expecting Arsenal to bounce back and stay in the hunt for the Premier League trophy.