Posts Tagged ‘Arsenal’

Football

Arsenal update: Ribery out, Robben iffy, Schweinsteiger suspended – could the Gunners have a chance?

By Stefano on March 11th, 2013
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So good news for Arsenal as they prepare to face Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League tie.

Bayern are going to be without key players – quite a lot of them.

The man who was the architect of the Bayern win in North London, central midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, is suspended as is defender Jerome Boateng.

Bayern have also let it be known today that winger Franck Ribery will miss the match with an ankle injury. Normally this wouldn’t be much of a problem for the Germans as they have Arjen Robben, however the Dutchman has a calf problem and may also miss the game.

Of course the Bayern team will start with Kroos, Gomez and Lahm, but the absentees will give Arsene Wenger’s men a degree of confidence that they might get some kind of result. A draw is possible, maybe even a win. Beating Bayern 3-1 or better would be astonishing, but manager Wenger hasn’t ruled it out.

He told Arsenal.com

“We just have to convince ourselves that we can do it in Munich as well. Yes, the chance is small, but the chance makes the impossible possible. That would be a great credit for our team to do it. We have to try to achieve it.”

Arsenal’s injury list is significantly shorter. Bacary Sagna is probably out – but he will be replaced by the reliable English defender Cark Jenkinson. Arsenal are likely to be without Abou Diaby too, but they still have plenty of midfield options.

Kieran Gibbs may return at left back too which is great news for the Gunners, as Bayern targeted the team’s makeshift left back, Thomas Vermaelen, in the first leg.

So can The Gunners pull of a shock victory – might they get near to a 3-1 victory? What do you think?



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Arsenal update: Victor Wanyama, Micah Richards and St Etienne pair targeted

By Stefano on March 11th, 2013
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A couple of days Alex Song ago hinted that he might like to return to North London after his disastrous season at Barcelona. But according to the Metro Arsene Wenger isn’t tempted. He has set his sights on
Celtic’s combative midfielder Victor Wanyama.

The Keynan has been very impressive this season, especially in the Champions League and Wenger is keen to land a player that he knows could be secured for less than £10 million.

The deal that could change all this is if Barcelona follow through with an offer for Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen. It could then mean players heading to The Emirates (Song, Villa?) in return.

Another player who could be wearing red and white come the summer is Man City’s Micah Richards. The player who has been a long term target of Arsene Wenger could be leaving City in the summer and may possibly be seen by Arsenal as a replacement for Bacary Sagna.

The Mail reports that in addition to Richards, Maicon, Wayne Bridge, Scott Sinclair and Roque Santa Cruz are among those likely to move on.

Although he is undoubted talented the player has struggled with a series of injuries that have kept him out of the City team.

Finally The Mirror reports on how Gilles Grimandi has been spending his time recently. Arsenal’s scout has apparently been keeping tabs ion the St Etienne pair Stephane Ruffier and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

French international keeper Ruffier has had a great season with St Etienne among the meanest defences in Ligue 1.

Meanwhile Gabon centre-forward Aubameyang is the second top scorer in the division.



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Arsenal update: Song return, Vermaelen to Barca, Real defender targeted

By Stefano on March 8th, 2013
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Today’s Arsenal news is all about Spain. The big story is that, unhappy with his lot at Barcelona Alex Song is pondering a move back to The Emirates.

Less then a year after questioning the player’s commitment and attitude Arsene Wenger is reported to be happy to welcome the Cameroonian back to London.

Song, who has been pretty much sidelined by current Barca coach Jordi Roura, is apparently very keen to leave with PSG also monitoring his situation.

Arsenal are of course in need of a solid and powerful defensive midfielder – though there is a question mark over whether Song fits that bill. In his last season at The Emirates he was chastised by the manager for pushing forward too often and not maintaining his position.

One possible deal could see Song return to Arsenal and Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen head the other way - with Barca adding a few million pounds as a sweetener.

The move might make sense for Vermaelen whose form has been poor this season.

One replacement then could be Real Madird’s Raul Albiol. The player has featured less and less for the side this season and may also be looking for a new challenge. The Daily Mail thinks that Arsene Wenger might be tempted.



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Football

The low down on Arsenal target and France’s hottest new young striker

By Stefano on March 7th, 2013
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What with Giroud scoring just three times in 10 games – the same btw as an ex Arsenal striker – The Gunners are in dire need of a clinical striker. Earlier today Andraes Cornelius was linked to the club, but now TalkSport have suggested that a player in a slightly more competitive league could be on his way to The Emirates.

Auxerre’s Yaya Sanogo is without a doubt the talk of French football at the moment. This after he scored seven goals in one week in February including putting four past Laval and then hitting a hat-trick seven days later against Tours.

And the youngster’s contract expires in the summer – a fact that has alerted numerous clubs around Europe including Arsenal and their French scout Gilles Grimandi.

The Daily Star even thinks that Arsene Wenger accompanied Grimandi to see the player this week to secure his signature.

It is quite astonishing that Auxerre haven’t nailed the player down for a few more years given his track record. In an astonishing run for the French Under 16s team in 2009 he score 18 goals in 18 games.

Auxerre have been fairly slow in accommodating Sanogo in their first team. This is largely because he spent over a year sidelined by an injury in 2011. He has been playing more regularly for the club this season and in fourteen starts has bagged an impressive eight goals.

Auxerre seem likely to get relegated this year so Sanogo will almost certainly be on the move.

The video shows him scoring some rather spectacular goals one of which was for France against England.



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Football

RVP’s goal drought – now as bad as Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud

By Stefano on March 7th, 2013
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The clamouring for Arsenal to sign a striker continues with fans desperate to see someone pull on a Gunners shirt who is clinical, predatory and consistent. Three words that can’t really describe the current incumbent Olivier Giourd.

Giroud has impressed in flashes this season, but for me he doesn’t get in enough goal scoring positions and never ever puts away any half chances. His record of shots to goals converted isn’t bad, but then the number of shots he has is quite low.

He is not a disaster but rather symptomatic of the way that Arsenal are this season – good in patches but lacking consistency.

Giroud then has scored three times in the last ten games he has played for Arsenal, which isn’t the most impressive of records.

Interestingly though there is another Premiership striker who has identical stats and it is not who you might think. Nope not Torres, but one RVP of Man United. The player has grabbed goals against Everton and Spurs in the last two months but it has been pretty slim pickings this year.

It did strike me in the game against Real that RVP was missing something from his game. Chances that you would have expected him to put away this season (and last) went begging. He also had a lot of bad luck – which if Karma does exist means he probably used it all up in the first half of the season.

It is hard to work out if this mid-season dip is something that RVP suffered at Arsenal. This is largely because in all his years at the club the Gunners only really got two full seasons out of the player. Last year, for example, the longest he went without a goal was four games, in fact it was rarely more than two.

In the same period last year (early Jan- early March) for example he scored ten goals in ten games.

Also, earlier in the season Van Persie pretty much kept United’s title challenge afloat

Remember this?

Martin Samuel in the Mail has worked out that had Arsenal kept Robin Van Persie for another season and his goal rate stayed the same then the situation would be reversed. Arsenal would be top of the Premiership and Man United would have been mid-table stragglers.

Martin’s theory runs like this.

United have gone behind to the first goal of the game in 10 Premier League matches and in seven have come back to win. Of those seven, five have featured crucial goals from Van Persie, including the equaliser against Fulham, a hat-trick against Southampton and the winner against Liverpool.

Now consider Arsenal with Van Persie’s 10 league goals this season added to their total. Supplement a single goal from Van Persie to the draws with Sunderland, Stoke City, Manchester City, Fulham, Aston Villa and Everton; add an equaliser to the one-goal defeats by Chelsea, Norwich City and Manchester United. That is a difference of 15 points, or the current spread between Manchester United (top, 36 points) and Arsenal (10th, 21).

Fortunately for Sir Alex, Kagawa, Hernandez and ironically, Rooney have filed the breach recently, but there is clearly a question over the form of the ex-Arsenal man.

Van Persie is clearly Sir Alex’s golden boy at the moment. But if he goes a few more games without finding the net some of that glow might start to recede.

 

 



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Football

Arsenal update: Jenkinson to City, Rooney connection and Cornelius tracked

By Stefano on March 7th, 2013
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It is Man city’s avowed aim to snap up the best English talent in the Premiership. No surprise then that they have set their sights on Arsenal’s right back Carl Jenkinson.

The Mirror has a story this morning which suggests that Manicni and his men have been tracking the player and will make a move for him in the summer.

They sense an opportunity if Bacary Sagna leaves and Arsenal don’t promote Jenkinson to first choice right back.

This seems like an odd one. Jenkinson is a childhood Arsenal fan, who is living the dream at the moment. He is an intelligent man, but someone who is passionate about the team. I really can’t see this happening. Besides he will have noted how smoothly the careers of Sinclair and Rodwell have progressed at The Etihad too.

Also on a silly season tip a couple of pundits have suggested that a newly minted Arsenal – if they were to get a change of ownership- might look at Wayne Rooney.

The United striker clearly has a problem in that he has fallen down Fergie’s pecking order of players and many papers are suggesting that he will leave in the summer. But where to? City apparently don’t want him, Everton can’t afford him and he is unlikely to move to Spain or Italy.

The proposed move to PSG, which is in many of the papers, doesn’t seem to fit either. But what about London? It is a move that means the player could keep his base in the North West but still play Premiership football. Chelsea would be the favourites to sign him but Arsenal and Spurs have been mentioned in dispatches.

Yes it is true that Arsenal need a reliable and predatory striker, but the fact that Rooney earns twice as much as any other Arsenal player should be enough to mean any talk of a deal is fantasy football, even if the club could afford him. Wenger is an admirer of the player, but he is arguably not what Arsenal need at the moment and there must be queries about his injury record. Btw anyone else noted that RVP has only scored once in eight games now?

Finally a couple of sources are linking Arsenal with a bid for the – wait for it – new ‘Niklas Bendtner.’ Wenger is keen on FC Copenhagen striker Andreas Cornelius, who has scored 14 goals in 20 matches for Copenhagen this season.

“The Premier League is the best league in the world, and I would love to play in it,” Cornelius is quoted as saying in the Metro, with Arsenal his preferred choice. The player certainly knows where the sticks are and would come cheap (£3 million is mooted), but defenses in the Premiership are a bit tougher than the ones he has played against so far. One to watch.



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Kieran Gibbs is back in training- is he Arsenal’s first choice left back?

By Stefano on March 6th, 2013
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Some good news for Arsene Wenger and Arsenal fans. The club’s English left back Kieran Gibbs is back in training and could feature in both The Champions League and The Premiership soon.

The jury is still out on the former. The game against Bayern next week may come too soon for the player which would be bad news for the team. At The Emirates Bayern ruthlessly exploited Arsenal’s right flank and the makeshift left back Thomas Vermaelen. A fit Gibbs would be a much better option.

Failing that Gibbs could be ready to play in the Premiership against Swansea on March 16th.

But will he start the game? Wenger’s winter signing Nacho Monreal has overall had a good start to his English career. In many games he has looked solid at the back and powerful going forward. He even provided an assist for Santi Cazorla in the recent 2–1 victory over Aston Villa.

However he had a poor game against Spurs and some pundits blamed him for the second Lennon goal as he seemed to stand helplessly still as the Spurs’ player broke through the Arsenal high line.

Most Gunners fans seemed to like what they have seen of the player so far, but I wonder if a full fit Gibbs, who was excellent in the first part of the season and who has a significantly longer relationship with the rest of the defence to draw on, should start against Swansea. After that it could all be down to who starts and how well they play – or in Gibbs’case how long he stays injury-free.



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Football

Nicklas Bendtner could be back at Arsenal – could he have a role to play?

By Stefano on March 6th, 2013
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There are rumours today that Nicklas Bendtner’s Italian disaster could be over very soon with Juventus apparently keen on sending the striker back to London. The move comes after a drink driving incident which saw the player fined £97,000 and has had his driving license revoked for three years.

Bendtner has also been suspended from the Danish side for six months too. So basically he could be kicking his heels for a while.

The self-professed best striker in the world is clearly supping at last chance saloon. Come the end of the season he will leave Arsenal and at the moment it seems like it won’t be a big club that secures his services.

So maybe, just maybe, there could be a role to play at Arsenal. The Gunners’ bench is pretty skinny on attacking options and a few seasons back Bendtner came on as a sub many times and either scored or helped create goals and chances.

Bendtner needs to play well to keep himself in the shop window. Arsenal need a striker to take the pressure off Giroud and The Dane clearly has plenty of Premiership experience.

Sometimes saying sorry can be very hard – but in this instance it could suit both parties and have a happy ending.

Would you give Nick one last chance?

Pic from Wikipedia



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Football

Arsenal’s next captain? Ashley Williams? The Guardian thinks it could be on the cards

By Stefano on March 5th, 2013
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Arsene Wenger has his eyes on Swansea’s captain and central defender Ashley Williams so says The Guardian.

There’s no mention of a source or a quote from Wenger but the paper says…

Wenger has identified the Wales captain as someone with the leadership qualities to control and organise Arsenal’s defence in a way more reminiscent of when the club built a large part of their success on having a dominant figure such as Tony Adams, Martin Keown or Steve Bould in the heart of their back four.

Interestingly the article also discusses Wenger’s lack of faith in his current trio of central defenders and suggests that the Arsenal manager was keen to bring a player in during the transfer window.

It also adds that neither Thomas Vermaelen or Per Mertesacker seem capable of taking charge of the Arsenal defence.

It concludes that Williams, who is contracted to 2015, would cost in the region of £8m and is also being tracked by Liverpool.

So, if this is true then why did Wenger not approach Swansea in the transfer window? Surely given Arsenal’s financial resources if he was that disappointed with his trio of centre backs he could have signed a player, maybe even Williams.

Arsenal clearly need as leader too though parachuting Williams in as not just as a new recruit, but also as a captain, sounds like it could be problematic.

So what do you think? It wouldn’t surprise me if Arsenal bid for the player in the summer, but he is just one on a long list of centre backs.

Pic from Wikipedia



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Football

Wenger stopped Bould’s defensive sessions – says BBC’s David Ornstein

By Stefano on March 4th, 2013
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If you look at the number of goals that Arsenal have conceded this season, it hardly looks like a club in a defensive crisis. The Gunners have let in 32 goals, that’s just one more than Man United.

The figures are however slightly skewed by the Arsenal defence’s excellent start to the season. They played five games and let in just two goals and their opponents included Liverpool and Man City.

The BBC’s David Ornstein has a theory as to why this is. On Radio Five Live this evening he claimed that sources in the club had told him that the great start was in part due to Steve Bould running defensive training sessions with the team. Ornstein said that the Arsenal assistant manager worked with the players on positional play and marking and it had paid dividends for the side.

However after the early games Arsene Wenger chose to stop the Bould sessions and Arsenal went back to the more traditional training methods that Wenger has employed throughout his tenure as manager.

Ornstein’s insists that there is no rift between Bould and Wenger and that players are behind the manager.

However if this is true, and given the BBC’s high editorial standards I am sure they would not have let Ornstein say what he did were there not a lot of truth in it, it doesn’t reflect very well on the club.

Ornstein also suggested that lack of communication among its defenders and Arsenal’s failure to replace Alex Song have further compounded the side’s defensive frailties.

So what do you think? Does he have a point?



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Football

Are Arsenal going to hit Malaga for yet another player?

By Stefano on March 4th, 2013
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Bit of an interesting one this which I guess is more speculation than hard fact for now.

But  HITC is suggesting that Arsene Wenger is considering his campaign to reunite the Malaga team from last year at The Emirates by signing 29 year old French defensive midfielder Jeremy Toulalan.

Malaga are currently one of the hottest teams in Spain. They are fourth in La Liga and still in the Champions League. However mounting financial troubles mean that they have had to sell off several off their players and Arsenal have already profited with a great deal for Cazorla and a potentially good one for Monreal too.

Toulalan would be a good fit for the Gunners. He has played with Sagna and Diaby in the French national side and obviously knows Monreal and Cazorla’s game very well.

He is also strong in the tackle and has good vision for a largely defensively minded player.

He has said he is leaving Malaga in the summer and Atlético Madrid are interested in his services. Newcastle have been monitoring him too as they are apparently light on French players (not).

Arsenal fans will be hoping for a higher profile signing like a Capoue, but if that Champions League place doesn’t happen then Toulalan could be a useful and cheaper alternative.



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Should Arsenal have signed Chris Samba?

By Stefano on March 4th, 2013
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Arsenal lost a vital game yesterday largely because of the inability of their two centre backs (and Nacho Monreal who was culpable on the second goal) to track players making a run behind a high line.

Maybe Arsenal midfielders, especially the increasingly immobile Arteta, should take the blame too.

The defeat is all the more painful because until the Bale goal the Gunners seemed comfortable and were controlling the game.

Yet Arsene Wenger seems to be reasonably content with his line up of centre backs. He had plenty of opportunity to strengthen in the window, especially after letting Djourou go on on loan, yet apart from vague whispers that Arsene would make a summer bid for Mats Hummel, it was eerily quiet.

There is one player who moved in the window who would have seriously strengthened the team’s defence – Chris Samba. Wenger is clearly a Samba fan and has allegedly been mulling over a bid on more than once occasion. Yet even though Samba was angling for a move from Anzhi Makhachkala it was QPR’s Harry Redknapp who got in first and secured the player.

Samba’s reputation, even after playing several weeks for a struggling side, is such that Zenit St Petersburg made an offer for the player which would have meant that QPR made a significant profit on Samba.

According to the Daily Star Redknapp was left mystified by Arsenal’s failure to land player

“When he was sold, I could never understand why Arsenal did not sign him that time,” he said.

“He is everything you need. He is quick, he can play round his feet.

“He is a proper centre-half. He could play anywhere in this country and for all the top teams.”

So is Harry mischief-making? Or does he have a point?

One one level Wenger would never have matched the wages that Samba is currently earning at QPR – unless that is he saw Samba as vital to the side and that he would make a difference in securing Champions League football.

For me Samba has three advantages over Per Mertesacker. Firstly he has as much, if not more, presence, especially on free kicks and corners (in both boxes). The ball just seems to ping off his head. Secondly he is much faster and more mobile that Per Mertesacker – lack of speed being the German’s Achilles’s Heel. He is also more precise in the tackle than his German counterpart – though I think from a positional point of view the German has the edge.

Lastly he is a leader – and Arsenal are perilously short of leaders.

He is 28 years old, has 4/5 good years left in him, has load of Premiership experience. He is another signing that would have been worth the cash in the winter window, or maybe if QPR go down.



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Five reasons why Arsenal fans shouldn’t be too down today

By Stefano on March 4th, 2013
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Losing to Spurs is never easy and to be honest it is not something  that Arsenal fans have had to endure too may times in the Wenger era. And yes it does open up a seven point gap between the Gunners and their north London rivals. But if Spurs fans can hear the Fat Lady singing they are mistaken, she hasn’t even started clearing her throat yet.

Besides there are a few positives that Arsenal fans can dwell on this morning

1 Arsenal didn’t really deserve to lose – I think many neutrals would have said that a fair result was a draw. Apart from the minutes of madness in the first half the Gunners played well and were in control of significant parts of the game. In the moments before the goal they looked comfortable and in the second half, after the Mertessacker goal, if they had scored again they would have looked the better bet to win. Admittedly while they created fewer chances they actually had more possession  than Spurs. Ultimately the key Arsenal players had average games  - Walcott, Cazorla and Wilshere – and they will be put in better performances this season.

2 There are still 10 games to go – And if you look at the run in of the three London team the Arsenal one is the easiest of the three  Besides, Chelsea and Spurs have to play each other, so if the Gunners can get a run of wins they will make up some points automatically  Tottenham’s next few games includes trips to a newly rampant Liverpool, cup winners Swansea and Stamford Bridge. They also have two more tricky home games in Everton and Man City. They finish with what on looks like three winnable games, but by then it could be a lot closer. It has happened before…

3 Yesterday heaped more pressure on Arsene Wenger – In the short term this is not a bad thing for Arsenal. He will drive the players with renewed vigour. In the long term it underlines the folly of sticking with a squad that at best can achieve fourth place, when you have huge cash reserves in the bank. Even if Arsenal did qualify for the Champions League this season the pressure for change at the club - highlighted by the alleged offer yesterday – will be huge. There is clearly a mess that needs sorting.

4 Even if the nightmare happens – And Arsenal finish fifth for the first summer in a long time there is very unlikely to be any core Arsenal players leaving  the squad. Wilshere and Walcott are going nowhere. The only question mark could be over Cazorla, and that seems very unlikely.

5 Ramsey played well - On the positive side Aaron Ramsey had a good game and is showing that he is nearing the kind of form that won him a regular first team start. Ok, I am clutching at straws now…



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Why Cazorla is the key man for Arsenal against Spurs

By Stefano on March 1st, 2013
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Arsene Wenger has two separate formats for his 4-2-3-1 formation this season. At the start of the campaign, he fielded two wide forwards, Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott, either side of Santi Cazorla, with Olivier Giroud upfront. That gives Arsenal pace on the flanks, and a classic number ten between the lines.

However, in recent weeks Wenger has experimented with Cazorla drifting inside from the left, the role where he made his name at Villarreal. This changes the balance of Arsenal’s attacking department: Cazorla becomes an extra central midfielder and helps dominate possession, while Jack Wilshere can play higher up the pitch, in the ‘number ten’ role.

It’s tricky to guess which system Arsene Wenger will favour for this weekend’s North London derby. Arsenal’s left-winger will be facing Spurs right-back Kyle Walker, who is impressive going forward, but has been poor defensively this season. Attacking him might be wise, but Wenger will also want to guard against his storming forward runs. However, neither Podolski, who jogs back half-heartedly, or Cazorla, who was caught out by Philipp Lahm when moved to the left against Bayern, offers a perfect solution.

Instead, Wenger might look at the midfield zone, where Cazorla’s movement into central positions should allow Arsenal to pass around Spurs’ three-man midfield. If Wilshere and Cazorla can get in behind Scott Parker, Arsenal might cause real problems; and with Cazorla scoring Arsenal’s last three goals from that left-sided role, it seems likely Wenger will continue with his ‘new’ system.

This post courtesy of Pick Our Team is by Michael Cox. PickOurTeam is a new type of football community giving fans an opportunity to have a meaningful say on the formation and selection of their team. PickOurTeam is the voice of the fans – collecting views on who should play where and ratings on how the players, manager, and referee perform each week. Every match the findings are compiled and presented back to the fans. The article was originally posted here.

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Opinion: How a move back to Arsenal could revive Samir Nasri’s career

By Stefano on February 28th, 2013
1 comment

Ok Gunners fans, stop sniggering. Over the last few days there have been rumours about the next move of one time Arsenal hero Samir Nasri.

After a season in which he has been very poor and only scored twice it seems that Man City have decided that he is surplus to requirements at The Etihad. The player, that they signed from Arsenal for £25 million, is now being linked with a move to French League two side Monaco.

One thing is for sure City are going to have take a serious hit on the player, perhaps selling him for around the £10 milion mark. Nasri’s big money pay days will be at end (well relatively anyhow) as he is unlikely to earn £175k a week anywhere else.

It does beg the question though might a return to Arsenal be a possibility. Well I know the player has burned a lot of bridges with the fans, but does the 25 year old still have the respect of the manager and the team? Quite possibly. Wenger clearly rates Nasri as he was very sorry to let him go. Meanwhile Nasri seems to harbour some affection for the club, even though he has been a little bit disrespectful in tweets. He went to the game against West Ham recently running the gauntlet of irate Gunners fans.

So, and it is a big if, if they management team fancy a reunion what would they be getting? Is he the player he was three seasons ago?

There’s an intriguing article here on the always excellent Squwaka blog which outlines his problems. It suggests that the Frenchman might be being playing out of position at City which has seriously dented his confidence.

He has always dreamt of playing in the hole for a top European club, this hasn’t been the case at Manchester City where he finds himself on the wing in a two-sided role. He is there to create from out wide by cutting in but also to make it difficult for other teams to penetrate through the middle by tucking in when they have the ball. His efforts with the ball have been good, a pass completion rate of 91% is excellent.

However only 54% of these are forward passes, indicating a lack of incisive play. Nasri has created 32 chances this season although mostly from set-pieces where he has an array of enormous men to aim at hence his tally of only 3 assists.

With Arshavin out the door, Gervinho wayward at best and Oxlade Chamberlain not quite capturing his early form Arsenal could clearly use a player who can play behind the striker, but also wide if necessary. I guess he wouldn’t start every game (but at least he would give Santi a break), but I am sure Wenger would find much more use for his undoubted talents than Roberto Mancini.

The Arsenal manager clearly knows how to get the best out of the Frenchman – I wonder if he would like another opportunity. Talented players with this amount of Premiership experience don’t come along at cut-down prices too often.

Wenger was sanguine about the motives for Nasri’s move when it happened and Nasri has recently been praising Wenger.

So Arsenal fans would you take Sami back at a cut-down price and on sensible wages?



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