The Press Area

Over the past fortnight we gave you an opportunity (through our Facebook & Twitter handles) to clear all the doubts about our beloved Arsenal. We got close to 30 questions in all; not a massive number but good enough to kick-start this feedback session!

Some of them were really eye-catching & well-versed. Here are the top-7 from that lot..

For those of you still curious as to who answered them, for the sake of authenticity alone; it’s our very own friend from UK, Akhil (an intern with The Mirror) who took out time & came up with his insightful & much-valued views.

Check his blog on Bleacher by clicking here. Follow him on Twitter @10akhil Read on..

Q. Why is Almunia beaten on his near post all the time – Against Liverpool in the opening fixture, against Barca twice in Champions League final, against Messi & Zlatan last year in the Champions League Q-finals? Is our goalkeeping staff oblivious of this fault? – Thaenho Pucanho Tcefapedinho

A. Hello Thaenho, this is one question many people have asked me before and the answer to it is very complex.

Against Liverpool there were a few glaring mistakes; Arshavin with his sloppy pass, Wilshire with his bad control and the centre back’ not getting close enough. Almunia has been beaten on his near post quiet a few times and at a club like Arsenal, that shouldn’t happen. However, the defending has not helped him.

The coaching side is hard to pass comment because Mr Wenger and his staff keep their training methods very close to their chest. I am sure the coaches do see this and are working at it but as a unit, we must improve. I do believe that the defence needs to help our goal keeper’s as much as possible and the other day at Blackburn away; they did, so perhaps they are working at it.

Q. Which part of our squad is the weakest? – Ahad Shaukat (Karachi, Pakistan)

A. Hello Ahad, great question. I feel the defensive midfield side of our squad is the weakest at the moment. With the injury to Frimpong, who I thought could have been good cover, we are a little short. Alex Song is a world class player and will play most games, but if he has a long term injury then we could be in trouble. His presence is vital. Since we didn’t buy any cover. Denilson and Diaby should fill-in if Song is out or needs a rest.

Q. Is there any way Arsenal can improve on their finishing? They pass & pass & pass, only to make a mess of the final shot. Is more ruthlessness needed? – Akhil Vatsa (Kolkata, India)

A. Hello Akhil, first time I have been able to say that! The passing side of our team is just the Arsenal style. We do have a few players who do sometimes take the shot on like Arshavin, Vermaelen and Rosicky, but we do like to ‘pass our way in’. That is the way Arsenal play.

If you have noticed in the last season or two, we do now have a plan B and that’s to get crosses in and get out striker to attack the ball. We had Adebayor, then Bendtner and now we also have Chamakh so Mr Wenger has worked on a plan B. So when things are not going our way, we can change it around.

Last season at Hull, when we needed a goal, Denilson struck one from outside the box which Bendtner scored with the rebound. So when we need a goal, we do change it around, where as a few years ago we didn’t.

Q. What’s wrong with Arsenal’s training regime? Why do all their players keep getting injured all the time? After Nasri now Frimpong too is injured. This can’t be a coincidence. – Abhay, India.

A. Hey Abhay, the injury question is one that is asked often and to be honest, I do not know the answer. However, I will say, Arsenal pass and move the ball quicker than any other team in the country. This means, we also get a lot of late tackles on us because teams can not keep up and are not quick enough. The late tackles then give us some added injuries.

I know the Frimpong one was in training but a lot of it is done during the matches and they swell up after games and therefore mean a player is out for a few weeks. Not sure how long you have followed Arsenal but if you remember Alex Hleb, his leg used to be battered after games because of all the kicks he had. I am not saying this is the reason why we get injuries but I think it does play a part. Look at the Robin Van Persie injury at the weekend, from yet another late-ish tackle.

Q. Should we switch back to a 4-2-2 with both RvP & Chamakh playing upfront? Arshavin/Rosicky, Cesc/Nasri, Song/Denilson, Walcott/Eboue (l-r) can be our mid-field. This should also give us more defensive solidarity. The quality of our attack should fetch us goals galore irrespective of the formation we play. – Ashley McDonald (UK)

A. Hey Ashley, the formation question was something we really talked about over the summer at the Emirates. My thinking was, for home games we can switch to a 4 4 2 but for away games a 4 5 1 is more suited as it’s more solid (as long as the wide attacking players track back). The problem with going back to a 4 4 2 is I am not convinced we have enough players that can play in the middle. Song and Fabregas seems the most suited but I don’t think that is strong enough. Having Diaby in there gives some steel, also Wilshire has played there and Rosicky and Nasri are not really suited in the middle in a 2-man midfield. So I think the 4 5 1 is more suited for us.

Most big teams use it and sometimes we need to play it so we don’t get out numbered in the middle of the field. So I would perhaps use the 4 4 2 in some home games but away from home I would tend to go with the 4 5 1 and even the home games against say the top 8, I would use the 4 5 1.

Q. Are Denilson/Diaby good enough a cover for Alex Song. Even Frimpong has picked a long-term injury & he looked impressive in pre-season. Aren’t we short on genuinely world-class holding midfielders? – Srivatsa Sinha (Pune, India)

A. Srivatsa, we are short of world class defensive midfielders. It is a massive risk too. Frimpong would have been good cover but with his injury we are short. Problem is, if you buy someone, what do you do when Frimpong comes back, he gets pushed back further. Song is number #1 choice but if he gets a bad injury then we are in trouble.

When Frimpong is back, we have Song then Denilson, Diaby and Frimpong as cover. I do think Diaby and Denilson are good enough to cover in the SHORT term but if Song picked up a bad injury (touch wood) then they may struggle. Let’s just hope Alex Song stays fit!

Q. Why is Wenger shying away from the fact that both Almunia & Fabianski are not suitable to play at this level consistently? Why can’t he try Szczesny, like the way Mancini showed faith with Hart? What about Vito Mannone, why is he even here? Can’t he already see he has no foreseeable future at Arsenal? Arsene has completely ignored this important aspect of the game.

What’s the best way out in your opinion? – Richard Jones (Nice, France)

A. Hi Richard, another great question and something that is oft debated! And everyone you ask will have a different opinion. I think Mr Wenger is playing his card close to his chest. Since we didn’t land a new custodian, Le Prof has no choice but to keep faith with the current lot. Also he cannot go public and ruin the confidence of Almunia and Fabianski (whatever little ie).

Hart is a little older then Szczesny so less of a risk. What if he put Szczesny in and then he made a few mistakes. The pressure would be on and this could ruin a keeper. He has seen what happened to Fabianski and may want to play things safe with WS and put him in slowly; he may play in Carling Cup and FA cup games this year and then eventually start in the league in a year or even two years down the line.

Vito M is a strange one. I can’t see a future for him here because of the competition he faces from WS, but it will be interesting to see what happens. I would want one of them to go on loan; either Fabianski or Vito M needs to go on loan and get some experience.

Thanks for the questions guys, keep’em coming! Up the Arsenal..

Akhil.

Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz

Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..

PS: Do check Arsenal Interactive – The Home of Arsenal Fans

What Is Arsenal Interactive?

Arsenal Interactive is a Match Day experience centered around bringing Arsenal fans (and, let’s face it, Gunning Hawk supporters, who are the smartest bunch of football fans in the world) together to share in pre- and post-match revelry. You can rate every Arsenal player after every match, write up your own comments on the ratings, give your thoughts on the game itself, share the entire interactive anthology with a host of social networking sites and chat in real time with fellow Arsenal fans!

Theo - finally living upto his number eh?

It was a massive win on Saturday by the Arsenal at Ewood Park. We overturned our woeful result of April in the very same ground and won away to a Fat Sam managed team, which we haven’t done since 2002, and that includes the Invincibles.

It’s nice to see us sitting with 7 points after two tough away trips, and to say, we haven’t even hit top form is something nice to know. Last season, we were on top of our game but we had one win and two losses at this very juncture after two away games. Read on..

The pluses from the game and the week:

• Theo Walcott has got his shooting boots and man is he on fire or what? Another confidence lifting performance from the lad, he needs to be consistent, confident and injury free. I expect a lot from Theo this season and I have a gut feeling he will deliver. There’s a reason he is wearing that No. 14 shirt.
• Chamakh has added a little something to our game upfront, he is a real work horse and I like the way he doesn’t allow the opposition’s defenders to take their time on the ball and his set piece defending (esp. marking of Chris Samba) was excellent, it was a real lift for us. With all our injury prone forwards, Chamakh is very important for us this season.
• We’ve got strength in depth in the midfield and with Rosicky, Nasri (in a month- of course) and Fabregas; it seems we have got a chance to turn our fortunes with injuries, by proper squad rotation policies.
• Diaby was one of the best performers in the tie, his physical presence stood out and with Song alongside him, he looked solid, and he even tracked back to cover Koscielny at one point. He’s answering his critics slowly but surely, he needs to stay consistent and slam his critics (I’m looking at you Jaguar and all others who call him shite from Anti-Arsenal Arsenal) down the throat.
• Our New Look Defense is shaping up perfectly and it’s only a matter of time before we perfect our pressing. This new defense is much quicker and the defenders read the game much better to last year, it needs a little time to adapt to new partners and we need a little more physical presence. Koscielny looked good both before and after the one bad error in the match. We need to give him some time to adapt to the league. Squillaci has added the experience to our back four and we really can use it now to excel. Sagna was very good and seems to have worked on his crossing, definitely looked better to me.
• Almunia looked pretty solid, he may have committed some errors in the past but he is not a bad keeper. It seems Wenger is going to put Big Al’ between the posts, we really have to get behind him and give him the confidence he is of dire need. I really hope the Emirates faithful stand behind him and with a better defensive backline; Almunia can be very good for us. Here’s one for his career changing season.
• We defended on the set pieces a lot better and we seem to have learnt from mistakes. And more importantly, we picked up 3 points at a physical and tough away fixture. We can expect Blackburn to give a hard time to our contenders. Spurs loss at the Lane to Wigan was just an icing on the cake. Haha!

There are always two sides of a coin. So I list out some negatives that I took from this game:

• Cesc was not in his elements, he did show his worth when on the ball in the second half, and was found guilty of giving the ball away far too many times for a player of his caliber. He looked a little disinterested or maybe he is just suffering from lack of match fitness, I wish to think it is just the latter. He needs to come good and do better than last season.
• Van Persie is looking brittle by the day and we can only see how important he is to us, by the sublime assist he made. But this could have been a plus as he now misses the dreaded Internationals for Holland.
• Arshavin should take some for the team and do his defensive responsibilities. Because, Clichy really could do with some helping out. But fair play to the Little Russian, the goal was an exquisite finish, as it sailed through a sea of bodies.
• Our defense has to concentrate a little better and stop conceding to mistakes. We have to make our opponents work for the goal. If there is one thing that makes me mad, it is conceding cheap goals.
• We need to maintain possession better than at the moment and have to complete our passes better. But I personally think we will improve as players get back to speed of the league. Most of them missed pre season, it’s only a matter of time.

That’s a nice week for us and I just pray the friendlies don’t injure any of our players. We have drawn the Spurs for the Carling Cup third round; the Young Guns have to really step up to say this little cup is for them.

Bring on the Spuds.. Our ‘Young Boys’ are good enough for them!

Cheers,

Sriram.

Go Gunners!

P.S. Don’t listen to the naysayers about the goalkeeping situation. Some players will step it up. I would have liked a goalkeeper myself, as a confidence booster, but it’s done! So, we better get behind our keepers. If Wenger believes in them, why can’t we?

Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz

Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..

PS: Do check Arsenal Interactive – The Home of Arsenal Fans

What Is Arsenal Interactive?

Arsenal Interactive is a Match Day experience centered around bringing Arsenal fans (and, let’s face it, Gunning Hawk supporters, who are the smartest bunch of football fans in the world) together to share in pre- and post-match revelry. You can rate every Arsenal player after every match, write up your own comments on the ratings, give your thoughts on the game itself, share the entire interactive anthology with a host of social networking sites and chat in real time with fellow Arsenal fans!

Magic Waiting To Happen

I have tried to get away from the new signing, or the Mark Schwarzer situation and even the champions league draw.

I have been hearing people telling me that Arshavin isn’t as good as everyone makes out and is just an over-rated player.

On Saturday, I spent the first 20 minutes just watching Andrey Arshavin and if I am honest, he gave the ball to the opposition more then he gave it to his own team mates.

However, the first goal is when his game changed and he provided a good assist for Theo Walcott and off course stepped up for the penalty for the second goal.

These first 20 minutes summed Andrey Arshavin out for me. He can be slightly hit and miss, he can be quiet all game but do something special like score a goal or provide an assist or just make something happen.

Akhil Vyas, an intern with The Mirror, takes time out for 11G & delves into the same. Check his blog on Bleacher by clicking here. Follow him on Twitter @10akhil Read on..

Much of the Arsenal faithful are undecided over him. At the age of 29, this is a massive season for him. Andrey will never be as hard working as our super Swede Freddie or our Romford’s Pele but we expect him to show something and work hard in his own way and do something special in them tight games.

We knew what sort of a player Arshavin was before he came here and to tell him to work hard is fair but also unfair. I say that because, we knew what sort of a player he was before he came here and at the age of 29, it is very difficult to change a player. At the same time, we expect our players to give 100% so perhaps Arshavin could work harder.

All I know is, it’s a massive season for Arshavin, after this season, he will be 30 and therefore if he does not get offered a new contract this year, the only contract he will be offered when his current one is close to expiring will be a one year extension which may not suit Andrey.

This year is massive for everyone but it’s vital for Andrey Arshavin. He say’s he does not worry about what others say about him but sometimes, it may just get to much and a player can start to take notice and start to doubt themselves.

I personally, would play Arshavin on Saturday but then maybe give him a breather against Bolton on September 11^th if he does not have a good game on Saturday.

In regards to the draw, I thought it was a good draw for Arsenal. We avoided a ‘big, big club’ like Real Madrid and the long trips are not too bad. Looking at that group, we should win the group and qualify for the next stage.

Also, a welcome to our new signing Sebastian Squillaci. We hope it will be a long and successful signing for us and I am sure all Arsenal fans will welcome him to our club.

Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz

Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..

PS: Do check Arsenal Interactive – The Home of Arsenal Fans

What Is Arsenal Interactive?

Arsenal Interactive is a Match Day experience centered around bringing Arsenal fans (and, let’s face it, Gunning Hawk supporters, who are the smartest bunch of football fans in the world) together to share in pre- and post-match revelry. You can rate every Arsenal player after every match, write up your own comments on the ratings, give your thoughts on the game itself, share the entire interactive anthology with a host of social networking sites and chat in real time with fellow Arsenal fans!

My first two attempts at predicting the score lines in the Premier league haven’t been too successful but I shall endeavor to do just a little bit better this week. With an international break coming up after this week’s games my predictions won’t be back until two weeks from now. Here we go with this week’s predictions and don’t forget that if you want to win some money then back the teams I’m picking to lose.

Michael Sheehy a.k.a. Jamrock Rover, takes out time for 11G in this exclusive. Do check his very famous blog at OleOle. Follow him on Twitter @JamrockRover. Read on..

Blackburn v Arsenal

Blackburn’s had a very good home record last season and Arsenal were one of the teams to fall victim to that. Everton were beaten by them on the opening day of the season and they will be looking to do the same to Arsenal. Their approach will hardly be subtle as they will look to bully them and put their defence and particularly their keeper under a lot of pressure. We can expect plenty of hefty challenges from Blackburn as well in an attempt to stop Arsenal playing their football but it won’t be easy for them.

On the other hand Arsenal will attempt to play football from the first minute until the last one no matter how Blackburn attempt to stop them. With Cesc, RVP and Song looking likely to play from the start in their favored positions and Koscielny coming back after suspension Arsenal will be very close to full strength. As a result I expect them to have too much for Blackburn and emerge with a victory from the early kick off on Saturday.

Prediction: 1-2

Blackpool v Fulham

Blackpool get to play at home after playing their first two matches away and getting three points into the bargain. I’m sure their fans will be right behind them and they will go out and try to play good football as they always do. Their manager has admitted that they are quite a few players short of competing properly at this level and it won’t be easy for them against a Fulham team who are a lot tighter at the back than Wigan.

Fulham did very well to twice come from behind against “Manure” last week to get a draw and they also managed a 0-0 draw away to Bolton on the opening day. With Schwarzer still unavailable through injury/transfer speculation his deputy is doing very well and Fulham look solid at the back again this season. I think they can get a result out of this game as long as they can keep the home fans quiet for as long as possible. The likes of Duff, Dempsey, Zamora and Dembele are too good for Blackpool’s defenders in my opinion and Fulham should get a win.

Prediction: 1-2

Chelsea v Stoke

Chelsea couldn’t have asked for an easier start to the season so far and with Stoke’s terrible away record I’m sure their run of wins and loads of goals will continue. If you don’t have Drogba in your fantasy team the chances are you’re not doing too well as he has excelled so far. Mind you the list of Chelsea players doing well in fantasy football at the moment is very long and after this game it should be longer. They have started off as if they intend keeping the league title for another season and the return of Essien has been a huge boost for them.

Stoke should have got a draw against the Spuds last week as they had a perfectly good goal not given and the need for goal line technology was evident afterwards. They find themselves pointless and after this game I’m sure that won’t change but it won’t alter the way they play. They were described as Stoke RFC by Arsene Wenger and he wasn’t far from the truth as Arsenal learned to the peril of Aaron Ramsey last season. A solid drubbing is all I can see in store for Stoke as Chelsea march on with their run of games against the Premier league also rans before they get to play the big boys.

Prediction: 4-0

Tottenham v Wigan

After qualifying for the group stages of the Champions league the Spuds will be feeling very good and they couldn’t have asked for a better opponent in their next game than Wigan. They beat them 9-1 at home last season and Wigan have received two drubbings already this season from Blackpool and Chelsea. With Defoe out for a couple of weeks there’s a chance for another striker to have a field day and Bale is playing so well in midfield that he looks a certainty for any fantasy team at the moment.

Wigan are going nowhere fast after two home defeats in their first two games where they scored no goals and conceded 10. It’s very early but they look to be favorites for relegation already and they won’t relish going to the Spuds for a game that they got absolutely thrashed in last season. If the Spuds go for it from the start expect another drubbing for Wigan and the Spuds fans to think they will win the league and Champions league double.

Prediction: 6-0

Wolves v Newcastle

Wolves have started off pretty well this season with a home win on the opening day and a good draw away to Everton last week. They don’t look to be quite as good at the back as they were last season but they also seem to have more of an attacking threat. McCarthy did very well to keep them in the Premier league last season and they will be looking to move towards the middle of the table this season.

Newcastle looked good in their opening game at “Manure” until they went behind and then they lost all belief but they soon got that back in their second game as they thrashed Aston Villa 6-0. I didn’t see that result coming but it was fully deserved on the day and it shows that Newcastle do in fact have a serious goal threat in their team. I’m still not sure how good Carroll is but Nolan and Barton will get their fair share of points for any fantasy team from midfield. It won’t be a classic match but I can see both teams sharing the spoils.

Prediction: 1-1

Manchester United v West Ham

It looked liked “Manure” had got a lucky win at Fulham last week until a late Fulham equalizer and if their luck deserts them this could be a tougher than usual season for them. Luckily though they face a so far abject West Ham in Saturday evening’s kick off and they should have far too much in their locker for the Hammers.

West Ham had hoped that their new manager would help them to a better season than last time around after they cam so close to relegation last season. They have had a poor start so far and seem to be devoid of confidence at the moment which is not a good thing. I can see them getting soundly beaten to remain in the bottom three without a point to their name.

Prediction: 4-0

Bolton v Birmingham

Bolton are playing a little more proper football under Coyle but it’s difficult to completely change the way a player like Kevin Davies has always performed. Following on their opening day draw at home to Fulham they won at West Ham last week and I think they have enough about them to cause problems to most teams in the league.

Birmingham seems to have lost their defensive solidity of last season and that could be a bad thing for them. However, they also seem to be more capable of scoring goals so one might balance out the other and make for more interesting games, hopefully. I think they will find it hard against Bolton and I think Bolton should just edge this Sunday lunch time game.

Prediction: 2-1

Liverpool v West Brom

Hodgson rested his two star players for Thursday’s trip to Turkey and Liverpool edged a tight game with two late goals. In the league they have only one point and one goal so far which a pretty poor start for them although they have had two tough opponents so far. They need Gerard and Torres to play all season and at their very best if they are to have a chance of competing in any competition at all.

West Brom were soundly beaten on the opening day by Chelsea but importantly for them they bounced back last week with a 1-0 win over Sunderland. They will need as many points as possible from their home games and their chances of getting anything at Anfield are very slim indeed. I can’t see anything but an emphatic home victory to get Liverpool’s season up and running until they get to play the big boys again.

Prediction: 3-0

Sunderland v Manchester City

Sunderland blew a two goal lead at home to Birmingham on the opening day and ended up with only a point and then they lost at newly promoted West Brom last week. This is going to be a tough game for them and another defeat will leave Bruce feeling a little worried about his job I would imagine.

City are yet to concede a goal in the league this season and with their array of highly expensive talent they could be a real force to be reckoned with. The biggest problem for them is who gets to play and who doesn’t as the manager looks to keep everybody happy. We’ve already seen that Given wants out due to lack of first team football and a few others are bound to follow before the transfer window closes. I can’t see Sunderland getting anything out of this game at all.

Prediction: 1-2

Aston Villa v Everton

Villa have had a disastrous week with a 6-0 league defeat to Newcastle followed by a home defeat against Rapid Vienna in the Europa league. They don’t have a manager yet after Martin O’Neill left just before the season started and it looks as if it might be starting to show. Normally I would say that Villa defenders are good points winners in fantasy football but in their present form UI would steer well clear.

Everton haven’t been great so far this season and they have only one point to show for their first two games. They must surely see this as an ideal opportunity to get one over on a rival as Villa look so poor at the back. With Arteta, Pienaaar and Cahill in their team Everton should be capable of creating and scoring plenty of chances but it just isn’t working for them at the moment. I’m not sure that Moyes knows his best team yet and until Everton find their feet properly they could drop off the pace a little. It’s a hard one to call so I’m going for a draw.

Prediction: 2-2

That’s the lot and as usual feel free to tell me where I went wrong and point me in the right direction too.

Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz

Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..

PS: Do check Arsenal Interactive – The Home of Arsenal Fans

What Is Arsenal Interactive?

Arsenal Interactive is a Match Day experience centered around bringing Arsenal fans (and, let’s face it, Gunning Hawk supporters, who are the smartest bunch of football fans in the world) together to share in pre- and post-match revelry. You can rate every Arsenal player after every match, write up your own comments on the ratings, give your thoughts on the game itself, share the entire interactive anthology with a host of social networking sites and chat in real time with fellow Arsenal fans!

Spurs: A Failure Since Time Immemorial

I was surfing through the net today and I found this wonderful tool meant to celebrate Spurs’ failure since ages (since 1961, to be precise The first thought that came to my mind once I saw this was that this gadget needs to be shared among fellow gooner and thus this post on 11G. The tool has been developed by Up The Arse, a fanzine. This tool is basically a clock which tells us the amount of time passed since Tiny Totts won the league. The link to the tool is here. I welcome Gooners all over the world  to go ahead and enjoy this magic gadget. Read on..

A Cool Gadget For Your Desktop

I also came across another gadget which has been developed by arsenal.com. I believe that most of you would be knowing about this but those for  you who do not know about it should give it a look. This is a new Window application that runs on the sidebar of Windows Vista and WIndows 7 as well. It feeds all the necessary news from the club’s official website to to your desktop. It has a pleasing look and is a must for every news hungry Gooner.

Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz

Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..

PS: Do check Arsenal Interactive – The Home of Arsenal Fans

What Is Arsenal Interactive?

Arsenal Interactive is a Match Day experience centered around bringing Arsenal fans (and, let’s face it, Gunning Hawk supporters, who are the smartest bunch of football fans in the world) together to share in pre- and post-match revelry. You can rate every Arsenal player after every match, write up your own comments on the ratings, give your thoughts on the game itself, share the entire interactive anthology with a host of social networking sites and chat in real time with fellow Arsenal fans!

Emirates was being given its materialistic soul and it was getting its spiritual soul as well. Sounds like an oxymoron. Walcott chose this historic moment to come into his own and if the last match was an exhibition  of Rosicky’s prowess then this one turned out to be Walcott’s. Arsenal gave Blackpool a footballing lesson and gave themselves a quantum of solace. Walcott scored his 1st hat-trick and it was a moment to savor. An 11G perspective on what transpired @ Ashburton Grove and what does it mean for Gooner. Read on..

The first goal was an excerpt from the Arsenal way Vol 2.0. The team work was breathtaking and one for the purists. Walcott cut in intelligently and created a lot of angle for himself to aim at and it was 1 nil to Arsenal. The next goal was a controversial one but nonetheless. But the sending off was not controversial at all. It was a foul by the last man and referee had no option but to give him marching orders. May be the penalty awarded to Arsenal was a bit unfortunate for Balckpool as the initial impact was outside the box. But I would give the benefit of doubt to the referee. The spot kick was ruthlessly drilled in by Arshavin in the bottom corner of Blackpool’s goal. 2 nil to the team in Red & White.

Arsenal’s 3rd and Theo’s 2nd was the one I loved. It was a striker’s goal. The way Theo collected the ball, created space for himself and turned in a flash is a testament to his development and that goal showed that he along with Wilshere is gonna be the savior of 3 Lions. The goal reminded me of a certain [Theo]ry Henry. Long live Henry XIV. The next one was a Sagna special, executed by Diaby. Sagna showed why he is one of the best full backs in EPL. His run was lightening fast and I have a feeling that this ‘just married’ guy runs faster than Walcott. Correct me if I am wrong.

The hat-trick goal by Theo was another special one and I have  a feeling that this kid is ready to don a striker’s role. The way he created space for himself in front of an army of Blackpool players was exemplary. Another striker’s goal and another confirmation of his arrival on the big stage. The last one was a special one by our new recruit Chamakh. He has added a new dimension, aerial to be precise,  to this Arsenal attack . And we really missed the aerial ammunition since Greedybayor was disposed off. Welcome to heaven, Chamakh.

PS: All this was achieved without -

• Cesc – World Cup winner
• Van Persie – World Cup finalist
• Nasri – Best player in pre-season
• Eboue – The all rounder
• Koscielny – The new defensive kid
• Ramsey – The next Giggs
• Djourou – The player who managed to keep Kolo Toure out of the squad
• Bendtner – Specialist in injury time goals
• Denilson – The lightweight Brazillian

We feel that the time has come for Arsenal to rise and shine and let this be the season which will be known as the ‘TURNING POINT’ in the history of the beautiful game.

Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz

Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..

PS: Do check Arsenal Interactive – The Home of Arsenal Fans

What Is Arsenal Interactive?

Arsenal Interactive is a Match Day experience centered around bringing Arsenal fans (and, let’s face it, Gunning Hawk supporters, who are the smartest bunch of football fans in the world) together to share in pre- and post-match revelry. You can rate every Arsenal player after every match, write up your own comments on the ratings, give your thoughts on the game itself, share the entire interactive anthology with a host of social networking sites and chat in real time with fellow Arsenal fans!

Top Guns!

Interesting but steady start of the season for Arsenal FC, a few of the week’s issues..

The first game this season has passed and what a tough one we got. Let’s not make a mistake about this; Anfield away is one of the toughest fixtures we could have got. In this particular season, it perhaps was the hardest from the lot. The fact that Liverpool has got a new manager that has certainly brought a feel good factor back to that part of Merseyside, and also the fact that they made a very good signing with Joe Cole and more importantly kept Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres at the club. When speaking on the weekly fan’s forum on Arsenal TV Online, Tom Watt asked if I would take a draw and after much thought I said I would. It was important not to lose and certainly after keeping the ball pretty much the whole game; it would have been a huge disappointment to lose, so a draw was not a bad result.

Akhil Vyas, an intern with The Mirror, takes time out for 11G & digs deeper into the week that just passed us by. Check his blog on Bleacher by clicking here. Follow him on Twitter @10akhil Read on..

Apart from the obvious issues, like the sending’s offs and goals, there were a few other things I picked up on. Jack Wilshire started his biggest ever game for Arsenal and had a mixed game. He was always available for a pass and his general passing was tidy, he however, did get booked for a slightly rash tackle and also made a little mistake for the Liverpool goal. He will learn from this game and this game could be the making of him. With Nasri out injured (which I will come to later) Wilshire may get a few more games. There’s a big decision to make for the Blackpool game for Mr Wenger about Wilshire but he may just find himself starting two games back to back in the Premier League for the first time.

Another point I picked up on was the impact from the bench. I thought, for the first time in years, our bench looked very strong in an attacking sense. It was like the old days earlier in Mr Wenger’s reign where he put all his attacking players on when chasing a goal. I personally thought he may take Arshavin off but instead he went for the more attacking move and took Eboue and Wilshire off, then Diaby off and all 3 were replaced by attacking players. Many applauded the impact of Walcott, who seems to have gained a lot of confidence from his display at Wembley the other week that he even insisted to take a free-kick from shooting distance. The vision of a number 14 taking a free-kick brought many memories back and Theo did look like a certain Thierry Henry (of TH14 as he was known as). The standard of the free-kick was good too, and produced a good save from Reina.  However, for me, Thomas Rosicky made the biggest impact from the bench and I thought he was outstanding. He played like an advanced quarter back or a ball carrier in Basketball. He also wanted the ball and kept spreading the play and tried to bring others into play. It was like the Thomas Rosicky of old before his injury and when things were not happening, he took it upon himself to drive forward and was so close to getting a goal but to a fine save from Reina. I hope he can keep this sort of form up as he could be like a new player, great credit to him that he has kept going and he could just be rewarded.

Keeping on the theme of the game, Pepe Reina was someone who got in the headlines for the wrong reasons according to most Arsenal fans this summer. While the Barcelona players were taking it in turns to try and lower Cesc Fabregas’s price so he could be bought on the cheap, Pepe Reina joined in. He held down Cesc and called Cesc the ‘future of Barcelona’. What it has to do with Pepe Reina? I have no idea! I do believe in karma and justice after watching Reina buddle the ball in the back of the net. After everything he did this summer, it was about right what happened to him. He does not see me writing about Torres or Gerrard going to other clubs does he?

Mid-week we found out that Samir Nasri is out for a month after having some minor surgery which is a massive blow. He has looked sharp in pre-season and for the second year running, he will start the season on the sidelines (I know he started the Liverpool game but it’s practically still the start). It does perhaps open the door to Wilshire, Rosicky and Walcott or could mean Robin Van Persie can play somewhere or could just be a straight swap with skipper Cesc Fabregas.

NOTE: At the time of writing this piece, Frimpong’s injury was not confirmed. He has been ruled out for six to nine months after injuring his cruciate knee ligament. We wish him a speedy recovery.

I have not really spoken about Cesc much, but I am so pleased we managed to keep him. It shows that we can keep our best players if we work hard. Cesc is such a great player and one that can do something special in a game. He is such an important part of our team and he needed to stay in order for the team to develop. He may go next year or he may not, but Arsenal winning a title or cup could convince Cesc to stay at our football club and that is what we must go for.

Finally I would like to thank everyone for their kind messages I received after my brief appearance on Sky Sports News where I used a line to describe Barcelona’s pursuit of our captain. It went “If I went into Tesco and had a trolley full of items and went to the check out and said I don’t have enough money, what would they say?” That is what Barcelona has done. They want our captain but do not have the money to pay his full value hence their tactics to lower the price. I want to thank all that gave me such positive messages and some even thanked me for sticking up for our club! I am very grateful for them all. Thank you.

Lets go get the 3 points against Blackpool and start our home season with a win, for those like me who are attending, try getting in early as the stands are being renamed and there is plenty going on before the game (whispers are their will be fireworks, banners etc) and lets get behind the team on Saturday and for the whole season.

Come on you Arsenal!

Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz

Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..

PS: Do check Arsenal Interactive – The Home of Arsenal Fans

What Is Arsenal Interactive?

Arsenal Interactive is a Match Day experience centered around bringing Arsenal fans (and, let’s face it, Gunning Hawk supporters, who are the smartest bunch of football fans in the world) together to share in pre- and post-match revelry. You can rate every Arsenal player after every match, write up your own comments on the ratings, give your thoughts on the game itself, share the entire interactive anthology with a host of social networking sites and chat in real time with fellow Arsenal fans!

Seems like you Gooners are not praying hard enough for the club early on. Continuous injuries to key players has proven to be our nemesis for so long now, and early season, when we haven’t come out of our shells yet, we have been hit by another one. Official sources have confirmed that Nasri requires a minor surgery for his knee injury that is definite to keep him out of action for a month. The Frenchman looked in good nick and in the absence of other stalwarts this definitely is a blow. 11G delves deeper into how Arsenal can counteract this most recent blow..

In his absence, Arsenal have to contend with premiership new boys Blackpool and a potentially tricky away fixture to Blackburn. Not that the Blackpool game is a cakewalk, given that they netted four goals on the opening day. Nasri’s position will most likely be deputised for by Rosicky, although I would personally prefer to see Arshavin drop in the hole behind Van persie and the impressive Marouane Chamakh. There should be no inhibitions about going full throttle against Blackpool, we definitely need to secure our first three points that day and looking at the team, attack seems the way to go.

The midfield should be bolstered by the return of Alex Song, if that happens. Wilshere has shown promise but will find it difficult to hold on to his first team place for now. However we hope he fights for it, at the end of the day it signals better fortunes for the club.

At the back, Johan Djourou will step in for the suspended Laurent Koscileny. Djourou’s tryst with injuries doesn’t really exude confidence and we feel that a new buy is more critical than ever, we just hope the Professor is paying attention to our worries!!!

For now, we hope this injury doesn’t keep him off for more than it ought to, and when he returns we shall have a packed “Arsenal” to unleash!

Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz

Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..

PS: Do check Arsenal Interactive – The Home of Arsenal Fans

What Is Arsenal Interactive?

Arsenal Interactive is a Match Day experience centered around bringing Arsenal fans (and, let’s face it, Gunning Hawk supporters, who are the smartest bunch of football fans in the world) together to share in pre- and post-match revelry. You can rate every Arsenal player after every match, write up your own comments on the ratings, give your thoughts on the game itself, share the entire interactive anthology with a host of social networking sites and chat in real time with fellow Arsenal fans!

Mini Thierry - Kid Henry to King Henry!

Our ‘God’ turns 33 today. Lets rewind a few years & look back at his stellar career, shall we!?

Here we go – Va Va Voom..

• Name: Thierry Daniel Henry
• Nickname: Titou, Tezza, Titi
• DOB: 17′th Aug ’77
• Nationality: France
• Clubs: AS Monaco (1994-98), Juventus (1999), Arsenal (1999-2007), FC Barcelona (2007-10), New York Red Bulls (2010-Present).

Trivia:

• France (WC ’98 + Euro’00 + Confederations Cup ’03) – Top scorer for the Les Bleus on each occasion.
• Fifa World Player of the Year (Runner-up ’03, ’04)
• Monaco (Ligue1 ’97 + French Super Cup ’97)
• Arsenal (EPL ’02, ’04 + FA Cup ’02, ’03, ’05 + Community Shield ’02, ’04)
• Barcelona (Champion’s League ’09 + La Liga ’09, ’10 + Copa del Rey ’09 + Spanish Super Cup ’09 + Uefa Super Cup ’09 + Club WC ’09)
• All time top goal scorer for both France (51) & Arsenal (226).
• The only football player to win the European Golden Boot for two successive seasons.
• The only footballer ever to have won a ‘Sextuple’ as well as claim to be an ‘Invincible’!
• Social Causes: Stand Up Speak Up – Fight Against Racism, Unicef Ambassador, Fight Against Aids
• Sponsers: Nike, Reebok, Renault, Pepsi, Gillette

Favourite Quotes:

• “When you put on the shirt of France or Arsenal, you change. It’s like a new skin. You become Superman.”
• “I eat football, I sleep football, I breathe football. I’m not mad, I’m just passionate.”
• “Sometimes in football you have to score goals.”

“He is a Legend.. Ah.. Well.. Don’t patronize him.. He is no Legend.. He is GOD.. Worship Him..”

PS: The following is a poem co-written by The Gooner & yours truly, way back during the 2003-04 season. Hope you’ll like it!

THIERRY – ‘The Fierry’

Like in a galaxy of million star,

He’s the brightest known so far;

He’s changed the dimensions of the game,

Guess what, Thierry Henry is his name!

When he runs a cheetah is left far behind,

When he turns he may boggle up your mind;

And when he delivers a free kick,

Believe me, the goalkeeper feels sick!

Be it Arsenal or be it France,

He will never give his opponents a chance;

He flicks the ball to his teammate,

And that’s a goal, it’s my bet!

The world lies beneath his two feet,

When he plays you can feel the heat;

If you wanna watch him at his peak,

Do tune in to Premiership this week!

Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz

Follow Me on Twitter @trulytazz

Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..

PPS: Do check Arsenal Interactive – The Home of Arsenal Fans

What Is Arsenal Interactive?

Arsenal Interactive is a Match Day experience centered around bringing Arsenal fans (and, let’s face it, Gunning Hawk supporters, who are the smartest bunch of football fans in the world) together to share in pre- and post-match revelry. You can rate every Arsenal player after every match, write up your own comments on the ratings, give your thoughts on the game itself, share the entire interactive anthology with a host of social networking sites and chat in real time with fellow Arsenal fans!

Red for the new boy in Red!

The otherwise so dependable Spainard was in a generous mood. Maybe the ebullience of being crowned World Champions hasn’t phased out a month later. His last minute gift has helped us avoid an opening day defeat, a day on which we played with rhythm but not exactly the killer instinct required to overpower a team like Liverpool in their own den. A last gasp equaliser feels more like a victory though and Wenger shall be contented with the result in the end. 11G looks at Arsenal’s encounter against the Merseysiders as the Premiership gushes into life in its inaugural weekend..

The Gunners began on a positive note, withholding possession in dangerous areas and creating chances to trouble the Liverpool defence. Eboue’s darting runs and quick link up play by Sagna, Nasri and Co left the Reds at sixes and sevens and for sometime all they could do was concede free kicks in dangerous positions. Fortunately for them, Nasri’s shooting boots had been either left home or worse still- Stolen! He didnt bother Pepe Reina from the free kicks and Arsenal couldn’t capitalise on their territorial dominance.

Liverpool had sight of goal twice in a narrow space of time just before the curtains came down on the opening half. Glen johnson’s shot had power and promise and required a full stretched Almunia to keep it at bay. From the corner that followed, Clichy made a goal line clearance and we could breathe once again. That seemed like all the action for the first half, but then this is the Premier League, and what is that without its fair share of drama. Liverpool debutant Joe Cole brought down Arsenal debutant Laurent Koscileny in a rather rash challenge, a straight Red Card! Harsh? Well, the Liverpool fans would definitely tell you that, all we can say is that Joe Cole would have had a  better game if he was wearing the yellow instead of the red.

The Reds though took the lead early second half with a beautifully taken goal by Ngog, the Cameroon born French isn’t exactly renowned for his goalscoring but this was one that will make the fans and the new Boss proud. Roy Hodgson celebrated, but knew that work remained to be done. Liverpool were efficient in keeping Arsenal at bay, though we made inroads specially after the introduction of Rosicky and Walcott and enjoyed the majority of the ball. Rosicky’s effort from distance was saved by Reina’s fingertips, he’d rather trade off that one for what happened minutes later. There was a glint in the eye of the Liverpool boss as the minutes ticked away, but it wasn’t to be their day.

Reina made a mess of the ball he should have collected, it fell to Chamakh who hit the post and we thought we had missed it. But Reina was at it again, carrying the ball innocously past his own net and we could celebrate our opening goal of the new season. Not quite the trademark Arsenal goal, but under the circumstances, Priceless!

The mood was slightly dampened by Koscileny’s suspension, who managed two yellow cards in no time to be sent off on his Arsenal debut.

The Positives - Good promising attacking play, should get better with the arrival of players like Song and Fabregas.

The Negatives - The absence of clinical finishing for sure, and excessive dependence on Vermaelen at the back. We are surely not impregnable and one believes Wenger needs to dish out a few players before the window closes. Lets hope for the best!

Blackpool is next!

Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz

Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..

PS: Do check Arsenal Interactive – The Home of Arsenal Fans

What Is Arsenal Interactive?

Arsenal Interactive is a Match Day experience centered around bringing Arsenal fans (and, let’s face it, Gunning Hawk supporters, who are the smartest bunch of football fans in the world) together to share in pre- and post-match revelry. You can rate every Arsenal player after every match, write up your own comments on the ratings, give your thoughts on the game itself, share the entire interactive anthology with a host of social networking sites and chat in real time with fellow Arsenal fans!

The Verminator!

When we speak about key men for Arsenal, we talk about Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie and even Andrey Arshavin etc but for me the real key man is Thomas Vermaelen.

Akhil Vyas, an intern with The Mirror, takes time out for 11G & delves into the same. Follow him on Twitter @10akhil Read on..

In terms of importance, Vermaelen is much more valuable. It is not a secret that the defensive side of our game has been in the lime-light this summer as we have lost Gallas, Campbell, Silvestre and Senderos. We have added Koscielny to our defence but as yet, that is our only defensive signing. At the moment, that does not look enough. Our only well-known back-up is Johan Djourou and he has not ever had a full season and seems to get more injuries then I have had hot dinners. Johan can be a good player for the club and proved it when he kept Kolo Toure out of the team a few seasons ago; however, injuries seem to come at the wrong time for him.

With Koscielny and Djourou, we have two defenders with great potential but not established. Even Thomas Vermaelen, has only one year experience in the Premier League but proved how good of a player he is.

Thomas was fearless last season and was always putting his head where some people would not put their foot. Thomas was everywhere, he defended like a solider and added goals to his game.

His importance is massive this season. An injury to Thomas and Arsenal will be in real trouble. I still think a centre back will come in, it may happen last minute, but unless Wenger has seen something in our younger generation of defenders, such as Nordtveit then perhaps a deal will not happen. We have strongly been linked to a goal keeper and that seems the more likely deal to be concluded. If a deal for a centre back is done then it may be left very late. I feel Mr Wenger is willing to take a risk with the Liverpool game and thinks he can get away Blackpool at home but think he may have his signings done by the Blackburn game, if not by then, I expect to have a long night when the window shuts. We all remember the Arshavin deal or the Cole and Gallas swap, they certainly were long nights.

Even a defender does come in; I feel Vermaelen will be a massive player this season. He has the tag of ‘future’ Arsenal captain and reminds me of Tony Adams type figure when playing at the back. He can command the back four and control it. He is very vocal and organises his defence well. He will be a great asset this season and I really hope for all our sake that he stays fit because if he does and a centre back and a goal keeper does come in, then I can see Arsenal having a great season.

Come on you Arsenal!

Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz

Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..

PS: Do check Arsenal Interactive – The Home of Arsenal Fans

What Is Arsenal Interactive?

Arsenal Interactive is a Match Day experience centered around bringing Arsenal fans (and, let’s face it, Gunning Hawk supporters, who are the smartest bunch of football fans in the world) together to share in pre- and post-match revelry. You can rate every Arsenal player after every match, write up your own comments on the ratings, give your thoughts on the game itself, share the entire interactive anthology with a host of social networking sites and chat in real time with fellow Arsenal fans!

The Premiership Returns..

The wait is over guys – English Premier League is finally here! Without further ado, let’s have a glimpse of what lies ahead..

Michael Sheehy a.k.a. Jamrock Rover, takes out time for 11G in this exclusive. Do check his very famous blog at OleOle. Follow him on Twitter @JamrockRover. Read on..

Tottenham v Manchester City (1245 BST)

The battle of last season’s fourth placed Tottenham and fifth place Man City takes place at lunchtime on Saturday to kick off the new season and it’s a very interesting game. City have spent a lot of money over the summer and they are looking to spend even more money with both Milner and Balotelli possible signings very shortly.Tottenham have a big season ahead of them with a Champions league qualifier coming up very shortly and the prospect of Champions league group games to follow if they can progress. It will be difficult to pick City’s starting team for Mancini but Tottenham have very few changes from last season and the team more or less picks itself. I don’t think there will be too much in the game and I can see it ending up as a score draw. The most interesting thing for me will be who City leave out of the squad as it may be an indication of who will be for sale at the end of the month. .

Prediction: 2-1

Aston Villa v West Ham

It’s all change at both of these clubs as Martin O’Neill has quit Villa and Avram Grant has taken over from the sacked Zola at West Ham. It’s hard to imagine that Villa won’t be in some turmoil with the sudden departure of O’Neill only a few days ago and transfer speculation surrounding so many of their players. Grant will have his West Ham team well drilled and difficult to break down but I still think that Villa will have a little too much for them.

Prediction: 2-1

Blackburn v Everton

I think Everton finished last season very strongly and on their day they can beat absolutely any team in the league. They had a very poor start to last season and with a good start this time they are capable of putting in a challenge for the Champions league places. It was important that they held on to their better players and they managed to do that despite interest for Arteta in particular. Blackburn had a very good home record under Allerdyce last season and with their direct approach I expect more of the same from them this season. If you’re looking for a few fantasy football tips you won’t go too far wrong with Blackburn’s David Dunn or Everton’s Arteta as both players love to make and score goals as well as putting in good performances to earn bonus points. I think Everton’s brains might just win out against Blackburn’s brawn but I suspect it will end all square.

Prediction: 1-1

Bolton v Fulham

Bolton are what they are and they do exactly as it says on the tin but with Owen Coyle in charge they have being trying to slowly change that although it isn’t easy when Kevin Davies is in your team. On the other hand Fulham had a fantastic season last time round which culminated with their appearance in the Europa Cup final. However Roy Hodgson has now moved on to manage Liverpool and Mark Hughes is in charge at Craven Cottage. It would seem that mid table obscurity is in line for both of these teams this season but I think Bolton will manage a win as their home record is far superior to Fulham’s very poor away record in recent seasons. If you’re interested in players to watch for fantasy football both Duff and Dempsey did very well for Fulham last season and Zamora can get a few points at a reasonable price. For Bolton Matt Taylor is always a good bet due to his free kicks and penalties but he wasn’t quite so hot last season.

Prediction: 2-1

Sunderland v Birmingham

Sunderland had a very up and down season last time round as they started so well and fell off very badly before improving slightly at the end to ward off the threat of relegation. Birmingham far exceeded all expectations last season and it will be interesting to see if they can achieve the same giddy heights of the top ten that was apparently so easy for them last time around. If it wasn’t for Darren Bent Sunderland would not be a Premier league team this season and he will need to reproduce the same form if they are to improve. Birmingham’s biggest problem is scoring goals and if their defence can’t play as well as last season they will struggle in my opinion. I think Sunderland should just edge it and Darren Bent is of course a good fantasy buy along with Andy Reid(if he can stay fit).  a

Prediction: 2-0

Wigan v Blackpool

Wigan weren’t far from being relegated last season and they look no stronger this time round so I expect them to struggle again. Martinez likes them to play attractive football which is admirable but on their day they can fall to pieces as we saw at Tottenham and Chelsea last season. However, they also managed to win at home to Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal and they would hope to gain quite a few points at home again this season. Blackpool were promoted against all expectations and haven’t really strengthened their team too much which means that they will really struggle in my opinion. I’m sure the players will see the Premier league as an adventure and while they might get well beaten a few times they are also capable of the odd upset with their great team spirit and mad manager. I can’t see past Wigan winning this game but you never know on the opening day what surprises can happen. In the fantasy stakes N’Zogbia of Wigan is a good bet and Adam of Blackpool had a great season last time round in the Championship and he will hope to recreate that form in the Premier league.

Prediction: 2-1

Wolves v Stoke

Wolves did very well to avoid relegation last season considering how few goals they scored but their usually tight defence and very strong teamwork were a large factor in that. Stoke managed to finish in mid table yet again and will be hoping to push on from that this season although they can only go so far with their agricultural brand of football in my opinion. I don’t expect too many goals in this game but Wolves will need Kevin Doyle to be fit if they are to score and Stoke will probably rely on javelin thrower Rory Delap to help them out with his throw ins. If you want an exciting Saturday afternoon steer clear of this game as it would be more entertaining to watch paint dry. I’m predicting a bore fest for all and if you have any Wolves players in your fantasy team expect points for a clean sheet.

Prediction: 0-0

Chelsea v West Brom

In the Saturday evening kick off last season’s double winners get their campaign off with a home game against yo-yo team West Brom and they will be expecting to win well despite the fact that they haven’t played too well in pre-season. Chelsea’s defence wasn’t up to it’s usual high standards last season and with Carvalho leaving I expect it to get worse but West Brom will still have a massive task on their hands to get anything out of this game. The sensible money says Lampard is a safe bet to be made fantasy captain this week but with Chelsea the goals can come from anywhere. Their defenders are over priced in my opinion and I will be steering clear of them for my team. I will be pleasantly surprised if West Brom get anything from this game but if they can stay tight at the back they will hope to hit Chelsea on the break.

Prediction: 3-0

Liverpool v Arsenal (1600 BST)

The Sunday afternoon game is the most appealing fixture of the weekend in my opinion and not just because I’m an Arsenal fan. Liverpool are looking to rebuild after the departure of Benitez to manage Inter Milan and the arrival of Roy Hodgson to replace him and Arsenal are looking to end their five year trophy drought. Liverpool have added quite a few players to their squad but I wonder if any of them are actually good enough to help them challenge at the highest level while Arsenal, despite spending the summer chasing players, have only added Koscielny and Chamakh.

Liverpool will probably be without Torees but they will be encouraged by the form of Gerrard for England on Wednesday night while Arsenal already have an injury list to challenge the dark days of last season when they were almost struggling to put a team together. A lot will depend on the availability of Cesc and Van Persie and how their new players fare in their competitive debut but regular readers will know I always predict an Arsenal win. If Arsenal can get their game going I expect Nasri to be very influential as they win at Anfield for the second season in a row and of course Arshavin is bound to score at least one goal in the ground he loves to play in.

Fantasy football wise I would say to stay away from Arsenal defenders with the exception of Vermaelen but Liverpool might be a little tighter at the back under Hodgson with Glenn Johnson a possible  good buy over the length of the season. Arsenal’s attacking options are great and Cesc, Nasri, Arshavin and Van Persie are all worth having in your team when fit. When he’s back to full fitness you won’t find a better captain than Cesc for your fantasy team in my opinion. Liverpool’s best attacking options are obviously Torres and Gerrard but as always they tend to be curtailed by injuries.

Prediction: 1-2

Manchester United v Newcastle

On Monday night we will see Manchester United take on Newcastle in what should be a relatively easy enough game for them. They have strengthened a little from last season and if they can keep their defenders fit and injury free this time they are many peoples pick to win the title. It will be interesting to see how Rooney plays after his poor performance at the World Cup but I expect him to be back to his best and score.

Newcastle were by far the best team in a poor Championship last season and they, like so many others, haven’t strengthen too much so I’m not expecting too much from them. I saw them a few times last season and it wasn’t pretty so I think they will be happy to finish anywhere above the relegation places. I can’t see them getting anything out of this game but stranger things have happened. Personally I think they lack firepower and I expect a comfortable win for United.

Prediction 3-0

That’s it for my predictions and I’ll be watching the games with a lot of interest and working out all the fantasy combinations too seeming as I’m the administrator of a league with over 500 teams in it.

JamrockRover

All kick-offs 1500 BST unless stated

Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz

Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..

PS: Do check Arsenal Interactive – The Home of Arsenal Fans

What Is Arsenal Interactive?

Arsenal Interactive is a Match Day experience centered around bringing Arsenal fans (and, let’s face it, Gunning Hawk supporters, who are the smartest bunch of football fans in the world) together to share in pre- and post-match revelry. You can rate every Arsenal player after every match, write up your own comments on the ratings, give your thoughts on the game itself, share the entire interactive anthology with a host of social networking sites and chat in real time with fellow Arsenal fans!

In Arshavin We Trust!

Finally we get to quench our thirst for football action this weekend!

As usual, most of the pundits have written us off already. We are even tipped by some (read as most) to fall behind Manchester City. Is this new to us? No! Anyway, we know how big the brains of those pundits are! We’ll leave that to that.

As mentioned more than once by most of our team last season, we’ve to take it one step at a time, one match at a time. We don’t control how the other biggies perform, we only control ourselves. If we stay consistent long enough, we can sing our song louder than ever.

We start the season at Anfield! (If you didn’t know already) It’s Merseyside again, shall we do what we did to the Toffees last season? Haha! Too much to ask for eh? Not impossible however given our attacking credentials. Read on..

Let us get down to business and see what our first step has to offer-

Attack-

We are nothing short in this area of the pitch, we have an able Chamakh who has successfully integrated into the side and he does look the player we missed last season. He will be licking his lips for a strong premier league debut. Arshavin, our four goal hero of 2008-09 and the winner last year at Anfield will be primed for action in his favorite match. He has been seen to be breaking his sweat this pre-season, we can expect a lot from the Little Russian. Theo, Vela and JET can run at the Reds defence and cause problems. RVP is expected to be absent for the opener, he may get a few minutes however as competitive game time.

Midfield-

Cesc is off to the Americas to play Mexico in a meaningless friendly mid-week; he may or may not be present for “The” match. Nasri can easily deputize as he has in preseason. He has been on fire. He seems to be a man on a mission after being left out of the France Squad. Wilshere, Frimpong, Eboue, Song (hopefully) and Rosicky can do the job for us, in the absence of Diaby and Denilson. We have already seen that against Milan and the other pre-season opponents. We have plenty going forward, no doubt, but I expect our midfield to learn from Legia and provide adequate cover to our defense without leaving pockets of space to exploit for the Reds. Organization and Positioning are very important for the way we play; the manager has to drill it in to them to start defending from the front.

Defence-

This is identified by many as the problem area. However, let’s not call for signings, AW has promised to bring a man before Aug 31, let us give him that much time. We’ll stick to what we have in hand till then.

We have a good player in Laurent Koscielny, who showed what he can do in the game against Milan; a similar promising performance against the Reds will get the doubters off his back and will give him confidence. Vermalaen shoulders a lot of responsibility and I have full confidence in him to show he is up for the task. I expect solid performances from our full backs, they were exposed because of our formation last season, hopefully they have learnt from that and they don’t leave any spaces anymore. That will help us throughout the season.

Last but most important of the lot-

Goal Keeper- It’s an area which has derived a lot of attention. Many have written off Fabianski and Almunia as clowns. Even I, at times have taken out some harsh words on both of them for their mistakes. I hope AW buys an experienced keeper before the close of the transfer window, who can nurture the young ones. However, that cannot be done in 3 days, whoever he fields on the day at Anfield, please do not get on their backs as they don’t lack in ability but mentality. Wojciech Sczezeny (if that’s right) may even get his chance, hopefully! Most of us would love to see him step it up. He is hugely confident, that is an addition to any keeper for that case!

If, we put the ball down and pass around, we can take 3 points where most teams won’t! That said, we will begin our campaign with full hearted support, no moaning & groaning! Once the whistle blows, get behind the team.

UP THE ARSE! KEEP THE FAITH!

Cheers,

Ramos! J (Check his excellent Season Preview here!)

Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz

Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..

PS: Do check Arsenal Interactive – The Home of Arsenal Fans

What Is Arsenal Interactive?

Arsenal Interactive is a Match Day experience centered around bringing Arsenal fans (and, let’s face it, Gunning Hawk supporters, who are the smartest bunch of football fans in the world) together to share in pre- and post-match revelry. You can rate every Arsenal player after every match, write up your own comments on the ratings, give your thoughts on the game itself, share the entire interactive anthology with a host of social networking sites and chat in real time with fellow Arsenal fans!

Will Arshavin silence the Kop again?

In a way, it feels like the first day back at school after a really long summer holiday. The boys have got their shiny new uniforms. The school playground has had improvement works carried out on it over the break (though in our case the process has been named “Arsenalisation”). The new boys are, hopefully, settling in well without any incidences of their lunch money getting nicked or of them getting panted in PE.

Obviously, once again, fewer new boys have arrived than many Arsenal fans had hoped, and as I write this on the Thursday before the Liverpool match, a mere 19 days before the transfer window slams itself shut, it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting any more transfers from other schools either. Pity, but we shall carry on.

Sian Ranscombe, an ardent Goonerette, takes time out for 11G & previews the opening fixture for us. Do read her blog I Believe In Arsenal. Follow her on Twitter @SianyMacalarny Read on..

Arsenal’s first fixture of the season sees us travel to Anfield to take on Roy Hodgson’s men, a side in desperate need of starting the season off on the right foot after ending last season on such a dodgy one. Last season’s clashes with the Reds saw Arsenal come out on top after a 1-2 win up there and a 1-0 win down in London. Liverpool started last season as a Top Four side but begin this season as a team-who-finished-seventh-and-aren’t-in-the-Champions-League-either. What’s that old saying? Beware of the wounded beast?

It applies here. That magnificent old club Liverpool is the bear with the arrow in its head and Arsenal might just be the naïve young hunter wanting to show his dad his kill and coming away without a face. And no one wants a missing face.

Obviously, the doom and gloom merchants are out in force already with their “Well we haven’t signed a keeper so we might as well just give up now” comments and their unadulterated glee at having so wittily nicknamed Fabianski, Flappyanski. The poor lad proves time and time again that he doesn’t seem to have what it takes to be the goalkeeper of a league-winning team and it’s for this very reason I’d hope Almunia starts ahead of him on Sunday. Or Mannone. Or Szczesny. I hate losing faith in a player and, quite clearly, this is a sentiment shared by Wenger but if the pre-season is anything to go by, Lukasz’s summer holidays haven’t exactly done him a world of good.

If he does play, however, we’ll have to deal with it. You keep thinking, surely at some point he’s going to have that brilliant game, a game like Almunia had in the first half against Barcelona at the Emirates, where balls just bounce off him. This happening against Liverpool would be the best tonic of all for Fabianski who, while a good shot-stopper, clearly has nerves as shredded as a really shredded thing. And it’s only August.

It seems unlikely Cesc or Robin will start up at Anfield, having made it to the final of the World Cup in South Africa with their respective nations. Over a month ago. And then of course Cesc played for Spain in the first half of last night’s friendly with Mexico (in Mexico… you know, a long jet-lag-inducing flight away).

BUT the good news is that Arshavin (who likes to score goals at Anfield, in case you’d forgotten), Nasri, Theo, Gibbsy, Eboue, Jack and Vermaelen all got through their mid-week friendlies without dislocating an ear or breaking a finger. I had a bit of a panic-up at the thought of them trying to get through baggage claim without hurting themselves last night (those luggage carousels are, after all, vicious) but so far there are no reports of any damage to our players.  Phew.

We say it every season, but this season I truly believe we’ll be ending up with some silverware. Things are coming to fruition. We managed to keep hold of Cesc from those big fat bullies with the verbal diarrhoea over there in Cataluña. The English national team is finally recognising the talent we have here in the form of Jack, Theo and Kieran (commentator in last night’s match against Hungary: “Kieran Gibbs has been a revelation this evening”… Kieran Gibbs was a revelation about two seasons ago, fools!) RVP starts the season uninjured. The clock is back in the stadium. Eboue has some new dance moves up his sleeve. Tomas Rosicky has cut his hair. And so on, and so forth.

Liverpool, away, on the first match of the season is hardly the nice, easy fixture you’d have chosen to ease your way back into the Premiership, especially with their new manager and their many points to prove. I just hope that our boys don’t forget that they have a point to prove as well. After all, we’re starting the season on top of the league I see no reason as to why we should expect to finish anywhere but right where we’re starting.

C’mon you Gunners.. Dig in..

Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz

Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..

PS: Do check Arsenal Interactive – The Home of Arsenal Fans

What Is Arsenal Interactive?

Arsenal Interactive is a Match Day experience centered around bringing Arsenal fans (and, let’s face it, Gunning Hawk supporters, who are the smartest bunch of football fans in the world) together to share in pre- and post-match revelry. You can rate every Arsenal player after every match, write up your own comments on the ratings, give your thoughts on the game itself, share the entire interactive anthology with a host of social networking sites and chat in real time with fellow Arsenal fans!

The Premiership is about to kick in and 11G has decided to serve a platter of appetizer for the fans. These videos have been hand picked from the vast depths of world wide web especially for 11Gunners faithful. So sit back and enjoy..

This video is a treat for Gooners. Bring on the Premiership..

Thanks to the ban on VUVUZELAS, we are not gonna be troubled by the sound of bees but Hitler wont forgive  or forget the traumatic experience we had in the World Cup..

This one epitomizes the spirit of “The Beautiful Game’ ..

And this compilation will be incomplete without The DNA experts. I want Arsenal to beat them 6-nil at Camp Nou and then ask Xavi – Who is the Daddy?

Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz

Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..

That jersey means the world to him!

You can all breathe a sigh of relief. What had started as a petty rumour, turned into a widespread speculation and then into an endless saga has concluded officially today as the man himself has vowed his future to Arsenal. The home where he wasn’t born but has become what he is today – one of the most dangerous midfielders of the modern game.

This much awaited declaration is bound to lift the spirits at N5 as the rigors of the new season is lurking round the corner; Cesc will be here, Barcelona’s endless pursuit has after all been in vain. The feeling is almost akin to that of a new signing, at one point of time his return to Catalonia seemed almost inevitable. It is time to rejoice and now single mindedly focus on the new season and 11Gunners explains why this piece of news is the right tonic at the right time..

Barcelona’s unrelenting interest in him, coupled with his own desire to return to his native made the situation extremely difficult for those at the helm of Arsenal Football Club, who knew that he was indispensable for our club. Even the neutrals would agree that moving to Barcelona was a more emotional decision than a cognitive one. Cesc had been denied a starting place in the Spainish world beating national squad due to the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Sergio Busquets – who share another common feature – Barcelona FC.

The kind of responsibility Cesc undertakes at Arsenal at such a youthful age is unparalleled for, the challenge of leading this youthful squad ought to be motivating enough for the champion Spainiard.

A poignant Fabregas announced today:-

“Firstly, I would like to apologise to all the Arsenal fans for not speaking sooner about my future but I’ve not known what I was going to do until this moment.”

The manager had clearly shown his reluctance in putting Fabregas up for sale and had rejected hefty bids from Barcelona, who have been accused of disrespectfully pursuing a target and left no stone unturned in unsettling Fabregas at Arsenal, be it with their players rhetorical statements about Fabregas’s link to Barcelona or the innocuous jersey incident, following Spain’s World Cup victory celebrations.

Its a job well done by the club and we hope that when Cesc takes the field against Liverpool on the opening day, his mind and heart be with us. He does have the class to produce the rest of the magic.

We leave you with a quote from the “Fab”-ulous person himself that ought to lift your spirits as the new season beckons:-

“I am an Arsenal player and as soon as I step out on to the pitch this is the only club I will be thinking about. I am looking forward to the start of the season and putting all of this speculation behind me.”

Keep the faith Gooners, the title’s coming home..

Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz

Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..

Time for some Fantasy Football!

11Gunners brings to you the Barclays Fantasy Premier League in all its glory for the season 2010-11. Please join the League and enjoy the fun of playing with other Arsenal fans like you.

The code for the Fantasy League is: 33954-12064

Just punch in the above Code and join our league!

The first Game Week entry closes on 13th Aug, so you gotta get the combination’s for your team right pretty quick!

We are organizing this mini-league in association with another famous Arsenal blog from UK i.e. Cesc Is God; so that all our readers can have some more fun this season creating fantasy teams and battling against each other. All you got to do is:-

1) Visit the Barclays Fantasy Premier League Website : http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ and Register.

2) Login using your Email and Password once you have registered.

3) Choose your Kit colours and Buy Players to create your team.

4) Once your team is ready, click on League. Then Click on Create/Join League.

5) Enter the Code 33954-12064 and click Join Our Private League!

6) Enjoy the battle & joga bonito!

7) For any further enquiry, Contact the Admin of the league, Michael by leaving him a message on Twitter or his blog.

PS: Prizes to be announced soon!

Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz

Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..

For the Gooner in You..

365 days & some 275 posts later, we are proud to announce our 1′st blog-anniversary today! And to make things even better -

Arsenal just won the Emirates Cup!

Couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present really! Goals from Vela, Sagna & Nasri sealed it for us; what was the 1′st of the 5 trophies on offer this season. Lets hope one of many..

Without boring you too much, we just want to take this opportunity & thank each one of YOU for bringing us so far. A special mention to each of our guest writers over the past year; who’ve not only taken time out to write for us, but have also engaged our readers with their different yet erudite views.

And last but not the least, we wish to thank the love of our lives – Arsenal FC, for making this day such a memorable one.

Proud to be a Gooner & In Arsene We Trust..

“A journey of thousand miles begins with a single step..”

PS: We have only just begun! Watch out..

Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz

Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..

Announcing his arrival!

Before the serious business kickstarts in a fortnight,  the Emirates Cup proves a beneficial precursor. Its also an opportunity for the new signings to ease into the squad, and that’s exactly what happened. Marouane Chamakh showed why Wenger so relentlessly pursued him in the transfer market by netting our opening goal against the Italian heavyweights AC Milan. Even then, we were pegged back by an Alexander Pato goal as it finished all square at the Emirates. 11G delves deeper into the contest and into our new #29..

Wenger’s main incentive was to get the new boys going in a competitive environment and some groomed youngsters like Wilshire and Emmanuel Frimmpong also got a chance to prove their mettle in the top flight. The manager believes that these players will be a regular feature this season and will have a crucial role to play in our title challenge. Regulars like Robin Van Persie and world cup winner Cesc Fabregas were absentees for this one and the uncertainty surrounding our skipper’s future is definitely getting on the nerves of we Gooners; but we’ll leave that discussion for another day, for now hope is what we live on!

It was important to get our passing and movement on track from the start and the manager should be pleased with what he saw if not overjoyed. Nasri, Rosicky and Arshavin probed the Milan defence and it was Arshavin’s darting run past a clueless Milan defence that set up Marouane Chamakh for a tidy finish, the hallmark of a prolific striker. He has netted 79 goals for Bordeaux and that finish showed his composure infront of goal, something that we as a team have been lacking on many occasions, often proving to be costly.

It would have been a real confidence booster to notch up a victory but it wasn’t to be as some sloppy defending from a free kick allowed Alexander Pato to capitalize and equalize for the Italians. A soft goal to concede, doesn’t hurt in the pre-season but we need to be more careful once the serious stuff begins.

However the performances were appreciable. The other new boy, Laurent Koscileny showed assurance and poise in the defence, we are keen to see how his partnership with Thomas Vermaelen blossoms during the season. Nasri and Arshavin showed attacking guile and upfront Chamakh’s finishing exudes confidence.

Next up is the game against Celtic tonight. let us hope that the boys can turn on the style and notch up a victory to lift the Emirates Cup!

Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz

Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..

Wenger & Rice - Looking Ahead

Arsenal took just 90 seconds to kick-start their pre-season with a Andrey Arshavin goal. 2 more teams & 10 further goals later, they look in fine shape ahead of the Emirates Cup in a few days time. Barnet, SK Sturm Graz & SC Neusiedl were our opponents this time around, as we headed towards Austria like most summers. 11G sums up the results for you..

First up were Barnet, the usual suspects one can presume. Both Laurent Koscielny & Marouane Chamakh were handed starts by Arsene. Although it was the Russian who got us to a rollicking start. Jay Simpson latched up two opportunist strikes to stake claim in the first-team. Wenger decided to field an entire different XI for the second half, as is the norm. Arsenal dominated the half with Walcott making good runs down the flank, like the days of yore. His final ball still needs a lot more improvement though. Samir Nasri rounded the outing by bagging a goal for himself.

Most notable was the choice of goalkeeper’s made by Arsene. While it was Lukasz Fabianski who started the game. Vito Mannone & Wojciech Szczesny divided the burden at the turn of the half. Word went round that Almunia had picked an injury right before the game. Very well.

Here’s how we lined up for both the halves:

1′st half:

Lukasz Fabianski, Havard Nordtveit, Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Koscielny, Armand Traore, Emmanuel Frimpong, Tomas Rosicky, Jack Wilshere, Andrey Arshavin, Jay Simpson, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas

2′nd half:

Wojciech Szczesny / Vito Mannone, Ignasi Miquel, Johan Djourou, Kieran Gibbs, Craig Eastmond, Samir Nasri, Conor Henderson, Henri Lansbury, Nacer Barazite, Theo Walcott, Marouane Chamakh

Both the debutants failed to impress, clearly indicating they need more time to settle in the squad. Both JET & Frimpong were massive in the first half, sign of great things to come perhaps! Same was the case with Jack- the lad.

Next up were the Austrian outfit, SK Sturm Graz. Now this was a gradual increase in levels as we were facing the reigning Austrian Cup holders. But Wenger’s side continued to impress with a near perfect 3-0 victory. Two exquisite goals from Nasri & a 2′nd half strike from Lansbury sealed the points for us. For the consecutive game running, Theo failed to get his final ball right. Vermaelen was handed his first arm-band, a huge improvement over last years debut for him.

Wenger again opted for the pair of Lukasz Fabianski & Wojciech Szczesny at the back. Now this time Almunia was not injured, if insiders are to be believed. So that clearly means the Spaniard is being singled out. Given his age, this must imply his ousting from the squad altogether. What a relief would that be!

Team for the 1′st half:

Lukasz Fabianski, Thomas Vermaelen, Havard Nordtveit, Johan Djourou, Armand Traore, Samir Nasri, Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Frimpong, Jack Wilshere, Andrey Arshavin, Marouane Chamakh

Subs for the 2′nd half:

Wojciech Szczesny, Laurent Koscielny, Kieran Gibbs, Craig Eastmond, Henri Lansbury, Tomas Rosicky, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas

And finally we squared up against SC Neusiedl, a game which marked the debut goal for Marouane Chamakh. One of many I hope. Walcott opened his account for the season & so did Jay Emmanuel-Thomas. And who can forget ‘that’ chip from Vela. He may score only two-goals-a-season, but they are usually ones to savour mind you. Big season for the Mexican this, especially now that Eduardo has bid adieu.

Neusiedl, a tier-3 side from Austria, did get a chance to go ahead but Mannone did well to save the shot from 12 yards. And that was that, another stroll in the park for the Gunners.

Interestingly Almunia was handed a start for this one, much to the angst of many Gooners, including me. I thought his story was over.

Squad for the 1′st half:

Manuel Almunia, Havard Nordtveit, Laurent Koscielny, Johan Djourou, Kieran Gibbs, Jack Wilshere, Andrey Arshavin, Samir Nasri, Emmanuel Frimpong, Theo Walcott, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas

2′nd half (Subs):

Lukasz Fabianski, Vito Mannone, Bacary Sagna, Thomas Vermaelen, Gael Clichy, Abou Diaby, Alex Song, Emmanuel Eboue, Carlos Vela, Marouane Chamakh

World Cup returnees, Eboue, Clichy & Sagna did get some playing time whilst the duo of Song & Diaby was withheld completely. ‘Hourglass’ Djourou seems to have picked yet another pre-season injury. Here’s hoping he returns before April with this one. Seriously he needs to build on his fitness; season after season, the same old story is just not done.

So at the end of 3 games, virtually all the available squad members were given a run-in by the Professor. 11 goals to show for & none conceded, would have impressed Arsene. Individually the likes of Nasri, JET, Jay Simpson, Wilshere, Lansbury etal impressed hugely. Debutants Koscielny & Chamakh need to toughen up though, if they are to stand a chance in the fast-paced English league.

I’d personally want the gaffer to surprise us by having Szczesny as our #1 GK for the season; offload Almunia & cripple Fabianksi or something. We are in dire needs of a strong custodian, someone go tell Arsene!

Overall it was an acceptable pre-season but a lot more needs to be done to face the might of Celtic & Milan in the Emirates Cup starting next week. Reports are filtering in that both RvP & Cesc are gonna miss it, joining Bendtner who’s out injured. Nonetheless I’m keeping the faith & so should you..

Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz

Follow Me on Twitter @trulytazz

Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..