Signing: Olivier Giroud

This week our second signing of the summer was completed. Olivier Giroud is a 25-year old striker from France. He was the top scorer in Ligue 1 last season with 21 goals in 36 games and he is arriving from the French champions, Montpellier.

It will certainly be exciting to see what he has to offer, and with this second striker recently signed we've got plenty of options up-front for the new season.

Olivier Giroud, holding up his new shirt.

UEFA European Championship - Update 13

Germany vs. Italy
1-2

Germany's stay in the tournament came to an end in the semi-finals. Lukas Podolski started the game for the Germans, who were completely stunned to find themselves 2-0 down at the end of the first half. Unfortunately, Podolski was replaced at half-time, and Germany did not find the equalizer after scoring from the penalty spot in the final minutes. Per Mertesacker did not feature for Germany.

This means that the final will be between Spain and Italy.

UEFA European Championship - Update 12

England vs. Italy
0-0
0-0
Penalties: Italy wins, 4-2

The first 0-0 game of the tournament featured neither Theo Walcott nor Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from the start, but the former came on around the 60th minute. The game was, as knock-out games usually are, rather careful and slow. However, it did have moments of brilliance from both teams when they got close to scoring. Theo put in a decent display given chances that he had, which sadly weren't that many. England seemed to prefer attacking from the left-hand side or just quite simply focus on getting balls up to Andy Carroll who were to pass it on to Rooney. And when Theo did go into amazing runs, who if not Tottenham player Scott Parker were there to lend him several disappointing passes. England's bad luck when it comes to penalties keeps going strong and misses from Ashley Young and Ashley Cole meant that the Italians are through to the semi-final against Germany.

UEFA European Championship - Update 11

Spain vs. France
2-0

Laurent Koscielny earned his first cap of the tournament in France's last game of the tournament. The centre-half worked tirelessly for the French during the entire game and proved to be one reason as to how France kept themselves in the game for as long as they did. He came up against former team-mate Cesc Fabregas, and stood his ground very well indeed. Spain took the lead, however, through an attack down their left-hand side where the French defender slipped to give Alba the chance for an excellent cross to Alonso on the right-hand side, who in turn headed it into goal. France didn't have much going forward, and in the end it was a deserved win for Spain who sealed the win in injury-time through a penalty scored by Alonso.

This result means that Spain will face Portugal in the semi-final.

UEFA European Championship - Update 10

Germany vs. Greece
4-2

For the first time this tournament Lukas Podolski did not play for Germany, and, once again, neither did Per Mertesacker. Germany took the lead in the first half, and even though the Greeks managed to pull one back the game ended very much to the liking of the Germans. At 1-1 they started to take off and soon enough the scoreline had changed to 4-1 for Germany. Greece pulled one back in the final minutes from the penalty spot, but it was not enough and the result means that Germany will face either England or Italy in the semi-final.

UEFA European Championship - Update 9

Czech Republic vs. Portugal
0-1

Due to former injury problems, Tomas Rosicky did not feature for the Czechs as their stay in the tournament came to an end at the hands of the Portuguese. The game was rather dismal, both teams had a rather careful approach, and in the second half Ronaldo scored to get Portugal through to the semi-finals.

UEFA European Championship - Update 8

Sweden vs. France

2-0

Once again, Laurent Koscielny was left on the bench as France went through to the quarters, finishing second in group D. On a more positive note, Mexes is suspended for the quarter final that France will play against Spain, so there is a great chance of Laurent getting to play then!

Ukraine vs. England

0-1

Neither Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain nor (remarkably) Theo Walcott got to start in the final group game for England. However, Theo came on with about twenty minutes to go (could be that he was on the bench because of the slight injury problem he picked up against Sweden) and Alex came on for the final minutes. Even though neither of them managed to score or assist any goal for England this time around they put in two good performances (for however brief a moment) and are looking good for the quarter final where England will face Italy, having finished top of the group.

UEFA European Championship - Update 7

Denmark vs. Germany
1-2

Nicklas Bendtner and Lukas Podolski both started this game for their respective teams, with Mertesacker once again restricted to the bench. Both players proved vital for their team, but I would like to start with Bendtner. Because, even though this result means that Denmark's time in the tournament is over, he's been absolutely brilliant for the Danes. He has led the line for all three games superbly and won pretty much all aerial challenges (not to mention scoring twice against Portugal). I, for one, would fancy seeing him up front just in front of van Persie this autumn.
Back to this game, Germany dominated throughout the entire game and took the lead after nineteen minutes. And guess who scored on his 100th game for the national team...? Who else but Lukas Podolski himself! He fired a sizzling shot past Andersen which meant that Germany definitely was through for the quarter-finals (remarkably, winning the two former games might not have been enough for the Germans).
Denmark came up with a quick response though, and it was created (as so often for the Danes) through the head of Nicklas Bendtner. This time he turned provider and headed a corner straight to the goalscorer from the game against the Netherlands, Krohn-Dehli.
The game got slower after that, and Bendtner should have gotten a penalty near the end when Badstuber tugged harshly at the Danish striker's shirt. Yet, the Germans had the last say in the game when Lars Bender scored late on to seal the qualification for Germany.

This result means that we will see no more of Nicklas Bendtner in this tournament as his Denmark has been knocked out, ending at a third place.

Portugal vs. Netherlands
2-1

Robin van Persie did not manage to provide the magic we've seen all season for Arsenal for the Netherlands in this tournament. Disappointingly, the Netherlands have ended up on zero points from three games and have only managed to score twice in these European games.
Hopefully, this means that Robin will stay with us for more seasons and return for pre-season training earlier (and through that, not miss the start of the season).
I did not see this game, as the only game showed on the telly was Denmark-Germany, so I did not get to see van Persie's last game in the tournament. But from what I've heard, he was put on the right-hand side of the midfield and did not get many chances to score in throughout the game.

Germany finished top of the group, with Portugal as runners-up. This means that Podolski and Mertesacker will face Greece in the quarter-finals, and Rosicky (if fit) will face Portugal in the quarters.

UEFA European Championship - Update 6

Poland vs. Czech Republic
0-1

Tomas Rosicky was not fit enough to feature for the Czechs in this game, having picked up a slight injury. Hopefully he'll be back for the quarter-final that the Czech Republic will be playing. Wojciech Szczesny missed out on this last game for Poland, having picked up a red card in the first game he was not to make it back into the starting eleven.

Greece vs. Russia
1-0

Andrey Arshavin played the full ninety minutes but could not save Russia from elimination. This shocking result means that Greece will go through to the quarters instead of Russia.

UEFA European Championship - Update 5

Ukraine vs. France
0-2

Laurent Koscielny was an unused substitute for France in their two-nil victory against Ukraine.

Sweden vs. England
2-3

Both Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain came on as second half substitutes for England against Sweden, and the former in particular proved why he should have been in the starting line-up.
England started the game by taking the lead through a header from Carroll, and kept it into half-time. However, as soon as the game kicked off again Olof Mellberg equalised for the Swedes and within ten minutes the same player (a centre-half, that is) gave them the lead.
Then (finally) Hodgson decided it was time for Theo to make his mark on this tournament. The winger came on in the 61st minute and immediately changed the course of the game. England won a corner that was headed clear from goal, straight into the path of Mr Walcott who fired instantly, curving the ball beautifully above Isaksson in the Swedish goal. His celebration included a casual shrug, which was pretty much spot on, as I think pretty much everyone expected that one to be cleared by Isaksson. However, it was a well struck goal from Theo, and very much deserved since he brought endless of pace and energy to England in this game. Not long after his goal he set up the winner for Welbeck. Using his pace at its best capacity, he squeezed between two defenders and placed the ball backwards, straight to Welbeck who, cheekily, heeled the ball into the back of the net. When the last minutes were approaching Oxlade-Chamberlain was introduced, and came close to scoring from a Walcott cross. Sadly, Gerrard got in the way of the young Englishman, and the chance was wasted.

This result means that Sweden has no chance whatsoever of qualifying, whereas England find themselves second to France (on goal difference) in group D.

UEFA European Championship - Update 4

Greece vs. Czech Republic
1-2

Tomas Rosicky played a huge part in the Czech Republic win against Greece. The captain was behind both goals (and pretty much everything the Czechs created) and led the team superbly with an excellent and tireless performance. The two goals for the Czechs came within the first five minutes, making the came rather comfortable for them until the Greeks pulled one back in the second half. However, The Czechs prevailed and recorded their first victory and their first three points in the tournament.

Poland vs. Russia
1-1

As you'd already know, Wojciech Szczesny was not allowed to play in this game due to his red card in the first game, but Andrey Arshavin once again captained the Russians. He has been brilliant so far in the tournament and put in yet another brilliant display against Poland.

Denmark vs. Portugal
2-3

Nicklas Bendtner was set to become the hero of the day for the Danes, when his brace equalled the scoreline against Portugal, however, a late goal from the Portuguese rendered his goals useless. Portugal started the game the best and found themselves two-nil up before long. Just before half-time the Danes pulled one, oh so important goal, back when Bendtner headed the ball into the back of the net from close range. Denmark then upped their game in the second half and Nicklas scored a powerful header, that bounced off both keeper and post before smashing into goal! However, it was not to be a lucky day for the Danes (like it was against the Netherlands) and in the final minutes they lost the game.

Netherlands vs. Germany
1-2

Things are not looking good for the Netherlands after this defeat, meaning that they have zero points ahead of the last game on Sunday. Robin van Persie and Lukas Podolski both played the entire game, whilst Per Mertesacker found himself on the bench once again. Germany were the better team throughout the entire game, van Persie got little if not no support up front. After the first half the Germans were two-nil up, but in the second half the Dutch upped their game slightly. However, it was a moment of brilliance from our skipper that granted the Netherlands a way back into this game. With seventeen minutes left the striker made his way towards the goal and fired away a sizzling shot! He had had several decent shots saved earlier in the game, but this one proved impossible for Neuer to grab and it meant that Robin opened his account in this tournament. Sadly, it will most likely be a short tournament for the Dutch. Since they failed to find the back of the net again they have zero points from the last two games, meaning that they have a very slight chance to go through. If Germany beats Denmark and the Netherlands beat Portugal by at least two goals, they will go through along with Germany. The group of Death proves deserving of its name.

UEFA European Championship - Update 3

France vs. England
1-1

Not many people would have guessed that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain would start the game against France, but he did and he did it with style! Theo Walcott came on in the 90th minute, which to be fair really isn't enough playing time for an established player like the young winger. Laurent Koscielny spent the entire game on the bench.
It was an even game, it was predicted ahead of the game by none other than Bacary Sagna that the game would be similar to a derby, and in that respect the game was rather disappointing. It was obvious that no team wanted to lose, since the game was really careful and passive at times. Chamberlain did well in his first game in a major tournament for the Three Lions. He offered speed and creativity throughout the game, something that the English were in a shortage of, and was replaced midway through the second half. An early goal scored by Lescott from a corner created a perfect situation for England. However, before the first half ended Samir Nasri equalised for France and that proved to be the final scoreline.

(For all those interested in ex-Arsenal players I can report that our former skipper Cesc Fabregas scored for Spain in their 1-1 draw with Italy yesterday).

UEFA European Championship - Update 2

The Netherlands vs. Denmark
0-1

This Championship is full of surprises! Who would've thought that Denmark would beat the Netherlands in the opening game of Group B? Our two men in this game, Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner, both led the line for their respective teams, being the two centre forwards.
The Dutch dominated this game from start to finish, and our prolific goalscorer created plenty of opportunities. However, it was not to be the Dutchmen's day. The Danes shocked the entire stadium, if not the entire continent of Europe, by taking the lead in the first half, after being thoroughly outplayed by the Dutch. The pressure from the Netherlands was immense, but, as mentioned, it was not their day. They had two claims for hand ball in the penalty area discarded by the ref, which was rather harsh. Focusing on the two Arsenal players, they both did well. Of course, since the Netherlands failed to score it was not a very good day for Robin, but I felt that he did all that he could, towards the end he was virtually the only one putting pressure on the Danes and chasing after the ball. On the other side of the pitch, Bendtner didn't get many opportunities, but he worked tirelessly up front, pressuring the centre halves.

Germany vs. Portugal
1-0

It was a day of narrow wins in Group B yesterday. The clash between Germany and Portugal was tight, but a late goal from Gomez claimed the win for the Germans. We had one Arsenal player (well, close enough) in this game in Lukas Podolski (since Per Mertesacker was on the bench). This was the first real good look I got of the new signing, and I thought he looked like a real team player. He worked really well on the left-hand side, seemingly really quick and clever. I certainly look forward to seeing more of him in the future.

UEFA European Championship - Update 1

Poland vs. Greece
1-1

This tournament couldn't have started much worse for Wojciech Szczesny. Our young Polish goalkeeper saw himself sent off in the second half of the game. The first half was rather uneventful for the 'keeper, and Poland found themselves 1-0 up at half-time. However, the Greeks looked a different team in the second half and levelled the scoreline at the 51st minute. There was quite some chaos in the box and a Greek managed to convert a cross. Not long after that Szczesny found himself on a one-on-one situation and was unlucky to bring down the player. Penalty was awarded and a red card to the young 'keeper, which might have been a bit harsh, but that means that he will miss Poland's next game against Russia. Greece failed to score from the penalty and the game ended 1-1.

Russia vs. Czech Republic
4-1

Both captains for their respective teams, Andrey Arshavin and Tomas Rosicky starred in this game. They truly were key players for their teams, but the Russians proved to be the stronger side. The scoreline at half-time was 2-0 to the Russians, where Arshavin delivered a great assist for the second goal. Early on in the second half the Czechs scored one, and found themselves back in the game. However, they did not manage to find a second goal and late on in the game the Russians scored twice to ensure their victory. Rosicky provided pretty much everything that the Czech Republic had, going forward, and the same can be said of Arshavin for the Russians.

UEFA European Championship

The European Championship kicks off on Friday, so I figured that it's about time for an update on all the Arsenal players that will feature in the tournament.

Laurent Koscielny is in the French squad. He has featured in both friendlies where France has kept a clean-sheet ahead of the tournament, so it's looking good for our centre-half.

Robin van Persie will feature for the Netherlands up front. Our skipper has played in all of the friendlies, scoring three goals and making two assists along the way. Needless to say, he is keeping up the fine form.

Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have both made it into the England squad. It was quite a surprise when Oxlade-Chamberlain was picked by Roy Hodgson, but it will no doubt provide some valuable experience for the young midfielder. Both players have featured in the two friendlies that England has played, and they have showcased their speed and other qualities very well.

Wojciech Szczesny is the first-choice 'keeper for the Poles. He has occupied the goal in both of Poland's friendlies ahead of the European Championship, and he has kept two clean-sheets.

Nicklas Bendtner will be the man up front for Denmark in the tournament. He has played in both of Denmark's friendlies, scoring once.

Andrey Arshavin has played in all three of Russia's friendlies. The midfielder is a centre-piece in the Russian squad, and has been that for many years now.

Per Mertesacker will feature for the German team. The centre-half will be joined by Lukas Podolski, and this will be the first time for many Arsenal fans to get a good look at the new signing.

Tomas Rosicky is the captain of the Czech Republic team, however, the creative midfielder has missed both of the friendlies ahead of the Championship. Hopefully he will recover from his injury in time for the first game.

As you might have noticed, we have quite a lot of players to keep track of in the tournament. Therefore I will  write updates on our players as often as possible!