Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Signing: Mesut Özil
During the final hours of deadline day Arsenal secured a club-record signing of German international Mesut Özil. The 24-year-old midfielder allegedly left Real Madrid for no less than £42,2 million pounds. It is reported to be a five-year-deal, and hopefully one that will bring much joy and fortune! It will be exciting, to say the least, to see what our new no. 11 can accomplish in the Arsenal shirt!
Monday, September 2, 2013
Signing: Emiliano Viviano
Italian goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano has joined Arsenal on a season-long loan for 2013/2014. He is a 27-year-old 'keeper going from Palermo to join us for the season. Personally I have no experience of watching him play, but it will be interesting to see him compete for a starting place against Szczesny and Fabianski.
Arsenal vs. Tottenham
1-0, Premier League, Emirates Stadium, 01.09.2013
Giroud 23
This season the first North London Derby came along early, and very much to our liking. We played circles around Tottenham, with all their new signings, for the better part of the game, emphasising the fact that their best player definitely was their 'keeper!
In the very first minute, however, Koscielny had to make an important block to prevent a disastrous start to the game. Two minutes later Cazorla saw his sizzling free-kick saved by Lloris ín the Tottenham goal and the resulting header was sent over the bar by Giroud. Merely three minutes later we got another free-kick in a decent position as Walcott was brought down just outside of the 18-yard-box. Once again Cazorla stepped up to take it and fired inches wide of the post!
Mertesacker was then called into action as he made the second important block in front of the goal for us following a shot from Soldado. Ten minutes then elapsed before what would become the winning goal was scored. Rosicky passed the ball to Walcott, who made a brilliant cross for Olivier Giroud to put into the back of the net! It was not the Frenchman's first goal in a North London Derby, but it could very well be the most important one so far! Needless to say he has had an amazing start to this season, much like Ramsey who shone in the midfield in this game, and this could very well prove to be his (and Ramsey's) season!
The just mentioned Welsh midfielder created our next decent chance to score as he advanced skillfully down the right-hand side and played a great ball to Walcott, whose shot was saved by Lloris. At the half-hour mark our own 'keeper (Szczesny, that is) had to make a save as Townsend fired a fairly long-distance shot away. In the Fenerbahce game earlier this week Ramsey proved to be quite the goalscorer, unfortunately that was not evident in this game as he fired high over the bar when Walcott found him with some space at the edge of the 18-yard-box.
Before the end of the half Szczesny made another decent save following a Townsend shot and for the first time in five years we got to see Flamini take to the pitch as an Arsenal player when Wilshere had to go off due to a stomach bug. The Frenchman provided plenty of experience and showcased great dedication and skill in the midfield, all in all I believe he will prove to be a very good signing!
There was plenty of pace right at the start of the second half, our first chance came along as Ramsey fired a shot wide from way outside the 18-yard-box. A while later, roughly twenty minutes into the half, Giroud finished a great counter-attack with a strike that was deflected wide. Two minutes later Tottenham fired wide as well through Paulinho.
With twenty minutes to go Walcott got in a position he usually scores from, but this time he did not manage to put the ball over the 'keeper, as the ball was just out of his reach. That could have proved costly, as approximately five minutes later Tottenham got ridiculously closed to scoring following a free-kick, the only thing in their way being one of Szczesny's hands! A truly stunning save by our Polish 'keeper!
As we approached eighty minutes played Monreal replaced Rosicky and immediately got close to scoring as Giroud played a wonderful ball to Walcott in the box, whose shot was saved by Lloris (again) and the rebound was placed just wide by the Spanish full-back!
The final minutes included tons of Tottenham pressure, luckily we brought on Sagna at the beginning of the added time to help out with the defensive work and in the end we held firm to grab the win!
There is hardly any need to express the fact that winning this game granted us more than the three points and I dare say that the Villa loss is well and truly behind us. Now there is a bit of a break from club football, our next game being away against Sunderland on the 14th of September.
Injury Update:
- Koscielny was back in action in the league in this game, doing a great job at the back!
- Podolski will be out for two to three months following a hamstring injury picked up in the Fenerbahce game, obviously a huge disappointment.
- The reason behind Sagna starting on the bench was due to a stomach bug (probably the same Wilshere has picked up), but it was nothing severe (which I dare say it won't be for Wilshere either).
Giroud 23
This season the first North London Derby came along early, and very much to our liking. We played circles around Tottenham, with all their new signings, for the better part of the game, emphasising the fact that their best player definitely was their 'keeper!
In the very first minute, however, Koscielny had to make an important block to prevent a disastrous start to the game. Two minutes later Cazorla saw his sizzling free-kick saved by Lloris ín the Tottenham goal and the resulting header was sent over the bar by Giroud. Merely three minutes later we got another free-kick in a decent position as Walcott was brought down just outside of the 18-yard-box. Once again Cazorla stepped up to take it and fired inches wide of the post!
Mertesacker was then called into action as he made the second important block in front of the goal for us following a shot from Soldado. Ten minutes then elapsed before what would become the winning goal was scored. Rosicky passed the ball to Walcott, who made a brilliant cross for Olivier Giroud to put into the back of the net! It was not the Frenchman's first goal in a North London Derby, but it could very well be the most important one so far! Needless to say he has had an amazing start to this season, much like Ramsey who shone in the midfield in this game, and this could very well prove to be his (and Ramsey's) season!
The just mentioned Welsh midfielder created our next decent chance to score as he advanced skillfully down the right-hand side and played a great ball to Walcott, whose shot was saved by Lloris. At the half-hour mark our own 'keeper (Szczesny, that is) had to make a save as Townsend fired a fairly long-distance shot away. In the Fenerbahce game earlier this week Ramsey proved to be quite the goalscorer, unfortunately that was not evident in this game as he fired high over the bar when Walcott found him with some space at the edge of the 18-yard-box.
Before the end of the half Szczesny made another decent save following a Townsend shot and for the first time in five years we got to see Flamini take to the pitch as an Arsenal player when Wilshere had to go off due to a stomach bug. The Frenchman provided plenty of experience and showcased great dedication and skill in the midfield, all in all I believe he will prove to be a very good signing!
There was plenty of pace right at the start of the second half, our first chance came along as Ramsey fired a shot wide from way outside the 18-yard-box. A while later, roughly twenty minutes into the half, Giroud finished a great counter-attack with a strike that was deflected wide. Two minutes later Tottenham fired wide as well through Paulinho.
With twenty minutes to go Walcott got in a position he usually scores from, but this time he did not manage to put the ball over the 'keeper, as the ball was just out of his reach. That could have proved costly, as approximately five minutes later Tottenham got ridiculously closed to scoring following a free-kick, the only thing in their way being one of Szczesny's hands! A truly stunning save by our Polish 'keeper!
As we approached eighty minutes played Monreal replaced Rosicky and immediately got close to scoring as Giroud played a wonderful ball to Walcott in the box, whose shot was saved by Lloris (again) and the rebound was placed just wide by the Spanish full-back!
The final minutes included tons of Tottenham pressure, luckily we brought on Sagna at the beginning of the added time to help out with the defensive work and in the end we held firm to grab the win!
There is hardly any need to express the fact that winning this game granted us more than the three points and I dare say that the Villa loss is well and truly behind us. Now there is a bit of a break from club football, our next game being away against Sunderland on the 14th of September.
Injury Update:
- Koscielny was back in action in the league in this game, doing a great job at the back!
- Podolski will be out for two to three months following a hamstring injury picked up in the Fenerbahce game, obviously a huge disappointment.
- The reason behind Sagna starting on the bench was due to a stomach bug (probably the same Wilshere has picked up), but it was nothing severe (which I dare say it won't be for Wilshere either).
Friday, August 30, 2013
Champions League Group Draw
For the 13/14 Champions League group stage we have been drawn in group F, along with Marseille, Dortmund and Napoli. Hence, we will be facing teams from France, Germany and Italy. Needless to say, it's a tough group. However, we definitely have a good chance of qualifying if we play like we have been playing recently!
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Signing: Mathieu Flamini
Today Arsenal Football Club confirmed the re-signing of midfielder Mathieu Flamini, who has been training with the team for a while now. The Frenchman left the club in 2008, having made 153 appearances, and has now re-signed at the age of 29. It will be intriguing, to say the least, to find out what the midfield-maestro can add to the team for this season!
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Arsenal vs. Fenerbahce
2-0, Champions League, Emirates Stadium, 27.08.2013
Ramsey 25, 72
This was a fairly comfortable win, especially considering the fact that we had the 3-0 win from the previous game.
We took the lead almost half an hour into the game through Aaron Ramsey, who has been brilliant in recent games! Podolski produced a brilliant pass for the Welshman to fire past the 'keeper! Giroud had a couple of chances as well before the first half was over but we had to settle for a one goal lead going into half time.
Early on in the second half Podolski was stretchered off with a hamstring injury and is expected to be out for quite some time. Walcott fired a free-kick onto the crossbar before Aaron Ramsey was at it again, doubling our lead through a classy strike following a brilliant cross by Gibbs. Miyachi was introduced towards the end and showed some quick feet and good passes before the game was over!
So with this we made it into the group stage, as we have consistently for many years, of the Champions League!
Injury Update:
- Koscielny was fit enough to start on the bench for this game.
Ramsey 25, 72
This was a fairly comfortable win, especially considering the fact that we had the 3-0 win from the previous game.
We took the lead almost half an hour into the game through Aaron Ramsey, who has been brilliant in recent games! Podolski produced a brilliant pass for the Welshman to fire past the 'keeper! Giroud had a couple of chances as well before the first half was over but we had to settle for a one goal lead going into half time.
Early on in the second half Podolski was stretchered off with a hamstring injury and is expected to be out for quite some time. Walcott fired a free-kick onto the crossbar before Aaron Ramsey was at it again, doubling our lead through a classy strike following a brilliant cross by Gibbs. Miyachi was introduced towards the end and showed some quick feet and good passes before the game was over!
So with this we made it into the group stage, as we have consistently for many years, of the Champions League!
Injury Update:
- Koscielny was fit enough to start on the bench for this game.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Fulham vs. Arsenal
1-3, Premier League, Craven Cottage, 24.08.2013
Giroud 14,
Podolski 41, 68
Once again we put on a brilliant display, further underlining the fact that the premiere was a one-off. Just as in the Fenerbahce clash we had a great defensive play with fast paced pressure, not granting much time or space for the Fulham players. Due to the extreme weather condition, heavy rain was pouring down, both the pitch and the ball grew quite slippery, leading to plenty of rewarding shots as the grip for the 'keepers was quite poor.
Our first two shots, by Podolski and Cazorla, were both deflected wide, resulting in corners. But before long we hit the target, and made sure that it counted. Ramsey fired a shot towards the goal, which was interrupted by none other than Olivier Giroud, who could then put the ball past the 'keeper from close range! The Frenchman has now scored in all of our three games so far this season!
Just two minutes later Szczesny made sure we kept the lead through a superb double save! He began by saving a shot, then followed up with a second brilliant save as the ball was deflected across the goal and a strike emerged from the other side of the box! It was then time to call the Fulham 'keeper back into action, which Cazorla did with a shot on target.
As the half was drawing to a close we racked up a couple of more chances, as well as another goal! Gibbs fired wide after a decent counter attack, involving (per-usual) a great run by Walcott. With less than five minutes of the half to go we doubled our lead, through Lukas Podolski! Walcott's shot on target was saved by the 'keeper, but the rebound found our German striker who fired a powerful strike into the back of the net! Walcott had a final chance in the very last minute as he almost reached Podolski's cross, but the score-line remained 2-0 in our favour into half-time.
The second half began on a quite even level, Fulham gained in possession from the previous half yet could not quite find a way through our defence. Our first decent chance came approximately fifteen minutes into the half, as Walcott headed the ball back to Ramsey, whose shot was deflected just wide of the target.
With about twenty minutes to go our German striker was at it again with his second goal of the game! Cazorla played the ball back to Lukas Podolski, who did magnificently to fire it right by the far post, out of the 'keepers reach! Unfortunately we did not manage to keep a clean-sheet this time around, as Bent scored for Fulham with less than fifteen minutes to go. Szczesny saved the initial shot from Berbatov, only to have Bent convert the rebound into a goal.
As the game entered the final ten minutes we had three decent chances to score following one free-kick. First Monreal almost headed the ball, but the 'keeper reached it first, only for it to reach ..., whose shot was deflected and wrapping the 3-in-1 chance up was Mertesacker with a shot that was saved and grabbed by the 'keeper. The following minute Sanogo was brought on for Podolski, making his competitive debut. During the added time Walcott had a shot saved by the 'keeper and Szczesny denied Fulham their final chance by catching the cross.
Injury Update:
- Koscielny was suspended in this game, but would have been unable to play anyway due to a deep cut on his cheek from the Fenerbahce game. Hopefully he will recover for the midweek game.
Giroud 14,
Podolski 41, 68
Once again we put on a brilliant display, further underlining the fact that the premiere was a one-off. Just as in the Fenerbahce clash we had a great defensive play with fast paced pressure, not granting much time or space for the Fulham players. Due to the extreme weather condition, heavy rain was pouring down, both the pitch and the ball grew quite slippery, leading to plenty of rewarding shots as the grip for the 'keepers was quite poor.
Our first two shots, by Podolski and Cazorla, were both deflected wide, resulting in corners. But before long we hit the target, and made sure that it counted. Ramsey fired a shot towards the goal, which was interrupted by none other than Olivier Giroud, who could then put the ball past the 'keeper from close range! The Frenchman has now scored in all of our three games so far this season!
Just two minutes later Szczesny made sure we kept the lead through a superb double save! He began by saving a shot, then followed up with a second brilliant save as the ball was deflected across the goal and a strike emerged from the other side of the box! It was then time to call the Fulham 'keeper back into action, which Cazorla did with a shot on target.
As the half was drawing to a close we racked up a couple of more chances, as well as another goal! Gibbs fired wide after a decent counter attack, involving (per-usual) a great run by Walcott. With less than five minutes of the half to go we doubled our lead, through Lukas Podolski! Walcott's shot on target was saved by the 'keeper, but the rebound found our German striker who fired a powerful strike into the back of the net! Walcott had a final chance in the very last minute as he almost reached Podolski's cross, but the score-line remained 2-0 in our favour into half-time.
The second half began on a quite even level, Fulham gained in possession from the previous half yet could not quite find a way through our defence. Our first decent chance came approximately fifteen minutes into the half, as Walcott headed the ball back to Ramsey, whose shot was deflected just wide of the target.
With about twenty minutes to go our German striker was at it again with his second goal of the game! Cazorla played the ball back to Lukas Podolski, who did magnificently to fire it right by the far post, out of the 'keepers reach! Unfortunately we did not manage to keep a clean-sheet this time around, as Bent scored for Fulham with less than fifteen minutes to go. Szczesny saved the initial shot from Berbatov, only to have Bent convert the rebound into a goal.
As the game entered the final ten minutes we had three decent chances to score following one free-kick. First Monreal almost headed the ball, but the 'keeper reached it first, only for it to reach ..., whose shot was deflected and wrapping the 3-in-1 chance up was Mertesacker with a shot that was saved and grabbed by the 'keeper. The following minute Sanogo was brought on for Podolski, making his competitive debut. During the added time Walcott had a shot saved by the 'keeper and Szczesny denied Fulham their final chance by catching the cross.
Injury Update:
- Koscielny was suspended in this game, but would have been unable to play anyway due to a deep cut on his cheek from the Fenerbahce game. Hopefully he will recover for the midweek game.
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