Monday 27 August 2012

Stoke 0-0 Arsenal - There were positives, seriously!

Another draw, another goalless draw - sounds dour, dull, boring and what have you but watching some facets of the team left me really excited for the next few games.

We defended REALLY WELL, for the whole 90 minutes, without pressing the shiny self-destruct button we all know and tear our hair out about every week, every time we were under siege there was a challenge and someone going for the second ball, the work rate tracking back was brilliant, and remember Vito Mannone, Carl Jenkinson and probably Per Mertesacker aren't first choice, so it was a great team defensive performance.

But defensive work isn't going to catch the eye of the pundits who again bring up the fact that Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud aren't in the same league as Robin Van Persie. I'd like to bring up 2 things with Mr Redknapp, 1 is that they actually are literally in the same league and 2. Robin Van Persie wasn't in the "same league" as Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry once upon a time. The lack of goals are a concern and if I did have a stick to beat Arsene Wenger with, it would be for the lack of playing time the new players have had over the summer, the Summer Asia tour is a great money-spinner but the good old days of playing 5th divison Austrian teams did give the first-teamers ample oppotunity to get to know one another.

The Week of Chaos has begun, and although the flow of information is thin at the minute, Arsenal are busy with both incomings and outgoings, to what extent I do not know, the Cheik Tiote/Mapou Yanga Mbiwa stories in the papers at the weekend are legit. Fee is always going to be an issue with Newcastle and Louis Nicollin is loathed to lose his captain but with one-year to go on his deal, Montpellier face a struggle to keep hold.

Theo Walcott's contract situation and subsquent benching on Sunday raises a few eyebrows as well, think there is more mileage in this story as well.

Going to be a busy week on AVOMA culminating with Deadline day on Friday. Stay tuned.

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