The Stadium of Light provides a welcome return to club football from the drudgery of the internationals. Arsene has had a mixed bag of a fortnight, losing van Persie, Diaby and Gibbs whilst welcoming back Denilson and Walcott. Robin’s placenta queen had gone into hiding from the Serb authorities but she cannot be that hard to find since Frank Lampard knows where she is apparently.

Eduardo is the Dutchman’s replacement, a man with a point to prove, denied the opportunity to show us his talents on anything other than a sporadic basis so far, is now motivated by a new long-term contract. It is an example for Tomas Rosicky to follow, the proof that being out of the game for a long spell is not the curtain on an Arsenal career. Hopefully Wenger and Gazidis are talking to the Czech international and his representatives to resolve that issue as well.

Steve Bruce acknowledged his admiration for the Arsenal manager this morning, unusual for a former charge of The Dark Lord:

He is a genius. The way they play is fantastic. They are a great team to watch with great individual players. For me, when Arsenal come to town, it is THE big occasion, they really have that extra bit of class.

Now either Brucie is hoping to get a bonus by lulling the Arsenal team into a false sense of security or the ties forged through loaning him players in the past or recommending someone who could do a good job has softened the former United captain. The fixtures following the return to club action after international weeks are notoriously slovenly in Arsenal performances. This afternoon, Arsenal will need to be on their guard against a side which has a decent home record. It is a match that Arsenal should not fear, their own form strong enough to warrant a reasonable expectation of three points.

There will be changes to the side. Diaby’s injury will probably mean a starting place for Aaron Ramsey, fresh from a sparkling performance for Wales against Scotland. Samir Nasri could drop into that role but I would prefer him on one flank with Arshavin on the other. Despite improving performances, Emmanuel Eboue’s inclusion on the right would be an overt defensive move, leaving the front three shorn of one more goalscorer. At left back, Arsene seems likely to go with the experienced head of Mikael Silvestre rather than Armand Traore at left back. Other than that, there is little apparent reason to mess around with the side.

Those changes would mean a starting line-up of:

Almunia; Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Silvestre; Song, Fabregas, Ramsey; Nasri, Eduardo, Arshavin

The returning players seem to be destined for the bench at best, a run out for any of them this afternoon would be a precursor to a start in the Champions League. The key thing for Wenger will be keeping personnel fit for the visit of Chelsea next week, especially since a point against Standard ought to be good enough to win the group in that competition. Three points today would consolidate second place, especially as Chelsea seem likely to romp home against Wolves even with a depleted squad.

Enjoy the match wherever you are watching it. ’til Tomorrow.

A robust little opener, the first in a regular Friday column from Darius of Stone Cold Arsenal.

Déjà vu is a feeling that taunts Arsenal fans during this spell of every season. Whether it’s the creeping cold, wet and windy nights that we’re perceived not to be able to handle, or the increasing collection of injured players hanging outside Colin Lewin’s physio room at London Colney – this period of the season during the last 4 years has brought a feeling of “Oh, not again”.

Since our last trophy, the pundit and hack establishment has associated Arsenal with ’soft under-bellies’. There is an expectation on their part that every season, Arsenal will fold and fade away into the dark, cold nights of northern winters. Arsenal is commonly seen as an irrelevance tagged with a big ’NEARLY THERE’ symbol by those who promote sensationalism in the media. But is this accusation about softness levelled against Arsenal a fair one?

After our FA Cup win in 2005, the club has changed considerably. My sense has been that the expectations that we would follow the achievements of the ’Invincibles’ squad were always an unreasonable one. The footballing landscape changed with Roman Abramovich declaring war on the reasonable convention that suggested living within your means is still an honourable thing to do.

Secondly, the imminent move to Ashburton Grove dictated that Arsenal must take a different approach, build a young competitive squad that challenged for trophies whilst we are shackled with financial commitments related to our move.

The courage of Arsenal to follow a vision that secured our future amongst the elite clubs was totally lost on the establishment, and unfortunately, many fickle, glory-hunting Arsenal fans who wouldn’t understand patience if it slapped them in the face. This lack of understanding of Arsenal’s vision and long term objectives, as well as refusing to acknowledge the opportunity cost of such an ambitious strategy, has led to the myth of our perceived weakness.

Don’t get me wrong, the last 4 years have been difficult and disappointing in part but it would be equally unfair not to acknowledge the mileage that this team has travelled in that period. The disappointments we’ve had have been a necessary cost of the youth development strategy and an invaluable lesson to the current team about what it takes to be champions.

Ten men were 18 minutes from becoming European champions with the best defensive record in Europe in 2006. In 2007 mental strength was put to the ultimate test after we capitulated following the sad events at St. Andrews in February last year. Some cite Eduardo’s injury as the point at which things started to go wrong for us, but I would suggest that Rosicky’s injury a month earlier was also a very significant turning point. We missed Little Mozart badly.

Last season, we progressed in the cup competitions, giving way at the semi-final stage. Many people under-estimated how difficult it would be last season to cope with losing 75% of a midfield that was successful the previous season; Hleb and Flamini went to pastures new and Rosicky became Lewin’s new best friend in the treatment room.

While all the invaluable ‘growing up’ was happening, the simpletons decided to settle for that ’Arsenal can’t hack it’ mantra that normally accompanies the definition of soft underbellies. It’s no surprise that as this young team emerges from obscurity into inevitable super stardom and eventual domination of football, many of these hacks, pundits and fickle fans find it difficult to come out of their comfort zone and take note of what has been happening.

The ’Arsenal will drop off as usual’ sentiments, coupled with the hyperbole and perceived threat that disaster and a hostile takeover are looming if we don’t win a trophy, seems to be an easier stance to take. Far easier than trying to understand the virtue of what Arsenal has been developing and why keeping true to this is a sure banker for success.

This year, despite the customary set-backs, only a fool would argue that Arsenal is not intent on winning a trophy. Not only are we playing the best football in Europe, the notion that we have a soft underbelly holds no water. Any examination of statistics of any manner will illustrate that we’re mixing it up there with the best. Many will still attempt to point out that we concede goals, but my belief is that negativity about a leak in our defence is a red herring convenient for those who have no idea how to cope with the notion that this young Arsenal team is actually coming to fruition.

Of course there’s room for improvement. It would be naive and arrogant to suggest otherwise and the sign of any great team is one that seeks constant improvement. But equally, it’s totally naive and arrogant to suggest that Arsenal is an irrelevance particularly if your only argument is based on ’soft underbelly’.

The experience that this team has gained by playing together, for the most part, in the last 3 years, the maturity they’ve achieved and their continued stellar performances on the pitch all make it worth the wait. It’s the sort of experience, team spirit and ethic, and camaraderie that Abramovich or the Sheikhs of Abu Dhabi couldn’t buy with all the tea in China. In my view, being wrongly perceived as weak is a cost worth paying for success in decades to come.

This weekend, another opportunity to dispel any myths about Arsenal’s intent for greatness is at hand. We have 3 points to collect at the Stadium of Light, a tricky fixture for us in the past. It’s a difficult away game after an interlull, and in past seasons, it’s the sort of game that would make us nervous. The boys have ruthlessly dispatched teams that in previous seasons were a challenge, and Sunderland is a team to be respected, but not feared.

I would suggest that this Arsenal team has no intention of showing anybody anything soft this weekend.

’til Tomorrow.

Disraeli is believed to have coined the phrase, ‘lies, damned lies and statistics’? Ole Gunner has a thing or two to say on the latter whilst dispelling a few myths at the same time:

The Castrol Index is basically a score out of 10, that’s based on actions a footballer performs on the pitch. The higher the score, the better the performance. Unlike typical indices, it doesn’t rank strikers or attacking midfielders higher. To learn more about it, look here.

It seems like a very valid index. I think it provides the best, most detailed index for measuring player performance that’s available to the general public.

Someone will rightly point out that statistics only measure certain things. One example is the highest goal scorer chart. The fact that Fernando Torres is the highest goal scorer in the Premier League with 10 goals is just a stat. It doesn’t tell us if all goals were goal of the season contenders or if all ten were Fat Frank Lampard-type deflections.

Even the league table is just a stat. It wouldn’t tell us who deserves to be top though currently 3rd solely because they only had 12 youth team players fit for half the season.

Stats do not tell us everything but they measure actual events in football matches. What they do measure does not tell us everything we need to know, or how we want to feel, but they provide more insight into what we see for ourselves.

The fact that people regularly reject football stats when they contradict what they already believe just shows why it’s important (even if not close to being the most important thing in football) to check the stats.

When we watch football, we simply cannot watch every single player and what they do. We form a vague general impression, and we are most likely to notice mistakes (and probably magnify their weight) and superb actions (a sublime Cesc pass).

The Castrol Index won’t tell us everything about how well or how poorly Arsenal players have played this season, but they will tell us something, and that something is not just valid but factual-if incomplete.

It is much like company accounts. All the wealth in the world is staked on a numerical count of income and costs of every company. But it doesn’t measure everything. It is debatable, but it nevertheless tells us a lot.

In evaluating each Arsenal player’s Castrol Index one wants to see three things. First, one wants to know what level of performance you can expect from a player (average index score). You also want to know how consistent that player is (the variation in performance from game to game e.g. 9/10 today 3/10 the next game). You might want to know what is the best performance he has put in. For the purpose of this article, what is most of interest is the worst each player has done. The logic is thus: If your worst performance score is high, it shows you not only have the best quality performances but it also means you never let the team down.

Stats are for the season up till October 31st 2009. Note that the stats are based on performance in the league and Champions League.

Our most consistent player is…………

Looking at all the Castrol Index figures for each player, it appears that the player whose performance varies the least is Alex Song.

That, however, does not tell us everything we want to know. A player could be consistently bad or a player could be consistently good.

So we do want to know what level of performance we can typically expect from him. Well it turns out that on average, he puts in a 7.3/10 performance. If you think that’s impressive, wait till you hear that the worst performance he has put in this season was a 6.34/10!

Our best performing player is…………

When Arsene Wenger was asked who his player of the season 08/09 was he said it was William Gallas. Very few people would have taken that seriously given how much of a shambles his final days as captain were, and how off-form he and Kolo Toure appeared to be at the beginning of that season.

William Gallas has been Arsenal’s best performer this season (09/10) as measured by the Castrol Index.

William’s average rating is 7.87/10. At his worst this season, his performance was rated 6.14/10. He is also Arsenal’s second most consistent performer after Alex Song.

What? Where is Cesc Fabregas in all this? What about that RVP?

Robin has been our second best player. He has been somewhat less consistent than Gallas or Alex Song since, at his worst, he only bagged a 5.37/10. Robin typically gets 7.78/10.

Wenger recently said Robin is the best striker in the Premier League. That is not perfectly true.

One striker has a better rating this season. No, it is not Fernando Torres. It is Didier Drogba. The Ivorien may have survived several near-death experiences on the pitch this season, but while he’s alive he typically delivers a performance rated 8.21/10. In fact, the Castrol Football website indicates he had the best single individual performance in a single match in all of Europe.

RVP is however more consistent than Didier Drogba. As we know, it’s not enough to be performing, it’s important to be performing consistently.

Cesc has been absolutely Fabregas this season. He’s been fabulous and we all know it. It must say something about the quality of Arsenal this season that he’s our 4th best performer. His average Castrol index rating is 7.67/10. The worst rating he has is 4.42, which he got against Portsmouth. That stat is a bit skewed however. In that game he came off at half time. Take out that game and his average performance become 7.97/10, and his consistency score improves dramatically. He becomes Arsenal’s best performer if viewed that way.

It might also be an example of the limitation of stats. The index almost certainly has no way to measure the fact that Cesc is no ordinary Arsenal player, but one who makes the team play. Also, 9 goals and 11 assists in 15 games is amazing, as most players would get that in a season and think they’d done superbly.

One should point out, however, that Cesc did have a slow start to the season and only just exploded since mid-September or thereabouts.

Is Diaby the new Denilson?

No, the question is not whether Diaby has become the interception and possession king that is Denilson. The question is not whether Diaby has replaced Denilson. The question is not Diaby has become the god of endless but useless stopovers like the other famous Brazilian called Denilson.

The question is whether Abou Diaby has replaced Denilson Neves Pereira, our baby-faced Brazilian, as the unjustified target of the Arsenal boo-boys and bullies.

Denilson had a great season in 07/08, earning the distinction of being the player who won the ball most in the Premier League by a distance. One section of our Arsenal support had decided at the start of the season that it was going to be Denilson’s fault if we didn’t do well.

They then diligently stuck with their convictions and foolishly, and destructively refused to allow neither rhyme (what rhymes with ‘boo’) nor reason to change their minds.

It was pathetic and really disheartening to see a young, determined and hardworking player do so well but yet get so much stick.

Any measure of performance that exists and has been published shows Denilson played well. The Castrol Index is no different. His typical game was rated 6.95/10. This rating is higher than was had by any other defensive midfielder worth measuring in the league (see the attached detail spreadsheets). He was also remarkably consistent.

The answer to the original question seems to be yes. Diaby is doing well this season. His typical performance is 6.96/10. By that rating he is our 6th best performer of the 17 players who have featured enough to feature in our analysis.

There is something for everyone-even the anti-Diaby people in Diaby’s stats. He might be our 6th best performer, but he is our 12th most consistent player.

Abou Diaby is unfortunately still inconsistent. Even knowing this, it is clear from his typical performance stats that he is doing quite well, and the vilification he suffers is unjustified.

Almunia is not a top performer…

Your correspondent has been a staunch defender of our Spanish goalkeeper and would still maintain that the stick he gets is for coming to Arsenal with no reputation and less on his actual ability.

The stats show that the reason Almunia needed defending might have been as a result of not doing the business.

Almunia has virtually been our least stellar performer this season. The two players who have lower average ratings are Aaron Ramsey (4.11) & Nicklas Bendtner (4.94), but the two have been bit-part players this season. Each of those two lads has hardly played a full 90 minutes this season and their ratings are depressed for that reason. In the games Bendtner started and played most of the game, he has an average rating of 6.54/10. Almunia’s average rating is 5.42/10.

Almunia’s average for November to May of the 07/08 season was 6.39/10. He will be happy to hear that he did better than Petr Cech whose average was 6.31/10. He will on the other hand be humbled by the knowledge that Schwarzer (6.84), Kirkland (6.48), Green (6.52), Jaskalainen (6.42), Given (6.60) have all done better than him, talk less of Van der Sar (6.70) and Reina (6.54).

He is not a crap keeper. His average is within a narrow band as can be seen above. He simply has not been outstanding and that has to be the final word.

Is Vermaelen doing better than Kolo did last season?

Tommy V. is our third best performer this season. He has had a flying start to his Arsenal career, and the stats confirm what most of us think. When Tommy dons the magnificent red and white you can expect him to play well enough to merit a 7.73/10 rating. His worst performance came at Fulham where he only did well enough to get 5.76 out of 10. He has also been quite consistent.

Has he been better than Kolo was last season? The answer at this point is…YES.

Many will be surprised to know that even though Kolo Toure was inconsistent, and sometimes poor last season, his average rating as 7.4/10. He did have a couple of games in which he was poor enough to get a 3/10.

Vermaelen, for now appears to be a trade-up from Kolo Toure.

Takeaways?

The foregoing is what the stats say. But after all said and done, the best player is the one who gives us the most joy, is most associated with positive emotions, and the one who most rouses our passion. That is what football is all about.

’til Tomorrow.

For many years Arsene has been criticised for not bringing on England internationals at Arsenal. Little wonder since it is just another opportunity for players to get some sort of knack, at whatever level they are representing their country. Latest addition to an evergrowing injury list is <adopts Leslie Crowther style> Kieran Gibbs, Come On Down!

21 minutes into the Under-21s match with Lithuania last night and Gibbs World Cup dreams received an enormous boost with a suspected metatarsal injury. You cannot really claim to have arrived at the highest level if you have not had one of these injuries, sending the media into a frenzy with the fear that Wayne Bridge is genuinely the only cover at left back.

For Arsene, any absence at left back is unwelcome with Gael Clichy out for at least another month. It poses an awkward question as to who should replace him. Armand Traore appears to have recovered from his ills and is widely assumed to be third choice in that position.

Having appeared for Portsmouth last season whilst on loan he is not without experience. However, Mikael Silvestre trumps him on that but loses out on speed. Experience may not be of the utmost importance for the visit to Sunderland but it will be for the encounter with Chelsea in a fortnight’s time.  For Arsene the question becomes whether or not he is going to make a decision to stick with one player until Gibbs or Clichy returns. If he is, then I suspect that the older head will win the day.

It is a tough decision, almost going to the heart of Wenger’s philosophy. Promoting youth if they are good enough has caused much handwringing in the stands yet the manager appears to be bearing the fruits of such a policy. If he chooses Silvestre ahead of Traore, does it signal that the latter is not ready or that he does view him as having a long term future at the club?

There are numerous bodies being put on the line tonight in an altogether avoidable international break. Had FIFA stayed with a simple league format with the top two qualifying or restructuring the groups in Europe to provide sufficient countries to man their Finals, play-offs would be unnecessary. Instead, national associations have earmarked this fortnight for money making trips to the Middle East and elsewhere as a way in which to shore up their coffers.

It pays little notice to the fact that October and November are the busiest months in the domestic calendars before Christmas. Crucially – or should that be cruciately – it undermines the lie perpetuated by Sepp Blatter and his cohorts that they care anything about the pressures placed on players. Brazil are testament to that, requiring their internationals to turn into the Harlem Globetrotters, pitching up at any arena where the money is.

Thankfully club football takes precedence after this evening. Let us hope that Arsenal players come through unscathed.

’til Tomorrow.

So RvP is going for the placenta and sweet potato mash, served with a nice Chianti to cure his ankle-aagh. Reports suggest that some colleagues at Feyenoord went to see the same quack and were cured in half the time that would have been required using conventional medicine.

It seems a bit Eileen Drewery to me but if it works, fair enough and my gast will be well and truly flabbered. It means that he can get the niggling strains that always seem to follow out of the way sooner, I guess.

Eduardo is looking forward to the coming weeks, one where he will seek to vindicate Arsene’s decision not to sign the myriad of strikers that the club was linked with during the summer.

This is the time where hacks will seek to capitalise on any failure by the Croat to score on a regular basis. The perceived frailties of the squad will once more be pushed forward as fact should Arsenal slip during van Persie’s absence. Eduardo though is ready for the moment where he can prove that Arsene was correct to sign him:

I’m feeling good. At the beginning of the season I had a few injury niggles but I am OK now and ready to help the team rise to the top of the table, as well as progress in the Champions League. We are doing very well at the moment and I hope we can produce a big surprise this year.

The boss knows our qualities and how they can fit into a formation. For me it is fine to play on the left or the right, no problem, the most important thing is to help the team and I feel good in those positions.

It is a formation that gives us more movement and more creativity through the middle, although it is not easy because we have to balance defence and attack and that can be difficult.

In the first instance, I should imagine that he is grateful to be playing at all due to the number of niggling injuries he has suffered since recovering from his broken leg. His willingness to play anywhere in the team, flexibility that all of the squad are having to show whether they like it or not.

That there is still a period of adjustment going on is reflected in his last observation. Whatever the solution is, the emphasis on attack will always render the defence exposed at some point in the game. The crucial element that the team has to continue to do is to put opponents under pressure the minute that they win possession.

This was a key feature of Barcelona’s success last season using the same formation. Equally, their defence suffered the same moments of pressure but it trophies were won because the midfield and attack helped to defend all over the pitch.

The footballing comedy moments are well and truly under way with reports this morning suggesting that both Real and Barcelona are to offer £60m for Cesc next summer. No doubt that will have dropped to £30m by the time the World Cup starts, rising as his performances confirm that he is the best central midfielder in the world game.

The same cannot be said for our former striker as he failed to produce the goods to take them to the World Cup finals. Utterly predictable is continued scorn felt by Emmanuel Adebayor. Hopefully at Christmas time the Manchester City players will have a Secret Santa. Might I suggest that whomever draws  his name out of the hat pays for a course of Therapy that helps him get over the lack of love from Arsenal supporters because it isn’t going to get any better.

’til Tomorrow

RvP’s ankle knack is going to keep him out for six weeks the club has confirmed today. In keeping with Arsene’s luck over recent years, this means he will miss around 10 games since the injury occurred in the last international break of the year. A month earlier and he would have missed about half a dozen games at most although no doubt his national coach would have called him up for a squad even though he it would have been patently obvious that he was not fully fit, leaving him to suffer another injury on top of that. Anyhow enough cynicism for one day.

As international week drags inexorably to its mindnumbing conclusion around the globe, it just would not have been the same without a Cesc to Barcelona story or two. Despite the player confirming over the weekend that he is not Mystic Meg and does not know what the future holds five years from now – or twelve months for that fact – the media has decided that the Catalans are going to offer the chance for Arsene to get his Yayas out with a Krkic. Presumably they will be offering a few vowels alongside this deal so that Arsenal can maximise their commercial revenues although no doubt any shirt with his surname on it would be a limited edition when the K’s ran out in the club shop. Alternatively, there is a view that Arsene is going to offer Fabregas for that pair although I think that someone, somewhere got the wrong end of that particular transfer stick and I hasten to add that having read that particular story three times, it wasn’t me.

Angus Kinnear, the Arsenal marketing guru, knows a thing or two about career progression. Step one is a bit of brown-nosing:

I think the board were very judicious in making sure that they appointed somebody who had an absolute understanding of the values of the brand and I think all the fans’ groups would testify that Ivan has demonstrated that straight away

Kinnear speaks of ‘the Arsenal way‘ and one hopes that the marketing department will not lose sight of that. At present, the whims of a single owner are not encountered and Wenger is able to set the agenda for pre-season tours. Kinnear acknowledges that it is a marketing opportunity lost purely in revenue terms. At the moment, the fact that Arsenal is a football club has not been lost sight of. That may come if commercial pressures change drastically, as they surely would were the plurality of ownership to end.

The article is interesting but throws out a curiousity, one that has slid by but in many respects is alarming. Kinnear states:

The 51,000 seats we have on top of those 9,000 are just a bonus

The 9,000 referred to are the middle tier. Does this mean that so long as the premium seats sellout, the rest of us do not matter? Mind you, the speed with which the ground empties before the final whistle, the players probably already know what the atmosphere would be like if the normal seats were unsold.

The club finances are not so strong that they can dismiss 51,000 people so readily. Surely he meant to say the 9,000 were the bonus not the other way around? Such slips can be forgiven but in my mind, it does undermine somewhat, the earlier protestaions that the Arsenal way was all that matters to the club.

Away from that, the deals with Emirates about shirt and stadium sponsorship are almost glossed over, despite highlighting the fact that the deals have been dwarved by the revenues earned elsewhere. The Emirates sponsorship helped build the stadium, something that was necessary and it is difficult to compare any deal signed in isolation and subsequently, by a rival when Arsenal were looking for a package at the time. Yes, the moneys may not be as extensive but likewise there is no evidence that they could have obtained more at the time the deals were signed.

’til Tomorrow.

If FIFA wonder why supporters of Premier League clubs hate international weeks, especially those that are for meaningless friendlies, then they should look at the case of Robin van Persie. Off the top of my head, I can think of one other occasion when he has suffered serious injury wearing the orange of The Netherlands. van Persie is not the only player that this has happened to, others have been struck down through pointless games being played to assuage the egos of national associations. Little wonder that Arsene resents the interference in the domestic season that these interruptions bring.

At this moment in time, no definitive information is available as the length of his absence. Estimates range from two to twelve months. Only one media outlet that I have seen refers to this as the moment that Arsenal’s season falls apart – step forward Mail on Sunday hacks – and it would premature to assume that this is the case anyway. The outcome of x-rays and specialist opinions will no doubt drive whether Arsene dives into the January transfer window, completing a deal on day one rather than in the closing minutes.

With Bendtner out, the short-term options are limited. Whether or not those away on loan can be recalled is one thing, the deciding factor will be whether Arsene believes that he can work with the assets he has to hand. The most obvious replacement for van Persie is Eduardo. Suspect though his fitness has been this season through niggling injuries, the Croat is the most natural and experienced finisher in the first team squad not currently knocking on the door of the medical rooms at London Colney.

Having squared up to Thomas Vermaelen some time ago when the Belgian played for Ajax, it seems that Chellini was intent on furthering his Arsenal credentials with an agricultural tackle in a match that was only significant for the 100th cap awarded to Buffon. The mentality of the player is questionable, especially since barely 15 minutes had been played.

The injury overshadowed other international performances ranging from the ugliness of Arshavin’s display for Russia, the good in Vermaelen scoring and Cesc’s cameo for Spain and the beauty of Aaron Ramsey’s domination of the Scottish midfield. The Welshman was simply outstanding, at the heart of everything good about his country’s display, creating two goals with incisive and intuitive passes, capping it all off with a superb solo effort that showed guile throughout and muscle at the end to create the finish. A heartwarming sign of growing maturity.

van Persie’s injury cuts one tale of transfer speculation off at the knees before it had even started. News of the World rumours about a £10m bid for Eduardo from Liverpool were risible to begin with, now they are terminated in a bitter manner. That is before anyone explains how the fee was being funded. Still, Arsenal needs another midfielder and the same hacks put forward a new name – Maicosuel. Ten out of ten for originality but the rumours don’t seem to be funny this morning. Elsewhere it seems Philippe Senderos is not ruling out leaving Arsenal in January nor is ruling out staying. It is called keeping his options open apparently.

I think I’ll join Arsene in trashing a case of Italian beer whilst crying into my Oranjeboom. ’til Tomorrow.

A typical international week thus far. Injuries dominate the headlines and judging by the numbers of fallen at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea will be struggling to put out a side at The Emirates in a fortnight’s time. A lot of suspicion should surround these reports since it is highly likely that most of their walking wounded will make the biggest comeback since Lazarus, being fit and ready for action once kick-off comes.

For Arsenal, you know it is quiet when the headlines concern the one-armed girlfriend of Nicklas Bendtner. The usual denials of leaving and pledges to sign players abound from other clubs. This time though, the players themselves are being quiet, except for Fran Merida who emphasised his involvement with the first team, leaving the backtracking from his Mr20% to be put down to the “falsehoods” which “abound in football“.

FIFA is tackling this problem head on. Their solution? Stop regulating agents. It has been a pretence all along and explains why clubs such as Barcelona can run around tapping players up with impugnity. For the media, it is manna from heaven. The complaints from Arsene about the unsettling effects on his charges likely to be put down to querulous behaviour on his part as the rill of spurious claims becomes a raging torrent portrayed as the truth. Summer’s may have seemed so peaceful in the past.

Bacary Sagna’s determination to stay at Arsenal was made clear on his behalf by a “source close to the French international” who spoke suspiciously like his Mr20%.

Wenger should have little concern about his current players though. Kieran Gibbs believes that the Academy borne from the Frenchman’s vision of the future is bringing to fruition the improved technical abilities of English players. Has this boy not read the media or listened to football’s administrators? Wenger is the Devil incarnate, evil for bringing foreign youngsters to the club whilst discarding native talent.

Gibbs observations mirror those of Merida in that Wenger and his staff are bringing through generations of technically adept players, eager for first team action and generally speaking, ready when called upon. Perhaps better prepared than any other club in England. Their development does not stop there however.

Robin van Persie emphasised the continuing improvements that the manager seeks in training with the first team:

The coach (Wenger) is particularly keen that I add something to the tactical play of the team, both offensively and creatively, that I use and combine with the players around me.

Talking of his own position in the team, the Dutchman observed:

I don’t see myself as a true out-and-out striker. Guys likes Torres and Drogba, they are real killers. I feel I play between a target striker and a supporting striker – I am a combination of both and that’s just fine. I try to bring my own dimension to the forward position.

The obvious comparison is with Bergkamp, a role model whom van Persie does not deny basing his game upon. However, the advanced nature of his play this season in terms of position on the pitch makes him more of a composite Pires / Henry than fundamentally creative like his compatriot. van Persie recognises this:

In the league I have now contributed seven assists and I am just as proud of these as the seven goals I have scored. I find it crucial to be effective in both spheres for the team.

Pires famously said that he derived more pleasure creating than scoring. van Persie is not so content with that element but he is perhaps the new style of centre forward that football craves at the moment.

Fans demand a 30 goal per season striker but whilst there is a place for that type of player, more effective for Arsenal this season will be a central forward who scores 20 or more and creates a similar number. Wenger has an abundance of creative talent that demands someone put the ball in the net. van Persie making space allows the midfield as a whole to strike their share, more than compensating for one striker doing that as is the case with other teams.

Whilst each side has a major goalscorer, Arsenal has numerous, evidenced by the number of games where multiple goalscorers have found the net. It is advantageous in that opponents struggle to contain them yet how will it function if a drought occurs. That is when the depth of talent available to Wenger will become apparent, with the bench able to provide a similar threat. Provided injuries do not intervene of course.

’til Tomorrow.

Arsene turned his attention to the Carling Cup tie at Eastlands, observing:

[It will be] Interesting, exciting and a good test. We will be faithful to our policy and of course put a team out who has a good chance to win the game.

It is a policy that has borne dividends in the long-term development of young players, testing the waters ahead of progression into the Premier and Champions Leagues squads.

He has indicated that the team will be a mix of youth and experience, a contrast to the opposition on that night, City desperate to win silverware. Or perhaps Mark Hughes is so that he can at least have something to show for his efforts before the inevitable P45 arrives at some point in the next season or so.

If you call a full side 11 top players, then we will play a full side. For me a full side means a team who has a chance to win any game.

There will be players such as Walcott and perhaps Denilson for whom the outing would be a beneficial night on their road to full fitness.

The question is whether Arsene should perhaps make a little more sacrifice and play an additional experienced head to coax the young players through. Against Liverpool, he was able to re-introduce Samir Nasri to a relatively gentle return to action. At Eastlands, no doubt there will be other options on that front, Bendtner another one who could be on the road to recovery at that point.

As well as the developmental balancing act, Wenger needs to consider whether it is in the interests of all of the squad – first team and reserve – for the club to win a trophy again, even if it is one that does not warrant the Frenchman’s highest attention. The first winning medal that nestles on the sideboard will be the biggest hurdle for a number of players, gold would provide them with the confidence to take the next step and win what could be described as a major trophy?

Jack Wilshere put the alternative view: if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. Not that he has a vested interest in youth being given a chance, of course. And who can blame him for wanting to play although personally, I think he should be setting his sights higher with his ability.

It will be good to play against Manchester City and I hope they play a full team. We will go there and believe we can win and hopefully we can. I think now we are into the last eight it is realistic for us to win the trophy. I think we can beat Manchester City and if we do then the competition will be wide open. We can go all the way

They can of course win the trophy without experience but is there any harm in stacking the cards a bit more in their favour for a short-term gain. It could of course backfire and the tie be lost with or without a couple of regulars playing. No guarantees can be given for an away game.

Anyway, it is a long way off in footballing terms with more important domestic and european matters to be dealt with beforehand. Happy birthday to Tiny Tiger, 7 years old today – another triumph of hope over expectation.

’til Tomorrow.

Darius from Stone Cold Arsenal issues his own personal State of the Union on 2009/10…

International breaks are notorious for inducing chronic cases of Arsenalitis, so it is timely to reflect on how the season is progressing. This time last year, we had already received shock therapy from newcomers Stoke and Hull with Villa and Fulham turning us over for good measure. Even so, we were just a couple of weeks shy from the turning point of the season when Gallas was relieved off his captaincy, his ass nailed onto the naughty step at London Colney just before Manchester City spanked us.

No one would blame ardent Arsenalists for having cold sweats during what is traditionally a ‘nightmarish’ month. The least we would expect is that our team has learnt the lessons of previous seasons.

Since that defeat at Eastlands in November 2008, we have played 46 matches in all competitions and lost 6. This would suggest that progress has been made and when Wenger proclaimed 2 weeks ago that Arsenal will win a title this season, it would not be unreasonable to assume that he knows something we don’t.

After all, this is the man who was laughed out of TV and radio studios, ridiculed in newspapers for proclaiming in 2002 that Arsenal could win the title unbeaten. Granted, it took him one more year but it was a monumental achievement when his revelation came true after a nerve-racking encounter against Leicester City.

The images of Wenger walking around an empty Highbury after the season finale soaking up the achievement of the ‘Invincibles’ team was a sight to behold, a sight better than sticking two fingers up to the doubters to remind them that Arsenal is the greatest club on earth.

Is Wenger onto something when he says that we will win a trophy this season? The evidence so far is stacked in his favour. After a summer of indifferent opinions from fans, pundits and hacks; calls from all quarters for Wenger to strengthen the squad with Galacticos by breaking the bank and an unsavoury game of power chess in the Arsenal boardroom, the team has surpassed the expectations of many, showing their maturity and determination in proving that Wenger isn’t off his trolley.

Very few from the footballing establishment, let alone a significant section of Arsenal fans, gave this team a chance in hell at the start of the season. The team, so far, has resoundingly defied the odds, making collective doubters stand up and take notice.

It is a colossal understatement to suggest that a team that has bagged 55 goals in all competitions from 17 different outfield players isn’t serious about winning a title. If ever there was a statement of intent, it’s hard to see what else this team can do to show that they’re on the way to bringing a trophy home. In addition to the goal feast, two other attributes of this side are worth highlighting.

Firstly, it is a pleasure to witness the maturity of both individual players and the team as they move from strength to strength. To explain this aspect of our game, you could cite a change in system to a more attacking and fluid 4-3-3, the personal development of individual players who have improved over the last couple of years or the recent addition of quality players to the squad. What is not in doubt is that the team ethic has improved and that players are showing maturity and mental strength in how they approach the game.

Secondly, it’s hard to ignore the audacity of this team in their determination to play Wengerball. This is a team that is refusing to accept the old maxim that the Premiership is the toughest league in the world and teams have to play a brand of ugly, hard-crunching, agricultural football to win the title.

For too long, characteristics like grit, determination, commitment, passion and ‘headless chicken syndrome’ (the art of clocking mileage on a pitch without adding value) have been used as an excuse and substitute for not being able to play entertaining football. This team are hell bent on defying critics by suggesting that the beautiful game is not a privilege, but a right for the hard working football fan who spends their hard earned money to watch the game that they love.

Despite this positive state of affairs, many will still point out the shortcomings of the team this far. It is naive to ignore the deficiencies, particularly our perceived propensity to gift soft goals to opponents. I don’t think our generosity is intentional. We have the personnel and maturity to resolve any defensive issues as the season continues.

Perhaps we need to manage our own expectations about our ability to keep clean sheets. It is unreasonable to expect that if we play Wengerball, opposing teams won’t attack our goal; the law of averages suggests that some of them will score.

Defensive responsibilities are shared by the whole team and there is certainly room for improvement. The team knows this and based on performances so far, they have earned the right to be given space to resolve the issues. The more games we play, the better the team will get.

What is more of an issue for me this far, is the indifferent attitude and actions of a section of Arsenal fans both in the stadium and on the blogosphere? It’s the job of pundits and hacks to slate the team, constantly reminding us of the plethora of misguided reasons why they think we won’t win anything this season.

However, it is unacceptable for Arsenal fans to constantly slate individual players or the team. It’s hard to see what more this team or certain players can do to get some breathing space. Being a supporter is not just about enjoying bragging rights when we beat the Tiny Tots or when we win titles. It’s our responsibility to take the good with the bad. Each of us has our own views about our favourite players; debates will go on in pubs, offices and the blogosphere about the performances of the players. Once any player puts on an Arsenal shirt and steps onto the pitch, they have earned the right to be supported absolutely. Anything short of this is criminal.

There will be many times this season that the team will have to dig in and fight for a draw or a win. It’s during those times that the fans, especially those in the stadium, need to stand up and be counted. So far, the team has shown their mental fortitude and impeccably illustrated that they are in it for the long haul. The season is a long stretch. They need all of us to get behind them during the difficult moments to come, instead of a section of our own fans beating the team with a big stick. Arsenal bashing should be the preserve of misguided pundits and hacks.