For those who are unaware, I took some time off over the World Cup to begin the very exciting Football Nomad adventure.

It was a brilliant month of traveling and filming around Europe and South Africa and I’m delighted to say that I’m currently as close as I’ve ever been to the Arsenal Football Club, staying with some friends in East London.

The football culture I witnessed all over Europe and South Africa during the World Cup was fanastic and you can view all of the videos over on Football Nomad.

Those who did stay in touch with AFCB during the World Cup will know that Mike Urbanski stepped in to cover all things Arsenal.

While most of the Arsenal boys struggled to make an impact on the tournament – aside from Captain Cesc – the same could not be said of Mike, who did a fantastic job.

I am delighted to say that it will not be the last you will be hearing from Mike, who will join myself and a host of new writers who will regularly contribute during the 2010/11 season.

The focus of the restructure to AFCB will be on improving the quality and diversity of Arsenal coverage and the community on the blog. In short, to make things even better for you, the readers.

Some of the improved ideas we are hoping to bring to AFCB this season are detailed tactical analyses of games, regular transfer speculation updates, a female perspective on all things Arsenal and some satirical writing about the media’s attitude towards the club.

There will be others too – these are just a taste.

Over the next few weeks I will be working with the new AFCB team to get things prepared for the new season – with an official launch set for August 13 complete with season preview and a very special surprise.

Until then there will be no updates on the blog and with a new design on the cards, visually things may get funny from time to time, so I apologise in advance for that.

Anyway, that’s basically it. Hold on tight until the 13th of next month where I hope you will enjoy the re-launch of AFCB.

Thoughts?

Have your say on the re-launch of the Arsenal FC Blog by leaving a comment.

Here’s a photo compilation – featuring new signing Laurent Koscielny, new hairdos for Tomas Rosicky and Samir Nasri and a cheeky kiss for Wojciech Szczesny - of what was a very fun start to the pre-season.

Enjoy.

Thoughts?

Have your say on the photos from Arsenal v Barnet by leaving a comment.

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The pomp.  The Ceremony.  The vuvuzelas.  The hot Dutch babes in orange getting arrested.  The uber-sanctimonious celebrities lecturing us all about our carbon footprints, yet chartering so man private jets for the Spain v Germany semifinal that all other flights were delayed into the airport.  And lets not forget all of Andy’s splendid updates over on Football Nomad! Yep.  The World Cup has had quite a run.  Oh…there was also some football played as well.

Spain did it.  By Paul the Octopus’ Lucky Tentacles, Spain pulled it off.  And in keeping with the tradition of the previous 29 days of matches, the Final didn’t start seeing some action until the whistle blew on regulation time.  Indeed, the first 90 was rather unremarkable.  I can understand that nerves are a part of the early going as no one wants to make the opening mistake.  But with Spain and the Netherlands, one would expect the match to open up a least a bit as things went on.  It wasn’t to be, I’m afraid, as we were subjected to 90 full minutes of lackluster attack and few moments of creativity.  I’ve touched on the refereeing situation during the World Cup several times over this last month, but I’d like to point out a stat from yesterday’s match:  Of the 53 total yellow cards handed out during the 2010 World Cup, 14 of them (roughly 25%) were handed out during the Finals.  It beggars belief.

Anyway, onto the match itself.  As I mentioned above, it was not the greatest display of football I’ve ever seen with the Netherlands going all Blackburn-y and Spain content just to hold possession and make the odd break.  While I hate to applaud any dirty football, I did get a kick (pun intended) of out Nigel de Jong’s boot to Xavi Alonso’s chest.  I hate to admit it (but if you can’t admit things like this to your friends, who can you admit them to?) but it made me giggle just a bit.  de Jong was worthy of dismissal though.  He wasn’t anywhere near the ball and his foot was at chest level.  How that isn’t a red card is beyond me.  Spain got an after-the-play free kick and did absolutely FA with it, which pretty much sums up the entire first 90 minutes of the match:  Netherlands committed some fouls & Spain ran around with the ball at their feet but did nothing with the possession.  It wasn’t until the introduction of Captain Fabtastic on 87 minutes that things finally started perking up.

The start of added extra time went positively for Spain.  There seemed to be more spark and fresher legs from the Iberian side and the Dutch seemed to be running out of gas.  It’s immensely hard work to play against a side that keeps as much of the ball as Spain do, and the Dutch had about run their course.  Spain’s first real chance in extra time came when Iniesta hit Fabregas for a break into the Dutch box, but net minder Maarten Stekelenburg came out of his area to shut the door on Fab’s effort.  The end for the Oranje came earlier than the World Cup winning goal.  On 109 minutes John Heitinga was sent off for the Dutch, and down a man against Spain after 109+ minutes is just too big a mountain to climb for any team.  The final blow came from a rather nothing run of play.  Cesc assisted in cleaning up on defense, Spain took possession and worked the ball forward with Cesc trailing along behind.  The ball was worked wide left, then centrally where it caromed off a Dutch player right to Cesc.  Man on the spot, he.  Quick one touch pass into the right side of the box to Iniesta for the 2010 World Cup winning goal.  Simples.  I have to say, originally it did appear that Iniesta was off side and I was begging that the Final would not be decided on a questionable play (after so many in this tournament).  But replay clearly shows Iniesta onside when the pass was made from Cesc, and the goal was cleanly taken.  Hearts ripped out, the mighty Dutch were unable to notch a tying goal and went down fairly tamely in the last minutes.

Congratulations to Spain, and to Arsenal Captain Cesc Fabregas on winning the 2010 World Cup!

Netherlands

van Persie Quality Man Among Dutch Negatives

Quality.  Yup, Robin van Persie has it in spades.  Among the Dutch rough boys, or Negatives (their new nick name), in yesterday’s Final, Robin van Persie showed quality.  Of course, he didn’t have too many opportunities to show it, mind, but it was there anyway.  And that’s been the rub this entire tournament, hasn’t it?  Yes, I’ve gone on and on (and on…) about the lack of opportunities.  So much so that many of you might think I’ve missed his quality.  But I haven’t.  It’s been there match after match.  The passing, the link up or holding play to allow other attackers to play off him, the vision on the pitch.  It’s all been there and it’s a good sign for The Arsenal that RVP seems back to hist best (we know the goals will come as well).  We all know that the Arsenal attack is designed with him central to mind, and the play will definitely be running at or through him this coming season.  It’s a heartbreaking loss for the Netherlands and van Persie, but I’ve a feeling Robin’s man enough to put this under his belt and use it for motivation upon his return to the N5.  Despite the loss, there’s valuable experience gained just getting to the World Cup Finals, and Robin will definitely be sharing that with his Arsenal teammates.

Spain

Fabregas Passes Spain To World Cup

It had to go this way, didn’t it?  Barely used, just 93 total minutes going into yesterday’s Final, and gathering way too many splinters riding the bench.  Cesc Fabregas publicly asked to be played, just for the chance to have an impact, for the opportunity to let his skill come to the fore in support of the Spanish squad.  On 87 minutes his wish was granted as the match stood drawn at 0-0.  The impact was immediate.  The passing was suddenly more crisp.  Spain’s attack, all too frequently one-off prior to the Arsenal Captain’s arrival, invigorated and sustained.  Spain looked a little bit more like…well…like Spain again.

On 95 minutes Cesc broke cleanly behind a weary-legged Dutch defense, collecting a beautiful pass from Andres Iniesta.  The Arsenal man was clear into the box for a 1 v 1 with Maarten Stekenlenburg, but the Dutch keeper was up to the task and blocked the shot well.  Cesc again took things into his own hands just before the end of the first extra period.  He took possession on the Dutch side of the midfield circle, made what can only be described as an Eboue-esque slashing run through the Dutch defense, finally getting off a shot from just inside the box.  The shot went wide, but still an excellent possession and threat from Fabregas.  There was little doubt on the quality Cesc brought to the match when, on 116 minutes, he calmly collected a rebounding ball at the top of the Dutch box, settled it and one touched it over to Iniesta who put home the winning goal.  It was pure Cesc…calmness on the ball, vision to see the open man and skill to make the right pass.  Well done, son.  Take a bow.

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Check out all of Andy’s latest on Football Nomad!  World Cup exclusive commentary, videos and world football culture!  Get stuck in!

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Thoughts?

Have your say on Arsenal’s participation in the World Cup by leaving a comment.

The official signing has been reported at somewhere between £8.5m and £10m.  Rumored to be on a four year deal and £25,000 per week, Koscielny’s rise to The Arsenal has been rather meteoric.  Yeah, sure, he was playing in Ligue 2 just 2 years ago, but clearly Lorient spotted something in the 6’1″ central defender when they bought him last year for just 1.7m Euros.  What they spotted, and more importantly what Arsene Wenger spotted was a player who’s got some grit about him, likes a good challenge and certainly is up for the tackle.  In fact, Koscielny led all of Ligue 1 this past season in tackles.  During the 2008/09 campaign, Koscielny was voted Player of the Year by his fellow footballers in Ligue 2.  At 24 he might appear to be a late bloomer (to rise to the attention of Arsenal or a Ligue 1 side), but I think it’s more a matter of being noticed late on rather than developing slowly.  Central defenders have long careers, and I think we got our man at just the right time in experience and development for him to be an integral part of the back four for years to come.

Said Wenger of the signing: “”Koscielny is a central defender with great ability who performed extremely well last season for Lorient. We identified him as a very strong centre half, who has made big progress very quickly. He has shown he is mentally strong, he’s a fighter and a very strong competitor. Koscielny is a great addition to our squad.”

Weighing in at roughly 165 pounds, Koscielny does appear to be in need of a good months’ worth of English breakfasts to add some bulk to deal with the likes of a Drogba or Anelka.  Like Vermaelen though, Koscielny has very good positional awareness and speed, is an excellent header of the ball when clearing and sweeps the danger area well as last man.

There’s been plenty of debate around the Arsenal blog universe as to whether Koscielny will step right into a starting role next to Vermaelen, or if he’s to be a rising substitute until he gets his Premiership legs under him.  I think Arsenal will continue to move aggressively this summer on transfers.  I know it’s a bit frustrating for all of us at how quiet Arsenal are publicly about such things, but clearly there will be some more moves and the central defender position could yet see another addition to add experience, especially if Sol Campbell does not return.  With Djourou also in the mix, there will be ample competition to prove who belongs next to The Verminator this season and beyond.

Kit wise, Koscielny will take up the historic #6 shirt.

Here is Koscielny’s official website where you can see some good action fotos and a couple vids.  Unfortunately it’s all in French, so you’ll have to do some Google or babelfish translations if you want to read the full write ups and whatnot.

We’ll have follow-up on this story later today, but for now, go HERE to see the exclusive dot.com fotos.

As we’re all eagerly awaiting the official word on Laurent Koscielny, whether you’re a smiling cookie or a frowny-face about the signing, well…we’re still waiting.  It does appear as if the deal is completed though as Koscielny’s previous side, Lorient, have already snagged a replacement for him and made that official announcement on their website.  Also, according to our very good friends over at Young Guns, Koscielny has even had a bit of a leg stretch with the Arsenal Youth lads.  So, my hunch is we should hear something definitive soon from the dot.com on Mr. Koscielny.

Lastly, you’re probably already aware of this, but do mark the calendar for Arsenal’s opening preseason friendly at Barnet on the 17th.  With Nicklas Bendtner still nursing his hammy, we might see a good bit of new man Marouane Chamakh on the day.

Right.  Nibbly bits out of the way then.

The Netherlands v Uruguay for a trip to the Finals of the 2010 World Cup.  First off, I feel bad for Diego Forlan.  He has singlehandedly carried Uruguay in this tournament and played brilliantly.  Secondly, given the way Uruguay got to the Semis to begin with, and the fact that I am HUP! HUP! for the Netherlands, I’m pleased to see Uruguay go out.  Ex-Arsenal man Gio van Bronckhorst opened the Dutch account on 18 minutes with an absolute rocket from about 25 yards out.  The run of play had stalled somewhat before van Bronckhorst let loose with his left-footed screamer that beat the Uruguayan keeper high to the right corner.  Startling strike, really.  The Oranje had the better of possession and the sharper tests on Uruguay’s net over the first half, but the pesky South Americans were not to be shorn so easily.  Uruguayan Superman Diego Forlan dug into his bag of magical shots once again on 41 minutes and, in almost a replay of the van Bronckhorst goal, let go with a missile from about 25 yards out.  Forlan fired from the top of the box, a left-footed strike that had Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg straining to get a finger on it as it sailed high into the net.

Coming into the second half tied at 1, both sides continued to press their respective attacks.  While the Netherlands’ attack was more prominent, Uruguay kept up the promise of scoring as well.  It was back and forth, with the Dutch having more sustained pressure and Uruguay settling for more one-off chances.  Wesley Sneijder put the Dutch ahead on 70 minutes when he took control of the ball just inside left of the box, made a quick change over to his right foot and slotted home a deflected ball past a diving Fernando Muslera.  There was some question about van Persie being offside or causing interference, but the replay shows he was even with the last man and wasn’t hindering the keeper.  Arjen Robben appeared to put paid to the match just a few minutes later with a tidy header off a volley from Dirk Kuyt.  But yet again, Uruguay would not go quietly into the night.  They launched a spirited response, culminating in a Maximiliano Pereira well placed curler on 90+2 to make it 3-2 at the close.  Uruguay kept fighting for the tying goal, but it would not come.

Netherlands

RVP Again Quiet As Dutch Secure Finals Berth

Call me a conspiracy theorist if you will, but I think something is up in the Dutch locker room.  Something has been agreed to keep the ball away from our man Robin and prevent him from being a productive member of the Oranje attack.  For the second straight match the stat line is woeful: No shots on goal, no shots.  The run of play just doesn’t move through him, he’s rarely been part of the buildup and the wide men aren’t seeking to get him the ball too often.  I could have written this at the beginning of the tournament and used the same paragraph for every match, so consistent has the dearth of opportunity been for van Persie.  Today was no different as the connections again didn’t materialize.  When the Arsenal striker went central, the run of play went wide and Robben was the recipient.  When RVP went wide, Kuyt and Robben looked for Sneijder.  When Robben or Sneijder pushed forward centrally, van Persie was forced farther forward into the box and possession was often kept outside the area.  I’m probably grasping at straws here to explain why my favorite Arsenal player hasn’t produced much as yet, but seriously, I am right at this moment watching today’s match for the 3rd time and it does look like RVP is being frozen out a bit.  My hope is the Dutch have been planning all along to keep van Persie champing at the bit only to unleash him in the Finals. 

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Check out all of Andy’s latest on Football Nomad!  World Cup exclusive commentary, videos and world football culture!  Get stuck in!

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Thoughts?

Have your say on Arsenal’s participation in the World Cup by leaving a comment.

Right.  So, the Quarter Finals have come and gone.  And what a cracking pair of matches we had yesterday!  Germany.  Geez, what can you say?  An absolute annihilation of Argentina.  The Netherlands is my team, but Germany look insanely strong and cohesive.  Tough to find many weaknesses with them at the moment, and you probably wouldn’t go wrong laying a pound or two on them (although the odds have probably dwindled to the point of making a bet not terribly profitable).

Our main interest on the day, of course, was Spain v Paraguay.  This match had it all.  Good goal keeping.  GREAT goal keeping.  Some superlative attacking.  Admirable defending.  Oh, and as usual, some questionable refereeing.  Less than a minute in Paraguay had a decent chance on goal, with the buildup coming after a throw in.  Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets saw tough going against a determined Paraguayan midfield and there was little productive wide play for Spain in the first 20 minutes or so.  Paraguay had an excellent chance to open their account on 21 minutes as, from a free kick, Antolin Alcaraz broke behind the Spanish defenders and nearly got his head on the inward swinging ball.  Alcaraz was unmarked and would surely have tested Iker Casillas had the connection been made.  The closest threat from Spain in the first 25 minutes came when David Villa controlled low in the box and tried to feed a pass across the goal mouth only to see it easily kicked away for a corner.  Paraguay again nearly struck on 35 minutes as the run of play drifted wide left and Claudio Morel let loose with a beautiful cross from about 25 yards out, just missing the streaking Jonathan Santana for a header at the right side of the box.  Paraguay suffered a questionable off sides that would have seen them go 1 up on 40 minutes as Nelson Valdez collected a cross in front of goal and beat Casillas.  Spain were living on borrowed time at the close of the half.

Immediately following the 56th minute arrival of Cesc Fabregas we had the first big turning point of the match with Gerard Pique hauling down Oscar Cardozo in the box for a penalty.  Cardozo took the penalty but was shown a world class stop by Iker Casillas, who not only blocked the shot but kept possession of the ball to rule out any follow-on play.  Less than a minute later and David Villa was brought down at the other end on what should have been a straight red for denying a goal opportunity.  Xabi Alonso successfully took the resultant PK, but the goal was disallowed as a few Spain players had entered the box prior to Alonso making the kick and he had to take it again.  Given a reprieve, Paraguayan keeper Justo Villar was equal to Alonso’s second attempt but should have drawn his own penalty for bringing down Fabregas while trying to control the rebound.  Just an insane 60 odd seconds of football.  The 83rd minute finally saw Spain break through.  Andres Iniesta made a quality run centrally, taking the ball to the top of the box before passing off to Pedro.  Pedro controlled just wide of the penalty spot and lashed one off the far left post which rebounded to a waiting David Villa who put home his own off the post ball for the go ahead goal.  Ricochet football, but it finally went in for the 1-0 lead.  Paraguay were forced into the chase for the last 15 minutes of the match, and there are few sides better at keep-ball than Spain.  Roque Santa Cruz tested Casillas on a rebound and Villa again asked a question of the Paraguayan keeper, but it was mostly 1 touch passing around the pitch to close out the match for Cesc and his mates.

Spain

Cesc Plays Super-sub, Adds Spark For Spain Victory

Finally!  Yes, Cesc was again a second half sub.  But this time he got on the pitch with the match still in question and Spain having something to play for.  The 56th minute saw the Arsenal Captain replace a ghost-like Fernando Torres (no shots, no shots on goal).  I know Torres was recovering from injury going into the World Cup, but he’s been nothing but a passenger while on the pitch thus far.  Surely with Cesc coming on as his sub it might make sense to start Cesc in one of these matches and see what he can do.  He can’t do any less than Torres has done thus far.  Anyway, Spain’s attack had gone somewhat stale prior to Fabregas’ arrival, and it was a joy to see him bring some life to things.  Following the penalty kick waffle on 60 minutes, Cesc did what Cesc does best…drive the attack, bringing the ball right up Route 1 then delivering an in-stride pass wide left to Iniesta who worked into the box and smashed a curler that forced the Paraguayan keeper to defensively parry.  Spain’s ball movement was significantly better with Cesc on the pitch and they seemed to gain confidence in the attack as the match wore on.  The Arsenal Captain was an effective spark for a languishing Spanish attack in this match, and one has to hope this positive display will see him get a start in the Semis on Wednesday.

For example, you might offer up the pinkie toe on your left foot.  Not a major area of concern for most folks.  But for Robin, being left-footed, having a broken pinkie toe on his left foot could mean several weeks out during the season.  Alternatively, you might be a bit more brave and offer your medula oblongata.  Bit of a risk offering that as most people find it useful to go through life with that area of the brain in good form.  But, as a dedicated Gooner / Goonerette, hey…y’know…how abut taking one for the team?  I’m just sayin’.

This all may sound a little silly, but since it’s being reported that RVP suffered an arm injury (suspected fracture) yesterday against Brazil…well…I might not be kidding about this volunteering thing.

Oh, by the way, did you see that ending to the Ghana – Uruguay match?  Absolutely the craziest ending to a match.  Drawn after 90, drawn after extra time, drawn after a missed PK at the death of extra time and finally penalty kicks to find a winner.  Breathtaking stuff!

Our main point of concern though, is with the Netherlands – Brazil match up.  And that was no chump match either.  Brazil, coming in as heavy favorites to win the whole thing, faced a determined Oranje squad who’ve yet to hit peak form in the 2010 World Cup.  For those of you who have been reading these articles since the World Cup began, you’ll recall I’ve mentioned several times that the Netherlands’ back four was suspect, especially central defense.  This was proved a prophetic set of comments as Brazil opened the scoring on what was surely the easiest goal of the tournament.  With both the midfield and defense falling asleep, Robino streaked right through the center of the Dutch team unmarked, collected a pass from a stood at midfield Felipe Melo, broke into the box and fired passed a stunned Maarten Stekelenburg for the opening goal on 10 minutes.  Brazil celebrated, the Dutch stood around pointing fingers at each other.  Not a good start for the Netherlands.  From the off, this was a chippy match with both sides putting in some dodgy challenges (plus a good bit of Ronaldo-esque play acting) and players were hitting the deck with great frequency.  Four yellows to the Netherlands and one to Brazil indicated that these two sides don’t really care for each other.  While possession was fairly even, Brazil had more promising time in the attack during the first half.  Kaka in particular tested the Dutch keeper on 31 minutes with a blistering curler from just outside the box.  The Netherlands finally drew even on 53 minutes.  Felipe Melo’s noggin prevented Brazilian keeper Julio Cesar from parrying a Wesley Sneijder left-footed volley from 25 yards out.  Sneijder’s foot to Melo’s head and into the net.  Simples.  With the sides trading some not so threatening possession back and forth, the Dutch were able to strike again on 68 minutes.  Arjen Robben took a corner kick that was one-touched by Dirk Kuyt and Wesley Sneijder headed in beautifully.  2-1 to the Oranje.  And with the Dutch leading the chippy fouls returned to the match, culminating with Felipe Melo being shown red for stomping on Arjen Robben’s thigh at the 73 minute mark.  Down to 10 men, it was an academic exercise for Brazil as they couldn’t overcome either the man numbers or the numbers on the scoreboard as time wound down.

Netherlands

van Persie In The Background As Dutch Roll On

Statistics don’t lie.  Well, they do, but only if it’s a government flunkie giving them to you.  In Robin van Persie’s case, 3 shots and none on goal pretty much sums up his involvement in the Dutch attack yesterday against Brazil.  Around 56 minutes appears to be the play in which van Persie may have injured himself.  Taking a pass that was adjudged off side, Robin went down hard on his left side while trying to kick the ball back into the area.  It looks like his left forearm buckles as he put his hand out to break the fall and he came up needing the physio.  Despite the injury, Robin soldiered on til 85 minutes when he was subbed for Klaas Jan Huntelaar.  Robin mentioned after the last match that he’s been frustrated by his lack of goals.  But in watching the Dutch attack, it’s just not flowing to or through the Arsenal man.  RVP is often on the periphery of possession, sometimes distributing a pass here and there or getting the odd free kick.  Beyond that though, nary a featuring moment when the Netherlands go forward.  They might be running the same 4-3-3 formation as Arsenal, but it’s definitely NOT the same attack as van Persie isn’t the central focus for either shots on goal or creative play moving through him.  So far my prediction of the Netherlands winning the World Cup is on track.  Lets hope my other prediction of RVP bagging some goals and putting his mark on the international game comes to pass in the semis and finals.

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Check out all of Andy’s latest on Football Nomad!  World Cup exclusive commentary, videos and world football culture!  Get stuck in!

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Thoughts?

Have your say on Arsenal’s participation in the World Cup by leaving a comment.

WHITE SLEEVES!!!!

*jumps up and down* *yells* *pumps fist in the air* *shakes booty*

Ahhh…the 2010-2011 Arsenal Home Kit has finally been revealed.  A bit of a walk down memory lane, with a hint of newfangled “green” technology thrown in.  Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Gooners and Goonerettes, I give you the new Arsenal Home Kit (view all the details on the dot.com here.)…

A little Captain Fab in the new kit…

Shava shushing the Scouse…

The lads…

Spain met Portugal yesterday in an Iberian slug fest.  Well, there wasn’t too much slugging from Portugal, really, as David Villa put them to the sword midway through the second half for the 1-0 Spain win.  I was really hoping for a display of attacking football excellence from this match.  A scintillating visual orgasm of positive football.  Instead we got a rather tepid affair after a promising opening to the match.  Ronaldo was almost nonexistent for Portugal, Spain were content to consume as much time as possible by keeping possession at midfield and looking for the opportune break on occasion and in the end, an Oscar-worthy bit of acting by Capdevila to draw the red card against Portugal’s Ricardo Costa.  Looking at the statistics, Spain should have had this in the bag early, controlling 61% of the possession, out shooting Portugal 19-9 and leading 10-3 in shots on goal.  The lone goal came on 63 minutes by way of some very nice link up play between Xabi Alonso, Iniesta and Xavi at the top of the box, with Xavi having the final touch to David Villa who put home the match winner after his initial shot was thwarted by the Portugal keeper.  Spain now move on to face Paraguay in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

Spain

Cesc Принимает Роль Как Более теплая Скамья

You can stop rubbing your eyes now.  The headline above reads, loosely, “Cesc Assumes Role As Bench Warmer”.  In Russian.  Hey, how many times can I write that Cesc didn’t even get on the pitch and have you not fall asleep?  I have to spice it up somehow!  In any event, yes, Cesc again was surplus to requirements for Spain.  And while I’m sure he’s happy they’re advancing to the quarterfinals, it’s got to be grinding his last gear that he’s played roughly 60 minutes of football so far in this World Cup.  Hardly the marquee performance we all know he’s capable of.

The first foto below is the only proof that we have of Cesc actually being at the match.  Or so I thought.  The second foto clearly shows that Cesc has been tasked with the uber-important role of helping the Spain supporters keep good spirits in the stands.

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Get yourselves over to Football Nomad.  Sharpish!  Andy’s posted his latest video from Durban, and you’ll really want to check it out!

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Thoughts?

Have your say on Arsenal’s participation in the World Cup by leaving a comment.