Arsenal FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 10/11

SlickRic

yeah, Marchetti looked decidedly sh*te at the WC.

ok, he didn't have a watertight defensive unit in front of him, but let's be honest, it doesn't look like Arsenal will either.

on the plus side, at least a rumour exists that Wenger is at least looking to replace THE problem position.

DB10

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

Denilson is faaaaaaaaar better technically than Frimpong and to a lesser extent Eastmond. JET's a forward or an AM at least so he doesn't make a difference.

All three need to go on loan. JET looks the closest to being 1st team worthy but if Wilshere can't get near the team then he hasn't a prayer. Nordtveit might be a useful backup option for right back and holding midfield though. Good technical ability and physically he's OK.

What are you basing this on?

Denilson is average technically. Anyway, technique is just one minor part of football. No point having all this so called technique, if your easily knocked around and have a shocking work rate.

For me he has had 2 full seasons in the first team and failed miserably, should be out the door.

DB10

Latest from John Cross

#Arsenal go for Germany World Cup defender Mertesecker: http://bit.ly/bRgpIm Ideally 2 defenders wanted. Was told no-go on Marchetti

No chance of two defenders IMO, even though they are badly needed.

Campbell officially gone to the Geordies. 2 fit CB's, reserve CB's non existent.

Can't rememeber the last time our hyped Academy produced any sort of first team CB.

AnCapaillMor

Yeah CB's have been a bit of disaster with the youths, senderos, tavilridis, there was hype about connolly nothing came of it, same with hoyte.

_Bella_

Hmm anyone fancy giving Gallas another year?

Max Power1

_Bella_ wrote: »

Hmm anyone fancy giving Gallas another year?

No.

If he goes it will force wengers hand and we may bring in a top CB, even 2.

Frisbee

And so it begins....

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/wenger-bendtner-will-miss-start-of-season

Nicklas Bendtner will miss the start of the Premier League season, according to Arsène Wenger.

There is better news regarding Denilson and Abou Diaby, who should both be fit for the Legia Warsaw game on August 7. However, Wenger is concerned that Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie may not be ready in time for the new campaign.

"Bendtner will not be available for the start of the season," said the manager after Tuesday's win in Neusiedl. "We don't know [how bad it is].

"Denilson should be [fit] - maybe not for the Emirates Cup but for the Warsaw game and Diaby as well.

"Fabregas and Van Persie are due to come back on August 5 and from then on we will see how much build-up work is needed physically and as well how they have recovered mentally from the World Cup."

"They might be short for the first game [of the season] but I don't know, that will depend on the fitness work they have done during the holiday."

It's gonna be awkward missing Fabregas and van Persie for the first game of the season, although hopefully Pool will be missing Torres too...

greendom

_Bella_ wrote: »

Hmm anyone fancy giving Gallas another year?

I'd be delighted to get 1 more year from Gallas. He's getting on but he'd formed a good partnership with Vermaelen. Gives the new boy a chance to settle in to the Premier League rather than throwing him in the deep end.

L'prof

Evil_Clown wrote: »

The Telegraph are running the Marchetti story now saying we are preparing a 5.5m bid

McLink

Not good. I definitely haven't seen enough of the lad, but he didn't look like much of an improvement on what we already have at all!

Max Power1

Frisbee wrote: »

It's gonna be awkward missing Fabregas and van Persie for the first game of the season, although hopefully Pool will be missing Torres too...

Jesus, we are snookered already! We havent even kicked off the season and already the injuries are starting!

DB10

Missing RVP, Fabregas and Bendtner for the game at Anfield....:eek:

I think there could be a shock on the cards there, dread to think of the mood around the club if we lose our first game tbh.

Royale with Cheese

As long as Arshavin is fit for Anfield then it'll be grand.

_Bella_

Please let Fabregas and RVP be able to play!

We cannot afford to lose the first match with Man City and Spurs looking good.

lord lucan

Royale with Cheese wrote: »

As long as Arshavin is fit for Anfield then it'll be grand.

You've just jinxed him! He'll probably fall over a water bottle at the grove this weekend and be out for 6 months!:pac:

whatawaster

DB10 wrote: »

Missing RVP, Fabregas and Bendtner for the game at Anfield....:eek:

I think there could be a shock on the cards there, dread to think of the mood around the club if we lose our first game tbh.

Liverpool beating Arsenal at home is not a shock

http://www.oddschecker.com/football/english/premier-league/liverpool-v-arsenal

Pepe LeFrits

DB10 wrote: »

What are you basing this on?

Denilson is average technically. Anyway, technique is just one minor part of football. No point having all this so called technique, if your easily knocked around and have a shocking work rate.

For me he has had 2 full seasons in the first team and failed miserably, should be out the door.

Shocking work rate my eye. Denilson is one of the hardest workers in the team. He's like Gilberto before him in that he covers ground pro-actively rather than reactively and tends to be in the right place, rather than a lot of 'ball winners' who are in the wrong place but then look good determinedly charging into the right place. Denilson isn't flashy but he's one of the better pass and move players in the team, better than Frimpong, Diaby and others at least, and Wenger likes him because he balances both attacking and defensive duties well. You're right that technique isn't the be-all and end-all, but it's damn important. Positional discipline is also damn important, and it's criminally underrated. Inter - Barca in the last CL was a master-class of it.

Barca CL 2nd leg:

Distance Covered

Xavi: 12.56 km
Dani Alves: 11.76 km
Sergio Busquets: 11.72 km
Seydou Keita: 10.73 km
Arsenal’s best – Denilson: 12.26 km

2008/9 Denilson (3,074 minutes)

Tackles won (includes aerial): 148 (average 4 per game)
Tackles lost: 81 (average 2 per game)
Pass interceptions: 146 (average 4 per game)
Accurate passes: 2,009 (average 59 per game)
Bad passes: 238 (average 7 per game)
Assists: 7
Goals: 3

2007/8 Flamini (2,665 minutes)

Tackles won: 102 (average 3.4 per game)
Tackles lost: 56 (average 1.9 per game)
Pass interceptions: 57 (average 1.9 per game)
Accurate passes: 1,321 (average 44.6 per game)
Bad passes: 100 (average 3.4 per game)
Assists 2
Goals 1

yahoo_moe

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

Shocking work rate my eye.

Don't waste your time. We've made the Denilson argument before, backed up with stats, and DB10 just buggers off without responding. No doubt he'll pop up in a few weeks having ignored it all again and just say that "Denilson is crap. Can't believe he wasn't sold."

Pepe LeFrits

I dunno if it's been mentioned already but Arsenal.com has confirmed Campbell is gone. Oh well, good luck Sol.

... also Djourou is expected to be fit for the Emirates Cup this weekend, and Rosicky missed the Neusiedl game purely as a precaution and should be fine too.

Pepe LeFrits

SlickRic wrote: »

yeah, Marchetti looked decidedly sh*te at the WC.

ok, he didn't have a watertight defensive unit in front of him, but let's be honest, it doesn't look like Arsenal will either.

on the plus side, at least a rumour exists that Wenger is at least looking to replace THE problem position.

There are plenty of rumours at the moment to be fair, Marchetti, Stekelenburg, Akinfeev and Schwarzer in goal, Jagielka, Mertesacker, Diakhate at the back and then Giovinco as the obligatory annual attacking-midfield-midget bargain...

Galvasean

Farewell Sol man. Your going in my Premier League Dream Team.

Quazzie

If we lose against Liverpool in our first game the emphasis has to be on consolidation and securing our safety from relegation. :eek:

Arsenal1986

Quazzie wrote: »

If we lose against Liverpool in our first game the emphasis has to be on consolidation and securing our safety from relegation. :eek:

Haha have ppl forgotten us beating them at Anfield ilast season was the first time we'd beaten em there in the league in years, 06-07 we got battered 4-1, 07-08 we scored a last minute equaliser to make it 1-1, 08-09 4-4!

Arsenal1986

Anyone know anything about Mertesacker apart from the WC? I thought he looked very good at that but Hansen was always saying on MOTD that he was dodgy.

keano_afc

He's a big lad, but I've seen tractors turn quicker than him. The pace of the Premier League could really catch him out.

SlickRic

lord lucan wrote: »

You've just jinxed him! He'll probably fall over a water bottle at the grove this weekend and be out for 6 months!:pac:

he won't.

he turns into the bionic man for this fixture.

you could play the u-16s + Arshavin, and you'll still get a result.

as a Pool fan, i have no confidence in that first game. and it's for one reason and one reason alone...

yahoo_moe

SlickRic wrote: »

as a Pool fan, i have no confidence in that first game. and it's for one reason and one reason alone...

On a good day, that's four reasons

j14

Why is our kit €60 - €65 this season? Liverpool and United are €50 at most. Just seems strange.

L'prof

j14 wrote: »

Why is our kit €60 - €65 this season? Liverpool and United are €50 at most. Just seems strange.

Is it? Are they? Haven't looked this season. Try Elvery's.

Galvasean

It was 50-55 last year...

Pepe LeFrits

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

I dunno if it's been mentioned already but Arsenal.com has confirmed Campbell is gone. Oh well, good luck Sol.

... also Djourou is expected to be fit for the Emirates Cup this weekend, and Rosicky missed the Neusiedl game purely as a precaution and should be fine too.

What a crock that Djourou is. Seriously they nearly want to see is his WAG battering him at home these times he is so vulnerable to injury. Always bloody injured. :mad:

j14

Galvasean wrote: »

It was 50-55 last year...

I know but JJB always did the jersey for €44 + €10 for any name and number. So €54 printed. This year it'll be closer to €75. Bit of an increase in 12 months. Considering the World Cup jerseys by Nike (with the same "plastic bottle" technology) were €50, they have slapped an extra €10 - €15 on the Premiership shirts.

Jesus, that was ranty!!!

_Bella_

Cant see us spending that much on a defender:

Serdar Tasci’s agent has hinted that Arsenal could be a possible destination for the Stuttgart defender.

The Gunners have reportedly been in discussions with the Germany international’s club but have yet to make an official offer for the defender.

Tasci, who is believed to have an £18.5 million buy-out clause in his contract, has been linked with a move away from Stuttgart over the last few weeks, with Serie A giants Juventus and Arsenal's arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur believed to be interested in him.

The 23-year-old’s agent, Uli Ferber, has confirmed that his client would welcome a move to the Emirates.

He said in The Sun: "Serdar admires English football and has huge respect for Arsenal."

Despite the signing of Laurent Koscielny this summer, Arsenal are on the lookout for another central defender. William Gallas, Sol Campbell, Philippe Senderos and Mikael Silvestre have all left the club on free transfers which means the Gunners have just three first team centre-backs on their books - Koscielny, Thomas Vermaelen and Johan Djourou

Frisbee

To get the new jersey or not?

This is tough...

keano_afc

Frisbee wrote: »

To get the new jersey or not?

This is tough...

I have the 70's retro top. I was considering scrawling Fly Emirates across the front of it and sewing the new badge over the canon. They're that similar.

Seriously though, I wouldnt pay over €60 for it. Somewhere like soccer triads might be worth a shout.

Frisbee

keano_afc wrote: »

Seriously though, I wouldnt pay over €60 for it. Somewhere like soccer triads might be worth a shout.

Haha, no way I'd pay 70 for it, I'll be paying sub 20 from soccertriads if I do decide to get it. Only thing is soccer triads jerseys tend to be a little bigger than you would get in the shops.

shano_88

No way will i be paying 70e for the new jersey. Dont think i would have bothered to get it if it was 55e tbh.

_Bella_

We've been linked quite alot to Sebastian Giovinco. Would rather sign a goalkeeper/central defender though

keano_afc

Frisbee wrote: »

Haha, no way I'd pay 70 for it, I'll be paying sub 20 from soccertriads if I do decide to get it. Only thing is soccer triads jerseys tend to be a little bigger than you would get in the shops.

Thats a good point for me, I'm built for comfort not speed

yahoo_moe

_Bella_ wrote: »

Cant see us spending that much on a defender:

The buy-out clause mightn't have to be hit though - it's a legal requirement in Spain, I know, so I'm guessing it's the same in Germany. That's not necessarily his market value - sure Barca set everyone's buy-out clause to €60m+ (and plenty more for Xavi, Iniesta and Messi).

Assuming we're still looking for another defender, I'd expect it to be in about the Vermaelen/Koscielny price range. It might be a bit lower for an older player but signing a 30+ defender on a one-year deal now would seem like it's just rolling the problem over till next year.

Frisbee

keano_afc wrote: »

Thats a good point for me, I'm built for comfort not speed

The jerseys from two seasons ago the small fit me perfectly. Always wore it for training so it was never too baggy and easily grabbable which was a plus

Galvasean

Speaking of jerseys, I never picked up last seasons white one. Is it going cheap anywhere?

x PyRo

Thought this was an excellent video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzb9AkwNDdc

yahoo_moe

Frisbee wrote: »

The jerseys from two seasons ago the small fit me perfectly.

I got the yellow away from 2 years ago in XL Boys! And half price too :cool:

Actually I was in Elvery's earlier - for anyone who's wondering, the home is €54 and the away is €48.

OPENROAD

yahoo_moe wrote: »

I got the yellow away from 2 years ago in XL Boys! And half price too :cool:

Actually I was in Elvery's earlier - for anyone who's wondering, the home is €54 and the away is €48.

The new home?

yahoo_moe

OPENROAD wrote: »

The new home?

Yup, was reduced by a few quid to €54 I'm pretty sure.

_Bella_

Cheers Puyol, I'd lost track of whos turn it was:

Carles Puyol has hit out at Arsenal for not allowing Cesc Fabregas to join Barcelona this summer.

Over the last few years Fabregas has persistently been linked with a move back to the club where he began his career, but Barca's public interest in the World Cup winner has stepped up dramatically since the end of last season.

Puyol, the Arsenal captain’s international team-mate, sees no logic behind the Gunners keeping him at the club if he wants to leave.

"He is having to stay at a club where he no longer wants to be for another year," he said in The Sun.

"I wonder how intelligent it is keeping a player who doesn't want to be there.

"After seven years of great service, I thought Arsenal could have granted him his dream move."

Fabregas has made his intentions clear that he wants to return to Barcelona one day, and Puyol says he should be granted a move to the Catalans this summer because of his performances for Arsenal over his seven years at the club.

"Cesc has given everything to Arsenal to try to win a trophy but they haven't matched his expectations," added Puyol.

"I won't say he is in a prison, as we know how privileged we are as football players.

"But after how clear Cesc made it that he wanted to be in Barcelona, I thought they would have granted him that."

L'prof

Frisbee wrote: »

The jerseys from two seasons ago the small fit me perfectly.

yahoo_moe wrote: »

I got the yellow away from 2 years ago in XL Boys!

What's this??? Nobody cares how frail ye are

Galvasean

Carles Puyol wrote:

"But after how clear Cesc made it that he wanted to be in Barcelona, I thought they would have granted him that."

Do the Barcelona players not seem to realise that clubs can't just let their star players go if they want to leave? I'm sure if Barcelona had offered a realistic amount of money Arsenal may well have sold him this season.

SlickRic

wow, those Barca lads don't give up.

he's staying another year; i honestly think you've nothing to worry about on that front.

Wenger's relationship with Cesc is good enough to get another year out of him at least IMO.

if Barca offered proper money, it might be another story, but since that doesn't seem to be an issue, i think he'll be around another season.

Galvasean

I'm gonna miss both of Arsenal's Emirates Cup games. So if anyone wants to send me the highlights that'd be mucho apprecienté.

Pity as I have yet to see Arsenal play on my masseef purchased just in time for the World Cup TV.