GroundHog day strikes again [For Arsenal fans, anyway...]

There's a famous exchange in the 1993 mega blockbuster hit "Groundhog Day" in which Phil the weatherman asks Ralph, the camera guy, " You wanna throw up here, or you wanna throw up in the car?" Ralph responds by uttering : "I think... both."

If it isn't obvious enough by the cheap historical reference, that's how I, and millions of other Arsenal fans feel about the proposed, and apparently imminent, sale of Kolo Toure [current Arsenal Vice Caption] to Manchester City. If it's not for the genius of selling two of our best/better players to a potential top 4 rival, it's the sheer brilliance of bringing in only one player [thus far], or maybe the stubbornness to not match Fiorentina's asking price for a position that has been left unfilled for more than 4 years. And if that doesn't rock an Arsenal fan's boat, it's the cockiness to say [after selling one of your best center forwards], "We are in no rush to find a replacement".

Nah, nevermind the fact that Manchester United replaced Ronaldo and Tevez, nevermind the fact that Liverpoool have added a quality right back and [thus far] held onto their best players... ignore the fact that Chelsea were able to withstand City's flirtations with John Terry.... throw all that out the window, because we have Mikael Silvestre, Phillipe Senderos... and last but not least... Niklas Bendtner remaining at the club! Phew, I feel miles better now... =)

Beyond the extreme sarcasm lies a cataclysm that every Gooner worldwide is bearing witness to. Arsenal are slowly but surely withering away from the dizzy heights of English football's top tier. Last season's start was a disaster, a complete and utter disaster. A long unbeaten run against the lesser sides followed - but against England's heavyweights Arsenal fell miles short. This summer is taking an alarming parrarel pattern to that of last summer. Little quality in, high quality/experience out. The result was embarrassments at home to Hull and away at Stoke, and a super-human self capitulation against Tottenham; who at the time, were bottom of the league.

Wenger will argue that the money was too good to turn down, and Arsenal cannot possibly compete with Manchester City's finances. The latter is probably true, but it hurts to witness Chelsea's determination to hang onto their best central defender. Likewise Sir Alex Ferguson's swift moves to replace Ronaldo and Tevez. Some may argue that the sale of Adebayor is a blessing in disguise... ---> only if you replace the player. If Arsenal don't find a replacement by 12:01am September 1st 2009 then then selling the Togolese forward will have been a disaster. Eduardo's fitness cannot be trusted, Bendtner has a love, but mostly hate relationship with the fans, and Van Persie a) needs physical support, and b) is extremely injury prone. Less strikers means less rotation, which equals more time on the sidelines for Robin.

It's been said many a time. The outlook for this season appears bleak. @ best. And for those who think Arsenal will be signing world class replacements... forget it. The reason both players were sold is because the club is anxious to pay off the stadium debt with internal, not external funds. I thought billionaires at football clubs were good for one thing and one thing alone. At Arsenal we have two, and Arsenal FC has a different idea about external investment. Any potential replacements are most probably going to be young, inexperienced, and cheap. Want some tangible proof? Vieira... not replaced. Henry... not replaced. Campbell... not replaced. Toure/Adebayor... you get my drift.

At least in that movie Phil the Weatherman has a happy ending. I highly doubt the same fate awaits Arsenal. Groundhog day continues away to Everton on August 15th. Arsenal FC, enduring the season from hell... over and over again!

Ronaldo move is an example of player power, not a Ferguson master-stroke

Those who suggest that Sir Alex Ferguson has pulled off another managerial piece of brilliance by selling Cristiano Ronaldo at "the right time" by comparing the previous sales of David Beckham, Roy Keane, and Paul Ince are wrong. Yes, it is true that Ronaldo's heart was no longer in Manchester, but the harsh reality is that Man Utd have lost [arguably] the greatest player in the club's history at the age of 24.

What the Ronaldo move represents is the masochistic grip that players have on their future, compared with 10, or 15 years ago. Ronaldo signed a new 5 year deal in 2007 with Man Utd, yet just two years later, has manipulated the media intriguingly [on both sides of the aisle] in order to gain his wish of a move to Madrid. 10 years ago, such a feat would have been nigh on impossible.

Losing the current Ballon D'or and FIFA World Player of the Year is nowhere to be found in the Fergie managerial manual

But, given the lack of loyalty shown in football today, and the gigantic television revenues and media scrutiny, Ronaldo was able to cleverly pull the wool over the eyes of Manchester United supporters whilst in the presence of Sir Alex Ferguson, nonetheless, the minute he left base camp and jetted off to the other side of the world - his tone and speech changed to favor a move across the channel - to Madrid.

Whether he was coached to do this by his numerous advisers and representatives; we don't know, but one thing is for certain. Sir Alex Ferguson did not want this deal to take place. Not for 80 million, not for 200 million. Losing the current Ballon D'or and FIFA World Player of the Year is nowhere to be found in the Fergie managerial manual.

Ronaldo's departure is very, very different; few would dare to suggest that Man Utd, minus Ronaldo, would have won those trophies with the relative ease and canter at which they did

And those who compare this move favorably, akin to the previous departures of other United legends like Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Roy Keane, Bryan Robson, Paul Ince, Dwight Yorke - and most importantly - David Beckham, are being foolhardy at best, and at worst, purely delusional. Each of those previous sales was engineered by Sir Alex himself. All players who were past their peak in their late 20s or early 30s, all of whom had become an unwanted piece of furniture in the United mansion marshaled by Ferguson. And most importantly, in Beckham and Dwight Yorke's case(s) - a poisonous celebrity lifestyle had merely hastened their departures and/or given Ferguson that much more joy in ushering their over-inflated egos towards the exit door at Old Trafford.

What Ferguson did last summer [persuading Ronaldo to "stay"] was unprecedented, he will most likely not repeat the feat for any other player

But the Ronaldo departure is very, very different. In the past two seasons, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored a whopping 68 goals, contributed 17 assists, and helped United to win the Premier League (twice), the League Cup, the Champions League, and the World Club Championship. But statistics can be fickle [think of Arsene Wenger attempting to use the Goals Scored column to try and suggest Arsenal are nearly as good as Manchester United], in truth, Ronaldo's contribution to United is much like Carlos Tevez's efforts for West Ham in the 2006-2007 season in which his goals saved them. Ronaldo's goals have had the same effect for Manchester United. OK I do concede, in both cases, it would be false to suggest that West Ham and Manchester United were/are "one man team(s)", but nobody in their right mind could say that West Ham, minus Tevez, would have stayed up that year. Likewise, few would dare to suggest that Man Utd, minus Ronaldo, would have won those trophies with the relative ease and canter at which they did.

Let me just say I am by no means criticizing Sir Alex one iota. Quite the opposite, he was backed into a corner by both his player and the club desperate to sign him - due to the far reaching player power that exists today, Sir Alex had no choice but to cash in. Had Fergie repeated his fatherhood acts of last season and begged for Ronaldo to stay on for one more season, the price would have dropped dramatically. Then, wait another year, and you risk the possibility of Ronaldo "buying out" the remainder of his contract and then you lose him for absolutely nothing. More importantly, a saga this summer like last would have severely diminished Ferguson's and Man Utd's reputation. Why the hell do you have to convince someone to stay at Man Utd? What Ferguson did last summer was unprecedented, he will most likely not repeat the feat for any other player. But a man like Sir Alex is very rarely taken for a ride, and if he is, you can bet your life he won't make the same mistake twice. Old dogs like Sir Alex aren't very good at learning new tricks.

Like a Knife Through Butter, Chelsea casually slice Arsenal to shreds

When Arsenal won 2-1 at Stanford Bridge in November, earlier in the season, it was seen as a turning point for a side that had just been walloped 3-0 by Manchester City. Today, we were shown it was little less than a false dawn.

He didn't get on the score-sheet today, but Didier Drogba took Arsenal to pieces. Winning and subsequently providing the free kick for Alex to open the scoring, and from there on in proving to act like a menacing wasp to Arsenal's central defensive pairing of Mikaël Silvestre and Kolo Toure.

This isn't the first time, nor probably the last, that Drogba has acted as the fox in Arsenal's Hen House - 8 goals in his previous 9 games against the Gunners will have put many punters to place a bet on him scoring today, the gamblers will have been disappointed, but once again - as ever - the Chelsea fans delighted and the Arsenal fans left in misery.


" You would think that, with Arsenal having two of his International compatriots in defensive positions, Emanuel Eboue and Kolo Toure, Arsenal should be one of the select few teams coping with Didier Drogba... not so"

Say what you want about Drogba, true his antics post Barcelona were disgraceful, on his day, he is a magnificent player. You would think that, with Arsenal having two of his International compatriots in defensive positions, Emanuel Eboue and Kolo Toure, Arsenal should be one of the select few teams coping with Didier Drogba... not so. Should Wenger ask his Vice-captain Toure for some advice on stopping Chelsea's striker? It wouldn't do any harm because whoever is coaching the defence against his threat doesn't understand how to stop him.

"Paralyzed at the spine..."

Indeed, maybe Arsene should dial up Sir Alex and ask him for some advice; Drogba has never scored a goal against Manchester United, and with Ferdinand and Vidic at the heart of Utd's rigid defence you can see why. One of the Reasons Manchester United have been so strong this season has been the strength in the spine of their team with Vidic destroying any danger and Carrick working tirelessly in midfield. Arsenal's spine, meanwhile, which now includes the likes of Song, Nasri, and Fabiankski, seems paralyzed.

"Another barren season..."

Outclassed when it mattered against the big four in the critical run in of the season for the 4th season running, Wenger has some serious thinking to do this summer. A 21 game unbeaten run and two semi-finals have salvaged something out of, what was looking to be otherwise, a horrifying season. Such a collapse will surely be deemed unacceptable next term, and with the crowd starting to turn on players like Adebayor and Diaby, the knives will soon start to sway in the direction of Arsene, who, despite another barren season - sees little to no need to bolster the ranks this summer.

No matter, the Arsenal ladies win the league every year. Maybe we should let them play inside the Emirates instead of the 22 year old "babies".

(P.S. I thought this was interesting. According to Dictionary.com, the definition of a false dawn is:

"Something prosming that comes to nothing."

Doesn't that just about sum up the Arsenal?)

Picking up whatever pieces are left will not be an easy feat for Wenger and Arsenal

Arsene Wenger has long said that buying big expensive footballers do not guarantee you trophies. He did not say it, but at the time, he was probably referring to expensive flops like Juan Sebastien Veron, Andriy Schevchenko, and possibly even Sergie Rebrov. After last night, I agree with the Arsenal manager - buying expensive players does not guarantee you success; buying good players, on the other hand, does - and sadly they normally command higher transfer fees.

That conundrum was in plain view last night. One need only look at the United bench; compare it to Wenger's fledglings. Arsenal : Fabianski, Silvestre, Diaby, Denilson, Eboue, Vela, Bendtner. Man Utd : Kuszczak, Evans, Scholes, Tevez, Rafael Da Silva, Berbatov, Giggs.

Such is the stark contrast that many on the Manchester United bench would slot straight into Arsenal's first 11, and the vast majority on the Arsenal bench would not get anywhere near the matchday squad of 16 of Man Utd.

But where, when, and how did Arsenal's disintegration begin? Many experts believe that the inevitable but hastened break up of the "invincibles" is the focal point, and I agree. If you look at the investment Ferguson has put into his side since the Beckham, Keane, and Van Nistelrooy era, versus the lame, sheepish amount spent by Wenger in the wake of the collapse of the invincibles squad, the contrast is staggering. Arsenal's biggest purchase post 2004 is Samir Nasri, for a meager 15 million pounds. Just last year, having won the league and European cup double, Ferguson saw fit to spend 30 million pounds on a striker who does not play every week. There in lies the biggest difference between the two sides.

But money isn't everything. Ferguson's side were much hungrier than Wenger's Arsnal over the two legs. I also think this is a reflection of the strength of Sir Alex's regime and his own personal character. Contrast the way Ferguson handled the Ronaldo situation and the way Wenger handled the Adebayor saga. Ferguson stood firm, came out to the media from a position of strength and authority. Wenger, meanwhile, continued to dodge questions about the Togolese forward and side-stepped the issue. Look at the difference between the two players over the course of the season, Adebayor has looked a shadow of his former self last season, while Ronaldo just goes from strength to strength and his virtuoso performance last night proved why he is currently, along with Lionel Messi, the best footballer in the world.

What annoys me more about Wenger's approach and philosophy is the fact that he is exempt from the same criticism that the likes of Rafa Benitez and Sir Alex come under when their teams don't perform well. Everyone says : "Oh, look at the average age of the side, they're still young" - but how long can that excuse fly? Up until last night, I used to think that the traditional argument about Arsenal not winning a trophy was flawed and that the real critique should focus on Arsenal's league position. In the last 3 seasons, (2005-2006, 2006-2007, and 2007-2008) Arsenal have finished an average 16 points behind the league leaders. This really tells a story, nonetheless, last night demonstrated that even in cup competitions - when we have nothing to go for with regards to the league - Man Utd can still beat Arsenal, at a canter. That is embarrassing, but it's an all too familiar story. In 2006 Barcelona were league champions in Spain, and they still defeated us in the final. In 2007 Chelsea were going for a quadruple - yet they triumphed in Cardiff. And last season, Chelsea and Man Utd both finished above us in the league, despite their Champions League exploits.

Those two crucial facts combined, our inability to consistently challenge in the league, and our frequent collapse in big cup competitions at the moment of truth, really sum up the numerous problems at Arsenal. The scary thing is, that even if Arsene were to invest heavily in the summer, let's say 40 million here and there, we still wouldn't be able to catch Man Utd. Ferguson has invested season after season at United, always thinking a step ahead. The cold truth is that, as Oliver Holt pointed in the post-match press conference last night, the gap between Arsenal and Man Utd is getting wider... and unless something drastic happens, the gap will widen further until the two teams will be totally unrecognizable from their previous rivalries.

Arsenal vs Man Utd (tactical analysis : Key match ups)

Rio Ferdinand vs Emmanuel Adebayor :

Ferdinand is one of Utd's best defenders, but Adebayor will look to drop deep and pull Ferdinand out of position so the likes of Fabregas, Nasri, and Walcott can get into advanced positions. Arsenal are most likely to start with Adebayor as a lone striker, so expect Vidic and Ferdinand to share the job of marking him.


Kolo Toure vs Wayne Rooney :

Like Adebayor, Rooney will drop deep into positions defined as "the hole" and look to involve the likes of Ronaldo, Scholes, and Giggs in the attacking third. On Saturday, Rooney was deadly when he went wide left, delivering pinpoint crosses to Ronaldo and Berbatov - so Toure will most likely only mark Rooney where and when he enters the central defensive positions in the middle of the 18 yard box. Rooney has caused Arsenal multiple problems in the past because of his movement and ability to find space in and around the box - Toure will have to marshal Rooney to perfection in order to stop this happening again on Wednesday.


Carrick vs Fabregas :

I fully expect Sir Alex to play Michael Carrick and order him to pick up Fabregas when he is in advanced positions. Carrick is a wonderful player - a truly unsung hero in Utd's season - he deserved a PFA nomination. The problem Carrick and Man Utd have is that Fabregas loves to drop deep - just in front of his own back four - and play long balls to Arsenal's attacking players. But if Fabregas plays an advanced role - as he did against Middlesbrough on Sunday to good effect - I think Ferguson will instruct Carrick to pick him up.


Ronaldo vs. Kieran Gibbs /Bacary Sagna:

Ferguson will most likely deploy Ronaldo on the right and tell him to attack Gibbs - who has little first team experience. Ronaldo will probably look to receive the ball from deep positions on the right; with the intention of drawing Gibbs out of position and gaining an advantage this way. Ronaldo could also overlap with Rafael Da Silva - exploiting Gibbs' inexperience about which one to pick up when they are both attacking the right flank. Ronaldo will also swap flanks and will attack Sagna - but he'll get more joy attacking Gibbs.


Theo Walcott vs Patrice Evra:

Evra is arguably the best left back in the league but on Saturday he was caught hopelessly out of position for Tottenham's second goal. I think Wenger will tell Walcott to cut inside as much as possible and try and burst beyond the two Man Utd central defenders. On the counter attack, Ferguson will be wary because of Walcott's pace - look at what he did to liverpool in last season's quarter final. Given this, I think Evra will sit deep and not allow Walcott any joy, but I think Walcott will look to burst through the middle rather than just staying wide right.

Comment: With David Beckham, it's always been about the money

David Beckham was preaching this week that his move to A.C. Milan was about "football", not about money. Yes, David, that's because you have more money than most people can dream of. With an estimated fortune of over 125 million pounds, and L.A. Galaxy demanding 10 million pounds for the transfer, the fact that it's taken you this long to seal the move (on the penultimate day of the transfer deadline) is very suspect, considering you say that football is your motive and not money.

If that were the case David, this transfer could have been completed in a matter of hours. As it is, the transfer itself has not been entirley completed; you're only staying in Milan till the end of the season on loan and are due to re-join L.A. Galaxy in July of this year. To coin a phrase, I think you're "bending the truth like Beckham".

Furthermore, you never would have moved to L.A. Galaxy in the first place [had your motives been football, not money]. You easily could have forfeited that multi-million dollar contract and joined a host of top European clubs eager to sign you, not so much for your footballing ability(s), but for your commercial and marketing power/revenue. You joined L.A. Galaxy for two reasons :

(1) Finances

(2) An escape from English and European football - you had recently been axed from the England squad, remember?


Nobody doubts your commitment to playing football for club or country, David, but people are highly skeptical of the motives when you claim immunity from financial greed and fail to cough up a meager drop in the water to seal your so-called "dream move".

No, the truth, David, is that you're a money-grabbing attention seeker. Disguising that as your real motive is only a lie to yourself, and to your numerous drones of fans who follow you like blind, helpless sheep.

Going unbeaten for a season was the best, and worst thing that happened to Arsenal.

There was an interesting study done recently at the university in Edinburgh, claiming that watching Romantic comedies can "ruin your love life" because they create unrealistic expectations. At first when I read it, I laughed, but then thought about the concept - and I put the likes of Love Actually, Sleepless in Seattle, and You've Got Mail to the proverbial "real-life exam" and deducted that, in actual fact, the study made a lot of sense. How often do you meet the love of your life via an AOL-email, how often do you fly thousands of miles across the Atlantic to Milwaukee of all places and come back home with two beautiful women. The answer of course is rhetorical; it doesn't happen, and if it does, it's a pure fluke, a one off, the stuff dreams are made of. That, in my view, is what's wrong at Arsenal. The barrier for success has been set at such high standards that, whenever Arsenal lose in the Premier League, it is considered an absolute travesty.

The media have slated Arsene Wenger for a wide variety of aspects this season. Team selection, lack of activity in the transfer market, selecting a fit and proper captain - among others. But for me, the biggest elephant in the room this season occurred when, days after Arsenal's early season 3-1 win at Bolton, it was revealed that Arsene Wenger had sent out a team letter to the entire squad detailing the following:

Confidential
Team meeting 19th September 2008

The Team:
A team is as strong as the relationships within it.

The driving force of a team is its member's ability to create and maintain excellent relationships within the team that can add an extra dimension and robustness to the team dynamic.

This attitude can be used by our team to focus on the gratitude and the vitally important benefits that the team brings to our own lives. It can be used to strengthen and deepen the relationships within it and maximize the opportunities that await a strong and united team.

Our team becomes stronger by:

Displaying a positive attitude on and of f the pitch

Everyone making the right decisions for the team

Have an unshakeable belief that we can achieve our target

Believe in the strength of the team

Always want more - always give more

Focus on our communication

Be demanding with yourself

Be fresh and well prepared to win

Focus on being mentally stronger and always keep going to the end

When we play away from home, believe in our identity and play the football we love to play at home

Stick together

Stay grounded and humble as a player and as a person

Show the desire to win in all that you do

Enjoy and contribute to all that is special about being in a team - don't take it for granted.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sound familiar? You could be forgiven for thinking it was the base of a script for a romantic flick involving George Clooney and Julia Roberts. This, in my opinion, is the problem at Arsenal - and with Arsene Wenger. He persistently demands unrealistic expectations. These players are young, this sort of psychological mumbo-jumbo isn't what the younger players need. Sure, a helping hand and a father-like figure to look on to is helpful, but going as deep as this note does, well, it seems too far down the rabbit hole for my liking. Can you imagine Sir Alex Ferguson employing a similar tactic? Not a chance. Coincidentally, the team deservedly beat Bolton to go top of the league. However, as I stated, news about the note was leaked to the media in the days after the game. Wenger was forced to field some embarrassing questions about the note. He, as per usual, went on a self-proclaimed rant against the "moral ethics of society" and further stated that he was "proud" of the note... but the perplexity of some of the messages within it made me wonder.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, Arsenal threw away a 1-0 advantage to Hull, losing the game in the process, and surrendering their position at the top of the Premier League. Worse was to follow, letting a 4-2 lead slip against Tottenham, shocking defeats to Man City and Stoke, and the William Gallas fracas somewhat deflected the shameful performances of the team - but further brought to light the emotional instability inside the ranks at Arsenal. To bring my point back to what I said at the beginning, I believe Wenger is living in the past. When he is questioned about his methods in press-conferences, he states that he strives for perfection at the start of the season - and reminds the media frequently of the "unbeaten season". And that's one, of many, of Arsenal major problems. Had Arsenal lost 2 or 3 games that season, and still won the league, there wouldn't be this barrier at unprecedented, Mount Everest-like heights. It would have been another league winning season.

Ironically, Mourinho's first title included a near-perfect season. A record points total, record number of clean sheets, etc... but one blemish; a solitary defeat away to Manchester City. When Wenger was asked to comment about Chelsea's unbridled success that year, Wenger cheekily pointed out that his side had gone unbeaten, and there is "a big difference" between winning the league and going unbeaten. In the following years, Chelsea won trophy after trophy - and Arsenal have won next to nothing; including an embarrassing 2-1 defeat to Chelsea in the league cup final in 2007. In conclusion, if Arsene Wenger wishes to make Arsenal a successful team, he needs to abandon this philosophy of absolute perfection. The unbeaten season was fantastic, but it was a one-off; it might never be repeated again. And it is lingering around the club, like a ghost - a terrifying re-occurring nightmare that spells disaster season after season. The sooner Wenger abandons eulogizing about the 2003-2004 invincibles, the better. It was nearly half a decade ago...