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Making the Arsenal
By Walter Broeckx
With yet another international break to pass by we take the opportunity to have a look at how things stand when we compare last season and this season.
Last season after 7 games we were 15th in the league table. We had played 7 games and won 2, had 1 draw and lost 4 games.
So you could say that this season we occupy a better position. We won 3 games, had 3 draws and lost only one game. And we shouldn’t have lost that one but we did. Now we are 7th and we have 12 points.
Last season we were 12 points behind the then league leaders Manchester United and Manchester City. Now we are 7 points behind the current league leader Chelsea. Chelsea who begun the season with a flying start. It remains to be seen how long they will keep flying and if they come crashing down like they did last season. And the season before. It is then up to us to take advantage when this will happen.
What is maybe more important is the fact that we are just 3 points behind the teams that have been named most to win the league. Both teams from Manchester have a small advantage compared to us but one win can change this and put us on the same points. This is where we should focus on. Stay close and in touch with those two teams will be important.
We also should keep in mind that we played 4 games away from home so far this season and only 3 home games. But our away form has in fact been better than our home form as the only defeat we suffered was at home.
If we look at the goals scored we see that last season we had scored 10 goals in total after 7 games. Now we have scored 13 goals. For the moment it looks as if losing our top scorer hasn’t really affected out goal scoring. In fact another thing is rather similar to last season. As we couldn’t score in our two opening games in that period (Newcastle and Liverpool) and the same happened now against Sunderland and Stoke. One could say that the new players needed a bit of time to get in to their game and get used to the PL.
Another thing to look at is the goals conceded. Last season we conceded 16 goals in our first 7 games. Now we only conceded 5 goals and this is the second best number of all the teams in the PL. Only one team does better and that is current league leader Chelsea with 4 goals.
So if we compare the first 7 games from last season with the first 7 games from this season we can only see improvement.
A better league position, more points, more goals scored, fewer goals conceded. And all this when we had to replace the top scorer of the league from last season. And we also had to cope losing our first two keepers and having our number 3 keeper playing most of those games.
We did it without the best right back in the PL from the last few seasons who was out with an injury. We had the flu passing by and making a few players sick.
We had no Wilshere and Rosicky available who can offer extra things attacking wise and bring even more class and also some determination to the team.
On the very positive side people finally realised what a giant defender Mertesacker is and not just because he is big but because he is pure class. I was as happy as can be when he signed last season and I never doubted him. I could never understand the fact that many people were critical about him because once he had settled in I thought he was really good. But since having a good pre season with the team he surely has shown to all what a defender he is.
Jenkinson has shown once again that Wenger knows more than all 800.000 of us together know about players. I think Wenger will have been the only one to see the raw talent in Jenkinson. And what a buy he has turned out this season.
Also he fully adapted to the team and with the injury of Sagna grabbing his chance to prove the doubters wrong. Believe me I do think that Sagna is still the better and more complete of the two. But I know that I will not make a lot of fuss when Jenkinson starts in the place of Sagna if we want to rest him. I would also suggest to wait another season or two. Because I really think that the way Jenkinson has developed over the last 12 months is an indication that this Gooner-Gunner is a boy who is willing to learn and to accept the advise from the coaches and the manager. And that is the most important part: he can develop and develop quickly.
So an international break and again we can only hope that the players come back in good health. So far the season started well, the new boys are getting better and better. The players we bought last season are also raising their game it seems. But I will go in to the different players in the next days and give my personal view on them in other articles. We have to do something to pass the time, don’t we?
- October becomes Rebotco, Keown’s son plays, as trends reverse at Arsenal
- Does Barcelona pay their players to speculate in the transfer market?
- Maybe the money model in football is flawed after all.
- Gun at work – ok. Naughty tweet – a tap on the wrist. John Terry – we’ll think about it. Where is the morality?
- Ref disaster, ESPN laughable, Arsenal magnificent
- West Ham v Arsenal; the ref competency, the slug as manager, Demel, etc
- Ridsdale: disqualified as a director, chairman of football at Preston
- A Champions League debut, statistics, food and Carroll
- National Referee Development Manager’s computer seized by police
All good in many ways.
I believe we are down compared to the equivalent head-to-head games from last season though.
Two ‘easy’ games to come, followed by a tougher November.
37 to 45 points going into january and i will be a happy chappy.
but last season we improved a lot, we can say super improvement. Can we expect any improvement in this season also like that.
How can you say we are down on equivalent head-to-head games?
It’s virtually incomparable.
Last season…Stoke away (draw), Man City away (defeat), Liverpool away (win), West Ham away (did not play).
However we lost and drew at 2 of the sides that went down. So arguably we could consider 2 or 3 more points there.
At home we have only faced 2 teams who we played last season and admittedly whilst having 3 points less, you could argue that Southampton replaced Wolves and therefore we are only 1 point shorter at home.
it’s swings and roundabouts.
off topic: The yellow away kit. Was surprised to see it so early into the season.
We need to control our optimism. so far we have only contested 6 points against our rivals for the title. out of those 6 we have taken a single point. 2 of our 3 victories were against teams from last seasons championship. 9 of our 13 goals scored have come against those same sides. our only other victories this season have come against a liverpool team in transition and 3 very winnable cup ties. whilst i am still optimistic with 20% of the league season gone we are already 7 points adrift of the league leaders and all are other rivals are also ahead of us. the matches against our 3 main rivals are crucial to stay in touch whilst beating the scum newcastle and everton could be paramount if we are to hold onto 4th place. the returns of szcesney sagna gibbs frimpong diaby wilshire and rosicky cannot come soon enough whilst replacements for squillaci denilson arshavin chamakh in january is what is required to syrengthen the squad still further.
If we’re facing a side with a sneaky left winger then I’d still rather have Sagna in the side and his ability on the ball means that our passing attack works better.
However, and unlike last season, Jenkinson is a serious option against a physical left sided forward and his crossing ability is an asset in attack.
Now i dont know if we need any new signing.I tell you what, this year we have the best team since the invincibles.
Wilshire is coming back,Roscky is back,Sagna is back,Walcot cant even start,Arshavin is still too much class for a number 8 Midfielder,Le coq doesnt know when he is going to play and Giroud smells like goals.
oooohhhh
To put a little perspective on things, the only team above us in the table this season that we have beat was West Ham. If this side is going to challenge for the title it needs to improve, which I believe it will. Need to win our other 2 prem games this month. Slow month this for the prem. As i have stated before November will be tough. 36 points still up for grabs this year.
Afta 7 games last season we only had 7 points,we had only playd liverpool,man utd and spurs,this season afta playin mancity,chelsea and liverpool,and stoke city away where none of the top six last season culd manage a win,we hav 12 points,if dats nt massive improvement,then wat is.we r gonna fight for d title till d last day.C.O.Y.G
@ kim,
I agree entirely. Rarely could I have expected say that after losing players like Fabregas, Nasri, Clichy, Van Persie and Song, Arsenal are now stronger after their departure. But it’s true.
The masterly signing of Podolski,Giroud and Cazorla in the Summer, coupled with the return of Diaby, the emergence of Jenkinson and Gibbs, Chamberlain and Coquelin becoming regulars. Wilshere, Sagna, Rosicky and Czszesny will soon be back and some of our reserve stars are now pressing for a place in the first team.
What is particularly pleasing is that ALL the players selected so far this term seem to WANT to play for Arsenal.
The attack is no longer a one-man affair and already it is clear that the whole team is bonding very quickly.
I feel that this season we can confidently challenge for every title, provided the support from fans is there at all times, not only when we are winning but also when things are not going our way.
Jenkinson’s development has indeed been a pleasant surprise! Sagna’s comments after the Reserves game (and Per’s after being left off the team sheet a couple weeks ago) suggest that our veteran full-internationals are comfortable with squad rotation.
For me, then, the question is where we look next with Jenkinson’s development (which likely will include some Reserves games once Sagna is back) — improving his positional versatility on the left side or the right wing?
Fixtures, baby, fixtures.
After similar fixtures last season: 14pts, goals 11-4
After similar fixtures in 10/11: 14 pts, goals 15-6
The deafeat against Chelski was a blow to a possible great start.
But in 9 of the reamaining 13 games till New Year, Arsenal is a strong favourite to win. Small questions may ask: Newcastle and Tottenham at home, Everton away. Biggest hurdle will be MU away.
Reaching 47 points after Newcastle game means every gunner will be really pleased. More points means euphoria.
The pleasing thing about the squad this season is that we seem to have a quality back up in nearly every position. I am a bit old fashioned & would like one additional tall midfielder in the first team squad – so that should Diaby be unfit when we play one of the physical teams we can have some additional height in midfield.
Similarily, in an ideal world I would like an additional tall striker to rotate with Giroud – who looks a quality player with much more to come from him.
On the field the team seems much more solid this season, more together and more determined to get a result. The team is starting to gel quite nicely and the inter player understandings must improve further as we play more games.
Also, we now have a nice balance of really good experience in the team combined with some exceptional developing players – with many more super young players in the pipeline. We need to give credit to AW for putting this squad together despite Dein the Lesser and ex-players with pound signs in their DNA.
I think we can expect a good season, no one can be sure about winning the league – there will still be the Red Nose/Riley factor to consider, but, we can be confident that the squad is going in the right direction and – it is not yet the finished article – it will get better!
Looking around the fixture list for other teams. Man Utd have to play chelsea twice the week before we go to Utd. Tottenham have to go to Man city before turning in at the Ems, Chelsea have got most of the big sides over the next 6 weeks.
The AAA, as always will keep talking to their demi god’s please do us a favor we are eating our own s..the Gunnes are firing on all fronts but this season,as the Prof said might be different than the others.
As always we are ever in the mix but can we mixed it for real that is the question and yeah i believe we gona do it,one or two trophies will ignite the engine.