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Here are my answers to questions thrown at and by Gooners around the world. These are just my views and do not necessarily represent what is right:
Those who don’t have any understanding of football at all would definitely say so. Though lacking goals, his vision and movement for a striker of his size is simply brilliant. He is more a team player than most strikers, and his ability to win aerial duels up the field is something Arsenal have sorely missed since the departure of Adebayor. I see a brilliant all round player in Giroud, a deft passer and a mean striker of the ball. His luck, well, has not been very good.
VERDICT: Give him time, he’ll come to the fore.
Firstly, no player can be expected to boss every match, unless his name is Ronaldo or Messi. Secondly, Podolski’s thunder foot comes to prominence only if Gibbs is playing. It is all because of a difference in style between Santos and Gibbs. Gibbs runs outside, giving Podolski the space to run into the box. Santos, rather typical of any Brazilian footballer, runs into the box, making Podolski rather useless out wide. His lack of defending though, will be addressed later. With Santos, his tracking-back too increases – drastically reducing his attacking threat.
VERDICT: Play Gibbs.
As a friend of mine pointed out recently, Gervinho is a player who does not settle into the Arsenal mould at all. Not a great passer and not a great finisher: some of the things that stand out most in the negative aspect of his game. His runs and changes of direction, though brilliant, often come to nothing and – more than once – he has been responsible in the easing of the pressure we put, with bad first touches. Many fans call for his head on a weekly basis.
VERDICT: He can improve more, as he has done over the last season, and Arsenal do need a player of his style to break down more steadfast opponents.
Hell, yes! Many Gooners would disagree and call for a better player. I think he should stay though. Main reason is that he is an out an out Gunner, a survivor of the mass exodus of previous seasons. Also, his finishing and overall understanding have improved greatly and he is slowly becoming the player he could be.
VERDICT: If he sticks to his wage demands, sell him; but try every other possible way to keep him.
I have remained a big fan of the Russian genius, despite his recent non-scoring ways. Having been criticized a lot for being lazy and wasteful, now I see a player who is giving his best despite age and physical limitation.
VERDICT: Arshavin still remains a game changer and I vote for him to be given time till the summer to make his mark.
I wouldn’t say much about Chamberlain. However, Wenger should make him a more central player as his final balls are going the Walcott way.
VERDICT: Make him run through the middle.
Bear with the boy: before his injury at the hands of Shawcross, the guy exhibited brilliance rarely seen among British midfielders. Yes, he is highly irritating with his bad balls and over trying, but he is one player with age on his side. If Wenger wants something out of this season though, I suggest not playing him until he improves.
VERDICT: To the fans – show some patience.
True to nature, Abou Diaby got injured after a string of good performances where he dominated the midfield. Now with the return of Wilshere, his first team chances seem limited upon his return. But one must bear in mind his technical gifts and that wicked ungainly movement.
VERDICT: Wenger should look at him for one more season and offload him if he’s still injury-prone.
Frimpong has something that no Arsenal player in a while has had – utter beastliness. Arsenal.com calls him combative. That is an understatement.
His passing is suspect though, and here is where Coquelin factors in. A Diaby-style player with better passing but less strength than Frimpong, Coquelin wants to leave if not given chances.
VERDICT: Talented as he may be, we must not cry if he moves away. Wilshere, Diaby and an emerging Frimpong all vie for his role. It’s more than covered.
The guy cannot defend, without any doubt. Fans must pray for the return of Gibbs to fitness, lest Santos travels to OT to face a red hot Valencia down the wing. If worse comes to worst, play Sagna on left instead of him.
VERDICT: Squad player, at best.
With his line of excellent performances, I feel bad for Jenkinson with Sagna’s return. The kid, though talented, cannot keep Bacary out of the team. Sagna oozed class in the QPR match. Bear in mind that it was his first showing after a long lay off. Jenkinson should not feel too bad. He is on the verge of an England call up and he can do a better job than Glen Johnson, I’m sure. But for now, his Arsenal chances are limited.
VERDICT: To Jenkinson – wait.
Koscielny was our best defender last year, without a shadow of a doubt. But he has been error-prone this season. I say Mertesacker should start the big league games and the little ones against teams like Stoke and Sunderland. Koscielny will find his bossing ways before long, which will give Wenger a happy headache.
VERDICT: Play BFG…for now.
Mannone has been sturdy in Szczesny’s absence. He is much less error-prone and more reliable against the more simple shots. But I feel Szczesny will come back to the team upon recovery, because he is a simply spectacular shot stopper. I will not deny that he makes mistakes but that will not change unless he plays. His reflexes are excellent and he should come back as first choice.
VERDICT: Fabianski who?
Gnabry has already broken into the first team after impressing pre-season in Asia. He is pacy and, more importantly, willing; qualities Wenger likes. I am yet to see his acclaimed finishing skills but the signs are there.
Another player who I am equally impressed by is Thomas Eisfeld. He is composure, in the essence. Fighting for spots against Wilshere, Cazorla and Ramsey may not be ideal but I feel Wenger can start him against Reading midweek in the League Cup.
Another rising star is Miyaichi. I was very excited upon seeing his talent and hoped he would break into the first team, but it did not materialize. He seems to be doing decently for Wigan, but has much to learn. Afobe too, on loan at Bolton, is an exciting talent. As for the others, I must confess I know little about them.
No.
Yes. We cannot hope to compare with CFC, with their fat wallets and incredible talent – at least on paper. Whether we will do better is something I cannot predict; we would do well just to wait and watch. But as a club, as a business model, with our stadium and style of play, we are the kings of London indeed.
With our lack of success, it is easy to blame Arsenal’s board. True, Ivan Gazidis’ salary is less than savoury and Hill-Wood’s comments are hard to digest, but it is not as if we are given no money to spend. Being from India, I do not know how heavy ticket prices are on local fans but from what I see, ambition is not lacking in our club.
You cannot say they are responsible for the exodus. Van Persie, Nasri, Adebayor were all greedy. The board could do nothing to stop them leaving. One thing I love with this board though, is their trust in Wenger.
In Wenger they trust, and so too we must.
PS: Wenger is the right man for the job. I am not going to even address that issue.
