Are the wheels coming off for Wenger?

A fancy new crest, but no new players...

Mr Wenger could potentially lose Fabregas and Nasri this summer. That is not good news for Arsenal fans at all. Nasri and Fabregas are two of the top players in the Premier League nevermind on the Gunners' team. Barcelona are courting Fabregas and a number of sides are looking at Nasri, although Manchester United recently dropped out of the race for his signature. Arsenal have already lost Gael Clichy to Manchester City and they still have not sorted out their goalkeeping issues.

Should Wenger lose his two best players, who then will he recruit to fill in the massive gaps they will leave? He has signed nobody at this stage and there are few reports coming in that he will do so at any point in the near future.

With only a month until the new Premier League season, it seems to me that Arsenal are going to have to move fast to improve their squad and I don't see them bringing in enough talent in the short amount of time they have available. However, as per usual, I do see Wenger buying another couple of Chamakh-esque players to chew up money in wages and warm the bench.

It seems to me that Wenger is losing his ability to find gems for cheap (are there any more Thierry Henry's around?) and he has to realise that he has to spend some money on good players now if he wants to compete with United, City and Liverpool who are all spending plenty of cash this summer. Arsenal in fourth next year? Maybe lower? With no big new signings and the potential loss of Nasri and Fabregas? I wouldn't be surprised.

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Can Arsenal be successful?

It has become apparent over the last few seasons that, while Arsenal possess great talent and skill, they lack a certain grittiness that can help them win crucial games. They also suffer from defensive and physical frailty. Too often are they out-battled in the important games and too often are they second to the ball or not 100% committed to a challenge.

When they are playing at their best, you could argue that there is no better team to watch in the world, apart from possibly Barcelona. Arsene Wenger has plenty of attacking talent at the club with players such as Walcott, Nasri, Van Persie, Arshavin, Rosicky, Chamakh and, although I'm loathe to say it...Niklas Bendtner. However, he doesn't have any really solid defensive players apart from Thomas Vermaelen who has been injured for a while now.

Players such as Kieran Gibbs, Gael Clichy, Sebastien Squillaci and Laurent Koscielny would not get into the Man Utd, Chelsea or Man City squads because they cannot defend properly. A point which I believe is well supported by Arsenal's defensive performance in last weekend's Carling Cup final.

Arsene Wenger is a great manager and he has crafted a very good squad at Arsenal without spending a lot of money, unlike his rivals. The fact that the squad's average age is only 23 is quite unbelievable as well. However, there is an argument that perhaps Wenger should spend a bit of money to bring in one or two big, experienced defenders and defensive midfielders. With some strength down the spine of the team Arsenal would be much better placed to challenge properly for titles and cups.

Tony Adams

There is evidence to prove that fact as well. Remember the Arsenal of the late 90s and early 00s? With Tony Adams' and Martin Keown's uncompromising attitude at the back along with Patrick Viera's physical approach in midfield, few teams were able to match Arsenal's effort over 90 minutes and they were certainly never kicked around like they are now. Put it this way, if Arsenal still had Martin Keown and Tony Adams playing at centre-back, Birmingham would not have scored the two goals they got in the Carling Cup Final. Arsenal could do with a decent goalkeeper too, although I have to admit Szczesny looks OK.

Arsenal's season suffered another minor setback today. With one game in hand over Manchester United, three points against Sunderland would have put Arsenal to within one point of the league leaders. Instead Arsenal could only manage a tame 0-0 draw.

What do you think Wenger should do? Stick to the formula and hope his team finds some fight? Or spend some money and bring in a couple of players who can provide the physical backbone this team desperately needs?

EPL News Round-up

Plenty of news to hit you with this weekend. 

First off, I want to say good luck to Arsenal in the Carling Cup final today. I think that Arsene Wenger is easily the best manager in the Premier League. He barely spends any money (Arsenal are the only club in the top four that actually makes a profit every year) and has spent several years cultivating a young team that, on its day, plays the best football in the world (cemented by the fact they recently beat Barcelona). He deserves a trophy and I hope he wins it this afternoon.

Right, on with the news.

Newcastle United have signed Cheik Tiote to a new long-term deal. For Toon fans that is great news. Tiote has been one of their best players all season and they are going to need more players like him if they are to kick on in the Premier League next year and reclaim their position as one of the biggest clubs in the country.

Liverpool midfielder Raul Miereles has come out and said that he feels he has more support from Kenny Dalglish than he got from ex-Reds manager, Roy Hodgson. I can't stand when players come out and say derogatory things like that. If he feels that then he should keep it to himself. I can't imagine it is true anyway considering Roy Hodgson bought the guy, paying 11.5 million quid for him. Why would Hodgson do that and then not give Miereles enough support? I like Miereles as a player but I am losing respect for him as a person after he came out and said that.

Wayne Rooney reckons this is the worst season he has ever had. Really? Thanks for updating us Wayne but we already know.

With less than 18 months left in his contract, Samir Nasri is still locked in discussions with Arsenal regarding a possible extension. If Arsene Wenger wants continued success with his young team, he is going to need to keep a hold of players like Nasri. It will be interesting to see if Nasri waits until the end of the season to sign a contract or not. If he does and Arsenal don't win a trophy I have a hunch he might follow Fabregas out the door.

More news just in. West Ham 3-1 Liverpool. Not a good result for the Reds there. I wonder if Miereles didn't get enough support in this game because I don't see him on the scoresheet.

Enjoy the Cup Final.

Update:
Birmingham City 2-1 Arsenal - Yet again Arsenal prove that for all their flair and skill, when it really matters they can't finish the job. All the possession in the world won't win you a Cup if you can't score. Oh yeah, if you try to kick the ball out of your Keeper's hands in the 88th minute it won't help either. Epic finish to the game.

I feel for you Wenger.

Well done Birmingham! Carling Cup Champions 2011

Premier League Review: Boxing Day

Boxing day football carries with it a great tradition. Over the years we have seen some great games and this year was no different. There were some big results that concerned both the top and bottom of the table.

Manchester City managed to keep pace with Mancester United at the top of the League with a 3-1 away win at Newcastle. Both teams had plenty of chances but it was City, and Tevez, who proved to be the more clinical on the day. With City 2-0 up, Andy Carroll  did bring Newcastle back into the game in the 72nd minute, however, Tevez restored City's two goal advantage against the run of play 10 minutes later to take all three points.

The Red Devils picked up three points against Newcastle's big rivals, Sunderland, at Old Trafford. A routine win in which United dominated meant that Sir Alex's men are still unbeaten this year and sit at the top of the Premier League, two points clear of City, with two games in hand.

At the bottom end of the table, West Ham managed to come back from a goal down to beat relegation rivals Fulham, 3-1, at Craven Cottage. Quite how they managed that is certainly open for discussion as Fulham dominated the game for most of the 90 minutes. After opening the scoring, Fulham looked to be coasting to a sure-fire win before they conceded two very weak goals just before half time. West Ham climb off the bottom of the table following the win and Fulham joined them in the relegation places.

Tottenham and Aston Villa provided us with a great game at Villa Park. The 2-1 win for Tottenham keeps them in fourth place, only one point behind London rivals Chelsea and two points behind London rivals Arsenal. The loss was another bitter pill to swallow for a faltering Aston Villa side who had shown so much promise in recent years but seem to be losing their way under Gerrard Houllier.

Bolton continued their very impressive season with a 2-0 win over surprise act West Brom. The Wanderers are certainly playing some decent football this year under Owen Coyle, who has yet to spend big in the transfer market. With the addition of a great finisher and some creativity in midfield, Bolton could even challenge Tottenham for that last Champion's League spot.

A full list of the results can be found below.

Sunday 26^th December:

Fulham 1 - 3 West Ham

Wolverhampton 1 - 2 Wigan

Newcastle 1 - 3 Man City

Bolton 2 - 0 West Brom

Aston Villa 1 - 2 Tottenham

Blackburn 0 - 2 Stoke

Man Utd 2 - 0 Sunderland

Arsenal v Chelsea: Preview

Wenger looks for a massive win tonight

Chelsea and Arsenal play a massively important game tonight (27^th December) at 20:00 GMT. One of these teams needs to win to keep pace with Man United (a draw helps neither side) and I would prefer it to be Arsenal. Wenger is the best manager in the Premier League, even if he is a little close minded about the weaknesses in his team. His ethics and playing style are far better than his managerial rivals at the top of the table and his team are an absolute joy to watch on their day. I'm hoping for a 2-1 home win, but Chelsea are a very strong side and could upset the Gunners tonight at the Emirates.

The problem with football

Le Tiss: loved, and loved by, his club

Contracts don't seem to mean anything in football these days. Managers are hired and fired at an alarming rate and players are signed to lengthy contracts that they rarely intend to stick to. In the last 10 years I can think of only a handful of people, both managers and players, who have been with one club for a long time. Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have been at Manchester United and Arsenal for 24 years and 14 years respectively. Francesco Totti (AS Roma), Ryan Giggs (Manchester United) and Matthew Le Tissier (Southampton) are three players who committed their entire careers to one club. There aren't too many more to tell you about, at least not in the last 20 years, which is both a shame and a sign of what football has become today.

Footballers are becoming more and more like mercenaries, playing for whoever will pay them the most money, and managers are under increasing pressure to bring instant success to their clubs and are cast aside if results go against them. Whereas in the past the leagues in any one country would be full of native players, today there are many foreigners who play alongside them. This is the especially the case in the Premier league, which attracts the best players from all over the world. The main problem I have with this is that all the new players coming in to the country have no affinity for any club. They don't support any team and therefore have no ties or love for that team. There is nothing to stop them from leaving when the going gets rough.

Modern players are only out for success. If they don't get it at one club, they will move to another, and another until they do. Call me old fashioned, but I believe you should play primarily for the love of the game and the love of your team. Any trophies or success should be secondary to that. Players like Matthew Le Tissier at Southampton and Alan Shearer at Newcastle United have attained an almost god-like status with their fans but have never won any major honours at those respective clubs. Success was secondary to them and they are loved because of it. The game desperately needs more characters like them.

Also, I have a problem with the frequency with which managers are being fired these days. To expect one man to come in and deliver instant success to any club is utter madness. Sure, the manager plays a big part and a great manager can do great things, but success is also down to the players, the staff behind the scenes and, of course, the Chairman. The reason for managers being fired so often is simple: there are more and more non-footballing people getting involved in football.

We have a lot of loaded businessmen who are buying football clubs these days who have too much say concerning how the club is run at the football level. There are also a lot of chairmen around who also don't know football. These people don't realise it takes time to build a trophy-winning squad and short term success is not always attainable. 

Alex Ferguson

Look at Alex Ferguson. His first three years at Manchester United were pretty naff. It is also claimed that he was on the verge of being fired before he was fortunate enough to win the FA Cup in the 1989/90 season. Following this, Manchester United stayed with him and are now on the verge of becoming the most successful English club in history.

There is a lot wrong with football these days and unfortunately it is all down to money. Football is a business, the players are the assets and we are the customers. Rant over.