After licking the wounds of the painful yet meaningless friendly defeat to Manchester City, Arsenal had one final chance to give their faithful fans something to be cheerful for when they visited Hong Kong to play Kitchee FC.
However, it was a familiar case of “same ol’ shit, different day” as the Gunners put up more atrocious defending in the first 45 minutes before playing a bit better in the second.
Theo Walcott gave Arsenal a glimmer when he grabbed the first goal for the visitors but Thomas Eisfeld spared his team’s blushes with an equalizer late on.
Eisfeld has been one of the better young guns that graced the Asian Tour and the likes of Chuks Aneke and Craig Eastmond were equally impressive. Considering what I witnessed from Marouane Chamakh, I’d say that Benik Afobe needs another loan move out the club.
Kieran Gibbs was uncharacteristically piss poor and Ignasi Miquel had an on and off tour by his standards. Thomas Vermaelen earned a place in the spotlight for his grabbing chronicles and the cuddly maverick, Andre Santos, showed so much attacking verve but was a big concern in his defensive duties.
Arsene Wenger has acknowledged that some work has to be done defensively and we hope that he, Steve Bould and his defensive crew go back to the drawing board to teach these able-bodied to stop defending like toddlers.
The team has one more preseason fixture against Lukas Podolski’s previous employers, FC Cologne, and I’m sure that the fans are longing to see a strong lineup to start the game because Sunderland will visit the Emirates a week later.
Many Gooners are expecting to see their new boys, Podolski and Olivier Giroud, strut their stuff against the Black Cats but they may have to wait a little longer as Wenger has hinted that he intends to “ease” them into the Premier League.
If Arsenal starts their Premier League curtain raiser against Sunderland with Robin van Persie leading the line, the fans won’t have much problems per se. The last time I checked, van Persie was Arsenal’s get-out-of-jail-free card when Sunderland visited the Emirates last season.
Moving over to transfer gossip, tales of Nuri Sahin and Santi Cazorla joining the club has gained so much momentum but as expected, nothing concrete has surfaced.
At least, we haven’t heard that the deal is 99% done unlike how it was acclaimed that the Gunners had signed a French sensation from Rennes. It has also been reported that Arsenal is chasing another “wunderkid” from Southampton and you’ll have to raise an eyebrow for this bit.
Arsenal has already signed two “wunderkids” from the Saints and the world has seen how both deals panned out. The other speedy merchant has had a career that can easily be a Hollywood blockbuster while the younger Ox has been treated like an egg in the club’s bid to “protect him”.
No bid has been made for this Shaw bloke and we’ll probably hope that he’ll singlehandedly win the league for Arsenal in 2026. My only piece of advice to Mr. Shaw is that he should be careful when chilling next to a “cross”…the last Shaw-cross has a bit of history with Arsenal.
That’s just me yarning dust.
While there has been speculationof players arriving at Arsenal, so much emphasis has also been laid on those folks seeking greener pastures elsewhere.
Robin van Persie has dominated the headlines far too long and if I get £1,000 for every time his name has been written on this blog, I’d have secured enough pounds to give Arsenal an offer the club can’t refuse.
The fans want him out and the club would prefer to sell him abroad. This means that I’d stand a good chance on signing the Flying Dutchman in my fantasy team that’s NOT BASED in ENGLAND. 😀
The club has confirmed that Park Chu-Young, Sebastien Squillaci and the world’s best striker, Nicklas Bendtner, will be shown the exit door sooner than later.
The first two names in this aforementioned list endured torrid campaigns last season and were content with having their salaries at the end of each week without producing any output on the pitch. Will you blame them though?
Fingers should be pointed at the man that brought them to the club in the first place. Yes, Wenger has been renowned for using his top-notch alchemy to change footballer from lead to gold but like every mad scientist out there, Le Boss has had his fair share of failed experiments, and Park and Squillaci belong to this list.
Bendtner on the other hand, is a striker that I’d like to see continuing his trade at the Emirates, but the striker is so confident about his ability, and he’s certainly not content with a place in Arsenal’s bench.
Their exits will further reduce Arsenal’s massive wage bill and such funds could be used to finance new deals for Alex Song and of course, Theo Walcott. However, it has been reported that Arsenal is about to hold talks concerning a new deal for…Andrey Arshavin.
Yes, Andrey Arshavin.
The owl that has been on Arsenal’s bad book lately. The lethargic and lackadaisical attacking midfielder everybody wants out of the club.
To wrap things up, Jack Wilshere has been scheduled to return in October and we can only hope that he doesn’t suffer another setback. It’s sad to know that Ryo Miyaichi has joined this League of Extraordinary Fragiled Boned Gentlemen that’s headed by Abou Diaby.
For those that don’t know, Diaby took a quick vacation from his prestigious league and he’ll be back before you know it. For those that don’t know again, Manuel Almunia has joined Watford on a free transfer.
Finally, for those that don’t know…this is the part I pull the plug on this post.
Sayonara.
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