Giroud Happy with his Arsenal Stats

 

By Nick Lander

 

Olivier Giroud has come in for some stick since the start of the season. Accused of being an inadequate replacement for Robin van Persie, the Frenchman has quietly knuckled down and got on with the job of scoring goals; 14 so far this season for the Gunners, along with 11 assists.

 

When speaking to French paper L'Equipe, ahead of France's clash with Germany tonight, the 26-year-old revealed that he is content with his start to life in N5; "when I arrived at Arsenal, there were concerns [over how long it took to score], but they were quickly sorted." Since netting his first goal against Coventry City in the Capital One Cup, the 6' 3" striker has not looked back, "for the first season, [my stats] are better than Robin van Persie when he started, even if when he arrived at Arsenal he was younger."

 

Whilst hinting that he is a better player than van Persie may be stretching the stats a little, it is undeniable that Giroud has made a solid start to life in London, and looks set for a 20-odd goal season, which is nothing to be sniffed at. It is also worth noting the number of different scorers the club now has, Giroud's contributed 14 goals, Theo Walcott 18 and Lukas Podolski 12. The team finally seem to have managed to rediscover the art of sharing the goals around, something which should be a real positive as the Gunners look to put together a run of consistent performances and results to cement a top four finish.

 

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Bradford City 1-1 Arsenal

By Nick Lander

Arsenal slipped to another disappointing result on Tuesday evening, suffering a penalty shootout defeat at the hands of a club 65 places below them in the league ladder.

Turning in a lacklustre display, a strong Arsenal side, who were also strongly tipped to win the tournament, slumped to defeat in the Capital One Cup.

Arsenal dominated proceedings throughout, but never much looked like scoring - despite their 28 efforts on goal. Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla both hit the woodwork as the Gunners strove to find an equaliser after the Bantams scored an early, and avoidable, goal, Gary Thompson volleying home after the away side failed to deal with a free kick from one side of the penalty area, after Thomas Vermaelen felled Nahki Wells.

In truth, despite dominating possession and the shots tally, Wojciech Szczesney was by far the more tested of the two 'keepers, saving well on a number of occasions. The Londoners lack composure and creativity when in possession and all too often failed to make the most of promising opportunities.

Olivier Giroud was out injured and manager Arsene Wenger took the decision to start Gervinho through the middle. It did not work out. Arsenal frequently managed to work the ball into good crossing positions before being thwarted by a lack of options in the box. Marouane Chamakh's introduction on the hour was too little, too late. Equally the Moroccan should not have replaced the lively Coquelin rather the ineffective and wasteful Gervinho. In all likelihood, that would also have meant that the Gunners would still have had German striker Lukas Podolski on the pitch come the penalty shootout.

Vermaelen got a late equaliser, heading home Cazorla's cross to take the tie to extra time, but in reality it should have been over long before then.

In extra time, Arsenal continued to have the majority of the play, but were unable to score a crucial second, allowing Bradford to take the tie to penalties. Cazorla, Chamakh and Vermaelen all missed, and whilst Szczesney saved well from Stephen Darby and Ritchie Jones, it was not enough to prevent the Yorkshire side from winning 3-2 on penalties.

There were chants of "Wenger out and sack the board" as the Arsenal fans filed out, but that is far from the solution. There is only so much a manager can do, sometimes the players have to look at themselves and take responsibility for a shocking performance.

Summer 2011 proved that panic buying in the transfer window is a flawed tactic, but Arsenal will need to be a serious player in the January market, or they risk falling far behind in the race for fourth. With just one win in their last six games, I believe that around £40m of investment will be needed in January alone in order to keep the squad competitive.

Arsenal are understood to be considering adding 4 or 5 new players in the transfer window, and you will be able to keep track of everything by following me on Twitter - @nlander94 - and by liking the Facebook page.

Are Arsenal after soon-to-be out of cotract stars?

 

By Nick Lander

 

There has been renewed speculation over the last few days about Arsenal's interest in Shalke striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. The 29-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season, and Shalke could be prepared to part with the Dutchman for just £6m, with the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror both reporting that the Gunners will make a move for him during the January window, having had scouts watch him on a number of occasions recently.

 

More surprisingly, the Gunners have also been linked with a move to bring Frank Lampard across London from Chelsea. The 34-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season, and interim manager Rafa Benitez has confirmed that the England midfielder will not be having his deal renewed. He had been expected to move to the MLS and LA Galaxy or China, but those options now seem less likely.

 

One legend of the game that Arsenal do seem certain to sign is Thierry Henry, with Wenger having stated his desire to make arrangements with New York Red Bulls for the Frenchman to have a third stint in North London, to provide cover for Marouane Chamakh and Gervinho, who will both be competing in the African Cup of Nations in January. His fitness will be assessed when he starts training with the Gunners on his return from holiday.

 

Personally, I can envisage all of these moves happening, with Huntelaar and Henry the most probable. Both would enrich Arsenal's squad and, in Henry's case, bring a passion for the club that the players could be accused of lacking in some games so far this season. With regards to Lampard, I normally would not give this story the time of day, but when asked about it at his pre-Olympiakos press conference yesterday, Wenger was particularly cryptic; "We are in the country of Socrates. He said, 'I know that I know nothing', and that is a bit like football." On the face of it, that does sound like a denial, but usually Wenger is far more direct than that, so it could just be that Lampard will be swapping blue for red in either January or the summer.

 

After a torrid start to the season, that has seen Wenger's side win just three of their last 12, the club are likely to be far more active in the January window than normal. I am sure there will be much more speculation over the weeks to come and The N5 Blog will try to keep you up to date with it all.

 

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Jenkinson Closes on England Bow

 

By Nick Lander

 

Arsenal's emerging right back Carl Jenkinson could make his England debut in the Three Lions' friendly against Sweden next month.

 

The 20-year-old did in fact train with the England squad yesterday at Colney and is understood to have been part of Roy Hodgson's plans for the Poland game on Tuesday. However, it has been reported that an FA mix up means that Jenkinson is currently ineligible for England, having played most recently for Finland's U-21 side - who his eligible to represent through his Finnish mother - meaning that his FIFA registration is with the Finland, not England.

 

Whilst the FA are now moving to rectify this, the process will take around a month, therefore ruling him out of Tuesday's game in Eastern Europe. This is a blow for England, after Kyle Walker picked up an injury, although Glen Johnson is expected to be restored to the starting line up, after missing out against San Marino - who Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored his first international goal against, rounding off a 5-0 rout at Wembley.

 

When asked last Thursday about Jenkinson's England chances, Hodgson said, "Kieran Gibbs, like Jenkinson, has started very well for Arsenal.

 

"On this occasion, we decided to go with him and keep Jenkinson up our sleeves but he'll be very much in our thoughts when it comes to the next friendly match.

 

"After speaking to Arsene Wenger I am also conscious that his rise has been meteoric.

 

"He's only 20 and it's nice to temper things a little bit, but he wouldn't be out of place in the squad."

 

Chamberlain will be Arsenal's only English representative in Poland after Theo Walcott was injured early on by the San Marino goalkeeper on Friday.

 

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Colchester Capture Gunners Duo

 

By Nick Lander

 

Arsenal youngsters Sanchez Watt an Craig Eastmond, both 21, have moved down the A12 to the Weston Homes Community Stadium, joining League 1 strugglers Colchester United on 3 month loan deals. Their moves were confirmed during a busy day for the U's who also named Joe Dunne as their new manager (following John Ward's dismissal on Monday), confirmed Mark Kinsella as assistant manager and captured Jabo Ibehre on a three month loan from MK Dons.

 

Sanchez Watt begins his seventh separate spell away from the Gunners, and will be playing to earn a permanent deal as much as he will be trying to force his way into Arsene Wenger's first team plans. The striker has been on good form for the U-21s so far this season though, with four goals in as many appearances - a record he will be hoping to extend in Essex.

 

The FA Youth Cup winner is optimistic that he will enjoy a successful spell with the U's, telling their official website that "the manager plays the same formation as I’m used to so it should be good for me.

"I want to fight for my position in the team, keep my place if I get it and do well for the club and for myself. Hopefully, we can play well, pass the ball around, score some goals and push up the table."

 

He also hopes that he will be able to perform at a level that will earn him another shot at breaking into the Arsenal first team, saying, "its all about what you do on the pitch, when you're doing well, you get your chance but after that, what happens, happens."

 

Eastmond on the other hand, has had more success in breaking into the first team at the Emirates, having played for Wenger's side on 10 occasions (compared to Watt's three appearances). He has had two loan spells in the past, featuring six times for Milwall, before injury curtailed his season, and impressing in Wycome's ultimately futile attempts to avoid relegation to League 2 last season, playing 14 times.

 

Whilst his Arsenal future is considered bleak by some parties, he probably has a better chance of making the grade with the Gunners than Watt. The midfielder, who featured heavily in Arsenal's Asia tour in pre-season, just wants to get senior appearances under his belt, telling the Colchester website, "I just want to play games so I said yes to it [the opportunity to move to Colchester on loan] and I'm looking forward to the new challenge. I like to meet new teammates, and I've done that here, but I already knew Clinton Morrison very well and I've played against Freddie Sears and a few others.

 

"I want to play as much as I can in the next few months and show the manager here, and Arsenal, what I can do. Hopefully, I'll gain some good experience from my time here."

 

Both should go straight into Joe Dunne's first squad as permanent manager to face Hartlepool at Weston Homes on Saturday.

 

The duo join Conor Henderson (Coventry City) and Chuks Aneke (Crewe Alexandra) in plying their trade on loan in the division. It is understood that both Arsenal and Crewe are keen to extend Aneke's loan spell, beyond 7th October - when it currently expires. The youngster is currently serving a three match ban, after being sent off on his full debut.

 

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The season is progressing quickly, but you can still join the N5 Blog's fantasy football league on the official Premier League website, using the league code 13667-212189

 

Henderson Seals Coventry Loan

 

By Nick Lander

 

Reserve team star Conor Henderson has sealed a loan move to League 1 Coventry City, who he joins until just before Christmas.

 

Henderson made his Arsenal debut against Leyton Orient in the 5-0 demolition in the 2010/11 FA Cup 5th round replay. The midfielder had looked set for having a breakthrough season in 2011/12, but injury put paid to his chances, and he remained sidelined until virtually the end of the season, making his return to the reserves in April.

 

Undoubtedly talented, Henderson's loan spell comes as a bit of a surprise, with Arsene Wenger rumoured to have blocked an approach for him, with Arsenal's Capital One Cup campaign in mind - which, ironically, will begin at home to Coventry on Wednesday. He has been earmarked as a player who could well make it at the club, and will be hoping to prove his qualities in his first loan spell away from the club.

 

The 21-year-old has featured heavily for Arsenal's U-21 side so far this season, playing in three of the Gunners' four games, notching three times. He has also appeared for Ireland's U-21 side.

 

He tweeted that he was "very happy" to join the midlands club, and that he "can't wait to get started."

 

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Arsenal 6 - 1 Southampton

 

By Nick Lander

 

A dominant Arsenal swept aside Southampton in their first visit to the Emirates. With four Arsenal goals in the first 40 minutes, the game was over as a contest in the first half, the Saints never really looked like scoring, until a Szczesney mistake gifted them a goal on the stroke of half time.

 

In an experimental line-up, Arsene Wenger opted to have winger Gervinho lead the line, a bold decision given the Ivorian's poor form in front of goal in the past. Olivier Giroud dropped to the bench, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was again preferred to Theo Walcott, who missed England's draw with Ukraine in mid-week with a virus.

 

The Gunners got of to bright start, scoring after just 11 minutes, when Kieran Gibbs' cross was turned into his own net by Jos Hooiveld, after it went straight through goalkeeper Kelvin Davis, who was unconvincing all game.

 

The Saints managed to hold out for 20 minutes before Arsenal got their third though, when Lukas Podolski bagged his second goal in two games, with a pinpoint free-kick from 25 yards, after Francis Coquelin was brought down.

 

On 35 minutes, Arsenal got their fourth. The influential Mikel Arteta played a delightful lobbed pass over the defence for Gervinho to run onto and fire home first time. Beating Davis at his near post. The Saints' stopper could have done better.

 

Gibbs' day got still better, as he had another cross turned into the Southampton net, this time Nathaniel Clyne was the player unfortunate enough to have those embarrassing letters 'OG' appear next to his name.

 

Arsenal were cruising, and should have gone into the break four goal to the good, but a Szczesney mistake gifted Danny Fox an opportunity as easy as he will ever have, which he eased into the net. The Arsenal goalie had come for a cross, but dropped it right onto Fox's foot, after he collided with, blameless, Carl Jenkinson.

 

Arsenal came out after the break with their foot off the gas, but in truth, Southampton offered little more than they had in the first half, although Rickie Lambert fired just wide of the post soon after the restart.

 

Arsenal's work rate had dropped, and the introduction of Aaron Ramsey shortly after the hour mark, put a bit more running into the Gunners' midfield. The young Welshman came close to scoring, brilliantly flicking the ball beyond Clyne before poking the ball around Davis, only for it to hit the far post. Arsenal were not to be denied though, as Gervinho was their to add his second, bundling the ball home.

 

Giroud and Walcott were introduced late on, and the latter added Arsenal's sixth as he swept the ball home, after Davis parried captain Thomas Vermaelen's rasping drive. His first time playing against his old club, Walcott did not really celebrate, choosing just to applaud the Arsenal cheers.

 

The Gunners desperately strove to add a seventh, and to create an opportunity for Olivier Giroud to get his first goal for the club, but nothing quite came off, the game ending 6-1 to Arsenal, who climb to third in the table.

 

Southampton old boys Walcott and Chamberlain showed a touch of class at final whistle, making their way over to the travelling fans to applaud, a gesture which was warmly received.

 

Stat of the Match: Lukas Podolski completed 100% of his 31 passes in the game, as well as scoring his free-kick.

 

Arsenal Player Ratings: Szczesney 4, Jenkinson 7, Mertesacker 7, Vermaelen 7, Gibbs 9, Coquelin 6 (Ramsey 7), Arteta 8, Cazorla 8, Oxlade-Chamberlain 7, Podolski 8 (Giroud 6), Gervinho 8 (Walcott 7)

 

My man of the match was Kieran Gibbs (left), the full back has come in for some stick in the past, but today he was outstanding. He defended well, and attacked even better, the two own goals from his crosses were deserved. Andre Santos will be lucky to oust him from the team on current form - despite his crossbar challenge success pre-match, in what is now a traditional end-of-warm-up competition between him and Chambelain!

 

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Even though the season has started, you can still join the N5 Blog's fantasy football league on the Premier League website, using league code 13667-212189