Emirates Cup Musings + RBNY & PSG Players of the Day

Arsenal vs. Boca Juniors 



A good performance from some, but disappointing overall

Arsene Wenger named a fairly strong side to start this friendly, with Van Persie, Nasri, Wilshere & Gervinho all starting. In the opening exchanges, of what turned out to be quite a mardy affair, Arsenal seemed to be just about on top. Earning some fairly soft free kicks in some decent positions, the Gunners failed to capitalise, the score remaining at 0-0 for almost half an hour, before Gervinho burst down the left flank, whipping in a low cross for Robin Van Persie to gobble up at the near post which got the entire stadium - mid Mexican wave - on it's feet to celebrate; Arsenal's first home goal of the 2011/12 campaign. I must be said, that with 2 goals and an assist to his name from just 2 cameos, Gervinho has made a very good start to his career in N5.

At half time, Wenger made 5 of the 6 changes the Emirates Cup rules permitted him to Mannone, Squillaci, Ramsey, Vela and Chamakh replacing Fabianski, Koscielny, Wilshere, Gervinho and Van Persie. Two of these substitutes had an immediate impact, Vela surged forward, and used some clever footwork to reach the edge of the box, before cutting back to Ramsey who slammed home from 25 yards. Sadly all this was undone by two moments of defensive uncertainty from Arsenal (now when has that happened before?!!) Boca's first came from a Squillaci mistake, the ball landing up with Lucas Viatri who hammered the ball home. This was followed 3 minutes later by a Johan Djourou mistake, he botched a slid clearance and Pablo Mouche took his opportunity with aplomb, smacking the ball home, totally ruining Mannone's day.

Traditional Arsenal flaws let us down again, and it was disappointing to see the lack of urgency or desire that the side had at 2-2 with 10 minutes to go. I appreciate that it was only a friendly, however it was similar to the performances of the end of last season, so I feel that it is something which is a cause for concern if this continues into 2011/12 proper.

New York Red Bulls vs. Paris Saint-Germain



NYRB's Dax McCarty in action vs. PSG



With all due respect, the day's first game wasn't fantastic, the Red Bulls were a fantastically organised team, playing in a rigid 4-1-4-1 formation, and defending with a tenacity which Arsenal could certainly learn from. Their goal was taken well enough, Estonian Joel Lindpere finished a New York break well. He beat the offside trap nicely, and was slipped through on goal one-on-one by Roy Miller, and slotted home nicely from 12 yards.

As a complete neutral, I took the opportunity to look at the players and tactics on show, rather than getting particularly into the game. I have decided on a standout player from each side (in my opinion) and will write a little about each of them here.

Dax McCarty - New York Red Bulls (pictured above): I felt that McCarty was the Red Bulls' best player by some margin. The right footed midfielder seemed to be more creative than much of the rest of the Red Bulls' midfield. I also felt that his passing was more accurate, and that his first touch was also superior to his teammates. Many of their best moves flowed through him. Although as a side the Red Bulls probably would be mid-table in the Championship, I feel that McCarty would fit in well at a mid-table Premiership club, such as Aston Villa or West Brom.

Jeremy Menez - Paris Saint Germain (pictured below):

PSG's Standout Man, Summer Signing: Jeremy Menez

Signed by PSG from Roma this summer for £7m, I was really impressed by Menez on his PSG debut. The 6' centre midfielder showed some real skill and creativity in the second half, following what I felt was a fairly anonymous first period for him. Wearing the same boots as Samir Nasri, he certainly was played at a level higher than all the other players on the pitch. Despite only scoring 4 from 38 in Italy last season, his creativity fashioned some real chances for a disappointing PSG side. Where McCarty is a player who I feel could play mid-table, I feel that Menez is a player who wouldn't look out of place with a cannon on his chest. At £7m too, I feel that PSG really have bagged themselves a bargain.

Were you at The Emirates today? What did you think of the games? Let me know your thoughts through Twitter (@Goonernl) or the comments below.

Juan Mata on his way to Arsenal?

Juan Mata a man in demand

According  to La Marca today, Arsenal, Tottenham and another English club have all made moves to sign 23 year old winger Juan Mata from Valencia. The ex-Real Madrid man is said to have a €20m buyout clause in his contract, however it is also suggested by Marca that an offer of around €15m will be accepted by Valencia, a club in continuing financial difficulties. Despite their president Manuel Llorente recently saying "Valencia will not sell to any club that wants to buy Mata" it has been reported  that their stance is softening due to their financial perils. La Marca says that his father and agent is evaluating the options, deciding which represents the best move for his son. The other English team interested is most likely to be Liverpool, this means that the only side which can offer Mata Champions League football next season is Arsenal, quite possibly a deciding factor in any move to the Premier League.

Do we need Mata? Where would he fit into the team? Let me know your thoughts through Twitter (@Goonernl) or the comments below.

Who Should Replace Gael Clichy?



Gael Clichy - Now of Manchester City

7 million pounds. If that is how little Gael Clichy cost Manchester City, then they got a bargain. Based on previous City transfer fee form though, we were had. His signing is hardly illogical for City though, and in a way it makes sense for Arsenal too. Despite being the last remaining 'Invincable' Clichy's form of late has been slightly patchy. With only a year left to run on his contract, selling him whilst we still could does make sense for Arsenal. The big question is what happens now?

Arsene Wenger could stand still, and do nothing. Both Keiran Gibbs and Armand Traore are still at Arsenal, and both have had runs in the starting 11. However, Traore is returning to London following an injury blighted spell in Turin, where he hardly set the world alight with his 8 appearences. He's not a bad player, but I really don't feel that he's good enough to make it in N5.  



Armand Traore - Injury Plagued at Juve



Gibbs - Injury Plagued



Arsenal's only other option for 2011/12 - at the moment - is Keiran Gibbs. I, personally, feel that the young Englishman has shown real glimpses of quality and ability when he has had the chance to play. Unfortunately for him, one of his biggest chances to impress was curtailed when he had his foot stamped on by Eliaquim Mangala of Standard Liege during the 2-0 victory over them in November 2009. With Clichy already sidelined, Gibbs was getting a run in the team and was playing well. This fractured metatarsel spelled the end of his season, originally out for 3 months, it was discovered that the surgery had been done wrong, and the recovery period had to be restarted following further surgery.

With Clichy again injured, Gibbs had a short spell in the team at the tail end of last season (10/11), starting the final 3 games of the season. He generally put in some good performances, although some lapses in concentration and bad decision making cost Arsenal. In my opinion he was entirely at fault for the first Fulham goal, leaving his man to try and help out Vermaelen giving the Fulham winger acres of space to receive the ball and cut it back for Sidwell to slot home.

In my opinion, Traore isn't good enough for Arsenal and isn't the right player to provide a high enough level of competition to force Keiran Gibbs to push on and improve his game. I think that now is the right time for Traore to shown the exit door, and a slightly more experienced player should be signed to help Gibbs improve. The question now is who should that person be?

Izaguirre - The Honduran has impressed in Hoops

Emilio Izaguirre is one of the names the media have been putting out there as a potential Arsenal target for months, but now with Clichy gone, their crystal ball is going to be put to the test. The 25 year old Honduran claims that he has turned down Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United already this summer in favor of remaining at Parkhead, so it's tricky to see him moving - assuming he's telling the truth!! Celtic boss Neil Lennon has also said that he is not for sale at any price. Worth around £6.5m it is possible that he could be added to the squad for the same sort of money Clichy left for. The Scottish PFA Player of the Year, has an attacking style, which would fit in well at the Emirates, becoming known for his 'rampaging displays down the left wing' (according to the Daily Mail). Lennon said on signing him that: "he's strong defensively, he's quick, he's got a very good left foot and he's good going forward." No disrespect to the SPL but it's somewhere in between Premiership and Championship, so Izaguirre is untested at the very highest level.

With only 12 months left on his contract, Newcastle United's Jose Enrique could be a good choice for Arsenal. The ex-Villarreal man is valued at around the £10m mark by Newcastle, but it's likely that they would sell for less, rather than run the risk of losing him for nothing next summer. He's made 119 appearances for the Magpies, 85 in the Premier League, so he has good to flight experience, having played in Spain for 2 seasons as well, Enrique could use that experience to help during the Champions League campaign.

 

Jose Enrique - Could do a Clichy...

At 25, the Spaniard isn't too old for Arsene Wenger, and could prove to be a shrewd piece of business. Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has also admitted that Enrique could leave, saying "we're not confident we can keep him." Definitely a sign that a deal could be done. Last season, a defence with Enrique in would keep a clean sheet roughly once every 4 games, much better than Arsenal at the tail end of last season. Having only scored the one goal, Enrique is about as prolific as Clichy was. He is a player who would certainly push Gibbs on, and I feel that it would be a close run thing over who would be first choice.

Of  these four options, I would be inclined to give Gibbs his chance, but I would have Enrique there to push him all the way, and there to step in if the injuries and inconsistencies which have troubled Gibbs' career so far resurface in 2011/12.

Who would you like to see at left back next season? What do you think of Clichy's move to City? Tell me in the comments below, or Tweet me @Goonernl