Can Podolski be a signing for Arsenal? Modric wasn’t great in one game…

Podolski was wonderful for Germany on the left wing against Poland. Since last summer Arsenal fans have been crying out for an out and out left winger in the Overmars mould to replace Reyes. Every Arsenal fan would agree that we need a winger. Podolski can finish much better then any natural winger in the world. He is behind Klose and Toni in the pecking order at Bayern; he is not in the first XI for them. How much would he cost? Is there a possibility of getting him to Arsenal?

In my earlier post I was lamenting Wenger for not signing Modric and still singing his praise. This was the first time I saw him playing for the whole 90 minutes. He seemed very light weight and not fast either. Can he hack it in the English league? I have my doubts, but then again Wenger must have seen something in him. I don’t think Fabregas can be classified as fast either, but his brain is fast enough to get the job done. For the sake of our club, I wish he fails at Spurs. Anyway, the thought of two lightweights in Dos Santos and Modric at the same time in the Spurs midfield does encourage me J.

Song signed an extension. Is he a better center back or a better defensive midfielder? Arsene says he can’t last the season in the midfield. I feel he was playing at the back, so that Gallas could help him improve his positioning skills. At most times Song would move ahead and challenge for the ball when playing as center back in the last few games of the season. I for one would love to see Song in the midfield instead of the backline.

Germany and Portugal look like semi final certainties from the top half. The nearest challengers (Czech’s and Croatian’s) have failed to give a confidence filling performance. They will have to fight to get past the rest Swiss, Turkey and Poles in the group. Gomez would come to Arsenal only if Adebayor is sold and Wenger doesn’t have faith in Bendtner. Whatever Gomes can provide, we already have two strikers to provide that.

Wenger’s signings, Euros and Spurs…

Wenger has cheekily commented that he is going to the Euros with an open cheque book. Since when did Wenger’s scouting network start relying on the player performances in a big tournament, and pick them based on that? I always thought the scouting network was good enough for Arsenal to be able to identify and buy players before a big tournament starts and their value shoots up unrealistically due to the big tournament performances.

Wenger has said he would be excited to see how Modric performs. That makes me think, most Gooners say, if Wenger doesn’t buy someone, he probably wasn’t good enough. Modric had been linked with Arsenal since we bought Eduardo, the saga continued all year round. At the end of the season we find out that Modric has been signed by the arch rivals Tottenham. We could probably take shelter under the rhetoric that, Wenger felt he wasn’t good enough for us. However, even that myth is broken, when Wenger while leaving to watch the Euros predicts him to be one of the players to watch. So, Modric is one of the best as per Wenger, but he did nothing to sign him, and Spurs who are deemed to be a smaller and less ambitious club are able to buy. On top of that, at the end of season Wenger says, we are looking for a creative player with the touted names being Nasri and Ben Arfa. Isn’t Modric a similar creative player? Would the price difference have been too much? Wouldn’t he be a much better player to buy, given his chemistry at International level with Eduardo? I for one feel Wenger made a mistake there.

Another aspect of note (though not much concern just yet) is that Spurs have already signed two players Modric and Dos Santos (not just final as yet), while Arsenal despite saying some early signings would be happening have signed zilch. The Nasri deal has gone on for far too long for anyone’s liking. I have immense respect for Juande Ramos; he has much better pedigree then Martin Jol. The kind of signings he has made till now (Woodgate and Modric) are taking them in the right direction. I hope that at the end of the summer all my worries are taken care of.

Rest, had a look at the Euro matches yesterday. Senderos looked good and Swiss deserved a lot more than they got in the match. Dordeyk didn’t get much time to show his prowess, there were rumours we might be interested in him. Let’s see if he gets more game time, which should be a possibility after Frei’s injury. In the other game, the central defender Pepe managed to put the ball in the net twice (was correctly ruled out offside once though) and the central striker could only manage two hits on the framework of the goal. The results went without any upsets…wish that’s not the case for the whole of the Euros.

French Open Men’s Final – Nadal has it in the bag!!!

Watched the French Open semifinals yesterday. First one was the number 2 player in the world (and the best on clay) against the number 3 in the world and the guy, who everybody believes has everything in him to be a future number 1. The other one was between the World number one, the Numero Uno, who has been Men’s Tennis’s top player for a long long time now and a young French pretender, a guy with loads of talent, but a fair amount of immaturity and playfulness about him too. I had expected (as many others) that the first semi between Nadal and Djokovic would be a much closer affair, and the second one had all the makings of being a one sided washout. How wrong was I.

Nadal is (has been and probably will be for a long time) the best player on clay by a country mile. His ability to chase down lost causes and the heavy top spin shots make him almost unbeatable on clay. Guess, the only person who can beat Nadal is himself. His game is full of strength and lots of extra effort, something normal human body isn’t supposed to be able to sustain for long. That kind of game puts a lot of load on the body, how long can his body sustain that? Already he has faced quite a few injuries in his career. Djokovic’s game isn’t the typical clay courter game; however he has won the Australian Open this year, and at just 20-21 years, already looks like the future face of Men’s tennis. He was expected to give Nadal a tough fight, some people even going to the extent that Djokovic has a better chance of beating Nadal in Paris than Federer. Nadal though had different ideas. Djokovic was struggling to keep up with Nadal, it almost seemed like Djokovic was blown of the court. Then Nadal eased up a bit after going up 3-0 in the third set, having won the first two. Djokovic, who was almost up against the wall till that point, saw his chance and made a game out of it. Nadal just upped the game at crucial stages in that set and eased home in three sets. What I expected to be a titanic battle ended up as a clay court tennis master class from the best man possible.

Federer versus Monfils was a different game altogether. Monfils has got height and awesome strength; however the spin he took when he made a mistake in a drop shot against Ljubicic gave the impression that his mental aspect may need some work. He has the talent and the physical attributes; however the will to fight and win at all costs seems yet to be inculcated. His run till the semis and the fight he showed against Federer should stand him in good stead though. The match was a see saw battle, with Federer making uncharacteristic mistakes. Federer seemed unsure at times, and out of his depth at others. But then this is the 200+ weeks World Number 1 you are talking about. He can dig deep and turn the tide whenever needed. The experience showed in the end.

Despite all Federer’s class I would be shocked if he is able to get past Nadal in the final and surprised if he doesn’t loose in straight sets…

Euro 2008 – Van Persie, Cannavaro and some more

Van Persie has been injured most of this season, or for that matter most of his Arsenal career. I doubt if there has been an injury free season for him at Arsenal. Even now he is desperately trying to recover from injury, and be fit for the first match against Italy. Van Basten had initially said, that he would not keep anybody in the team, who cannot be fit for the first match of the Euros. Why exactly has there been a sudden change in this philosophy, with Basten waiting to see if Van Persie can make it for the first match. Even now Van Persie admits he is not fit enough to play 90 minutes in a match. I saw him in the latter half of the season playing for Arsenal, where he wasn’t fully fit. Believe me, he isn’t half as good a player in that situation and Van Basten would make a big mistake if he starts with him. The Dutch have abundance of talent on the attacking front, though the defensive aspect is equally in shambles. With the likes of Nistelrooy, Huntelaar, Robben, Van der Vaart and Sneijder to lead the attack, do they really need Van Persie? Agreed he does provide a different dimension to the ones mentioned, but still his fitness and form are long way off. I for one feel Van Basten would do well by using him a sub at max and that too not before he is fully fit (which somehow I get the feeling he hasn’t been for 9 months now).

Another major development in the same group has been the injury to Fabio Cannavaro. Italy losing their World Cup winning captain. That should be disastrous, what with even Nesta no longer playing for the Azzuri. However, if you ask me, it’s not really a bad thing. Cannavaro’s form for Real Madrid has been woeful for most of the last season. He has given many unnecessary penalties and just not been the same confident self that he was earlier. On the other hand his replacement (Gamberini) is coming in on the back of an excellent season for Fiorentina, helping them to reach the Champions League next year, and on a wonderful UEFA cup run. Now only if Matrix gets injured or Donadoni gets some sense to play Barzagli and Gamberini as the first choice center back pairing, the Italian defense would be lot better than it would have been with Cannavaro and Matterazi as the starters.

What the Arsenal team needs in the summer of 2008…Part 2

Carrying on from where I left in the last post…
 
Center Midfield
Fabregas and Gilberto with backups as Song/Denilson/Diaby.
The departure of Flamini has meant that Arsenal has already gone backwards in this area compared to last season. AS per me the best combination would be Song and Fabregas and that is both untried and not good enough for next season. Arsenal need a guy a fairly experienced guy here, a like for like replacement for Flamini. Jean Makoun or Loic Perrin should do. The ideal guy would have been Diarra but that idiot couldn’t wait 6 more months. Can’t Wenger buy him back? I think the important thing there would be someone who is physically dominant. I would love to see someone like Essien there. But The Essien’s of the world are not for the Arsenal’s of the world. It might be a pipe dream but u never know with Wenger. We could get a similar guy, haven’t seen the French guys suggested in the media, maybe one of them can be that good. Wenger could get a similar guy from somewhere in the French second division, hopefully. Song does seem to have the capability in my opinion, but does he have the maturity and the wherewithal to last the whole season? I have my doubts. Denilson doesn’t have enough presence about him to be a successful partner for Fabregas at this age. He needs few more years. He could be best utilized as the sub for Fabregas. Diaby has the perfect physique for the job, but nothing more. He mistimed his tackles way too much, and I doubt that aspect can be taught. In fact in Diaby’s case I am not even sure what use he could be at Arsenal. Probably he can be used to add more physical presence to the midfield by playing him on the wings against the likes of Bolton. Last and definitely not the least Gilberto. He has gone a bit over the hill and to be fair to him, Arsenal’s playing style has evolved a bit, making him look more useless then he actually is. He could do very well at any of the top Italian teams, but the fast paced Arsenal game doesn’t suit him. If he stays, that would be great from adding experience point of view. However its fine even if he leaves.
 
One DMF is needed on an urgent basis, with Song and Denilson as backup. Probably Diaby and Gilberto can be allowed to leave to beef up the transfer kitty.
 
Right Midfield/Wing
Hleb with backups Walcott/Barazite/Eboue
I have to keep the guy who has been rumored to leave Arsenal, as the first choice here. He looks likely to leave and Nasri looks equally likely to join. So I would expect that at least one of them should be around and be the first choice right side player for Arsenal. If Wenger promotes Barazite, which I believe he should do, then this should be a fairly covered position. Also Jay Simpson was player of the year in the 2nd division while playing for Millwall and on top of that, he played all season on the right wing coz Wenger asked them to do so, instead of up top. He was a striker when in reserves. He even scored 8 goals from the wings for Millwall. He could be a backup for Hleb too. But then again second division is a long way off from Arsenal, hence another loan deal to a better club looks more likely. If Simpson and Barazite are used then Arsenal should be ok. Let’s wait and watch on this one. Generally, I feel Arsenal don’t need to buy but if Hleb leaves, then Nasri is needed for sure. Arsenal might get Merida back too. Not sure, how and where Merida will fit. Apart from this Wenger has confirmed that Walcott will play on the wings for the next season. Based on his season ending performances, he looks a good bet.
 
If Hleb goes then Nasri is needed, if he doesn’t leave then the promotion of Barazite and performances of Walcott should mean there is enough backup.
 
Left Midfield/Wing
Rosicky with backups Walcott/Vela/Traore
If Arsenal can get Ben Arfa too…that should be good for this side. Gibbs was saying probably he will go out on loan again, as he has been out only for 3 months. Rosicky is mostly injured so can expect Walcott to get as many starts as he wants in this position. Hope with his latest operation and all those nuts and bolts in his leg, Rosicky can hold up better. Vela would need at the least 6 months to 1 year before he can have any kind of impact. Expecting him to be the Carling Cup guy this season. Also he has been touted by Wenger as the Eduardo replacement for now, which means he would work primarily as a striker, but could be playing on the left wing as sometimes Eduardo did. Diaby can be used in cases where we need a bit more defensive attitude and a bit more steel. Traore looked very good in the 20 mins he played against Everton, in fact he has the same number of assists and goals in 20 mins as Eboue had in the complete season. Traore should be kept at the club to add depth, and seen primarily as a left winger. Would like to see if he can make an impact when started in a game.
 
With Vela arriving and Rosicky staying fit, should be enough. However, having Ben Arfa around would remove the dependency on Rosicky.
 
Strikers
Adebayor and van Persie with backups as Bendtner/Walcott/Vela/Eduardo
The strike force is more than enough going by sheer numbers. However, with Ade’s finishing frailties, Van Persie’s injuries, Bendtner, Walcott and Vela’s in-experience, Eduardo’s long term injury, the strike department leaves some room for improvement. But then again this is Arsenal and Wenger, if these talented kids don’t get a chance here, then not sure where they can. Bendtner got 9 goals and finally seemed to be gelling with Adebayor and the team in the game against Everton. Think he deserves the faith to be given more chances in Van Persie’s absence next season.
 
Conclusion
If Arsenal had been a Pool, Chelsea, ManU or even Spurs, we could say we need one of each (GK, CB, LB, RM, LM, CM, ST) more but as this is Arsenal and more importantly Wenger, I think Arsenal should be fine with a Defensive Midfielder and Center Back buy and great if they add a Goal Keeper and a Left Winger too.
 
 
Transfers needed
1.  10 Million for a Center Back – Cristián Zapata would do nicely, Richard Dunne can be a cheaper option.
2.  10 Million for a Defensive Midfielder – Makoun or Loic Perrin would do well, Clément Chantôme may be Wenger’s choice.
3.  15 Million for Hleb’s replacement if he goes – Nasri would be the ideal one.
 
Wishful Transfers
1.       15 Million for Ben Arfa or Arshavin to give that extra winger Arsenal didn’t have last season
2.       10 Million to get a World Class keeper in Akinfeev or Boruc
 
Players to be sold
1.       Gilberto for 5 Million.
2.       Hoyte for 4.5 Million.
3.       Hleb for 15 Million.

What the Arsenal team needs in the summer of 2008…Part 1

Every Arsenal fan would have an opinion on where the team is weak, and which all players need to be bought by Arsene Wenger over the summer. I also have my own thought process about the same. :)
 
As I started the blog just to satisfy such urges of giving my opinion on anything I like, so here it goes…
 
What follows will be an analysis of the current Arsenal squad in each department and my thoughts on where and what to add…
 
Goalkeepers
Almunia with backups as Fabianski/Mannone.
This is the lineup which Arsenal have for now. Right from the outset it looks weak. Lehmann, despite his eccentricities was a very very good keeper. He is being replaced in the overall group by a 19 year old keeper, an age at which most keepers are still learning their trade and some way from maturity barring some exceptions. Fabianski has some good skills but would still need some time. However, the biggest problem in this group is not the backups, the two are almost passable to be the first choice and second choice backup. The problem is that Almunia does not instill the confidence in the team or the fans, that he deserves to be number 1 at a club of Arsenal’s stature. He does not seem to have the capability to win the team a match on his own heroics, something that is expected of almost all top club keepers, be it a Van Der Sar, Cech, Casillas, Buffon or Lehmann (still remember how he took Arsenal to the finals of CL in 2006 by almost single handily keeping Villarreal out). He seems to be over eager to come out and it does allow the defense to play a much higher line, but he has been left susceptible too many times due to that. The Pool goal in CL, few times against Spurs, the second goal by ManU at Emirates this season, are all examples of this. Think Arsenal need a better first choice keeper, like say an Akinfeev or Boruc.
 
I feel an addition is needed in the keeping department over the summer, however based on Wenger’s past history and recent comments on which players he is looking for, I would be shocked if Arsenal buy a keeper over the summer.
 
Right Back
Sagna with backups as  Eboue/Hoyte.
This is one place where Arsenal spent last season, and spent well I must say. The way Sagna took to that position was no less then amazing, being acknowledged as the best in that position for the season by his peers in EPL pretty much gave the final recognizing stamp for his excellent effort. I think in this position Arsenal are well covered. It’s time to move Eboue back to Right Back and backup role. Probably Arsenal can even sell Hoyte to add some cash to the transfer kitty. However, Toure at right back does not look like the right option, even as a backup.
 
No addition needed in this position, scope for selling Hoyte…
 
Left Back
Clichy with backups as Traore/Gallas/Hoyte.
Despite a few injury ravaged seasons, Clichy has held up admirably through the season. He ended playing the maximum number of minutes for Arsenal, a complete turn aroundfor someone who has been injured the last few seasons. Hopefully, Rosicky and Van Persie can take a leaf out of Clichy’s book and do something similar next season. Clichy too like Sagna was chosen as the best left back in the EPLthis season. His performances have been too good, committing very few mistakes, which happen to everyone. The only thing he may want to add to his game is being more effective in the final third, better crosses and a goal or two would be very very nice. The backup seems a bit light weight as Traore is defensively clueless and has done much better on the wings. Hoyte isn’t natural in that position and isn’t too great either. Gallascan do well there, but with his kind of ego, I doubt if he will be happy doing that.
 
A backup is needed on an urgent basis, however if a Center back is bought who can play on the left side too, that should be fine.
 
Center Back
Toure and Gallas with backups as Senderos/Djourou/Song.
This is where Arsenal have big problems, huge problems. The first choice doesn’t complement each other, second choice can’t hack it. Arsenal should let one of Senderos or Djourou go. Song should not be an option for this position. He is fine for 5th choice though i.e. if Arsenal sell one among Senderos/Djourou and buy another Center Back. However, the issue will not be solved by just buying a new tall and strong Center back. As this would move Toure or Gallasto a backup role, which neither of them would be happy with. If Gallas is relieved of the captaincy duties too, then I feel his ego will make sure that he moves on. However if Gallas is allowed to leave, then Arsenal would need at least 2 defenders. A 1st choice CB and a backup LB. Guess that would explain why I feel Arsenal have huge problems there, problems which are very difficult to address. Also if Gallas leaves then the current backups in Senderos andDjourou have to be kept for now. If Wenger can find an ideal solution for this then Arsenal can win a lot next year. In my opinion even with Song as CM partnering Fabregas, but a better backline Arsenal can do better then this season.
 
That’s all for today…will continue with the midfield and strikers in the next post.

Euro 2008 – my views and expectations

My take on the upcoming Euro 2008 –

Group – A

Czech Republic – Not having Nedved or Rosicky would hurt them. But with the Turkey and Switzerland for competition, they should scrape through.

Switzerland – Seems like they are there for the experience. Likes of Djourou, Senderos and Derdiyok should benefit a lot. Don’t know much about anyone else in that team. Guess Frei, Valanthen are supposed to be good.

Portugal – The lack of a great goalkeeper and a quality striker may hurt them in the later stages, but they should sail through to top group A. With Croatia and Germany expected for quarters and semis, would be surprised if they are not in the finals this time too.

Turkey – They did well in the 2002 world cup, but can’t see the any of the names of that time in this list. Emre and Nihat could do something. Expecting Czech’s to be the better side.

 
Group – B

Croatia – Eduardo’s absence might hurt. However, if the others can come up and finish off the chances created by Modric and Kranjkar, they could go some way in the tournament. Whatever, may be the case, they look like a good bet for the next round.

Germany – The usual, good squad, easy group…let’s see how far can they go? Expected to face the Czech’s in quarters and Portugal in the semis. Think semis should be assured.

Poland – Good keepers, Smolarek is good…that’s all I know about them. Based on their World Cup performance, think they may not be good enough to challenge Croatia. But that’s just a guess.
Austria – In the Euros only coz they are the hosts. Don’t think they will get as much as a point, maybe getting a goal or two would be enough for them J

 
Group – C

France – Domenech apart can’t see much wrong in the team. Off course Thuram and Gallas being similar may be a problem, but then they went to the finals in the World Cup with the same two. So expecting them to be able to handle that. But with Italy and Netherlands in the group, it may all go down to luck and nothing else.

Italy – I think Oddo should have been in the team, rest seems ok. They are in the toss up for this round, once thru that, Spain/Russia should be relatively easier. If they can top the group, final looks like a realistic possibility.

Romania – Not a bad side at all, with the likes of Chivu and Mutu, but in the wrong group. May hurt the others charge in the group by taking points of them, but can’t see them qualifying for the knockout.

Netherlands – My eternal favorites since I started watching International football. Apart from the defense rest looks fine. Hope they can do something in this edition of the tournament.

Group – D

Sweden – Ageing Larsson and Ljunberg, inconsistent Ibrahimovic, and a keeper who failed to get a chance ahead of England’s u-21 keeper. All this tells me, they are not going to get through this group. But still expect them to be in the hunt, if Spain choke or Russia can’t repeat the usual Hiddink performance. Even then a second round exit at the hand of one of the group C fellows is the best they can ask for.

Spain – Loads of talent, very little team spirit. Hope with the likes of Fabregas pulling the strings and Torres making the run for it, they can get far. They should be topping the group and reach the semis at least, but with the Spaniards you should never expect.

Greece – Despite being the defending champions, I or for that matter most people would be surprised if they make the 2nd round. For the sake of football’s aesthetic appeal I hope they are nowhere near the repeat of their last outing in the Euros.

Russia – Akinfeev and Arshavin should lead the charge for them under Hiddink. Would expect them to be ahead of the likes of Sweden and Greece, but anything more than a 2nd round exit would be over-achievement for them.

Verdict
Mind says – Italy vs Germany final with Germany winning it.

Heart says – Netherlands vs Portugal final with Netherlands winning it.

My First Attempt

This is the first time that I am writing a blog. I have read a blog or two over the last few years, but never felt inclined enough to write one. Yesterday, I was looking at the blog of my roommate’s friend. It was thought provoking and seemed like a nice way to put forward your opinion and ideas. And then later in the evening, when we were having dinner someone suggested that to avoid forgetting the really nice and special incidents that happen in our everyday life, we should start maintaining a blog.

So here is an effort in that direction, lets see how far and well we can take this forward.