Arsenal Lobby

Yaeh after this weekend.

srigooner wrote:Is there an international break coming up? Who are the guys called up, who will potentially add to our injury list?

Teams that will play during the break with current NT players at Arsenal are Chile (Alexis), Germany (Özil), France (Giroud, Koscielny), Czech Republic (Hasn't played in 3 years but has never retired, doubt he'd get called up, Rosicky), Spain (Cazorla, Monreal who hasn't played in 2 years but is in great form), England (Walcott, Welbeck, Gibbs, Chambers)

So probably Alexis, Özil, Giroud, Koscielny, Cazorla and Walcott.

Ah well, at least I am not unaware of this now..

What about Per? He retired

Yeah, after the World Cup

pretty safe high note to leave on

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/aug/15/arsenal-per-mertesacker-retires-germany-international

Quiz 1:http://www.theguardian.com/football/quiz/2015/mar/24/football-quiz-name-the-career

got 14/15

Quiz 2:http://www.theguardian.com/football/quiz/2015/mar/26/football-quiz-name-career-stat-snapshot

got 13/20
Andy van der Meyde of quizzes  
=============
post your scores lads

http://arseblog.com/2015/03/the-battle-of-highbury-1934/

Sina wrote:Quiz 1:http://www.theguardian.com/football/quiz/2015/mar/24/football-quiz-name-the-career

got 14/15

Quiz 2:http://www.theguardian.com/football/quiz/2015/mar/26/football-quiz-name-career-stat-snapshot

got 13/20
Andy van der Meyde of quizzes  
=============
post your scores lads

9/15

9/20

i r pesant

13 out of a possible 15 in the 1st one

http://news.arseblog.com/2015/03/wenger-rips-into-homegrown-player-proposals/

I 100% agree with what he's saying. Especially this bit:

“So we can say one of two things – we protect the mediocre or we produce the best players."

These new rules are designed to give the mediocre home-grown players more chances than foreign players, purely on the basis that they're home-grown.

Zelalem could become amazing in a few years time, for example, but under those rules we could end up in a scenario where that spot in the squad has to go to Jack Jebb, who may not be anywhere near as talented.

Emi Martinez might not get many more opportunities, because the rules may require us to give more chances Josh Vickers or Matt Macey.

So yeah, I'm not in favour of these rule changes. I want better English players coming through, but this is the wrong way to go about it and I hope the other Premier League clubs tell Dyke to shove it.

Fully agree.

This proposal will only degrade the already declining quality of the Premier League.

Invest in developing the English youth, renovate the systems already in place to encourage clubs to choose homegrown players anyway. Don't protect their mediocrity and make it essential.

Back on the forums after a week away. Writing up Arsenal-Liverpool preview tonight.

Spoiler:

thoughts?

Home kit is nice,like classic ones from 90s

Away/third though

As you say, home is nice, vintage look.

I don't like the patterns on the away one, but otherwise the color and idea are decent, would probably look better on players.

Third is awful. Just doesn't work.

Afobe doing quite well for himself at Wolves since £2million move in January.

9 goals and 3 assists in 15 appearances in the Championship.

All in all this season he's scored 28 and assisted 9 in 45 apps for MK Dons and Wolves.

Not bad at all.

Y

MJ wrote:Afobe doing quite well for himself at Wolves since £2million move in January.

9 goals and 3 assists in 15 appearances in the Championship.

All in all this season he's scored 28 and assisted 9 in 45 apps for MK Dons and Wolves.

Not bad at all.

Very impressive. Hope he does well there.

Just saw the April fixtures again.

04.04. Liverpool (H)
11.04. Burnley (A)
18.04. Reading (Webmbley)
26.04. Chelsea (H)

Such a massive month for us!

After that, we have:

04.05. Hull (A)
11.05. Swansea (H)
17.05. United (A)
20.05. Sunderland (H)
24.05. West Brom (H)
30.05. (Wembley?)

No doubt the most important one that springs to mind is Reading as to date.

They are all important to be honest. Just because we are second in the table now doesn't mean we have everything under control. We shouldn't forget that United and City are below us by 1 and 2 points respectively.

One slip and we'll be in fourth place again. 2 slips and we'll end up in the middle of the fourth place dog fight again.

A nice juciy draw at the Manchester derby would give us some breathing space, but I strongly believe United will trample City. That's not too bad, as it will keep our boys under pressure (when they perform without getting complascent) but that'll just put the OT game at higher stakes - ideally, I want to be playing that with a 4 point cushion over them. From that PoV, a highly unlikely City win is also not such a bad result for us

All I was saying is FA Cup succes over snatching 2nd place.

Arsenal news: Hector Bellerin is officially quickest player ever at the club, and he shows no sign of slowing down

Spanish right-back overtakes Theo Walcott as club's 40-metre sprint champion and has made rapid progress since his debut six months ago



By Jeremy Wilson

Hector Bellerin followed the path first trodden by Cesc Fabregas in leaving Barcelona for Arsenal at the age of 16 but he has also now quite literally accelerated beyond the footsteps of even Thierry Henry and Theo Walcott.

The club 40-metre sprint record is a matter of some prestige at Arsenal. The course is carefully laid out at the club’s training ground and timing gates are set up to measure respective speeds over the first five metres, from five to 15 metres and finally from the start to finish. When Henry set a time of 4.82sec, it was thought to be as safe as his all‑time club goalscoring record. And then Walcott came along and lowered the record to 4.42sec. Could that be bettered? Walcott discovered the answer while still recovering from his knee surgery last summer when Bellerin, then only 19, shaved one hundredth of a second off his time.


Hector Bellerin celebrates scoring Arsenal's opening goal against Liverpool

“It was really unexpected,” Bellerin says with a smile. “I worked a lot on my speed and power with the conditioning coach last year. The work that you don’t see, in the shadows, really shows on the pitch. We were just having a test and then they told me I was the fastest at the club. I did not beat it by that much. There was a bit of banter and he is trying to beat me now.”

Walcott acknowledges that it was a “big thing” in the dressing room and believes that pre-season will provide the ultimate showdown. He is now 26 but still thinks he can go faster. “Did he have the wind, was it downhill?” Walcott asks. “We’ll wait until the summer and the perfect conditions like he had.”

Alexis Sánchez, Danny Welbeck and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are also not so very far behind. Sánchez’s strength is apparently over the first 15 metres whereas Welbeck and Oxlade-Chamberlain are at their best when the distance is slightly longer. Mesut Özil and Serge Gnabry are apparently also in contention and, while the identity of Arsenal’s slowest player over 40m remains secret, it was not Per Mertesacker.

Pace, though, is obviously only a starting point for any footballer. Gary Neville, the former Manchester United and England right-back, says that it “gives you a chance” but what has been most impressive this season is how Bellerin has grasped that opportunity.

He had been on loan at Watford last year under Gianfranco Zola and the former Italy striker has become one of his mentors. Arsène Wenger readily admits that he did not expect Bellerin to be in the first-team this season but there is now a legitimate question about whether he will keep Mathieu Debuchy out of the team once the France full-back is fully recovered from shoulder surgery.

Bellerin has played in the recent wins against Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool and clearly developed vastly since his debut against Borussia Dortmund six months ago.

Upon meeting Bellerin, it is hard not to be struck by just how polite he is. Any stereotype of brash young footballers can be quickly consigned to the bin.

His first reply is “thank you very much” when asked about his improvement and he then explains, in perfect English, how Wenger’s confidence rubbed off on him.

Wenger has never been afraid to risk young players or convert midfielders into defenders and, while Bellerin did look exposed on his debut, his reaction was not to hide but to grow, learn and get better. “Every single minute you play helps you a lot and gives you experience,” he says.

“I am happy that now, after not so good performances in the beginning, the coach has still put confidence in me and given me minutes. The chances always come through injuries, which is not a nice thing. Now we are going to have Debuchy back and I am happy for him, but when you get your chance, you need to do the best you can. I have done my best to take this opportunity.

“The back-up of the players we have makes you look good as well. They have helped me since the beginning and are my family. They have been young players as well so they help you in everything they can. They make you feel like one more in the dressing room. We are lucky in this club, we young players get the opportunities and it is important when you get them that you need to take them.”
The 4-1 win against Liverpool on Saturday still highlighted the calculated risk that Wenger had taken. “I picked Bellerin for his pace and low centre of gravity,” the manager said. “Raheem Sterling changes direction very quickly and Hector is short as well.”

After cutting inside from the right, Bellerin opened the scoring with a wonderfully taken left-footed finish. Then, with Arsenal leading 3-0, his mistimed tackle on Sterling conceded the penalty that gave Liverpool a flicker of hope. It was a rash moment but one from which he should learn. “I am glad people are seeing this improvement,” Bellerin says. “It is a bit of everything that has got better but the defending really as I was always a winger in my younger career.”

That younger career, of course, was shaped between the ages of eight and 16 by Barcelona’s fabled La Masia academy. He joined Arsenal in the same summer that Fabregas returned to Catalonia and, as part of that deal, it is understood that Barcelona waived any future sell-on clause. An improved long-term contract is expected later this year. Like Fabregas, Bellerin joined Arsenal because of the greater prospect of first-team football at this pivotal stage of his development.

“It was difficult because I left my family, my friends, but my dream has always been to be a footballer, not play at Barca,” he says. “Sometimes the train passes and you take it or not. Many people called me crazy when I left, but I'm showing that I was right. Life does not end at Barca.

“It’s great to play at home and have everything where you’ve grown up but sometimes you’ve got to get out of your comfort zone and discover new challenges. I have been here for a long time now, this feels like home, but I am still Spanish, with all of my family over there. If I had stayed in Barcelona I don’t know if I would have got to the top, the elite. We’ll never know. I have Arsène Wenger to thank. He has been the coach that has given me a great opportunity.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/11522694/Arsenal-news-Hector-Bellerin-is-officially-quickest-player-ever-at-the-club-and-he-shows-no-sign-of-slowing-down.html

Arsenal have won each of their last seven Barclays Premier League matches, the best current run in the division. No side has won eight in a row at any point this season.

The Gunners have exactly the same record after 31 matches as they did last season (W19 D6 L6).

Santi Cazorla should make his 100th Barclays Premier League appearance in this match, while Aaron Ramsey could clock up 150.

There have been fewer goals in the final 15 minutes at Turf Moor this season (three) than any other BPL ground.

Arsène Wenger glad Arsenal do not face ‘nightmare’ post-season tour

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/apr/10/arsene-wenger-arsenal-nightmare-post-season-tour

Arsenal are set to travel the least of England’s leading clubs, with Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool committed to summer tours of greater timespan and/or distance. Chelsea and United will play matches in the United States in July, City and Liverpool go to Australia at around the same time, with Liverpool also visiting Malaysia.

In addition, Chelsea are expected to conduct a one-week tour either to the US or the far east and City will visit Canada. Tottenham Hotspur have also planned a post-season tour; they play in Malaysia on 27 May and Australia on 30 May.
________

The summer will feature national team commitments for many of the players. There are Euro 2016 qualifiers as late as 14 June – when England, for example, will play Slovenia – while the Copa América runs in Chile from 11 June to 4 July.
________

Wenger, though, is vexed by the start date for next season, which the Premier League have announced will be 8 August, with a view to an early finish, with Euro 2016 in mind. Wenger said he had voted against the measure.

“I opposed the early start because I preferred to play one more game over Christmas because everybody has the squad that can deal with it and give the players a real rest in the summer,” the manager said. “They voted to start early in August and that is a bit of a nightmare. Some players are still playing on June 14 in Europe and then there is the Copa América.

“That is after a season where you have had no winter break. I don’t see where you go from there to give the players a proper rest. It is impossible. You have had no rest in the winter; now the decision is no rest in the summer, either.”

Wenger is happy, at least, that the commercial powers at Arsenal have chosen to limit themselves to the short stint in Singapore. “I am quite pleased with that because pre-season is always a difficult time to prepare well,” he said. “The commercial pressures are difficult but you want to find a compromise. We cannot ignore anymore the worldwide reputation and I would say it [a tour] is more PR than finances.

“I hope we can benefit from keeping our tour short. In recent years, I was always worried that we had a qualifier for the Champions League so let’s first make sure that we don’t need that, and then we’ll see. It is interesting that we have only one week to dedicate to that [a tour].”

____________

FFS prioritizing football over money
AW
Arsenal
There's a reason why we love this club

srigooner wrote:

There have been fewer goals in the final 15 minutes at Turf Moor this season (three) than any other BPL ground.

Well we have yet to visit them

Arsenal v Reading preview will be online on Thursday night.