Author: admin

IT STARTED SO WELL…

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Arsenal’s start to the ongoing season was so promising. The way they played till the end of last year, people were almost certain that they would end their trophy drought this season. But, unfortunately, things changed completely for the Gunners in 2014. They horribly lost their form and from one of the top contenders for the Premier League title, they suddenly became a team struggling for a Champions League spot.

In Football, whenever a team fails, the manager has to take the responsibility because he is the man who is in charge of things, but, not everything is in the hands of a manager. Yes, he is responsible for the tactics being used out there by the players, he is responsible for the selection of personnel, but, he is not responsible for how the players execute a certain plan on the pitch.

In Arsenal’s case, most of their failures off late have come because of the poor execution of plans. The players whom the manager Arsene Wenger was banking upon have just not managed to deliver which is not his fault, but, unfortunately, it’s him who is being criticized or rather crucified by the British media.

If some reports are to be believed, now the Arsenal board is also losing patience and they might have to think again over the extension of Wenger’s contract.

The Gunners still can win a title this season though. They are in the semi final of the FA Cup where they will be facing the reigning champions Wigan Athletic. It’s very important for Wenger to win this tie and then, win the final too. If he does so, not only would he be able to silence his critics, but, he would certainly be offered a new deal by the Arsenal board.

YOUNG PLAYERS ARE PRIORITY

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Although Arsene Wenger is all set to receive a huge amount of money to spend in the transfer market by the Arsenal board but, he says that his priority will still be to spot young players with potential and give them opportunities.

The Arsenal academy has always produced some great young players and Wenger has a lot to do with that. He is very good at spotting talents.

Talking to the reporters on this topic yesterday, the Gunners boss said, “If you trust them (the young players) and give them opportunities, they will be keen to repay you. Also, they feel secure and remain loyal to the club. So, these are the advantages.” Continue reading YOUNG PLAYERS ARE PRIORITY →

OZIL UNDER PRESSURE

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Mesut Ozil has come under intense criticism in the last few weeks after a string of disappointing performances for Arsenal, which has also coincided with the club suffering numerous defeats. The club record signing has been excellent for Arsenal in the first half of the season, but he has been looking increasingly laboured since the 4-0 defeat against Liverpool. He was at fault for two of the four goals scored by Liverpool within 20 minutes. Ozil also missed a crucial penalty in the 2-0 defeat against Bayern Munich, which would have given the gunners something to fight in the second leg.

As it is, they are now favourites to get knocked out of the competition just as they suffered at the hands of the German outfit last season. This has led to Arsene Wenger dropping the 24-year-old for the match against Sunderland, which Arsenal managed to comfortably in 4-1. He said after the encounter that Ozil will certainly prove his quality once he returns from his short absence from the team. Wenger is of the opinion that the £ 42 million signing can do with some time out of the limelight.

Ozil was not the only player to get a rest in recent weeks. Wenger had given the entire squad two days off in order to recuperate.

“I never tell Mesut: ‘You have to win us the game,’. He shouldn’t do that. It’s down to the performance of the team. But maybe he feels that a bit in a different way than I do. I just want him to enjoy it and play well. It is difficult for him mentally to be confronted with that pressure every three days and in every single competition. But he will adapt. He had a difficult game [against Bayern] because he missed that penalty and it was on his mind,” said Wenger to www.ilovearsenal.net.