Arsenal thread

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I'd like to see more of Wiltord.. he seemed to have some good touches against Leeds, but just rusty in front of goal... I hope he stays. If he doensn't, i guess Pennant could provide cover there.

On another note, for anyone who lives in/near london, i was in NikeTown on Oxford Street last night, and they have free name printing on the current Arsenal away shirt. So i just had to get CHAMPS 04 :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
 
You are fucking mad mate, that's just a mistake waiting to happen! Tutututut!
 
From BBC SPORT...



How Arsenal can improve

Who will Wenger decide to replace, and with whom?

Sounds like a strange thing to say, doesn't it, when Arsenal are on the brink of securing the Premiership title.

When you are unbeaten in the league all season, where is the room for improvement?

Simple answer: everywhere. The team that rests on its laurels is the team that prepares to be overtaken.

The Arsenal of 2004 have been fêted as one of the finest sides in English football history.

The weak capitulations to Manchester United and Chelsea which ended their Treble dream were seen as aberrations which could have been avoided.

But the close season may give a different perspective. What if, rather than throwing away a possible Treble, Arsenal actually did fantastically well just to win the Premiership?

No cash to spend

Cast your mind back to last August. While Chelsea splashed out millions and United spent like European aristocrats, Arsenal's outlay was less than £2m.

Jens Lehmann, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a paltry £1.5m, was not Arsene Wenger's first-choice goalkeeper. Gael Clichy cost £250,000 in compensation to Cannes, and Philippe Senderos came from Servette for a nominal fee.


If Henry was injured, how would Arsenal replace his goals?

It left Arsenal, on the surface of it, way behind their title rivals. The team which had just blown the title was barely being bolstered, let alone dramatically improved.

Wenger had a converted midfielder at right-back (Lauren), a hitherto average midfielder at centre-back (Kolo Toure), a lack of cover in midfield and a strike force that relied almost exclusively on one man, Thierry Henry.

Bar the January arrival of Jose Antonio Reyes, all those situations remain the same, yet Arsenal are odds-on to take the Premiership title.

Wenger is not a naive man. He knows that, had any of his key men suffered a serious injury, the title challenge could have collapsed.

Henry has 29 Premiership goals this season. The next highest league scorer at the club is Robert Pires with 13. Beyond that, you have to go all the way down to Freddie Ljungberg and Dennis Bergkamp with 4.

Henry looks after his body like a track and field athlete. Arsenal have one of the best medical back-up teams in Europe.

But he could still get injured - and if he did, Arsenal would be unable to make up the goals shortfall from any other source.

Every team in the Champions League would struggle without their key striker. Imagine United without Ruud van Nistelrooy.

How much fun can it be to engineer a victorious team with a fantasy-football style budget!

This summer, Bergkamp and Sylvain Wiltord are out of contract. The former might get a one-year deal, the latter probably not.

Reyes, while Wenger's first-choice partner for Henry, will not hit his best for another couple of years. Returning loanee Francis Jeffers is unwanted at Highbury.

That would leave Arsenal relying on a 35-year-old Bergkamp, unproven 21-year-old Jeremie Aliadiere and the fading Nwankwo Kanu should Henry be sidelined - hardly the foundations on which Champions League triumphs are built.

Defensive concerns

There is a similar lack of cover throughout the team.

In the centre of defence, Toure and Sol Campbell have been exceptional all season.

But should they be injured or suspended - likely in the course of full season - you are left with Martin Keown (38 this summer) and Pascal Cygan (improved, but not enough). Senderos is highly-rated but is untested and has been out with injury all year.

Left-back is well covered. But the only competition for Lauren on the other side is Toure - and that simply opens up problems elsewhere.

In the midfield, it's all about competition for places. Arsenal do not have the strength in depth to handle the prolonged absence of Pires or Patrick Vieira.

Ljungberg has struggled to re-capture the form of two years ago. The whole midfield unit has suffered from having to play too many high-pressure games in succession.

Wenger has the option of giving Jermaine Pennant another chance. But with respect to Pennant, who has been one of the few successes in Leeds' dismal season, he alone will not convert Arsenal into European champions.

Transfer targets

It almost makes gloomy reading for Arsenal fans. It shouldn't.

The team has achieved incredible things with limited resources this year. Wenger now has cash to spend, and has already identified several potential summer targets to David Dein.

It's just to say that, when the title comes to Highbury, appreciate what the club has done. And be grateful that Wenger is already looking forward to the challenges of next season.
 
gooner2005 said:
You are fucking mad mate, that's just a mistake waiting to happen! Tutututut!
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I think we're OK now mate! I've i'm hoping for a chelsea draw and an Arsenal win so I can spend the rest of the day getting smashed!

Chamionies championies o we o we o we!!!!!! =D>
 
I think wenger will get trabelsi (check spelling)

and its a shame but would have liked Mexes to come Arsenal.


I also dont think wiltord will leave, im pretty sure they will keep him, he was injured and had no chance to show anything.
 
Harvy2001 said:
I think wenger will get trabelsi (check spelling)

and its a shame but would have liked Mexes to come Arsenal.


I also dont think wiltord will leave, im pretty sure they will keep him, he was injured and had no chance to show anything.
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I don't actually rate Mexes, as i would have liked Boumsong instead. I also hope they keep hold of Wiltord. He gives us good cover on the right for Ready-Steady-Freddy. Also with Penannt coming back as well, we should be ok. If we buy trabelsi, then we got cover for Lauren as well.
 
some of you might think that i am crazy but i say go after kluivert and get him for cheap now that he is out of favor at Barca. he would fit in perfectly and play off of henry very well. his passing game and touch is very similar to bergkamp but you get an inside aerial threat that arsenal has not had in a long time. he played off of rivaldo really well and his skills have not diminished that much plus he wants to play in london and as for his late night party habits, arsene will help him with that.
 
IceMan_Bergkamp said:
Harvy2001 said:
I think wenger will get trabelsi (check spelling)

and its a shame but would have liked Mexes to come Arsenal.


I also dont think wiltord will leave, im pretty sure they will keep him, he was injured and had no chance to show anything.
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I don't actually rate Mexes, as i would have liked Boumsong instead. I also hope they keep hold of Wiltord. He gives us good cover on the right for Ready-Steady-Freddy. Also with Penannt coming back as well, we should be ok. If we buy trabelsi, then we got cover for Lauren as well.
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If we got Trabelsi , I wouldnt call him cover for Lauren, he would get into the fist team and Lauren would be the cover. Remember Lauren is a converted right back.
 
Pires7 said:
IceMan_Bergkamp said:
Harvy2001 said:
I think wenger will get trabelsi (check spelling)

and its a shame but would have liked Mexes to come Arsenal.


I also dont think wiltord will leave, im pretty sure they will keep him, he was injured and had no chance to show anything.
Click to expand...

I don't actually rate Mexes, as i would have liked Boumsong instead. I also hope they keep hold of Wiltord. He gives us good cover on the right for Ready-Steady-Freddy. Also with Penannt coming back as well, we should be ok. If we buy trabelsi, then we got cover for Lauren as well.
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If we got Trabelsi , I wouldnt call him cover for Lauren, he would get into the fist team and Lauren would be the cover. Remember Lauren is a converted right back.
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Yes, I agree, trabelsi would be the first choice
 
Yeah I know what you mean dude, our current team is great and I feel hard to drop anyone or bring someone new in.



BUT I doubt we will ever get Kluivert!

his wage demands would be stupendious, I think Newcastle want him you know.
 
heres on for the gunners i heard on sky sports this morning, if you take away all of henry's goals this season you would still be above Tottenham in the league. very amusing i thought!
 
jamie_mack said:
heres on for the gunners i heard on sky sports this morning, if you take away all of henry's goals this season you would still be above Tottenham in the league. very amusing i thought!
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It sounds incredible!!! :D
 
Harvy2001 said:
Yeah I know what you mean dude, our current team is great and I feel hard to drop anyone or bring someone new in.



BUT I doubt we will ever get Kluivert!

his wage demands would be stupendious, I think Newcastle want him you know.
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didn't Barca advertise him for sale at a low low discount price? :mrgreen:
 
Well guys.

Van Persie will probably come to Highbury next season after all.

3 million quid.

I don't think we need a player like that, though. He should warm the bench in the upcoming 2 seasons with Bergkamp, Henry, Pires and Reyes.
 
Ferraritim said:
I don't think we need a player like that, though. He should warm the bench in the upcoming 2 seasons with Bergkamp, Henry, Pires and Reyes.
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Surely we couldn't have five outfield players on the bench and shouldn't at least one of the be playing :shock: ;)
 
Is today the day? If i didnt have work to do id watch the whole game. THink ill do abit more then catch the 2nd half...

Here you go fellas...
 
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