Sorted Palace out! Now come on over, Reds..

I know this is coming a bit late, but we don't go on again until Monday night, and even the players had an off day okay!?

Yes, so we are finally back to seeing our expectations through! Selhurst Park was a tricky challenge, specially with the roster of players that Palace is boasting of now. Tottenham would lose big there, and thats why we had to win, and we did!

Concerns? Giroud, except for that goal of the week, went missing for the remaining game, Coquelin didn't really have a game to boast about, Ramsey needs to play in the middle, and that goal might have been stopped or blocked. But then, this is a game where you are always be improving, and there will always be concerns.

Positives? Mesut Ozil, damn!

"Ya Gunners Ya" !

We are back on track and its Liverpool this Monday. Its a big game for us, the kind of game which will have a huge impact on us and our season. Its our chance to debunk the claims from our hater pundits, to set the tone and admonish our opponents. We can do all of that, but it will all come down to the nuances of the game and how we compare on those nuances with Liverpool. There is a good chance it could be a draw, but we don't want that.

On the transfers, Benzema talk is picking up again, fueled by some unreliable sources. If we could get either Benzema or Cavani, I'd be happy. But my only concern here how the new addition of the striker affect our game. Will this change bring about a few more West Ham blunders to us? But yes, Benzema will put the other team on the backfoot, even before the game starts. 

Hope to find you next in a victorious state of mind, later. 

Anirudh.

Loss to West Ham : Problem lies elsewhere

Arsene deserves to be happy again!

Everyone agrees that the present Arsenal Squad is topnotch. Yes, there are doubts over our main striker, but then, lets analyse that later on. So yes, the team. This team, when things go as it wants it, can run over any team in the world with its sheer creativity, quick passing, and game play. But this last sentence exposes a big problem too. That sentence doesn't describe a team of Champions.
The problem in our team today is the attitude, the mentality, according to me. Let me explain.

The Champions aren't defined by their good days, they are defined by the days when shit hits the roof. How they contain it, translates into their success, or failure. This forces me to think that Arsenal are a soft team right now. When passes are going through, and through balls are going into the net, and score lines are in our favour before half time, then Arsenal are the title contenders we all talk about. But when some thing like what went down this Sunday happens, then we crumble.

To be honest, and as painful as this is to say it, I don't see that fighting spirit there. Players seem to come to the pitch to perform as well as they can, but it looks like they just leave enough room inside their heads for complacency to creep in. I know they all want to win, but how much is winning worth to them, is the question I am trying to find an answer to. Winning surely needs to mean to them more than what it presently does.

This video is very relevant to what I'm trying to say really. Making mistakes is just fine. Cech and the defenders made mistakes, and that's okay once in a while, but what we do about it decides our fate. If our game plan going forward wasn't working against a tight and resolute West Ham then we should have adapted. This can only happen if the team is cohesive and there is flowing understanding in it. Also important in such a situation is leadership. More than a few questions need to be answered here.

I think we play exciting and beautiful football, and are one of the world's best at that! But we, Arsenal, need to know what we actually want. Is it the Premier League Title, because that requires something more.

Anyway, this was just the first game, and I hope some miracle happens and all my concerns are addressed overnight, but I know it will take time. We should win our next, and some more, before we stumble across another 'shocker'. We don't need another addition to the squad anytime before we need a change in our attitude.

Can't wait for us to take the pitch again this Sunday!

COYG!

Anirudh.

Arsenal Boy

Well, it all started in 2006 for me. Thierry Henry. Followed him back his wonderful trip to Germany with the French National Football Team to Highbury. Well, to the Emirates Stadium actually. Henry left, but my allegiance stayed with Arsenal.

This space is going to be a reflection of my fan feelings and analyses and ideas. But why would you be interested in reading them? To be honest, I still wonder, but I just assume its for the same reason I spend so much time on other online spaces. The answer is simple : love for Arsenal, love for football.

Whatever be your reason, I wish you enjoy reading while you're here!

COYG!

Later,
Anirudh.