Sack Arsene Wenger now? It's unthinkable in this of all weeks

Morning Gooners.

It's been a while, hasn't it? Unfortunately events away from Arsenal have been keeping me from blogging. But I hope things have now settled down a little, I can get back into a normal routine again.

One of the things I haven't been able to do in the last ten days is watch Arsenal too much. I only saw highlights of of Premier League win at the Stadium of Light and passing glimpses of the FA Cup match. However I did make the trip to Milan - my first experience of the San Siro no less - and what a result that was.

We've not been in the best of form since Christmas, it's clear for all to see with our results. It's made watching Arsenal painful. I've personally not enjoyed watching our team this season at times this season. Yes, the wins like the 5-3 at Chelsea make up for some of the many, many downs. But we've been so inconsistent you never know which Gunners team will turn up.

Something in Milan didn't feel right from the off - the selection of Tomas Rosicky. And I felt this when I first saw the team for the Carling Cup final, almost 12 months ago. I love Rosicky - when he's on form and pulling the strings it's a joy to watch. But that version of the Czech international hasn't been around consistently since before his injury.

At the San Siro, it felt the wrong call. Yes, he should provide more defensive cover in the space in front of the returning Kieran Gibbs than perhaps Alex Oxlade Chamberlain would. But one of the issues with playing Rosicky/Arshavin/Benayoun on the left is that they all like to drift inside and reduce the width we need to stretch our opponents game.

Personally I would have liked to have seen Arsene Wenger throw caution to the wind and have started with The Ox, who seems to be our only in form player at the moment. This was an average team playing - as much as I hate to say it - an average Arsenal team. But on paper we should have had the players to beat them.

The moments that Theo Walcott did get chance to run at them, he scared the Italian defence. But these were few and far between and if Theo thinks these are the type of performances which are going to see him awarded a new big money contract then he's very much deluded.

The defeat was very hard to take because it was easily avoidable. We made schoolboy errors. We couldn't even do the basics. Wojceich Szczesny still can't on many occasions find a team mate with a long kick up field. He said on Twitter last season he'd work on his distribution - it seems he's not got on very well with that side of his game. And if we cannot retain possession with our goalkeeper finding an outfield player, we might as well give the ball straight back to the opposition and let them take pot shots at goal.

There isn't much right at the club at this point in time. The game we really needed to win was the one last Saturday in the FA Cup. Our only real viable chance of silverware this season. But again, it seems we couldn't get ourselves up for that one.

As the results don't go our way, there is mounting pressure on Arsene Wenger. It is laughable that within hours of the defeat at the Stadium of Light, the Mail on Sunday were reporting that the club's board were lining up Pep Guardiola to replace the Frenchman. Quite why they think that Guardiola would want the Arsenal gig or that the board - who don't have any power or inclination to move Wenger on - would wield the axe now is anyone's guess.

I've seen other blogs and fans call for Wenger to go. I won't be one of them. I see little point in jumping on a bandwagon heading into one of the most important periods of our season - especially with the north London derby coming up this Sunday.

Perhaps the manager's position needs to be addressed in the Summer. But at the moment I feel everyone who loves Arsenal needs to get behind the team. They need us to be their 12th man. No time more than now do we need to be united in one voice, backing this team. Sunday's going to be tough enough as it is because our neighbours are having their best season ever, while we are having our worst for some considerable time (however they're only ten points ahead of us).

These Arsenal players are the ones who need our support. We may not like them all - a post last night about Alex Song has some interesting comments attached to it. But all these players deserve to be supported by us when they are wearing the red and white of our club.

Sunday is a massive game for us. It's the chance for these players to show what they are all about. They need to get us out of our seats. They need to put in a shift which shows they are giving 100 per cent. But as supporters we need to be there to provide them with the backing they deserve.

These players have let us down in recent weeks. In one of the most important games of the season, we need them to show that they care, that they want it as much as we do. The north London derby isn't just any game - it's one we want to win and win with pride. Let's hope that the real Arsenal turn up.

Follow Ashburton Grove on Twitter, chatting Arsenal throughout the day. To receive the blog everyday you can subscribe via e-mail or take the RSS feed to your favourite reader.

Song’s performance against Sunderland underlines his development into a world-class player

On Inside The Formation we'll look at an individual player's performance and analyse their input into the game. Today Joss Bennett looks at Alex Song's performance against Sunderland.

Once again, the result didn’t go our way, and once again, very few Arsenal players stood out as particularly impressive as The Gunners crashed out of the FA Cup to a revitalised Sunderland side.

Alex Song, however, was one of the minority – largely excellent first in midfield and then in defence, the Cameroonian once again showed why his country’s failure to qualify for the African Cup of Nations was a real blessing for Arsenal.

One of the most clinically under-rated players in the Premier League, never-mind Arsenal, Alex Song is the perfect example to young footballers determined to live up to their potential. The midfielder has struggled for consistency and balance in the past, but this year ‘Songinho’ has come into his own and displayed traits of leadership, determination, physical strength and – to top it all – an eye for a pass.

Midway through what has undoubtedly been his best season ever in an Arsenal shirt, Song was beginning to make those who still questioned his ability reconsider. With Arsenal climbing back up the table and the midfield starting to develop an understanding, everything was on course for The Gunners to make up for their terrible start to the season and claim fourth spot.

Further defensive injuries, however, plus the loan of Emmanuel Frimpong to Wolves, meant Alex Song’s only deputy – Francis Coquelin – was no longer available to come in and allow for Wenger to rest the 24 year old.

Despite playing so regularly over the last few months, Alex Song has remained one of Arsenal’s most consistent players throughout the season. With defensive problems galore, Song has had a more restricted role of late, breaking up play and tending to drop back behind the two other central midfielders to turn a 4-2-3-1 into a 4-1-2-3 formation, although the midfield pivot has remained a key part of Wenger’s tactics.

His new role, combined with the usual tactics, is perhaps best exemplified in the game against Sunderland. Despite the performance of others around him, Song was one of the only players who looked both quick enough and strong enough to stop the Sunderland counter-attacks, and – further to that – looked lively at the other end of the pitch, too.

As Francis Coquelin (deputising at left-back), and then Sebastien Squillaci were forced off by injury, Song had twice the work to do as different defensive partnerships struggled to build an understanding. Furthermore, with Arteta and Ramsey not at their creative best, it was up to him to get things going in the final third – attempting several through-balls for the runs of Walcott and van Persie in the second half.

In an otherwise unremarkable game of few chances, and next no outstanding performances, Alex Song may be labelled “the best of a bad bunch”. However, although true to an extent, this does not give full credit to a player who has consistently given 110% for the club and who has risen through the ranks to become one of the side’s most important players.

Joss Bennett is co-editor and head writer of Arsenal blog Arsenal Report - a site for all Gooners interested in tactics, stats and the inner workings of the club. You can follow him on twitter and his read is work at Arsenal Report.

Follow Ashburton Grove on Twitter, chatting Arsenal throughout the day. To receive the blog everyday you can subscribe via e-mail or take the RSS feed to your favourite reader.

Sagna’s near-perfect performance against Sunderland emphasised his immense importance to the side

On Inside The Formation we'll look at an individual player's performance and analyse their input into the game. Today Joss Bennett looks at Bacary Sagna's performance against Sunderland.

He only returned to action two weeks ago, but already Bacary Sagna is back to his best; stamping his authority in games in a way few players in his position do. A model professional and superb athlete, Sagna is very much the unsung hero of this Arsenal side.

Sagna had the best WhoScored rating of any starting player on the pitch (7.3) and was one of the most involved players as nearly 50% of all play came on his side of the pitch*. Further to this, Bacary Sagna had more shots (two) than any other Arsenal player in the Starting XI, made the second-most tackles (four) and won a brilliant nine aerial duels, with a 90% success-rate*.

These stats alone show how much Sagna was involved against Sunderland, and against every team he comes up against. In a rather unremarkable game (up until the opening goal in the 70th minute), Sagna was one of few players who stood out and looked dangerous in the final third. Unlike the indecisive Theo Walcott, Sagna showed far more willingness to pump the ball into the box; attempting six (and competing two) crosses and completing all three of his attempted long balls*.

Despite being a fan-favourite in many people’s eyes, Sagna still does not get the recognition his performances deserve in the media. While news outlets criticise the defensive vulnerabilities of Wenger’s side, few also point out the impact that this man has had.

Arguably the most impressive aspect of Sagna’s performance at the Stadium of Light this weekend was not his own match statistics, but the fact he received so little help from others. Per Mertesacker – the right-sided centre back – made just one tackle and two interceptions while statistically, Theo Walcott made no defensive contribution at all*.

Up against the tricky and in-form James McCLean, Sagna did phenomenally well to limit Sunderland to just two shots from the right third of the pitch (one of which was McClean’s goal, which Sagna cannot take blame for)*. In contrast, his importance further up the pitch is emphasised by the fact that Arsenal had 36% (five) of their shots from the right side*.

While players such as Francis Coquelin and Nico Yennaris have impressed after being thrown in the deep-end by Sagna and Carl Jenkinson’s injuries at the start of the season, the difference between a talented youngster and a world-class player is only now really visible. Nothing against the two youngsters, but as Arsenal approach crunch-time in the season, they will be glad to have the presence of such an experienced and consistent player.

Furthermore, Sagna’s presence in the first-team – training, playing, and just being around – will be a huge boost to all those competing to become his long-term understudy. After all, the best way to learn is to watch, and play – in Sagna, these players will have the perfect role model to watch and learn from.

With any luck, Sagna will remain free of injuries for the foreseeable future, and see his hard-work turn into success and trophies. Perhaps then Sagna will be truly recognised as one of the greats of this club.

*OPTA statistics courtesy of Whoscored.com

Joss Bennett is co-editor and head writer of Arsenal blog Arsenal Report - a site for all Gooners interested in tactics, stats and the inner workings of the club. You can follow him on twitter and his read is work at Arsenal Report.

Follow Ashburton Grove on Twitter, chatting Arsenal throughout the day. To receive the blog everyday you can subscribe via e-mail or take the RSS feed to your favourite reader.

Chamakh set to replace RVP? -Wenger won't reign in Songinho -AOC benched?

Morning Gooners.

So the trip to Sunderland marks the start of a run of games which could help us discover where we are this season. First a Premier League tie we should take something from, followed by a Champions League clash where we need to ensure we've got something to play for in the second leg and then a week Saturday another trip to the north east for an FA Cup game we have to win.

Three tough games but with players coming back from injury and perhaps a slight turning of the corner from our January dip in form, opportunities to put our season back on track.

The early team news ahead of tomorrow's clash at the Stadium of Light is good. We've got all the players who aren't sidelined with long term injuries available for selection.

The manager has revealed that Marouane Chamakh is back to full fitness and is available for selection for the first time since his stint at the Africa Cup of Nations. You would expect him to take a place on the substitutes bench for this one.

Kieran Gibbs is near to being fully fit and from the sound of it will also be on the bench. Meanwhile right back Carl Jenkinson is heading back to full fitness but he's still two weeks away from joining in at full training.

After a week without a game in midweek, I doubt there will be many changes to the starting line up. Chamakh might start ahead of RVP, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could be rested, Ramsey could replace Rosicky. These are all options the manager will have.

The only other piece of team news is that Emmanuel Frimpong has undergone surgery and will be out until the autumn.

A defensive midfielder who has made us all realise how good he is by his early season absence is Alex Song and the manager has been talking about the other side to his game... playing higher up the pitch.

Wenger said:

"He is naturally a guy who tends to go forward and he always had good vision. 

"He has improved his technique of transmission. When he arrived here, the passing of his longer balls was not the best.  

"But he was worked on that, improved on that and now he can combine vision with technique."

For me, I would prefer the player who anchors our midfield not to venture too high up the pitch. It's not something I want to see every week - Song going walkies in the opposition penalty area. It's clear for all to see that Song can produce a fantastic final ball - earlier in the season against Borussia Dortmund is a prime example of what he can offer us in the final third.

But I would rather he played the Gilberto Silva role. Dropping back into defence when a full back attacks. Breaking up play and distributing it to one of his team mates.

However providing seven assists in all competitions is a great return for a player who is to all intents and purposes a holding midfielder. And from what the manager has said, it doesn't seem like he's going to curb Song's attacking mindset.

The manager goes on to talk about us continuing to create goal scoring opportunities.

He said

"Overall the most important thing is to create goalscoring opportunities, and at Bolton we did that quite well.  

"So if you can continue to do that, one day you will score seven, one day you will score none but most of the time you will score two or three."

Personally I'd like to see us be more clinical in front of goal. We need to take every opportunity which presents itself and I always feel it's criminal that we sometimes don't even force the goalkeeper to make a save when we take a shot.


Every team will miss opportunities. But with this Arsenal team seem so reliant on Robin to score all the goals, we need to take every chance we can get.

And talking of the Dutchman, he's the subject of some tittle-tattle. Real Madrid have declaring an interest in signing van Persie. Should we be surprised they want Robin? Not really. I'd be more surprised if any top club didn't want to sign him.

So the manager's press conference is later. Normally it's held on a Thursday ahead of a Saturday away game but there has obviously been a switch around. No doubt a lot of it will be taken up with the media asking Arsene about the England job... yawn!

Until tomorrow.

Follow Ashburton Grove on Twitter, chatting Arsenal throughout the day. To receive the blog everyday you can subscribe via e-mail or take the RSS feed to your favourite reader.

Wenger wants consistency -Vic Akers finally finds Kieran Gibbs -Park long-overdue hibernation

Morning Gooners.

A whistle stop tour of the headlines making the news this morning as I'm already running late.

Arsene Wenger has said we need "exceptional consistency" to finish the season in the top four of the league.

He said:

"We had a good week last week. We had a good result against Aston Villa and a good performance against Bolton.  

"We had the same number of chances [at the Reebok] that we had against Blackburn but we scored on Saturday. We still have real hope that we can finish the season the strongest. We have a good spirit and desire within the group - and we have quality. 

"We know that with the position we are in we need an exceptional consistency, so that is the challenge we have in front of us at Sunderland." 

Finishing in the fourth place spot isn't beyond us. But we need to ensure we play to our strengths and not pick up injuries. I know the second of those points we have hardly much control over, but if a player is  in the so-called "red zone" is it worth it?

We also have to be more consistent in our home form, especially against the big teams. We've still to face four of the other sides in the top six at home, so it is vital we take points from those games.

We've had a week of rest and recouperation ahead of Saturday's trip to Sunderland. It's also been a week of tactical planning for the next spell of fixtures. Following this weekend's trip to the north east coast we're off to Milan and then head back to face Martin O'Neill's men for a second time in a week for a fifth round FA Cup tie. Sunderland won after extra time last night, so hopefully their legs will be a little heavy for Saturday.

Our own team news is good. After his comeback against Bolton and a cameo against Blackburn, Bacary Sagna looks set to resume at right back. Whilst there will be celebrations in some quarters that we'll be able to welcome back a recognised left back in Kieran Gibbs for this weekend's match. In a long running game of hide and seek, Vic Akers finally found Gibbs in the treatment room - surprised he didn't look there in the first place!

Anyway, it's great to have Gibbs back. It could mean we'll get to see Koscielny and Vermaelen play together again. It will be interesting to see whether Gibbs starts the game or whether the boss will not want to risk him from the kick off and bring him on as a substitute, especially with the Milan game less than a week away.

Other team news is that Marouane Chamakh will be available after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, so that will mean Ju Young Park will disappear off the bench for the next few games.

Johan Djourou has signed a contract extension with the club until 2015 according to the Swiss FA. While the Daily Mirror say Andrey Arshavin will be sticking around until the summer at least.

And that's it. The manager will speak to the media later and give us all the latest team news. It'll also be interesting to hear him explain the comments he made about having to make £20m each season...

Until tomorrow.

Follow Ashburton Grove on Twitter, chatting Arsenal throughout the day. To receive the blog everyday you can subscribe via e-mail or take the RSS feed to your favourite reader.

Theo's a letdown -The Ox is a sponge -Sturridge to oust RVP?

Morning Gooners.

A quick round up because it's freezing! I haven't known it to be this cold in a long time...

We'll start with Theo Walcott who has been talking about the reasons behind our win against Blackburn.

He said:

"The boss always takes a lot of stick from everyone criticising him, but us players need to look up to him because he's been taking it all.  

"We are the ones who go out there and put out the performances and sometimes they have not been good enough.  

"There are so many world-class players in the dressing room, so it is disappointing when we come back from Bolton with a 0-0 draw where we had a lot of chances."

It amazes me how often footballers trot out the line about doing it for the boss. Surely they're trying to do their best every time they walk out on to the pitch? Personally, I think if every player gave 100% all the time, we'd be doing a lot better than we are now.

The problem is that this season we've been far too inconsistent, especially on the road. Why haven't we been able to recreate the form we showed away from the Grove last season this time round? You never know which Arsenal team is going to turn up when you buy a ticket for an away game this season. The only constant on the road is the passionate away fans you'll be standing next to singing your heart out for the team you love.

I guess the one thing we can all agree on is that one of the players whose form has been "not good enough" is Walcott himself. Had he finished that chance against Bolton we wouldn't have come away from there with a draw.

Personally I think Walcott is playing for his Arsenal career. There is a certain ceiling Arsenal won't go above when it comes to his wage demands and I'm sure the club will walk away and cash in on Theo if they can't compromise. It's clear that he has talent but I'm sure he hasn't developed as much as Arsene Wenger would have liked in the last couple of years. Those contract negotiations are going to be interesting.

One of the players Walcott will no doubt end up fighting for his place in the team with once Gervinho comes back from the Africa Cup of Nations is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and the youngster is keen to soak up as much information as he can.

He said:

"I’m one of the least experienced players in the squad so any player who gives me a comment always helps me, whether it is positive or constructive criticism. 

"I listen to everybody. People like Thierry and Robin who score goals and are attacking players like myself, you can always learn a lot from them. That’s all I do, I listen and learn."

It's great to hear he's so keen. We can see from his recent performances that he's going to be some player... imagine him and Jack Wilshere playing together in the same team. That would be awesom.

Talking of Jack, he's been tweeting again!

And you won't be surprised that he's made the pages of the Daily Mail website, not just for going on holiday with his son but also because he's using a machine to help heal his injury. If he plays again this season I will be pleasantly surprised. It's clear he can't wait to get back on the pitch and will do everything to achieve that aim.

Couple of transfer stories. Carlos Vela wants to stay in Spain - now there's a surprise! I think Arsene Wenger would like him to stay there too, if he can get a decent fee for him.

And we're on alert because Daniel Sturridge doesn't like playing on the right at Chelsea and could be looking for a move because he wants to play down the middle, according to the Daily Mail. I'm sure we'd be interested in him. He's a relatively young player. But he's not very patient. And where is he going to play for us? It's not like he's going to come into the team and replace Robin van Persie. Perhaps his people haven't noticed that we play only one central striker and he's a world class Dutchman. There is no chance that Sturridge can oust van Persie.

And that's it. Wrap up warm today... like I said, it's freezing. Until tomorrow!

Follow Ashburton Grove on Twitter, chatting Arsenal throughout the day. To receive the blog everyday you can subscribe via e-mail or take the RSS feed to your favourite reader.

Sell Walcott and buy Hazard -Summer tour madness -Henry's not sticking around

Morning Gooners.

The result last night was probably the best we could have hoped for. A draw doesn't allow Liverpool to leapfrog us into six place and reduces the gap between us and our north London neighbours to ten points. I'm sure that will be significantly reduced by the end of the season.

It appears the manager has started his wooing of a summer transfer target already. One who is sure to be one of our the queue marked highest priority: Eden Hazard.

Wenger said:

"I like Eden Hazard a lot, and for many reasons. 

"His creative ability, his talent for unbalancing opponents, his vision of the game, and his consummate skill in making the final pass all make him an in-demand player. 

"Hazard has what it takes to play for a top-level club, and Arsenal are a top-level club."

Wenger has flirted publicly with the Belgium international for a while now. Hazard has also spoken of his affection for the way Arsenal play football and said in the not so distant past that it would be a dream to play in Wenger's team.

Can a deal be struck this summer? It is going to be difficult and the price may prohibit Arsenal getting the player. All of Europe's elite clubs have been tracking the attacker. He's not an unknown talent and that's why there will be an auction. Lille stand to make a lot of money from his sale and that's one of the only areas where Wenger might be beaten to his man.

I'm sure if it were down to Hazard, he would choose to sign for us. He's still young and has only had one season of Champions League football under his belt. And if he moved to north London this summer he'd be guaranteed a starting place.

Do I think we've got a chance though? Not really. Had we signed him two seasons ago, we'd have had a clear run for his signature. This summer I think we don't have the money. The only way we'd have a chance is if we sold Theo Walcott and cleared out some of the players who have become surplus to requirements.

That would allow us to generate enough cash to pay the £25m plus transfer fee Hazard would command and to pay him wages of more than £100,000 a week.

We're certainly going to be generating some cash this summer from all the proposed overseas tours the media are being informed of.

First it was Nigeria, now we're going to Seoul, Beijing and Hong Kong as well according to The Guardian.

There can be no Emirates Cup this summer for the Olympics, so we'll be losing the cash generated by that two day tournament. But to me it does seem that the commercial team's proposal is taking things a bit two far.

The manager wouldn't have a full squad to take with him because of the European Championships and the Olympics, so there won't be that many star names involved you wouldn't have thought. Then there is the problems caused  by flying between three continents and doing all the promotional work. It seems the players could be suffering from fatigue before the season has already started.

I can see the logic in having a pre-season tour in summers when there isn't a major football tournament. But to have one in a summer when there is not one but two tournaments seems madness. Anyway, I'm sure the Arsenal board would have consulted the manager and their motivations won't be purely led my the money we can generate.

Fans in these parts of the world deserve the chance to watch their team close up and in person. I just don't think this summer is the right time to be trying to spread ourselves so thinly.

One player who won't be taking part in any football until the start of next season is Emmanuel Frimpong who has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. It's the same injury he suffered in his left knee in the summer of 2010, just as he looked set to break into the first team. He's set to have surgery in the coming days.

And despite Arsene Wenger's claim that he's not thought about asking Theirry Henry to stay at the club past his initial loan spell, the player has said he'll be back to New York before the end of the month.

He said:

"They have been really good about it, so I can't take advantage of them."

It's a shame. But understandable. Let's hope he's still around at the end of the month when we play Spurs.

So after three reboots this morning already, I hope this post finally sees the light of day... Whilst my laptop night be heading for a graveyard. Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow.

Follow Ashburton Grove on Twitter, chatting Arsenal throughout the day. To receive the blog everyday you can subscribe via e-mail or take the RSS feed to your favourite reader.