Arsenal F.C. Thread [2010-11]

[Num Lock]

so there's no chance of Cesc playing any of the offensive midfielder positions since Xavi and Iniesta are relatively young, well Xavi isn't that old yet.

If I was him I wouldn't switch clubs just yet. Unless he wants to play defensive midfield, which I doubt.

 

[cfdemarco]

so there's no chance of Cesc playing any of the offensive midfielder positions since Xavi and Iniesta are relatively young, well Xavi isn't that old yet.

If I was him I wouldn't switch clubs just yet. Unless he wants to play defensive midfield, which I doubt.

Same thing I was thinking.

If Cesc can barely get a game with the national team, what makes him think he'd get a game in the same midfield at the Nou Camp?

 

[ARIAGA II]

I'm pretty sure he will get games with Barcelona, imo he should have gotten more minutes with the Spanish NT during the World Cup and I would believe Guardiola guaranteed him substantial playing time.


We've ended our pre-season tour of Austria beating SC something 4-0 and Chamakh got his first goal, Nasri played well and so did Gibbs. Next game is versus Milan on Saturday for the Emirates Cup. Sulzeer has decided not renew and join Newcastle, best of luck to him there except when we meet. This leaves us with two center backs (Djourou doesn't count) meaning we still need to purchase a couple and promote someone from the youth squad perhaps Nordtveit who has also looked decent this pre-season.

EDIT: Re Centerbacks I've just read that we're linked with Mertersacker...meh

 

[ARIAGA II]

Just drew 1-1 with Milan in the opening game of the Emirates Cup. Controlled the game pretty nicely for the first 60 mins or so but the finishing was poor. The defending on Seedorf's freekick was poor (similar story to last season) and Flappy looked clueless.

Regarding the players, Chamakh was ace, fits very well into the team. Koscielny impressed me initially, yet he did screw up on Milan's equalizer. Gibbs' attacking was great and equally good defending Nasri also looked decent playing Cesc's role.
Fabianski was pretty much the major negative, was unable to make a single decent save and was saved by the bar near the end, also Mark Randall failed to surprise me, delivering another a performance below craptastic.

Celtic tomorrow, hope Nordtveit gets a run out.

 

[Arsenal_fc]

Emirates Cup is ours woop woop

 

[ARIAGA II]

Indeed, so I guess that's our silverware for 2010-11. Can't wait for the 2011 edition where we three peat.

 

[Gunnersgoal22]

Emirates Cup overall was fine. Most of the time we looked pretty good but we also showed were not ready yet for the start of the season. Still hope we get both a goalkeeper and a central defender. That's assuming we keep Fabregas which I think we should definitely try to do and probably will do. I get that he eventually wants to return to Barca, but I don't think he's the type of player that wouldn't put in a great effort if he stayed, and it's not like another year at Arsenal would kill him.

I'm wondering who is gonna partner Cesc in the midfield? For me, Denilson and Diaby just aren't quite there yet, or at least weren't last year, to make it in the starting eleven of a team who wants to win the title. So that leaves Nasri, but would he and Cesc be a good combo? There's also Wilshire, who no doubt has super legitimate talent, so I hope we try him with Cesc, but we'll have to see if he's ready.

 

[ARIAGA II]

Emirates Cup was a mixed bag: we showed that we could attack brilliantly and our new signings seemed to settle in, on the other hand it seemed last season's problems still exist (i.e. Inability to kill off a game at and defense).

I would like to be optimistic about us buying a goalkeeper and one (or two as the manager suggests we need) more center backs...just don't think it'll happen. I really think we need them 'cause should something happen to Vermaelen we'll be seriously shafted since it more likely than not that Djourou will already be injured by then, and it's really no use talking about the goalkeeper situation anymore.

I'm wondering who is gonna partner Cesc in the midfield? For me, Denilson and Diaby just aren't quite there yet, or at least weren't last year, to make it in the starting eleven of a team who wants to win the title. So that leaves Nasri, but would he and Cesc be a good combo? There's also Wilshire, who no doubt has super legitimate talent, so I hope we try him with Cesc, but we'll have to see if he's ready.

I don't think Wilshere or Nasri will be used to partner Cesc (should he stay). We play more of a 4-2-3-1/4-2-1-3 probably to allow Cesc to go forward.
Also the Milan game made me regret Flamini leaving. I know he was motivated by playing against Arsenal but it made me think about how useful he would have been to keep around. A midfield with Cesc, Song and Mathieu would have certainly made us more competitive last season. Also I'm sure I'm not the only one who would have preferred to see him being our backup LB when Clichy and Gibbs were out instead of Silvestre and Traoré...

 

[Num Lock]

Yes Flamini was a workhorse during his time at Arsenal. If Cesc is set on leaving you guys should sell him so he can go be Xavi's or Iniesta's sub.

then he will regret the move like Hleb did and that will be a lesson for everyone involved.

 

[Gunnersgoal22]

It's true that nobody really partners Cesc with our system, so I'm just wondering who the third man in the midfield would be, assuming Cesc and Song start whenever fit. And like I said I don't think Denilson and Diaby were quite good enough last year to be in the starting 11 of a team that hopes to win the title, so unless they have improved enough, I hope to see someone like Nasri tried out in midfield.

So it looks like at most we'll sign another goalkeeper and defender. If those are the only changes made to our squad before the start of the season, then I hope Wenger seriously, seriously asks himself if he thinks that team would be good enough to win the league, to finish above Chelsea and United. Personally I'm not sure.

 

[ARIAGA II]

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/cesc-fabregas-statement

That ends the Cesc Fabregas Show (...until next summer) folks!

I hope us keeping him shows makes us do something (win) next season, rather than just holding him for an extra season.

Rumors (no paper links yet, just word of mouth talk) say that Rijkaard wants Rosicky in Galatasaray ...hopefully it not true but if it means Wilshere gets more PT and/or we get a replacement then it's not all so bad.

 

[Arnau]

Bah poor Cesc

 

[Filipower]

Yeah, he gets to play yet another season in the club that gave him everything he has today. Shame.

 

[Arnau]

He wants to play for his Barça. Thats another CR7 case, next season will join us.

 

[Filipower]

OK.

 

[B9Goal]

He wants to play for his Barça. Thats another CR7 case, next season will join us.

Not unless they offload players or if Xavi (god forbid) retires.

 

[Xifio]

Yeah, he gets to play yet another season in the club that gave him everything he has today. Shame.

gave him "everything"? dude, he was 16 when he left Barça ... and he was 16 when he debuted for the Arsenal first team ... doesn't take a genius to see that his Barça education had already prepared him for first-team football ... but it does take someone with their blinkers firmly on to say that he got "everything" from Arsenal ... he learnt a lot at Arsenal, but this business of 'Arsenal gave him everything' is total bullsh!t ...

to quote the player himself:

No puedo negar que fichar por un club como el Barcelona era un cambio atractivo para mí. Es el club en el que aprendí a jugar al fútbol, es mi hogar, donde están mis amigos y mi familia, y el club en el que siempre he soñado jugar

it is a shame that he can't get his wish now, and has to wait at least another year ...

it is a shame that he has to stay at a club where he has only won 1 major trophy and 1 accompaniment trophy, and both about 5 years ago ...

but -- I mentioned this before -- I can't believe he didn't see this coming when, in 2006, he signed a new contract till 2014 ... I guess he trusted Arsenal to both value and grant his wish to move when he decides the time is right ... I guess he knows better now ...

 

[Filipower]

Yeah, I wonder why he left Barça, it must have been because they would have put him on the pitch at age 16 like Arsenal did. It couldn't have been because at Arsenal he would get more opportunities, more playing time, a chance to grow as a player. And yes, as the player he is today, he owes it all (or almost everything, of course there is credit due to Barça I'm not stupid) to Arsenal. This sense that Barça owns him is what I don't understand in this situation...

 

[Xifio]

Yeah, I wonder why he left Barça ... It couldn't have been because at Arsenal he would get more opportunities, more playing time, a chance to grow as a player.

he didn't leave because he wouldn't get first-team opportunities; he left because he thought he wouldn't get first-team opportunities ... same as Gerard Piqué ... and wouldn't you know it, they're best friends ... I don't know what they saw or felt to come to that conclusion, but the the first team does now include the top talent in, before, and after, their cantera age group ...

it must have been because they would have put him on the pitch at age 16 like Arsenal did.

yeah that's true ... look at Messi: he had to wait for his first-team debut till he was 16! but at Arsenal, Cesc had already made his debut when he was only 16 ...

And yes, as the player he is today, he owes it all (or almost everything, of course there is credit due to Barça I'm not stupid) to Arsenal.

within the space of a couple of posts, you've gone from "Arsenal gave him everything" to "Arsenal have him almost everything" ... you're not stupid? or at least blinded by your prejudices? you certainly fooled me ...

This sense that Barça owns him is what I don't understand in this situation...

if you're going to generalize your views based on a few stupid fans, who annoyingly think this way, then you're just as foolish as them ... I'll first direct you to my previous post on the Cesc issue, which I think has some rational thought:

as a 16-year-old, Cesc wanted to leave Barcelona, and join you guys for a quicker and more assured path to first-team football ... Barça couldn't do anything about it because Spanish law prevents them from offering him a contract before he turned 18, while in England they could offer him a contract under certain conditions ... there was nothing Barça could do!

the compensation fee given to Barça after FIFA's intervention (not of Arsenal's own initiative) would have covered for the living expenses (room, board) that Cesc got, and nothing close to the potential value of the player over and above that ... apparently that wasn't "disrespect" from you guys towards Barça because the player himself wanted to go ...

well, now Cesc wants to go home and has publicly declared as much ... and so Barça coming in for him with a fair bid is disrespect? while the Arse asking for 50-60 million isn't further disrespect to Barça?

I'm not going to exclude Cesc from criticism on this matter either ... by 2006, it was clear that everyone knew Fàbregas' quality, and that he was on the radar of all the major clubs, including his European champion hometown club ... so why at that point would you sign a new contract till 2014 without thoroughly considering the probability of wanting to leave for home earlier? moron ...

so, as you can see, I'm not saying that Barça has some right to Cesc ... I'm calling out the blind Arse fans and the anti-Barça morons, and showing them why their idiocy holds no rationality by offering them a rational argument made by a rational Barça fan ... Cesc went to Arsenal because he wanted to, and Barça could do nothing about it ... now Cesc wants to leave Arsenal to return to Barça, and Arsenal are standing in the way of the player's wishes ... hypocrisy much?

 

[Filipower]

he didn't leave because he wouldn't get first-team opportunities; he left because he thought he wouldn't get first-team opportunities ... same as Gerard Piqué ... and wouldn't you know it, they're best friends ... I don't know what they saw or felt to come to that conclusion, but the the first team does now include the top talent in, before, and after, their cantera age group ...

Aye, Guardiola was managing them back then, wasn't he?

yeah that's true ... look at Messi: he had to wait for his first-team debut till he was 16! but at Arsenal, Cesc had already made his debut when he was only 16 ...

You give one example, and it's of the best player of his generation. Brilliant.

within the space of a couple of posts, you've gone from "Arsenal gave him everything" to "Arsenal have him almost everything" ... you're not stupid? or at least blinded by your prejudices? you certainly fooled me ...

As if it's a big leap. And of course I didn't mean everything, they didn't ******* breast feed him did they? And I'm the stupid one. And who are you or anyone here to talk about being blinded by prejudices? I'm sorry for having influences, experiences and opinions who lead my to think in a way different than yours. Jesus Christ.

if you're going to generalize your views based on a few stupid fans, who annoyingly think this way, then you're just as foolish as them ... I'll first direct you to my previous post on the Cesc issue, which I think has some rational thought:

I'm talking about these forums, and since the general idea of these Barça fans is that, then yes, I would generalize.

so, as you can see, I'm not saying that Barça has some right to Cesc ... I'm calling out the blind Arse fans and the anti-Barça morons, and showing them why their idiocy holds no rationality by offering them a rational argument made by a rational Barça fan ... Cesc went to Arsenal because he wanted to, and Barça could do nothing about it ... now Cesc wants to leave Arsenal to return to Barça, and Arsenal are standing in the way of the player's wishes ... hypocrisy much?

hypocrisy? How about ingenuity? It's a goddamn business, and Barça didn't do very well in this particular case, they let him go for free and now must pay millions. Business, that's why Arsenal stand in his way. Is it hypocritical to not want to lose their best asset?