Will Wayne help winch Arsenal to glory?

Walking away?

Watching Manchester United labour to a 1-0 win over Bursaspor last night in the Chanmpions League, it was impossible not to feel the sense of gloom enveloping ths famous arena, often known as the Theatre of Dreams. If you happened to be a stranger on Planet Earth last night, banners like: WHO’S THE WHORE NOW, WAYNE? and ‘COLEEN FORGAVE YOU, BUT WE WON’T’, would very much explain the reason behind the doom and gloom apparent last night.
The hate banners apart, it was very noticaebale as well the rows and rows of empty seats that yawned at tv audiences worldwide and cast a further atmosphere of melancholy around this most famous club in the world.
Is Manchester United being dragged into meltdown by Wayne Rooney’s below-the-belt walkaway?
What does this mean for the likes of Arsenal who have played second (and sometimes third) fiddle to the might of Sir Alex Ferguson and his Old Trafford empire?
The master of double speak that he is, Arsene Wenger has already chipped in not-a-few soundbites about the whole Rooney saga.
Prior to our game against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday, he said:


"What I make of it is that I have enough problems here not to be involved in that".


Really?

"We are not in a transfer period at all. Then again, any little incident at Manchester United or Arsenal becomes a big story, but it doesn't mean that there is something real behind the story”.


Contrary to what he may want us all to believe, what goes on at Manchester United, or any of the other clubs that we perennially arm-wrestle with for the title, is of great and vital interest to Wenger. If we care to remember in the summer of 2004, when it emerged that Rooney was leaving Everton as a precocious 19year-old to move to Man Utd, Wenger described the transfer as having the potential to affect the outcome of the league.
Those days, the league title was simply a straight fight between Arsenal and Man Utd. Wenger also made that comment with the very fresh recollection of Rooney’s abilities after we were thumped 2-1 by Everton at Goodison Park on October 19, 2002. That defeat ended our 30-match unbeaten run in the league and also announced Rooney to the world. To add insult to it all, 17 year-old Rooney that day became the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Premiership. No surprises therefore, that he moved onto big, glory-hunting Man Utd in the summer of 2004.
Since then Rooney has maintained a very-consistent and irritating goalscoring record against us. To date, he’s scored 11 times against us (including 2 goals for Everton). His last goal coming in that 3-1 capitulation to Man Utd at Emirates earlier this year.
Ironically, on Sunday, October 24th, the day we face another Manchester side on the ascendancy, City, in the league, Rooney turns 25. Wenger himself will surely recollect with a wry smile on his face, statements he made in January this year about Rooney which one way or the other, may have helped accelerate Rooney’s desire to quit Old Trafford. On that day, January, 30th 2010, Wenger declared:


“Frankly, I think Rooney can play abroad. I believe he has all the ingredients of a modern player plus the British attitude and commitment. He is coming to the best age now. Before maybe he was bit too keen. Now he is more relaxed”.

Little did Wenger realise then, that those words would turn out ot be more prophetic before the year runs than anything Nostradamus had ever foreseen. Now as Rooney turns 25, Wenger’s wish may be coming to reality. One of the greatest tormentors of his team - very much in the mould of a certan Didier Drogba - is about to pack his bags and exit the ranks of his greatest rival.
Will Rooney’s exit mean the demise of Sir Alex’s empire and more breathing space for the likes of Arsenal? Already, the signs are appearing of a waning of Manchester’s powers. Eight games into the current season, Manchester has contrived to draw five games, winning only three and conceeding 11 goals in the process. For argument’s sake, this is the first time in recent memory that Man Utd have conceeded more goals than Arsenal at any stage of the league.
If for no other reason, Rooney’s exit portends a significant shake-up in the-house-that-Alex-built.
Rooney joined Manchester United in 2004, the summer Jose Mourinho also arrived at Stamford Bridge. By then the Glazer family were established as shareholders at Old Trafford but did not become owners until 2005, a season that culminated in Chelsea's first title since 1955 and Arsenal also winning the FA Cup final against United. Liverpool, the other of Man Utd’s rivals, won the Champions League that season.
A year later, Arsenal again reached the Champions League final, while Chelsea retained the Premier League. Meanwhile, the Glazers restructured their takeover, piling United with debt and adding to the dissatisfaction of many supporters - especially those who actually pay to watch football at the stadium.
Since then, Sir Alex (aided by the talents of Rooney and Christiano Ronaldo) won three straight league titles and added a second Champions League trophy to their array of silverware.
The key to the Glazers' grip on Old Trafford has therefore been theteam's success; without the hat-trick of Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League, the undoubted restlessness of United supporters would have been much more greater. The "Love United, Hate the Glazers" campaign made the Americans uneasy but did not hit them that badly in the pocket.
Had enthusiasm for the team waned among the fair-weather fans, alongside the disenchantment of the hardcore, then the consequences would have been much worse.
Just as Wenger talked about Rooney’s move to Man Utd affecting the outcome of the league in 2004, so is his likely departure six years on, also affect the outcome of the league. Already on Wednesday night, the huge number of empty seats sent a very potent message as the Rooney saga drew widespread anger and frustration amongst fans.
Gooners everywhere watch this unfolding saga with bated breathe. He will surely not admit it, but Wenger will welcome the departure of one of Man Utd’s iconic stars who has helped inflict pain, again and again on Arsenal whenever and wherever we have come in contact with him these six years past.

Arsenal 5 Shakhtar Donetsk 1



Left foot wonder...Jack Wilshire

 Billed as a top of the group clash between the two teams with perfect records. After 90 minutes at Emirates last night, it was almost a mismatch as the Gunners walked allover their guests from Ukraine.
The winner of this tie knew they would automatically vault to the top of the Group H and all things being equal, stay there for the rest of the first round.
We rightly dominated proceedings, starting with a 4-2-3-1 formation, as has been the case most of the season so far. Most of those who played Birmingham on Saturday were in the team again but the surprise of the night was the reappearance of Cesc Fabregas, since Septmeber 15 when he limped off against Sunderland.
Samir Nasri was up for it and it showed as he sprayed passes and teased the Shakhtar defence endlessly. In the 20th minute, all the hardwork bore fruit as Shakhtar goalie, Pyatov dropped what looked like a rountine cross. Lurking behind him was Djourou who toe-poked the dropped ball onto Song, who toepoked it further into the net.
Nasri got the goal his endeavour deserved with a sweet drive in the 42nd minute. Once again, the excellent Song was involved. He it was that got onto the end of an Eboue pass and lifted it across to Nasri. The lithe Frenchman juggled it at edge of the Shakthar box, deceiving the Shaktar captain and defender Dario Srna before blasting it past the goalie.
Fabregas announced his return with a penalty after the break, while the ever-improving Jack Wilshire scored his first Champions League goal in the 60th minute, before Marouane Chamakh rounded off the slaughter with a cool finish off a Nasri lob.
Ex-Gunner and crowd favourite, Eduardo scored their solitary goal with an accomplished strike - a goal he refused to celebrate and for which the crowd sang his name endlessly.
All in all, it was a creditable night’s work, which a smiling Arsene Wenger acknowledged during the post match interview.
Below are the ratings:


*Fabianski (6/10) – Once again, the Pole continues to enjoy a new lease of life between the sticks. Dealt comfortably with everything that came his way and seems to inspire confidence in the back four as well. Looks very much he is Wenger’s new number one now.
* Clichy (6/10) – A very normal day at the office for Gael. Nothing spectacular. Did all that was required of him and kept the left side of our defence sealed and safe.
*Djourou (7/10) – Surprised to see him start two games in a row now. But he acquitted himself well and surely needs games to lay claim to a starting shirt. Brought about the penalty that led to the third goal by constituting himself into a nuisance in the Shakhtar area.
*Squillaci (7/10) – Commanded his area well and marshalled his troops with calm. Though he wasn’t wearing the armband this time, he still exudes admirable authority and it helped to ease any nerves at the back. Nothing he could do to prevent Eduardo’s smart goal though. Good buy, this one.
* Eboue (7/10) – Helped snuff out any threat that the visitors could muster on the right. Did well all night and his energy levels never dropped. Was involved in the second goal as he linked well with Song. Was also involved in our fifth goal. Good overlapping runs all night.
* Song (8/10) – He was everywhere on the pitch. For stamina, you have to envy this guy. Got us off to a great start with his alertness that brought the goal and fed Nasri with a perfect pass for the second. Alex has certainly come on in leaps and bounds over the past two seasons and last night, he showed once more what he brings to the team.
* Wilshire (8/10) – Partnered Song in the middle and both of them in my opinion, were the men of the match. That they both scored was academical considering their work rate. Jack will miss the next three games for us, but last night, he seemed determined to leave his calling card with driving runs, passes and postioning. Got a fitting goal to crown his night’s work.
* Fabregas (6/10) – The skipper returned a month after scoring that fluke goal against Sunderland and as expected he had a quiet night. Scored the penalty that brought the third goal, which he celebrated with a birthday message for his Mum. He must now be relishing a start against Manchester City, Sunday.
* Nasri (8/10) – A great performance by our little Frenchman. Clearly, he is reborn and has found his groove in this team. Never stopped running. Never stopped probing. Was at the heart of all the good things we did and the fact that he scored a cracker of a goal was due reward for all his endeavour. Watch out for this bloke, this season.
* Rosicky (6/10) – A surprise starter, considering that Abou Diaby was left on the bench. Did alot of running and supported Fabregas and Nasri. Supplied the crucial pass that led to Wilshire’s goal. Nice touches between those two.
* Chamakh (7/10) – This man has definitely got goals in him and his record of scoring in six straight Champions League games, surely confirms that. He rounded off our onslaught for the night and it puts him in a nice frame to come face to face with the man he was bought to replace – a certain Emmanuel Adebayor – next Sunday.


Substitutes
• Denilson (6/10) – Came on for a tiring Fabregas in the 60th minute and was involved in the build up to the Chamakh goal. With the emergence of Wilshire though and the abundance of midfielders available to Wenger, it must be said that the Brazilian is now definitely a squad member.
• Walcott (6/10) Starred in a late cameo role as we saw out the game and conserved energy for the battle against Mancehrster City on Sunday. He is being eased back gradually and will get a chance to rediscover his early season form sooner than later.
• Arshavin (6/10) – He replaced Nasri and did no more than was expected of him.

Arsenal 2 Birmingham 1

After the hiccups against West Brom and Chelsea, we looked to get back into a winning mood and that was exactly what we got Saturday at the Emirates.

We duely got off to a bright start and there was a business-like feel about the team after the two-week international break. Passes were zipping across the lawn with purpose and it was only wasteful finishing and ill-luck that stopped us getting an early goal. Matches between these two teams will always be overshadowed by that horrible, horrible Eduardo leg break in 2008 and Saturday was no different. Birmingham are one team it would be taboo to lose to.
Very much against the run of play though, they took the lead in the 33rd after their Serbian giant, Nicola Zigic outjumped Djourou to loop the ball over and above Fabianski in goal. The goal caught everyone quite by surprise as Birmingham had offered exactly zero attack-wise, all afternoon.
Nonetheless, we still soldiered on and were duely rewarded with an equaliser when Scott Dann took a swipe at Chamakh’s knees. The big Moroccan buckled under the challenge and the referee pointed to the spot. Up stepped our now-regular penalty taker Samir Nasir to do his thing, which he did very efficiently to make it 1-1.
Early in the second half, 47th minute to be precise, Chamakh met a cute Wilshire ball in their box and as Steven Carr remained in two minds at to whether he should tackle him or not, the Moroccan went round Ben Foster in goal and slotted in a fine goal.
We then went through the motions and kept them at bay. With their attack almost non-existent, it was easy pickings for Squillaci and the mob at the back.
Late on though, Wilshire spoiled the afternoon for himself and all Gooners with a needless tackle on Zigic, who is obviously twice his size. He got a red card for it, and sadly misses the next three domestic games we play, starting with Manchester City next Sunday.


Below are the ratings:
*Fabianski (7/10) – Is he the new Number One now? Looks like the end of Almunia as Wenger opted for the Pole once again between the sticks. He did well actually and seems to be re-paying the manager’s faith in him. Gone are the jitters and nervousness that had plagued his few appearances over the past year. Might be that he only needed a steady run to cut out all those stupid mistakes and build his confidence. Looks to be working so far for him.
*Clichy(6/10) – This was very steady game for the our now-established French international. He did his stuff on the left back as usual and kept ex-Gunner Sebastian Larsson for most parts of the match. He almost scored himself after a mistake at the back for Birmingham, but it was not be his day for glory.
*Squillaci (7/10) – In the absence of regulars Vermaelen, Sagna and Koscielny, Squillaci was easily the senior man at the back. That he had the armband on also put more responsibility on his shoulders and how well he handled it. He marshalled his troops at the back and after the Zigic opener, took on the role of shadowing the big Serb. A very valuable acquisition he’s already proved to be.
* Djourou (6/10) – His first premiership start in a long, long time. It was a surprise one as well, but with the back strain that sidelined Koscielny and the ‘disappearance’ of Vermaelen, he was the obvious choice to step-in. Beaten to the Keith Fahey’s free kick by the towering Zigic for their goal but apart from that, he hardly put any foot wrong. Needs to use his size more often though and assert his presence more. Will get better surely with more games and less injury.
*Eboue (6/10) – Stepped in for the sidelined Sagna and held his own on the right. Linked well with the middlemen and marauded quite well especially in the first half. His defensive duties curbed his natural attacking instincts all through but all in all, he gave as good as he got.
*Song (7/10) – A very accomplished game by the Cameroonian. Unlike most of the others who were away on international duty, he played just 30minutes for his country throughout the two-week interregnum and it was clear to see how fresh he was. Did well to snuff out any threat from the Birmingham midfield and helped starve Zigic of any service. He helped set up the Chamakh winner with a back heel to Wilshire. An easy afternoon for him.
* Diaby (7/10) – Another one who had a good afternoon. He seems a different player on days like this. Tackled, roamed and sprayed passes with good assurance and self-belief. One of our better players on the day.
* Nasri (7/10) – He always seems to relish it when he is at the heart of everything we do. Scored the equaliser from the spot with great relish and confidence. Let’s hope he stays injury-free because already this looks like the season when he explodes.
* Arshavin (5/10) – Wasn’t in the game throughout and didn’t look like he wanted to be there. It was either he was feeling the effects of the international week with two 90 minute games for Russia, or he just couldn’t be bothered. Was rightly hauled off for Rosicky in the second half.
*Wilshire (7/10) – Not playing for England in the midweek against Montenegro obviously left him fresh for us and it showed all afternoon as he bossed the midfield like and accomplished veteran. It’s a measure of how far Jack has progressed this season that he is naturally expected to put on a show everytime he steps on the pitch. Saturday was no different. A shame about that red card in injury time and hopefully, he’ll learn from it. My man of the match though if you ask me.



Chamakh rounds Foster before slotting the winner on Saturday

* Chamakh (7/10) – Another fine afternoon for the big Moroccan. He may have looked different in a new crew cut but his selfless play and desire was the same. His tenacity won the penalty and it must be said, he knows how to win those very well indeed. That brought the equaliser in the 40th minute and he later scored a sweet goal for what proved to be the winner in the 47th. He has clearly settled upfront for us and with the intermittent and prolonged absences of the likes of Van Persie, the Moroccan is a gift from the gods. Wenger’s words summed up his season for us so far: “It is clear how influential he has been to the team in decisive moments at 0-0, or 1-1”.
True words indeed.


Substitutes
*Rosicky (6/10) – Did well after coming on for Arshavin with 20 miuntes to go and tested Foster in their goal with his regular long-range missiles. Looked up for it and despite his age, possesses lots of drive and enthusiasm.
* Bendtner (6/10) – The bid Dane made his debut for the season in the 79th miunte after a rather prolonged bout of groin problems. He almost marked his appearance with a gaol but it wasn’t to be. Expect more from his soon as he now knows he’s got real competition in the form of Chamakh.


Next up, we host Shaktar Donetsk on Tuesday night in the Champions League as we begin a sequence of matches every three days for the next month. Hectic, but welcoming and pivotal for our season.

The boy who dared Wenger...and won

All goalies are accidents waiting to happen. I say this with all the facts in the world backing me. All goalies commit howlers. They just happen at different stages in their careers. The key to forging a successful career for them is not to commit such bloopers in big, crucial games. Or big crucial moments of a game.


Also all goalies actually become good in their Indian summers. Because naturally, they are notoriously late bloomers.
Dave Seaman, Fabien Barthez, Edwin Van Der Sar, even our own Manuel Almunia are all living examples.I remember quite vividly Almunia making his debut for us in September 2004 at a Carling Cup game against Manchester United at Old Trafford. He allowed a weak David Bellion shot to slip through his nervous hands in the 4th minute for the only goal of the game.
You could see the anguish and recriminations playing out on his face that night as he knew he shouldn’t have done that. Of course he’s gone on to improve very much since then and become our established Number One. With age, he’s gotten better. The funny thing with Almunia though is that he still hasn’t learnt to completely deal with the easy-peasy balls.
A capable shot stopper with strong arms and one of the best penalty experts anywhere in the world. Surprised? Don’t be. His record speaks very loud and proud. It is the routine shots that have embarrassed Almunia all his life and even Wenger acknowledged last season that his Number One often gets jittery in big games. Well, a club the size of Arsenal plays pretty many big games every season and it’s just not good enough having a bag of nerves between the sticks on those occasions.
Back to fumbling goalies.
It surely isn’t an easy job with all the attention and constant focus on you. Especially when goals are conceeded and worse, if your team loses. But it is the life that a goalie is perpetually condemned to. A life of blame, again and again.
Currently, with the convenient excuse of an injured elbow, Arsene Wenger has taken Almunia out ofthe firing line and looks to have installed Fabianski as the Number One for the meantime. It is the way he deals with a crisis. Never one to condemn his players in public, Wenger often chooses to spirit them away from the limelight for a time to enable everyone get off their back and ease all-round tension.
For Almunia though, it is very familiar terrain. It had happened before. The challenge for him now isn’t whatbecomes next of him. It is rather that the opposition doesn’t look up to the task of giving him a fight. Or fright.
Fabianski did well in the game against Partizan and even saved a penalty. Against Chelsea four days later, even though we lost he wasn’t at fault for any of the two goals. For a goalkeeper well-known for more than his fair share of errors, those two games were historic. But a tree does not make a forest. Just as a hood doesn’t make a monk. A couple of decent performances do not rubber stamp his claim to the Number One shirt. Not yet.
Luckily for him though, Wenger is a patient man. Who grants everyone of his players, mistakes and all, chance after fair chance to prove themselves and justify his faith in them. For someone who is famed for frugality before signing a player, it is legendary as well that he doesn’t rush to conclusions about them.
The thing with Wenger also is that to understand how his mind works, listen less to what he says. Rather look closely at what he does.
He did the unusual during the Carling Cup win at White Hart Lane three weeks back when he promoted Wojciech Szczesny to the bench. That arrangement stayed in place as well for the Chelsea game. Literally, considering his love for hierarchy, it meant the young Pole was now officially Number three. It meant he had leapfrogged Italian Vito Mannone who had all along been the third keeper behind Almunia and Fabianski.
This he did, just days after theWest Brom defeat for which Almunia was responsible and roundly blamed for two of their goals and Wojciech had gone onto to launch a very public attack on the goalkeepers ahead of him, as well as on Wenger himself. Promoting him then was very much against Wenger’s character. For someone who is a legend at the club; who is infact the defacto CEO, Wojciech’s attack was suicidal if a player at the club challenged his authority. And so openly too.
But the young Pole did it and it seems to have kickstarted his Arsenal career. He looks and sounds a supremely confident youngman at 22 and curiously that might have been what made up Wenger’s mind for him and led him to disregard the public affront from Wojciech. In one of his interviews last month threatening to walk away from the club, Wojciech cheekily declared that:


“My friends and family all say I must be patient. That breaking into the first team is more of a marathon than a sprint. But what kind of marathon is it when you keep running on the same spot for years?”

Poignant words indeed. Words and an attitude which might have pricked Wenger and make him go against his better judgement to give the young Pole a chance.
Yesterday, I was watching a rather-grainy internet trailer of the Italy-Belarus U-21 European qualifier played on Tuesday night. Italy lost that game 3-0 and their goalkeeper committed two shocking howlers that gifted the Belarussians two goals. Guess who the goalie was? Vito Mannone!
Wenger wasn’t in Minsk to see that game. He was in Metz watching over Clichy, Diaby and Nasri as they filed out for France against Luxembourg. But surely the video of that game would arrive at his desk promptly and it would not be out of place if he watches it with a smirk on his face. And a knowing nod of the head to suggest that promoting Wojciech over Mannone was justified afterall.
Whether Almunia’s days are numbered or not, it is very premature to say for now but tacitly Wenger thinks highly of Wojciech and his reaction to the youngman’s outburst has clearly made him move to accommodate him. Once again, almost all goalkeepers’ careers are things of twilight. With that in mind, Wenger would be very wary of avoiding the lack of perseverance that made him ditch Alex Manninger in 2001, after the young Austrian had deputised admirably for Seaman - who was on the last legs of a long and brilliant career.
Despite a record eight clean sheets for us in season 1997-98, Manninger committed his fair share of clangers and was promptly shoved aside for Richard Wright in 2001. I recollect very well that he was sent out on loan to Fiorentina, who returned him to us after 24 games and the poor chap was left in limbo, training with us but not registered as a player. Events took a bizarre turn for him when after being sold to Espanyol for £900,000 on a four-year deal in July 2002, he returned to us again after just seven weeks without playing a game!
Eventually, he was snapped up by Torino in January 2003 and eventually bounced around the Serie A for the next four seasons with five clubsides. Though he never became a great goalie, he still did well for himself by donning the Austrian Number One shirt 36 times before retiring in 2009 and is now the main man between the sticks for Juventus. Yet another late bloomer. Not bad ay?
Wenger’s misjudgement on Manninger many, many years ago may be haunting him now. Which may be why he has allowed himself to be armtwisted into giving Wojciech a chance.

Return of the Rambo

  












He's back...Aaron Ramsey, hacked down by Stoke bully Ryan Shawcross in March, is now back to the pitch and doing what he's destined to always do - kick the ball!
At a point, we were never sure we'll live to see these images of him again but there they are.
What miracle! What a moment! What a story for this brave young man!
The pictures as always, tell the story. The day we dreaded is here and the smile is back on everyone's faces.
'Rambo' returns and we all wish him the best of luck.

Blanc’s romance with Le Arsenal



The President's men...Clichy and Nasri (left) arrive for training ahead of last night's Euro 2012 qualifier against Luxembourg in Metz

 Why does Laurent Blanc, French national team manger like the Arsenal boys? Is it a coincidence that Arsenal are the only non-French clubside with the largest number of players in the French national side?
I think it is not. Blanc looks very much a protégé of Arsene Wenger and if the logic can be stretched further, he has the temperament to be a future Arsenal manager when Wenger finally conks out.
With four Arsenal players already nailed-on starters in Blanc’s team, he must have seen things about them that tickled his fancy. Clichy, Nasri, Sagna and Diaby are all integral to Blanc’s team now and have played in almost all of the four French games since the end of the World Cup.
It’s a new team now.
Very different from the squabbling rabble that Raymond Domenech brought to South Africa. Of course, the fallout from the Nicholas Anelka saga very much embarrassed everyone connected to the former World champions but credit must go to the French FA for doing the right thing and dissing Anelka and his cohorts. Unloved, unproductive and unwanted, Anelka managed to divide the team with his mood swings and older players who should have known better like William Gallas and Patrice Evra allowed him to end their international careers prematurely.
Blanc obviously needed a clean slate to start from and he seems to have a good grasp of the job already.
Forget all the talk about international managers having a bit-part job. It is definitely a full-on assignment and one with as much challenges and strain as club management. Ask Fabio Capello for one.
Previous French managers have all built teams of flair and panache that wooed all who saw France play and have established Les Bleus as a team of class for about three decades now. Michel Hidalgo who assembled the trinity of Jean Tigana, Alain Giresse and Luis Fernandez under the captainship of the mercurial Michel Platini, laid the groundwork for subsequent years and years of success. Together, all the four aforementioned players were known as the carre magique – Magic Square – and it was clear why they had that moniker.
From winning the European championship under Hidalgo in 1984, France has remained an ever-present in the pantheon of great sides and adding the 1998 World Cup title under the urbane Aime Jacquet was a well-deserved crowning achievement.
Blessed with a glut of Franco-African talents, France play with flair and possess the sort of expansive game that clumsy England can only dream of.
Before Jacquet however, the duopoly of Henri Michel and Gerrard Houllier oversaw a barren period in French national football. After Jacquet, the taciturn Roger Lemmerre, Jacques Santini and later Domenech took up the mantle with little results but despite that, there was no denying the excitement and verve that French football produces. At least for all the bad press and aggravation he generated, Domenech got to the World Cup finals in 2006, losing only on penalties to Italy.
However, even that achievement was tainted by Domenech’s desperate recall of retiring veterans Claude Makelele, Lilian Thuram and Zinedine Zidane.More than anything else, it showed Domenech as a man lacking confidence both in himself and the players he entrusted with the job. It was a move that undermined his authority for so long and finally exploded in his face in South Africa this summer.
Blanc clearly has learnt from such mistake. Out of the window have gone the likes of Gallas, Eric Abidal and Evra who all possess the seed of rebellion within them. Blanc rightly chose to promote many fringe players like Clichy and Benzema and in that, he has sent a very clear message that this is a team very much in his own image. Affectionately known as ‘The President’ and capped 97 times by France between 1989 and 2000, he understands the demands of donning the national team colours – something which the likes of Anelka had little regard for.
Allied to his quest for control, is his love for flair and invention. Therein lies his affection for the Arsenal way. The mantra of high-speed passing and movement as preached by none other than Wenger.
That apart however is the philosophy that has governed Arsenal this past half-a-decade. The idea that young players nurtured and kept together would develop alongside each other, with complete allegiance to their mentor. This approach often leads to mistakes and stop-start performances as we saw in that defeat in Paris to Belarus last month, and may look like trial-and error.
However like Wenger, Blanc has time on his side to experiment and impose his will on this side. He enjoys the absolute trust and backing of the French FA. Florent Malouda apart who is captain, almost all the players of the current squad owe their appearances to Blanc. Players like Alou Diarra, Steven Mandanda, Karim Benzema, Loic Remy and even Clichy would never have had a look-in under the paranoid Domenech.
Now, the world is at their feet. Better still, le coq sportif is theirs for the taking.
Which goes a long way to explain why Blanc and the Arsenal boys are a very natural fit.

A Tale of Two clubs and Many Yanks

What all the brouhaha at Liverpool, resulting in this week’s court case by Tom Hicks and George Gillett to stop the sale of the club for £300m, means is a simple case of businessmen wanting value for money spent on their investment.

When Hicks and Gillett, who clearly are now seen in a very bad light everywhere on Merseyside bought Liverpool in February 2007 for £218.9m, they, like all good businessmen, believed they could build up its value and later sell it on for two-three times that amount. That was almost four years ago.
Global market crash, club under-performance and fans’ unrest later, up pops another American John W. Henry ready to put £300m on the table and take the club off Hicks and Gillett’s wrinkly hands. Exasperated and pressurised by the Bank of Scotland who lent Hicks and Gillett over £200m, the club’s board now deeply divided are quite happy to take Henry’s money and end the era of the bad Yanks.
Obviously unhappy to let go and believing they can flog the club for £500-£600m, at least to pocket some profit on their initial outlay, Hicks and Gillett headed to the courts this week to block the sale. Knowing fully well that the success of the deal will see almost all the money going to bankers, while they will be left with next to nothing. Three years of investment surely couldn’t be allowed to go so lamely down the drain.
It would have made such a fine script for a melodrama if it wasn’t happening to an institution such as Liverpool FC.
If only the men at the helm who sold off the club in 2007 had paused awhile to consider their actions before pawning it away to Hick and Gillett. If only they had bothered to look across the country at another club sharing similar history and prestige with Liverpool and learning a couple of things from them.
For the past five years or thereabout, Liverpool and Arsenal have effectively been bridesmaids to Manchester United and Chelsea in what has gloriously come to be known as the Big Four of the Premier League. Neither of them finished the last five seasons better than third as the Chavs and Mancunians have swapped the league title between themselves.
Liverpool made an exception in 2009 when they ran Man Utd close until they finally succumbed to second place. Their performance that year was actually the result of millions and millions of pounds poured into expensive and often-dodgy player purchases in a desperate attempt to win the league and erase that blot from the club’s history. For Rafa Benitez their erstwhile coach and the board of the club however, ending the season behind Man Utd was a case of so far, so impossible. Their subsequent body language clearly suggested that despite never having won the premier league title, the inability to win it in 2009 was a rubicon they would never cross. At least in the near future.
After one more season, Rafa and his tired tactics was booted out as the club realised he was actually taking them backwards with even Champions League qualification proving beyond them.
It was to be the end of the Big Four, as we had known it for almost a decade.
Liverpool’s story runs slightly parallel to Arsenal in that for five years now, the Gunners haven’t won a trophy and have remained perpetually like second-class citizens where Man Utd and Chelsea are mentioned. Where the parallel ends is the patience and understanding demonstrated by the Gunners’ board in persevering with Arsene Wenger’s youth project, as the club relocated to a new stadium; rebuilt its playing staff and dealt wisely with the albatross of bank debts before they became dragons.

While Liverpool sought success in a hurry, Arsenal adopted the softly-softly approach – preferring to endure years of trophy-barreness and avoiding a wholesale flogging of the club to some beady-eyed sugar-daddy. Today, Stan Kroenke (yet-another American) and Uzbek, Alisher Usmanov have emerged as leading investors in the club but cannot lay claim to total ownership to it. The club has truly fallen behind on the pitch but its coffers are being swelled daily with stadium revenue and a well-crafted property investment. Whoever dreamed up the property idea in the most-attractive city in the world, London, deserves a knighthood.
While Liverpool lurches between bad Yanks and the Henry-led New England Sports Venture now seen as good Yanks, the one thing that lay behind that 2007 sale to the Hicks and Gilberts – success on the pitch – is very, very far from being achieved.
I’m quite certain two-three years ago no one in their right mind would have associated Liverpool FC with words such as ‘administration’ and being ‘ducked nine points’. Such scenarios belonged to the Portsmouths and Southamptons of this world. How quickly the tables can turn.
The refusal of Arsenal to toe the line and sell its soul like almost every other club in the league has done, is now being proven as conventional wisdom. Better still, a masterstroke. By 2012 when Uefa’s book-balancing policy for all clubsides goes into force, even Man Utd and Chelsea will have to curb their spending and live within their means.
By 2012, Arsenal’s penny wise ways would even make Kroenke look like the best Yank of them all.
Therein lies the lesson that Liverpool and the rest of them all missed so glaringly.