Cesc Fabregas... ready for the World Cup
The week that was - June 2010
June 26, 2010
As the World Cup continues in South Africa, the herd of teams is being slowly thinned. The tournament has also started to get a bit more exciting as some of the more highly-rated teams faced games that could see them winning their group or going home. Examples? A few bad results meant that England and Germany were staring early exits straight in the eye, but both managed wins in their final games to advance to the Round of 16.
Arsène Wenger feels that both the World Cup – and some of the marquee teams – have had a slow start, but the real excitement will start once the knockout stages begin this weekend. The biggest surprise to him so far, is how some of the European giants have struggled.
Of those struggling teams, the most significant collapse – from an Arsenal perspective at least – was France. Les Bleus succumbed to the well-publicized strife that had occurred both on and off the pitch. In explaining what happened to the 2006 finalists, Wenger explained, “There is no unity in the group, no unity between the manager and the players within the group.”
This was especially apparent in their final match, a 2-1 loss to the host nation. With captain Patrice Evra left out as a result of the drama, Gael Clichy got his first start of the tournament. Along with Abou Diaby, William Gallas and Bacary Sagna, he played the full 90 minutes.
The four Frenchmen weren’t the only Gunners to head home early. Nicklas Bendtner’s Denmark lost to Japan in their final Group E match and Emmanuel Eboue’s Ivory Coast squad, despite beating North Korea rather handily, finished behind Brazil and Portugal in Group G.
The news was better for Robin van Robin van Persie (10) player profile" href="http://www.arsenal.com/usa/sh/first-team/players/robin-van-persie">Persie, who scored in the Netherlands’ 2-1 win over Cameroon. Alex Song’s country had already been eliminated after losing their first two matches. Cesc Fabregas came on as a 55th-minute substitute to help Spain win Group H. That victory sets up an interesting match-up with next-door neighbors, Portugal. The only other Arsenal player moving on to the next round is Mexico’s Carlos Vela.
Moving away from South Africa, the Boss snuck in some comments about Arsenal this week. Although he would not name names, he said that he expects a new defender to sign for the Club “quite soon.” He could not, however, provide any answers on Sol Campbell’s future. The 35-year-old is out of contract, and the word on the street is that he is juggling a couple of other offers. As always, stay tuned to USA.Arsenal.com for updates as they happen.
Lastly this week, Arsenal.com is adding a number of players to the History section this summer, and is asking readers to contribute their stories and recollections. Remember players like Graham Rix, Charles Barley and Peter Nicholas? Then send in your accolades and anecdotes today!
Until next week…
June 19, 2010
Further reminders that the 2010/11 season isn’t too far way were on tap this week. First, the Club released images of the new away kit. It’s a return to the classic yellow jersey, although this time it incorporates some of the red currant color that honors the Club’s early days. The new jersey will be available on July 13th, but you pre-order it now.
To build even more anticipation, the Premier League released the schedule for the new season. Arsenal starts with a big one, kicking off with a trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool.
It’s hard to know what to expect from Liverpool right now. They are currently manager-less, did not qualify for the Champions League and are facing the familiar tune of key players possibly leaving. But it is a funny game. You never know what will inspire the players, and you can never count anyone out.
The home opener is also rather interesting – Premier League newcomers Blackpool. While on paper it looks like it should be an easy one, you never know what to expect from the new teams in the early weeks.
But match previews are for another day. Like when the squads are actually finalized.
Arsène Wenger dropped a hint that there could be a new addition to the squad before the World Cup ends. As always, he gave no clear indication of who it will be, but he will be a defensive player.
Obviously, most of the attention of the football world is still focused firmly on South Africa. The Boss has previously provided his thoughts on Groups A-D, and he continued this week with his verdicts on Group E, “if I had to pick two it would be Netherlands and Cameroon, with an outside chance for Denmark;” Group F, "Italy are the main favorites here;” Group G, “This is certainly the most difficult group to be in at the World Cup;” and Group H, “Here for me Spain and Switzerland are the two favorites to progress.”
In Arsenal action, the biggest story so far is the poor play of the French squad. After a 0-0 draw in the first game against Uruguay, the French lost to Mexico 2-0. From an Arsenal perspective it was a very bad day. Three players featured on the losing side, one was an unused substitute and Mexico striker Carlos Vela was injured in the first half.
The rest of the Arsenal round-up saw Emmanuel Eboue’s Ivory Coast squad managed a draw against Portugal in the ‘Group of Death,’ Alex Song left on the bench for Cameroon’s loss to Japan, and Robin van Persie creating the first goal for the Netherlands in their 2-0 win over Denmark. Nicklas Bendtner missed that game due to injury.
With a few notable exceptions, it hasn’t been the most exciting World Cup so far. While it is unlikely that there is a correlation, there have been a lot of empty seats at the matches thus far. Wenger is a bit concerned by that. He is working as an analyst for French TV during the tournament, and he has a theory for why the games have lacked a bit of excitement. He thinks that the pressure of losing has inhibited many of the teams.
The Boss has also had a few other observations. Key among them is Spain’s injury concerns. Despite their loss to Switzerland, he still thinks Spain should make the knockout rounds, but feels they may struggle from that point on.
He noted that some managers are dealing with some extra difficulties as well. Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson will likely play a big role in the success or failure of Ivory Coast, but as he only recently took the reins, he may have a tough time with it. "Being manager just for a World Cup can be a little handicap,” Wenger said. “Because at that level you need to know your players perfectly well.”
He also commented on the now-infamous vuvuzela, and is clearly not a fan. In addition to finding the noise uncomfortable, he added that eardrums are not the only victim of the constant drone. "It kills one of the charms of football - the songs."
Looking ahead, it’s a big weekend for the Arsenal players in South Africa. Netherlands, Denmark and Ivory Coast all play this weekend, and Cesc Fabregas’ Spain will look to bounce back from their loss on Monday against Honduras. Now that some of the teams are getting into must-win situations, we can expect the excitement to pick up.
Until next week…
- Kevin Mooney
June 12, 2010
The 2010 World Cup is underway in South Africa. Appropriately, the first goal was scored by the host country, although Arsenal’s Carlos Vela would have picked up the honor if not for an offside call. Vela’s Mexico ended up securing the 1-1 draw against South Africa on a late goal by Rafael Marquez.
The other match of the day saw three Gunners take the field as France squared off against Uruguay. Three Arsenal players started: Abou Diaby, Bacary Sagna and WIlliam Gallas. Les Bleus had a good opportunity to take all three points when late in the match, Uruguay’s Nicolas Lodeiro was sent off for receiving a second booking.
The foul happened to be a rather nasty tackle on Sagna. Considering where Lodiero made contact, it could have been pretty serious, but Sagna seemed to shake it off after just a few minutes.
The game ended 0-0, and you have to think France came away disappointed.
Probably the most anticipated match of the tournament’s first week kicks-off shortly with England taking on the USA. As several of the Americans play or have played in England, emotions are sure to be high. Plus, you know, that big earth-changing event that happened a long time ago that England still craves revenge for.
I’m referring to the ‘Miracle on Grass’ from the 1950 World Cup of course…
Arsène Wenger took a look at Group C and gave his verdict. The other matches form the group take place tomorrow. He also gave his thoughts on Group D, which does not involve any Arsenal players.
Unsurprisingly, most of the chatter around the Club involved the World Cup. The Boss provided some interesting thoughts on different elements of the tournament. The economist in him even brought up the current crisis in Greece as a reason they could be dangerous. "It is a release for them. Similar to Italy four years ago when they had their football scandal, they went on to win the World Cup.”
Germany, on the other hand, could be facing a big disadvantage. After Bayern Munich’s run in the Champions League, Wenger questions, “Do they have anything left in the tank?”
He also discussed the World Cup’s effect on next season. Since the season starts barely a month after the end of the tournament, Wenger expressed concern at the fatigue factor. "A player who plays in the Final would not then be ready for the start of next season because of course he has to go through pre-season as well,” he said.
Considering the injury and fatigue issues Arsenal faced throughout last season, it’s not a small concern. In the Season in Review DVD, Wenger discussed the injury issue."At the beginning of March we were in touch and had the same chance as everyone to win,” he recalled. "But when you go into the final games and you do not have your players it's too difficult, it's impossible.”
He also talked about the team’s sometimes shaky defensive play. Arsenal conceded 41 goals in the Premier League last season, to which Wenger said was “too high to win a championship.” In talking about improving the squad in that area, he said that “we will not be scared to spend if needed." Hopefully that is something that will comfort even the most pessimistic of fans.
Part of the defensive issues stemmed from the goalkeeper position, and the Club made a move for the future by signing Irish youth international Sean McDermott to his first professional deal. He’ll be splitting time at No 1 for the Reserves with James Shea.
Going the other way was Philippe Senderos, who left Arsenal to sign with Fulham on a free transfer. The Swiss defender has not played much for the Club over the past couple of years, going out on loan with AC Milan and Everton. He did have some great moments during his time in North London, and I think all Gooners join me in wishing him nothing but good luck at Craven Cottage.
Arsenal.com is continuing to review the 2009/10 season by looking at individual players. The first in the series looked at the contributions from Sol Campbell, while the second installment examines the ups-and-downs experienced by Abou Diaby. Many more to come, so stay tuned!
Looking ahead to next season, the Club confirmed a couple more pre-season friendlies. These games are set for late July in Austria. Kind of amazing to think that the pre-season is only about a month away already!
Also a month away is the launch of the new away kit. But a preview will be available next week for everyone who signs up to receive exclusive photos. You can pre-order the jersey the same day from the official store.
Lastly, there’s plenty of World Cup action coming up this week, most notably on Monday when Nicklas Bendtner’s Denmark take on Robin van Persie’s Netherlands. And as you would expect, you can see the full schedule of games involving Arsenal players and follow all of their stats and accomplishments on USA.Arsenal.com.
Until next week…
- Kevin Mooney
June 5, 2010
Several weeks of rumor and innuendo finally became reality this week when Barcelona made an official, concrete offer for our captain, talisman and best player Cesc Fabregas.
While the bid itself was far from surprising, the amount they are believed to have offered was: €35 million. When you consider some of the players that have recently moved in that range, it’s kind of shocking.
What wasn’t shocking was Arsenal’s response. The key bit:
"To be clear, we will not make any kind of counterproposal or enter into any discussion. Barcelona have publicly stated that they will respect our position and we expect that they will keep their word."
While every football fan knows to never say never, that statement does seem to be rather final.
More good midfield news came in the form of Aaron Ramsey signing a new long-term deal with the Club. The 19-year-old Welshman made huge strides this season, and really looked to be on his way to sealing a weekly place in the starting XI before his leg was broken in two places in a February game against Stoke.
Ramsey sat down with ATVO and discussed why he signed the new deal. "It's a great Club and I've learned a lot so far since I've been here,” he said. “I think there is still a lot more to be learned and I am happy here.”
He also talked about how his recovery is progressing, Arsène Wenger’s impact on his career and his highlights so far.
The rest of the week was all about the World Cup which kicks-off next week in South Africa. Arsenal will have 11 players representing eight countries competing in the tournament. One glaring omission is Theo Walcott, who was left out of the England squad. While obviously disappointed, he said “I completely respect Mr. Capello's decision.”
Perhaps it will be a good thing in the end. Despite being only 21, Theo hasn’t had a good long break that didn’t involve recovering from injury in quite some time. Hopefully he’ll be rested and ready to show up at training camp hungry to prove all of his doubters wrong.
The international teams are in their final preparations and playing friendlies every few days. Several Arsenal players are looking to make a big impact and have put in some strong performances so far.
Robin van Persie has been continuing his hot streak, nearly scoring the opener against Ghana and then converting a penalty late in the game.
Carlos Vela been in featured in the starting line-up for Mexico and has been in fine form. He scored against Italy in a 2-1 win for El Tri by putting one past Gianluigi Buffon.
William Gallas saved some blushes for France by equalizing against Tunisia in the second half. Bacary Sagna also started for Les Bleus, while Gael Clichy and Abou Diaby came on as second-half substitutes.
France has been a bit shaky in recent matches, and Wenger thinks Thierry Henry’s handball against Ireland in the qualifying round may have something to do with it. "If things aren't going well they could start thinking ‘anyway, we don't deserve to be here.'”
France is in Group A which features hosts South Africa, Mexico and Uruguay. The Boss broke down the group and despite France’s recent troubles, he said, “I still believe that France should be real favorites to get through, but also Uruguay might make it.”
He also took a look at Group B which looks to have a clear favorite. "If you look at just the list of players in the Argentina squad, you would make them super favorites to progress. As well they are in a group where you cannot see who will seriously challenge them.”
Group C features England and the USA who play each other one week from today. England are favored to win the group, but Wenger feels that no one should underestimate the Americans. "America, don't forget, beat Spain in the Confederations Cup,” he said. “They are a team who prepare well, they have a competitive mentality and seem to be able to raise their game when it matters."
The match also comes close to the 60th anniversary of the Miracle on Grass, where a USA team made up mainly of semi-professionals, knocked off the top-rated England squad in the opening round. It will definitely be a game to watch!
England has already had some international success this summer by winning the Under-17 European Championship against Spain. Arsenal’s Benik Afobe played a big role in the win, staring every game of the tournament.
Arsenal.com has completed another Top 5 list, this time for Top Saves in the Premier League era. David Seaman and Jens Lehmann dominated the list, but some fans may be surprised who snuck into the list
Lastly, thanks to everyone who contributed their thoughts for what they would do this summer if they were Arsenal's manager. We received some great responses, and you can see some of the best and most interesting here.
Until next week…
- Kevin Mooney
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