2. The loss to Braga was a bit of a shock to us but honestly, Braga weren’t playing football. I think they got the wrong memo, maybe next time we should translate to Portuguese so they know next time that Arsenal isn’t a rugby team. Our next game is a must win against Partizan Belgrade in Arsenal Stadium in order to advance to the round of 16. I am 100 percent sure that we will win this game and advance for many reason but three of the most important reasons are 1. We are playing at home 2. When it comes to a time in need, Arsenal will pull it off 3. Partizan Belgrade have zero points in Group H.

3. Wenger really needs to pull one move this January to ensure that Arsenal and that move is signing Vertonghen from Ajax. Reuniting him with his former teammate and bringing him at this time of need is the best option that Wenger has. Having a strong backline with 4 top class defenders at the same time would be the best thing that Arsenal has done since the invincible era and we all remember what happened when we had an invincible squad.

4. In Arsene We Trust. This is something that fans need to realize. You can’t blame Wenger because the ref didn’t call the penalty against Braga or because our lack of mental strength helped Spurs score 3 goals in the second half. It’s up to the players if they want to win. Wenger has done all of the right things to do. He brought in Wilshere, Nasri, Fabregas, Chamakh and many other world class players, it’s up to them if they want it or not and with the new attitude of Wenger, they will produce.

http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/5791310/city-united-showed-their-true-colors-week

Arsenal ahead | Samir Nasri celebrates his opener

1. Fabianski played amazing today and deserves to be our top keeper for the rest of the season. His great reflexes and timing proves why a great keeper on a top that competes in top flight competitions needs a top class keeper and Fabianski’s performance today and his past starts are a living proof.
2. A strong midfield is key in a team’s performance. Denilson and Song were solid in both defense and attack. Many people will argue that if Song was booked for the first challenge he committed in the game then he would have been booked a red assuming that he committed his second foul which was a yellow a card. But its assuming that he will commit his second foul. Usually after a first yellow card many players cool down and play more cautious which is what Song did. His goal in the second half surprised everyone including himself. Usually defensive midfielders don’t attack in the same fashion as Song does but his endurance and skills allow him to push up and score which he has down in the past two games. Denilson proved why he is still an asset to the team and many sport writers believed that Diaby would start over Denilson but Wenger had other plans.
3. Fabregas’ leadership, performance and desire to win every ball proves to be the difference every time he plays. He is Arsenal’s best player and is one of the best midfielders in the game. When asked after the game if he deserved to be Man of the Match, his response ‘I missed a penalty, I don’t deserve it.’
4. When Nasri is one fire, he is really on fire. Scoring the first goal and assisting the third goal to seal the victory, Samir Nasri is at time unstoppable at times and at times seems to be a good replacement for Fabregas when nursing an injury. The best part about this kid is that he is still young and has much more success coming his way.
5. Our defense was above average but not good enough if Tevez was still able to play and City were not a man down. I speak mainly to our central defenders who are tough when they need to be tough but seem to over commit and times when not needed. Hopefully Vermaelen will be back by the end of this month and rumors are that Gary Cahill is heading to North London to add to our roster. As far as Sagna and Clichy, they performed great, attacked when needed and defended when needed as well, very solid performances from the two Frenchmen.
6. Chamakh is adapting to the game perfectly and has showed why he is an important asset to our team. Although not scoring a goal today, he has been a threat to City’s defense will his aerial attack and his ability to run down the flanks and chase long passes from our midfielders. We obviously do miss RVP but Chamakh is probably the best replacement that we have found in the transfer market.

Player Ratings

Lukasz Fabianski: (8) Played amazing today and might receive the number one spot after his two great performances the past week. His first save in the game was vital to Arsenal’s win today and it seems that it has boosted his confidence to produce better appearances for Arsenal.

Bacary Sagna: (7.5) Great performance down the flank and is playing like he played when he first arrived at Arsenal.

Sebastian Squillaci: (7) Held the Man City attack well with his experience and was fearless against the attack.

Johan Djourou: (6) Solid yet did get caught sometimes with his tendency to over commit. He should have scored off of the set piece.

Gael Clichy: (7.5) Showed great awareness and touch. Attacked when needed and defended with toughness.

Alex Song: (8.0) The unique Alex Song was once again unique. Attacking and defending with great skills and endurance. His second goal was vital to securing the Arsenal lead.

Cesc Fabregas: (8.5) Showed why Wenger wanted to keep him, instrumental in the Boyata sending off and gave his heart out for the team. Probably deserves a rating 9 but the missed penalty must be taken into account.

Denilson: (7.5) Needed to calm down in the beginning of the game, committing stupid fouls and not playing smart. But towards the end, he seemed to cool down and control the game a bit more with Song and Fabregas.

Andrei Arshavin: (6.5) Seemed very lazy in the beginning of the match, not wanting to do anything. As the game progressed he also progressed and assisted the first goal. Yet he did waste some opportunities that could have put Arsenal up front early in the match.

Samir Nasri: (8.5) Seven goals in seven games. His one touch passes creates many opportunities for Arsenal, hence the first goal. This guy is truly amazing and is getting better and better.

Marouane Chamakh: (7.0) Good performance but should take more shot on goal. His threat was something that Man City knew which allowed Nasri to flourish.

Substitutes:

Tomas Rosicky: (6.5) Looked good for the 20 minutes he was one, hard to believe that Wenger was going to sell him during the summer.

Theo Walcott: (N/A) Didn’t really do much and wasn’t much of a threat with his speed.

Nicklas Bendter: (6.5) His goal which sealed the victory gave him the confidence to perform better in the upcoming games.

Full story here: http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/5713732/wayne-rooney-manchester-united-agree-5-year-contract

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/oct/17/wayne-rooney-manchester-united

The future owner of the club John W. Henry is exactly what Liverpool needs at the moment as he’s had plenty of experience turning teams around. He helped the baseball franchise Boston Red Sox, a team that was very much in the same position that Liverpool was in, turn around and win its first title in 86 years. Liverpool’s chairman Martin Broughton has made it no secret that the new owners will be backing the club financially and help bring new players to the club. The new owners are also committed to redeveloping Anfield stadium as they have determined that redeveloping it is better than building a new stadium given then tradition of the club.

With new owners it’s no surprise that people are beginning to speculate the transfer of players to Anfield this January. One of the likely transfers is Juan Mata from Valencia for 10 million quid and Ryan Babel, who has failed to impress at the club since arriving to Anfield in the summer of 2007. The arrival of new funds and players will most certainly help Roy Hodgson and make life a little bit easier on Liverpool fans as well.

Wenger is running out of solutions but not for long.

Arsene Wenger on the other hand wouldn’t do that. In fact, never has Wenger complained that not having Fabregas was the problem of our recent defeats in the EPL. When Wenger was asked about Wilshere’s performance he responded with the best response any manager can respond with, “he’s only 18 years old.” This phrase has many interpretations and through those interpretations, we can make many other interpretations. You see, Wilshere is a top class English midfielder FOR HIS AGE! Basically, Arsenal cannot depend on Wilshere to show leadership skills. Rather we should depend on him for his excitement and most of all, his skills. Towards the end of the game it was evident that Wilshere seemed to get tired and didn’t have the stamina to continue as Wenger wanted. The issue with Wilshere is simple yet sensitive. It’s very easy for Wenger to start Wilshere in domestic cup, EPL and UCL games but at the same time Wenger understands that Wilshere needs to mature not as a player but as a person. Example, the night club incident earlier in the season still proves that he might not be as disciplined as Wenger wishes. What is the point of this? To realize that Wilshere cannot carry Arsenal against top level teams because he still isn’t mature as a person. This isn’t to shed darkness on Wilshere fans because I am a huge Wilshere fan and I do believe that within 5 more years, he will be deadly to other teams. We must look at our problems and realize that Arsenal is not playing with a cushion behind their backs. Wenger is being forced to start Wilshere to search for answers. Fabregas, Bendter, Almunia, Vermaelen, Ramsey, Van Persie, Walcott and now Diaby are all out due to injuries. Honestly speaking, we have done great to answer the injury crisis but players like Wilshere, Nasri and Chamakh cannot handle the pressure to perform greatly in every game we play in. Yet, they still do which impresses Wenger time and time again.

Wilshere has stepped up for the Gunners this season.

With the injury crisis, today’s game was still close and Arsenal had many chances to score. Let us take the starting lineup of Arsenal and “make” it equal to Chelsea’s squad and make a lineup from Chelsea that mirrors our lineup. Arsenal’s lineup was missing Fabregas, Van Persie, Almunia, Vermaelen  and Walcott. So if Chelsea had Lampard, Drogba, Cech, Terry and Malouda all out of today’s lineup, would Chelsea have won today against Arsenal? I’m pretty sure it would have been a much tougher game for Chelsea. Many people out there believe that Arsenal doesn’t have what it takes to win the EPL title or the UCL title. That’s bogus! Throughout the entire season injuries have hit Arsenal hard and players have stepped up to not offer injuries as an excuse to our recent defeats. Arshavin has 5 goals and 6 assists in 11 games. Wilshere has shown his coming of age and showed that he is able to handle the pressure. Chamakh has done amazing, bringing us back in the Bolton game as well as this midweek UCL game in Serbia. Nasri nearly gave us a point by scoring two goals last weekend in a time of urgency.

Arshavin's performance has been overshadowed with much criticism.

Look for a strong lineup against Newcastle in the midweek Carling Cup matchup. It seems that our problems have forced Wenger to look at other options which is great. We can give it one more month and many of our players will be back, well rested and waiting to play some football. Chelsea, we will get out revenge the next time we meet. Watch out.

-OA

Arsenal 3 – 1 Partizan Belgrade: Belgrade looked to make a game of this after equalizing late in the first half on a penalty, but a red card and goals by Marouane Chamakh and Sebastian Squillaci lead to a scoreline that does not reflect the competitiveness of the match.

Manchester United 1 – 0 Valencia: United’s Summer signing netted his first competitive goal in the 85th minute to gain the three points for a slightly off-kilter side. Valencia owned much of the possession but could not find the cutting edge.

Tottenham Hotspur 4 – 1 FC Twente: A wet and wild affair at White Hart Lane saw a red card and three penalties given to Spurs (scored on two) in an exciting and end to end match that was very exciting to watch. The clear difference for Spurs was new signing Van der Vaart as he was the creative force driving his side despite a penalty miss in the first half.

Chelsea have another rough fixture ahead of them as Arsenal travel the short distance over to Stamford Bridge. The Blues will likely be without talisman midfielder Frank Lampard and their depth was called in to question as they brought on two youngsters late in the match against City. City have an easier, and very winnable, draw with Newcastle coming to Eastlands.