Welcome to August 29th.
I’m loath to talk transfers, mostly because there haven’t been any and the only thing we can say with any vague assurance is that Mathieu Flamini might sign on on a free. Even that seems to be have been made more complicated that it should have been with stories about how wages are an issue.
Still, it looks like the most likely move at this moment in time. Whether it happens in time to have him involved against that lot on Sunday is anybody’s guess, and if anyone else is joining him, that’s not so much a guess as a wild stab in the dark. Without a knife. Or hands. Or anyone to stab.
On Tuesday night on ITV Lee Dixon spoke about ‘two big players’, Liam Brady apparently said on RTE last night we could see ‘a few surprises’, while in an interview with Zoo Magazine (of all things), Mikel Arteta said of transfers, “It’s still going to happen. A lot of stuff will take place at the last minute.”
Yet the fear is that Arsenal haven’t necessarily been unwilling to do business this summer, but unable. And nothing at all has changed in the way we’re set up to do transfers, so the struggles we had throughout the summer could easily replicate themselves in these final days. The only thing that might go for us is the deadline itself. There’s no room for prevarication or dithering when the clock is counting down right in front of you.
But, the finish line is in sight and it’s hard to know what will happen. In Madrid Ozil and di Maria have both pledged their futures to Real, which is nice, but when they shell out that ludicrous transfer fee for Bale then things might change a bit from the club’s point of view. That much money going out means money has to come back in, whether we can take advantage of that, or persuade either player to come to North London remains to be seen.
Also, when you look at the names we have been linked with, it perhaps suggests a slight change of approach from Arsene Wenger. The big name strikers are by the wayside now, if he’s looking at the likes of Ozil, Mata, di Maria, perhaps he’s decided to bolster the attacking side of the team from different areas. Goals from midfield and wide, and better service for the one and a half strikers we do have.
Anyway, it won’t be long before we can make a definitive judgement on Arsenal’s summer business. Up to now it has been distinctly underwhelming, and you know my thoughts already on how I feel about the lack of new names before the start of the season, but the team and players we do have have responded very well since the opening day defeat to Villa.
Assuming that they’re all we’ve got to choose from on Sunday, that’s where the focus should be until then. If we get anybody in then grand, but this lot are going to be tasked with beating the free spending hypercunnies from down the road, and to my mind there’s no reason at all why they shouldn’t be capable of that.
We’re still awaiting definitive news about the injuries picked by Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere, but hopefully there’s good news in that regard. Both of them will play if fit, I suspect, as Cazorla is likely to replace Podolski who will definitely miss out. I don’t think we’re likely to face worries over anyone else, but until Arsene Wenger sounds the all clear, it’s a little bit nervy.
In other news, the draw for the group stages of the Champions League takes place this evening. It starts at 4.45pm, apparently, and [insert your own joke, perhaps referencing the 100 years war, here]. The teams are divided in four pots, we’re in the seeded group with: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United, FC Porto and Benfica.
Then you have:
Pot 2: Atletico Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, AC Milan, Schalke, Marseille, CSKA Moscow, PSG, Juventus.
Pot 3: Zenit, Manchester City, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Basel, Olympiacos, Galatasaray, Leverkusen.
Pot 4: FC Copenhagen, Napoli, Anderlecht, Celtic, Steaua Bucuresti, Viktoria Plzen, Real Sociedad, Austria Vienna.
Obviously there are restrictions based on home associations (e.g, we can’t draw Man City) so there’s the potential for some very tricky groups – imagine AC Milan, Dortmund and Real Sociedad, or some easier ones, eg. Schalke, Basel and Plzen.
Somebody, of course, will end up in a group of ‘death’. Hopefully Man City. But also hopefully United and Chelsea. And even if it’s not quite death, a group of perpetually itchy ring-piece or a group of oozing, weeping sores would be sufficient.
In slightly less glamorous news, the draw for the Capital One Cup was made last night and we face a trip to West Brom in the third round. Not exactly the lower-league opposition we’d like to feel more comfortable about playing a team of kids against, but then after last season when we sent pretty much the entire first team to Bradford and still lost, I don’t suppose you can really worry too much about it.
And that’s really about it. South Park fans might like this – a snippet from Darren Dein’s future autobiography as he reveals the negotiations in bringing back Flamini.
We’ll have news throughout the day, if there is any, over on Arseblog News. Till tomorrow with a North London derby facing Arsecast.
Until then.
