Yesterday’s results have made today’s game at Anfield all the more interesting. Not that a game against the Mugsmashers is ever anything but a chance for the Arsenal players to avenge the smashing of my mug so many years ago, but it makes life at the top of the table much more fun.
Aston Villa actually moved above us into third with their 1-0 win over United, although they have played two more games. Chelsea dropped points at home to Everton. Man City could only draw with Bolton and Sp*rs went down 1-0 at home to Wolves. You would be greedy if you asked for better than that and it provides us with a fantastic opportunity to get ourselves right back into the thick of things.
A win closes the gap on Chelsea to 6, win the game in hand and it’s just 3 points and everything looks rosey again. I suppose what it also means is that a draw isn’t the worst result in the world but the manager keeps talking about our ambition to win this league, the players talk about it too, and a win today would really help kickstart our season.
A win certainly isn’t beyond us although it’s always tough going there. I know Liverpool haven’t been in great form but they have players who can win games for them and underestimating them in any way would be foolish. Obviously our lack of a recognised centre-forward might be a handicap but there’s enough goals in the players we do have to cause them problems. I’m loathe to make predictions, I’m just keeping my fingers crossed because I think the right result today could be just what we need to get ourselves going again.
In other news there’s a very interesting story emerging regarding Arsenal and the Dutch FA. It seems we’re going to make a stand and take legal action against them in the wake of Robin van Persie’s injury. I know there’s some discontent that the seriousness of the injury might have been misrepresented, but I think the main issue is that Arsenal lose a player for 5 months over a meaningless friendly. Arsene Wenger says:
The players are paid by their clubs and get injured playing for another team. I am happy if England wins, but if we lose because England wins nobody cares about me. There is something completely wrong with the system. I want the power to be rebalanced more in favour of the clubs.
I expect financial compensation for the damage it can make to the championship and the salary involved. It is especially frustrating to lose your players for the rest of the season in a friendly game. The question has to be raised.
And he’s dead right. I’ve long said that the idea that clubs have to send their players away to play for their national teams then suffer the consequences of any injury, financial and otherwise, themselves is ludicrous. Footballers are amongst the most highly paid professionals in the world, in any industry, yet simply because of their nationality clubs are forced to let them go to play games all over the world. Qualifying games – fine. There’s not a lot of scope there, although I think Wenger’s suggestion that the midweek games are played on Tuesdays instead of Wednesdays has obvious merit and good sense, but why should any club have to provide their players for a meaningless friendly?
I hope we pursue this most vigorously and I hope that other clubs who have suffered the same damage we have with van Persie give their full backing to it. It was only a matter of time until somebody challenged it properly and I’m glad it’s us. It’s a system that has to be changed and the sooner it happens the better.
The Sunday Mirror says Philippe Senderos will join Bayern Munich next month for a knock down £1m. If that is the case then we need to buy a centre-half before we let him go. It would mean Sylvester is the only back up to Vermaelen and Gallas and with Song off to the ACN our options would be extremely limited. The same paper says AC Milan are preparing a £5m bid for Armand Traore. Somehow I doubt it.
The News of the World has gone Arsenal crazy this week. Loads of stuff in it. Firstly, Thomas Vermaelen reveals he had an offer from Sp*rs but turned them down because they are ginormous bennies. Then they say Middlesboro want Jack Wilshere on loan and suggest we’ve got January interest in Real Madrid’s Rafael van der Vaart. As ever, it’s the News of the World. Any guarantees of accuracy regarding transfer speculation are simply not forthcoming.
Bacary Sagna talks about the death of his brother and how that affected his life and his football.
And that’s about that. So, there’s a huge incentive for us to go out there and win today. Not forgetting, of course, that Liverpool will be encouraged by yesterday’s results as well. Here’s hoping we can do the business. Carlos and Theo to make midweek critics eat their words. I hope.
COME ON YOU GOOOOOOOONERS.
