Champions league secured, Team spirit Up and A season whose fate is in our hands..

 

 What seemed a very tricky run of games was successfully navigated by Arsenal. Prior to the Everton game i wrote last week that the results from Goodison Park and the return leg of the Besiktas tie will go far in shaping our early season outlook. Fast forward 7days and we have done just that. We picked a valuable point away at Merseyside then closed out the Besiktas game despite facing the worst scare of elimination we have ever faced at this stage of the competition. We were lucky in many respects over the two legs and credit to Besiktas who pushed us all the way, but at the end of the day we showed that our 17years longevity in the Champions league isn't just talk. There's bags of experience in this team and when the going got tough we called on that experience to bail us out. 

Our reward following that game was to be placed in a rather difficult group with Dortmund, Anderlecht, and Galatasary. 13-14 points i reckon will be enough to see us top this group..Something we absolutely must endeavor to accomplish this time around seeing that our previous finishes in 2nd place at the group stage has not helped our cause in the tournament. We must see ourselves as capable of fighting with the best the continent has to offer and beating them. Athletico Madrid last year showed us that it isn't always all about the size of your budget or the Big names in the team.  A compact unit possessing the right Talent and focus is what you need far more than the egos. Its been said in some quarters in the media that its pointless celebrating being in a tournament for 17 years without having won it. Even though these haters will like to deny they don't know  its the consistency in participation that we are celebrating, i have to admit we have underachieved in the Champions league viz-a-viz our now regular 2nd round exit year in year out. We must do something about that. I believe in the quality of our team and can say quite confidently that on our day we can beat anyone over  two legs. Its time to make a proper quest for this trophy, for the benefit of the Club, our Great Manager and the fans. So how do we do this is the big question.

We no doubt have boosted our confidence to high levels with our early season results. Our form on the pitch in terms of cohesion can be better but things could also have been worse. The team still needs to gel better upfront and with Giroud out long-term, that  fluency is what we need to find fast. Alexis Sanchez was superb against Besiktas at home, showing the kind of finishing and guts that made me an admirer from his Barcelona days. I remain one of those who reckons he'll be a great signing for us because at Arsenal he will get the regard, trust and respect that the Catalan side never really gave him in his 3years there. The weekend game with Leicester will see a very confident Arsenal side looking to grab the maximum points to anchor itself at the top-end of the table. And with the Transfer window 2days away from slamming shut (as i write this Saturday Morning), our fate this season can still be said to be in our hands.

 Do we buy to offset the Giroud absence going forward? or do we as the boss says in this interview make do with the crop of hitmen we already have.  My feeling is that we must find someone who will come in and give our opponents that fear factor up front. The guys we have Podolski, Walcott , Sanchez and Sanogo all have their qualities but don't need reminding what a big signing can do for the morale of the squad. Plus knowing our Injury curse, any of Poldi, Theo or Sanchez may cop a niggle (God forbid) leaving us in regrets when things start to hot up. If we agree that our sights are set on bigger things than the FA cup this season then we must spare no effort to realize just that. Monday is deadline day and at Center Back we need one more man , a DM (defensive midfeilder) too and then that forward conundrum needs to be buffered. Maybe the Boss will do the Versatile player who will combine the CB/DM roles and then get in a striker if he can get the right price. Fingers crossed we come out stronger with the right buys to help us achieve our goals..later

That rare occasion when a draw feels like a victory

 

This match at some point looked like a mirror image of the tie in April..Everton looking Rampant and Arsenal looking limp indeed. It was almost unbelievable to watch. The first half was as bad as you can imagine,we enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges with a couple of half chances falling the way of Chamberlain. However Everton looked more purposeful going forward while on the other hand we didn't look like a team who were sure how to go about finding the net.Alexis was all over the place, while Ozil on the left didn't look Dangerous at all. It was the kind of game you just prayed we would get the first goal to help bring a bit of calm to our game but that didn't happen. 

The manner of the goals we conceded were avoidable, first it was Chambers with a careless foul on a player who was going nowhere resulting in the set piece that saw them nick the first goal. 2nd goal was one the officials didn't exactly cover themselves in glory. First an obvious foul on Mertasacker went totally ignored.. then the offside call which given the linesman's position (which was perfectly in-line) should have been given. So 2-0 down and it looked like lightening was about to strike twice in the same location.

Cue the 2nd half changes where Sanchez was excused and Giroud who's more familiar with the rigors of games such as this was brought in to add presence in the box. It paid instant dividend as his first contribution was to lash a volley just wide of the crossbar. A warning of what was to come. Camped in their half, we stoked up the pressure on Everton with chances falling to Giroud and Ramsey but none taken. Just when it was starting to look like that lifeline would not be coming, Ramsey was first to meet a good cross by Carzola and made it 2-1 in the 83rd minute. At that point,with our tails up i kind of knew we'd draw the game..especially as Everton were looking exhausted. And so it proved, in the 89th min Giroud climbed above Distin to connect with a well floated ball from Monreal from the left & nodded us level.

Overall i'll give the performance a C-.. Our turnovers in midfield were astronomical, many of them left us badly exposed. We need to find a way to cut them out somehow or it'll be Etihad all over again whenever we meet another top side. However a point is always welcome compared to no-point at all, especially if its a point drawn from the jaws of defeat like last night. All attentions shift now to Wednesday as another tricky battle awaits.

Match Preview: Everton vs Arsenal ( A chance to remind the merseysiders who's Boss)

 

To say the next two games in Arsenals calender are season defining will be stating the obvious...beginning with Everton today we've got to start shaking off whatever is left of the cobwebs of pre-season left in our setup. Tuesday night was in my opinion not of the standard you'd expect from us;and for all the positive post-match talk Arsene dished out after the game, in his heart he won't have been happy with that performance. Many have attributed it the effects of new players bedding in, others have said its the world cup hangover..while some have even blamed the pitch in Turkey. Irrespective of the source of our lack of cohesion, one thing is for certain, rustiness or not we're going to have to find a way to positively Navigate Everton as well as Besiktas to give our season the early boost it needs.

Goodison park marked for me one of the dark points of last season. A hapless Arsenal team lacking in confidence were ruthlessly put to the sword by an Everton side that seemed ready to finally fulfill its Top 4 aspirations. They thoroughly deserved their win on the day and in 90mins of play had managed to expose at the time what was a 1-track, and rigid Arsenal game that lacked a Plan ''B''.  Looking bereft of ideas Upfront and shaky at the back ,Vermaelen and Per were unable to respond to the questions asked by the rampaging Lukaku resulting in a resounding 3-0 defeat... But this time around its a fresh season and a chance to show the Hosts that last season was just a one-off. We have added to our team and on the back of our trophy wins, aren't the diffident side that visited them in April. We will be out to show our fresh impetus to top this Division and lay down the early marker of our title ambitions but questions marks will arise with regards to whether the lessons of our last defeat were Learnt. Their game plan of Lukaku on the Right against Monreal proved devastating, as time after time that Physical mismatch exposed us to repeated incursions from Barkley and Mirallas who were constantly making runs from deep to stretch us by exploiting the spaces that kept popping up.

The bad news is that Gibbs will not be available for this tie and his Spanish deputy will have to fill in again. Its a no-brainer to say the Englishman copes better with the physical side of things better than his deputy, but if  Chamberlain starts he could well provide the much needed help Monreal will need to prevent any re-occurrence of last term. 

The other big question in our camp is the probability of including the Germans in the game Today. The boss expects them to be ready to play but will need to take a further look to determine who will be included.  Giroud has come under some heavy fire also in the wake of his indifferent performance on Tuesday and it'll be interesting to see who gets the nod between him and Sanogo as the attack spearhead. Sanchez has worked hard and has shown a willingness to run his socks off for the cause but bar Mancity at the community shield he has struggled to stamp himself in games. The League points have already began to count though and we'll need him to acquaint himself with the team's wavelength a.s.a.p. A win will definitely see us in first or second position at the end of the other Week 2 fixtures, but more importantly it is the Mental fortitude we emerge out of this game with that will go a long way in determining our fate come Wednesday next week. C'mon Arsenal

Arsenal overcome early setback to Edge 3 points against Crystal Palace

 

 Ok Not as comfortable as we would have liked but in this League there's no such thing as an entitlement... what you see is what you get..like i said in the preview i didn't think Palace would be a walkover and so it proved. No sooner had the game kicked off did we realize what we were in for..Palace set up themselves for the familiar defensive lock-out, with perhaps the hope of snatching the odd goal and pulling of a Swansea vs Man U on us. We labored to create anything tangible and like it happens all the time during games like this, the lack of goals started to create tension in the stands that trickled over across to the players on the pitch. Misplaced pass after misplaced pass became the order of the day and suddenly we weren't looking so comfortable as we did in the Charity Shield. Arsene started with Sanogo as the point man in attack and though the Young french-man has shown promise in that department, today he was comprehensively dealt with. The combined experience of  Hangeland and Kelly ensured he had no joy upfront. It was Hangeland who gave Crystal palace the lead with their first Corner, steering a back header into the bottom corner after catching our defenders cold. If our game was off, going by how ponderous we had played until then, going behind only made things worse as we were now suddenly facing defeat in the eye. But Up-stepped the man who grabs big-goals when we need them.. Koscielny. The CB timed a lovely chipped freekick from Sanchez and headed us level..1-1..cue relief across the emirates.

Crystal palace for all their graft and hard work resorted to time wasting which infuriated me..if they hadn't done that, i would have been more than happy to give them credit for their performance. Their greatest undoing though was going a man down with less than 4 minutes to go. Jason Puncheon receiving his marching orders after a second bookable offence. That event would go on to have a significant influence in the final few minutes of the game which saw the visitors under massive pressure. Because  when a loose ball fell in the box after a corner wasn't properly dealt with, an unmarked Aaron ramsey poked home the winner 2-1, and the points were ours. Puncheon may have been marking Ramsey had it been 11 v 11...

so 3 points and after the weekend run of results we sit in 2nd position behind Mancity who tamed Newcastle 2-0. For us all our attention shifts towards securing a UCL place by dispatching Besiktas. It looks on paper another easy tie, but Turkish sides are no pushovers...The build up to that will be put up later..until then ciao

Match preview :Arsenal vs Crystal Palace (Gunners host Embattled Eagles in Season opener)

So the serious business begins today with the Clash with Crystal Palace. It comes a bit as a surprise that the new season is here already.To me, it Just seems like it was yesterday the last one ended. Thanks in no small way to the World Cup for ensuring we didn't suffer any football withdrawal effects like we normally do. Usually Off-season tends to be unbearably long, leaving us the fans literally counting days to the first ball kicked in anger. But here we are, New Season, New opportunities and New managers for some other teams.You can almost smell the grass at the Emirates here in gidi.. showtime beckons my people!

What a difference a year makes if you are an Arsenal fan. This time last year the air around the club was depressing. We had suffered a terrible transfer period up until the eve of our game with Aston Villa. Our Marquee target for that summer Gonzalo Higuain, who at the time was widely tipped to join us switched to Napoli and then un-top of that we endured a quite farcical transfer fiasco with Liverpool over Suarez which didn't end positively. All these had resulted in a rather gloomy commencement to the season and the 1-3 loss to Villa only served as the icing on the cake. However, fast forward 12 months and the atmosphere in Goonerdom can't be more contrasting. We have been busy in the market this time, we finally have trophies in the bag to show-off,  3 of our boys return as World champs, and also we haven't sold any player this year that we didn't want to. A massive change in fortunes you'd agree and it promises to get even better.

The successes we have recorded of late has bolstered our confidence. You may argue that the community shield is not the perfect parameter but we really looked a totally different side against Mancity. Not so much in terms of our new personnel but also in our approach and attitude on the day. I saw a team that had a rejuvenated belief in itself and played with a desire to achieve every possible thing it could achieve without any fear or psychological hindrance. This is the same application i want the lads to display throughout the new season. Approach all our targets one game at a time, and who knows if we can keep our players healthy and injury free who says we cant push for more trophies to add to last season's collection. Alexis Sanchez has come in to add a certain star quality to the forward line and you get the feeling that once he settles in to our style he'll be deadly. His pace added to Giroud's strength upfront, alongside Ramsey, Walcott, Campbell (fingers crossed) and Podolski will give our attack a rather formidable look. Debuchy has come in for Sagna and has fitted in quite admirably. Young Chambers will make his mistakes in some games, that's for sure but he already looks like he'll be an asset to us before long. Nothing compares to the feeling of knowing your team has capable competition for places. And i feel with injuries almost inevitable every season when the going gets rough, our side can look forward to avoiding the terrible experience we faced last season when injuries took Ramsey,Wilshere, Ozil away from us.

Our opponents, Crystal Palace have made the news for slightly strange reasons. Tony Pulis the manager who helped them pull-off the Houdini act of relegation escape last season has parted ways with the club under slightly acrimonious circumstances. Now it may be more than they they are willing to divulge i.e  attributing his departure to Transfer differences but we cannot go into the game tomorrow expecting to see a weakened Crystal palace side. They showed a ruthless fighting spirit to finish 11th on the table last term and will not be easy visitors. Having said that, to not end up with 3 points will for us have to go down as a Bad day at the office.

There's really not much to say other than wish the lads good luck and hope we can serve a season-opener that'll be much more tastier than last season's.  I'm happy the boss say's this boy will be given his chance, he just could turnout to be our joker in many a tight games. catch you later with a review.

Mertesacker Emptiness

  

Hi guys just thought i'd put this video up for you to watch as its such a mood lifter...Credit to who made it..if you have seen it already, you may stop reading here....but if not here's a warning though, this track will stay in your head all  day....and yep you are welcome...cheers

Charity shield review: Arsenal 3:Mancity 0 (Gunners outclass City in Wembley)

 

Couldn't have gone any better could it? Right from the blast of Micheal Oliver's whistle the lads left no-one in doubt of their intentions on the day. In a matter of minutes Arsenal had already settled into a rythm of Crisp, intelligent interplay coupled with the kind of attacking impetus that you just knew could only translate into one result...Victory. It was all about setting the mode for the season with this game and even though Manchester City looked a pale shadow of their-self....(for whatever reason), no-one can say we did not succeed in sounding a warning to rivals that we mean business this year.

It was also another opportunity to bag more Silverware and engage in all that trophy winning pitch activities we have been so desperately starved of over the years..Champagne spraying, pictures and the likes... God knows i had grown tired of seeing us win trophies now...its getting booooring (LOL!)

So it ended 3-0 to us, Ok i had a hunch we'd win this game but certainly not by that margin. City defended poorly and up against a rampant front trio of Sanogo, Sanchez and Carzola, it turned out to be a rough afternoon for them indeed. Here's a player rating of how the players performed.

Szczesny-----------------------7     Szcz was his usual reliable self. Was tested a couple of times but responded competently. Its going to be a demanding season for the Pole, with a quality deputy like Ospina in the squad..he knows the margin for error has thinned. But today he was solid. Don't know if he enjoyed playing in short sleeves though...looked rather uncomfortable in it.

Debuchy-----------------------6   Made one crucial block in the first half to deny Nasri a clear shot, and despite a few dodgy moments in positioning worked hard all game. From what i observed he doesn't appear the quickest of players which when combined with his erratic positioning could be a source of worry but its still early season, hopefully fully fit he'll be much sharper.

Chambers----------------------7.5  Started the game a bit nervously as he was peppered by the experienced Kolarov a few times early in the first half, but as the game went on, he completely dominated his area and showed maturity beyond his age. Impressive marking, speed and anticipation too. Good buy Arsene.

Koscielny-----------------------6.5  Still some distance from full match fitness and it showed as Jovetic  got the better of him twice in the first half.Quick Recovery when beaten is usually one of Kos's strong points but Chambers it was that had to cover his ass today. Still he showed his experience to frustrate Dzeko, when the striker was put through on goal in the first-half.

   Gibbs:---------------------------7.5  Everytime this guy goes down, i break out in sweat. In my opinion probably the most crucial ingredient in terms of how we play out from the left-side. A sound player who i try to fault game-in game-out but can't. His overlapping is great, his defending (primary role) is brilliant, and today again he was fantastic. Opposing wingers find him difficult to beat and if he wasn't so injury prone, i'd say he's probably the best English left-back in the division.

    

   Arteta:----------------------------6.5  The Newly appointed captain was his usual self, doing his midfield job quietly and efficiently. My opinion is that we still need a DM, if we are going to have a solid Midfield that is strong enough to battle the best in Europe and the EPL. This isn't intended as a dig on Arteta who always does a good job for us, but i observed his pace is really reduced and in his position you need lots of that.

   Ramsey:--------------------------8    The most Dangerous arsenal player within and around the box. This guy will continue to kill teams because no-one truly knows the depth of brilliance he can produce at any time. The little touch to completely out fox 2 City defenders before firing in the 2nd goal was just wonderful...if you haven't seen it, you need to..

    Wilshere--------------------------7   Jack was great going forward and always had that eye for the pass. I saw him doing quite a lot of deep lying defensive play, but it only exposed him to crunchy tackles and I'm not sure Wenger should be using him there. I like seeing him smack in the middle of the park collecting the ball and running at the defenders of opponents. He was involved in the first goal by Carzola and had an overall good game.

  Carzola----------------------------7.5  Took his goal quite brilliantly and was a constant thorn in the City backline. Looks in good form which is ominous for our opponents. Should have had an assist when his exquisite pass to Sanogo was fluffed by the young french man.

  Sanchez----------------------------6.5  Showed glimpses of what he can do on the flanks with his constant running. Our Counter attacks with this guy and Theo on a good day should be deadly. The boss described him as an exciting prospect, and i cant agree more.

   Sanogo ----------------------------7  The enigma that is Yaya Sanogo. I find this guy rather confusing to analyze. His finishing is wayward but his strength and awkward style of play is a nightmare for defenders. In the game, his highlights were providing the assist for Ramsey, Missing a sitter after Carzola served him a chance on a platter of gold,then battering everyone in City's backline like a bull and trying to do a bit of everything. He needs to improve the timing of his runs though, as he gets caught offside a bit to often. If this guy can refine his game, become more clinical and install a gps in his head to help him locate the goal post....what a player we would have.

SUBS: 

Monreal------------------------------7   Showed some much needed versatility in CB  position and didn't look troubled which is some credit to the man.

Flamini--------------------------------6    Came in to tighten things up when we began to get a bit dominated in midfield in the 2nd half.

Rosicky-------------------------------6     Introduced at a time when the game was already won. Didn't need to do much other than help us keep possession and steady the ship.

Campbell------------------------------6    I was personally disappointed at his late introduction to the game and i suspect he was too. Would have loved to see more of his game. Didn't have the time to make an impression but hopefully will get another chance.

Olade chamberlain---------------------6   Didn't do much of note when introduced, but could claim the assist for Giroud's piledriver. Massive season for him to stamp  his authority in squad.

Giroud---------------------------------7  Well ,i hold my hands up and say i knocked the decision to bring him in place of Sanogo who was tearing the City back room to shreds. But he responded with a goal of the highest quality, powering home a blistering shot from 30 yards. Beautiful goal it was  but then after that he did nothing else in the game. Look Giroud is Giroud, you wont get pace or skill from him in large amounts. But if you want a real battering power forward who will put his heart on the line for the group...he's your man.

So we did the job on City and now look forward to Crystal palace next weekend. Confidence will no doubt be high and hopefully with further new signings to come and the Germans set to return...we can have a great start to the real business ahead.

Community Sheild Preview: Arsenal vs Mancity (Make no mistake..This is a HUGE game)

 

Almost zero hour to kick off on Charity shield day...and despite the best efforts of neutrals (United fans mostly) to scoff at the occasion calling it nothing more than a ''pre-season friendly', this will not be your regular run-out in the sun. Pride, self belief and Squad morale will be on the line today. The occasion will showcase two clubs who have over the past few years come to represent the opposite ends of football Oligarchy in England...Arsenal the ''have-nots'' and Mancity the ''haves''. As far as results go, the London Club has repeatedly come off worse both on and off the pitch in recent times. Stats show we have won just once in our last 8 games with Mancity (Lost 4 drawn 3). Not to mention the exodus of stars we have lost to them, some of whom were very much against our will. It is the latter antecedent that has mainly contributed to making Arsenal vs Mancity games more intriguing than previous years. Just the mere sight of previously worshipped Arsenal heroes now clad in Skyblue facing their ex-team mates will always remain a surreal aspect of this tie, as attested to by Rosicky himself in an interview. However, this is an Arsenal team driven by a hunger never felt by any previous Arsene Wenger side in the last 7 years. Only few of the present team ever played with Clichy, or Nasri so little or no sentimental affinity will be in the air. This Arsenal side,(arguably) less talented individually  than the Vanpersie, Fabregas,Nasri, Arshavin team appear a stronger side mentally and having tasted success recently on the same Wembley pitch where today's game will be played, will surely be up for this big time.

Make no mistake, this is a huge examination for us. If comments in the media are anything to go by, it looks like we convinced none of our critics with our FA Cup win last season. I say this because the daggers are already being drawn again about how slim our chances are to win anything this season. Its back to comments like: ''Oh Arsenal will still struggle for 4th'', ''Yes they may have won the FACUP, but can they win the league?'', ''Their trophy drought is over, but has a new one Begun already?''...  These are some of the stuff i read and you get the feeling, we aren't out of the woods yet. The team knows the scrutiny out there still persists and probably understands that they (the players), the fans and the Club as a whole need to keep answering these doubters with further success on the pitch... And what better way to do that than by thrashing City today at Wembley. 

Victory however will not mean we will sweep all to the title come May next year, No...but as far as the psychology of the team is concerned, it will be a massive shot in the arm. We are at a point where we are still building confidence after several years of gut-wrenching disappointment from serial failures on and off the pitch; so lifting the Charity shield will demonstrate significant  progress in that context. The boss claims we aren't as financially disadvantaged as we were in the dark  years of 07,08, and 09...and can compete with the biggest cats in Europe now..pointing at the signing of Ozil and Sanchez as proof of his claim..All said and done, its on the pitch Arsenal will be judged and the jury will be out today in abundance, no doubt about that.

Little is known regarding team news as of writing this, but its expected  that the make up of the team will consist of those who prosecuted the Emirates cup. Debuchy, Chambers, Campbell and Sanchez are set to be involved, whilst the World cup winning Germans will play no part. Girouds participation is in the air following an indifferent Emirates cup outing..but if his fitness is better now, expect him to be involved. Mancity will be without 8 players, Sagna will not be involved,while Negredo is injured. Zabaleta, Demichelis, Fernandinho, Kompany and Arguero who were all involved in the latter stages of the Worldcup are unavailable. 

Weakened as Mancity may appear, any approach other than total commitment from the Lads will see us at the end of a bad result, which you'd agree with me,we don't want to begin the new season with.

..Promises to be exciting...c'mon Arsenal

Work still needs to be done on the squad...

 

 So it turns out that all the Emirates cup was able to show us was our glaring unpreparedness for the new season. Some fringe players like Chuba Akpom and Hector Bellerin impressed, but the other regulars like Giroud, Carzola, and Wilshere still look well far from their best. We couldn't have started the Tournament any better than we did on Saturday, thrashing Benfica 5-1 and really displaying some impressive stuff ..especially from Yaya Sanogo (who netted 4 times) and new fan favorite Joel Campbell grabbing the other goal (both scoring for the club for the first time).  The stand out moment on the first day being the rapturous welcome given to New boy Sanchez by the gooner faithfuls when he was introduced later in the game. Yeah so it was a good first day, good win , Big margin whats not to like?

Then came Sunday, which couldn't have been more different from the previous day. While we were flying on Saturday, against Monaco Day 2 saw us looking ponderous, devoid of creativity and very flat..Wenger attributed the contrasting level of performance to fitness issues. Citing the fact that various players i.e Giroud were not at a good level of fitness. These are all regular problems which are experienced in seasons that commence after a worldcup. Monaco were victorious with a one-nil win that ensured they defeated the hosts. I can live with not winning the Emirates cup (though i admit it would have been fun to), but with just the Charity Shield on Sunday to come and nothing else in terms of pre-season friendlies (for now), i expect the Manager to swing into action and ensure all intended targets for Arsenal in this transfer window are expedited in quick time so we can close our own personal ''Transfer window'' well before time and focus on jelling as a team. Crucial positions to this team that need attention remain a Defender,Defensive Midfielder and Striker (in my opinion). Wenger really has to go for it this season in terms of strengthening this squad. No more half-measures, its either we plug these holes or its settling for 4th place again. I feel he wants that league title though and i'm sure he has learnt that the only way to attain it is simply buying the right players with the right quality. 

But you know what..., i have a  strong hunch he'll strengthen in those 3 areas i mentioned above..Call it what you want, but i feel the fire in Wenger all over again..highly unlikely you may say we buy 3 more players, but don't bet against it...

Emirates Cup Preview: New Season..New players...Same Silverware.. Its Emirates Cup Time!!

 

Its about that time again when we dust off the summer cobwebs, put away the beach balls and recliners because the new season is upon us. And if you are an Arsenal fan, nothing signifies the commencement of a new season like the Emirates Cup. Widely derided by our rivals as the ''Annual Arsenal trophy'', the Emirates cup has proven a good platform to usher the team into competitive football; as well as provide a window for us Fans to checkout new signings. This year particularly, promises to be even more mouth-watering than previous ones as we have made some exciting additions to the squad. Alexis Sanchez stands heads and shoulders above others in this regard and like the KRAKEN, Wenger is set to unleash him on Monaco and Benfica.

Just incase you have been living in Mars and haven't experienced the Emirates Cup, its a tourney hosted by Arsenal and usually involves 3 other teams. A win attracts 3 points and a draw 1 point. Teams are advised to be offensive as ''goals scored'' count for points also. This year, the 3 other participants are Monaco, Valencia and Benfica. Here's info on the players to watch on each side this year:

Monaco: Berbatov (Former Man united striker & one-time arsenal Target, brace yourself to be shocked at how he looks almost a 100 yrs old now) Falcao (Once deadly..who knows what he's like now)  Toulalan (Midfielder maestro who's good at set peices, love his name tho, sounds like ou la la!)

Benfica:  Andrade (Tricky forward..loves to shoot from range) Cardozo (clinical and ice-cold in front of goal, the Paraguayan is experienced & must be watched closely) Bebe ( LOL!!..Ex Man- United Reject,watching him should provide some fun, if he plays tho)

Valencia: Ever Banega (Midfielder who runs his socks off and is known to grab a goal every now and then) Garcia ( Not much is known of him)

Our schedule begins with the game against the Portuguese champions on Saturday evening (4.30 PM) and Flamini calls for caution as he anticipates a difficult tie . Sunday pitches us up against Monaco to determine the Champions for 2014 Emirates Cup.

 Like i said,  the Tournament is pretty much a yardstick to judge our level of preparedness for the business ahead that's all. Drogba and his Galatasaray lot came here and did the number on us last time but fingers crossed that doesn't  happen a second time. I'm interested to see who lines-up at Defensive Midfield for Arsenal, this position has attracted the most scrutiny all summer-long among fans. Its seen by many as the area we desperately need to strengthen, and names like Khedira, Carvalho, Schneiderlin have been bandied around endlessly on Twitter and other social media  platforms. You get the feeling the Emirates cup games this weekend will either exacerbate or allay the fears therein. Flamini and Arteta, the guardians of that position last season will probably hold forth there.. or who knows? perhaps new boy Chambers will be given a go (afterall the kid is said to be able to play anywhere on the pitch, even as referee) . But Seriously though, it promises to be fun, here's hoping it turns out that way...catch y'all later with a review.