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.
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