Benik Afobe got himself in scoring form ahead of the new Premier Academy League campaign by notching a classy brace as the Gunners dispatched Tottenham this morning.
Afobe, who bagged 12 Under 18 goals last term, picked up an ankle knock over the summer and was a worry ahead of the new season which begins on the 22nd of August. However, he returned during the Toomey Tournament and got some much needed fitness from the two-day competition, although he failed to find the net.
Yet Benik’s deadly form is back, and Tottenham, who will not field a Reserves team this year, were on the end of the very best of the imposing front-man. He partnered Luke Freeman in attack as Steve Bould gave everybody a glimpse of the XI he hopes will retain both the F.A Youth Cup and Premier Academy League trophies.
McDermott
Obed – Boateng – Miquel – Evina
Byles – Aneke – Ozyakup – Deacon
Afobe – Freeman
Two players who should have a say in who Bould plays are Conor Henderson and Emmanuel Frimpong. The pair are currently nursing injuries and are a big doubt ahead of the Sheffield United encounter in two weeks time. But the Gunners showed no signs that they missed the duo with a rampant display.
Afobe put the finishing touches to two superb moves to make the game safe. It means Arsenal will go into the new season in fine form, made even sweeter by such a win over the North London rivals.
Article By – J.Sanderson
JS Wheres Luke Ayling? Will he go on loan? Or his he too young?
The return of J.
Good to hear the promising return of Benik Afobe!
Luke should be a member of the Reserve team next season.
Are Byles or Deacon natural wingers? Will Arsenal TV be running on sky next year?
Thanx for the match report. Always welcome to know we done one over the Spuds.
ANy news on the Young Guns transfer window? What happened to the rumour of Luc Castaignos??
No, Arsenal TV has been cancelled until further notice.
Good news for Benik, it’s seemed to me that this summer people have doubted his talent, but I think him and Freeman can be deadly this season.
wow that is a team packed with quality. No passengers… exciting
nice performance from the young guns!!! Afobe and co. keep it up
I think Ayling & Bartley with Hoyte, Gibbs @ full back will be the CC back 4. I hope to never see Traore in a LB position in a competitive games for us hence i dont want Gibbs to go to Fifa U20 WC.
Sorry to go off subject, but does anybody know what the upshot of the mooted
Wellingto trial was. Is he going to sign…or isn’t he??
Afobe the next Wrighty! Have that you spuds
Doesn’t spurs have a reserve team this season? What is the reason for that?
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Frimpong ptetty much left the u18s behind after Christmas anyway.
I have a suspicion Frimpong might decide to play for Ghana – which will be a pisser.
Is it me or does Armand Traore always make our whole backline vulnerable. Hes done it against Rangers, A madrid and Valencia. The guy is a left winger not a left back.
And I thought we were getting away from all the foreigners in the youth team..oh well!
Any criticism of Traore as a defender is quite honestly stupid. He is 19 years old, 19! Ok, he may end up a winger, perhaps not.
John you’ve summed up the situation perfectly, he struggled against “Rangers, A madrid and Valencia”, at 19 years old what defender would boss that situation?
Learning experience? Or a career defining period of a players career? IMO a learning experience.
@ ben jones, i am not even refering to his 1v1 defending, i am refering to how easily got beaten by diagonal balls over the top bcuz he wasnt adjusting his feet, its not rocket science, adjust your & head it away.
By the way, thats one thing Gibbs is good despite Traore being taller. The notoriety of being young gun during CC run is finished, he needs to cutting out SOME of mistakes. Obviously i dont expect to be suddenly perfect however you should be able to expect gradual improvement but i just cant see any. At this rate he will join the [Alaidere, Upson, Senderos, J.Hoyte, Pennant, Muamba. Lupoli] young guns werent up to standards
supergunner07, lupoli not up 2 standard in the reserves he outscored bendtner nearly evry season they played together and wenger didnt give him a chance to progress into the first team
I hadn’t realised future England star Jonjo Shelvey used to be at Arsenal.
matthew: Yes, Lupoli obviously far outgunned Bendtner, look at him, international for the country, so good that the manager sold possibly the greatest player of his continent to give him more chance while the other bums it around in Europe’s reserve teams and second divisions. Quite easy to see which one succeeded, and that’s Arsenal and Denmark’s SuppoLuppo, taking SuperPippo Inzaghi’s reign.
Lupoli was given the chance to shine at Arsenal, but he refused the offer of a new contract to go back to Italy. He did not play at all for Fiorentina and is now back in England. Arsene Wenger gave a good recommendation to Norwich. With a little more patience, Lupoli would be our young Eduardo.
Traore has spend the last 18 months to be repositionned as a wide-left midfieldplayer. It is therefore normal that his positionning is off at left back. He is currently playing left full-back, because Gibbs is unavailable (still not match fit after recovering from UEFA U21 European Championship). He will go on loan, but Arsene Wenger is waiting to see if Gibbs is selected in the FIFA U20 World Cup. If Gibbs is called, Armand Traore will act as Clichy backup, otherwise he will be loaned out.
Regarding our back line being exposed, I think that the difference is that during the Emirate Cup, we mostly played a 4-2-3-1, when against Valencia we played 4-1-4-1. Also our midfield personnel was different. Merida had the tactical discipline to not let gap behind him. Aaron Ramsey may be better going forward, but his tactical indicipline leaves gap in midfield. Gaps that can be exploited by a long cross field diagonal. In that position, the fullback is tempted to try to attack and intercept the ball, but if he miss then he risk letting the attacking player having a free pass to the goal. If he just go with the outside player, then he run the risk of having a midfield player running inside. He needs somebody to instruct him and ask question to the midfield pairing.
Spurs does not have a reserve team, because HArry Redknapp has decided againt it. He is already to the bare bones of a team and he does not want his reserve players to further risk injury in a meaningless competition. The result is that none of the fringe players will have a competitive game, except may in the Carling Cup. Ridiculous and very short sighted.
There was no rumour about Luc Cataignos, just questions that his agent answered: The best thing for him and me would be if a club were willing to buy him (and pay me a lot of money) to loan him back to his current club. Arsenal are buying a lot of young player would be ideal as he already speak English and there is a small contingentg of Dutch players. It is not going to happen. The rest was just media and some site hyping that answer.
LSOE
I read that Jonjo Shelvey used to be at West Ham United as a kid but they let him go because they did not think he was going to make the grade, which is stupid when you look at him now, P.S any club looking to pick up a bargin should get him now, because he plays the game exactly like Steven Gerrard IMO.
LSOE:
Give us proof, then I will believe you. Also, what are you trying to prove? Even if he was, what should we have done, waited till he showed promise? That’s foolish.
On: WHo will play, Aneke or Ozyakup, when Frimpong gets back?
Traore is not a LB, that is true.
Was this a friendly?
Well done Benik. Now smash those goal-scoring charts son!
‘I have a suspicion Frimpong might decide to play for Ghana – which will be a pisser.’
LSOE said this on August 9, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Can anyone blame the kid if he ever does decide to do this after the way these moronic England Youth managers fail to see his true worth?
‘WHo will play, Aneke or Ozyakup, when Frimpong gets back?’
haho said this on August 9, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Personally, i would love to see all three play in a 4-3-3. Frimpong holding, Aneke and Ozzy just ahead of him with Freeman to the left and Deacon to the right of Afobe. I seriously don’t think there will be a better midfield 3 than them this year if that was the case. We would dominate EVERY game.
Armand Mohamed Traore will be a great player for the Arsenal!
Can’t wait to see more of Ozzy this season. Really rate him as a playmaker. I think if we play 2 in the middle, Frimpong and Ozzy will start over Aneke if they are all fit. If we play 3, TJ DA GOON’s formation sounds good.
But the season will be long, some players will get injured and I think we’ll see lots of different players in the U18’s by the end of it.
TJ, we couldn’t blame frimpong I agree, but it would be a big shame for England. We have very few players like him (the heargraves type). Physically he is a monster, and he is not bad with the ball at his feet.
samuel: i just said that lupoli scored more in the reserves than bendtner and shuld have been given more of a chance by wenger as wen he was young he had more potential than bendtner as his finishing was betta than bendtner’s and i would know this coz i went to most of the reserves games that season
Frimpong pulled out of the England u17 squad in the friendly before the Euros. But played for Arsenal reserves the same night.
As regards Shelvey being at Arsenal – I read it in the Daily Mail so.. But you have me thinking I’ve got that wrong – will have a check.
To be fair to Emmanuel Frimpong he was born in Ghana so if he wants to play for them it is up to him, as for the England situation we already have a young potentialy great holding midfielder in Jack Rodwell, and talent wise Emmanuel Frimpong is not at his level so if he chose to play for his country of birth i personally do not see it as much of a loss to the England National team and youth set up in the future IMO
Rodwell could have moved back to C/b by then. And don’t we need more than the odd player? If players come over here to flee homophobia or whatever shouldn’t they show a bit of fecking loyalty etc.
Pongo finished with the u18s last Christmas – I repeat.
LSOE
Should a player show some loyalty yes but it depends on the circumstances on which he arrived in this country, you take the Wolverhampton Wanderers and England U17 internationl football player Zele Ishmail, he was born in Serbia and i would suspect that his mum and dad fled the Balkans war in the mid 1990’s to live in England so mabey he thinks he owes this contry somthing in return for giving him a decent life.
Where as Emmanuel Frimpong came from Ghana and as far as i am aware he did not come here to flee a war or famine, so mabey he thinks he does not owe this country anything, and to be perfectly honest with you i only want players who want to play for England representing the three lions with pride no matter how good they are, but until he makes his mind up i will reserve judgment on him, because i do not want to slag him off, because he has not done anything to justify it yet IMO.
It’s just I don’t like our academies producing players for other teams. By the way don’t believe the hype about Zele Ishmail –
HE IS NOTHING.
The fact is English players are mainly not brave enough to pursue futures abroad like other players do here so give them credit for leaving their countries for a good sake, besides england have got a lot of youmg players just not a lot of ones with great quality
Mmmmmm.