Håvard Nordtveit has never been closer to Arsenal’s first-team than he is now, and as the Emirates Cup kicks off this weekend, the Norwegian is looking to press home his cause and finally becoming an esteemed member of Arsène Wenger’s side.
Nordtveit’s showing against Barnet and then his superb performances in Austria have put the 19-year-old on the cusp of an illusive first-team place. Yet his pre-season rise is made even more remarkable by the fact he wasn’t scheduled to go out to Austria. Wenger had failed to bring in the cover he needed in defence so back-tracked on his initial decision to leave Håvard behind.
“I was first told I would not be joining the training camp, but after the match against Barnet, I got a phone call that I was taken out anyway. It was crazy.”
“They said they were impressed that I showed mental strength and played so well in the Barnet match. Wenger said I played very well.”
The centre back revealed he doesn’t know if he’ll play at the Emirates Cup yet, but he is making the most of every minute spent with the first-team.
“The only thing missing was Fabregas, Van Persie and Bendtner. So has been very constructive for me to see how Thomas Vermaelen and the other defenders are working, and I feel I have been working crazy during training camp.”
Arsenal are currently negotiating with Nordtveit’s agent Jim Solbakken over a new contract. The terms are yet to be disclosed but first-team action is the key thing if Howie is going to continue his development. So did Wenger give any indication of his plans this season?
“No, but when we were in Austria, Neil Banfield said that I did very well, and that I just had to continue. So that’s what I’m planning to do.”
Glad to see that Nordtveit is stepping up after his loans, looks pretty promising, hopefully he gets his chances this year.
Pretty obvious he’ll play this wkend, and probably at CB too even tho Wenger said yesterday he’ll get his chance at RB. Save that for the season proper. I expect to see him lineup against Celtic and probably get the whole 90mins.
In Fifa 10 Nordtveit’s level increase over 90
Yes. Because FIFA10 knows everything about young players. Mug.
lol. Real life doesn’t quite work like that.
never talk about fifa 10 please
Have you written to Arsene Wenger to tell him this?
fookin hell, im sure that comment was tongue in cheek you pedantic twats.
Jay what’s going on with Bartley. Is he another RvP injury-wise? IMO he is the best defender we have waiting in the wings but it seems that he is perpetually out.
a collar bone injury I think
he’s out for 3 months
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crazy to think that they weren’t going to take him, baring in mind;
a) the lack of rb’s in the squad at the time
b) the lack of cb’s
c) the fact he’s been on loan for 2 and a bit years playing first team football
……. had he not been performing prior to the Barnet game or something?
That said, it does go t show that if you apply yourself and perform the boss will consider you…… something Eastmond showed last season and the other english lads need to get a grasp of
It’s great to see nordveit play good football against bernet, but does he have the charisma to shoulder the main game?
I’ve seen whilshere play great pre-season game but he face the likes of man city & chelsea, is a frustrating & disastrous game for his caliber to handle.
I think experience count.
From what I’ve read from those who saw him play there, it appears that he may have had a rather rough season last year in the Bundesliga.
The thing about bigger players in many sports is that they tend to take longer to mature physically. In part it’s because they have to adjust to the growth spurts that their body goes through, in part it’s because it takes longer for them to perfect their techniques–especially footwork.
For example, in American pro football, a top-flight, “tall” wide receiver (6′ 1″ or taller) prospect can often take three years to develop into a starter (if he makes it at all), while it is not unusual for shorter top-flight prospects at the position to develop into starters in a season or less (sometimes almost immediately). And, these are prospects who are 20-22 years old when they start out as professionals. More often than not, the reason coaches cite for the slower development of the bigger prospects is that it is more difficult and takes them longer to learn the correct footwork necessary for them to be able to make the kind of quick, sharp “cuts” (changes of direction) required when competing against opposing athletes that are just as quick, fast and strong as they are (or moreso).
It’s not hard to extrapolate how this would apply to a young center back or full back in “footie” who may be younger and still getting accustomed to the size of his body as it fills out. The world-class athletes that he has to defend are usually fully-grown men who know how to take advantage of the slightest mis-step. Proper footwork and positioning are essential to avoiding being “caught on the wrong foot” literally and figuratively. And, it can take time and a lot of practice, as well as game experience, before a bigger young prospect “gets it” (that’s if he ever “gets it”, which some never do).
It appears that, after struggling some, Nordveidt just might be one of those bigger kids who suddenly matures, as if out of nowhere. He wouldn’t be the first, if that proves to be the case–which I sincerely hope it is! But, only time will tell and this experience that he’s getting now should not only be a good test, but help a lot in his development. While the odds are probably against it, there’s a chance that he could be taking the first step on the way to becoming a decent player who can contribute to the club if not now, in the near future. Let’s see how he does the rest of the preseason against better quality talent.
Interesting perspective. I hadn’t thought of it that way before.
illusive –> elusive*
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How tall is he, about 6’1″?
yeah he’s over 6 foot which would be useful at the back, i think in time he may replace sagna cause he has the ball playing ability, in the preseason so far he seems to me like a maicon type player, a very good defender, intelligent, good passer, he could also cross aswell, the only thing he’s lacking in is pace. he’s versatile, but his best postion would either be DM or CB ithink.
he’s 187cm so almost 6 foot 2 not
very good height for a defender
To me, this means that Nordtveit will be playing with the reserves (and sometimes travel with the first team to learn) and then the Carling Cup. Nordtveit got Campbell’s place in Austria.
he will play cup games this year but he will train with the first team and he might also get odd PL games & CL games
not a bad achievement
with our injuries he will surely get games
He deserves it!! He was not at his best in the last pre-season friendly..but was outstanding against Barnet and Sturm Graz!
By the start of the next season, he’ll probably replace Eboue! He’ll be 21 by then and can add to the home-grown tally officially! He is a very versatile player and thats exactly what we need! A good CB cover, a great RB in the making! I bet Wenger will play him somewhere in the midfield as well on a few occasions every now and then! His loan move to Bundesliga has done wonders for him and Arsenal! A great prospect :)
Presuming we sign another cd I honestly don’t see him getting much epl game time unless (until) our back 4 are disseminated by injuries. So he may get a fair bit then!
Intresting does it mean arsenal were to close to buying a centre back?
Nordtveit looks class we need players like him in the squad I hope to see him today 2moro or sunday
I hope this guy can prove himself this season. If would be a massive boost.
Usually youngsters who are as highly rated as nordtveit was seem to turn out well in the end, but it doesn’t always happen so quickly. We could really do with bringing a young defender up through the club (although in fairness we did buy him not that long ago).
Btw Luke ayling and Luke freeman have been impressive for Yeovil town. I still cannot believe we let ayling go
Ayling would have never made it
and freeman should have gone to a championship side
he’s too good for league one
how long is freemans loan spell?
Great this development, his a different type of player than others we have, sometimes he looks like Gilberto Silva with his composure and physical playing style although he has a long way yet to that type of qoality. I did think he looked best playing center back, he hasn’t got the dribbling skills to play full back for Arsenal but will get a lot of games at CB this season it looks like. We will buy one CB but not two, and Håvard is the 5th CB.
Even if we sign another centre back I’m certain Nordtveit will still play. Last year, when Campbell signed no one expected him to play so many games, by the last few games he and Silvestre were our only two centre halves (and bearing in mind we had FIVE).
At the moment we have three, plus Nordtveit, and plus another signing if possible.
Same situation as last year.
If he hangs around to play the carling cup games then later in the season cover our injuries he may well achieve 10+ games but then you have to ask whether that is better or worse than a decent half season loan. I think if we’re looking strong around January and there’s no long term injuries at that time a loan would be the better option.
It’s also worth remembering that last season we over-played Vermaelen and Gallas, literally not giving them a rest until they broke down because we had no faith in the cover. This year we will hopefully have 2 very decent backups who can rotate and rest when and where needed.
Vermaelen
Koscielny
Djourou
Mystery CB
Nortvedit
Song
I think we are pretty good when it comes to CB
Koscielny, Djourou and Nordveit not proven CB. In truth, we only have TV as the only proven CB. The sight of Sanba on the game against Blackburn where he literally just stand in front of goal and scored last season still lingers on my mind where our defender is bullied to the ground because they are not strong enough physically.
We need stronger CBs which we can deploy when facing teams like Blackburn, Bolton and other physical teams. He can be slower but effective in set plays. Our weakness in set plays is exposed season after season and this season it is still the same. Either we need a goalkeeper that can dominate or a CB which is big enough when When Simon Davies comes knocking on you.
We need variation in CB selection to counter different teams and not the same 2 best defender against all teams. In truth, we need at least 2 CB to let us have a shot at the premiership. Honestly as an Arsenal fan, we are looking at 2nd or 3rd place again at best if the CB situation is the same. This year even Man City is not going to concede a lot of goals. Our striker and midfielder are definitely not superior than our our top 5 opposition in the league.
Just a reality check in the Arsenal team situation at the moment, sorry if I offended anyone.
Harvard is 20 not 19.
born 21 June 1990 . Correct !
I’m happy Nordtveit is getting his chance, but i am disapointed that Wenger wasnt originaly planning on taking him on the Austria tour. He showed a lot of faith in him, by sending him to the Bundasliga, (not league 1 or the championship), and after a good spell Wenger didnt immediately think he was worthy of going on the tour. I’m glad he’s done enough to prove Wenger wrong.
Randall is being target by Hull
and
Frimpong by Southhampton
both on a season long loan
I can see his long term position being right back, from the few games i have seen him there he reminds me of Sergio Ramos who was a very promising center back.
He looks like being that up and coming right back that we have all been crying out for. That leaves Wenger to go out and buy another centre back and not affect his devolopment.
He will be second choice to Sagna next year in my opinion.
third choice
and I saw the same thing when I saw him
not the sergio ramos image but a CB who looks a better RB than a CB
I think he will be our long term RB and He still needs to learn arsenal one-twos but that will come with time and playing in the first team
Ramos had tremendous pace and ferocious shot at a very young age , Havard needs to get a little more aggressive to display the kind of game expected.
And i say that because , he seems brimming with potential , all he needs is a few games which adds to his confidence. Once the confidence ticks in , he will go flying into challenges , whip in crosses and try to beat defenders going forward.
One word——>CONFIDENCE !
Where did you get the quotes from J?
@Andrew
So how tall should a defender be? There are tons of good defenders who are shorter than him. So obviously the height is not everything. We will see how good he will be.
The question is; is his brain good enough for a defender.
sorry about the “not” I was multi tasking and failed miserably
as long as a defender can hold his own in the air and on the pitch I don’t care what his height is
Exactly! That’s the answer I was looking for.
I`m certain he has a good football brain, so nothing to worry about there Jom.
And I agree that height isn’t everything.
Nordtveit isn’t a right back I don’t think he’s got the stamina and energy. He’s a centre back I would like to see him there
Wenger has said he is only playing Havard at RB to aid his development and then he will go back to playing at CB. But, if he does really well at right back, who knows? He could end up playing there full time.
Yeah, he is not a RB but he completed his task very well. BTW I must admit I’m a little bit disappointed that he was not in Wenger’s first plan, but I’m happy that he was lucky. He proved that he is good enough to stay with the team, hope, he will sign a new long-term contract. After that he will get the chance, we all know our ‘luck’ with the injuries.
Fabianski
Eboue Kos Vermaelen (C) Gibbs
Nasri Frimpong Wilshere
Rosicky Chamakh Arshavin
Mark Randall is on the bench lol
Can’t believe it!
not suprsied really that Randall is on the bench. we’ve got a host of injuries in midfield. Denilson, Diaby, Song, Henderson, Lansbury, Eastmond all out. plus Cesc is still resting. though i would have thought that maybe Barazite would be given a chance. i guess Wenger really doesnt fancy him
Nah, Barazite didn’t make it because we have enough attacking players, we needed another central midfielder and Randall is more capable in that position.
Kos may be small but damn he is good at tackling and intercepting!
small?
186cm is not small
sol was 187
Chamakh is a beast!!:D Good finish too!!:D
Kos is not afraid of putting his body on the line.. Arshavin did extremely superbly for the goal but was lathargic otherwise ( !!!! I sometimes wonder why doesn’t he care about the Super Extraordinary talent he posses…..!!!! ).. Seriously he will do anything if he wants to but the problem is he really doesn’t want to ( I can’t put down what I actually mean in words but neways get the feeling.. lol)….
he shows his magic in flashes and I am more than happy to have him in the team
he is the only one in our team that create and score a goal from nothing and most of the times alone
why was Arshavin taken off?
no reason in particular…. A.W. wants to see other players too
someone needs to teach Randall how to finish ;))
He’s short of confidence, obviously!
No surprise there as he’s in no man’s land at the club and knows it. Poor guy could have told his kids he scored against AC Milan! I feel for him.
Oh FFS! Someone shoot the Sky commentator! He is a cliche ridden hack!
Randall fluffed a Golden opportunity impress Wenger and the ARSENAL faithful rather he became the villain.. Carelessness I should say…..
Nasri was brilliant.. Wilshere seemed a shadow of what he has been till now in pre-season….
Wilshire has never, ever, come up against Gattuso and Seedorf in the same midfield! Experience matters, and understandably Jack would recede a bit. Also, it’s hard to pick out your flicks forward against an Italian defense that doesn’t give you much space moving into the final third. He did really well I thought. But you can see how valuable Cesc is, in picking out the dangerous passes that need to be played from further back.
Wilshere is young and its the same with all young players
as he grows and his stature grows he will express more of his unbelievable ability
I think you will see a different wilshere in the celtic game
P.S why dont we loan some of our brightest england talent to scottish first division especially rangers and cetic
I was impressed by Frimpong today. He did really good. Don’t think we will need to buy another DM. Frimpong is the guy. He should stay because with all the injuries coming. Looked very strong and good positioning. only 18 years old!
Walcott can’t play upfront alone and is shit in the wings.
I still believe Randall have a chance to make it at Arsenal but needs to go to a team who play football. He seems to have matured a bit. I’m happy to see him disappointed after the match. That means he knows he will take every opportunity he got to show he’s class.
Frimpong did well. I love his aggression. It reminds teams that they will have to pay a price to get something out of the midfield battle. Song lacks this, as do the rest of our midfield. He’s got to cut out the needless fouls, esp. for Champion’s League opponents. Sagna gives away one foul in a dangerous area and they score.
I hope frimpong doesn’t play as a starter in the CL
but he is looking good
He does need a bit more disciplined
he might become our gattuso
When will randall fuck off hes not good enough for league1 never gonna be good enough for arsenal.
maybe you should fuck off first. Actually, not maybe, just do one!
Look at you on the moral highground i can barely see you, your so high up.
Thanks, someone has to stick up for the kid don’t they =p.
I just think he doesn’t deserve all this critisism he’s been getting around the web. He was only brought into the team today because everyone else is injured and wenger clearly only played him to put him in the shop window. Generally he did ok and the run he made to get that opportunity was not bad at all. He should have put either one away but at the same time it was a fantastic double save from the gk.
At least in the short time he was on Mark Randall did more than Rosicky.
Rosicky did not track back and did not provide anything going forward.
Mark Randall may not be the most gifted player, but he could be a versatile team player.
We need a Grimandi or a Ray Parlour.
I happy for Randall, whatever nonsense people write about him, he is a talented player who just needs maturity [on & off the pitch] to blossom.
he hasn’t performed in his loan spells hopefully that will change this year
Frimpong was good with his passing today!! Too many late fouls, but he’ll cut that out. Players will know they have been through a battle with him in the midfield. Whoever said that Song needs to be more aggressive is wrong. He is perfect the way he is. He makes plenty of clean hard tackled and hardly ever gets whistled for a foul. I thought some of the yellow cards he picked up last year were extremely harsh!! Especially in the Champions League. Song is perfect the way he is and is one of the few players in the world who can comfortably sheild our back 4 by himself!!!:D Song is fine the way he is people!!!!:D
I thought Frimpongs tackling was awsome again today. Just the ref didnt know what to make of his style so blew up EVERY time.
I dont’t know what more you pepole want from Rosicky. I thought he had a great first half. He tired in the second half, but he was involved in most of the passing in the first half. What do you want?? Ok, maybe a goal or two would be nice, but it’s only pre-season, and his passing looked very sharp today. I thought he did just as much if not more than Arshavin did, except he wasn’t involved in any goals.
Agreed, a solid performance, nothing special but nothing wrong either. He’ll always give his all like a true professional and so make a great squad player.
i agree Rosicky was very good today as usual he may not be nasri or fabregas but he is very much getting back to his old self.
Rosicky is a much better player than Nasri.
I thought the ref was a little harsh on Frimpong as well. I only counted 2 late tackles. At least that’s all i can remember. He had at least twice as many fouls as he should have had and that’s the referee’s fault.
its a friendly we have to remember that
everytime frimpong won the ball the ref blew his whistle.
i totally agree… i thought Manny totally stepped upto the plate today bully seedorff was just what he needed to do and he did it well.
I thought frimpong and wilshere were outgunned by the experience of seedord, gattuso.
They both look tired well wilshere certainly did he looked off the pace.
Frimpong was getting caught out of position way too much.
Laurent koscielny and chamakh were excellent and carlos vela was impressive when he came what a goal that would have been if it curled in.
Vela is looking like a really good squad player and brilliant first team player for the future
We might not be able to win the damn thing now. We’ll have to beat Celtic and hope that Lyon and Milan draw right?? I know it’s only pre-season, but i’m very competative and the lads should be as well I think right?? I hope we play the same team against Celtic and win handily. Are there any others who could play tomorrow who didn’t play today?? I know Cesc, RVP and Song aren’t available. maybe eastmond can get a chance?? I dunno…
Hmm, i thought Eastmond was going to be okay to play this wkend but if he wasn’t on the bench today i doubt we’ll see him tomoro. Frimpong is going to be shattered after that game tho he did come off. Maybe play Eboue + Lansbury and Rosicky in the middle and take it in turns to go forward.
shit, Lansbury is out too isn’t he? errrr Help!!!
Yeah eh?? I Dunno who’s gonna play tomorrow!! lol. I guess it’ll be a surprise. Szczesny in goals tomorrow?? Maybe…I hope so!!:D
What about…
———–Tech9/Mannone———-
Sagna—–JD—-Vermaelen—-Clichy
————–Nordtveit————–
——-Eboue—–Rosicky———-
Walcott —————- Vela
—————-Jet———-
Swap 1. keepers 2. Kos for Vermaelen, 3. Frimpong for JD (Nordtveit drops back to cd), 4. Chamack for Jet or Walcott, 5. Nasri/Wilshere (depends how we’re doing) for Rosicky, 6. Arshavin for anyone.
Impossible to second guess i know, but i’m just trying to think of a solution for the defence/dm without killing anyone.
Yeah Nordtveit will deffinately play!!:D I would think. And JET too. Maybe Lansbury as well!!:D I just had to think harder for a bit. There are a few other options out there hahaha.
Frimpong was great as were our new lads Chamakh and and Koscielny. What I want to take issue with is the lets slag off Randell crew. I thought he played pretty well. Alright he should have scored but his build up play to create the chance was great. No one’s moaning at Rosicky missing a similar chance.
Hope Jay Simpson gets a game though tomorrow. Also think Vela should grow a beard and look more angry.
Is Lansbury out for sure?? This could have been his best chance to dominate a match in pre-season:S Same with eastmond!!:S Damn i wish they were healthy!! They could have really seized this opportunity…
Wilshere didnt really look like a centre midfielder today as he kept dribbling the ball in really tight places in the centre of the midfield which would have been much more effective out on the wing. Whenever he did pop up on the wing i thought he looked a much better player so i was just wondering what you lot think is his best position? Also i prefer Eastmond at the defensive midfield position as he shows a lot more intelligence within his tackling and passing. This is vital to be a good arsenal player as Frimpong just charged straight in which i admired but wouldnt be as effective in the high profile games.
Traore too =$ … it’s difficult when a 3rd of your 1st team, half the 2nd and half the 3rd string are all out. God, i hope these aren’t signs for things to come.
We work them too hard during pre season surely. Especially the youngsters who are still growing.
I don’t know…I think Clichy has a huge fight on his hands with Gibbs. Gibbs is world class already and is in better form right now than Clichy. I don’t know if Traore would stand a chance against Gibbs. I have been so impressed with how Gibbs has come back from his injury!!:D Hopefully Ramsey can do the same thing eh??:D I was really pulling for Eastmond this pre-season. I think i’m his most ardent supporter on this site!!:D lol. I hope he gets to play in the Legia Warsaw match away and impress!!:D Lansbury too!! I really, really want to see JET play against Celtic!!:D I don’t think they would have the first clue as to how to handle him. I mean it’s not like they have any monsters with pace and dribbling ability in Scotland do they?? lol.
Gibbs is a phenomonen! seriously, in how he progressed, broke thru and dealt with CL fkups & injury, but he’s done it. Saying that Clichy is back to his best too imo and equals Gibbs ( better crossing, Clichy better exp)
Ramsey is similar, but his mental depends a lot on pressure and press. Gibbs didnt have any.
Eastmond also is a similar progression. he’s already proved he’s a good player. Him + Pong developing we’re stocked!
Kieran gibbs could displace clichy this season.
Gibbs seems to be more effective when attackin than clichy.
And defensively he looks good as well.
gibbs looks calmer in both areas.
clichy is our no.1
they might rotate but he wont displace clichy
I am certain JET, Vela and Walcott will start the game tomorrow. Vela is looking better and better I think and track back a lot but needs to work on his positioning as a winger. But that will come in a few games. His crosses are so important for us and Chamack.
I also can see a lot of new youngsters getting their chance tomorrow. Watt, Simpson, Murphy, Miguel, cruise, deacon might get a game. Especially Watt needs a game. He is pure class.
They have their own friendlies going on don’t they? and the current squad need to play on. Like u say before, Vela is looking good and Walcott needs practice. Jet 2.
yes but if they are doing good they should be consider for emirates cup too like randall. If randall got a chance they the rest will get a chance too if we need them.
orry but i thought frimpong, wilshere were outdone, outthought, outbattled by flamini, seedorf and gattuso.
Frimpong showed his inexperience and so did jack wilsere today both didnt relaly have good games but they are young and your up against 3 quality players in flamini who was outstanding- I dont understand why Milan dont play him, seedorf and gattuso.
Laurent koscielny was fantastic, great in the air, strong in the tackle, didnt get beaten by pace or players running at him and so calm and composed. Wenger is a genius the guy has done it again.
Chamakh was fantastic great hold up play , decent goal , great start.
But i still think Nicklas Bendtner has more than chamakh but time will tell.
But iam happy with our strikers chamakh, van persie, bendtner, vela there is good depth.
On the goal wenger is right it was down to communication we had 3 centre backs on and not one of them commanded the situation.
But you expect that especially when vermaelen, djorou, koscielny, fabainski have hardly played together
Reply
Absolutely. except i dont think our mid3 lost against theirs. There were obvious weakness/inexp but we held posession for what, 60%+. The rest you wrote is spot on. (except the bentdner bit ;..)
Hey, been on this website for years but for the 1st time, I’m taking time to post. I got to admit that I don’ t often agree with you John, but this time you are almost there.
My thoughts:
Frimpong started well but faded, and probably finished exhausted. I went missing at times but still not a bad performance considering he’s a rookie playing against AC Milan.
Wilshere wasn’t as dominant that you’d have wanted but neverless showed he’s special, in one the more occasion.
For most of the game, we had control of the ball so I’m not sure we can say our midfield got crushed. I’d even say they held their own considering who they were up against.
Gibbs is quietly becoming one of my favorite players. I mean, what’s not to like about him? Traore is gonna have a hard time finding opportunities, i’m afraid.
The newcomers were really satisfying, Kos already looks like the 2nd coming of Vermaelen, good pick AW! Chamakh looks like is gonna be a hit for us, his hustle, attitude, technical abilities are very welcome. As much as I’ve thought he wasn’t scoring enough in France, he’s always been a good, complete player. I know, he will score way more goals for us as he will be able to collect some the crosses we’ve been wasting over the lat seasons. Besides, between, Cesc, Nas, RVP, Arsha, even Walcott, he will have plenty of easy chances to put away. I also think he’s the best thing that could have happened to Bendtner. He’s the type of player, we will be happy to see NB52
turn into, so it’s great for him to be able to learn from Chamakh, 1st hand everyday in training.
For all the criticism Walcot’s getting, I will still rather have in the wing than up front where he’s still clueless. Vela is always nice technically, but I’d like to see him smile less this season and shows more aggressivenness and hunger, then he should be fine.
Good to have Djorou, very promising Cb but after yesterday display, I realise he’ll never be a DM. Thanks God we got Song, hope he stays healthy this season, because I think he’s got even better, on top of his excellent coverage of the field, his passing is getting better bu the day.
Rosicky is lacking confidence right now, nothing really came his was yesterday, hopefully it will come as he can be an important play.
Arsha is Arsha, what else to say, he can sleep for the most of game and be just as efficient as anyone when he wakes up. Too bad, he can up his work rate.
Nasri, that’s our man right now, he’s not reaching top form too soon and that he can carry this all the way.
To sum up, the team looks good, if we can stay away from long term injury to key members we will be able to compete for the title. But you know, we’re always going to struggle with injuries, so I hope kids like JET, Noord’, … can step up, along with some additional cover at CB and a class GK, I know this could be the year.
I think Bendtner will be a better striker by the time he reaches Chamak’s age but right now I will take Chamak over Bendtner
Chamak need to learn to shoot from distance. He’s not selfish enough for me and strikers need to be selfish to be great
But Koscielny and Chamak look two great signings from Wenger
I thought Gibbs looked excellent. He timed his forward runs really well and didn’t have too many problems at the back.
Wilshere was solid but unspectacular. Certainly expected more from him, but his final pass was way off today.
Frimpong was also solid. Lacks experience, though.
Vela had some nice moves but was not involved much.
Walcott doesn’t look good leading the line. I think it would have been better to put JET on for Chamakh and left Walcott on the right with Vela on the left.
Think we can win the Carling Cup this year. :)
we might get to quaters or the semi but with a young lineup we will have huge difficulties beating the like of chelsea or united or city
Flamini though looked fantastic he was everywhere he really did teach frimpong a lesson.
Frimpong didnt really win alot of ball and he kept trying to mark players tightly allowing space in behind and front of the back 4.
There was too much space from the back 4 and holding midfielder. Frimpong was playing way too high up the pitch.
Shame henri lansbury is injured hes the sort of midfielder who will get the ball, pass it, keep it, penetrate and control a game.
Frimpong broke up a lot of play all over midfield, that’s what he does. hes a bulldozzer, but he hasnt been tamed and i dont know if we want to. Play him 2nd cm next to song and wow.
Flamini was proving a point so attacked a lot more and did excellent but in AM so different roles.
Gattuso im not sure, didnt really notice him, but im about to watch the game again so ill probably find you were right all along.. jaja!
Flamini left us
He had not point to prove
and before this match I really thought Flamini had lost his spark but as soon as he came into the stadium he had that spark again
why the hell did he leaves us????????????
Honestly frimpong looked out of depth are you lot sure he broke up play?I can only remeber second half he won a few balls ina 5 minute spell.
He didnt really do anyhting wrong but he just didnt know what to do positionally and he doesnt read play or doesnt have the awatess just yet.
Gattuso and flamini basically prevented nasri, wilshere attacking through the middle.
Today we hardly saw wilshere or nasri go past players centrally cause MIlan were excellent in central midfield
Frimpong the guy needs to be more patient you can just go and win the 1st ball everytime you need to drop off and allow midfielders the ball you cant always go in and try to win the ball
Or otherwise arsenal are going to look vulnerable through the midfield and there is always going to be a huge gap.
He needs to go in for tackles when the ball is in a dangerous area. He doesnt need to put pressure on players in the half way line and give his position away.
he’s young he will learn
he has the basics right other things will come with time
I think Frimpong was very solid.. @ john : yes he was very few times out of position but that is natural you should think.. Frimpong knows this is his chance so he actually is trying to do a lot more than required, he seems an agrresive sort of guy which is good for the club.. he wants to give more than 100% to cement a place in the first team squad or even the first-11.. It looks like he wants to challenge the opposition for every damn ball and Arsene Wenger is impressed.. The proffesor said in his post match interview that he would like to keep Frimpong instead of loaning him out….
Hey guys since you are talking about Frimpong and Wilshere our 18year olds.My view is that they did very well against very good expierienced players like Flamini,Seedorf and Rino.They will not play together in competitive games for now coz they are young.They did not have that expierenced player talking to them and leading them..I don`t see youngester doing that well vs Milan evertime? so my guess is you should be pleased that these guys are promising..
but what an experience
playing against midfield legends like Gattuso and especially seedrof wow
I wish I could have gone to the game and is there any way we can convince wenger to sign Pato?
Frimpong and Wilshere were up against two far more experienced players and they didn’t let themselves down. Both were perhaps a little too eager, but thats inexprience and the game was part of their learning curve. It was a huge step up from Barnet, and Austrian part timers and i think they will settle down just fine over the course of the season.
exactly.. thats what I meant earlier..
“They were too eager to perform”….
Should we stop using the term “Arsenal good”
I think me and a lot of other people here like to look in the future and say he can make it at arsenal or he wont make it arsenal
but if the rise of players like eastmond or frimpong has taught us anything then its that there is no such thing as arsenal good
I assumed the player who looked ok in youth and reserve teams has no chance of making it arsenal but if you look at eastmond or Frimpong both of these player were OK but nothing special but they are in Arsenal first team and shinning
on the other hand we have players like Coquelin and barazite who were impressive to say the least in youth in reserves and they aren’t even getting a look in
its mind boggling that players can look ok in youth teams and impress in the first team
I think in the future I will wait till the player has played a few games in arsenal first team because giving my opinion my about a player and whether or not he will make it arsenal
Wenger is going to keep Frimpong and WIlshere in the first team this year and Ramsey will be back by november which is brilliant hopefully by next year he will free of his niggling injuries and in a a couple of years our new fab
Seeing the game right now and Frimpong will be awesome our midfield beast in a few years times
MARK MY WORD
The biggest concern again this year is our defence , Vermaelen and Koscielny are very good but where is the back-up.. I dont think Djourou has done anything brilliant so that we could have any sort of faithin him.. The only thing Djourou has is “Wenger’s faith” and that is the only thing that mekes me believe that he might be capable enough.. And if we were to go by our injury record we might lose both of our to CB’s together at some stage of the season, at that point of time we need ” At least 1 more extremely good defender ” and can effectively handle the defensive duties….
The biggest concern again this year is our defence , Vermaelen and Koscielny are very good but where is the back-up.. I dont think Djourou has done anything brilliant so that we could have any sort of faithin him.. The only thing Djourou has is “Wenger’s faith” and that is the only thing that mekes me believe that he might be capable enough.. And if we were to go by our injury record we might lose both of our CB’s together to injuries at some stage of the season, at that point of time we need ” At least 1 more extremely good defender ” who can effectively handle the defensive duties….
Djourou is a brilliant defender who is just coming off an injury and Nortvedit and Song are good backups
Add to that I am sure at least one defender is coming in which means we are good when it comes to backup
I am more worried about the ball behind the defense that in all 4 games has caused us problem WHY the hell cant we defend against them. I am hoping Wenger does something about that who knows if our “brilliant” keepers can keep saving the day
agreed with andrew, he had a terrible injury spell and is just now coming back to the squad. Lacks pace but is smart and made some great blocks in our defensive third today. he needs time and confidence
Milan and Lyon drew 1-1 so that means that all we have to do is beat Celtic right??
does it really matter
Well it would give the young guys something to play for I think. It doesn’t make a difference to the 1st team players, but the younger guys might want to win and show what they can do. Andrew…I have the strong urge to call you a jerk, but I won’t…not yet.
Almunia
Sagna – Djoruou – Verm – Clichy
Frimpong
Wilshere – Rosicky
Walcott – JET – Vela
good young lineup
and Milo didnt want to insult you mate but young players are more focused on impressing wenger than winning the cup
It looks from the lineup wenger will keep Nortvedit, Frimpong Wilshere & maybe JET in and around arsenal first team this season
a good CB and a good GK and we are ready for the new season
Yeah I guess you’re right. But logic would dictate that if you play well, you’ll win.
Yennaris made the bench. Are Eastmond, Henderson, and Lansbury still injured?
oh my god nico yennaris is in the squad
he’s not even 17 is he
He is 17! Still really happy for him.
wow that quick
vela scored in minutes
its so sad that i am getting my audio from arsenal tv
and video from a stupid spanish site
hey man better that then nothing, i watch it with no sound (my comp is busted) on iraq goals….
Sagna!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I”m still laughing hahahaha.
Wilshere’s volley was superb, and a good strike by Sagna to make it 2-0 just before half-time.
None of our keepers have done anything wrong in this pre season
but they are average when it comes to the real
Will wenger replace them this year or will he keep them as the way it is? I am getting really really confused
It’s scary isn’t it? Manuel done well today and you can just sense Wenger erring on the side of not spending for that position. I’d say it seems 50/50. Personally, i still don’t want manuel and he’ll have to do something a lot more special like punch rooney in the face for me to change my mind im afraid.
Another good game today and congratulations to the team for winning this cup, however worthless. At the end of the day we found out so much about our new squad with notable appearances from jack and frimpong today and throughout. It’s such a good sign and motivation to the other kids that the route to the first team is very much a possibility if they work hard enough and are good enough.
After watching today’s game I definitely think Djourou is not capable enough to be our 3rd choice(at present).. In the 2nd Celtic goal he could have done far better trying to take the initiative and block the ball from getting into the striker’s feet but he didn’t.. I definitely think Song is a better defender than Djourou.. But he is terrific in his CDM role.. DEPUTISING OUR ‘BEST CDM’ AS A ‘CB’ ROBS US OF QUALITY IN THE MIDFIELD, IT IS LIKE GIVING OURSELVES A FALSE BELIEF OF HAVING A GOOD BACKUP.. Frimpong is extremely good but Song is much more composed and experienced than him and hence better..
I understand he had a season long injury so he is not at his best.. but just by thinking that he will get better we cannot go into our season under-prepared.. who knows better than us that players coming from long injury spells are very often disturbed by niggling short-term injuries..
You can see that almost every other elite club has a good back defensive back-up.. It is not necessary that since they have it so even we should have, but the fact is that we need it..
I felt last season that Bartley would step up and be in the first team mix but sadly he somehow got himself injured during ‘holidays’ (not even International friendlies.. lol).. Toby Alderweireld of Ajax could be an extremely exciting signing….
Yash we know Djourou’s quality and i want him to be our 3rd or 4th choice CB. He might work or he might fail nobody can predict what will happen with a player but he deserves a chance atleast one full season if he doesnt perform them we can sell him
We should stick with Almunia as our 1st choice GK for this.. He was awesome today.. Not at fault for any of the goals.. Made terrific saves (he always does).. and MOST IMPORTANTLY “He was extremely confident and commanded his area very very well”.. Confidence is the only thing that lacked in him last season and caused all the problems but his personality shows that this guy likes competition.. He actually knows how to get his defence organised during set-pieces….
He began the game very nervously. During the first set piece i think it was he pretended to organise things by just barking at nobody inparticular, just making noise, and making everyone nervous. He does it for show so he looks good and seems commanding but it has the opposite affect in that he looks so uncomposed and that scares the defense. He did get better as the game went on and made some fantastic saves so credit to him there.
Compared to our other goalkeepers, Fabianski lacks command too in dead ball situations, Mannone seems quiet and Tech9 hasn’t had a chance yet.
Almunia is better than Fabianski although both keeper were faultless in pre season
BUT
these keepers are terrible when it comes to the real thing and we need a new keeper its as simples as that
maybe wenger can buy one and loan both Mannone and Szczesny out
I dont care but he needs to buy a new keeper and Sczhwarzer seems a great prospect to me right now
Yannaris making the bench, cannot be good for Barazite.
Frimpong was poor today. He left us so exposed in midfield and defence.
The kid needs to drop deeper he plays near the half way line.
I think ppl have to realise djorou, vermaelen, koscielny, almunia have hardly played with each other it takes time for them to build relationships and gel as defensoive unit ppl have to realise that as well
I disagree John, again jaja, i thought he did well and held his position more than he did yesterday and harrassed in the right areas without getting lost high up the pitch. I think maybe your critisism is valid to the extent he doesn’t have the positional sense of an experienced DM but he sure is learning fast and i think we have even seen an improvement just in preseason. It’s worth noting that when we’re without the ball defending around the box we play with 2 in front of the back 4, Wilshere on this occasion, and although they did well together you could see they lacked experience, positionally mostly but their exuberance and aggression in the middle made up for it. At 18/19 yrs that is some talent.
has anyone else heard the whispers of us signing Neven Subotic? personally i’d wet myself if we sign him!
never gonna happen
he’s probably the second most expensive defender out there after Chilleni
Hummels his partner might be an option
Did anyone hear the russian tell emmanuel to hurry up and pick up the trophy so he could go home HAHAHAHA
Shame Nordtveit didn’t get to play, so i’m guessing Lansbury, Eastmond and Henderson are still injured? Still think Barazite should have got a chance ahead of Randall and Yennaris
Frimpong was decent I though, needs to improve passing and when he presses the ball high up the pitch which can leave the space infront of the defence.
maybe Barazite is lazy in training
I cant see any other reason why Randall and Yennaris are picked ahead of him
I slighty agree with Arsene Wenger about the players tiring but you cannot concede two goals and maybe possibly three with the penalty like that. BTW why do we play the high line it can work but sometimes it can be suicidal such as when Celtic scored their second goal when they scored directly from Gibbs side and then Djourou’s inability to react proved costly.
Frimpong played very well but needs to pass him simpler but even someone like Essien has that habit. I am a Ghanaian and live around Tottenham so want him to do well. The passing will come with experience I am sure about that
Unless we switch to 4-2-3-1 we will be in for a lot of stupid stupid goals
Well I know this is obvious, but i’m hoping that Almunia can play that well for the rest of the season!! Something tells me that he can’t though. I’m so surprised that Szczesny hasn’t gotten a chance!!:S How will we ever know if he is good enough or not, if Wenger won’t play him. He better play in the Legia Warsaw match next week!! I just can’t get my head round the fact that he hasn’t given Tech9 a chance!! Maybe he has been poor in training?? I thought Supermac said he did well over in Austria.
I would be very surprised if Fabianski didn’t play vs Legia, as he’s the reason for this match being played.
Joe Hart saying he doesn’t want to sit on the bench for Man City next season..
city wont loan him to us
Also I have on good authority (due to me going to school with a boy at Arsenal J.Monakana but not anymore) who played with Wellington Silva that he is probaly more like Robinho then Arshavin because he actually said his words not mine that he was quite weak but extremley skillful i.e stepovers and chipping it over the Norwich players head. He also said that basically after he had scored 4 against Norwich he left Arsenal youth and then basically said see you and then ate with with the first team
i think wenger feels tech9 is too short on exprience to play with arsenal 1st team..but then he plays 18yr olds in midfield..hmm..
don`t you guys get it
Almunia is good when he has no time to think..
you are all Arsenal fans and should know this,
he’s a great shot stopper just like Fabianski but both of them are useless when it comes to set pieces
Frimpong, Wilshere and Nortvedit are certain to be in the first team
JET maybe I am not sure
First team squad yes, first team no……………there is a big difference !
Give him time, and Nordtveit, with his reading of the game, safe deliveries and composure, could turn out a brilliant DM. Interesting though, to see if our manager would prefer more of a fighting kind of DM.
Any idea when our youth team will start playing competitive matches