Reserve Midfielders Fly Home From Austria

Arsène Wenger has allowed three of Arsenal’s Reserve team midfielders to return home early from the first-team training camp in Austria. The trio are all nursing injuries.

Henri Lansbury, Craig Eastmond and Conor Henderson are all carrying minor knocks while Armand Traoré has also flown back as he’s surplus to requirements. Lansbury and Eastmond both sustained injuries after Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Sturm Graz and they’ve struggled to train since. Henderson was the surprise inclusion in the travelling party, and he’s been nursing a problem first picked up during the opening pre-season game at Barnet.

Lansbury is being head hunted by Championship and a scattering of Premier League club’s for a potential loan spell, although Henri remains hopeful the little action he’s had so far can convince Wenger he’s worthy of a first-team place.

Eastmond and Henderson are both poised for loan spells later on in the campaign.

With thanks to SuperMac in Austria.

102 thoughts on “Reserve Midfielders Fly Home From Austria

  • July 27, 2010 at 10:59 am
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    Hopefully we will see some of them in the Emirates Cup. I wanted to see more of Lansbury in the match today. With Traoré gone home Clichy and Gibbs will have a half each im guessing. I dont know what to make of Connor Henderson have not seen much of him? Carlos Vela play some part in today’s game.

    Reply
  • July 27, 2010 at 11:03 am
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    Is eastmond and lansbury going on loan?
    I was hoping they might stay with the first team

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  • July 27, 2010 at 11:20 am
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    i think a loan would do eastmond some good but i wonder what that means for the first team.

    he seemed to be perched behind song and denilson…without him at 3rd string i wonder what wenger’s plans are there? use diaby? use djorou? use nordveit?…???

    Reply
    • July 27, 2010 at 11:28 am
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      it seems that frimpong will be a back up to song.he seems to be more robust and aggressive in his play which we need to restrict opposing teams settling on play.

    • July 27, 2010 at 11:31 am
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      I’d guess that Frimpong has made an impression on le boss and will be playing in the Emirates Cup, and if the games are successful for him I bet he’ll be the third string DM.

    • July 28, 2010 at 6:40 am
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      Maybe 2nd backup to Song, so if Denislon or Diaby play with Cesc or NAs8 ahead then Frimpong can be next to them. I’d feel safer!

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  • July 27, 2010 at 11:22 am
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    i really hope wenger don’t let lansbury go out on loan again or sell him.
    i think the lad deserves some first team action now maybe sub bench this season,
    why keep showing the lad the door ,he’ll start thinking he’s not wanted

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  • July 27, 2010 at 11:26 am
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    EAstmond needs to go on loan ASAP!! i saw him in a nightclub after the Barnet game and realised how skinny he was. The boy needs to bulk up urgently. A loan move will do him wonders.

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  • July 27, 2010 at 11:30 am
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    Traore was surplus to requirements? Did one of the staff come out and say that? Where did that come from? I realize Traore hasn’t lived up to his initial promise, but sending him home early for this reason is basically saying that he is done at Arsenal. Any source information for that kind of thing?

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  • July 27, 2010 at 11:32 am
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    Eastmond going on loan is an interesting debate. Last year he edged Coquelin as last resort DM cover for the first team. Considering Denilson’s current small injury and the nagging injuries he suffered during the end of last season, Song’s propensity to be yellow carded hence suspended, Coquelin’s departure, and no DM purchase so far (no hint in the market either), the only reason why AW would send Eastmond on loan would be that he believes Frimpong can actually be his 3rd string DM for the season.
    Everything being equal, DM is arguably THE most important pon in such a 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation, so it would say a lot about AW’s trust in Frimpong. When missing Song & Denilson, AW has played Diaby there before so he would not have to play Eastmond. It would be interesting to see what he would do with Frimpong in the same situation.
    :)

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  • July 27, 2010 at 11:39 am
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    how do we know that this supermac is not an internet troll?

    Reply
  • July 27, 2010 at 11:57 am
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    I cant see eastmond going on loan – with Rambo out, losing two of Song, Diaby or Denilson would leave us very short in defensive midfield and Eastmond will definitely be needed at some point.

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    • July 27, 2010 at 12:09 pm
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      send him out on loan with an option for a recal when needed

    • July 27, 2010 at 12:46 pm
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      wenger will keep either frimpong or eastmond in the first team

  • July 27, 2010 at 12:04 pm
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    Henri lansbury is so unlucky.

    The kid is an awesome talent. I hope wenger gives him a chance. Hes a player i really think can boost arsenal squad.
    He can play in different positions.

    You need those british gooners through and through in the squad to give that extra boost and to win trophies.

    Armand traore i like the guy as a player and person but sadly i think we dont need him. We have got kieran gibbs, clichy, vermaelen who can all play left back.

    Armand traore is a left winger but hes not inteligent enough to play there for arsenal.

    Hes like an aaron lennon type which doesnt suit our play. We need a winger like alexander hleb, elusive, tricky, to footed, can see a pass.

    Not go past a full back and get a cross in

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    • July 27, 2010 at 12:48 pm
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      hopefully lansbury will get his chance this season with arsenal first team
      I want arsenal to keep WIlshere, Lansbury, Eastmond and JET in the first team this season

  • July 27, 2010 at 12:25 pm
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    I’m surprised they haven’t really looked at using Troare in the same way as they do Eboue.

    He’s just as dangerous with the ball at his feet, and his crossing is absolutely devillish and just what our strikers would crave. Naturally there is probably more competition in the wide left position with Arshavin, Nasri, Rosicky and Vela than he has at left back , and he has no chance of dislodging Clichy and Gibbs but if it is the case he has come back to join up with the reserves then surely he needs to be sold.

    Looks like Frimpong may get some more game time then which will be good. Realistically if anyone needs a loan spell, i would argue it was him more than Eastmond unless Frimpong will be used this season within the first team.

    Btw, Super Mac isn’t a troll. Infact, I’m sure he uses this website.

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    • July 27, 2010 at 12:48 pm
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      looks like it will be arshavin or vela down the left wing…nasri or rosicky sitting in behind on the left side of the midfield three…

  • July 27, 2010 at 12:31 pm
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    lampard was a pretty average young midfielder when he was 20…he only grew into what he is now around the age of 25…ok he’s not technically as fluent as some european players but he’s still a force, scoring 20+goals a season and winning big matches and big trophies for his team…between the ages of 25 and 30 any club in the world would have taken him.

    is lansbury any worse than lampard when he was young??? i doubt it. is barazite any worse than ribery was at the same age?

    i worry that in this narrow sense arsenal’s approach to players is becoming very short sighted. i worry that they are ignoring the fact that some players are slow growers. being able to play in the arsenal team at the age of 20 doesn’t mean you will ever be world class. wenger said no to buying lampard when he was young. some young players we have might well be liabilities if we play them in the team now, but could well develop into world class players by 25. i worry that we’ll give these players the boot and they’ll become world class elsewhere.

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    • July 27, 2010 at 12:58 pm
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      Your point still stands because lampard has been scoring tonnes of goals and winning things for a few years now, but frank is 32 now.
      Lansbury has a lot more going for him technically than lampard, but the chelsea player is incredibly consistent and is able to play almost every game of the season without dropping his form too much. There are definitely players who can be more effective in a single game than lampard, but for a side trying to win a title, over a season, there aren’t many better midfielders to be honest. If lansbury could become capable of playing so many matches, theres no reason he couldnt be better, though. If fabregas hadnt started getting injuries every year, he would have eclipsed lampard and every other player in the league by now imo.

    • July 27, 2010 at 3:54 pm
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      Gunner17

      This is a valid point on many levels, but consider the reverse side of this arguement. Are AW and the coaches supposed to ignore the reality of a JET, Ramsey, or Wilshere who clearly appear to be developing at an excellent rate and say, “well Lansbury hasn’t looked very good in pre-season and was terminally average for an entire season in the Championship last year, but let’s just keep giving him chances at the expense of the faster develping youth just becasuse he may come good Lampard-style in 5-6 years time?”

      This is the problem…despite what wums and fans of other clubs may want to beleive, the truth is that Arenal’s youth system has many more top class youngsters thatn other clubs. We cannot afford to hold out for the slowly developing players to see if they come good down the road because we have so many young players who are ALREADY COMING GOOD in the very early years of their development.

      Any club would love to boast two 20y.o., two 19y.o., and an 18y.o. with the talent of Szczesny, Gibbs, Ramsey, JET, and Wilshere. When a club is fortunate enough to have that kind of talent it can’t deprioritize developing it for the sake of lesser quality players like Lansbury, Simpson, Randally, Hoyte, and Barazite. These players are still young and I think you are right, they may possibly come good 5 years down the road. But they have had a chance to show they are in the class of the previous group and sadly they are clearly not there at the moment. The coaches have to make the difficult choice of going with the kids that are the best. Simply put, it’s ‘survival of the fittest’ when you come right down to it.

      And at this point of the youth development set-up, the fittest are Szczesny, Gibbs, Ramsey, JET, and Wilshere.

      Aneke, Afobe, Ozyakup, Frimpong, Hendo, freeman, and Yennaris are also showing signs of establishing themselves as the “fittest”. Others in that age group may also have to be sacrificed as their development is prioritized.

    • July 28, 2010 at 12:56 am
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      You can never mitigate for players who are late bloomers. You can only give them the best education you can and wish them on their way.

      Keeping average players around the first team “just-in-case” stops the progression of players who actually deserve a place based on their current performances. Ultimately the current performance is the only thing you have to go on.

  • July 27, 2010 at 12:54 pm
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    I guess Frimpong might get his chance to leap-frog Eastmond, just as Eastmond leap-frogged Coquelin.

    The advent of the 25-player rule means that all our under-21s are effectively on stand-by for inclusion into the first team throughout the season.

    How that effects who goes out on loan is yet to be seen.

    Yet if our Carling Cup side is to go the distance, some players from the reserves have to be held back … and it’d be reasonable to assume they’re the ones Wenger is most interested in in the short term.

    Reply
  • July 27, 2010 at 1:07 pm
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    Henri lansbury at 17 was the best young central midfielder in europe.

    The thing is ppl just havent seen him play cause hes been injured, ill, on loan to scunthorpe than watford.

    England dont have midfielders who can keep possesion but also penetrate hes the only english one i have seen who can do it. and matty james as well from Man utd. They both look comfortable in possesion in tight areas

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  • July 27, 2010 at 1:15 pm
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    I think something overlooked about Lansbury is his overconfidence. Don’t get me wrong, you need it in abundance to thrive at a club like ours, BUT it can also be a hinderance.

    I haven’t watched much of Henri but he tries hollywood passes or first time passes far too often when a touch, turn and short pass to a nearby player would have sufficed. He needs to learn when to keep it simple and when to go for the risque pass. There is a good player in him but it seems that hes trying too hard to impress. Perhaps if AW reassured him and made it clear that hes staying in the squad for this season the lad can relax and start to play his own game.

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  • July 27, 2010 at 1:20 pm
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    I think Eastmond is the only back up to Song for DM. I know Frimpong has been playing but he hasn’t had the exposure that Eastmond has. Ideally One of these are loaned out.

    I’d like Lansbury to stay with 1st team. CM role is up for grabs. Obviously you have Cesc and Song as 1st picks but that 2nd role (auxiliary/box to box) is between Lansbury/Diaby/Denilson. Denilson for me has had 2 seasons to prove himself and has failed. Diaby is in and out with injuries and inconsistent. Ramsey is injured and won’t feature much this year due to the niggles he will inevitably collect

    I also wish to add that Diaby and Denilson have no passion, energy or drive. Lansbury will show exactly that

    Reply
    • July 27, 2010 at 4:07 pm
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      Lansbury instead of Diaby????

      Utter Folly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      People need to reign in this absurd Lansbury worship, the kid was 2nd best on a Championship side. Do you think 2nd best in a Championship team represents quality for Europe and the Prem week and week out. Get a grip there cowboy!

      Gunner17 said it best above. A kid like Lansbury may come good in 5-6 years time, but unlike Lampard (who G17 references), Arsenal wouldn’t afford Lansbury the luxury of regular 1st team football during those 5 years of development as Lampard had. There are simply to many better 1st team players of very young ages (yes that includes both Diaby and Denilson) and too many better midfileders knocking at the door of the 1st eleven ahead of him in Wilshere and Ramsey, both of whom are younger than him.

      I’ve said it all along…Lansbury’s road to the 1st team at Arsenal is an extremely, extremely tough one based on his quality relative to others in the team.

  • July 27, 2010 at 1:22 pm
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    I propose that Arsenal fans World wide post letters once a week for the next four weeks to UEFA & FIFA complaining about Barcelona FC’s ‘tapping up’ of Cesc Fabregas. Also post a letter just once to Arsenal FC requesting that they formally complain to UEFA & FIFA. I have drawn up 3 template letters that I will email to willing participants. All you need to do is type in your own Name & Address before printing off & posting. Momentum will be boosted by you forwarding the email to every one of your Arsenal FC fan family & friends, encouraging them to participate.
    The aim of repetitive letters is to create an Admin headache for UEFA & FIFA with thousands of letters received from all over the world & display the strength of feeling from Arsenal FC fans. The purpose of the single letter to Arsenal FC is again to display the strength of feeling from us fans.
    My email address for this campaign from where I will email you the letter templates is …….. ArsenalFansHateBarcelonaFC@gmail.com

    Reply
    • July 27, 2010 at 2:00 pm
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      For gods sake, at the end of the day we kind of poached him from their youth team for a tiny fee so you can hardly blame then for what they are doing. Yes it is ‘illegal’ to tap up another player but no-one is stopping them so they are continuing. Imagine if labour laws meant that barcelona could swoop down and take any of our youth players? We’ve done it with Clichy, Coquelan, Senderos, Fabregas, Merida, Embicilio and who knows how many more players we have effectively stolen from other clubs. Get some perspective.

  • July 27, 2010 at 1:28 pm
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    lansbury is a good player and will be a brilliant player i dont doubt this at all so i feel he still has a big future at arsenal as long as he keeps a lid on his attitude,ieven if he doesnt play for arsenal he definitely can play at the top level,he stood out in the championship in a struggling team at a very young age which is promising

    regarding traore the fact that opinions have differed on him for 4,5yrs now pretty much tells me hes not quite good enough either at lb or lm so i think its time for him to move on..even if we did want to turn him into a winger i still think gibbs would b a better option for arsenal,traore should b a impact player at someone like west ham,fulham ect

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  • July 27, 2010 at 2:12 pm
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    Yh i agree we nicked fabregas from Barcelona now we are demanding more than £40 million.

    It does feel kind of morally wrong to be honest.

    Its like nicking an iphone from someone then selling it for £400.

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    • July 27, 2010 at 2:55 pm
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      John its nothing of the sort, we offered Cesc a contract when Barcelona couldnt its nothing like stealing. Cesc did not have to come to Arsenal, he could have stayed at Barca, but wanted to come to us. He is now under contract to us and if he wants to move all he has to do is put in a transfer request, which will mean him breaking his contract, thus giving up all rights to loyalty bonuses, etc. As yet he has not done that, so there is no need for us to even consider what we want. Watch this space, though, as i think the transfer request will arrive next week and when it does Arsenal will name their price or reject the request. My guess is we will name our price.

    • July 28, 2010 at 1:03 am
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      We didn’t “steal” anyone.

      We never kidnapped Cesc and forced him to play for us. He CHOSE us over Barcelona because Barcelona weren’t giving him assurances.

      Clubs can snap up our u16s, and Barcelona have sniffed around some of our youngsters, but since we actually treat ours pretty well no one has jumped.

  • July 27, 2010 at 2:56 pm
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    In my opinion I think we will CERTAINLY keep either Eastmond or Lansbury with the first team squad this season because last year we didn’t think Ramsey was going to be playing week in week out but because of injuries he did. Now Ramsey himself is injured, surely we need another player to come in as a reinforcement.

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  • July 27, 2010 at 3:03 pm
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    SUPERMAC??

    ANYWAYS WEL DONE SUPRMAC FOR KEEPING US IN TOUSCH WITH WAT IS HAPPENING IN AUSTRIA

    U SHOULD MAKE UR OWN BLOG

    Reply
  • July 27, 2010 at 4:33 pm
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    I think he needs to go on loan again…I would love to see him at a premier league side

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  • July 27, 2010 at 4:34 pm
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    I think Lansbury needs to go on loan again…I would love to see him at a bottom premier league side

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  • July 27, 2010 at 5:02 pm
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    Just watched Thomas Cruise and his England mates get there butts kicked by a impressive Spain team 3 to 1. In the UEFA u19’s. TC needs some work on not letting crosses in didn’t have much help from his midfield? Had nice crosses in! Henri Lansbury any updates on his future place 1st team or loan? Was really forward to him today and Emirates Cup! Peace

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  • July 27, 2010 at 5:20 pm
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    Dear Phil, John and the like.. I agree with bc.. We offered Fabregas a contract and he wisely accepted it. If Barca would have greatly valued him at the time they would have given him some assurances about the future. What would Cesc be doing right now if we hadn’t given him first team football for the last seven years? Would he still be playing football if he saw that there wasn’t a way through to the first team? Arsenal made him the complete player that he is today. Also, Cesc willingly signed all the contract extensions. If his heart was really in Barcelona, then he wouldn’t have signed extensions every year. He’s an Arsenal player for the next five years or until we decide to sell on our terms. He’s top 3 AM in the world. He’s worth KAKA transfer $$$, plus he’s 5 years younger than KAKA. I don’t see Barca chasing all the other players they’ve let go(Merida, Dos Santos, Miquel, Assulin…) The fact that they did not believe he would become what we have made him, is what really bothers them. Now they cry about his DNA. Fabregas is ARSENAL

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    • July 30, 2010 at 6:05 pm
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      Spot on. You could add – if he hadn’t come to Arsenal will he have played in a CL final? will he have been a World Cup winner? will he have amassed (a very impressive) approx 50 caps for Spain before his 24th birthday, even though they easily have the best midfielders in the world for him to compete with for a game?

      Can’t begin to explain how much it pisses me off when these people talk about how we stole him from these fuckers. They don’t understand the clear rules that allowed Cesc’s transfer from Barca to Arsenal to be an easy one to conclude – AS WELL AS BEING PERFECTLY LEGITIMATE.

  • July 27, 2010 at 5:21 pm
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    The only chance Lansbury has to establish himself as a future first teamer is if he gets converted into a Right Back.

    Lansbury over Diaby? You’re having a laugh.
    All this “passion” talk is typical english bollocks. If someone plays well (which is the equation of running around a lot), he is the most passionate player ever. If he plays badly (and doesn’t run about), he lack “good old english grit n passion”.

    F*ck off.

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    • July 27, 2010 at 5:33 pm
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      I totally agree Henri Lansbury @ right back! Dude I got fired for saying F-off! take it easy! Peace

  • July 27, 2010 at 5:52 pm
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    Some have overrated Lansbury but on the flip-side, there are those who are criminally underrating him. I’m not English so I have no bias towards English youngsters but I believe Lansbury is a very good talent, although obviously not in the same bracket as Ramsey or Wilshere.

    Let’s not forget Lansbury is only 19. At his age, Diaby, Denilson and Song were bloody awful and they haven’t turned out half bad. Those three have proved most of us wrong so why can’t Lansbury? It’s laughable how people are already predicting his demise.

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  • July 27, 2010 at 7:13 pm
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    John, Lansbury actually needs to improve in tight areas if he wants to make it at Arsenal. He is a good player but he needs to keep the ball better. And I saw Matty James today against Spain U19, he panicked way too much under pressure, I wouldn’t say he is very confortable in possession.

    I was again impressed with Jay Thomas today. It is weak opposition, but I’m pretty sure Wenger was impressed too. He is a real match winner. he could be used this year as an impact player

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  • July 27, 2010 at 7:36 pm
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    J what do you reckon the squad will be for the next season ? I`d say :

    Gk : Almunia, Fabianski, Mannone
    DR : Sagna, Eboue
    DL : Clichy, Gibbs
    DC : Vermaelen, Koscielny, Djourou, Nordveit
    DM : Song, Frimpong
    MC : Diaby, Denilson, Rosicky
    AMC : Fabregas, Nasri, Wilshere
    W : Walcott, Arshavin, Vela
    ST : van Persie, Chamak, JET

    ???

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    • July 27, 2010 at 8:04 pm
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      wenger wont keep almunia as no.1
      and he will buy another CB
      and rosicky will most likely play on the wings
      B52 will also be playing as a ST

      other than that good squad analysis
      I just hope we can keep Eastmond and Lansbury in the first team along with Wilshere and JET

    • July 27, 2010 at 8:24 pm
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      oops forgot about bendtner

    • July 28, 2010 at 1:37 am
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      there is no need to have wilshere, JET, Manny Fimpong, Nordy, Gibbs registered as they are under 21. so we will no doubt add another CB for depth and probablly a GK. otherwise your pretty much there.

    • July 28, 2010 at 2:10 pm
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      Move Rosicky to Winger, he never plays CM and put Ramsey as the CM.

      Have ppl realised that we can only select 25 players? Consider that the following are practically dead-set certainties:

      Almunia, Fabianski, Sagna, Eboue, Clichy, Gibbs, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Djourou, Song, Diaby, Denilson, Ramsey, Rosicky, Fabregas, Nasri, Walcott, Arshavin, van Persie, Chamakh, Bendtner.

      That’s 21 players. Assuming another GK and Wilshere get added to the list that leaves only TWO players to add. And considering I only listed 3 CBs and 1 DM we desperately need to add 2 players there. Spewing Sol has decided to go to Newcastle …

      Now take into consideration that I have not mentioned Vela, Lansbury, Traore, Eastmond, Simpson or JET. Vela is actually in trouble to even make the squad if Wenger decides to go with Wilshere. Expect to see some of our promising players go out on loan. I’m actually expecting Lansbury and Simpson to be sold. 4 of the following will be loaned out (possibly 5): Vela, Wilshere, JET, Traore, Eastmond, Frimpong. I’m hoping Nordtveit as well but that will depend on whether we sign a defender like Wenger wants.

      We are undoubtedly stacked in attack and have nowhere near the quality down the spine of defense (GK/CB/DM). Ideally I would love to see 3 senior players come in but I know I’m dreaming.

      Mertesacker is now being linked at 10m. I would love to see a signing like that. I was impressed with how he handled smaller opponents at the World Cup and we desperately need that tall CB.

  • July 27, 2010 at 8:05 pm
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    bandit there is only 5 homegown players

    and plus i watched the arsenal match today and the players i was really impressed with were jack wilshere and JET

    they were both amazing

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    • July 27, 2010 at 8:21 pm
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      I agree on JET and Wilshire also, Not the best passing display today. Nasri again looked awesome! Thanks France!

    • July 27, 2010 at 8:22 pm
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      Mannone, Szczesny, Djourou, Clichy, Song, Denilson, Cesc, Vela and Bendtner all count as homegrown players.

  • July 27, 2010 at 8:10 pm
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    Give Lansbury time. I think he will be a great midfielder for Arsenal. But I am not sure because a few in the academy is looking good but they are atleast 3-4 years away from the first team.

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  • July 27, 2010 at 8:40 pm
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    Lansbury will definately go out on loan again this season IMO. If hes contemplating whether wilshere’s ready or whether he needs another loan then lansbury is definately not gonna stay. Wilshere is far more developed than lansbury, I know they’re different players, but the level of skill they have in theyre relative roles is miles apart.

    I also think Eastmond needs to go out on loan. For me he gives the ball away in too many costly places where against top class teams you’ll get punished. I like him but he needs to mature a bit, which a loan will do him good.

    Again I was really impressed with Frimpong today. His intelligence really showed, like when defenders came out with the ball he tucked in and read the play nicely. He doesn’t try too many silly passes and he’s showing a lot of promise for me. I think he’ll be back up to song if he continues into the emirates cup this way.

    I like Gibbs but I worry about him getting caught out by the long diagonal. Ive seen it a few times where the winger has drifted in behind him, its just something he has too watch out for and read a bit better, but he’s still learning.

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    • July 27, 2010 at 9:04 pm
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      Frimpong has the same problem as Eastmond, he gives the ball away too often. Sometimes his pass is just lazy and sloppy, and other times he tries to thread an impossible pass where there wasn’t a gap. He did it many times today, knocking the ball straight to the opposition. His distribution has to improve a lot.

    • July 30, 2010 at 6:17 pm
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      Very correct Wrenny. In fact, that’s one thing about Frimpong that i’ve always maintained. His distribution and decision-making sometimes is very poor but his tackling is in another league. This pre-season is the best i’ve ever seen him play which makes for good reading as it shows he’s improving. He could go on to become an Arsenal great or just another to join the long list of youngsters who promised so much yet delivered so little.

  • July 27, 2010 at 8:44 pm
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    Dr. D – good comments. People have trouble separating the fan part of football from the business end. Barcelona are looking to get a national class player, nearing his peak, on the cheap. Wenger’s Arsenal is the last place to go looking for a bargain though.

    Lansbury may have a future, but Arsenal have a this season to sort. Someone pointed out above that Arsenal have a raft of good young players and they can’t keep them all. He has to make the most of his chances now, or make more of them later, maybe at another club. Darren Fletcher was patient at Manchester United and it worked well. The question is whether both Lansbury and Arsenal share a belief that time is the answer.

    J.Sanderson – great blog, and good on ya for the tip of the cap to SuperMac.

    Reply
  • July 27, 2010 at 8:51 pm
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    Why do so many people on this site hype up Lansbury so much? I’m baffled. Not that I don’t think he’s talented, but people make him out to be some sort of worldbeater.

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  • July 27, 2010 at 9:05 pm
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    nd ohh yea every1 johan djourou got injured today

    so he will most likely miss the start of the season

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  • July 27, 2010 at 9:18 pm
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    thomas cruise is sooo poor,im not even talking in professional terms..i mean football basics like control,giving players time to turn,reading the flight of a ball!! he really is not good enough!!! im not even exagerrating when i say theres better left backs in the conference,ive played against young defenders in the ryman league and they have more potential,this seems harsh but im actually pretty shocked and worried that he plays for arsenal

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    • July 28, 2010 at 7:19 am
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      His control was good so was his passing. His postitioing at left back is poor though leaving there rw with too much time and space on the ball and letting him cross. IMO he only has the possibility at making it as a dm here. Funny enough he reminds me of Gareth Barry.

  • July 27, 2010 at 9:30 pm
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    LOL, my first time commenting here but. this is what I think

    Jet: Gunner for sure
    Wilshire: Gunner
    Lansbury: Everton player in 5 years
    Bartley: same with lans..
    Sczhney: numba 1 in 5 years
    Aneke: Gunner
    Nordveir: Gunner
    Gibbs: i so want him to be captain in 5 years
    Cruise: Bench

    rest goes on

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  • July 27, 2010 at 9:52 pm
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    i agree with u a-dog i wacthed him play today

    and the plaer he was making made a show of him

    h kept on hitting awful passes that wasn even near the player

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  • July 27, 2010 at 9:59 pm
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    Does anyone know why Johan Djourou was subbed out so early?

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  • July 27, 2010 at 10:27 pm
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    Thomas Cruise is not poor technically. I saw him play champions league with Arsenal and he looked pretty composed. he was poor today but he was surounded by headless chicken. He might lack pace to become a top player but he is a good football player

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  • July 27, 2010 at 10:27 pm
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    Thomas cruise is one of the best technical english arsenal have got. A dog u dont have a clue mate.

    Thomas cruise is technically excellent what he lacks his the physical suff hes needs to muscle up and try to increase his speed.

    I thought Laurent koscielny today was excellent i do like hima lot he seems to have the whole package.

    Jack wilshere is such a clever footballer really does play like gazza.

    Frimpong sorry he can outbully a team of conference players but without the technical ability hes not going to last in the premiership. He needs to imrpove his passing alot if he wants to play for arsneal. I dont care if hes physical, strong if he cant pass the ball hes no use.

    He really is exactly like fabrice muamba but shorter.

    JAy thomas i have to admit has proved me wrong the kid has improved his tactical side of the game i like the way he moves into different positions the way he lays balls off and his clever usage of the ball. I really do think hes got a great chance of making our squad.

    The reason why i rate henri lansbury alot is because what i saw in the euro under 17s a couple of years ago he was outstanding the best young central midfielder in europe he outshone ppl like fran merida , ignacio camacho, hes was the ultimate central midfielder could everything, tackle, run with the ball, pass the ball, keep the ball, header, creative, had a trick. There 3 players that stood out in that tournament eden hazard, bojan krkic and henri lansbury.

    He had the technical abiloty of a south american player with the mentality of a birithsh bulldog thats why i rate him. Hes not a typical British midfielder like wilshere.

    henri lansbury situation reminds me alot of Nuri Sahin. He was outstanding for turkey in the under 17s but then dogged with injuries its only now hes starting to make a name for himself at borussia dortmund staying injury free. The games i have seen him hes starting to come back to his best hes 21,22 now.

    Ppl go on about mesut ozil, i think nuri sahin is a better player

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    • July 27, 2010 at 11:25 pm
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      “He’s not a typical British midfielder like Wilshere.”

      Verily I say unto thee…WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      Wilshere…? Jack Wilshere…? The Jack Wilshere that plays for Arsenal…a “typical British midfielder”…really John, really…?

      What exactly in Wishere’s game is typical of a British midfielder?

      The absurdly high technical level…the incredible vision…the extremely quick feet…the amazing vision…the pin-point possession passing…the defense splitting passing…the ability to dribble players almost at will…the tricks…? Please explain what is so typical about Jack Wilshere’s game to the British midfielder ‘cuz I don’t get it…?

      John, you should be a poet dude because reality just seems to be a stepping off point for your intense world of fantasy and make believe!

    • July 28, 2010 at 12:43 am
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      My sincere apologies John. I read further down and see now you meant to say Wilshere was “not” a typical British midfielder. My bad. I agree with you completely and nix my sarcasm please buddy!

    • July 28, 2010 at 1:26 am
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      KC its orite lol

    • July 28, 2010 at 7:24 am
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      Comparing Nuri Sahin to Özil is silly.
      Do you compare Garreth Bary to Wilshere?

  • July 27, 2010 at 10:27 pm
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    ANDREWB. Djourou got injured. It looked to be more of a precautionary measure (the substitution) but yeah, he’s injured again. How seriously I could not tell. He walked off under his own power, but pretty slowly.

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  • July 27, 2010 at 10:33 pm
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    John, you just called Wilshere a typical British midfielder. Do you realize you just said that?? Are you serious?? Just cuz he’s better than Lansbury doesn’t mean he should be tagged as a “typical British midfielder” Lansbury may come good as well, but Wilshere is practically there already. I agree with you regarding the comparison of Lansbury and Sahin. Pretty similar players with similar stories.

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  • July 27, 2010 at 10:41 pm
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    Milo sorry man i meant wilshere is not a typical british midfielder.

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  • July 27, 2010 at 10:43 pm
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    Milo whats your opinion on Frimpong?

    I would love to see him go on loan to a spanish club hes got all the physical attributes just like to see him learn to use his technique more and keep things simple

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  • July 27, 2010 at 10:44 pm
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    Oh ok hahaha. Wilshere and Nasri can replace Cesc if he leaves this year. I truly believe that. I still rate Eastmond ahead of Frimpong, but that’s just my opinion. They are both good prospects.

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  • July 27, 2010 at 10:50 pm
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    I dont think nasri or wilshere can replace fabregas.

    For me its only aaron ramsey from what i have seen ramsey seems to have the ability to dominate a midfield and dictate a game.

    Nasri and wilshere are playermakers, dribblers who want to attack, attack.

    Ramsey is like a quarter back hes controls the play which fabregas does

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  • July 27, 2010 at 10:52 pm
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    Its funny we talk about eastmond and frimpong but the sad thing is Francois Coqulin is better than both.

    Coqulin is basically eastmond plus frimpong put together.

    Coqulin seems to be the forgotten man

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  • July 27, 2010 at 10:55 pm
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    Two things worry me about Frimpong in premiership yellows and reds? I wish the best of luck to him to back up the main man Alex Song! LK played really smart today! Peace

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  • July 27, 2010 at 10:56 pm
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    Frimpong does some things that make your jaw drop. Like runs that normally and attacking player would make. That is a double edged sword. If Eastmond could bulk-up he’s the safer option. BUT Frimpong reminds me of Song more than Eastmond does. Eastmond reminds me of a more comitted Denilson (who by the way I think can have a much better season than last). I just prefer Eastmond because I love how nobody rated him, and the 1st time I saw him last year, I said to myself “now here’s a player” and so-far I have proven myself to be correct. So I mainly prefer Eastmond for strictly selfish reasons and therefore I am a bit biased hahaha. It would be better to ask J whom he prefers or one of the more respected bloggers on here John.

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  • July 27, 2010 at 10:59 pm
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    Coquelin is not the forgotten one here John. He is on loan to a top-flight French league team remember!! Arsene Wenger hasn’t forgotten him by aby means!! It will probably be a competition between him, Eastmond and Frimpong, to see who will be the first choice back-up to Song. It will be interesting to see who wins!! Coquelin played well for the under 19’s against Croatia today by all accounts.

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  • July 27, 2010 at 11:02 pm
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    Laurent koscielny was excellent hes so calm with the ball something i hope johan djorou can improve on. I think we might have the French/Polish Rio ferdinand on our hands calm, cool, composed

    I love johan djorou but he does have his moments

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  • July 27, 2010 at 11:03 pm
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    I agree John. Ramsey is the best replacement for Fabregas. I just meant in the assists department. They can help fill the creative void left by him. I still think that Nasri can dictate the tempo of a match. I know you don’t rate him, but I really like what I am seeing from him. I know it’s only pre-season, but I think he can handle the extra responsibilities that will be placed upon him this year regardless of if Cesc leaves or not. He can drop back and start the passing game. Not quite as well as Cesc, but he can do it. I really like Nasri as a player right now. We should expect him to be Samir Nasri, not Cesc Fabregas.

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  • July 27, 2010 at 11:07 pm
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    I really hope nasri can step up i want to see him go past players, create goals which i havent see him do.

    The problem is we have fabregas who plays in nasri position u cant really play both together.

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  • July 27, 2010 at 11:20 pm
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    That’s the thing John, Nasri’s play has been compromised because he has had to play out of position to make room for Fabregas. He’s not purely an attacking player. He can drop deep and carry the ball out from defence as well. But that is what Fabregas does. We will never see the best of Nasri if he stays out wide. He does a very good job there, but everyone knows that isn’t his best position. If we had a world class right winger, then Nasri would be on the bench to substitute Fabregas. But seeing that we are going to lose Cesc, we might as well play Nasri in his postition to see if he can handle it. I think he can.

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  • July 27, 2010 at 11:33 pm
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    john about nuri sahin

    i think he has always been a good player and always wil

    i remember a couple years back arsenal were intrested in him

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    • July 28, 2010 at 1:29 am
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      Yh he looked amazing. Some of his skills, tricks were unbelievable.

      Hes lost a bit of his pace hes more of a central midfielder now and starting to put in performances

  • July 27, 2010 at 11:46 pm
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    The best place to test youngsters if they are ready or not for the first team is Emirates cup. Milan and Celtic is good teams and have lots of good players and those two teams comes closes to PL level. If they are extremely good against those teams we will know they are ready for PL and maybe our first team. I don’t feel Frimpong and eastmond can play as the only DM in our team. I want to see how good they are together or with Song or Denilson. Eastmond is going nowhere I think. Before pre-season I thought Lansbury was ahead of Eastmond but they are so different and offers very different quality. They can’t be compared.

    JET will be with the first team. I am 99.99% sure. Wilshere will be with the first team. Frimpong and Lansbury will battle for their life. I want to see Lansbury play in RW because he has quality’s to play there too. Definitely more vision than Eboue there. Henderson is young and I think needs to stay with the first team.

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  • July 28, 2010 at 12:22 am
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    Any truth in rumours with per mertescker i would be happy if we bought him we need a bit of height and experience.

    Daily mirror are very reliable plus ivan gazidis is in Germany according to ppl on twitter.

    Kyle bartley must be kicking himself i really did think he could push on this season and even make the first team squad.

    Very unlucky

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    • July 28, 2010 at 2:44 pm
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      Great work by Coquelin (though I did not identify him to be honest but since you are saying…)..
      Great finish too (by Kakuta..??)….

  • July 28, 2010 at 2:18 am
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    absolutely love seeing my two favourite Arsenal players get 90 mins! Manny frimpong and JET go on boys! love it! :D oh and lansbury will make it btw :D peace!

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  • July 28, 2010 at 2:48 am
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    john you seem really well informed on most of the young players in arsenal’s squad, wether it’s all from this site i don’t kno, but just dismissing nasri has the quality to b our CM…I mean really! can u imagine if all those games that cesc played right from the beginning of his arsenal career in CM had been on the wing, he’d probably have looked less than half the player he is. i love fab bt i mean his ability to use his close control and small burst of acceleration to make up for his speed, is something hes only learnt in the last 2 seasons. So even HE is still learning his position. Nasri, was one of the best players in ligue1, playin as a tricky playmaker, with an eye for goal, in essence doing what cesc does now but 2 years ago. his passing was nevr as gud as cesc’s bt they both posses incredible inteligence and vision, so do u not think if maybe he’d have been playing in his favoured position we’d b seeing the sorta player we c in cesc. not to mention one of the only reasons hes forced to play wide is bcuz he cursed with better speed than cesc.
    JET has looked great during preseason, his size and lumbering style of running remind me of a young heskey, bt he plays more like a mix between balotelli and diaby, with a bit less pace than either….
    also john, u don’t need to be english to have passion, those duvet statement/cliches are completly ridiculous…were u not watching engl in the world cup! watch diaby v liverpool, i cn tell u that goal meant a lot to him, and he was one of our best and the most improved player last season (his first decent run in the team). im sure u were begging for A.song to be sold 2 seasons ago too!

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  • July 28, 2010 at 5:36 am
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    Just watched the game from last night, i have to say koscielny impressed me a lot. Looked very composed, comfortable with the ball, looks like we have a proper guy to replace gallas. On the other hand, nordveit doesnt look that convincing to me. Wrong passes and heavy touches esp when playing on the right.

    With two DM (just like frimpong and nordtveit on 2nd half) samir nasri would have a cracking season !

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  • July 28, 2010 at 8:05 am
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    I read somewhere that HV played in midfield in the second half….. how did he get on? And how did we look with two DM in place? Realistically, i think that is the formation that we should look at playing for large parts of the season because defensively, less than 3 weeks before the season starts we potentially are worse off than we were last season.

    Also, depending on the extent of Djourou’s injury, the arguement could be made that he should be left out of the 25 man squad this season if his injury record doesn’t improve.

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  • July 28, 2010 at 11:06 am
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    he did quite well actually, better than 1st half. He looked more comfortable. Kept it simple. Also, he was involved in last goal. I’d say djourou shouldnt be left out of the squad, nordtveit was ok last night but lack confidence IMO. He should be 4th choice behind djourou.

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    • July 28, 2010 at 11:17 am
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      Koscielny is like John Terry with pace he’s 186cm John Terry is 187cm he is so calm on the ball doesn’t panic

  • July 28, 2010 at 12:47 pm
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    Sunu had a good match for France yesterday. Impressive presence, hard working, won lots of free kicks.

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    • July 28, 2010 at 2:50 pm
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      Nice to hear about Gilles Sunu it’s the way he played for reserves! Good luck to GS & FC in the U19 final. We must have scouts @ the tournament? Just reading Bendtner out that should and I hope opens the JET to some playing time too impress in the Prem go Jay! My last remark in this blog topic, WE NEED SOME CENTER-BACKS(experienced ones) ASAP Mr. Wenger? Peace. Like to see the reserve team make amends today good luck! AFC best club in the world!

  • July 28, 2010 at 2:41 pm
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    IMO Djourou needs to improve a lot to even be the 3rd behind The Verminator and Koscielny.. He has not performed well in these pre-season matches (may be coz he is not match fit).. He makes many mistakes and is not being able to read the game properly.. We desperately need a proper cover for the CB position, we are too short.. Any injury to the above two and we would be scrambling to get the defence right.. Btw why has ‘Szczesny’ got the nickname ‘Tech9’..??
    What does ‘Tech9’ actually imply J..??

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    • July 28, 2010 at 9:55 pm
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      Also wondering the same thing about where Tech9 came from…

  • July 28, 2010 at 11:35 pm
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    100dth comment…I’m sorry I just had to. First time in my life I have ever done this and probably the last…

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