In what was expected to be a tough encounter, physically rather than footballistically, there was much trepidation amongst gooners. Would the players be able to stand up to Blackburn this time? In May the side was lacklustre but many key players were not present that day. Today we started with probably our strongest 11, the returns of Cesc and van Persie were good to see, and the higher quality of our side should have seen off a team of Blackburn’s like.

We started the game a little nervously, despite an early chance for us Blackburn pressed early on and had a chance headed off the line by Cesc. My nerves were very present. Blackburn lumped many a ball into our box, Almunia surrounded at times and I thought “here we go”, but our first choice keeper came and collected the ball on a number of occasions. How odd, how novel. If only he had done this on a number of occasions in the last year perhaps there wouldn’t be a hunt for a new keeper currently taking place.

Another bundle in the box produced a foul on Almunia, Sky originally called a corner (Almunia took the ball out of play in his hands) but even I could tell that the ref was signalling for a free-kick. A quick ball was taken by Almunia and we galloped up the field, Arshavin stretching passed across to van Persie who played a ball out to the advancing Walcott on the right. A few steps and the non-footballing brained Theo rifled a shot past Robinson (49 conceded by him against us) which ripped the net. 1-0 and you could relax for a bit.

Just a quick point on the commentary today. Andy Gray was either on the sauce or is going senile, he called Blackburn Bolton – easy mistake to make I suppose, but confused a number of players on either side whilst adding his “insights”. Not what top notch broadcasting is meant to provide us with.

Blackburn continued to press though, our defence for the most part dealt with the test. But at times the ball fell in the box and that panic’d look was upon our back four again. At times clearances weren’t clinical and the passing in the middle third was wayward. We didn’t look totally in control and the one goal lead simply wasn’t going to be enough. The Blackburn goal came when El Hadj Diouf out paced and out muscled Koscielny and got a cross in, it makes me worry what he will be like up against a Drogba or a Rooney – he is still settling in to the English game, so far far to early to write him off just yet. We went in at 1-1 at half time which was a fair reflection for the nervy first half we played.

The bad point of the first half was seeing van Persie coming off injured, an ankle twist by the reports after the game. It came when two feet collided going for a ball, so no malice whatsoever, but it is annoying. However hopefully he will be fit come the end of the international break. Chamakh replaced him.

In the second half we looked a bit brighter, we seemed to click more with the passing and possession and Blackburn started to tire. As pass after pass was threaded together the away fans started the “ole” chant, all very well when we are 4 up but not at 1-1, I recall West Ham last season when we were two up and the “oles” started.

Cesc had a shot which cannoned off Theo, but Arshavin was on hand to fire it home and the lead was again ours. That’s now 50 goals we have scored against Robinson, can we play him every week? We kept attacking and didn’t look like taking the foot off the gas, that was also good to see, the players knew we hadn’t killed this one off yet. A few Blackburn shots occured, but nothing to seriously worry us. Jack Wilshere had a late chance but his foot slipped and the ball went wide. The three added minutes were nervy, but when the final whistle went it was 3 points in the bag at a ground we have previously found a little tough to get a result. For a few hours we sat top of the league, nice to see that again.

Cesc looked quite good, perhaps not 100% fit but his eye for a pass and his ability to make that pass was all still there. He lasted 67 minutes and perhaps some game time with Spain in the coming week will see him fully fit when the Premier League resumes in a few weeks.

I thought Blackburn played ok, not as rough as they have been in the past and they seemed to thread the odd pass together – is something misplaced in the football universe?

Picture from arsenal.com

A few bits of news from the last few days, arsenal.com finally announed the signing of Sebastian Squillaci from Sevilla. Fee is said to be around £3-4 million and he is on a 3 year deal. A good experienced defender to add to the squad who will provide competition for Koscielny and Djourou, but I think the Swiss is now fourth choice at centreback. It is good to have some depth in that area again though.

We have drawn Spurs in the third round of the Carling Cup. It’s no real shame as it means the youngsters can get a taste of a NLD and have nothing to lose against a team defeated by highflyers Wigan this afternoon.

The transfer window closes on Tuesday, Arsene said after the game “we are finished in the transfer window, the way things are” you can take that as we are not getting anyone else, or as I am taking it that unless one of the clubs changes their stance towards a bid we have made we are finished in the market. However reports from the game say that Almunia threw his shirt and captains armband into the crowd and waved goodbye (I thought he was waving goodbye to the home support at the mrats last Saturday as well) but time will tell. And Sky Sports News will have a countdown clock, in HD, all day Tuesday no doubt.

Thanks for reading.

We got both. A 6-0 victory over newly promoted Blackpool might not completely impress the pundits, but the team needed this. Plenty of goals and the time to bed in to fast passing and free attacking football was the perfect tonic to allow the players to re-accquaint themselves with our style of play.

Theo, however, was fantastic. His first hat-trick for Arsenal, 3 fantastic goals. He looks a very different player to the one we saw last season. A summer of rest and no injuries have done him wonders. He looked much stronger yesterday, he made a few turns with defenders at his back which I expected him to go down or be muscled off the ball, but not yesterday, he rode each challenge out and kept running, kept making those passes and taking those shots. A brilliant performance and he deserved the match ball. I hope this is the first of many goals this season. Arshavin should be worried if both players form continues to be immeasurably different.

But Theo was not the only highlight of the day; Tomas Rosicky completed 90 minutes (which is very rare since his injury) but not only that, he also was outstanding too, his play was like the pre-injury Rosicky and was a welcome sight on the pitch again. I hope he too can continue in this form. Chamakh also looked good, he needed and wanted a goal so badly that we thought it wasn’t going to come off, but his headed goal was well taken and I suspect we will see many more of those as the season progresses, also his workrate was good to see.

Arshavin also played better, he put more effort in and took his penalty well. He looked fitter than last week, and looked to care more about the game. Song played at centre back, he did quite well but his best position is further up the park in the defensive midfield role – despite what some were calling for for him to be installed as a permanent centre back. Diaby also played a decent game, his goal a highlight, but again he was invisible for long periods of play.

Blackpool were unlucky to have the penalty awarded against them, the foul was outside the box, but it WAS a red card. Last man means red. To say it killed the game is unfair on Arsenal. Yes it meant Blackpool were less adventurous but we could still play. But you have to credit Ian Holloway for setting his team up to play football, not just sit back and defend, he must take credit for that but I worry that the way the league is he will have to change his tactics to a more negative style if they want to survive their first term in the Premier League. Their fans also deserve a mention, plenty of noise before during and after the game, even if their song of choice was the same the Phil Brown picks for karaoke.

A good result, some nice goals, a confidence boost. Cesc got a good reception when he came on, as did van Persie. But neither really looked completely sharp during their late cameo. Almunia did give a wave to the North Bank before he left the pitch, was that a goodbye? Next week we face Blackburn, a different prospect, but one we will no doubt clear with relative ease provided we ignore their neanderthal looks and tactics.

The goal for Arsenal was one talking point in the game, but the other was the straight red card for Liverpool debutant Joe Cole. His tackle was not malicious, but it was reckless and I don’t think the ref had much choice. You can go on all you want about him not being that sort of player, but I’m sure my mum would say I’m not that sort of person if I was to commit a violent act in a moment of madness and injure someone. Koscielny  looked hurt and left the pitch on a stretcher, we were down to one centreback and for how long? Thankfully he came out for the second half, but a cruel twist of fate sees him banned for the next game anyway for picking up a second yellow for a weak handball.

We conceded from a poor pass by Arshavin that Wilshere, who didn’t look too great on the whole, failed to control. N’gog blasted a shot at the top corner and “first choice” keeper Almunia failed to stop it. Sky were quick to note that he should have saved it, and yes he should at least have got a hand to it. Poor defensive concentration and poor keeping cost us a goal – does that sound familiar? I hope it does to Arsene.

Arshavin got criticism for his performance, and he did look out of the game completely. I hope that he gets a boot up the arse and starts to try rather than just coasting around for the first few games as we need him on top form all year.

Overall I think I am happy with a draw, I didn’t see us winning and the worries I had about our defensive play were highlighted brilliantly with the goal and some other Liverpool opportunities. The potential serious injury to Koscielny would have left us desperately short at the back, I think 2 players need brining in in reality and I hope that served as a massive wake up call to Arsene. We cannot risk going into a season so lacking in depth in that area of the squad.

A mention must go to Rosciky, who made a substitute appearance but showed some glimpses of the player we had before his long term injury. Decent runs and some attempts on goal that on another day would have been in the back of the net. Chamakh and Koscielny both impressed on their league debuts, I think they will both grow as players as the season progresses and will become Arsenal favourites. But Arsene needs to strengthen the squad if we are to last the season in contention for the prizes, rather than being out of them come the early part of next year.

A trip to Anfield is not the way you would want to get things started, couple that with the worries we have defensively it could be a nightmare. There are rumours that Djourou is out “for the more than the short term” which surely must push us to signing at least one centre back, but I think two are really required. I know that Arsene has said it’s not easy, and that I don’t doubt, but there must be some players out there who can do a solid job for us.

You then turn to the keepers, Arsene says “The guy who plays on Sunday will be No 1. It is never for definite but it will be a consequence of what I have seen in pre-season.” Which in my eyes rules out Fabianski, however he hasn’t seen much of Almunia so can he draw conclusions there? My hope is for Almunia to start, he is the best of what we have and a jittery Fabianski is not something I can comprehend this afternoon. But we still have to move for a keeper; Schwarzer would be a marginal improvement but will probably give us a boost, Given would be decent but I don’t see it happening – either way both of those seem to be press made rumours following previous enquiries and not much appears to be happening in reality.

So to the result today, I suspect a draw will be in the offing. Neither club wants to start with a defeat in what is likely to be defining seasons for both managers (despite the contract extension I think serious questions will be asked if we are out of the top 4). But if we lose? I won’t be surprised, yes it will hurt and there will be disappointment but it might serve as a wake-up call that the deficiencies really need addressing and they need addressing now. But lets move away from that, a good performance, hopefully with the inclusion of Cesc and van Persie with some goals from Arshavin and Chamakh will get our season underway in the best possible manner.

Updates on twitter might be a bit sparse as I am at work this afternoon, but enjoy the game wherever you are watching. Come on Arsenal!!!!!!

We head into the new season that starts this weekend with much trepidation, despite assurances from Arsene that our defensive issues would be solved we are weaker in defence than we were this time last season. We only have three recognised centrebacks in Vermaelen, Djourou and Koscielny, an injury to Vermaelen and we are fucked. It’s not harsh on the other two but I don’t see them coping with Drgoba, Rooney etc. There is still time for a signing but looking at what we have there is real worry.

In midfield we are strong, even with the question marks that surround Cesc, we have Nasri showing some excellent pre-season form and Jack Wilshere looks like he could hit it big this season. Walcott, Rosicky and Arshavin need to impress this year compared to last season, I know they all had injuries but they just didn’t do it in the games they played last season.

Equally in attack we look good, the addition of Chamakh will add something we have perhaps missed since the departure of Adebayor. Goals this season, much like last in the main, won’t be an issue. The problem is will they outweigh the ones we conceed?

But goalkeeping is a major issue, we might have bid for a number of keepers (the Schwarzer rumours picked up again late last night) but nothing concrete has happened. Couple that with a pre-season selection policy and poor form means I don’t think even Arsene is confident who he will pick as number one. Personally it has to be Almunia, he is the best of a weak bunch. A club like Arsenal need a strong keeper if we are to challenge for trophies and currently that is one of our weak links.

We again will have squad depth problems, sheer numbers is not the issue, it’s having some quality rather than untested youth to step in during the inevitable injuries and dips in form. That is probably what worries me most.

Is a trophy possible? Yes, but it will take some big doses of luck to get one. I would like more attention paid to the FA Cup this season, but I’m not totally convinced that will happen. Maybe come May I will have to eat all these words when we are crowned Premier League or European champions, that hope isn’t totally missing. Come on you gunners!

Our pre-season kicked off on Saturday with the trip to Barnet. We ran away 4-0 winners with Arshavin, Jay Simpson (2) and Nasri on the score sheet. The game also saw debuts for Chamakh and Koscielny, for the former Arsene said “Chamakh was very good at bringing players in. With our creative midfielders, that will be suited to our game” and he added “Koscielny adjusted slowly to the required challenges in the air”. Only 45 minutes each but at least they are starting to get involved in things. Hopefully they will both progress well in the early season.

Cesc is still being talked about by Barca, but Arsene has asked for this all to stop. I’m not convinced that they will listen, but we can all hope. I’m still not sure this saga is over, even if he does remain at the club I worry what reaction the fans and players will have to the want away captain. Time will tell, and no doubt there will be more on that in the coming weeks as well.

One final bit of intrigue was on the keeper situation; Almunia was “unwell” for Barnet, so Fabianski, Mannone and Szczesny all played a part. After the game Arsene said this;

“At the moment, in pre-season, there is no No 1 – you have to give a chance to everyone to show how good he is. You cannot decide that today.”

Interesting, surely our best keeper would be number one. I doubt Casillas or  Stekelenburg will be fighting for their number one spots when they return to their clubs. I would hope a transfer move takes place for this position. On the subject of which rumours are that Eduardo is off, to Shaktar Donetsk, more on that as it comes.

Also there will be a competition on here over the next few days, more to come soon. Thanks for reading.

So our first injury of the season has occurred, well by all accounts it was already there but Nicklas Bendtner is likely to miss the start of the season according to reports in this morning’s Mirror. The injury stems from his car crash last September, it would appear he is in a lot of pain in his groin. Yet again, as the article states, questions will be asked about our medical department and how long it takes to heal players or if they have ever fully healed (think Gallas, Arshavin last season) I wonder if the results of the investigation into the department will be made public – I doubt it.

In other news rumours are that Koscielny will be officially revealed today as an Arsenal player. YoungGunsBlog also says he will wear number 6. I do still think we need at least one more CB plus Campbell, or two more if he goes to Celtic. More on twitter during the day if any announcement is made.

So from numerous mid-season denials and confirmation he was an Arsenal player we now have Cesc telling Arsene he wants out of the club. But when you examine all that has happened this season, and some of what might happen, his decision is far from madness.

To lose Cesc will hurt Arsenal, it will hurt Arsenal fans and it will hurt Arsene. He is by far our best player and single handedly kept us in the title race at times last season. 2009/2010 was his best season in an Arsenal shirt, he scored and created around 30 goals and was admired by the footballing world, and of course coveted by his boyhood club Barcelona.

So why might he want to leave? Here are some of my thoughts behind his reason why

- Is this current squad top class? I think, aside from Cesc, we only have 4 real top class players – van Persie, Arshavin (when he tries), Vermaelen and Song. 5 players does not make a team. Whilst we have some decent squad players, each season we have fallen short recently.

- Will investment be made to improve the team? To add to the 5 money needs spending, Arsene wants to live within the club’s means so big ticket players are unlikely. Rumours are that Cesc asked Arsene what his transfer plans were, perhaps the answer was not one that inspired confidence and that helped with the decision to leave.

- Is Arsene staying beyond next season? Coupled with the above, what if Arsene really is thinking of not staying on. I think his principles would mean he would not want to saddle a new manager with a number of his new players and not much money in the coffers.

- The Premier League is not based purely on skill, hard challenges are very much part of the game. Cesc does not hide from a challenge, but he has seen two team-mates suffer broken legs in the last 2 years and with his recently broken leg (suffered ironically against a Spanish team) perhaps a league that is less robust and more about football is more appealing.

I also think that giving him the captaincy was more about trying to keep him at the club than seeing him as a natural leader, when he was appointed Arsene said there are “lots of leaders in the dressing room” almost ceding that Cesc was not an out and out leader. If you look at Vermaelen (granted making a new player club captain is not the best move) or Sol they lead on the pitch where as Cesc is a lot quieter at times, that is no criticism of him but more of Arsene for bestowing him with the armband.

There has been a fair bit of negative reaction from some Arsenal “fans” towards Cesc, if he moves I won’t harbour any hatred against him. I will be gutted, and 5 days of mourning will be in effect, but he has given his all for this club from an early age you cannot question that. One thing I will say though, there has to be some questioning of Arsene if Cesc does leave – is this the end of that project? The team will change fundamentally and perhaps the focus on certain trophies might have to change.

Arsenal are reportedly going to fight to keep the player, but like in a relationship when one partner wants out and the other begs them to stay things are often never as good as they were. Patrick and Thierry did not play that well in that “extra” season after they asked to leave, I would far rather have the season just gone as my lasting memory of Cesc in an Arsenal shirt rather than a mediocre one.

picture from arsenal.com

Very much an end of season feel to yesterday; quite a few empty seats, a subdued crowd, a few goals in what was an easy run-out for Arsenal. Fulham to be fair had other things on their mind, I hope they win on Wednesday, and the team they fielded showed that. In the end it was a comfortable result which ensured 3rd place, but that was not to be an issue following Spurs hillarious 4-2 defeat to relegated Burnley.

A nice individual effort from Arshavin opened the scoring, something I thought at the time I would liked to have seen more of this season but today I read that was his 12th of the season so perhaps his lack of effort at times masks the higher points of his game? Robin van Persie was again prevalent in attack, a goal and a number of chances for our main striker. An own goal capped the first half scoring in what was admittedly a one way affair.

The second half saw much of the same, but only one goal this time. Another Carlos Vela chip, a la Carling Cup, makes you wonder if he can only play for us when the pressure is completely off. He joins the ranks of players who I wonder if they will be with us next season, along with the Mexican is Eduardo who did not feature even on the bench yesterday. I wonder if we have already seen his last game in an Arsenal shirt?

Manuel Almunia was still afflicted by wankers wrist (many think it’s a convenient injury) so Fabianski again started in goal. Much groaning came from the crowd when he mis-punched the first cross into the box, this later turned to ironic cheers when he caught or kicked a ball – probably does nothing to help matters but there is frustration amongst the fans with the keeper situation. Much talk in block 6 was about Buffon, a great signing but I doubt we could afford the wages.

It was also good to see the return of Johan Djourou following his season long injury. Hopefully he can form a key part to our defence next season.

But the questions still remain; is Arsene the right man for the job? – at the moment I think yes, but this summer will be key. He must know we need 3 or 4 signings to allow us to try and get near the top two, but the thing we all want to know is will he make them.

A few more blogs over the next week or so to review our season. Thanks for reading.

We also had the quotes from Arsene that he will sign a player before the World Cup, Chamakh no doubt, but there are the stories of 2 or 3 players that just add to the Football Manager based dreams of a few fans. I do not doubt we will strengthen this summer, money is there for the first time in a while but Arsene will also consider who might leave. Which sort of leads to Gallas, he has a deadline of the end of May to sign for us – good to see some hardball played by the club. Gallas has been a very good player for us, this season was probably his best before it was curtailed by injury, he would be a loss no doubt but if he wants to move on for one final club before retirement you cannot begrudge him.

But other than that there is not much happening in truth, the press fight over a few quotes to make some stories up but there is not much emerging from camp Arsenal just yet…..apart from this photo