• http://arsespeak.wordpress.com jamesgillesp

  I think this season we have started to see robin fulfil some of his potential! Finally he has had a run in the side without injury, and he has shown so much commitment and talent. He is definitely rivalling Ade as top striker this season. I think he will go on to be a fantastic player, if he doesn’t get more long term injuries that is.

• Debs

  < ![CDATA[Yeah, RVP's been pretty impressive this season- he's has the few odd games, like the one where he got a red, but when he brings it, he really does bring it and I think he's replacing Ade as first choice in the fans minds. I know he's said he wants to stay, and I hope he does, but apparently his agent's been making noises to the media that the club's stalling on his contract and all, so has Walcott's agents. I hope the board sort this out cos Walcott and RVP are two players that we don't want to be unsettled cos it'd have a massive ripple effect on the dressing room, seeing as Toure's slightly unsettled at the moment. But yeah, Van Persie was very impressive- so were Vela and Ramsey, but as Jat said yesterday though, this was Championship opposition- we need them to do the same in the PL, but I trust they'd be able to do so- I just pray we don't have any more injuries and Le Boss buys.
  By the way, anyone have any ideas when Eduardo and Walcott'll be back?]]>

• gun5

  I’ve seen enough of Samir Nasri to convince me that he can play a more creative role in the middle of the park for Arsenal. With Fabregas, Walcott and Rosicky missing we have lacked a creative spark in the team and Nasri, with a more central role, can provide us with that.By moving Nasri into the middle of midfield and playing Vela on the left, Arsenal would cause teams plenty of problems. I’m sure Vela is ready to play more regularly now and despite Wenger saying he is a striker he looks comfortable down the left flank. With Vela naturally left footed it will provide the team with more balance. I know throughout the years Arsenal haven’t played the game with natural wingers but Vela can come inside as well because he is confident to do so. We still need to buy players though, and I think that despite this “remedy” another creative player is needed. Arteta is a player who could do a job in the middle or out wide but I think another type of player is needed first. I still feel Arsenal need to buy a defensive midfielder and that should be at the top of Arsene Wenger’s shopping list. I know Wenger loves to attack but defence is the most important part of a successful team. I honestly feel that a defence made up of Sagna, Gallas, Djourou and Clichy is solid enough. However, the defence seems to have a lack of protection from the midfield and that is why we look so vulnerable at the back. A player who can allow the midfield to attack and protect the back-line is something Arsenal have been missing this season. If we get the right player to play this role it would cut out a lot of goals that we concede.

• parsi

  < ![CDATA[i love having nasri and an in-form rvp together. rvp has as much natural talent as any player in the world. he hadn’t started the season that well by as they say form is temporary, class is permanent. it was only a matter of time before he found the form (and then some) which got him described as an early bergkamp. the fact is an on-form rvp is totally unplayable and i’m so fucking glad over the past month or so he’s started to refind that killer sharpness that makes him such a truly special player.

  if nasri can either somehow playwith cesc (sadly i don’t see it working out) or if he can keep improving on the wing i feel there is a potentially unplayable group of players emerging. rvp, nasri and cesc have the potential to be quite unstoppable in the same way henry,bergkamp and pires were. if nasri will keep getting forwards cesc doesn’t need to score because he can put them on a plate for rvp and nasri. and that’s ignoring our horribly out of form but potentially great ade, our returning eddie, our up and coming vela and wilshere. if we can sort out dm and get in a defense coach we can have a fantastic team overnight, literally.]]>

• nigelp

  I think Villa have used their Nine Lives already. They are everyone’s flavor of the month at the moment, but I think it is a little over the top and over-hyped in the press and among the pundits. They had better put much more cushion between themselves and the other contenders for the last Champions League qualifying slot, because, frankly, I believe their massively good fortune this season will turn at some point. The last second goals will turn against them. The ref’s decisions have gone their way this season and I sense a few to go against them at some point that will decide matches. An injury to a few of their starters and it could all go pear shaped as they are paper-thin. They also seem to leak goals and this with one of the best keepers in the league running the back. The press and pundits lauded their point against Arsenal at home, but none of them noted it was against what was close to a reserve side for Arsenal. They were gifted an own goal v Hull, and Hull fully deserved a point in that match, but all you read and hear is how wonderful Villa are. This is the over-hyped review at the moment. The press and pundits ride the wave and build you up only to take an unnatural glee in tearing you down later. Villa beware. Arsenal are nowhere near full strength yet and you still have no distance -

• mason

  < ![CDATA[It's been a hard year for Gooners. From potentially winning the League with a team that no-one rated outside the Emirates, to where we are now.

  Even harder for most of us is the fact Gallas is still around.

  Player-wise last year we should have had the best defence in the world - Sagna and Clichy were the best fullback partnership by far in the PL and Toure and Gallas on paper were two of the best defenders in the world. Yet together they could not defend.

  Instead look at how Man U won the league - Rooney, Tevez and Ronaldo scoring whilst Rio (who no matter what the papers say isn't world class) working incredibly well with Vidic. Wenger saw this at the end of last year and yet brought in no-one but Sylvester - third choice at Man U. Did he try and buy others? Certaily if the rumours we hear are true.

  In reality Gallarse has cost us points against (amongst others) Hull, Fulham, Stoke and probably the title against Man U last season. Add to this he mouths off and provides poor leadership and this does mean he is not fit to play for Arsenal.

  FFS Get Senderos back and play him with Djourou if no-one else is available. At least he tries and tends to have his worst moments against the obviously leaving Drogba.

  There is a culture of laziness at the moment. Send Song and Diaby (both of whom AW has extolled massive amounts of loyalty in return for very little) on loan to a Champions league side. If they can adapt to that and not assume that other teams will capitulate to us then they may stand a chance.

  Buy Flamini back. If he costs us £20m it would be the best signing we could make. He would provide energy, dynamism and grit - all three of which have been lacking at the Emirates. When we have our players fit we have an overload of creativity.

  How to make the most of this? Play 4-1-4-1. A decent back four with a screening player meaning the fullbacks can get forward, giving the ability for Van Persie, Diaby (if he is still about), the ever broken Rosicky, Eduardo, Walcott, Denilson, Ramsey, Fabregas, Wilshere, Adebayor, Vela, Nasri et al to get forward and still have cover. Even Bendtner could do well off of them.

  Perhaps a year outside the Champions League would do us good, the problem is though if we qualify with the team as it is AW may well see it as justification of his policies and we go into 2009/2010 with no new additions.

  Make no bones about it. Arsenal are in crisis. But it is a crisis we have made for ourselves. We have been spoilt by our success.]]>

• AJ

  Half the fun of the transfer window is the rumours, but as you said it’s pretty dead on that front as we are being linked with the same players as we have been linked with since the summer, but one player that I quite like and think we were link with a while ago, is Diego from Werder Bremen.

• JDD

  STEPHEN IRELAND COULD BE ON HIS WAY TO US NOW THAT MAN CITY LOOK TO HAVE SIGNED SCOTT PARKER

• Gooner Get Ya

  < ![CDATA[Well Gokan Inler doesn't look like it's on the cards and Wenger has dismissed all Arteta links and I think Zenit / Arshavin are expecting too much money so we will probably end up with the likes of Ireland and Nzogbia.

  Are these world class players or even future world class players...I'm not so sure.]]>

• debs

  Ireland’s quite decent, but I don’t see him leaving City, seeing as he’s in the form of his life- Mark Hughes’ll not be looking to let him go…

• AJ

  Yeah City wouldn’t let Ireland leave and they would want Toure as part of any deal.

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