Dial Square - Joss' Arsenal Story

[Joss]

Jonathan Wilson speaks exclusively to Arsene Wenger at the Emirates

JonoWils: Well Arsene, it's good of you to speak to me today. First things first, how does it feel to have a more peripheral role at the club now?

AW: It's quite nice if i'm honest. At my age it is easier to not be involved as much as nowadays there is a lot of pressure to succeed or to win something every year, or suddenly you are a bad team. It is good for someone young to come in now and hopefully win something.

JonoWils: Talking of which, what do you make of the new man at the helm? He doesn't have a lot of experience but he's doing OK so far it seems...

AW: Yes, he is doing very well. He took the pre-season to assess his squad and preferred to organise his own fixtures, instead of playing the planned ones so he could get a feel for the team without any pressure. They seem to respond to his tactics very well, and he has a positive, hands on approach to training so he gets to know the players well.

JonoWils: What about on a personal level, do you get on with the man who took your job?

AW: [laughs] I don't see it like that... He's a very nice man and we have a good relationship. We also have a drink together after matches and talk about tactics and players, generally we agree but he has some interesting things to say whenever we meet. I enjoy his approach to football, and we have scored some very nice team goals.

JonoWils: Finally, who's been your standout player so far, and what or who else do you think needs to come in to win a title?

AW: Well, I think that he has a very good squad with good depth as well. I don't think a lot needs to happen, but maybe a little bit of luck because we have had a lot of injuries to key players in recent years and we haven't been good enough in the final stages as a result.

JonoWils: Thankyou Arsene, and good luck for the rest of the season.

AW: Thankyou.​

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So what do people think of the update? Any feedback welcome so long as it's constructive!

 

[PafcLad]

great story mate deffo looking out for this

 

[I3east]

Good story mate . I'm following

 

[Joss]

great story mate deffo looking out for this

Good story mate . I'm following

Cheers guys! Great motivation for me when people comment, so if you read, please comment! Any improvements people would like to see?

 

[PafcLad]

great story love the youtube clips

 

[fuelledbypassion]

It's good to add a little variation to the story, and interviews and the like seem to work well. I love the highlights too. KIU mate, results have been great so far

 

[pistolped7]

Good stuff, Joss, some really good results here, especially the win over Schalke, they're a tough team to come up against. Good luck for the rest of the year!

 

[Joss]

Arsenal cruise through difficult November fixtures

Arsenal came through what should have been a testing month for the new Gunners manager with remarkable ease. Games against North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur as well as in-form Manchester United, both at home were mixed in with two difficult away fixtures in the league and two potentially tricky ties in the Champions League Group Stages.

First up for the new manager were a familiar foe in the form of German outfit Shalke. The tie looked to be over when Vermaelen doubled Arsenal's advantage not long after thr break from a Wilshere freekick. Fabregas has scored the opener after good work by Nasri. However, two goals in the second half tested the Gunner's nerve as Shalke fought back through Ivan Rakitic and Erik Jendrisek with ten minutes to play. Koscielny proved to be the hero for Arsenal as another set piece out did Shalke's defence and he headed home the winner in the 87th minute via the foot of the post. A traditionally tough fixture against a physical Blackburn side at Ewood Park ended in a dull 0-0 draw as the travelling seemed to affect the Arsenal squad. The Arsenal manager could have been forgiven for resting some important players with a potential 6 pointer in the title race against Manchester United up next, but a strong squad was unable to get past a superb combination of Chris Samba and and Gael Givet.

But the Gunners responded with a bang when many expected them to yet again fall short of the mark against one of the supposed 'big four'. They went into the break 3-0 up thanks to goals from Wilshere and a brace from Robin Van Persie, who has finally found form played on the right of a front three. The first goal, Wilshere's second professional league goal for the club, was a result of some delightful interplay. The ball was played wide by playmaker Cesc Fabregas and when Arshavin found Wilshere in the area, the youngster was given enough space to turn and shoot, finishing low into the bottom corner. Just before the whistle went for the break Arsenal looked to play keep ball, Evra couldn't clear the ball and Van Persie back-heel found the captain but his shot cannoned back of the crossbar to the despair of his manager but seconds later Wilshere was involved again, controlling the ball from a knock down with expert skill before playing a perfectly waited ball for Dutch international Robin Van Persie who beat Van Der Sar to the ball to smash home for Arsenal's second. Moments later, Arsenal broke from a Man Utd throw in well in their half. Fabregas sliced a clearance before chasing down Van Persie's clearance and beating Smalling in the air, nodding forward for Chamakh. He switched the ball to Arshavin whose run down the left drew defenders away. Many pundits believed Arsenal would struggle without injured Clichy, but his understudy Kieran Gibbs crossed the ball into the box for Van Persie to again beat his dutch counter part in goal, heading a superbly directed header into the bottom corner. Arsenal pushed forward in search of a fourth goal, but the ball broke to veteran Giggs, whose ball into the far post was tapped in for a consolation by Nani as Gibbs made his first mistake of the match and was unfortunately punished.

See the highlights from Arsenal's brilliant victory against title rivals Man Utd.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KmhX1I75Ec"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KmhX1I75Ec[/ame]​

Arsenal drew again after that as Chamakh had to cancel out a 24th minute Odemwingie strike. Arsenal then faced rivals Tottenham in what should have been a fiercely contested match but was in fact almost a walkover for the Gunners. Chamakh tapped home a deflected Wilshere cross inside 10 minutes before Fabregas scored the second and final goal of the match to send Arsenal back to the top, two points clear of Chelsea in second. Last season Fabregas scored a magnificent individual goal in the same fixture. This time it was a team effort, with pundits counting almost 15 passes before the ball was in the back of the net. Again, Kieran Gibbs played instead of french left back Gael Clichy, but he started the move when he intercepted a long ball forward from the defence. From there, the red side of North London kept the ball brilliantly and the finish was a perfect end to a brilliant goal.

Fabregas' goal against Tottenham Hotspur was a goal of the season candidate...
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uADENaclSrI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uADENaclSrI[/ame]

Arsenal were shocked in the next game by an incisive Cluj side. Two Lacina Traore goals either side of half-time gave the home side a stunning win in Romania to upset the odds and put Arsenal's chances of winning the group in jeopardy with Valencia succumbing to a 3-2 defeat at home to Shalke to put the German side top with one game to spare. Arsenal will top the group, however, if they beat Valencia in London, and Shalke fail to win in the final match. The Gunners could face the likes of Barcelona, Madrid, or Bayern Munich if they were to finish 2nd. Alternatively they could face last year's winners, Inter Milan or Werder Bremen from a tight Group G.

In the final game of the month, Arsenal got back to winning ways with a hard fought 2-1 win away from home, in Wigan. Goals from Wilshere and Van Persie clinched a tight game and ensured Arsenal stayed top of the league despite a mixed month. Many fans and pundits are suggesting that it will be more important to beat the big sides this season as they feel their side shouldn't be posed many problems by the smaller teams. Bennett's Arsenal side, despite drawing twice, are still unbeaten in the league. With Chelsea and Liverpool up next, can Arsenal brush aside two more big sides? Or will their impressive record come to an end before Christmas? We shall see.

​

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What do people think? Decent update? It's a bit wordy but I thought i'd write a little more this time because of the two big games. What do people think of the FFT interview as well? Good to have a break from match reports I think, but maybe it doesn't work... Tell me what you think!

 

[pistolped7]

Really good once again, great results against Utd and Spurs. Unlucky against Cluj, but they are often unperdictable and it always happen to you sooner or later! KUTGW, I'm sure you'll do well in the CL.

 

[fuelledbypassion]

I have to begrudgingly say congrratulations on the result against United. You've done well to stay undefeated in the premiership so far, I think I lost to West Brom in the demo when I played as Arsenal! Scoring some fantastic goals with this tactic too.

Reguarding the layout and content, I prefer the wrtitten side more, but this is working really well for an FM story. Keep it up

 

[Joss]

Really good once again, great results against Utd and Spurs. Unlucky against Cluj, but they are often unperdictable and it always happen to you sooner or later! KUTGW, I'm sure you'll do well in the CL.

I have to begrudgingly say congrratulations on the result against United. You've done well to stay undefeated in the premiership so far, I think I lost to West Brom in the demo when I played as Arsenal! Scoring some fantastic goals with this tactic too.

Reguarding the layout and content, I prefer the wrtitten side more, but this is working really well for an FM story. Keep it up

Cheers guys, always appreciate any constructive feedback as you both will appreciate as fellow writers!

---------- Post added at 05:04 AM ---------- Previous post was yesterday at 02:52 AM ----------

Anyone else?
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Oh dear. Just lost half an update! :facepalm:

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Arsenal go top ahead of the new year​

Arsenal recovered to go top over the new year after what was always going to be a tough start to the month. Games against Chelsea, Valencia and Liverpool followed what was also a difficult set of fixtures in November including two rival matches and a trip to Romania.​

The Gunners started off the Christmas month with a trip to Stamford Bridge to face in-form champions Chelsea - who have turned into somewhat of a bogey side for this Arsenal side. The key to the match would be to stop Drogba who most pundits were tipping to further his goalscoring record against Arsenal - his strength and prowess in the box has proved too much for the Gunners defences in recent years but the partnership of Vermaelen and Koscielny has looked far more capable in the big games this year. As it was, Arsenal's defence as a whole performed brilliantly, stopping Drogba getting involved and limiting Chelsea to just 3 shots on target and helping the Gunners achieve a 12% dominance in possession. A 0-0 draw was just about the right result but Chelsea will have been wondering what might have been had their strike force been more clinical.​

Next up was a a potentially tricky tie at home to Valencia, desperate to advance from the group stages but needing a win to do so. The spanish side have been poor this year but come into the game on the back of a morale-boosting 2-1 win over Mourinho's Real Madrid side which included the likes of Ronaldo, Kaka and Higuain. Things started badly for Arsenal as Robin Van Persie was sent off after a tussle with a Valencia player that the referee judged to have been a deliberate elbow to the face. Bennett was furious on the touchline but was even more so with his defence 10 minutes later as Pablo Hernandez struck twice in 4 minutes to give Valencia a good lead. The first, on the 25 minute mark was well worked as Mata got the ball on the left and drove the ball across the box for the striker to slide home. The second was near identical as a simple cross to the back post from left back Vicente was tapped in by Hernandez. Rosicky pulled one back for the home side in first half injury time as he was given a free header just before the whistle went. Arsenal found the equaliser just after half time as Wilshere won the ball back, found Rosicky again, and his lovely through ball was finished well by frenchman Samir Nasri. Arsenal pushed for a winner with the momentum and fans on their side but were unable to do so and the game ended 2-2 meaning Arsenal missed out on first spot to Shalke who recorded a comfortable win over Cluj but did qualify ahead of Valencia.

In Arsenal's final game before Christmas week, they were shocked by an incisive Liverpool side who inflicted Bennett's first league loss of the season thanks to a brilliantly placed David N'Gog header before half time. Arsenal had 63% possession but Liverpool's experience defence did brilliantly and kept them out all game. A shock 1-0 win did little for struggling Liverpool but damaged Arsenal's title credentials as Chelsea, Tottenham and Man Utd picked up wins in a tight league to keep up the pressure and force Arsenal down to second as over-performing Spurs went top for the first time.​

But Arsenal responded well with wins over Sunderland, West Ham and Blackpool. Captain Cesc Fabregas helped inspire Bennett's side as he reached 11 goals in all competitions for the season to finish a brilliant year for the Spaniard. The captain scored twice against Sunderland as Arsenal looked set to drop points again, an early goal in the 12th minute put the Gunners ahead at the Emirates after some great build-up play and a neat finish. Gyan equalised from a corner but Fabregas' last minute strike from outside of the box won it.

ATVO Free Video - Arsenal's goal of the month.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMN9bwyTuDg"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMN9bwyTuDg[/ame]

They took confidence from the late win as they proceeded to comfortably beat both West Ham and Blackpool, 3-1 and 4-1. Two own goals and a Diaby screamer as well as another Fabregas goal gave Arsenal their first four goal haul this season against Blackpool after Arsenal came from behind to take all three points at Upton Park in the previous match. Mark Noble scored at both ends as he opened the scoring for the Hammers before half time but ensured all three points for Arsenal with a 92nd minute own goal. Chamakh scored a brace to complete a good year for him after a slow start.

Manager's Thoughts:

December is always a difficult month for every team. The players are tired, and miss their families but we have responded brilliantly to some early set backs and I've been delighted with our ability to find late goals. Obviously it's ideal if we get the game over quickly and then we can relax and rest some players but it shows our determination and work levels, we play until the final whistle and that could be the difference this year. Also, Fabregas has captained the side brilliantly, leading by example but also vocally and they really react well to such a brilliant player.

​

 

[*Jamess*]

great start will follow

 

[fuelledbypassion]

Another good month bar the Liverpool result. Keep it up! Out of interest, what role do you give to Fabregas? I couldn't get him to perform realistically when I played as arsenal

 

[Fothermucker]

This is a fantastic read, Joss. Unlucky against Liverpool but still doing very well, keep it up

 

[Joss]

great start will follow

Thanks, make sure you do!

This is a fantastic read, Joss. Unlucky against Liverpool but still doing very well, keep it up

Thanks mate.

Another good month bar the Liverpool result. Keep it up! Out of interest, what role do you give to Fabregas? I couldn't get him to perform realistically when I played as arsenal

Yeah, struggled a little though, coming from behind twice + one clean sheet...

Fabregas is techinically Adv Playmaker - Support in AMC but you'd have to download the tactic because the roles don't really matter that much - lots of tweaks etc.

 

[Mike]

Looks like the tactic is coming together well, although I don't see how you 'cruised' through Novemeber with draws to Blackburn and WBA, and a defeat to Cluj (despite all being away from home). Look forward to seeing where you'll be come the end of the season, keep it up buddy.

 

[Joss]

Arsenal recover to make strong start to new year​

After another slow start to the month with two tough fixtures against Manchester City and Aston Villa, Arsenal picked up four straight wins to keep their title ambitions alive. A 1-1 draw against Man City on new years day was a just result for both teams, neither of whom looked particularly dangerous until just before half-time. When Marouane Chamakh headed in his 9th goal of the season from Clichy's cross, fans could be forgiven for thinking a close game at the Emirates was won already but David Silva scored almost straight from the restart as Arsenal couldn't find another way through. Aston Villa proved to be an even more difficult task for the Gunners as they fell to a disappointing 2-1 defeat in Birmingham. As Wolciech Szczsney was handed his Premier League debut due to an injury to Lukasz Fabianski, Arsenal went behind after less than ten minutes. A fine Stephen Ireland header was added to 20 minutes later by an unstoppable Stylian Petrov strike to make it 2-0. The young Arsenal keeper made some fine saves before Chamakh finally scored for Arsenal deep into injury time for a consolation.
Arsenal had to respond to a poor start one again in the next match and did so well as a Fabregas double after half time secured their first three points of 2011. There were none more surprised than Fabregas himself as he opened the scoring just after the break with a diving header, before doubling Arsenal's lead late on from the spot when Jack Wilshere was tripped by Karl Henry in the box. Next, Arsenal hit Bolton Wanderers as Walcott ran the show against their ten men. The English winger was clearly desperate to show his manager what he could do after he has limited to substitute appearances and rarely given 90 minutes and he opened the scoring with a fine header before Kevin Davies not only saw his goal disallowed but a red card as he challenged for the ball from behind Song and looked to come through the midfielder in order to get the ball. Walcott's pace split the Bolton defence this time as he passed the ball inside for Fabregas to finish a good team move. Van Persie added a third from close range but the scoring wasn't over. Walcott grabbed a deserved second when he slid home a cross from the left to make it 4-0.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVLIHzJV0r4

In the FA Cup, the Gunners had the luck of the draw as two fairly straightforward games against Torquay and Bristol saw Arsenal move into the 5th Round of the competition where they would face Manchester City. Fringe and Reserve players were given a chance to shine as Vela, Walcott and Bendtner contributed in a routine 3-0 defeat of League Two side Torquay Utd. The Gunners were a little less clinical against Bristol City as Squillaci and Emmanuel Frimpong finished from set pieces. The latter was a neat side footed volley from a Carlos Vela freekick for the midfielder's first Arsenal goal ever. Alex Song's understudy is the subject of fierce competition for his allegiance as both Ghana and England look to secure his name on the back of the national shirt for some time to come. Meanwhile;​

Arsenal have drawn Bayern Munich in the Last 16 of the Champions League​

 

[fuelledbypassion]

Tough draw in the champions league but could have easily been worse. It seems that (as often happens in real life) you struggle when fabregas doesn't influence the game. Whenever you win he seems to find the net!

 

[Joss]

Football Focus Forum - Martin Keown

Today on the sofa is ex-Arsenal and Aston Villa defender Martin Keown talking to Dan Walker about everything Arsenal including the January window activity and Arsenal's defensive record. We'll be asking your questions sent in via twitter to [twitter]danwalkerbbc[/twitter] or e-mail at [email protected]. ​

Dan Walker: Welcome Martin, you're a regular on Football Focus so you'll be used to the sofa but your first time facing the questions. With half of the season now gone, we thought we would get your opinions on new manager, Joss Bennett. Top of the league by a point but is the man to bring success to the Emirates?

Martin Keown: Yeah, well he's doing well so far. I think when he came in a lot of people were a little worried that he wasn't experienced enough and obviously Wenger's boots are pretty big ones to fill, but he's doing well and the players clearly like him as shown in their performances and the atmosphere inside the dressing room. I've only met him once or twice so I can't really comment personally, but he definitely has the passion and tactical awareness to go far.

Dan Walker: Now, as a former player, you're no stranger to the rivalry and importance of big games both in the league and in Europe. It's something which this team has been criticised for recently but so far they've managed to beat Manchester United and Tottenham at home and earn a draw at Stamford Bridge. Is that down to the players, do you think? Or has the manager been doing something different?

Martin Keown: I think it's a bit of both to be honest. Having a new man in charge can bring instability but fortunately it seems to have brought a confidence that they can end their poor run against the big teams and the attitude in these games is always absolutely key - you have to believe you can win it and then just stay focused throughout the match, or players like Bale and Rooney will punish you.

Dan Walker: You mentioned Rooney, as an Englishman, does it worry you that Arsenal don't have many English first team players? A lot of people are suggesting that it isn't good for the game to have too many foreign players...

Martin Keown: No that doesn't bother me at all. I played alongside players like Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and often a French right-back! Football is a universal language and if the best players are coming from France, or Spain then why wouldn't you play them? This season though some of the younger, English players are breaking into the first team and that is a good thing because they're so young apart from anything else. Wilshere is playing regularly and Kieran Gibbs is getting plenty of games under his belt at left-back too. Also, most of the academy are English players - Benik Afobe, Frimpong and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas have all been playing together for a long time and have a great future.

Dan Walker: Talking of players like Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry - Do you think Arsenal lack that enforcer in midfield like Vieira or a clinical 20 or 30 goal a season striker like Henry was during the Invincibles season?

Martin Keown: Not really. I mean, it would be good to add some depth to the side and maybe some competition for Alex Song. He's a good player but the top teams need two, maybe three good players who can all step in if someone is out of form and Arsenal don't really have that. It was reported that Bennett tried to sign Ettiene Capoue, who's a French defensive midfielder but there were some issues with wages and so on. Unfortunately, I don't watch the French league so I can't comment! In terms of a clinical striker - I don't think it's a problem. Fabregas has 10 goals this season, Chamakh has about 10 and a few other players are getting goals too like Walcott - when you play football like they do, everyone chips in with goals from all over. But Henry was a great player, probably the best in the world at his peak - if they were to find another player like that who didn't cost a fortune I have no doubt that they would be nearly unstoppable.

Dan Walker: Alright. And finally, some quickfire ones to finish with:

- The best player you ever played with?

Martin Keown: Either Vieira or Henry. Probably Henry because he just had everything, pace to burn, strength, skill and a great guy too.

Dan Walker: Your most difficult opponent?

Martin Keown: That's another difficult one - I think it has to be Ruud Van Nistelrooy, but Roy Keane is another one. They were both good players but those games had so much passion in them and we ended up just kicking each other into lumps...

Dan Walker: And - we always ask this one, if you could have anyone playing alongside you in the defence, who would it be?

Martin Keown: Rio Ferdinand, without a doubt. He's a superb defender and he's like me - You always see him shouting at his defence and midfield trying to organise them, England are lucky to have him.

Dan Walker: Finally, your best footballing moment?

Martin Keown: Collecting the trophy and celebrating on the pitch after we went unbeaten. It was a brilliant moment and I'll cherish it for the rest of my life.

Dan Walker: Thankyou very much Martin, for answering some tough questions as honestly as you could. A great insight into the mind of an ex-pro!
​

 

[Calum]

fab update Joss

loving the interview with King Keown