Would Jose Enrique be a good replacment for Gael Clichy?

Gael Clichy looks set to leave Arsenal,and join either Liverpool or Roma. The French left back became the first choice when Cashley Cole made the trip across London to join Chelski. Gael made an outstanding start to his career and instantly became a fans favorite, with many fans believing he would go on to be as good as Cashley Cole.

At the time this looked very possible but after a couple of brilliant seasons,it became clear that Gael would never become a world class left back. In the last couple of seasons, he has been prone to the odd major error. He has been an excellent servant for the Arsenal,and it will be a sad day for the club when he leaves. It is very likely however,as the Frenchman only has one year left on his contract. Gael has expressed his desire to leave and Arsene is looking to cash in this Summer rather than see another Frenchman leave on a free transfer, like Flamini.

There have been a variety of players linked with Arsenal as a replacement for Gael Clichy. At this present time Jose Enrique looks to be the most likely candidate. He is a dynamic full back, who would definitely add far more offensively than Gael. Gael has never lacked pace but his final ball, always leaves a lot to be desired. He is also a solid defender and would be available at a reasonable price. We are likely to get around £7 Million for Clichy, and we could get Enrique for around the same price.

My personal choice to fill the left back spot would be Leighton Baines of Everton. I believe he has been the best left back in the country over the past couple of years. He is an excellent defender, and would offer a great option for set pieces. Instead of Van Persie constantly blasting the ball over the bar. He is however going to be considerably more expensive and if Man City are interested then there is no way we could match the transfer and contract offer they would put on the table.

Another far cheaper option would be to move Thomas Vermaelen to left back. He played there for Ajax and still does for Belgium. He would clearly do a very good job at left back, but I can only see this happening if we sign both Samba and Cahill which is looking unlikely. Therefore Enrique is the most likely and sensible option and I believe it is very likely we will see him lining up alongside Vermaelen and co next season at the Emirates Stadium.

Is it time for Theo Walcott to play as a striker for the Arsenal?

Theo Walcott joined Arsenal from Southampton back in 2006. He was one of the brightest young prospects in the English game and clearly still is. Since he joined the Arsenal he has nearly always been used on the right hand side of a three man attack. He's been playing on the right wing for a couple of years now, but I believe it is clear that he is better suited playing alongside Robin Van Persie up front.

 He is a clinical finisher as he proved last season. He scored 13 goals in 38 appearances, a very good record for a winger. He also set up 10 goals for his team-mates, which was an area of his game he needed to work on. It is also clear to see that Walcott has blistering pace. He can make full backs look stupid with his pace and I believe his pace would be a potent weapon when playing as a striker. He would torment the centre back's especially in the Premier League where none of the centre backs are equipped with serious pace. I see him playing a Michael Owen role up front and I strongly believe he would be successful playing alongside someone as intelligent as Robin Van Persie. They would compliment each others games well and im sure they would both benefit from playing alongside each other.

Robin Van Persie had an outstanding second half to the season, and he is capable of continuing in a similar fashion for next season. He is one of the best strikers around and would only benefit by having Theo playing alongside him next season. Obviously for Theo to play up front it would mean a change in formation from Arsene's favored 4-2-3-1 to a traditional 4-4-2. If Fabregas does leave, it is very likely we would switch to a 4-4-2 anyway as Cesc is the reason we have been playing in a 4-2-3-1 formation. It suits the Captain perfectly but if he does stay I still believe he would be outstanding in a 4-4-2 formation. Playing alongside the  combative Jack Wilshere, Cesc would still be able to play in an attacking role as Jack clearly doesn't mind playing in  a more defensive role. Also if we have Samba, Cahill and Vermaelen in our defence we don't really need someone like Song protecting the back four.

 I don't expect Wenger to use a 4-4-2 formation in every game but I believe he will switch between the two formations throughout the season. After all when he signed Theo, he said he saw him as a striker and Theo himself has said he would prefer to play up front in the future as it is his favourite position. If Theo is used up front regularly, there will be plenty of competition for the right sided midfield spot at Arsenal, especially with the signing of Gervinho looking very likely.

Does Carlos Vela have a future at Arsenal?

The young Mexican forward came to the Arsenal as a young player with a great future ahead of him. He had signed for Arsenal back in 2005 but due to work permit issues didn't join the squad until the 2008/2009 season after two loan spells in Spain. 
Carlos has never really got in the first team at Arsenal on a regular basis since joining in 2008. He has featured regularly in the cup competitions and has scored some outstanding goals in the Carling Cup. He is clearly very talented as some of his goals have shown but he has never really got the chance to showcase his talent regularly at the Emirates. This is understandable as there are many players ahead of him such as Nasri and Arshavin, therefore he was loaned out to West Brom back in January. At the time this seemed like a great move for the Mexican, as he was moving to an attacking team that would suit his game perfectly. However not long after Di Matteo was sacked and the ex Liverpool manager Roy Hodghson replaced him. He brought with him a defensive brand of football that really hasn't suited Carlos and he has struggled to get on the pitch as a result. Carlos has made 8 appearances for West Brom only scoring two goals in the process. Therefore his loan spell really hasn't gone to plan and he will be glad to return to the Emirates in the Summer.

 Many Arsenal fans don't believe the Mexican has what it takes to make it at the Emirates but I believe we will see very big things from him in the future. Even at just 22 he has made 35 appearances for his national side and is clearly a talented footballer. Next season it is likely that Arshavin,Bendtner and Rosicky will all leave therefore giving the young forward more chance to get onto the pitch and show everyone what he can do. I also believe that the formation change has stunted Vela's development. He looks like he would be comfortable playing as a second striker and seems to struggle playing as part of a forward trio. 

 Wenger may be tempted to loan the youngster back to Spain but I can't really see the benefit of this at all. As the leagues are so different there is no point to him gaining experience outside of England. I also believe he will want to give it one more year at the Emirates to finally prove himself. If he can't showcase his talent next season it will be then time for to let him go and he will probably sign for a Spanish side,where his game will be better suited. 

I leave you with a video of what he is capable of, and what I hope to see a lot more in the future. A brilliant goal from Carlos Vela

Who we should buy and sell in the Summer

This season has shown that the club has the talent needed to win trophies but not quite enough. Some of the players clearly lack commitment and some of the players simply aren't suited to the English game. Im sure there will be plenty of transfer activity at the Emirates this Summer with many players leaving as well as many new names joining the Arsenal. The majority of the transfers this Summer could depend on whether we hang onto Cesc Fabregas or not. The Spaniard is clearly an amazing footballer, but in my opinion if he wants to leave and we can get £30 Million from Barca we should just let him go. There's no point having a player at the club who doesn't want to be here and if that is the case im sure he will be heading home in the Summer. If he does leave it gives Wenger plenty of cash to spend on players and I'm sure he would be encouraged by the new board to buy some star players. 


 I believe we have a squad capable of winning trophies and this Summer will be a case of removing the players who have struggled recentely and have let the side down. We then need to sign some experienced players who know how to get a side over the finish line, which is what we have clearly lacked this season. 


Who we should sell in the Summer:

1. Manuel Almunia:The Spaniard is clearly not good enough for the Premier League and due to the emergence of Szczesny and Fabianski he is no longer needed at the club.
2. Sebastien Squillaci: The French centre half hasn't impressed this season and I don't see the point of him staying as a 5th choice centre half as its a position we are going to strengthen. He is clearly suited to Spanish or Italian football and I can't see him staying at the Emirates for another season. 
3. Gael Clichy: I don't think the French full-back is going to sign a new deal in the Summer and we should therefore sell him whilst we can. His form has been suspect over the last couple of seasons and it may well be the end of his Arsenal career. 
4. Denilson: The young Brazillian has had plenty of chances to prove himself at the Arsenal and this season he's proved he simply isn't suited to the English game. He wont be missed due to the emergence of Ramsey and Wilshere and will probably end up in La Liga or Serie A. 
5. Tomas Rosicky: The Czech International has never been the same since his injury and he has rarely even made the bench this season. Time to cash in whilst we can with his contract being up at the end of next season.
6. Nicklas Bendtner: The over confident Danish striker clearly thinks he is better than he is and this isn't what the side needs. He has talent but never appears committed to the club and doesn't seem prepared to fight for victory.
7. Andrey Arshavin: Big things were expected from the Russian forward but he has never really got going at the Arsenal and had a couple of months of top form. His recent performances have lacked energy and I can see him going back to Zenit in the Summer.
8. Francesc Fabregas: Obviously I don't want the Spaniard to leave but as I've said previously if he wants to go and we can get £30 Million we should take the money straight away. He is fairly injury prone and we could buy a couple of top class players with £30 Million. 

Who we should look to buy in the Summer:

We are clearly in need of a centre back and I'm sure this is a position Wenger will strengthen in the Summer months. For the past couple of years we have been constantly linked with centre halves and a strong consistent partner for Thomas Vermaelen is exactly what we need. I believe the most likely candidate is Jan Vertonghen of Ajax. Him and Vermaelen have played together for years and are a perfect combination. He would also cost less than £10 million and would provide great competition with Johan Djourou to start alongside Vermaelen. Other likely candidates are Sakho and Cahill. They are two more top defenders but I believe they would both cost more than Vertonghen and they're not any better than Vertonghen. 

As Gel Clichy is likely to leave we are going to need to sign a top quality left back. The obvious answer to me is Leighton Baines of Everton. He has been one of the best players in the Premiership for the past three seasons and is clearly good enough to play at a top four club. He is also a huge attacking threat and would give us another option for free kicks apart from Robin Van Persie. He wont be cheap but in my opinion you need to pay for the top class players and a fee in the region of £10 to £15 Million would represent excellent value for the English left back. 

We are also in need of a top class striker to replace Nicklas Bendtner. There are a number of players we have been linked with over the past couple of months and Karim Benzema is one name we are regularly linked with. He isn't a regular at Madrid and has struggled to settle in alongside the likes of Ronaldo and Ozil. I believe he would be perfect alongside Robin Van Persie and that if we gave Madrid a big offer they would sell the French Striker. After all if we sell Fabregas for £30 million, we will have plenty of money and I think Benzema would be available for a fee in the region of £15 to £20 Million. There are other strikers who we could target especially in the European leagues, but Benzema would be my personal choice. 

I also believe the club could do with a wide man to replace Andrey Arshavin. The stand out candidate for me would be Ashley Young of Aston Villa. He is a proven Premiership performer who could play out wide or up top with Robin Van Persie. We are likely to face tough competition for his signature with United and Tottenham also both interested. As he's only got a year left on his contract, an offer in the region of £10 million would probably be enough, and then it would be a case of convincing the Englishman the Emirates is the place to be next season. 

 I believe all of these are potential signings that we could see happen at the Emirates in the Summer. It would give us a squad with considerably more experience and I'll leave with you the starting XI I'd love to see at the Emirates next season. 

Arsenal 1-0 Manchester United

Arsenal proved what a good side they are with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in a match our young side dominated. It was the youngest XI in the Premier League this season and proved you can win with kids. Ramsey came in for Fabregas completing a very young midfield alongside, Song,Wilshere,Nasri and Walcott. The Arsenal midfield completely dominated the poor Manchester United midfield and this was the basis for the Arsenal victory.

 The major surprise before the game was the absence of Cesc Fabregas from the Arsenal starting XI. It turns out he had picked up a minor injury and as as result Aaron Ramsey came back into the Arsenal XI. He is an extremely talented footballer and if it wasn't for his injury last season he'd be a regular starter for the Arsenal.

 Arsenal started the game very brightly creating a host of chances. Wilshere was unlucky not to score when he pounced on a Vidic mistake but shot just wide of the goal from inside the penalty area. Later on in the first half Theo Walcott put in an excellent cross towards Van Persie which was clearly punched away by Vidic inside the area. Nothing was given but this was as clear a penalty as you're ever going to see. Van Persie was understandably furious and made his feelings clear to the assistant referee who failed to spot the blatant handball.

 Arsenal were in full control of the match going into at half time and the second half began with Arsenal still well and truly in control of the game. United were hardly getting a touch and the Arsenal pressure told on United when Ramsey scored a memorable goal in the 56th minute. Song started the move who played the ball to Ramsey who then played a magnificent one-two with Robin Van Persie before calmly placing his shot into the corner of the United net. The goal must of meant a lot to the youngster who must of feared he wouldn't play again after his horror injury last season at Stoke. We go to Stoke next week and if Aaron plays, the event will surely be on his mind. Arsenal then closed out of the rest of the match with relative ease something we haven't seen all season from the Arsenal.

 This performance showed what we are capable of when we're at our best and hopefully we can play like this far more often next season. If we do we will be in with an excellent chance of silverware. The main positive of the victory however was the fact we did it all without Cesc Fabregas. It may be a sign we could deal with the loss of Fabregas in the future, and Ramsey and Wilshere can clearly fill the void if he does sign for Barcelona this Summer or next Summer.

Arsenal VS Manchester United Match Preview

It is clear now that our title chances are virtually gone but today's game is still a very important game for the club.  Today gives the side the chance to derail Manchester United's title bid and surely that is enough motivation for the side. In a way it can also be seen as a game to show the world what this side is capable of and what we are capable of achieving next season. We once again have a full strength squad apart from Vermaelen and Diaby. Vermaelen played a full 90 minutes for the reserves during the week and it will be a huge boost to the side once he is back. I expect to see him back next weekend competing for a starting place in the heart of the Arsenal defence. Abou Diaby will be a big miss today as this is the type of game where he is normally at his best. For example he put in a great performance against Tottenham but after all Jack Wilshere will be playing instead who I'm sure will put in another superb performance.

 Wocjech Szczesny will continue in goal for the Arsenal and he has been one of the major positives to take from this season. He has solved the goalkeeping problem at Arsenal and I believe he can be the number one for many seasons to come. Bacary Sagna will continue at right back and he has been one of the most reliable members of the side this season. Laurent Koscielny will partner Johan Djourou at the back for Arsenal and they will need to be at their very best. Koscielny proved how good he can be against Barcelona at the Emirates and hopefully he can put in a similar performance this afternoon. Gael Clichy will continue at left back for the Arsenal and he will need to be at his very best to deal with the pace of United's wingers.

Alex Song will partner Jack Wilshere in the heart of the Arsenal midfield and the duo have formed an outstanding partnership this season. This is the chance for them to prove that we don't need to buy another holding midfield player for next season. The captain Cesc Fabregas will play as the attacking midfielder behind Robin Van Persie. It is rare that we have both of them available for a big game and hopefully they will be at their very best today. Theo Walcott and Samir Nasri  will play from the right and left and both have the ability to score goals and create goals.

 Today is a very important game for the side, and hopefully the eleven players Arsene picks can actually play to their full ability. Too often this season they have crumbled under the pressure and threw away victories that we should of got with relative ease. Hopefully today can be a turning point for both the players and the manager and we can have a good end to the season. After all if we lost the next couple of games it may put potential signings off coming to the Arsenal and may encourage the likes of Clichy,Fabregas and Nasri to leave in the Summer. We are capable of victory today and I'm predicting a 2-1 victory for the Gunners.

Bolton 2-1 Arsenal

The photo that sums up today and our season. 

Bolton defeated Arsenal 2-1 at the Reebok Stadium in yet another disappointing match this afternoon. Our title hopes are now well and truly over and we are now in a battle for second place along with Chelski. We are now nine points behind United and with only four games remaining. Therefore it is going to be very difficult to catch United but the players shouldn't give up and they should give their all for the fans even if it is just to finish second. We have four games left and finishing the season on a high is crucial for the team. If we lose a couple more games even more people will turn against Wenger and this is the last thing the side needs. We need to stick behind the manger as he has been a brilliant manager over the years. Despite spending hardly any money we have consistently been in the champions league and have recentely moved to a magnificent stadium. Compare this to Tottenham and Liverpool and it's clear how good a manager Arsene Wenger is.

We started today's game with the exact eleven that defeated Barcelona at the Emirates Stadium. Therefore Jack Wilshere returned to the starting eleven replacing Abou Diaby being the only change from the Tottenham game. This was therefore a very strong starting eleven which should of beaten Bolton comfortably. The only first choice player missing was Vermaelen but we missed him a lot today.

We started the game very brightly with Theo Walcott breaking through the Bolton defence on a couple of occasions. On one occasion he was tackled in the penalty area and the replays showed it was a stone wall penalty, however all we got was a corner. Throughout the rest of the first half we created some chances but we wasted much of the possession we had. Cesc Fabregas was finding gaps inbetween the defence and midfield and was linking up well with Van Persie. Nasri and Theo however were struggling to get on the ball and this was where we were struggling. Bolton were also creating lots of chances however and Lee was very unlucky not to have scored two by the half time whistle.

 A goal did eventually come but it was for Bolton and in all honesty they deserved to be in front. However they should never of been able to score such an easy goal. It was a Daniel Sturridge header from a corner kick. Originally Gary Cahill had a header supposedly cleared off the line. He was being marked by Alex Song but it was the worst attempt at marking a player I've seen in a long time. Gary Cahill simply jogged away as the corner was being taken and Song went away even further. This then meant he was jumping against Clichy and he was always going to win the header. This is once again Arsenal getting the basics wrong. It happens so often and it must simply be a lack of concentration. Wenger and his coaching staff aren't stupid and it must just be that Song lost concentration as many other players have done at crucial stages this season.

Another superb goal from the flying Dutchman. 

The second half began and within the first minute Bolton were awarded a penalty. Djourou got the wrong side of Sturridge and there was contact made between the two. Sturridge clearly made a meal of it however and the ref fell for it. For example Rio Ferdinand's 'tackle' on Anichebe yesterday was a far worse tackle but wasn't even awarded a penalty. However after all it was at Old Trafford. Luckily Arsenal's super keeper Wojciech Szczesny came to the rescue and confidently saved Davies's penalty. It was a weak penalty but was still a good save under immense pressure. If there are positives to be found this season Szczesny is definitely one of them as he looks an amazing keeper already and he looks set to be our number one for many years to come. Shortly after the penalty save Arsenal equalised with a brilliant goal. Van Persie was the scorer and this was his 17th goal in his last 17 games and his tenth consecutive goal in away premier league games. He is in unbelievable form and may just be in with a shout of challenging for the golden boot. He's 6 goals behind Berbatov but he is in the form of his life and I'm sure he is aiming to win the golden boot. Fabregas was involved in the build up for the goal and we once again saw how well the duo can play together. We can only imagine how different our season would of been with them playing together in every game. Shortly afterwards Chamakh came on for Song and we switched to a 4-4-2 formation. We were clearly going for the much needed win and we created plenty of opportunities to grab a vital winner. Samir Nasri was especially wasteful and had two fabulous chances to win us the game. However the goal never came for the Arsenal and once again we were punished by a corner kick. Tamir Cohen scored an unstoppable header late in the second half and it was too late for Arsenal to respond. The game was then over and our title chances were over as well.

 It is difficult to see how we lost the game today. In recent weeks we have been criticised for throwing away our leads, but we never even in front today. It was more a case of being wasteful in the final third and not capitalising on our domination of the game especially in the second half. All that is now left to realistically fight for is finishing second in the league and defeating United at the Emirates. The players should still continue to give their best and the fans need to stay behind the players and more importantly the manager. If you remember back to the beginning of the season, the majority of the media were saying we'd struggle to finish in the top four. They have all been proved very wrong as Wenger has guided us to yet another top four finish. I'm sure he will however spend money in the summer as he is also desperate to bring silverware to the club. He has tried to do this in his own way but it hasn't quite worked out and with a few transfers in the Summer we will once again mount a strong challenge for the title next year.

 Im currently working on a major article about transfers in and out of the club in the Summer and hope to have this live on my blog by the end of tomorrow.

Bolton VS Arsenal Match Preview

Arsenal are making the long trip North to the Reebok stadium to take on Bolton Wanderers tomorrow afternoon. It's yet another must win game but with United winning this afternoon it will now be very difficult for us to win the title.We need to win all five games and hope Chelsea beat United and that United slip up in another couple of games. We shouldn't give up all hope yet but in all honesty finishing second should be our main priority now as Chelsea are now ahead of us by three points. The Bolton game is our game in hand but Chelsea still have a superior goal difference in comparison to the Arsenal.

 Once again Arsene Wenger has pretty much his first choice eleven available for tomorrow apart form Vermaelen. Abou Diaby's injury curse has also struck again and he looks like he will miss the next couple of games. This is frustrating as against Spurs, Abou showed how good he actually is and I'm definite if it wasn't for injuries he would be one of the top midfielders in the league. He is clearly very talented and selling him in the summer would be a huge mistake. Hes twice the player of Denilson and I'd much rather see him leave the club.

 Wocjech Szczesny is set to continue in goal for the Arsenal tomorrow and I'm sure he can build on his great performance against Spurs. Despite conceding three goals he had a superb game and if it was Almunia in goal we would of definitely lost. Bacary Sagna, will be at right back and this season he has proved he is the best right back in the league. Laurent Koscielny will partner Johan Djourou and the central defensive duo will need to be at the top of their games against a physical Bolton side. Gael Clichy will start at left back and has recentely reaffirmed his position as the clubs first choice left back ahead of Kieran Gibbs. 


Alex Song will play alongside Jack Wilshere in the centre of the Arsenal midfield. Song will be the more defensive of the duo and Jack will be expected to push on and join Fabregas further up the pitch when we counter attack. Cesc Fabregas will be playing in his apparent new role behind the striker. According to the magnificent Sky pundit, Ray Wilkins, the Tottenham game was the first time Cesc played in this attacking midfield role. Clearly Ray Wilkins hasn't got a clue as Cesc has been playing there for the past two seasons and surely Sky can do better than Wilkins. I can't stand his commentary and it makes you realise how good Andy Gray actually was. 


Theo Walcott, will start on the right hand side of Arsenal's three man attack and once again his pace could be crucial to us winning the match. He will link up with the central forward Robin Van Persie and Samir Nasri who will start on the left hand side. This is our first choice attack and they should be able to dominate the Bolton defence.


 This will be a tough game for the Arsenal, but I believe we showed a return to form on Wednesday, Samir Nasri especially. If we're going to win the title, Nasri will need to continue scoring and so will Van Persie. At the moment the Flying Dutchman can't stop scoring and has been the best striker in the league since the turn of the year. If these two play well we will win with ease but there's no guarantee they will. However I do believe we have enough to win the match and I'm predicting a 3-1 victory for the Arsenal. 

Tottenham 3-3 Arsenal

Arsenal drew 3-3 with Tottenham in an enthralling Premier League encounter. Arsenal threw away a two goal lead but the players can't be criticised for throwing the result away. They tried their best and all played well but Tottenham scored two great goals and a draw was a fair result in the end.

 Abou Diaby started the game ahead of Jack Wilshere who was in clear need of a rest after the amount of football he has played this season. Diaby also gave us a physical presence in the midfield sitting deep with Alex Song. Bacary Sagna also came into the side replacing Emmanuel Eboue and the defence looks far more solid with Sagna playing instead of the liability which is Emmanuel Eboue.

 Theo Walcott opened the scoring with a Henry style finish and hopefully it is a sign of things to come from the young Englishman. This goal came in the 5th minute and Van Der Vaart responded with an equaliser in only the 7th minute. The game was level again and both sides were clearly giving it their all and all the players knew how important the game was to their respective fans. Samir Nasri scored a great goal from outside of the box and then Robin Van Persie scored a third giving the Arsenal a two goal lead. Arsenal were in a commanding position and were dominating the game. However as an Arsenal fan I still felt nervous and didn't really have any confidence in the side of seeing out the victory. It was always going to happen and Huddlestone clawed back a goal for Spurs just before the half time whistle. It was an unstoppable shot and Szczesny had no chance of saving it.

 At half time Arsenal were still in the lead but you could tell the game wasn't over and more than likely Tottenham were going to score an a equaliser at some point. Tottenham scored in the 70th minute when Szczesny tripped Aaron Lennon and gave away a clear penalty. Van Der Vaart scored his second with ease, and the game was level and entered a tense final 20 minutes. Neither team created a great opportuunity and the match fizzled out into a draw. This was a bad result for both sides but a great result for both the Manchester sides.

All in all we have blew our chance of winning the title. We now need to win our next 5 games and hope other results go our way as well. However the team needs to keep trying thier best and the fans need to stick with the players as well. We still have a slim chance of winning the title and getting behind both the manager and the players is the only way we will win the league.

Tottenham VS Arsenal Match Preview

Arsenal will take the short trip across North London to Shite Harte Lane to take on Tottenham in a crucial premier league match tonight. It is a very important game for both sides, as we are challenging for the title and Tottenham are still in the race for a Champions League spot. Therefore a victory for the Arsenal this evening would have two positive effects for Arsenal fans. One, it would keep us in the title race and two, it would damage Spurs's chances of a top four finish.

 After the disappointment of the Liverpool game we will need to be back at our best and once again Wenger has a pretty much full strength squad at his disposal. Bacary Sagna has returned from injury and should replace Emmanuel Eboue at right back. This is a huge relief as Eboue, would clearly struggle tonight after his shocking mistake at the weekend. He will need a couple of weeks on the bench so the fan's don't start to get on his back again. Szczesny will continue in goal and finally we have a goalkeeper we can rely on for the big occasion. Almunia would simply crumble under the pressure of a derby match that is so important. Joining Sagna in defence will be Djourou, Koscielny and Clichy. This is nearly our full strength defence, as Vermaelen is still not fully fit. He is however back in training and should play a part towards the end of the season. With such a good defence, there can be no excuses for lapses in concentrations like we all witnessed at the weekend and if we are going to win the league they are going to have to be at their very best for the rest of the season.

 Our first choice midfield trio are all available for the game and they are all likely to start the game. This means Alex Song will partner Jack Wilshere and Cesc Fabregas in the centre of the park. Our first choice forward trio is also available and Theo Walcott is likely to partner Robin Van Persie and Samir Nasri up front. There is a case for Chamakh to play but he is more than likely going to be on the bench this evening.

 This is one of the biggest North London derby's for years and so much is at stake. If we win we are back in the title race if we draw or lose it will ultimately be over and we would just be fighting with Chelski for 2nd place. If the players can't be motivated and perform at their best for such an important match they never will and this is time for some of the players to finally step up to the mark. I have every confidence in the side this evening and I believe we will win the fixture 2-1.

Arsenal VS Liverpool Match preview

Arsenal are taking on Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in a very important Premier League fixture. It's a must win game for Arsenal, and if we were to win we would close the gap on Man United to just four points at this crucial stage of the season. This game also marks the return of Andy Carrol to the Emirates, but hopefully he won't be as damaging to our title chances as he was earlier in the season when he came to the Emirates as a Newcastle player. Stopping Carrol and Suarez will be the key to defeating Liverpool later this afternoon and the defence will have to be at their best. For once there has been good news on the injury front for Arsenal with Szczesny, Djourou and Song all likely to return to the starting line up. Having Djourou back is a huge boost for the Arsenal and along with Szczesny and Song, this will be very close to Arsenal's best possible XI.

 Wojciech Szczesny will return in goal today for the Arsenal and is very likely to continue as Arsenal's number one for a very long time. Lehmann was brilliant last weekend but Szczesny is the Arsenal number one and Lehmann may have played his only part of this season already. It was very important he came in and performed well last weekend and this has had a very positive effect on everyone at the club, apart from Manuel Almunia of course.

 Bacary Sagna is a major doubt for this match and Emmanuel Eboue is likely to continue at right back. Johan Djourou is very likely to partner Laurent Koscielny at the heart of the Arsenal defence, with Squillaci dropping to the bench. Gael Clichy will continue at left back for the Arsenal today.

Alex Song has returned from injury and will complete a full strength midfield alongside Jack Wilshere and Cesc Fabregas. Having Fabregas in the Arsenal side makes a huge difference and if he plays like he did last weekend we should win this match quite easily.

Theo Walcott is likely to start on the right wing for Arsenal leaving Andrey Arshavin with a place on the bench. Andrey has been improving recentely but Walcott's pace could be the deciding factor in today's match and he is likely to get the nod ahead of the Russian. Robin Van Persie will lead the Arsenal attacking trio and the Dutchman has been in truly incredible form since then turn of the year. Samir Nasri will start on the left hand side for the Arsenal and can hopefully continue to return to the form he showed in the first half of the season where has was easily the league's best player.

This is going to be a very tough match for Arsenal but if we can keep Suarez and Carrol quiet for the 90 minutes we should win the match. I believe Liverpool will struggle defensively against a full strength Arsenal side including the likes of Fabregas, Walcott and Van Persie. Therefore I'm predicting a 2-1 victory for Arsenal at the Emirates later this afternoon.

Blackpool 1-3 Arsenal: Player Ratings

Jens Lehmann 8/10

Emmanuel Eboue 7/10

Laurent Koscielny 6.5/10

Sebastien Squillaci 7/10

Gael Clichy 7/10

Jack Wilshere 8/10

Cesc Fabregas 8.5/10

Abou Diaby 7.5/10

Robin Van Persie 8.5/10

Andrey Arshavin 6/10

Samir Nasri 7/10

Substitutes

 Kieran Gibbs 6.5/10

Aaron Ramsey 6.5/10

Theo Walcott 7.5/10

Man of the Match: Cesc Fabregas

  The captain was well and truly back at his best and can hopefully continue like this for the rest of the season.

Blackpool 1-3 Arsenal: The Title Race Is Back On

A brilliant game for the German legend.

Arsenal defeated Blackpool 3-1 this afternoon in a brilliant game at Bloomfield Road. The main talking point just before the game was the 'injury' to Manuel Almunia that meant that Jens Lehmann would start his first game since rejoining the club as an emergency loanee. It was only announced about 15 minutes before kick off that Jens would be starting but I have a feeling Wenger knew Jens was going to play a while ago. It just seems far too convenient for Almunia to pick up an injury so close to kick off, you never know maybe Jens was responsible. However I was very pleased Lehmann was starting and I hope he continues to play until Szczesny is back for the team. Arsenal were in control for the majority of the game but Blackpool started both halves brilliantly causing the Arsenal lots of problems. The Arsenal were two goals up at half time through Abou Diaby and Emmanuel Eboue. The second half began with Blackpool on the front foot and Taylor-Fletcher scored in the 52nd minute to make the score 2-1. Robin Van Persie however clinched the victory for the Arsenal with a great goal in the 76th minute. 

The Arsenal players celebrate Diaby's goal.

 The first half began with Blackpool looking the brighter of the two sides at Bloomfield Road where there was a brilliant atmosphere throughout the game. Blackpool had a great early chance from a Charlie Adam corner but Evatt's header went over the bar. This sparked mad Jens into action, as he shouted at his defence to do better, something we haven't seen from an Arsenal keeper for a while. A leader like Lehmann is exactly what the side lacks and Jens was talking with his defence throughout the game trying to keep them organised. In the 18th minute Arsenal broke through the Blackpool defence with ease as Diaby scored the opener. It was a great move started by the magnificent Fabregas who played an excellent pass to Robin Van Persie. The Dutchman crossed for Diaby who scored a simple tap in to put Arsenal one goal ahead. It was a great move but also very poor defending from Blackpool, as Diaby run all the way from the midfield without being tracked by a Blackpool player and then scored a simple tap in. It was also clear that Blackpool's defensive line was way to far up the pitch and the likes of Fabregas and Van Persie were taking advantage of this with ease. It isn't often that the duo start together for the Arsenal but we are a far better side when they do. They link up with each other superbly and if they had started all of our league games together we'd of won the leauge already.  The Arsenal faithful had barely stopped celebrating when Eboue scored an excellent second for Arsenal. The Ivorian defender played a brilliant one two with Jack Wilshere as he run into the box scoring a powerful left footed finish. Arsenal continued to play out the first half in control and in all honesty should have been 4-0 up by the break. Nasri and Van Persie both missed excellent chances and they were nearly made to pay by Blackpool right at the end of the first half.  However Lehmann came to the rescue blocking a DJ Campbell shot on the line before Fabregas cleared the ball away from Arsenal's goal. It capped off a brilliant half for the Spaniard who showed true leadership qualities throughout and looked to be at his very best. 


Blackpool were clearly fired up for the second half and started it very brightly. I daresay Ian Holloway had a few words with his players at half time and they were the better side at the start of the half. In the 52nd minute Taylor-Fletcher scored an easy tap in to make the score 2-1. Arsenal were hit on the counter by Blackpool and the move started with Wilshere fouling Luke Varney in the centre of the pitch but Blackpool had the advantage and the move continued. Jason Puncheon played in DJ Campbell who was taken out by Jens Lehmann but they had the advantage again and Taylor-Fletcher scored for Blackpool. Lehmann was lucky Blackpool scored because if they hadn't he would have been sent off and Robin Van Persie would have had to take over in the Arsenal goal. According to Lehmann, the Dutchman isn't bad and it made me wonder why he hasn't been playing in goal instead of the useless Almunia. Blackpool were inspired by their first goal and poured forward. They were denied a clear penalty by the referee after Koscielny fouled Taylor-Fletcher. Arsenal were under immense pressure and Squillaci and Koscielny were clearly struggling. Blackpool however didn't manage to score mainly due to the superb performance from Jens Lehmann. Eboue was caught out on a number of occasions and he proved how he is nowhere near as good as Bacary Sagna defensively.  Robin Van Persie clinched the victory for Arsenal in the 76th minute. Theo Walcott had came on as a substitute for Andrey Arshavin and had used his pace to pin back the Blackpool defence. The move for Arsenal's third goal was started by a superb tackle from Sebastien Squillaci. Diaby then picked up the ball, and played a great pass to Fabregas who flicked the ball on superbly for Theo Walcott. He used has pace to great effect and crossed brilliantly for Robin Van Persie to score the winner. The Dutchman is in incredible form and as Arsenal fans we can only imagine how different our season would have been if he had stayed injury free for all of it. He is a world class striker and having him and Fabregas fit and firing at this key stage of the season is vital to our title challenge. 


 All in all this was a vital victory for the Gunners. We didn't play superbly but we managed to grind out a result as Manchester United have been doing for the majority of the season. This is a key aspect to a title winning side and something we will need to show for the rest of the season if we are to win the league. If this turns out to be Lehmann's only game of the season he will have made a huge difference and can be very proud of his contribution. He was excellent today and if Szczesny isn't back for the Liverpool game I hope Wenger sticks with the crazy German. We are back in the title race now but will need to pretty much win all of our games to win the title. It's unlikely we will but I feel we are in with a great chance especially if Fabregas and Van Persie continue to play like they did today. It also looks like Cesc is set to stay next season after saying on Twitter that "300 games for Arsenal today with a very important victory. I look back and i see so many great things. But i look at the future and i see...Even greater things. Thank you very much for making me feel so special all those years. Now i want more. Let's fight untill the end!". 

 In other news Arsenal are set to be taken over by Stan Kroenke and I will be writing about the takeover in my blog soon. 

Blackpool VS Arsenal Match Preview

Arsenal face Blackpool on Sunday in a very important game for both sides. This is a must win game for the Arsenal, and against an attacking Blackpool side we should be able to win comfortably like we did at the Emirates back in August. We scored 6 against Blackpool at the Emirates but I’m not expecting such a comprehensive result this time. It will be a tough game but we have to win to keep alive our slim chance in the title race. After all we are seven points behind but if we win our game in hand and beat United the gap will be reduced to just a single point.

  As is typical for the Arsenal we have three new injury problems with Bacary Sagna, Alex Song and Theo Walcott all major doubts for Sunday’s match. In other injury news Denilson and Ramsey are very likely to miss out as well as our other long term absentees including Szczesny and Djourou.

Last weekend against Blackburn the team never got out of first gear and we failed to defeat a Blackburn side we are very capable of beating. It is bound to have had a negative effect on the side but the players need to bounce back and if they play close to their best we will beat Blackpool on Sunday.  There were some promising signs last weekend with Andrey Arshavin especially appearing to be returning to the form we all know he is capable of. He shouldn’t have been substituted as he was one of our best players against Blackburn.

 Wenger has confirmed in his press conference today that he will stick with Manuel Almunia in goal. This is a brave decision by Arsene and one that could very easily backfire.  The Spaniard clearly has no confidence and against an attacking Blackpool side he could be found out once again. It is clear he has the talent to be a top class goalkeeper but as an Arsenal fan every time the ball gets near him you fear the worst.  Hopefully Manuel can perform to his best ability at the weekend.

Bacary Sagna has today been confirmed as doubtful for the match, but Koscielny, Squillaci and Clichy will make up the rest of the back four. Arsenal’s forgotten defender Emmanuel Eboue will start at right back if Sagna doesn’t pass his late fitness test.  Cesc Fabregas has been confirmed as fit to start the game and will hopefully be joined by Alex Song and Jack Wilshere. Song however has a knee problem and is facing a late fitness test. If he isn’t fit Abou Diaby will be his likely replacement alongside Wilshere in the heart of the Arsenal midfield.

 Theo Walcott is a doubt for the game and Andrey Arshavin is likely to start on the right hand side in his absence. Robin Van Persie will start through the middle and Samir Nasri will start on the left of Arsenal’s forward trio. Bendtner and Chamakh will both feel hard done by as they’ve hardly got a game recently but Van Persie is in red hot form and is the key to us challenging for the title.

 Sunday’s game is by no means going to be a walkover but the Arsenal faithful should be confident of victory. Blackpool have been struggling recently and are well and truly in a relegation battle. They won’t be expecting to win on Sunday but due to their attacking philosophy they will still attack and this could play into Arsenal’s hands. They will leave plenty of space in the midfield for the likes of Fabregas to exploit. I’m predicting a 3-1 victory for the Arsenal that would keep us in with a chance of winning the title.

Arsenal 0-0 Blackburn Rovers Player Ratings

Arsenal failed to beat Blackburn at the weekend and many of the players were far from their best. If the players continue to play like this we will never win the league but if they can get back to their best we may still have a chance of winning the Premiership.

Manuel Almunia 5/10
Despite keeping a clean sheet he looked incredibly nervous and made a couple of mistakes that nearly lost us the match.

Bacary Sagna 7/10
A good display from the reliable right back. Crossed the ball well on a number of occasions

Laurent Koscielny 7/10
A solid performance from the French Centre-Half.

Sebastien Squillaci 7/10
An improved performance from the Frenchman

Gael Clichy 6/10
Played well but got caught out on a number of occasions

Alex Song 7.5/10
An energetic display from the midfielder. Attacked and defended well, one of our better players on the day.

Jack Wilshere 7/10
A good performance from the Englishman but didn't have the spark to drive the team forward.

Samir Nasri 7/10
Played well and did well to carry on after a nasty head injury.

Theo Walcott 6.5/10
Got forward well but lacked the final pass.

Robin Van Persie 6.5/10
A good threat but wasted many chances.

Andrey Arshavin 7.5/10
Worked hard throughout the game and didn't deserve to be substituted.

Substitutes 
Marouane Chamakh 6/10
Missed a golden opportunity at the end.

Cesc Fabregas 5.5/10
Had very little impact on the game.

Nicklas Bendtner 6/10
Also failed to make an impact but had a couple of good chances to win the game.

Man of the match: Alex Song
Nobody really deserves the MOTM award but Song put in a good performance and seemed to actually care about the result unlike some of the players.

Arsenal 0-0 Blackburn Rovers: Two valuable points dropped at the Emirates

A memorable tribute for Rocky before the game.

I'm not going to write in detail about the match itself today. This is because no matter how disappointing yesterday's result was there was no need to boo the side at the end and now some so called 'fans' are organising a 'Wenger Out' Protest when we take on Fulham at Craven Cottage. Some fans seem to believe that Wenger needs to be sacked but I couldn't disagree more. What Arsene has done for this historic club is outstanding, without hardly spending any money we are going to finish in the top two above the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea. At the beginning of the season 99% of Arsenal fans would have taken where we are straight away but now it's apparently not good enough. I agree that it's now unlikely we will win the league but 2nd would still be a great achievement and there is no way at all Arsene should be sacked in the summer.

Now to briefly talk about the 90 minutes of football that were played out at the Emirates yesterday. Arsenal drew 0-0 with Blackburn yesterday in an uninspiring display at the Emirates Stadium. This is clearly a huge blow to our titles chances as the title is no longer in our hands and even winning our next 8 games wouldn't guarantee us the title. The team created plenty of chances but failed to take a single chance and as a result Manchester United extended their lead at the top to seven points. Manuel Almunia continued in goal and Theo Walcott started for the first time since he was injured. The side also contained Nasri,Arshavin and Van Persie but we couldn't score a goal against Blackburn who have a very poor defensive record. At points in the game some of the players didn't seem to care if we scored or not and didn't seem to understand how important a trophy would be to the fans who have gone without a trophy for 6 years.

Andrey actually tried his best against Blackburn.

The first half began with Arsenal in control and creating quite a lot of chances. Theo Walcott had an early chance as did Alex Song but Paul Robinson was in top form and Arsenal were very wasteful. Samir Nasri also nearly scored a header and picked up a nasty head injury as a result. I was very impressed with how Samir carried on for the rest of the game, showing that he is a player who actually cares about the future of the Arsenal. He tried his best and this is what we need to see more of from the Arsenal players. Later in the first half Almunia was back to his best spilling an Olsson shot nearly into his own goal. Due to Manuel again Nzonzi nearly scored a header but it narrowly missed. Jack Wilshere also missed an easy chance which he would normally score with ease but unlike some of the other players he had a good game and was putting in a 110% for the side. Later on in the second half Fabregas,Chamakh and Bendtner all came on from the bench. Bendtner especially had a couple of chances but he wasted one and one was cleared off the line. Van Persie also had a great late chance but his header missed the goal.

 Therefore Manchester United now hold the upper hand in the title race and should now go on to win the Title. Arsenal aren't completely out of the title race and if we win our next 8 games we would have a great chance of winning the league. However if some of the fans continue to boo the team and organise protest marches against Arsene Wenger we will struggle to win any of the next 8 games and that is why everyone needs to get behind the team. If some of these so called fans continue to boo the side, it's not going to inspire them to try any harder is it? If everyone can get behind the Arsenal we still have a chance of winning the league and ending the 6 year trophy drought.

Arsenal VS Blackburn Rovers Match Preview

Arsenal are taking on Blackburn in a key game at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow evening. It is a very important fixture and one the side need to win to stay in the title race. For the first time in a while we have good news on the injury front with Song,Fabregas,Diaby and Walcott all returning from injury for the fixture. Robin Van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner are also both expected to be fit for the game. This gives us a full strength midfield and attack and I can't remember the last time this happened for the Arsenal. Unfortunately Szczesny,Djourou and Vermaelen are still out due to injury and as a result Almunia and Squillaci will be starting the game. Neither are loved by the Arsenal faithful but the fans need to get behind them and hope they can play at their best for the rest of the season. The XI Wenger picks for the game should be good enough to beat a struggling Blackburn side and if some of the players can't give their best at this stage of the season they simply shouldn't be at the club. We are in a great position with the majority of our key players fit and if we win our next 9 games we will win the league, it's that simple... I'm now going to look at the starting XI I believe Wenger will pick for the game tomorrow.

Goalkeeper
 Manuel Almunia will be starting in goal. I would have personally picked Lehmann no matter how bad he was for the reserves as Manuel has had too many chances and I can see him losing us the title.  However it looks like he is going to play for the rest of the season and he will need the fans behind him every step of the way.

Right Back
 Bacary Sagna will continue at right back and is a very reliable member of the Arsenal backline.

Centre Back's
Laurent Koscielny will partner Sebastien Squillaci at the back for Arsenal. They haven't formed a strong partnership so far this season but they will need to if we are going to win the league.

Left Back
Gael Clichy will start again at left back and hopefully can continue playing as he has been recentely.

Holding Midfield
Alex Song has returned from injury and I can guarantee he will hold the midfield together unlike Denilson in recent games.

Central Midfield
Jack Wilshere will get the nod ahead of Abou Diaby in the Arsenal midfield. He has been in excellent form and along with Song and Fabregas he completes our first choice midfield. I can't see Jack playing for more than 60 minutes though as he featured in both of England's games as well.

Attacking Midfield
The Captain Cesc Fabregas will return from injury and this is a huge boost for the Arsenal.

Right Wing
Theo Walcott will also return from injury to add much needed pace to the Arsenal front line. Arshavin may start as Theo's only just back from injury but I'm sure Theo will get the nod to start if he is fully fit.

Striker
Robin Van Persie faces a late fitness test but going by Wenger's interview the flying Dutchman is likely to be fit for the game. If not Chamakh will start and Robin will feature from the bench.

Left Wing
Samir Nasri will start on the left for the Arsenal and completes our first choice attacking trio.

This will not be an easy game for the Arsenal as the pressure is now well and truly on. However this is a very strong Arsenal XI and one which should be capable of beating Blackburn especially at the Emirates. Therefore I'm predicting a 3-1 victory for the Gunners.

Do Denilson and Diaby have a future at Arsenal?

The two central midfielders have been threatening to break through at the Arsenal for a number of seasons now, but neither has become a regular player for the side. Denilson joined Arsenal in the Summer of 2006 and is now 23, whilst Abou Diaby joined at the beginning of 2006 and is now 24. Denilson has captained Brazil up to the under 19 level but is still to make his debut for the national side despite being called up to the squad back in March 2007. Diaby is a regular for the French national side and has made 12 appearances since 2007. Despite the duo making many appearances for the Arsenal they have never been in Arsene's first choice XI and have mainly played due to injuries to key players. Jack Wilshere has also leaped above them in the pecking order this season and Denilson especially has struggled to get a game due to the emergence of Wilshere.

 Denilson has been at the club for a while now and has started 120 games in all competitions. He has never been out for long periods due to injury and made his most appearances in the 2008-2009 season when Flamini and Gilberto Silva had both left the Arsenal midfield. He impressed throughout the season and started 36 out of 38 Premier League games. However the season after Arsene switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation and Denilson has suffered as a result. Denilson works best in a two man midfield and doesn't have the physical side to his game that Alex Song has which is required to play the defensive role. As a result he only started 19 games in the league last season and has only started 6 this season. Denilson is clearly a talented player but sometimes appears to lack the effort that is needed at the top level. He doesn't appear to have a role in the side apart from a back-up midfielder and has been strongly criticised by the fans for his recent poor performances. Many fans would say Aaron Ramsey is also a better player than Denilson and when we have no injuries I believe Denilson would struggle to make the Arsenal bench regularly. I can see the Brazilian moving on in the Summer due to the lack of a regular place in the side and there are players coming through such as Lansbury who will need to play in the future. A player like Denilson is more suited to a Spanish or Italian style of football and I believe he will continue to have a successful career in one of these two countries. We should be able to get around £8 Million for the Brazilian which would represent a huge profit, which would obviously please Mr.Wenger.

 Abou Diaby has also been at the club for a number of seasons now and has started 117 games in all competitions since arriving. He is a different type of player to Denilson and contributes to the side both in defence and attack. However he is in a similar position to Denilson in that he hasn't tied down a starting place in the side but this is mainly down to the terrible luck Abou has had with injuries over the last couple of seasons. The most starts he has made in the league was 26 last season and he has only made 9 so far this season. To me Abou appears to be a better player than Denilson and I'm sure if it wasn't for bad luck with injuries Abou would be a regular starter for the Gunners. He does fit into Arsenal's 4-2-3-1 system and can play in any of the central midfield roles to good effect. I am a big fan of Diaby being played as the attacking midfielder and he adds a real physical presence to the Arsenal side. He links up well with the main striker but we have a certain Cesc Fabregas who also likes to play in this position. Diaby is clearly never going to play ahead of Fabregas but I do see a future for him at the Arsenal. He is a very versatile player who always looks to be putting in his best for the side unlike Denilson. I can't ever see Abou Diaby becoming a first choice player but he adds a valuable option to the side and Arsene Wenger should hang on to the talented Frenchman. Many Arsenal fans regularly criticise Diaby but I believe he really adds something to the side and  I don't think he receives enough praise for some of his performances in an Arsenal shirt and I'm sure Diaby well develop into the player we all thought he would become when he first played for the Arsenal.

Why Arsenal should sign Scott Parker in the Summer

The future for Arsenal?

 Scott Parker has been brilliant this season for West Ham and has been an inspirational leader for the Hammers. Scott Parker also featured at the weekend for England and put in an impressive performance. He was playing alongside a certain Jack Wilshere and the duo appeared to be made to play with each other and I feel the two of them could compliment each others games for the Arsenal in the future.

 There are many qualities that Scott Parker would bring to the Arsenal side. He is a complete midfielder with huge experience and would be the natural leader the team appears to lack at times. He works hard all the time and when you have the likes of Arshavin in your side you need players like Scott Parker. He is also quite defensively minded whereas the majority of Arsenal's midfielders aren't which would be another valuable aspect of his play for Arsenal.

I can see maybe both Denilson and Diaby leaving Arsenal in the Summer and they will need replacing. Henry Lansbury will be returning from Norwich where he has been outstanding this summer and Aaron Ramsey will also be back to his best by next season. If Arsenal signed Parker we would have maybe the best midfield in the league, Song,Wilshere,Fabregas,Parker,Nasri,Ramsey and Lansbury. This would also be a good mix of experience and youth and if Fabregas did go home in the Summer things wouldn't be so bad after all.

Is Scott Parker the leader Arsenal lack?

 I believe there is a strong chance of Wenger signing the Englishman in the summer. After all West Ham are well and truly in a relegation battle and however much Parker loves West Ham I'm sure he'd rather play in the Premiership. Parker would also be available for under £10 million, which could also tempt Wenger into a deal for the midfield player. Signing Parker would also add to the English players at Arsenal, of which there are now more and more each season. Walcott and Wilshere are both regulars, and Kieran Gibbs and Henry Lansbury are both future England players. Throw into the mix Scott Parker and nobody could complain that Arsenal don't have English players anymore.

Should Jack Wilshere play for the England Under 21's in the Summer?

England are playing in the Under-21 European Championships in the Summer and The FA looks set to be on a collision course with Arsene Wenger over whether young Jack Wilshere should feature in the tournament. Both the FA and Jack Wilshere are keen on the idea however in contrast Wenger believes Jack should rest for the Summer due to his young age and that he shouldn't play for the under 21's when he is now a regular in the full England side.  

 Wilshere is only 19 and has only just become a regular in the Arsenal side this season. He will therefore be completing his first season and he is going to need a rest in the summer to be ready for the next season. He has done amazingly well so far this season to stay injury free and Arsenal need more players like the young Englishman. It is clear as to why Stuart Pearce wants the Arsenal star in his team. This is because Jack is far far above the under 21 level and would be a potential tournament winning player for England.

 Jack himself also wants to play at the tournament, as would any youngster who has the chance of winning an international tournament for his country. However it would after all only be an under 21 competition and surely Jack should wait and help lead the full side to glory in Euro 2012 instead. He is already a regular in the full England side and will be a very important player by next Summer.

 Therefore I believe it is in Arsenal's and Jack's best interests for him not to play at the Under-21 tournament this Summer. After all he is only 19 and can't play football constantly from August 2010 to August 2012. He needs a break this Summer to prolong his career and to avoid picking up injuries due to playing too much football. He has the footballing world at his feet and he should wait until Euro 2012 before trying to lead his country to glory. 

Why Marouane Chamakh will be a very important player for the rest of the season

Can he return to his best?

 Marouane Chamakh came over from the French league in the summer and made an instant impact at the Arsenal. Due to injuries he had to lead the line for pretty much the first half of the season and did brilliantly in Robin Van Persie's absence. He appeared to be the missing link for Arsenal, and was in many fans opinions a good version of Nicklas Bendtner. He was scoring and making goals for fun but since the turn of the year his form has dropped dramatically and due to Van Persie being fully fit he has been on the bench for most of our vital games. I do however believe that he will be an important player for the rest of the season. In some games Wenger is likely to adopt a 4-4-2 formation where he would play alongside Van Persie and there is also no chance of Van Persie playing every single game, therefore leaving Chamakh to lead the attack.

 There are many qualities Marouane brings to the Arsenal side but the main one has to be his physical presence. This is something Van Persie doesn't have and Chamakh would be the perfect player to play at places like Stoke where we will need to play a more physical style of football. He is a great header of the ball, and in all honesty the only one in our side that can score good headed goals regularly.

 It is clear he isn't in great form at the moment but he has been starting to show signs of improvement in recent weeks. If we are going to win the league we need to him to play like he did at the start of the season and I'm sure he is capable of getting back to his best in the coming weeks. If he does it gives Arsene another valuable asset in attack and one that is very different from our other attackers which could be crucial at this stage of the season.

Will Johan Djourou and Wojciech Szczesny return in time to save Arsenal's season?

The Duo could save our season.

Johan Djourou and Wojciech Szczesny have been in great form this season and had both been very important up until they recentely got injured.  They are both very confident players who bring some much needed 'steel' to our 'shaky' defence. Wojciech Szczesny picked up his injury against Barcelona at the Nou Camp and it was originally feared he would miss the rest of the season. He injured his finger but he is now in contention to play again this season around the time of the crucial visit of United to the Emirates. Johan Djourou picked up a shoulder injury during the defeat at Old Trafford and he was also supposedly out for the season. However he also looks set to be back in training within a month which would be another huge boost to our title chances.

 Firstly there are many qualities that the young Polish keeper Wojciech Szczesny brings to the Arsenal side. He is an extremely confident player. He isn't however like Bendtner who Wojciech described as 'arrogant' whilst describing himself as 'confident'. He believes in his own ability and has reason to do so unlike Bendtner. He is also a commanding goalkeeper and the Arsenal defence clearly have more confidence in him than Manuel Almunia... Throughout this season he has established himself firmly as Arsenal's number one and until he was injured the goalkeeping problem had been solved. Recentely Almunia has taken over and it is clear to everyone how that has had a terrible impact on our season. If Szczesny returns soon I'm sure he would take over the gloves from either Almunia or Lehmann and he would help the side to win the Premier League.

Johan Djourou is another player who no one would have expected to have been as important as he is at the beginning of the season. Along with Szczesny he wasn't a first team regular but over the course of the season they've both become first choice players for the Arsenal. He has formed a great partnership with the Frenchman Laurent Koscielny and the side looks far better with Djourou playing instead of Sebastien Squillaci. He is a strong and imposing defender who has great aerial ability. He is great defending from set pieces and we clearly needed him at the weekend when West Brom scored easily from a corner. I'm sure Djourou and Szczesny would of dealt with the West Brom corner and if they had been playing we would have won the match.

 Therefore if the duo do return in time it will be a huge boost for the side's title chances and I believe we need them back as soon as possible. Cesc,Theo and Alex are also all expected to be fit for the side's next match against Blackburn and this will also be a huge boost for the squad. If we have all five of these players fit and firing for the final part of the season I'm sure we will be able to win the Premier League and end the trophy drought at the Arsenal.

Can Arsenal afford to let Gael Clichy leave in the summer?

In recent months Gael Clichy has been persistently linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium. He has been our first choice left back since Cashley Cole signed for Chelski and has been a consistent performer. However last season wasn't his best and he hasn't been excellent this season. There are many rumors that he isn't going to extend his contract and that Wenger is willing to let him go in the summer rather than leaving for free at the end of next season. I believe Wenger should do everything he can to keep the Frenchman at the club. He is reliable and after all he is still only 25. You would therefore expect his best years to be ahead of him and I'm not sure if Kieran Gibbs is ready to be a first team regular just yet.

 Gael has made 224 starts for the Arsenal and is the only member of the Invincibles who has stayed at the club since the magnificent achievement. Therefore he is Arsenal through and through and is an important member of the squad. Even though he hasn't been excellent recentely there aren't many better left backs in Europe than Clichy. I'm sure Wenger will try to extend Clichy's contract but the Frenchman may decide to stay for next season and then leave on a free. There is nothing Wenger could do about this apart from a huge wage rise, but this isn't Wenger's policy and I'm sure Gael won't be offered any more than the likes of Vermaelen and Sagna. If Gael did decide to leave he would most likely go to an Italian or Spanish side and I simply can't see him signing for Tottenham as some newspapers have been suggesting recentely. He has been at the club too long to go to our arch rivals and there is no way Wenger would sell him to Spurs.

 Therefore if he does leave young Kieran Gibbs would probably be promoted by Wenger to be our first choice left back. At the moment I'm not sure if he is good enough but by the start of the 2012/13 season I'm confident he would be at the required level to start regularly for the Arsenal. The start of next season would be too soon, and that's why I believe we shouldn't sell Clichy, just for the sake of not getting anything for him the season after if he left on a free. Realistically we wouldn't get more than £7 Million for Clichy at the moment and therefore we should try and keep hold of him so Gibbs isn't promoted too early in his career. There also aren't many players we could sign to replace Clichy that would be significantly better than Gibbs. Hopefully Clichy will agree a contract extension but if not we have a ready made replacement in Kieran Gibbs.