Have Arsenal Finally Solved Haunting Troubles?

Arsenal are unfortunately reminded frequently of their failure to grasp hold of a trophy for over seven years, with opposition fans often gleefully referring to the drought in debates with Arsenal supporters. A quick glance down the halls of the Emirates will be all the evidence required to confirm the disappointment of recent years, with the trophy cabinet untouched since the FA Cup victory against Manchester United in 2005.

A look beyond just the halls of the Emirates and deeper into the issue, and it is clear that one of the main reasons for this continuing struggle which leaves Arsenal fans crunching distastefully into the familiar bitter pill of failure is defensive inconsistencies and calamities.

Arsenal have conceded the most goals inside the top four of the Premier League in every single season  for the past six years. Over those six seasons, they have conceded a total of 236 goals - a stark contrast to the most successful team throughout those six years, Manchester United who conceded just 171. As a result, over those six seasons, Arsenal averaged a 'goals against' total of 39.5 in comparison to United's 28.5.

Three games into the new season however, and things look strikingly different. It may be early days in this season but Arsenal currently hold the honour of being the only professional side in English football yet to concede a goal. As we have been comparing Arsenal with United, it is only fair to mention that in those three opening games, United have conceded 5 goals with their defence looking very shaky in the absence of key defenders.

Could this very welcome show of defensive solidity be down to Steve Bould? The former Stoke and Arsenal defender was promoted from his position as Head Youth Team Coach at Arsenal to Arsene Wenger's assistant manager before the start of the season as a result of Pat Rice's retirement. Known for his "dominant, uncompromising performances" as a player in a career spanning 20 years, the hope had no doubt been that he could pass on his knowledge and know-how in defensive situations to the Arsenal players.

It seems to have worked so far with a defence which looks stronger and more resilient, and players who have someone to organise them and teach them what they need to know about the art of defending. Arsenal's young defender Carl Jenkinson noted Bould's positive impact after their first win of the season against Liverpool. He said:

"Steve [Bould] has come in and he's been there and done it. He's always there giving us advice and tips, and we've had a long pre-season to work together and get our shape right. If you look at our midfield, the midfield three, and the wingers, they were outstanding in their defensive duties. It wasn't just a back five, the whole team defended brilliantly and I think that's what's making the difference at the moment."

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, another Arsenal youngster, has also been impressed with Bould's work with the team: "Steve's come in and filled the spot really well. He's got respect from the lads as a good defender for Arsenal, and a good personality. He's stamped his mark on the whole team. At Arsenal we have a lot of the ball and we get carried away when teams sit in, and we are easily countered, but we've nailed that down this season. The flair play is in our DNA but Steve has come in and everybody's bought into it."

The Arsenal back-line experienced no personnel change over the summer, so clearly the opening three games' clean-sheets have been down to improved understanding of defensive duties - not just in the back line but the whole team.

If this form can be continued and the sides new attacking players can step up the goals in order to appease the departure of last seasons goal machine, Robin van Persie, Arsenal may finally be able to look at their trophy cabinet with pride once again thanks to crucial defensive discipline, understanding and balance.

Such a display will bring fond memories back to the 2003/04 season in which Arsenal were crowned not just Champions of England and not just the undefeated Champions, but undefeated Champions who conceded the least amount of goals out of every team in the League.

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Another Worrying Reminder for Man United

Few people have the power of bringing someone or something back from the dead. Some in fact may say no such person has a power so fancifully preposterous. Unexpectedly however, football seems increasingly experienced in this field, with the frightful Fabrice Muamba incident last season proving resurrection is to some degree a possibility, and last weekend another remarkable revival occurred because of a certain sorcerer who can be found at Old Trafford.

Manchester United had been chasing shadows at St Mary's against Southampton on Sunday, finding themselves behind and according to Sir Alex Ferguson "well out of it". There was little purpose to the United midfield during the game, with few chances created which were dangerous enough for Ferguson's side to overcome being behind to a newly promoted side with a swiftly decreasing amount of time to do anything about it.

Out of it and staring down the barrel of a second defeat in just three League games, United needed a miracle to get out of this predicament; a predicament experienced many many times before at the famously diligent club.

Who better then, than a man often described as the "ginger magician" to leap from the bench and perform his princely footballing genius; Paul Scholes. The midfield influence was unleashed on Southampton and within minutes the game had changed in completely the right direction for the away side. Suddenly, United were probing, had direction, intent and a clear destination. They soon also had a goal. And then another.

For the goalscorer, the hat-trick hero, the £24 million top scorer, Robin van Persie, there was only one man to thank for the last minute rejuvenation: "I have to say 'Thank you' to Paul Scholes. When he came on, everything was ticking. Every single pass he hit was the right one. He hit a couple of unbelievable 30-40 yard passes. With him, you are always on your toes because anything can happen. He was my man of the match."

Ferguson echoed Van Persie's comments: "when Paul Scholes came on the pitch he changed the game completely," and although United got away with a very average performance this time due to an in form striker and especially the catalyst that was Scholes, it is yet another reminder that a replacement to the 37 year-old United midfielder is yet to be realized, and remains a worry for United.

Sir Alex Ferguson performed a little bit of his own resurrection powers last season when he persuaded Scholes out of retirement, and the desperate persuasion was because United missed him and needed him so much. Such a reliance is becoming increasingly problematic. Ferguson has his talisman for this season once again, but what of the midfield after that? United cannot afford to lose their edge when Chelsea, City and others continue to add the sharpest of players to their sides.

United may have the replacement already at the club. Cleverley may yet prove to be just what is needed for the future, with others in the reserves perhaps stepping up into the midfield in future seasons. With the presence now of Van Persie up front, it wouldn't hurt trying Wayne Roonyin Scholes's role in the middle, but perhaps we are setting ourselves up for a fall. Replacing the irreplaceable will never be an easy or simple task.

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Liverpool's Dangerous Addiction

This summer, the 20 football clubs occupying the English Premier League spent close to £500 million on new players in preparation for the challenging year ahead. It is an astonishing total which defines the ambition, expectation and demanding requirements which run through the veins of modern football as clubs continuously strive to succeed. The summer is therefore a crucial time for improving squads by all means necessary.

Liverpool seem not to have grasped the concept of the transfer window however. Important players from last season were poured out of the club with no refill being offered by those in charge at the Merseyside club, who refused to turn the transfer tap on as clubs around them were to reek the benefits of the flowing rush of players coming in.

Integral squad players such as the versatile and energetic presences of Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy in forward positions were let go, as was the improved Maxi Rodriguez and Andy Carroll, yet only Fabio Borini has come in to atone for those departures. Midfield players Charlie Adam and Aquilani who, although considered disappointing signings for the club (a strong theme throughout recent years) were sold with only Swansea's Joe Allen coming in to replace them.

Liverpool have now entered the new season with only two forwards, one of which is a young Chelsea reject with very little Premier League experience, the other who is a misfiring, unpopular Uruguayan who although very dangerous, finds it difficult to find the net on a regular basis.

The midfield is hardly bursting with quality or depth. Gerrard is a constant at Liverpool and now has an impressively promising Joe Allen to play with as well as the increasingly important figure of Lucas Leiva and the intrigue of Nuri Sahin who is on loan at Anfield from Real Madrid for the season. However, Jordan Henderson has been ineffective especially considering the price paid for him and Joe Cole is constantly injured and has failed to impress at Liverpool so far.

Stewart Downing is another of Liverpool's failed adventures in the transfer window, with the £20 million spared for the 28 year-old who contributed no league goals or assists in 36 League games last season a disastrous waste of money. The enthusiastic panache of Raheem Sterling is a rare positive in Liverpool's wild sea of very average players.

Transfer dealings have been a problem for a while now at Anfield, and I believe it is the reason for Liverpool's disappointing record in the League. A brief look at incoming players each season, and you will notice that there are far too many players who are and have been distinctly average. The recent signings of Carroll, Henderson, Downing and Adam who have all so far been frustratingly dissatisfying considering their prices have only highlighted the poor transfer dealings of recent years.

Other flailing "flops" of previous years who did not live up to expectations include Joe Cole, Christian Poulsen, Paul Konchesky, Alberto Aquilani, David N'Gog, Robbie Keane, Ryan Babel, Milan Jovanović, Albert Reira, Andrei Voronin, Sotirios Kyrgiakos, Mark González and Fernando Morientes. These players considered regrettable additions cost Liverpool over £150 million in transfer fees.

It is a terrible record of frustratingly poor signings, a number of which cost the club significant sums of money, with Liverpool often overpaying. What is even more disconcerting is that these poor additions to the squad have not been from one manager alone, but from many managers across a considerable period of time and as a result has led to minimal success.

Looking at these players it is understandable why Liverpool have been so bad in the League for so long - they have been pumping themselves with painfully average players for so long, leading to their worst points total for 20 years last season finishing eight with only 52 points.

As clubs around them have improved or stayed consistently strong due to shrewd moves, clever, professional scouting and the avoidance of panicky, knee-jerk reactions to hindering departures, Liverpool have been continuously purchasing players who fail to improve the squad, who offer false hope and add a whole lot of embittered disappointment which led to the sacking of the previously un-sackable club legend Kenny Dalglish last season.

Brendan Rodgers has a very tough battle ahead of him to fight this dangerous addiction of the decidedly average and lift the club to its former glory days of European dominance. If Liverpool fans are to wish for anything, it must surely be that Rodger's signings this summer and in future windows will not be as awful as what has been brought in before. If Liverpool are to move forward, their transfer dealings must drastically improve - as well as of course, the teams on-field performances.

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Walcott rejects Arsenal Deal - Sale Imminent

Theo Walcott has rejected the offer of a new contract from Arsenal, leaving the London club open to the sale of the 23 year-old Englishman in the final few days of the summer transfer window.

Walcott and his representatives reportedly informed Arsenal over the week-end that he has declined the lucrative extension to his current Arsenal contract which expires next summer. Talks continued today, however the refusal to sign on with Arsenal immediately suggests a hesitation over his future with the club, with questions over the direction Wenger's side is heading.

The sales of Robin van Persie and Alex Song this summer and the previous bitter waves of goodbye afforded to Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri the previous summer have clearly left Walcott questioning the ambition of Wenger. The start to the season has done little to quell worries over significant departures from the team, with a goal in the League yet to be achieved by Arsenal's new look front line.

While Wenger has added to the squad with the signings of Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla - all impressively talented players in their own right, costing the club almost £40 million - it is understandable for current players to feel worried about the future of their club, especially as top teams around them add to their squad without sacrificing their best players in order to do so.

Clubs interested in Walcott include Liverpool and Chelsea, with Arsenal hoping to bring in at least £15 million from the sale of the youngster who they purchased from Southampton in 2006 for a fee which eventually rose to £12 million.

Walcott has hit his best form so far with Arsenal over the past two years, reaching an all-time high of 13 assists last season, improving on the 11 he managed the season before. His contribution to the attacking force of Arsenal has been far more significant in recent years, showcasing the improvement in his football well, but inconsistency does remain a factor, with crosses still yet to be perfected and decision making still in question at times.

His pace however is his greatest feature, and it is something which has attracted some top clubs. Liverpool's spending is yet to be completed, with Brendan Rodgers insisting that more depth to his squad is required, whilst Manchester City may also hold and interest in Walcott as their deal to sign Swansea's Scott Sinclair stalls.

Wenger will hope that further discussion with Walcott persuades him to stay at the Emirates, as the French manager has described the winger as "very important" to his Arsenal side, but here lies the issue with letting the best players go - it sets an unwelcome precedent and gets other players thinking about their own future too.

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Arsenal's New £15m Attacker is "Brilliant"

Arsenal's transfer business this summer has been quite momentous. The sale of two of the clubs best players from last season, one of which was the top goalscorer, club record breaker and club captain, as well as the purchase of three very talented forward players for almost £40 million has been strikingly stirring business for a usually far more cautious Arsene Wenger.

The transfers into the club have enthralled and excited the Arsenal fans, who can look forward to further additions to the squad. However, the transfers have also had the Arsenal players inspired and thrilled to play alongside them. Who else then, would be better to hear from about this summers biggest signing, Santi Cazorla - a £15 million purchase from Malaga - than Arsenal's most expensive signing from last season, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The 19 year-old, who signed from Southampton last summer for £12 million is thrilled with Cazorla, observing genuine quality from the 27 year-old Spaniard in training, describing him as "brilliant." Chamberlain said of Cazorla:

"He’s brilliant. He’s a typical Spanish player, really technical. He’s got a good right foot, a good left foot and he can dribble. He’s small so he’s not the most physical but that highlights how good he is with his feet and with his mind. From what I’ve seen of him so far in training, he’s brilliant - a really good asset to the squad."

The season opener for Arsenal did not produce any goals, but Chamberlain can see in his new team-mate the potential fire-power his presence in the sides attack can produce. The English winger also noticed a certain "buzz" from Cazorla during pre-season:

"We saw against Sunderland what he’s capable of. I thought he had a good game, he did a lot of clever things. I played with him in Cologne in midfield and got on really well with him there. You know when you get a buzz off a player, and you could bounce off him and get good vibes. Santi has that with everyone because he’s that sort of player."

Indeed, another footballer who undoubtedly had those sort of "good vibes" was Cazorla's idol, Zinedine Zidane, whose position as a second striker is one which Cazorla hopes to one day assert himself in, as he had been utilized largely on the wing for both Malaga and Spain. The 27 year-old believes that Zidane was the best player he has ever played against - despite going head to head with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in La Liga last year: "He had it all as a player. He was elegant, he had quality, he was strong and he was tall."

Oxlade-Chamberlain and Arsenal fans are already thrilled at Cazorla's impact at the club, but if he can reach the vertiginous heights of Zinedine Zidane, this summers departure of van Persie and Song will seem like nothing when a super Spaniard is running the team from behind Podolski or Giroud.

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Sahin, Tiote, Biglia & M'Vila to Revive Arsenal

The departure of Alex Song to Barcelona, Arsenal's best midfielder from last season who was voted second place by Arsenal fans in the clubs player of the season poll was somewhat unexpected, and the player will leave behind a highly influential 14 assists which he provided last term for Arsenal. Now Arsene Wenger must find a player to replace the Cameroon international, and there are a number of players on Wenger's radar.

The most likely addition to Arsenal's squad will be the loan signing of Real Madrid's Turkish midfielder, Nuri Sahin. Wenger is apparently close to completing the signing of the 23 year-old, whose current manager at Madrid, Jose Mourinho, has admitted that England is a good place for his player to gain certain skills that he will be unable to gain on the bench in Spain.

On Sahin, Mourinho said: "The Premier League is a good place for players to pick up certain characteristics which he does not have. It is all the same to me though which club he goes to. I just hope that it happens soon for him, as it is best for him. Liverpool, Arsenal or Spurs, I have no preference."

Sahin will be cover for Wilshere, who has been suffering from a recurrent ankle injury which has seen him miss a significant amount of games for Arsenal. While Sahin's signing may not be on a permanent basis, it will add quality support and strength in depth to the Arsenal midfield which has been torn apart in the previous summer windows with the sales of Fabregas, Nasri and now Song.

Further reports suggest that Newcastle's Ivorian midfield enforcer, Chiek Tiote is also wanted by Wenger, who admires the 26 year-old's work rate and strength in the midfield which he showcased last season for the Toon, gathering interest from the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea. The Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has himself admitted that he may be forced to sell some of his best players due to the impossibility of competeing in the market with the likes of United and City.

Pardew recently said: "I worry about losing all my players because we’re not Manchester United or Manchester City. We’re always vulnerable. I’m looking forward to September 1 now because by then we’ll all know where we are.”

However, Tiote's contract would prove difficult for Arsenal to buy out, with the midfielder signing a six year contract with Newcastle in early 2011, keeping him at the club until 2017. There are far easier, cheaper and more willing to leave options for Wenger to consider, such as the Anderlecht defensive midfielder from Argentina, Lucas Biglia.

Arsenal are in "pole position" to sign the 25 year-old who has repeatedly stated his desire to leave Anderlecht for a bigger club who are playing in Europe. He has said: "I can leave for €8million (£6.3million) in the current market. I agreed to this transfer fee myself. There are clubs ready to pay that amount but they are not better than Anderlecht so for now I focus on this club. I want to at least be playing in Europe."

Wenger has been watching Biglia for some time now, and it is believed that even if Arsenal do manage to complete the signing of Nuri Sahin, they will still attempt to bring Biglia to the Emirates as well in order to bolster midfield options.

One man who has also been tracked by Arsenal is Rennes' French midfielder Yann M'Vila. A deal has been rumoured since the beginning of the summer window after constant links in previous windows, and it is thought that the 21 year-old would be the ideal replacement for Alex Song, with the highly rated defensive midfielder considered very mature for his age and wanted by both Arsenal and Tottenham.

Rennes' club director Pierre Dreossi believes M'Vila will leave the French club soon, explaining that the £17 million rated players future "can be settled by the end of this week or the start of next." It is believed that a bid of around £16 million would see Rennes let their star man leave, so Arsenal's options are strong and plenty.

Sahin's signing seems a certainty, but it is whether or not any other midfielders will be added which is still in question considering Sahin would not be staying permanently and depth has often been an issue due to injuries at the London club. It is all down to Wenger.

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Rooney & Robin: The Royals at United

With over 25 years of being the seemingly omnipotent driving force behind the biggest club in the world, winning countless trophies including 12 Premier League titles, 5 FA Cups and 2 European Cups, some may afford to decorate the 70 year old Scot, Sir Alex Ferguson with the title of "Football Royalty".

As the long reigning king of Old Trafford, he has overseen the purchase of some fantastic players, moulding teams around them to create world conquerors and the envy of clubs around the world. However, the invasion of Arsenal for last seasons king of goals, Robin van Persie leaves spectators open mouthed and gasping with excitement like no other signing has at Manchester United for quite a few years.

In a valiantly noble move, Sir Alex Ferguson has handed over £24 million in the hope that the Premier League trophy will return to the red side of Manchester as opposed to the blue half where it currently resides for the first time. Many will hold a great hope and now probably an expectation more than anything, that the two Princes of the Premier League last season, Rooney and van Persie, can lead a United side to glory against a well matched strike-force at City.

Rooney and van Persie scored an astonishing 72 goals between them last season, with the now former Arsenal striker leading the Premier League's top goalscorers list followed closely by his new team-mate, Rooney. Together, their partnership could be outrageously destructive and remarkably ruthless, being as devastating to opposition defences as Robin van Persie's sale is to the mental state of famous Arsenal fan Piers Morgan.

While Dimitar Berbatov, the Prince of Perfection prepares to part ways with United, he will leave knowing that with Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez all ahead of him in the pecking order in a new fast-paced dynamic and in-depth attacking force, there was little he could do to reserve a place in this very competitive team.

Few clubs could afford to let go of a player who cost over £30 million without a fight, especially when he scored 56 goals in four supposedly unsuccessful seasons. Manchester United can.

Few clubs could boast the attacking prowess and quality of Rooney and van Persie, Welbeck and Hernandez, who between them have managed 363 goals during their time in England. United can.

And few teams clubs could spend money on such players safe in the knowledge that they have one of the greatest managers in the business, guiding them and helping them settle down at the playground of greats; the Theatre of Dreams. United can.

Last season United's League title was lost by the sheer fact that not enough goals were scored. With the stunning strike-force at their disposal this season, on paper, that shouldn't be a problem, and United's reign on English football may just well resume shortly.

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