Wednesday 5 September 2012

Para-Para-Paradise. DEAD-line Day and Anfield of Goals.

Hey everyone, Sorry for the lack of updates over the weekend but i've been on my travels to experience the wonder of the Paralympic Games in London. Can quite honestly say it's the best sporting event I've ever attended, from the gamesmakers to the action to the transport the whole thing has been organised to within an inch of it's life. Apart from that it's been a hectic few days in the week of Arsenal, Deadline Day left a few Arsenal fans in a state of panic and anger as no further signings were concluded to the excellent business we've done in signing Lukas Podolski, Santi Cazorla & Olivier Giroud. Although if anyone think Arsenal weren't trying to do anything on Friday, then they need to stop drinking the talkSport kool-aid. They were but sadly weren't able to get them over the line. I'm told a deal was nearly agreed to bring Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa to the club but having to deal with Montpellier President Louis Nicollin in a short-time frame proved too much to deal with, the club can talk to the player in January about a pre-contract or even offer a bid in the region of 2-3m which MHSC will find hard to turn down if the player makes it clear he isn't going to re-sign. I was also told that a striker and midfielder were on the list as well, no names 100% corroborated but Yohan Cabaye seems to have been the midfielder and the striker position had 3/4 names on the short list with Loic Remy & Fernando Llorente at the top, the fact that the club were looking to move Marouane Chamakh on the last day meant they had irons in the fire but he looks likely to stay now. I had the "pleasure" of "watching" the game on Sunday sat outside the Copper Box and it was hell, all the "oooooh" and "F****** Hell* tweets with no description are an absolute nightmare but was delighted with the result and the new, improved Arsenal defence. I'll give it a few more games but the Bould/Banfield coaching upgrade seems to be working a treat and having watched the game later on, you can see they believe in the "A Defence is only as Strong as the weakest link" because the support the wingers were giving Jenkinson and the support Mannone was given by the centre-backs made a huge amount of difference. Arsenal seem to defend more as a team now and can count on one hand the amount of raids Vermaelen has made this season in the opposing half. Attacking wise it was all about Santi, the player with the brain of Cesc but the mobility of a David Silva, Podolski took his goal really well and provided great tracking back and defensive work and Giroud made a quality run which dragged Agger away just long enough for the Cazorla throughball for the first goal. The signs of cohesion are there. All in all, a great day's work

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