After four straight defeats in all competitions, including a pair of 3-0 humblings at the hands of Manchester City, Arsenal needed to produce some kind of response against AC Milan on Thursday evening.
Not only is the Europa League the Gunners’ last remaining chance of silverware and Champions League qualification this season, but a positive performance was vital to diluting the toxic atmosphere around the north London club at the moment.
That appeared no easy task on paper, with the San Siro side undefeated in 13 and not conceding for six games, especially when compared to Arsenal’s recent results and their perpetually erroneous performances on the road this season.
But the Gunners spared no time in making a statement in Milan – after a few hairy moments in their own end during the opening exchanges, Henrikh Mkhitaryan netted the first in a 2-0 win with a rifled finish on the counter-attack that took a telling deflection as it flew past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
And the January signing, who Transfermarkt value at £13.5million, typified the vast improvements Arsenal showed compared to one of the most disappointing weeks of Arsene Wenger’s lengthy tenure.
The Armenian international brought real ruthlessness on the break, clipping the crossbar shortly after scoring while completing five dribbles, but Gunners fans may be more impressed with his return of three tackles, the most of any Arsenal player.
That combination epitomised the greater maturity Arsenal showed at the San Siro. Their first half performance was peppered with lightening counter-attacks, including Aaron Ramsey’s second goal as he latched onto a Mesut Ozil through ball and took it round the goalkeeper, while they completely shut down the game in the second 45, keeping eleven men behind the ball and protecting the clean sheet.
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We haven’t seen that kind of pragmatic game-management from the Gunners for some time, and it bodes well for the rest of a Europa League campaign that feels like a defining one for the club’s immediate future.
A rumour that seemingly just doesn’t want to die, Arsenal have once again been linked with a move for Real Madrid star Sami Khedira.
Admittedly, with just six months remaining on the Germany international’s contract by the time we reach the new year, it’s not every day a Premier League club gets the chance to snap up a World Cup and Champions League winner at a bargain rate.
But we at Football FanCast believe the Gunners could be walking into a trap – Khedira, although a talented midfielder, does not address the north London outfit’s vital needs, as we shall soon explain.
And in addition to our explanation, we’ve come up with FOUR alternatives to the Bernabeu star.
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WHY KHEDIRA ISN’T WHAT ARSENAL NEED
There are certainly some misconceptions about Sami Khedira in England, especially in regards to how and where plays. He’s commonly considered a defensive midfielder, but the evidence simply doesn’t add up.
Take this heatmap taken from Germany’s 7-1 romping of Brazil in the World Cup semi-finals for example:
As you can see, his energy and power were used more in a box-to-box capacity, providing influence at both ends of the pitch and regularly pressing Brazil’s backline. The holding role, which Arsenal will assumedly be purchasing Khedira for, was adopted by Bastian Schweinsteiger at the World Cup, as well as Xabi Alonso over the last few seasons at Real Madrid.
Likewise, take a look at Khedira’s statistics from 2012/13 – his last full season without injury – compared to some of Europe’s other top defensive midfielders:
As you can see, the 27 year-old ranks the lowest in all categories, epitomising the argument that he’s more of a box-to-boxer than a genuine holding player. This is something Arsene Wenger has already commented on; “We never came close to signing Khedira. Jack Wilshere is back fit and in midfield we already have offensive players and quite a few box-to-box players,” remarked the Frenchman in early August.
A Champions League and World Cup winner, there’s no doubt Khedira has the natural physical assets and the intelligence to transition his game to a more defensive role.
But Arsenal don’t need another pet project in holding midfield, following on from Mikel Arteta and more recently, Abou Diaby. They need an established, proven specialist, born for the anchoring role who can hit the ground running. So what are the alternatives?
MORGAN SCHNEIDERLIN
In terms of defensive midfielders that have already earned their stripes in the Premier League, none strike the balance between quality and availability better than Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin.
Before the start of the current campaign, no player had made more tackles, 259, and more interceptions, 207, in the Premier League since Southampton’s top flight ascension in summer 2012.
That was enough to earn Schneiderlin a place in France’s World Cup squad and he’s started the current campaign in a similar vein, making it into the Premier League’s top ten tacklers:
He’s also added a new string to his bow, netting three times already to better his entire output from last season, including this curler against Newcastle:
//www.youtube.com/embed/anRtvwoN4iI?rel=0
Here’s how he compared to Khedira and Arsenal’s other holding midfield options last season:
Southampton reportedly rate Schneiderlin at around £27million, but still just 24 years of age, the potential to get good-value-for-money is there by tying the Frenchman down for his best years.
Here’s another look at Schneiderlin in action:
//www.youtube.com/embed/gELm5Gb3ACU?rel=0
JOHN OBI MIKEL
A considerably less popular choice than the majority of the names on this list – even Chelsea fans have rather diverse opinions on holding midfielder John Obi Mikel.
But the Nigerian international’s simplistic-yet-effective manner of protecting the back four and moving the ball forward is exactly what Arsenal need to anchor their offensive-orientated midfield.
And his suitability to the English top flight is undoubted, having made 208 Premier League appearances since moving to Stamford Bridge in 2006. Mikel’s appeared in some of the most important fixtures in recent Chelsea history too, including Champions League and FA Cup finals.
He doesn’t feature in the Blues’ starting Xi too often nowadays, so here’s how he compares to Khedira and Arsenal’s current holding options based on per-90-minute metrics:
Mikel also provided this rather incredible backheel assist to Diego Costa amid Chelsea’s 6-3 romping of Everton earlier this season:
Chelsea came close to selling the midfielder to Galatasaray during the summer, with Mikel even claiming ‘all that’s left is for the clubs to reach an agreement’ over fees in August, so logic suggests the Blues will be prepared to sell in January if their apparent £10million valuation is met.
By no means a star-studded candidate, but that in turn epitomises the 27 year-old’s understated style.
JAVI MARTINEZ
Football – Bayern Munich v Arsenal – UEFA Champions League Second Round Second Leg – Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany – 13/14 – 11/3/14Javi Martinez – Bayern MunichMandatory Credit: Action Images / John SibleyEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
Already mentioned in passing in this article, signing Bayern Munich star Javi Martinez would show that Arsenal really mean business.
The Spain international emerged as one of the most impressive holding players in world football as he helped the Bavarians claim the 2013 Champions League title during his first season the Bay Arena. Here’s a look at some of his highlights thus far for the German giants:
//www.youtube.com/embed/UNwP_jfvzsg?rel=0
But the 6 foot 5 monolith has never quite taken Pep Guardiola’s fancy, regularly pushed back into his secondary position of centre-half under the former Barcelona boss and making thirteen less appearances than the year previous last season.
Following an injury that will see him out until the new year, Bayern signed the likeminded Xabi Alonso during the summer and Roma defender Mehdi Benatia, so even when fit, Martinez will have a tough task breaking back into Bayern’s first team.
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Thus, the stage is set for an abrupt departure, provided the 26 year-old is fit by the time the transfer market reopens in January. Here’s how he compared to Arsenal’s other defensive options last season:
But if Martinez were to become available in the new year, a plethora of top clubs will be interested in his services. He’s been linked to Barcelona, Real Madrid and PSG before to name a few.
ALLAN
Udinese starlet Allan may not be a household name in England, or for that matter Italy or Brazil. But following a second successful campaign in the Serie A outfit’s first team, his stock is dramatically rising throughout Europe.
Indeed, the former Brazil U20 has averaged an incredible five tackles per match this season. To put that into perspective, he’s been the sixth-most effective ball-winner on the continent:
He was also Serie A’s second-best tackler last year:
Whether the 23 year-old’s form would quite transition over to the Premier League remains to be seen. He measures in at just 5 foot 8 and is definitively more progressive than your average English top flight holding midfielder, averaging 1.8 successful dribbles per match this season. Here’s a look at Allan in action for former club Vasco da Gama:
//www.youtube.com/embed/7FgkEGYnGi4?rel=0
But he’s adapting to European football well and has been tipped by many as a future star. There’s even reports Italy are trying to draft him in to their national team.
Allan comes with big risk but even bigger reward. His pitbull mentality, blended with his south American flair, could be exactly what Arsenal need in front of their back four.
The magnitude of Newcastle’s 3-0 win over Wigan at home this week cannot be underestimated, but the fact that most were talking about the game beforehand in the terms that their season needed ‘saving’ tells you everything you need to know about how it’s gone for the club this term. However, can the root cause of all of their problems be best attributed by a failure to invest significantly over the summer?
The club’s fifth-placed finish last season made them the surprise package of the top flight and presented manager Alan Pardew with an opportunity to really go on an establish the side in the top six, with so many of their rivals at that end of the table in a state of transition. Instead, they simply dragged their heels during negotiations for the likes of Mathieu Debuchy, Douglas and Luuk De Jong and they only managed to secure the versatile Vurnon Anita who has gone on to make any sort of impact on the starting eleven.
Living up to the standards set during last season’s fantastic fifth-placed league finish was always going to be an impossible task, and there’s a certain sense of inevitability about their struggles so far this campaign as they sit 14th in the table, just five points above the drop zone. The Wigan victory was the first that the club have managed to secure in the Premier League since Alan Pardew was bizarrely awarded with a new eight-year contract. The club’s hierarchy of Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias, even when it seemed impossible to, have managed to make a huge muddle of a great opportunity by getting their priorities completely wrong.
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Securing a yes-man on a longer deal was not the main thing to take away from last term’s success. Ashley is clearly delighted that he has finally found a manager willing to work within the financial parameters that he’s set out; one who will continually back the club’s transfer policy to the press under pressure, yet you have to question the length of the deal in the climate of the modern game, with turnover so high. Any slump in form like the one just endured again in the future will only increase the pressure on Ashley to make a decision on Pardew and while an eight-year deal protects the club should anyone else come sniffing around in terms of compensation, it works both ways and should they need to sack him, it will be costly, needlessly so too, seeing as there was no real pressure to hand him a new deal in the first place.
They signed just four players in the summer, with only Anita making the grade so far – Romain Amalfitano has yet to make a first league start, despite the injuries and added fixtures in Europe necessitating rotation, and at 23 years of age, you’d like to think that he’d be ready by now, while Curtis Good and Gael Bigirimana are both considered good prospects for the future. Failing to be held to ransom in the transfer market was deemed a positive approach at the time, but it is seriously costing them now and they look ill-equipped to compete on multiple fronts at once.
Pardew told Sky last week: “We have been unlucky but we are in the process of analysing whether we under-cooked it [the transfer window] and that’s what we should do. It would be silly not to. It’s increased the discussion mode on that. We obviously had an idea of where it was going to go but it probably is going to change before we get there. It’s very important just to keep our eye on the ball.”
They haven’t been helped this season by a small squad trying to compete in Europe and at home, and every injury or suspension to a first-team member has been keenly felt, while the form of several key performers such as Cabaye, Cisse and Tiote isn’t at quite the same level as it was last term, with only really Demba Ba stepping up to the plate in a similar fashion. Coupled with the needless tinkering of a winning formation, reverting back to a traditional 4-4-2 that doesn’t sit as easy with the players as the fluid 4-3-3 they used last year, and they’ve simply succeeded in making a mountain out of an avoidable molehill; snatching regression from the jaws of progress.
There is obviously money there to spend should Ashley deem it worthy of investment, hence the very public pursuit of Andy Carroll, with it looking increasingly likely as if the club will move for him in the summer and it’s not as if he’ll come cheaply or for anything below £15m.
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You have to question whether the club’s transfer policy under head scout Graham Carr is a sustainable one, because as soon as you start to enjoy any sort of success and clubs on the continent begin to realise what you’re doing, the result is that they drive their prices up for players. This is exactly what happened to Newcastle in the summer, where they bargained themselves into a standstill on both Debuchy and Douglas.
The club are short in terms of both quality and quantity and while they’ve acquitted themselves well in the Europa League so far, it’s come at a cost to their league form. A failure to invest in the right areas in the summer was not only ill-judged but unforgivable and as a result, the club are going backwards, looking nervously over their shoulders at the drop zone when for all intents and purposes, it looked like the dawning of a new, successful era on Tyneside last season.
Dejan Lovren’s Croatia are through to the quarter-finals of the World Cup after a penalty shoot-out win against Denmark on Sunday night, and plenty of Liverpool supporters are excited about it.
Lovren has had a tumultuous time at Anfield since signing for the club in 2014, but has recently emerged as a consistent defensive performer alongside January arrival Virgil van Dijk.
For the first time in a while, Liverpool fans have some sort of confidence in their established defensive partnership, even if some would still prefer Jurgen Klopp buy a player that can compete in the position.
He has had an excellent World Cup so far for his country, featuring in all four matches. Croatia now have an excellent chance of reaching the semi-finals of the tournament, with a match against hosts Russia in the next round.
Will Lovren be a UEFA Champions League finalist and a World Cup finalist just months apart?
These fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his summer so far…
RB Leipzig striker and German international Timo Werner has refused to rule out a move to the Premier League in future and has said that he follows both Manchester United and Liverpool.
Speaking ahead of the crunch clash with between the two bitter rivals on Saturday afternoon, Werner admitted that he feels he is more a Manchester United man than a Liverpool one.
There is a strong chance that the 22-year-old striker could end up being Germany’s first-choice striker as they look to defend their title as world champions in Russia when World Cup 2018 starts in 100 days time.
That would only serve to increase the profile of a man who already looks a good fit for the Premier League and is valued at £54m by transfermarkt.co.uk.
He revealed to FourFourTwo that he is one of very few people who follow the fortunes of both of the rival clubs but offered the Red Devils some early bragging rights in the process. He told FourFourTwo:
“Playing in the Premier League is a dream for me. I would like to play for two or three clubs, and Manchester United are one of those clubs.
“Manchester United and Liverpool were the teams I watched quite a lot in England. They were the two that I’m a little bit a fan of, because they have so much history. When Alex Ferguson was the coach, United won everything and were outstanding.
“In Liverpool it’s also their stadium and the atmosphere but when I have to decide, I’m more Manchester United than Liverpool. I’m now at a point where at some stage in the future I’d like to play in a team that wins titles.”
Werner is a modern striker, full of running and goals and adept in a high tempo approach which makes him someone who is always going to catch the eye in the Premier League.
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The improved form of Romelu Lukaku has sated United’s need for a new frontman but I wouldn’t mind betting that Jose Mourinho wouldn’t mind an upgrade or an alternative.
Klopp, of course, has a deep knowledge of German football that could tip the balance but isn’t currently operating with a recognised centre-forward – and Werner would be an expensive Plan B.
These days, the race for the sack is almost as exciting as the race for the title, with constant speculation as to whom might be next for the chop.
As a football manager, you do not tend to be given much time to make an impact at your club and we see a lot of teams that will end up averaging one manager per season, sometimes more.
The two most likely managers to face the sack at the moment are Alan Pardew and Sam Allardyce, despite both managers having done a great job at their respective clubs and staying at the helm for more than just one season.
The heat is perhaps a little hotter on Pardew over at Newcastle at the moment after the 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Southampton. During the game, chants of “Pardew out” and “It’s never your fault” could be heard and it felt like the atmosphere was quite a tense one with the travelling supporters piling the pressure on the team from the first minute of the game.
The Geordies currently sit at the bottom of the Premiership table with only two points from four games, which is part of a very poor run that has seen them collect only five points from a possible thirty six. Reports suggest that Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is considering pulling the plug early on the manager’s eight year contract and he could go as early as before the next game at Hull, with an ironic twist in the tale that sees present Hull manager Steve Bruce as favourite to replace Pardew at St Jame’s Park.
Another manager that has been feeling a lot of pressure recently is West Ham’s Sam Allardyce. He has been quite the unpopular figure at Upton Park from day one with some of the fans despite doing a fantastic job for the club so far. He got them promoted at the first time of asking and managed to gain stability for the team in the Premier League since their return, despite flirting with the drop at times last season.
The main issue with Allardyce has been surrounding his style of football and team sheet selection more than actual results themselves, a very different type of problem than the one Pardew is facing up north with the results and lack of points being the main issue. Big Sam has always been known for his route one, boring football, which sees him try and keep a clean sheet and hope for the odd goal to win the game, a system which does not really fit in with the Hammers way of playing and traditions.
Until the thrilling 2-2 draw with Hull last Monday night, it was looking like Allardyce could be in big trouble and a lot hinged on the game against the Tigers. The board of directors at West Ham set out a new plan for the manager to stick to after a summer of heavy spending in the transfer market. It was made clear to the gaffer that he had to play a more attacking, exciting brand of football whilst getting better results than last season as well.
It was feared Allardyce would stick to his usual formation and stick to the same players who were not performing for the Hammers rather than use the immense new talent at his disposal, but he proved everyone wrong with a fine attacking display of entertaining football, indicating that there is a promising turn around of style and results to come at Upton Park.
If they avoid the chop, both managers have a lot of hard work still to do to show their employers and their clubs’ respective supporters that they are worthy of the job. Pardew looks the most likely to go with his team rooted at the bottom of the table and should he stay to manage his side against Hull at the weekend, the minimum result will surely have to be three points to Newcastle. The axe is looming for the Magpies’ boss and his time is running out. The club are in big danger of entering a relegation scrap unless their fortunes are turned around.
As for Allardyce, he might have a little longer. If his line-up and style of play is similar to the one at Hull then he’ll no doubt start winning over the very fans calling for his head, but the Hammers face two big tests in the shape of Liverpool and Manchester United in their next two fixtures, which doesn’t give him much hope.
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So unless both managers start improving soon, then West Ham and Newcastle will be back in the market for a new manager.
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero is confident that his side can overcome Real Madrid in their Champions League clash this week.
The Argentine has never been on the winning team against the Bernabeu side, despite spending five years with their city rivals Atletico.
He netted an impressive 74 goals in the red and white shirt, with some against Real, but never found himself in the winning camp.
This is a record he is looking to end this week:
“It’s always special to play against a club like Real Madrid.” He told the mcfc.co.uk
“Personally, my connection with Atletico Madrid gives it an additional kick – but there’s no difference in how much I want to win this match.
“Never defeating Real when I was with Atletico was a real regret for me – Atletico haven’t succeeded in beating them for many years – but I did get to score against them even if we never managed a win.
“Wednesday night will hopefully break that run for me.”
City are currently bottom of Group D and know that they must win against the La Liga champions and beat Borussia Dortmund in the following fixture to have any chance of qualifying.
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Despite this Aguero says that the team will not give up on a place in the final 16 of the competition:
“We should never give up. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, right?
“Of course, it’s harder now because we’re not just relying on ourselves but also on the other teams’ results.”
Ivan Rakitic was the star of the show during Croatia’s Group D clash against Argentina at the World Cup in Russia on Thursday night.
The midfielder’s display has caught the attention of plenty of fans, including Liverpool supporters who now want their club to make a move for Rakitic in the transfer window.
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi carried the hopes of Argentina on his shoulders, but for some reason he struggled to recreate the dazzling form that has been on show at Barcelona all these years.
Rakitic overshadowed his club teammate to help Croatia claim a 3-0 victory and push Argentina closer to elimination.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255848″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Liverpool’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]
As well as play an integral role in the middle of the park, the 30-year-old, who is valued at £45m by Transfermarkt, also got on the scoresheet.
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Liverpool have been linked to numerous midfielders this summer, and the speculation may ramp up now that Emre Can has left to join Juventus.
After watching Croatia in action on Thursday night, Reds fans called on the club to swoop for Rakitic, who scored four goals and created five assists in 55 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona last season.
According to reports in the Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Victor Wanyama, rated at £27m according to Transfermarkt, is reportedly being monitored by Premier League rivals Chelsea.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the Daily Mail says the Blues, along with top flight rivals Manchester United and Liverpool, have all noted that the Kenya international has only been sparingly used by Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino following his return from a knee injury.
While the 26-year-old has started the FA Cup ties against AFC Wimbledon and Newport County, he has predominantly been named on the substitutes’ bench for their other eight fixtures he has been available for.
That has caught the attention of Blues boss Antonio Conte according to the Daily Mail, who has praised the midfielder in the past.
How has Wanyama done this season?
The midfielder only played Tottenham’s opening two Premier League games of the campaign before suffering an injury that kept him on the sidelines until 2018, but he has struggled to get back into the starting XI since then with Mousa Dembele and Eric Dier currently ahead of him in the pecking order.
The 26-year-old made an instant impression as a substitute in the 2-2 draw against Liverpool at Anfield earlier this month when he scored a brilliant long-range goal, but he has played just six minutes in the two matches against Arsenal and Juventus since then.
Would Tottenham be willing to sell him?
It seems unlikely.
The midfielder’s contract doesn’t run out until 2021 and while he hasn’t been a regular in the team in recent weeks aside from in the FA Cup, it may just be that Mauricio Pochettino is making sure he doesn’t rush the Kenyan back too soon following his injury, and he seems to be acting similarly with teammate Toby Alderweireld.
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Wanyama is likely to see more minutes in the remaining months of the campaign, and it would be no surprise if he was a permanent fixture in the XI again sooner rather than later.
Even if Spurs were willing to move him on, it seems unlikely that they would want to sell the 26-year-old to a direct Premier League rival, and while those clubs can continue to watch developments they appear unlikely to get the former Southampton and Celtic man.
Welcome to the first north London derby of the 2014/15 season, brought to you by Arsenal’s official car and van hire partner Europcar.Both sides have endured a fitful start to the season, though the Gunners arguably come into the tie at the Emirates as the in-form side, having put Aston Villa to the sword in their last Premier League outing courtesy of an inspired Danny Welbeck and Mesut Ozil.The corresponding fixture last season saw Olivier Giroud’s goal prove the difference as Arsene Wenger’s side narrowly edged out Spurs 1-0. That result ran in stark contrast to what is usually the most explosive game in the Premier League calendar.A win for Arsenal would cement their place amongst the division’s early high-fliers and put them in great stead for an October that sees them travel to front-runners Chelsea and undertake two tough Champions League fixtures against Galatasaray and Anderlecht.Follow all the action from Saturday’s late kick-off LIVE here:
4 – Arsenal have four of the last five north London derbies
1 – Spurs have won just one of their last 21 Premier League away games at Arsenal
3 – Arsenal won all three of their meetings with Spurs last season
25 – Arsenal took 25 points from their 10 London derbies in the Premier League last season (W8 D1 L1) and defeated Crystal Palace on the opening weekend this season.
6 – Six of Tottenham’s seven league points this season have come in London derbies.
4 – If there are four goals in this game then it will become the outright highest scoring fixture in Premier League history (currently 126 goals).
7 – Seven points from five games is Tottenham’s slowest start since gaining just two under Juande Ramos in 2008-09.
10 Â- Emmanuel Adebayor has scored more goals than any other player in north London derby history (8 for Arsenal and 2 for Spurs).
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