ESPN Soccernet - Correspondents - Arsenal - End of year exams: The Forwards

Posted by Sam Limbert on 06/26/2011

In the final part of my recent series of posts, I’m going to finish assessing the season for each Arsenal player. Fans at the moment have a lot of opinions on who should leave the club given the acrimonious finish to the campaign, so I’m going to give my view on everyone’s season and say if they have a future at the club.

As with the other positions, I’m sure some will disagree with my thoughts and ratings so please comment and give your views at the bottom of the blog.

I’m going to finish at the front by focussing on the forwards.

10. Robin van Persie

On returning to action in August after appearing the in the World Cup final, Robin van Persie promptly got injured. Like most Arsenal fans, I assumed he wouldn’t be seen for most of the season, and therefore struggle to find form despite his undoubted talent.

The Dutchman returned in November and slowly began to find some form to regain his place in the team before the turn of the year. Before the 1st January 2011, he only scored one goal, which was a penalty against Partizan Belgrade. However, his deflected free-kick against Birmingham on New Year’s Day sparked a magnificent goal scoring run that helped the club maintain any respectability in the disastrous run-in.

After the decline of Marouane Chamakh, we needed someone to step up and score goals, although no-one could realistically have expected van Persie to score as many as he did. In all competitions, the Dutchman scored 21 goals in 2011, equalling the Premier League record of 18 goals in a season from 1st January, and he scored in nine consecutive away games in the league.

Despite taking on Dennis Bergkamp’s squad number, van Persie has become more of a goal scorer than a creator. He scored all types of goals in the second half of the season giving the midfield suppliers more options going forward. The ability of his wand-like left foot has been well documented, but the Dutchman also scored fantastic right footed and headed goals this season. You only need to look at goals against Wigan, Wolves and Birmingham to know his volleying was also top quality.

Had van Persie not been in fantastic form in the second half of the season, it’s worrying to think how much worse Arsenal’s end of season could have been. Having known of his potential to be a world class striker for a long time, van Persie is one of the few members of the squad to have that potential turn into consistent performances. If he can stay off the treatment table for an extended period of time, goals inevitably follow. A whole season from van Persie would massively increase our chances of finally winning a trophy.

Verdict: Became a great goal scorer as well as a scorer of great goals. Now a world class player: 9/10.

11. Carlos Vela

Early on in the season, Carlos Vela scored good goals in matches that were already won when coming off the bench as Bolton Wanderers and Braga were on the receiving end of clinical finishes. However he didn’t make an impact when given the opportunity to start and could be criticised for never scoring crucial goals.

In the hope of undergoing a Jack Wilshere like transformation from a Premier League loan spell, Vela spent the second half of the season at West Brom and initially looked set to make a difference with a couple of important goals. However he was mostly limited to substitute appearances and didn’t get the experience that Arsene Wenger would have wanted.

Vela is still considered a ‘Carling Cup player’ by most fans, as he is yet to prove himself in the big games. If a new forward comes in and younger players like Ryo Miyaichi continue to develop, first team opportunities could continue to be limited for Vela. Should he not improve much in the forthcoming season, his time at Arsenal could be nearing an end.

Verdict: Plenty of potential but needs to show an end product soon to stay at Arsenal: 4/10.

14. Theo Walcott

Arguably, not going to the World Cup was one of the best things that could have happened to Theo Walcott. In terms of goals and assists, it was Walcott’s best season for Arsenal as he showed signs of being more clinical in front of goal. The big problem in the past with Walcott was his lack of end product, however that has improved.

There is still a tendency for the Englishman to dally too much when he has time to think about what he’s doing, but when he allows instinct to take over, he’s capable of scoring quality goals.

Walcott still maintains that he will be a central striker, however with Arsenal’s current formation I think that’s unlikely to happen for a few years. He did show signs this season that, should Arsenal go back to playing two up front, he could play in the centre, with Thierry Henry-esque finishes against Shahktar Donetsk and Tottenham.

His highlight of the season would have to be the Chelsea match at the Emirates Stadium. After Andrey Arshavin’s dismal performance in the previous match against Manchester United, Walcott was given the chance to start and prove himself in a big match. He gave Ashley Cole a torrid evening and grabbed a goal and an assist in a dynamic performance.

Walcott can still occasionally go missing in matches, but his end product is becoming more reliable. A formation change would help fulfil his dream of playing down the middle, but at the moment he is definitely improving as a winger.

Verdict: His best season at Arsenal, really has to push on and consistently deliver: 7/10.

23. Andrey Arshavin

The Russian is another player that is typical of the current Arsenal squad; loads of talent but too inconsistent and doesn’t have the required work rate. He isn’t known as the lazy Russian for nothing.

I wanted to be extremely frustrated at Arshavin for most of the season, but even when he wasn’t at his best he was regularly contributing to the team with a lot of assists. Invariably, when he did score, it was a top quality finish. In many ways, this arguably made Arshavin’s perceived lack of effort annoying. He is one of the few players in the squad to score or create a goal from nothing, yet there is always a sense of him sometimes wasting his talent. Despite contributing, I always felt he could be doing more.

In mid-December, it was becoming clear that Arsene Wenger was losing some trust in Andrey Arshavin. With Samir Nasri performing well and Theo Walcott improving, there was pressure on Arshavin to perform away at Manchester United, however he was frankly dismal. He was then left out against Chelsea in favour of Walcott, who took his chance brilliantly.

If Manchester United away was his lowlight, undoubtedly his highlight was Barcelona at home. It was the sort of quality finish that everyone knows the Russian is capable of and completed the greatest night at the Emirates Stadium.

Arshavin is definitely a luxury player, and is probably better coming off the bench in big games so he has to do less tracking back. Unlike Carlos Vela, Arshavin’s goals don’t tend to come in games that are already won, but at vital times. If he can show his quality on a regular basis, he can win back his place in the first XI.

Verdict: Room for improvement as he wasn’t at his best for most of the season, but still managed to contribute, and at key moments: 6/10.

29. Marouane Chamakh

If I’d rated the players based on the first half of the season, Chamakh would probably have got 8/10. However if I was basing them on the second half, the Moroccan would be lucky to scrape 4/10.

Chamakh was definitely thrown into the deep end in the first part of the season as he had to lead the line on his own after van Persie’s injury. He coped admirably as his link up play looked good and he scored a number of crucial goals. Many were thinking we’d finally signed the tall striker we’d been hoping for to add an extra dimension to our attack. Having been signed on a free transfer, Chamakh was looking like a great piece of business.

However, around December, fatigue was starting to set in after being Arsenal’s only fit main striker for the majority of the opening months of the season. Once Robin van Persie got back in the team and started scoring, it was always going to be difficult for Chamakh to re-establish himself. Just one goal in the season after the end of November tells its own story.

What’s become clear from this season is that Chamakh is definitely a confidence player. It was flowing at the start of the season, but had been drained by the end. The problem for the Moroccan is that if Arsenal continue to play one main striker, it’ll always be Robin van Persie if he’s fit. This could leave Chamakh without a run of games to gain the confidence he needs. I’d like to see Chamakh and van Persie play together as both have shown at different times in the season they can regularly find the net.

Verdict: Brilliant first half of the season, rubbish second half: 6/10.

52. Nicklas Bendtner

Like Denilson, Nicklas Bendtner has spoken out in the press about his desire to leave Arsenal. He’s always divided opinion, but it seems most fans are now swaying to the group that wants to see the Dane leave the club.

It was another season blighted by injury for Bendtner, meaning his opportunities to hold down a regular place in the team were limited. The early season form of Marouane Chamakh and the 2011 form of Robin van Persie also meant he was always unlikely to fulfil his preferred central striker role. This meant he was mostly restricted to playing on the wing, and clearly Bendtner isn’t cut out to be a winger.

However, he still struggled to make an impact wherever he played on the pitch. He did score some good goals, such as Ipswich at home and Newcastle away, but they were too rare, especially at key times in the Premier run-in.

The one over-riding memory I have of Bendtner this season is of him in the Nou Camp. After the crazy decision to send off Robin van Persie, we were somehow still in a position where one goal would have seen us through. In the dying minutes, Jack Wilshere won the ball and played a perfect pass through to put Bendtner one-on-one with Victor Valdes. However the Dane’s first touch was terrible, allowing Valdes to gather the ball without Bendtner even getting a shot away. Had he scored the goal to knock out Barcelona, critics could have been silenced, instead they only grew in number.

There will be plenty who won’t be gutted to see Bendtner leave this summer. However Arsene Wenger must sign a replacement as otherwise we’ll only have van Persie and Chamakh left as traditional strikers.

Verdict: Time to move on, had chances to live up to his own hype but failed: 4/10.

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Comments

Posted by Your mumma on 06/21/2011

9/10 for Van Persie. No! Give him and Chamakh the same treatment. He was rubbish in the first bit so cannot justify his 9/10.

Posted by kalemba harsen on 06/21/2011

itz breath taking

Posted by Flappy on 06/21/2011

We were in a better position in the first half of the season because of Marouane Chamakh. We've to appreciate that he was used to Winter break while he was plying his trade in France. So he got worn out as the season progressed.

Posted by Olokede Olamide on 06/21/2011

I am in full support of your rating.If feel all we need at arsenal is two solid defender(samba,zapata,cahill,enrique),one solid finisher to compliment van persie's effort(gervinho,benzema).Good day

Posted by steve on 06/21/2011

I can't believe your 7/10 for theo Walcott, he was useless all season. He hides behind defenders and did not beat anyone all year, the liverpool home game being a perfect example: up against an 18 year old defender he did nothing.

Posted by Zit on 06/21/2011

Van pesie deserves 10/10

Posted by Nqoseng on 06/21/2011

I tend to agree with virtually everything that you said,Sam. However,I dont entirely agree with your final verdict on Carlos Vela,that he needs to show an end product soon to stay at arsenal.No! I have to be blunt,Arsene needs to get rid of him.You see,Sam,we really need to get rid of the dead wood at our club if we are to win anything in future.Vela,Bendtner,Denilson,Scquillaci,Almunia and Diaby should all go. Denilson and Bendtner are making all this noise about wanting out because they are all too aware that we have had enough of their mediocre performances, and as for Diaby,I think he has discipline problem.As for Chamakh,I am pointing him with my finger for now only because it was his first season.I really hope that Mr.Wenger sees it the way I see it.

Posted by desmond on 06/21/2011

Read all the series..Well done Sam!
Hope the Gunners progress next season

By the way,
too many [However]s...
nothing personal but it irritates me a bit when im reading...

overall nice thing to read!

Posted by Nazifi on 06/21/2011

To give van persie 9/10 for the second half of the season is understandable and ok but that should also go to chamack for leading the line alone n constantly scoring goals in the first half of the season. I mean van persie was rubbish when chamack was on form so i think u should hav given both players same rating except when u are comparing them both on goals scored.

Posted by Fmsoundz on 06/21/2011

Kalemba,u are only a fool by far 4 saying that.Without his numba of goals,we wud hv finisd 6th.Does it mata if he scored n 2nd or 1st part of season?

Posted by Francis Sim on 06/21/2011

I pretty much agree with your ratings for the players.

Your mumma: I do think that Van Persie's goals in 2011 should be rated more highly compared to Chamakh's performance. After all, he was almost single-handedly holding us up. If not for me, we might even miss out on the Champions' League.

Posted by Anonymous on 06/21/2011

We disagree with kalemba. Even he[Chamakh] said that premier league had worn him out, and we it too.
Peter

Posted by Philip on 06/21/2011

RvP -- Needs to be marked down for being unavailable the first half of the season.

Chamakh -- Probably fair, although he wasn't expected to be as good/stellar as he was in the first half, so a victim of expectations created.

Bendtner -- 2/10. In addition to his noted failings, he was a pain in the arse. Bad chemstry, bad karma.

Vela -- 5/10. I'd give him a break for at least beeing a decent teammate.

Theo -- Spot on.

Arsh -- Fair 'nough,. although I'd bump him to 6.5 because at the end of the day, he produced. He had a much better season than Cesc, any defender and most of the midis. His seeming laziness/fitness is a concern, but he produces.

Posted by Izuchi on 06/21/2011

Well Van persie did quite well at the end of the season but that said....he must try to keep himself fit to be able to make appreciable impart in the team.@ Chamakh...He gave us so much hope but delivered very little..still put him in Bendtner's levelhis....
For Bendtner...I beleive he should remain in Arsenal to prove himself...He is quite becoming a good player and I know many fans may nit agree with me on this....he will be missed in arsenal cos he is getting to that level where he will deliver the goods.and he must give it to a club that gave him all opportunity to improve as a player.
I believe if given more chance,Bendtner will prove most fans wrong.He should not leave now...if you watch the kind of clubs asking for the guys services ,then you will agree with me that he is a good player.
He has made all the mistakes in Arsenal and if he leaves now then another club will enjoy his services.

Posted by youngGun15 on 06/21/2011

The best forwards were both Walcott and RVP, but ill cut Chamakh and Vela a break b/c it's Chamakh's first season (next season won't be the same though), and Vela is still very young, but the rest...

I think one world class striker is still needed even though I'm content with RVP being the main man, I doubt (but hope) he can be injury free. Falcao, Benzema, Higuain or Eto'o could be players that could give Arsenal the ruthless finishing that we sometimes lack.

Here's a question for both you Sam and to the other bloggers would you be willing to take back Adebayor? His preformances at Madrid outstanding and he is out of favor at man city, plus he could give that height dimension that Chamakh gave us, but won't burnout... I feel Adebayor should have stayed and Bendtner should have left.

Sam Limbert: Thanks for your comments. Simple answer to the Adebayor question is no. Since the start of 2009/10 he hasn't scored consistently, plus I think he'd have a negative influence on the other players and fans. I don't think he'd fit into the current system with van Persie as the main man up font.

Posted by Mario Pardo on 06/21/2011

Your mumma...Are you mad..In the firs bit V.Persie was injured...in the second chamakh was good, but incapable to scored...V.Persie deserves 10/10...and Chamakh 4/10 ..between Chamakh and Bendtner I personally prefer see chamakh move on...

Posted by us2014 on 06/21/2011

I hope Vela gets a chance to prove himself this season. With 5 games in August I see him starting 2 of them and if he can get a goal or two it would really help his confidence going through the season. He has the ability to succeed at Arsenal, and if he works hard enough this could be his year. If not he will have to move onto La Liga.

Posted by MAYOWA on 06/21/2011

Sam, I disagree with you concerning the rating of Bendtner and Chamakh. Left to me, I would rather score Bendtner higher than Chamakh.Chamakh is just a bunch of brainless striker.......Please Wenger should rather offload the guy along with the likes of Bendtner,Dennilson and co

Posted by Anonymous on 06/21/2011

Your mumma: Van Persie was INJURED for the first bit!! He should have got 10 in my opinion ,and chamakh 7

Posted by sweet africa on 06/21/2011

oh so depressin to read this. Wat could've been has been the story of the last 6years. Looking on now transfer time we again delude ourselves in thinkin sell him, buy him while teams that mean business slug it out for real talent not dead wood. I mean really? we'r lookin @ gervinho yet eto is clearly makin himself available? haha, the system isnt working. Or wenger is just blind!! Give inter bendtner & sum money for eto &watch the likes of vela learn from an ageing 30goal a season monster. &while we'r @ it, give cesc his move &replace him wif kaka?? With kaka, nasri, eto , rvp who could stop us??? &please, mertesacker & cahill! toss out squillaci. Good piece tho

Posted by David Fitch on 06/21/2011

Chamakh at this time is a good squad player and can fill in for Bendtner.Walcott would like to see him in the center with Van Persie because he could do aBerkamp role and give Walcott space to use his pace forcing defense to stay deep giving the midfield more room.Arshavin is a class player who had a bad year expect him to do well this season.The two to go has to be Bentner and Vela Arsenal have invested more than enough in these players for little return.

Posted by Paul on 06/21/2011

Mario Pardo .. Are YOU mad? .. why would you want to see chamakh leave? .. he got burnt out because it was his 1st year in the premier league.. where as bendtner has been here for years and is still rubbish.. I think chamakh will be better next season

Posted by dass04 on 06/22/2011

We should not work to revive the dead, that work belongs to Jesus. Vela, Bendtner, Arshavin should be shown an exit door. They are not hard working enough to be called gunners despite countless chances given to them. We need a striker who will make a difference, a stronger and clinical finisher than those garbage strikers. Not a striker to assist RVP, but striker who loves and works hard to punish goalkeepers.

Posted by will on 06/22/2011

I have to agree with some of Sweet Africa's coments; time to stop persisting with 'potential' and go after some tried and tested. I don't have much time for the guy, like most Gunners, but van Nistelrooy could've been a bargain - proven goalscorer for a zero fee? He would've settled for a place on the bench too. Eto'o & Defoe would also be pluses overall, should they arrive...

My views on the general clearout seemingly reflect most of those who have written on this blog and I too would be sending p45's to Almunia, Squillaci, Rosicky, Denilson (now that he wants out) and Bendtner. We could probably recoup around 30m for this quintet so the coffers needn't be bare.

These 'end of year exams' pieces are a fine read and I think I have to agree with nearly all your comments and ratings Sam, although I'm not sure you should rate players who have played less than 10 games, re: Lehmann, Vermaelen, Miquel.

Keep up the good work!

Posted by ifeanyi udemezue on 06/22/2011

I will like to see Bendtner and Vela leave and be replaced with a quality predator. We do not need people with so much confidence yet produce little on the pitch. Bendtner's miss in Spain when we were struggling against Barcelona is unpardonable.

Posted by phil on 06/22/2011

you are very right in your assement but allow me to give you a full list of players who are suppose to leave the club imeadiately. first all those goal keepers are not arsenal material then all those central defenders apart from vermelin are suppose to leave in the midfield the first one to leave should be diaby he is useless, arshavvin is lazy he should leave, rosicky has nothing more to deliver his time to leave is now if denilson wants to leave he can go though he has potential to be arsenal material, vela shold not come back from wherever he went and bendtener should have left arsenal three seasons ago I don't know how he signed with arsenal in the first place. the only players who are arsenal material in the team are vermerlin, clichy, sagna eboue, song, fabregas, nasri, walcot, van persie, I wil excuse chamrkh because he is new. only those ones the rest of the players are joy riders en are not worthy to wear arsenal shirt. we shall never win anything as long as they continue ther

Posted by ISACXON on 06/22/2011

Great read, except for the rather many insults by the bloggers. This is my take; RVP was fantastic, Chamack was just behind him, being his first season without a winter break and considering he is not the strongest player, he had to burn out. Bendtener is rubbish, Vela should still go out on loan in Spain to garner some more practice.. he is for the future. I would love to give Arshavin at least one more season, but not because of last years performance, but the ones in Russia, he is talented, just needs some pushing. Competition would help that. If Eto'o/Higuain could come in, RVP will be even more lethal, considering he will have people sharing defenses' attention with him. Theo is overated, should be 5/10, he has had too much time to become consistent, he still fails. Lets face it, only RVP and somehwat Chamack performed, Theo, Asrchavin are only worhy of mentioning because the other team members were so pathetic, story of the one eyed man leading the blind.

Posted by cferns on 06/22/2011

Van Persie is the standout which is a given. The rest don't come close. As much as this team lacks a defensive mindset it's sometimes appalling to watch how much they rely on an injury prone but lethal striker as RVP. Come on Arsene. Sign some quality to partner RVP and switch to a 442 formation.

Posted by Tom Koay on 06/22/2011

I think Theo is a bit overrated. Sure he is fast but he tends to fizzle out arriving the goal post.His decision is poor.May be he should try run across the goal mouth looking for opening than towards it.In so doing he gets more time to decide when to pull the trigger.

Posted by Anonymous on 06/22/2011

it it me or does anyone else feel that mr wenger is dragging his heels with his tranfer targets at the moment? if you ask me he is purposly stalling and wasting time so that they get signed by some of the other rival clubs who are also chasing them. take cahil for instance, he is probebly the one signinig every arsenal fan wants to see at the club but now it seems he is going for the less expensive less talanted samba. and with blackburn saying they want to keepp samba it looks like that 1 million pound noboby (i cant remember his name) is going to be the only defender arsenal sign, which is exactly the type of player the fans dont want to see. and why is wenger looking at midfielders for, we have too many of them. i can understand the attempts to sign another striker tho. i personally think mr wenger doesnt have any intention of signing any decent defenders, if he doesnt get the of the targets he has apparently published then his nickname sould be changed from professor to spin doctor

Posted by titansgunners12thman on 06/22/2011

Van Persie was our lone star striker. Bendtner is garbage, and he needs to be put out on the curb for someone else to pick up. One man's (team) garbage is another man's gold, 10 million quid for a barely average striker, to be exact, boy would that be a windfall.
If Walcott is a striker, let him play up front. I think he's wasting his time out wide. Why even put him there, Wenger, if you and he rate him as a striker. Get the best out of him you can.
Chamakh, while not the most graceful did provide physicality and toughness in the box. He was carrying the team, yet when RVP came back he lost all playing time. He didn't look jaded to me. Wenger inexplicably sat him on the bench, even behind worthless Bendtner. I want to see RVP and him together.
Vela is a mid table club player. 5 million from Bolton would be very good business.
Arshavin, while quality, has to be sold to get something out of him while he still has value.

Posted by titansgunners12thman on 06/22/2011

Can wait for the Wenger evaluation!
He has to be blamed for every failure we have had.

Posted by Maran on 06/23/2011

The main problem with Arsenal forwards is that none of them like to take responsibility to score except for Robin Van Persie, when he is in the right position. Persie is an excellent player. But I seriously do not think he is the main striker. He likes to play from the midfield creating moves and scores, but rarely spends time in the box, when we build the attacks. Chamakh will never be the answer too. At most he will be a supporting striker. So is Arshavin. He is creative, but lazy. I agree that Walcott is wasted at the wings. He should operate in the centre, but he certaily needs to improve on all of his attacking skills other than running. There is no striker in Arsenal who can adapt to plan B. In most matches the crosses from left and right (I also think they lack quality), none of the strikers was any close. None of our current strikers like to step into the penalty box. Where's the fox? We certainly need one with the predatory instincts to convert the many chances to goals.

Posted by IthacaGOONER on 06/23/2011

steve. you thought theo was terrible against 'pool? maybe it was because flanagan got beaten in his first five minutes on the field so everytime the ball went to the right lucas/raul/carragher came over to double if not triple cover him. don't open your mouth unless you watch the game.
like your ratings broham. keep it up. would love to see us get forlan, sell cesc and get another defensive minded middy with a center striker. play with song, CDM#2, and jack pulling the strings. especailly at Old trafford and such.

Posted by ITHACA is GOONER on 06/23/2011

cferns, you're the gunner fan I like. lets get the 442 going, bring back the pires, freddie dynamic. would like to see a able partner for van persie so he can play the 10. I really hope clichy leaves and get someone with a DEFENSIVE HEAD ON THERE SHOULDERS. seriously. every team loves to attack us down our left because he is always caught out. 5 good plays and 1 huge error is not what we need right now

Posted by Cooper52 on 06/23/2011

Bendtner is terrible couldn't finish a cup of tea. Golden chance against Barca to be a hero and he choked like he always does. Give him a road map and an apple end of story. Think it is time to let Cesc go too. Love him, but he's gonna go anyway. Maybe its just me but he disappears in the biggest of games... he is supposed to be the captain! Maybe bring in a Charlie Adam for him; someone with some grit and leadership to orchestrate the game. Real problem is lack of leadership on the pitch. Too many Indians and not enough chiefs. Something goes wrong and they are all looking around asking who is going to save us? But not just one guy on the pitch, we need a strong, lock down, controlling center half, and calm, cool, leader in midfield. Until then we will be an academy side.

Posted by moneymam on 06/23/2011

I pretty much agree with you Sam.I really think Bendtner should disappear he's rubbish,along with Vela who at this time is only average.If Wenger does keep him as he just said he would he needs to play him in his proper posistion up front, not on the wing.
This leads me to one of the main problem's that Arsenal have, and that is formation. Wenger is trying to put square pegs in round holes.Walcott is a striker not winger likewise Vela,Nasri is a centre midfield player not winger,Djorou is more a midfielder than defender and so on.
With the players we have at the moment i think he needs to go back to a 4-4-2,or maybe 4-5-1 with the current 4-3-3 system where great going forward but rubbish when defending,even Song likes to push forward, our players are to similar or as said playing out of posistion.
What do you think Sam could be a topic for your next post:The Arsenal Formation

p.s The talk out of the Arsenal camp was that it was gonna be a busy summer,what's happened...

Peace

Posted by kunle on 06/24/2011

How on earth will someone compare Chamak & Van persie's rating? what is the issuue with our people that ll refuse to be objective.Van P could'nt feature much in the 1st half due to injury Which was no fault of his.His absence then was'nt as a result of loss of form. Infact there was never a time during the course of the whole season that he lost form.He started banging the goals immediately he came back and he kept at it untill the end of our miserable season.I was amazed he almost caught up with Berbatov & Tevez on the goal chart,even though both played all year round.This is phenomenal,and this guy should be held high & praised instead of being reduced to the level of mediocre & average chamak Who stayed fit all season but faded off after the 1st round. this excuse of him being new in the prem sucks cos Peter Odemwingie of westbrom also had his 1st season & he kept scoring till the end.lets be objective for once. I ll giv VP 10/10 while chamak Gets 5/10.

Posted by kunle on 06/24/2011

How on earth will someone compare Chamak & Van persie's rating? what is the issuue with our people that ll refuse to be objective?Van P could'nt feature much in the 1st half due to injury Which was no fault of his.His absence then was'nt as a result of loss of form. Infact there was never a time during the course of the whole season that he lost form.He started banging the goals immediately he came back and he kept at it untill the end of our miserable season.I was amazed he almost caught up with Berbatov & Tevez on the goal chart,even though both played all year round.This is phenomenal,and this guy should be held high & celebrated instead of being reduced to the level of mediocre & average chamak Who stayed fit all season but faded off after the 1st round. this excuse of him being new in the prem sucks cos Peter Odemwingie of westbrom also had his 1st season & he kept scoring till the end.lets be objective for once. I ll giv VP 10/10 while chamak Gets 5/10.

Posted by gj on 06/24/2011

Players out: Bendtner(replacement: who cares), Denilson(replacement: who cares), Almunia(replacement: who cares), Eboue(replacement: who cares), Diaby(replacement: who cares), Schillachi(replacement: who cares), Fabregas(replacement:Nasri, Ramsey, Good new signing), Sczesny(replacement: who cares, but really good) Clichy(replacement:someone really good).

Players in: Shouldn't we at least try to get Eto?, Some Italian center-half badass who loves playing defense and destroying anyone who dares enter the box (insert name here), five more good players. 1 more striker, 1 more mid, 2 more defenders.

Biggest Problem: Attitude. Wengers fault. Need players with guts and desire, not pussies that give up.

Second Biggest Problem: Formation. It's the EPL, play a 442 like this: GK: Given, CB Vermaalen, CB New signing, RB Sagna, LB Gibbs, CM Nasri, CM Wilshere, LM Arshavin, RM Walcott, RF Van Persie, LF Eto.

Posted by kojo on 06/25/2011

we shd giv money to the club who comes in for charmach bentdner squilacci rosicky because it will b thier loss buy mertersacker samba kaka harzard and rossi or aguero

Posted by ayiga twalib mansur on 06/25/2011

thanx 4 ur assessment mr man i concur with u on many areas. u see u can,t teach an old dog new tricks and thats why the likes of adebayor and his pretence had to leave,nicklas,vela, abu alumni can,t improve wherever on this planet of ftball. a fool at 40 is a fool 4 ever. as for chamakh and squaillance are not the quality of players our team needs for eg chamakh such alazy striker who poses no threat to opponent defenders. pertaining to walcot, he is more of mummys boy than an independent natural ftball player and is treated like glass that is to say he is very vulnerable and fragile, idont know because he is one of the afew english players at arsenal. finally i think big man wenger is worn out he lucks impetus, serious considerations for possible replacement must be underway by the board. u see u can fool some of the people all the time or u can fool all the people some of the time but u cannot fool all the people all the time. six or more years of trophylessness a too long. ayiga

Posted by DaveC on 06/25/2011

Sam, I agree with most of your assessment for the strikers technical ability and performance overall. However, I think what makes a good strike or striking force is the tactics that goes with it. What I have witness at Arsenal all season, is the absence of good tactics. Here's my view as follows :-

- Some of the strikers like Walcott is totally played out of position. He should be a better striker lurking behind the main striker and making a darting run at defence to break the offside track.

- There's no communication and anticipation in the final third. Strikers ought to know where the final ball is normally placed at, so that, they can make run and react at a much faster pace than their opponents. Every split second counts in high level football, especially in the penality area.

- When Arsenal played against weaker opponent, we should use more strikers to cloud the defence and pressurize opponent's defence. We did well last season only to find out it was to late to try.

Posted by Anthony Lindo on 06/25/2011

Here at last where i can really let some steam off
i wont be nice or mince my words bendtner should go like wise Clichy and i can tell you why Bendtner at this stage dont have a proper ball control when inside the box too many mistake Clichy cant concentrate for 90 min. he lasp in concentration thats is why Nani scores so many goals aganist us clichy always makes mistake next dead wood is DIABY no good and he is lazy Almunia
what is he still doing there Squillaci what a waste of money Rosicky they should have sold him from he came back from i operation Denilson he want out good bye son see you now please mr WENGER get rid of the dead wood and get good player i am a very passionate fan and need to see my team like it was in the glory years please get rid of those useless men and revamp the team others may want to stay after all pleaseeeeeeeeeee

Posted by Peter on 06/26/2011

I absolutely agree with your take on RVP,If not for him ,we will probably have ended up in 8th place,THank you Robin!

Posted by Keith on 06/27/2011

Sam, good effort on your posts so far. After all the performance assessment on the players, i would like to hear your views n other fans' response on the rumoured players that Mr Wenger is going to sign.

I agree with one of readers' comment that Wenger is dragging his heels again in the transfer market. When he mentioned that Arsenal will be busy in the transfer market, did he mean busy looking at or busy buying?? Man U, being the champions, had already sugned 2 established players in quick succession. Are you serious again to be active in the market or just selling good players n get more U-21 nobody??

I have a feeling he is trying to save a few more million pounds again at the bargaining table. Why are we taking so long to sign Centrebacks?? We shld hv just grabbed Gary Cahill and Chris Samba before someone else come in to start a bidding war... Time is running out too!!!

Posted by Black Hei on 06/27/2011

RVP: I wonder why people think he is Bergkamp. The technique is there and he is Dutch. But RVP plays with his back to goal and is a poacher the likes which the Invincibles team never had. Bergkamp plays defence splitting passes, they are both different.

Chamakh: People think that he burnt out; its not true, he had a long holiday after Christmas. Sam is right, this guy lost it in the 2nd half. Not a good guy coming off the bench.

Theo: This is a guy better running off the ball than with the ball. I don't think he can play centre like Anelka (Henry plays left). He will play with his front to goal, but with poor control he will not help in build up.

Bendter: Big guy with good technique; he was reliable 2 seasons back, but last year was regressive.

Vela: A sliky player, but I wonder if he can score goals or do something useful.

Arshavin: He lacks pace to play on the left. Very creative. If we lose Fabregas we will need him in the middle.

Posted by Black Hei on 06/27/2011

Hi Sam,

Would like your views on JET and Ryo. Our problem is that we do not have anyone really suited to the wings so these 2 look potential.

Ryo is outstanding to be able to break into the first team at Fey. I saw him on Youtube and if Arshavin continues to play on the left, this guy will really pressure him.

JET plays on the right, his stats last season aren't that impressive but he looks like a big, direct running guy with good technique. Looks better with the ball than Walcott.

Sam Limbert: Thanks for your comment. I think Ryo has the potential to break into the first team, but not yet. Another loan season would do him good before going into the first team.
I'm more dubious about JET. He's clearly too good for the reserves, but then he didn't cut it in the Championship. He has a lot of skill and is physically strong, but he seems to lack substance at key times in matches. He has to make an impression either in the Carling Cup or on loan this season to have a future at Arsenal.

Posted by kamal zharif on 06/27/2011

Hi Sam,

Will you be reviewing the transfers that Arsenal make this transfer window? (Is the Mata gossip true?)

Sam Limbert: Thanks for your comment. I will blog about any new signings that come in.

Posted by Rangers on 06/27/2011

I'm fed up with Arsene Wenger & his Club's never-turning-to be-true statement at season end the last 6 years that they have fund to buy players & will do so to strengthen their squad. It seems that they will buy players only if they can off load some of their players. As a Gunners' fan, I'm so disappointed at their lukewarm response to our expectation over the past 6 years! Yet and again, no action taken up to date after the season. Whoever they sell, don't sell our captain!

Posted by hm on 06/27/2011

I believe Arsene is in the wrong job.He is a soccer team manager by accident. He waits until all other teams have bought the best and enjoys buying the rifraff. Other managers have already done their bit are now preparing for the new season while arsene is still uncertain. No Arsen be active, the team is already far behind in preperations while you sit there and watch. Believe you me we will witness the same hesitancy and poor showing of Arsenal in the coming season if Wenger keeps on taking a laidback attitude in rebuilding his pathetic team that has potential. Let go Fab and rebuild the team in time for next season.

Posted by douglas on 06/27/2011

thanks. Diaby should be shown the way out for christ sake he is doing the team more harm than good. As for cesc, if he wants to go , let him
There are alot of young stars that are ready to fit in those shoes. It has been with the team like that for years. Henry left, his replacement was found same with Danis Bec. I don't see why it can't happen with Cesc

Posted by jaykum on 06/28/2011

Have u guys seen AW response to a fan. He has started talking abt right player n right price again. Man U won d title and ve made 2 additions already. Is it not ironic dat players like denilson n bendtner ve indicated interest to move on n no club has shown interest. Sam I think AW has lost it. Very soon d club will bcome less attractive to big player if we don't end this now. There is so much mediocrity in d club. Nothing cheap is of quality. Arsenal FC deserves some quality addition NOW.

Posted by jaykun on 06/28/2011

"We have enough quality to beat anyone in the world, even with the current squad. You had a Champions League final and only one team has beaten both of them and that is Arsenal."

Sam, this statement from AW response today sounds like a coach who is ready to settle for less. So we beat Man Utd & Barca but where is d trophy? Besides Utd had beaten us twice this season so why count this as an achievement

Posted by midwestgunner on 06/28/2011

Perfect solution for Arshavin: play him just behind the forwards. He's the only player who has the vision and technique to fill Fabregas' boots when he leaves.

This plays to his strengths and he doesn't have many defensive responsibilities. Every time he came into the center of the park, he was much more effective than Nasri who's a 'dribble to create for himself first, pass second' player.

Posted by Anonymous on 06/29/2011

arsene wenger is definitly the spin doctor of football. it wont be long now when i and everyone reads in the papers the excuses of why new players havnt arrived at the club and here is a list of probeble things he will say.

1. the right players were not available.
2. the market is too expencive.
3. he was outpriced by other clubs.
4. he cant compete financialy whith the like of stoke, bolton, everton or any of the lower league teams.

the fact of the matter is he has strung all arsenal fans along again as he has no intention of signing established tough players thats cost more then a million pounds. if he sells cesc fab for 35 million he will then spen 10 or 15 million of that on someone who he is an outstanding or excellant player who nobody has ever heard of. squilachi apparenntly was an outstanding excellant
defender, or at least that what wenger claimed as he tried to justify why he signed him instead of chris smalling.

Posted by Matt on 06/29/2011

Good read Sam,bt l move with the rest of the ppl here,lets offload deadwood, all those 'could-be' great players,like Denilsen whose head isnt there.Diaby lacks smthng (otha than descipline) lm nt sure what it is.Bedtner out,along with Rosicky,Vela,Squillaci,Almunia oh and Fabregas-we've kissed his arse for too long.lets get Cahill,please.johan isnt a CB,his place is in midfld nxt to Song

Posted by paul draw on 06/29/2011

I've to agree with u though, u got everthing sport-on. The big Dane should be shown the door, Samba, Geovinco, Ricky, Swarzer, Cahill & Motta can be the answers to the Gunners problems.

Posted by dchow on 06/29/2011

According to AW's letter to a fan, it appears that we have to loose Fabregas and Nasri this summer.We should be prepared a further weakened team and struggle to retain position next season.
AW appears to indicate that should we be disappointed again, we should blame the Club's decision to build the new stadium resulting in huge financial burden on the club which restricts our spending limits

Posted by Roger on 06/29/2011

The Gunners need to bye a goalkeeper & defendres quickly or they wont do any good this coming season.They need to do something as soon as possible to keep Nasri.

Posted by patrick on 06/30/2011

i think the gunners are going to be just fine. let Cses, Nasri, and Clicy leave if thats what they choose to do. Remenber one thing, just because you can performed at Arsenal, that doesnt mean you can also performed else where. Wenger knows how to get the best out of his players. which them luck and move on. i'm pretty sure there are so many good players waiting to join the gunners, regardless what others are saying, i think Arsenal is the best club in England.

Posted by Anonymous on 07/01/2011

40 million plus the money from expected sales of cesc, nasri and clichy sales should meen AW has nearly 90 million in his tranfere kitty. i bet he wont even spen the origenal 40 million he already has cos he will as usual sign devopling players to those positions. this will result in a few more seasons of team and player developments in which players like van persi, vermalan and wilshere will become disalusioned with the direction of which the club is moving in due to lack of trophies. that in turn will result in them leaving or wanting to leave the club. and we all know how player form drops when a player want to leave the club (clichy, fabragas). and to top it all off the club wont get rid of wenger but they will up matchday and season tickit prices. my message to all arsenal fans is this.
BOYCOT ALL ARSENAL GAMES AND MAKE THOSE GREEDY GOOD FOR NUFFING SHAREHOLDERS SPEND SOME OF THAT MONEY THEY ARE STEALING FROM ARSENAL FANS.

Posted by sailendra on 07/01/2011

i believe that chamakh does not have the necessary skills to perform at this levell... he scores nly headed goals nd it was his luck that he scored so well in the first half.... his ball control with his feet is worst of any of the arsenal players.... bendtner is better than him but he doesnot have the confidence to attack a defender in one on one situations... vela is a waste too...... and theo will never be world class consistently.... arshavin is the only player who seemed to be able to take on a defender and get past him... van persie is world class and he will always score goals if he is fit....... so we should get rid of players like chamakh , bendtner and vela... they should not be there in the team in first place itself.. especially chamakh since he came at a rather experienced player.. and last of all i believe that FINANCE IS MORE IMPORTANT FOR WENGER RATHER THAN TROPHIES.. HIS ATTITUDE AND POST MATCH INTERVIEWS ARE VERY DEPRESSING BUT LETS HOPE THT HE SUCCEEDS. LOVE ARSENAL

Posted by Chris. A on 07/02/2011

no new signings yet. well dont go holding your breath cos unless big players leave he wont have any money to replace them with average players. either the board are lying about the tranfere funds available or mr wenger himself is lying. either way they are it doesnt matter cos cos wenger is making them money at the cost of the fans wallet.only an arsenal fan would be stupid enough to follow arsene wenger words of spin. cos whatever money he make from the eventual sale of the high profile players that look set to leave he wont replace them. in fact he wont even spend all the money he has been given to spend. to team that wenger had last season only needed a solid defender and a goal keeper. cos he didnt make them signings the best players now look set to leave and replaced with some unknown developing teenager again.

Posted by keith on 07/02/2011

I am getting frustrated each day when I read about our rival clubs signing up players and we are still as usual, at the negotiating stage. Does AW know that we have to start the preparation for the new season very soon, especially when he mentioned he will bring in quite a few players.

We still have the Champions League play-off to worry about and is AW taking for granted that we will cruise into the competition without a sweat. If the recent reports are true, we are destined to lose at least 3 first team players. Don't we need time to blend in their replacements? Are we using the next couple of seasons to gel in the new players?

I guess AW will be using the same old excuses again come this new season. Eg. We have just acquired the new and young players and they need time to settle down in BPL... This team has the potential, let's give them time. Very soon, you will see players like Van Persie and Wilshere leaving too cos they have lost the trust in AW, just like us...Sigh...

Posted by louis on 07/07/2011

Vela should be loaned out again but i think it should be overseas, hopefully bendter will be bought buy dortmund or another club. Wenger should play with 2 strikers, as it would allow chamahk, van persie or theo walcott or another new signing to play upfront. If u looked at Chamakh's season, he was very good when he started because he needs a bit of time to warm up, he isnt a super sub type player.

Posted by Dish on 07/08/2011

No one will come to Arsenal unless the club brings other welkonwn player. because why new come? others leaves?. many players reason is one and one,.. they need a tropy !!!!,. so please pay money to get more money, otherwise I will affraid next seasons,... this club will score worest result.

Posted by Oscar on 07/13/2011

Dissenting views and opinions. Truth be told, some players have to leave. Now Gael lost his motivation and has moved on. he wasn't at his best before leaving. I stand to be corrected but last season was Cesc's worst since he became the mainstay of the team. His mind is elsewhere and if he wants to leave, let him go. Never keep a disillusioned player at Arsenal. It'll be a massive blow to lose Cesc and Nasri but let them go instead of holding us to ransom. And for the deadwood, pls sgive them recommendation letters to some clubs who want 'em. at least they've learnt the trade at Arsenal. let's just get an Eto'o or RVN-like box 6 predator, and see RvP fit, then it can get better. Than I wanna see a Mertesacker and if goin for EPL experience (Cahill or Samba). Where I share Wenger's sentiment is the overpricing of players by English clubs, imagine valuing the like of Downing, N'zogbia etc at 20m; madness, isn't it? Hoping something good'll happen next season.Still me and Arsenal though...

Posted by auch on 08/12/2011

I thought that vela is unable to produce because he is not given a role he requires. I thought that he operates best as a 2nd striker but that is not the current arsenal formation. hard to blame him when he is not given the opportunity.

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