Another chilly morning Down Under…
It’s a Wenger-flavoured blog today – and with good reason (comes good news). Predictably, the journos immediately ask him if he’s staying for the umpteenth time. Again, Wenger has reiterated “I have shown since I arrived here that I am very faithful. I will speak about the future at the right moment. You have to respect my decision.”
A crash-course in key-demographics for you: The part that Arsenal fans will typically highlight is ‘I am very faithful.’ The segment Spurs fans will subtly remark upon is ‘You have to respect my decision.’ Alarm bells! Every man for himself! The fact is, Wenger has done this all before. Prior to the 2003/04 season (Invincible Sombrero), Wenger’s contract was also doing that annoying thing contracts do near to their closure, and the media wouldn’t give up on the fact that Arsenal were heading for catastrophe come the ‘imminent’ Wenger departure. He signed in October, we won the league. In this case, expect Wenger to sign around December/January or so. To win the league? Well, ever the optimist.
How can I be so sure of his staying, apart from precedent? Wenger’s analysis on the team is incredibly encouraging: On the team’s mentality, he remarked upon “…the desire and anger for success, the togetherness of the players have been greater than ever. I am very excited because of what I feel and I saw during the camp. I am impatient.”
Impatient? Screw us all sideways, this is pep-talk and a half! Wenger feels the minimum requirement for this season is the League Title. Yes, the League Title. Unlike those neighbours down the road who are convinced they’re on their way to overtaking us. If it was down to pure, unadulterated ambition, Tottenham wouldn’t come close to the denotation. Darren Bent, of Ipswich Town and Charlton-fame, believes Arsenal need to watch their backs in the forth coming league season. Apparently Tottenham are ‘aiming’ to get forth place. Here lies the crucial difference between the two clubs. Arsenal quite clearly has a different definition of ambition, and one club clearly has a Freudian-case of inferiority-complex.
Back to Wenger, and further evidence he is staying – in spite of whether we get taken over by the Cookie-Monster or Frankenstone – in the form of more Wenger quotes:
“It is important that I concentrate on what is my role. The players and myself are focused on what we want to achieve together. I stay in my role. I don’t have to take part in the financial sphere.”
One has to carefully read between the lines on some other interviews on Arsenal.com. If you want some insider information, look no further than Paul Le Guen. Close friend of Wenger’s, possibly on the shortlist to replace Wenger’s fifth bionic clone three centuries from now, and with a telling quote to spill:
“I am optimistic for them. They have a very good team and a very young team. They will do well despite the players who have left. They still have enough good players to have a strong team. I talked to Arsène and he is very confident. He really, really loves coaching this team. I like to see happy managers and Arsène is a manager who seems happy.” Appropriate bits and bobs highlighted.
Yes, it was an in depth view on what we already knew. No, it wont make the speculation go away. But I wont have much breath to deal with any more tiresome speculation, unless it’s just particularly hilarious. Or ironic. I hope for the former.
Meanwhile, ANR reckons Ryan Garry is on trial with Bournemouth with a view to a one-year deal. A little sad, really – injuries robbed him of almost a certain role in the Arsenal team, which could have arrived as early as three seasons ago. That and we’re being linked with Chelsea’s remarkably overhyped and rather mediocre player, Lassana Diarra. I never got what was so great about Obi-Mikel, neither. Oh well. Interestingly enough, we’re allegedly still waiting on a work permit for Eduardo – though that link is pinkfootball.
Arsenal.com continues to claw its way back to the days of 2001/02 when it was actually worth reading through – with the Emirates Cup beginning tonight, three players are set to miss the entire competition (a grand total of two matches in two days), them being Adebayor, Walcott and Rosicky. Apparently they should be ready for the last friendly against Ajax. Two days over two matches means we’ll be seeing two completely different Arsenal XIs playing, as well.
Additionally, Diaby talks about his time with PSG, and it’s nice to see an old, friendly face again. And of course, the small matter of Gilberto being captain.
PSG tonight (I think that’s Afternoon for our European readers…). A slightly more reserve-batch expected in this one, not listing an entire team, but Hoyte, Fabianski, Randall, Traore, Bendtner, Barazite and Walcott might take the field, here. Bit redundant, trying to guess – but there might be less wholesale changes at half time than usual in a friendly, given the space between games.
I trust you’re all sleeping well?
{incidently, the spell checker in Mozilla doesnt like ‘Tottenham’. It suggests, instead: ‘Misbegotten’, ‘Rottens’, ‘Rottenly’, ‘Rottener’ and ‘Hottentot’.}
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