Friday, July 30, 2010

Preview: Emirates Cup, Arsenal v. AC Milan and Celtic

Cesc Fabregas's 84th minute goal at the San Siro eliminated AC Milan from the 2008 Champions League. Pic via Guardian.

Emirates Stadium, London
Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1
16:20 BST, 11:20 a.m. EDT
  • All-Time vs. Milan: 1 Arsenal win, 1 Milan win, 2 draws
  • All-Time vs. Celtic: 2 Arsenal wins, 0 Celtic wins, 0 draws
  • Arsenal Last Year
    • Premier League: 23 wins, 6 draws, 9 losses; 3rd place
    • Champions League: Lost Quarter-finals to Barcelona 6-4 on aggregate
  • AC Milan Last Year
    • Serie A: 20 wins, 10 draws, 8 losses; 3rd place
    • Champions League: Lost Round of 16 to Manchester United 7-2 on aggregate
  • Celtic Last Year
    • Scottish Premier League: 25 wins, 6 draws, 7 losses, 2nd place
    • Champions League: Lost qualifying playoff to Arsenal 5-1 on aggregate
About AC Milan
  • Milan were founded in 1899 as a cricket club by British expatriots from Nottingham. In honor of this history, the club retains the English spelling "Milan" instead of the Italian "Milano."
  • A disagreement over the signing of foreign players in 1908 led to a split and the formation of Milan's rival, Internazionale.
  • After this, Milan did not win a domestic title again until 1951.
  • In 1963, they defeated Benfica to win their first European Cup.
  • Milan was relegated to Serie B after a match fixing scandal in 1980.
  • They were involved in another match fixing scandal in 2006 and were supposed to be docked 15 points and suspended from the 2006-07 Champions League. On appeal, the points deduction was reduced to 8 and they were permitted to enter the European tournament, which they subsequently won.
  • Milan have won 17 Serie A titles, five Coppa Italia titles (Italy's domestic tournament,) and seven European titles.
About Celtic
  • Established in 1887, Celtic played their first match one year later.
  • Celtic won the Quintuple in 1967, winning the Scottish League, Cup, and League Cup, plus the Glasgow Cup, and European Cup.
  • That European Cup was a first for a team from Great Britain.
  • From 1966 to 1974, Celtic won nine consecutive Scottish titles. That world record was equalled by their rivals, Rangers, in 1997.
  • They have won 42 Scottish league titles, 34 Scottish Cups, 14 League Cups, and one European title.
  • The last time a team other than Celtic or Rangers won a Scottish title was 1985 and Aberdeen.
The Emirates Cup
  • Arsenal won the competition last year after two wins, a wild finish in a 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid (Arshavin 86, 90; Pacheco 88) and a 3-0 win over Rangers (Wilshere 2, 72, Eduardo 11.) Jack Wilshere was named Man of the Match in both games.
  • Arsenal won the inaugural competition in 2007, beating PSG 2-1 (Flamini 45, Bendtner 70; Luyindula 80) and Inter Milan 2-1 (Hleb 67, van Persie 85; Suazo 62.)
  • Arsenal lost the cup in 2008 to Hamburg, whom they did not play over that weekend. Arsenal lost to Juventus 1-0 (Trezeguet 37) and beat Real Madrid 1-0 (Adebayor 49 pen.)
  • In the Emirates Cup, teams get three points for a win, one point for a draw, nothing for a loss, plus an extra point for each goal scored. The tie-breakers are goal difference, goals scored, and total shots.
  • The fourth team in this year's tournament, whom Arsenal will not play, is Lyon.
Arsenal News and Notes
  • A quartet of players either certainly won't or may not be fit for the season opener at Anfield in two weeks. Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie don't return from vacation until the 5th of August and Nicklas Bendtner remains out with a groin injury. The fourth is, of course, Aaron Ramsey.
  • Three midfielders (Alex Song, Abou Diaby, and Denilson) will all miss the weekend tournament with injuries as well. They should all return on the 7th in Warsaw.
  • Arsenal still need to sign at least one more center half in order to have four established players at the position. Even with this in mind, Arsene Wenger has moved the young Havard Nordtveit to the right side. Only Bacary Sagna now naturally plays the position; his cover, if necessary, is Emmanuel Eboue.
  • Arsenal goalkeepers, disastrous as they are, have yet to concede a goal in the pre-season. Vito Mannone has stopped a penalty. Very few have had much work, though.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Injury Roundup!

Strike a pose, Nick! Pic via Arsenal.com.

This feature seems like it'll run all too often during the season, doesn't it? Isn't that terrifying?
  • Johan Djourou left yesterday's pre-season friendly at Neusiedl 1919 with a hamstring injury after playing only 29 minutes, but Arsene Wenger says he should be fit for the weekend. With Sol Campbell gone to Newcastle, Djourou's injury leaves Arsenal with exactly one season of total Premier League experience at center back (Vermaelen.)
  • Tomas Rosicky was pulled from the line-up with a groin injury as a precaution, but should be fine.
  • Nicklas Bendtner will not be healthy for the start of the season and Wenger mentioned being unsure how bad his groin injury is.
  • Denilson and Abou Diaby will probably miss the weekend's Emirates Cup, but should be back for Legia Warsaw on August 7.
  • Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie return to training on August 5, but before then, it's impossible to tell how soon they'll be back to 100% since they're not even with the club at the moment. Wenger mentioned they "might be short for the first game" but this all depends "on the fitness work they have done during the holiday."

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Friendly: Neusiedl 1919 0 - 4 Arsenal: The Sheet's Still Clean

SC Neusiedl 0
Arsenal 4: Walcott 28, Emmanuel-Thomas 30, Chamakh 51 (pen), Vela 65

Quick notes again as I could not watch this one either:
  • It appears to have been another comfortable win for the Gunners, who have outscored opposition 11-0 in three pre-season friendlies.
  • Arsenal appeared a bit sluggish at the start, but cruised once the cobwebs were shaken.
  • Walcott and Emmanuel-Thomas scored two minutes apart to give Arsenal a 2-0 cushion at the half.
  • Marouane Chamakh scored his first goal in an Arsenal shirt, scoring from the penalty spot after he was pulled down in the box.
  • Carlos Vela added his first of the pre-season on a chip shot.
  • Manuel Almunia made his first appearance of the summer and got the start...
  • ...but it was second half substitute Vito Mannone that stopped a penalty after Havard Nordtveit handled in the area. 
So far, there have been no tremendously tough tests for Arsenal this July, but AC Milan will come to the Emirates on Saturday for the Emirates Cup, followed by Celtic on the second day (who themselves will be in the middle of a Champions League qualification tie, the first leg of which is tomorrow.)

Arsene Wenger is Very Disappointed in You 7/27/2010


Monday, July 26, 2010

Preview: Neusiedl 1919 v. Arsenal, Friendly

Logo via team site.

Sportzentrum Neusiedl, Neusiedl am See
Tuesday, July 27
  18:00 BST, 1:00 p.m. EDT

Who Is SC Neusiedl 1919?
  • The side's full name is "Sportclub Neusiedl am See 1919."
  • Surprise! They were formed in 1919.
  • Currently playing in Austria's third tier of football, the Regional League East.
  • They finished in 7th place last year.
  • They finished 11 points out of first place (hey, so did Arsenal.)
  • NSC 1919 was promoted to Austria's top flight in 1981, narrowly avoid relegation in 1982, and a last place finish (with all of four points) in 1983.
  • Due to financial hardship, NSC 1919 voluntarily withdrew from the second tier to drop into the regional level in June of 1984.
  • By the late '80s, they dropped as far as the fifth tier.
Arsenal News and Notes
  • There has been very little news from external media about Arsenal in recent weeks, with the Gunners training in relative solitude in Austria.
  • Perhaps the most interesting point is how many of the defenders, such as Djourou, Koscielny, and now Vermaelen have discussed the importance of physicality and aggression.
  • Arsenal continue to be linked with every goalkeeper in the world, now including Akinfeev from CSKA Moscow and Stekelenburg from Ajax.
  • Andres Iniesta is the latest Barcelona player to open his big mouth about Fabregas, but mentions that the move probably won't be until next summer. At least he puts it nicer than Xavi's "Arsenal should think of it like they have him on loan" and David Villa's "I will personally kick people's asses to get him here." Of course, those aren't quite direct quotes.
  • Still being linked to a few center backs, even with an increased chance that Sol Campbell will stay after Celtic and Sunderland made other moves. These include Everton's Phil Jagielka and Werder Bremen's Per Mertesacker.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Friendly: Sturm Graz 0 - 3 Arsenal: Austria!

Sturm Graz 0
Arsenal 3: Nasri 16, 43, Lansbury 57

LINE-UP (Halftime substitutions in parentheses):
Fabianski (Szczesny), Vermaelen (Koscielny), Nordtveit, Djourou, Traore (Gibbs), Nasri (Eastmond), Walcott, Frimpong (Lansbury), Wilshere, Arshavin (Rosicky). Chamakh (Emmanuel-Thomas).

I could not watch this one; I have only the following to say:
  • Samir Nasri had a brace and now has three goals in two pre-season friendlies.
  • Henri Lansbury got himself on the scoresheet with the second half's only goal.
  • Lukaz Fabianski has played 90 minutes without messing up so far this pre-season.
  • Eduardo has been sold to the Ukraine.
Maybe more later on this match, but probably not.

Arsene Wenger is Very Disappointed in You 7/21/2010


Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Arsene Wenger is Very Disappointed in You 7/20/2010


Songs of Farewell

Sometimes the transfer period can become a little over-intellectualised, so for those who want to know in simple terms the players leaving this summer Hipster Gooner's useful chant guide is a must.

Eduardo

"He went to them when Maroaune came Eddie! Eddie!
He scored twenty goals less than Darren Bent Eddie! Eddie!
He broke his leg and he won't be back,
but Darren Bent will still be cack!
Eduardo Silva! Shaktar Donetsk's number nine!!!

[In Ukrainian accent] lalalalalala etc."

William Gallas

"William Gallas isn't our mate! Isn't our mate! Isn't our mate! William Gallas isn't our mate! He hates Arsenal!"

Mikael Silvestre

*silence*

There are some songs that are just unbearable to consider:

Cesc Fabregas

"Oh Cesc Fab-re-gas, you were the love of my life!
Oh Cesc Fab-re-gas, I let you shag my wife!
Oh Cesc Fab-re-gas, you're Barcelona through and through!"

They've got Cesc Fabregas,
They've got Cesc Fabregas,
They've got Cesc Fabregas,
They've got Cesc Fabregas..."

Preview: Sturm Graz v. Arsenal, Friendly


UPC-Arena, Graz
Wednesday, July 21
18:00 BST, 1:00 p.m. EDT 

Prior Meetings 

Arsenal and Sturm Graz previously met in the second round of the 1970/71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Arsenal lost 1-0 in Austria, but won 2-0 at Highbury to win the tie 2-1 on aggregate.

Who Is Sturm Graz?
  • "Die Schwoazn," which apparently means "The Blackies" were founded in 1909.
  • The club played its first top flight season in 1942/43, during a period where Austria (and its football league) was under Nazi control. They came in last and were relegated.
  • Sturm Graz began to have success in the '80s and finished second in the league in 1982/83.
  • The following year, they were knocked out of the UEFA Cup in the quarterfinals, losing in extra time on a dubious penalty call to Nottingham Forest.
  • Sturm Graz were champions of Austria football in 1998 and 1999.
  • They have advanced to Champions League group play in 1999, 2000, and 2001, but never into the knockout stages.
  • They finished in 4th place in Austria last season and will start this year's European campaign in the third qualifying round of the Europa League.
  • Sturm Graz's 2010/11 season began this past weekend with a 3-0 win at Ried.
  • Their stadium was named after Arnold Schwarzenegger, who grew up in a suburb of Graz, when it first opened. His name was removed from the stadium in 2005 after a long debate involving his views on the death penalty.
Arsenal's 27-Man Traveling Squad
  • Goalkeepers: Manuel Almunia, Lukasz Fabianski, Vito Mannone, Wojciech Szczesny
  • Defense: Bacary Sagna, Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Koscielny, Johan Djourou, Gael Clichy, Kieran Gibbs, Armand Traore
  • Midfield: Abou Diaby, Tomas Rosicky, Samir Nasri, Alex Song, Jack Wilshere, Emmanuel Eboue
  • Forward: Carlos Vela, Theo Walcott, Andrei Arshavin, Marouane Chamakh
  • Reserves: Craig Eastmond, Emmanuel Frimpong, Conor Henderson, Henri Lansbury, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Havard Nordtveit
Noticeably Missing
  • Still on World Cup vacation: Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie
  • Out with known injury: Aaron Ramsey, Nicklas Bendtner
  • Out without reason: Eduardo (likely sold soon), Denilson (seriously, where is he?)
  • Missing reserves: Nacer Barazite, Ignasi Miquel, and Jay Simpson all played Saturday at Barnet, but did not make the trip to Austria.

    Monday, July 19, 2010

    Sunday, July 18, 2010

    Arsene Wenger is Very Disappointed in You 7/18/2010


    Friendly: Barnet 0 - 4 Arsenal: Here We Go!

    Theo Walcott, well rested. Pic via Daily Mail.

    Barnet 0
    Arsenal 4: Arshavin 2, Simpson 16, 45, Nasri 75

    Arsenal's annual pre-season opener at nearby Barnet started with a bang and progressed comfortably as a fairly strong Gunners line-up coasted to a 4-0 win at Underhill Stadium.

    A number of first team players started, including Laurent Koscielny, who started at center back as he made his Arsenal debut. But it was Tomas Rosicky and Andrei Arshavin combined to send the diminutive Russian in alone on goal; Arshavin maneuvered around Barnet keeper Jake Cole to open the scoring after just 90 seconds of play. Jack Wilshere set up the next two goals for reserve striker Jay Simpson, whose brace gave Arsenal a 3-0 lead at the break.

    Marouane Chamakh made his debut in red and white in the second half, but had a fairly quiet first 45 minutes with the team. Arsenal's offense attack cooled in the second, despite the additions of Chamakh, Theo Walcott, and Samir Nasri. Nasri, however, did add to the scoring in the 75th, taking advantage of a defensive mistake by the Bees.

    Despite being named in the 22-man roster, both Manuel Almunia and Eduardo did not appear. This does not seem to be a good sign for either's future in North London. In goal, Lukasz Fabianski started and played the first half, while Vito Mannone and Wojciech Szczesny shared the second half. Barnet had only one shot on target.

    Arsenal will now head to their pre-season training camp in Austria and will play Sturm Graz on Wednesday and Neusiedl 1919 a week later before returning home for the Emirates Cup.

    Friday, July 16, 2010

    Back Before He Was Disappointed



    In honor of our first match in a long while this Saturday, I thought I would show an Arsene Wenger devoid of disappointment!

    Wednesday, July 14, 2010

    Preview: Barnet v. Arsenal, Friendly

    Tomas Rosicky returned from injury to make his first appearance in 18 months in this friendly last year.
    Pic via Arsenal.com.

    Underhill Stadium, London
    Saturday, July 17
    15:00 BST, 10:00 a.m. EDT
    • This Match, Last Year: Barnet 2 - 2 Arsenal
    • All-Time in Friendlies: 7 Arsenal wins, 0 Barnet wins, 3 draws
    • No meetings in actual competition
    • Arsenal Last Year: 23 wins, 6 draws, 9 losses; 3rd place, Premier League
    • Barnet Last Year: 12 wins, 12 draws, 22 losses; 21st place. League Two
    • Barnet avoided relegation out of The Football League by four points
    Last Year: Barnet 2 - 2 Arsenal
    • First Half XI: Almunia, Djourou, Gallas, Vermaelen, Silvestre, Wilshere, Randall, Frimpong, Rosicky, Arshavin, Watt
    • Second Half XI: Mannone, Coquelin, Ayling, Vermaelen, Cruise, Eastmond, Henderson, Emmanuel-Thomas, Barazite, Sunu, Simpson
    • Arsenal goals: Arshavin 43, Barazite 51
    • Barnet goals: Yakubu 45, Charles 83
    Who Is Barnet?
    • "The Bees" were formed in 1888 as an amateur side.
    • Barnet turned semi-professional in 1965/66.
    • They won the Conference by two points in 1991 to earn their first spot in the Football League.
    • Since that point, the Bees have spent 15 seasons in League football and four in the Conference.
    • The highest point Barnet has reached was the third tier, in 1993/94. They spent nearly the entire season in last place and were relegated.
    • Barnet has played a friendly with Arsenal every season since 2000; they have never met in a competitive match.
    • Barnet has played one pre-season friendly thus far in 2010, a 2-1 win over Blue Square South (sixth tier of English football) side Thurrock yesterday.
    News and Notes
    • New signings Marouane Chamakh and Laurent Koscielny should make appearances. We need chants by Saturday! Hurry!!
    • I would not expect any Gunner who played in the World Cup to appear Saturday... and probably not for some (like van Persie and Fabregas) until the Emirates Cup at the end of the month.
    • Ten established Gunners could make appearances, but no-one's participation is guaranteed, and the second half is likely to see almost entirely reserve players. Those ten Gunners (which do not include the aforementioned new signings) are Manuel Almunia, Thomas Vermaelen, Johan Djourou, Kieran Gibbs, Jack Wilshere, Denilson, Samir Nasri, Tomas Rosicky, Andrei Arshavin, and Theo Walcott.

    Tuesday, July 13, 2010

    BREAKING NEWS: Flowing Locks Flow No More

    What the hell, Rosicky?

    An even worse hair tragedy has befallen Arsenal than the unfortunate demise of Cesc Fabregas' scruffy/sexy World Cup beard. Whatever you're thinking--if Almunia comes to mind--no, it is far, far worse. Tomas Rosicky, once known for the most luscious flowing locks this side of Rapunzel, has cut his hair, which now resembles nothing more than a generic dude haircut. Tonight, at least this Hipster Gooner will be pouring one out (Budvar I suppose?) for the loss of her spirit player and hair twin. Here's hoping Arsène recognizes this important vacancy in the squad and signs a new player with incredible hair soon.

    Monday, July 12, 2010

    News Roundup 7/12/10 - The Day After Edition

    Arsene Wenger is very disappointed in FC Barcelona. But, who isn't? Pic via Daily Mirror.
    • Cesc Fabregas won the World Cup. Robin van Persie did not win the World Cup. I, also, did not win the World Cup. Neither did you. Unless you play for Spain. In which case, there's a good chance you also play for Barcelona. In which case, I'm going to have to ask you to stop being a jerk and tapping up Cesc. Thanks!
    • New FC Barcelona president Sandro Rosell flew to South Africa specifically to talk to Arsene Wenger about the Fabregas transfer. Wenger refused to meet about the topic. [Daily Mirror]
    • Also not talking about the Fabregas transfer: Cesc Fabregas. [Sky Sports]
    • Impending additions: Mark Schwarzer and Joe Cole? Schwarzer is obviously only a one-year solution to the goalkeeping problem, since he's about 78 years old. [Daily Telegraph]
    • Not an impending addition: Yoann Gourcuff. [Sky Sports]
    • Formerly linked with Arsenal, but now going to West Ham: Loic Remy. [Daily Mail]
    • Still probably leaving to either Celtic or Sunderland, but we won't know until after his honeymoon: Sol Campbell. [BBC]
    • Probably going back to Spain: Manuel Almunia. [The People]
    • Arsenal's first pre-season friendly: Five days from now.
    • My overuse of colons in this news roundup: Highly annoying.
    • I'll stop: Now.

    Sunday, July 11, 2010

    World Cup Tragedy (Beyond the Pitch)

    Tonight, as we debate Webb's performance as the referee, discuss the all-knowing cephalopod, and wonder if there's any chance of Cesc ever coming back to England, one photo relating to the World Cup stood out as a place that we'd never want to see an Arsenal shirt. During the final, two bombs went off in Uganda at places where people were gathered to watch the conclusion of the first African World Cup, killing at least thirty; this is a photo the AP chose to run with the story:



    Speaking personally, it's the Arsenal shirt that really got me, brought the tragedy closer to home. Perhaps it's naive, but I always thought that football was something that was meant to bring people together, and it's awful to see something like this happen on a day that should've been a happy one for the continent of Africa. Hipster Gooner hearts and prayers go out to the injured and the families of the dead.

    Bert Van Marwijk Is Generally Confused by You



    Wouldn't you be if you had to suffer the same terrible calls he did?

    From: http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=1493177.html

    Netherlands 0 - 1 Spain, a.e.t.: Oh, Come On!

    Netherlands 0
    Spain 1: Iniesta 116

    Well, in what was a very physical World Cup final, we saw...


    Oh, oh, you have to be kidding me, I barely even commented about the level of ridiculousness that...



    Alright. Fine.

    Saturday, July 10, 2010

    Who You Callin' Ugly?

    Would you? ... We would.

    A couple of days ago, amid the usual YouTube videos of past matchups and Paul the Octopus rumors, the Guardian World Cup liveblog posted what they, tongue firmly in cheek, called "(the press release) you've all been waiting for" -- the most beautiful and ugliest World Cup players, as voted on by members of pretty/vacant dating site BeautifulPeople.com. If for some reason this website sounds familiar, it's probably because they're certainly fans of the controversial and judgmental press release -- last November, they announced that they accepted less than one in eight British men and three in twenty British women, leading to hilarious headlines like the HuffPo's "Brits are Ugliest in the World." (NB: Our two English male staffers are both attractive and wonderful, proving that you can't trust everything you hear from a website promising "access to the most attractive people locally and from around the globe.")

    Anyway, let's get to the point. Where did the sexy Cesc rank? How about clean-cut, handsome van Persie? And Alex Song, though less-than-active in the tournament -- he must've done quite well for himself, right?

    ...Not exactly. The only player to make the list of hotties was former Gooner (and future Red Buller?) Thierry Henry, who warmed the bench for most of France's ill-fated campaign and, let's face it, is getting a bit up there in years. Disappointing that our boys aren't getting the love that they so deserve -- but I guess that just makes them our (and millions of people worldwide)'s little secret.

    At least there's one thing we can all agree on: yes, Internet, Wayne Rooney is in fact the ugliest player of the World Cup. Also, ever.

    Friday, July 9, 2010

    Preview: Netherlands v. FC Barcelona, World Cup Final

    Van Persie and Fabregas may share the World Cup Final pitch... for like 25 minutes at most.
    Pics via 1000 Goals and Arsenal Spot.

    Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg
    Sunday, July 11
    2:30 p.m. EDT, 19:45 BST
    • Referee: Howard Webb (England)
    • First World Cup meeting
    • All-Time in All Competitions: 4 Netherlands wins, 4 Spain wins, 1 draw
    • Netherlands Form: W-W-W / W-W-W
    • Spain Form: L-W-W / W-W-W
    Netherlands Predicted Line-Up

    Stekelenburg
    van der Wiel - Heitinga - Mathijsen - van Bronckhorst
    van Bommel - de Jong
    Robben - Sneijder - Kuyt
    van Persie

    Spain Predicted Line-Up

    Casillas
    Ramos - Pique - Puyol - Capdevila
    Busquets - Xabi Alonso
    Xavi - Iniesta
               Pedro
    Villa

    Historical Notes
    • This is the first World Cup Final since 1978 to feature two nations that have never won the tournament before.
    • It's the third appearance for the Dutch in the final; they lost to West Germany in 1974 and to Argentina in 1978.
    • This is the first final appearance for Spain.
    • This marks only the third final since 1954 not to feature Germany or Brazil. It's the second consecutive final to do so as well, the third was 1978.
    • Spain and the Netherlands have never before met in the tournament stage of a major international competition (meaning the World Cup or the European Championship.)
      • They did meet in the 1920 Summer Olympics. Spain won 3-1 to take the silver medal while the Netherlands took bronze.
      • They met in qualifying for the 1984 Euro; Spain won 1-0 in Seville, Holland won 2-1 in Rotterdam. Spain advanced at Holland's expense on the third tie-breaker, goals scored, after famously defeating Malta 12-1 in the final qualifying match.
      • Spain has not beaten the Netherlands since that 1-0 win in 1983, losing three and drawing one.
    Match Notes
    • In the FIFA rankings, Spain are #2 and the Netherlands are #4.
    • With a win, Spain would become the first nation to win the World Cup after losing their first game of group play.
    • This is the first World Cup final not to include one of either Brazil, Italy, Argentina, or (West) Germany.
    • Paul the Octopus picked Spain.

      Wednesday, July 7, 2010

      Koscielny Deal Complete

      Pic via Arsenal.com.

      With the central defense being one of the Gunners' weakest positions depth-wise, thanks to the departures of Senderos, Gallas, Silvestre, and possibly Sol Campbell, Arsenal have taken their first steps to fill out that role and have announced the completion of their transfer signing of center back Laurent Koscielny from Ligue 1 side Lorient this afternoon.

      Prior to this signing, the only players on the squad with first team experience in the center back role were Thomas Vermaelen and Johan Djourou.

      Koscielny, 24, made 40 appearances across all competitions for Lorient last season and just two years ago was played in France's second division; his transfer to Arsenal marking the end of a meteoric rise for the youngster over the past two seasons.

      Internationally, Koscielny remains uncapped, and while he was born in France, his lineage would allow him to play for Poland.

      News Roundup 7/7/10 - The Controversially Onside Edition

      This ridiculous shot put Holland up 1-0 yesterday. Pic via Guardian.
      • International Gunner Watch - Van Persie: After shocking Brazil on Friday, the Netherlands advanced to their first World Cup Final since 1978 after a 3-2 win over Uruguay. Much debate surrounds whether Robin van Persie was offside for De Oranje's second goal, the goal which put them ahead for good. My opinion: RVP was offside by a hair's width and did interfere with the goalkeeper's vision. By the letter of the law, the goal should not have stood. But, it wasn't as blatantly obvious as some other goals that have counted (*coughTevezcough*). [Guardian]
      • Speaking of van Persie, he has requested a squad number change that is awaiting team approval. Likely to #10, which is being vacated by Gallas. [Gooner Talk]
      • International Gunner Watch - Fabregas: It looked like there was a chance Cesc would start for Spain in today's semifinal against Germany, but thanks to a shin injury, it looks like he'll be starting on the bench again. [Guardian]
      • Speaking of Fabregas, Barcelona has had to ask for a £125 million bank loan to cover unpaid wages for players and staff. No wonder they won't "overpay" for him... even though they've overpaid for everyone else over the past couple of years. Everything about Barca just feels smarmy. [Guardian, Telegraph]
      • The Laurent Koscielny transfer deal should be completed within the next 24 hours, at £8.5 million. I've heard a rumor that he'll be wearing #6, which makes sense as that number was vacated by Senderos. [Daily Mail]
      • Koscieny's soon-to-be-"former" French team Lorient, have already signed his replacement. That was fast... [Sky Sports]
      • Arsenal's opening weekend fixture against Liverpool at Anfield has been moved for television to Sunday at 4:00 (11:00 Eastern.) I've been saying that would happen since the fixture list came out, but I don't think I typed that here anywhere, so you're just going to have to take my word for it. What? You don't believe me!?! [Arsenal.com]
      • Oh, and Bendtner's hurt. That's one injury already for the start of the season... Bets on who's next? [Telegraph, ESPN Soccernet]
      • Pre-season training has begun in North London! And the first friendly is in ten days! Get excited! [Arsenal.com]

      Monday, July 5, 2010

      Cesc Fabregas Enjoys Eurotrash...Who Knew?



      As John has pointed out, Cesc Fabregas has not personally been having the most exciting World Cup ever (save this gorgeous beard that, sadly, was not long for this world). Thanks to the combined forces of the fabulous Kickette (your girl Gooner's new favorite blog) and Oh No They Didn't's football spinoff, we've discovered the celebrity playlist our sexy Cesc made for iTunes España. Apparently, he considers Usher's "OMG" "one of the best songs I've heard in years," he "adores" Coldplay's "Viva la Vida," and the Police's "Every Breath You Take" was "the first song I learned in English." He's also got a soft spot for T.I. (yes!) and Jason Derulo (no!) See the whole list below; you too can rock out like Cesc Fabregas for just €17.55, or about $21.99 US.



      To get you started, here's "the best thing I'm listening to right now," "Stereo Love" by DJ Team: