Arsenal Names 76 Players in 25-Man Squad

Yesterday was the deadline for Premier League squads to submit their squad lists to the FA under a number of new restrictions. Players not named in the squad now cannot play in a league or FA Cup match between now and the close of the January transfer window (i.e. the next time such a squad list must be submitted.) Here are the restrictions:

• Each 25-man list must contain eight "home grown" players, that is, players over the age of 21 who have spent three full seasons training in England or Wales before their 21st birthday.
• Teams are allowed an unlimited number of "under-21" players. Players born on or after January 1, 1989 do not need to be listed (i.e. turned 21 this calendar year.)
• If your senior squad does not contain the maximum 25 players, you are permitted to name fewer than eight home grown players.
• Basically, a better way of phrasing the numbers: you can list up to 25 players on your senior squad, but no matter the size of your list, no more than 17 of your players can be "non-home grown."
• Changes cannot be made to the list except in crisis situations (like, you've managed to run out of goalkeepers somehow and need to get bailed out, like City did last year.)
• The squad list does not affect the Carling Cup or European competition.

Arsène Wenger has been a strong critic of the rule, despite the fact that Arsenal had no major problem complying. The theory is that the squad restrictions on where your players have trained in the past will have a positive effect on the English national team, but Wenger has said, "from 1966 to 1996 this country won absolutely nothing. England won nothing and they had not one foreign player [in the league]. How has it changed?"

It's a bit clear that Wenger decided to have a little fun with this list when all was said and done. Since there's no restriction on the number of under-21 players you can list in the squad, Wenger decided to submit an official list which includes everybody in the Arsenal system. In addition, while Arsenal's senior squad has 13 players who qualify as "home grown," many of them are under-21 and don't need to be named anyway. The result is a senior squad list which includes 20 players instead of the maximum 25, and of that 20, seven are home grown players, none of which were born in England. So, to recap:

• The full squad list that Arsenal submitted to the FA, including under-21 players who do not count against the limitations, ultimately includes 76 players.
• Players who are out on loan apparently are still listed.
• Arsenal's senior squad contains only 13 non-home grown players, well below the 17 limit.

Reading user comments about the lists on the tabloid's Web sites has, of course, infuriated me over the idiocy of some people, who have their own interpretations of the rule. For example, there are those who shout against the fact that Arsenal's home grown players are still foreign, ignoring the fact that some of England's brightest young talents like Walcott, Wilshere, and Gibbs don't need to be listed as they fit on the under-21 list. Then, there was the case of the Spurs fan misinterpreting the rule and ranting about how Arsenal could have possibly gotten away with listing only seven home grown players, then gloats about how Spurs comfortably fit in the limit. FYI, Chelsea named only four on their 19-man list.

Without further ado, here is Arsenal's squad, with the seven foreign "home grown" players in bold:

• Goalkeepers: Manuel Almunia, Lukasz Fabianski, Vito Mannone
• Defenders: Bacary Sagna, Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Koscielny, Gael Clichy, Johan Djourou, Emmanuel Eboue, Sebastien Squillaci
• Midfielders: Abou Diaby, Alex Song, Denilson, Tomas Rosicky, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri
• Forwards: Andrei Arshavin, Robin van Persie, Marouane Chamakh, Nicklas Bendtner
• Under-21 players who do not count against the senior squad limits: Benik Afobe, Chukwuemeka Aneke, Martin Angha, Zak Ansah, Nacer Barazite, Kyle Bartley, Samir Bihmoutine, Daniel Boateng, Pedro Botelho, George Brislen-Hall, Alban Bunjaku, James Campbell, Reice Charles-Cook, Francis Coquelin, Thomas Cruise, Roarie Deacon, Craig Eastmond, Kyle Ebecilio, James Edge, Jay-Aston Emmanuel-Thomas, Cedric Evina, Luke Freeman, Emmanuel Frimpong, Samuel Galindo, Kieran Gibbs, Benjamin Glasgow, Sead Hajrovic, Conor Henderson, Gavin Hoyte, Henri Lansbury, Damain Martinez, Sean McDermott, Jernade Meade, Ignasi Miquel-Pons, Jeffrey Monakana, Elton Monteiro, Rhys Murphy, Havard Nordtveit, Nigel Spence-Neita, Oguzhan Ozyakup, Aaron Ramsey, Mark Randall, Joshua Rees, Philip Roberts, James Shea, Steven Smith, Gilles Sunu, Wojciech Szczesny, Armand Traore, Carlos Vela, Theo Walcott, Sanchez Watt, Callum Webb, Jack Wilshere, Jordan Wynter, Nicholas Yennaris

Well played, Arsène. Well played.

Arsenal 0 - 1 Real Madrid: Oh, It's a Video Game

Arsenal 0
Real Madrid 1: Kaká 89

I'll spare you the suspense of the score; you should keep in mind that Kaká is on the cover of FIFA 11.

EA Sports released a video of game play from their upcoming FIFA 11 release (September 28 in North America, where Carlos Vela also features on the cover, and October 1 in the UK.) The demo game shown features a friendly between your beloved Gunners and Real Madrid at a generic field, Court Lane, that looks like it belongs in League Two. Court Lane, in my research, also appears to be a generic pop-punk band from Birmingham. I haven't actually listened to their stuff.

But, I wildly digress. Without an Arsenal match this weekend, this was as close to rooting for the Gunners as I'm going to get for the next ten games, to the point where even though I knew Kaká was going to win the match since he's the global cover boy on the game this year, I still found myself yelling about why nobody was covering him on that cross. It looks like that one was on you, Koscielny!

Hipster Gooner Trivia Night!

Okay. This is not actually a new feature here. I'm sorry to disappoint, that probably would be really cool.

Trivia, however, is a new feature available on each Arsenal player's profile on the team's official Web site. Without further ado, here are some of the stranger things we have found about our favorite boys in red and white.

1. Manuel Almunia met his wife in an Irish pub.
2. Abou Diaby's first name is Vassiriki.
3. Bacary Sagna is the best chess player on the team.
4. Cesc Fabregas can't stand mushrooms.
5. Thomas Vermaelen was good at math in school.
6. Laurent Koscielny might not have filled out the questionnaire yet, since he only has career stuff listed.
7. Tomas Rosicky once sang "Eye of the Tiger" on a bet. The site doesn't say where.
8. Samir Nasri likes going to the ballet.
10. Robin van Persie is a fan of Phil Collins.
11. Carlos Vela first trained with Arsenal in 2005. I don't think he filled this section either.
14. Theo Walcott has a dog named Diesel.
15. Denilson likes bowling.
16. Aaron Ramsey first car was a Ford Fiesta.
17. Alex Song's favorite film is Romeo Must Die.
18. Sebastien Squillaci doesn't have a trivia section on the site yet. But, on Wikipedia, he's wearing a Yankees hat in the picture there. So, yeah, I'm going with that. Yankees fan.
19. Jack Wilshere made his England debut the same night as Kieran Gibbs. Why is that listed? That was like three weeks ago.
20. Johan Djourou is always hurt. Just kidding, it doesn't say that. It does say that he broke his jaw just before joining Arsenal, though.
21. Lukasz Fabianski's boyhood hero was Michael Jackson. Probably not the Michael Jackson that made over 200 appearances for Preston North End in the late '90s and early '00s and retired in January.
22. Gael Clichy heart stopped for 20 seconds during an operation when he was 15.
23. Andrei Arshavin has a degree in fashion design. Also, he's written three books, including 555 Questions and Answers on Women, Money, Politics and Football. I absolutely have to read that book.
24. Vito Mannone favorite music artist is Akon.
27. Emmanuel Eboue once wore a tiger costume to an Arsenal players' party. There's a great anecdote about him scaring the bejesus out of Adebayor in that costume at that party. You should look for it. Actually, that's it.
28. Kieran Gibbs childhood heroes were Dennis Bergkamp and Ian Wright. Good kid.
29. Marouane Chamakh has spiky hair. You probably knew that already, but it doesn't look like he's been able to fill out the trivia questionnaire either.
30. Armand Traore gave up football at the age of 11 to become a kick-boxer. This clearly worked out for him.
52. Nicklas Bendtner star sign is Capricorn. I'm going to assume that this is actually the first thing he wrote on the questionnaire.
53. Wojciech Szczesny was roommates with Fabianski at Legia Warsaw.

News Roundup 8/30/10 - The Fracas Edition

Since there are very few official details about this incident, how about we just all jump to ridiculous conclusions? Pic via Guardian.

• Jack Wilshere was arrested in the early morning hours on Sunday for being involved in a "fracas" during which a woman suffered a broken and dislocated elbow. He was released on bail and is "unlikely to face charges." It appears he was attempting to be a peacemaker but remains an important witness. [Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Sky Sports]
• Arsene Wenger invoked the name Ryan Shawcross in a press conference on Thursday, not in reference to last year's Aaron Ramsey incident, but in reference to Stoke City's tactics of bumping the goalkeeper, saying it was turning the game into rugby... [Arsenal.com]
• ...and in a preposterous overreaction, Stoke manager Tony Pulis has decided to lodge a formal complaint to the FA, in a statement which for absolutely no reason contains references to World Wars I and II. [Sky Sports]
• Wait? Let me get this straight... Inter Milan submitted a transfer bid for Cesc Fabregas that was less than the first insulting bid Arsenal turned down from Barcelona? This story doesn't even make sense. Tabloid fodder? [Daily Mail, Daily Mirror]
• Armand Traore might be loaned to Birmingham or Juventus. [Sky Sports, Daily Mail]
• Arsenal has drawn Tottenham away in the third round of the Carling Cup, to be played the week of September 20. Arsenal will likely play reserves, as they do in this competition. I expect Tottenham to play their standard line-up. This means Tottenham will probably win, brag about it until the first league meeting in November, and release a special edition DVD of the match the following morning. Poor predictable Spurs. [Guardian]

Arsene Wenger is Very Disappointed in You 8/30/2010

From: http://www.breakingfootballnews.com/english-premier-league/arsenal-had-the-dirtiest-team-with-arsene-wenger-blackburn-boss-sam-allardyce/7803

Arsene Wenger is Very Disappointed in You 8/29/2010

From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/7969803/Stoke-complain-about-Arsene-Wengers-rugby-jibe.html

Blackburn Rovers 1 - 2 Arsenal: Net Buster

Theo Walcott destroys some twine. Pic via Daily Mail.

Blackburn Rovers 1: M.B. Diouf 27

Arsenal 2: Walcott 20, Arshavin 51

Arsenal trips to Ewood Park are never very pleasant. Last spring, Arsenal was battered in their own box on set pieces and lost 2-1. Blackburn Rovers play a highly different style of game compared to Arsenal, though I suppose "style" is the last word in the English language I should use to describe their tactics. It looked like it could have been a frustrating affair, and when you stay out all night to make it for a 7:45 a.m. kick-off, frustration is not usually welcome.

Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie returned to the starting line-up for the Gunners, meaning Tomas Rosicky and Marouane Chamakh dropped to the bench. Jack Wilshere dropped to the bench as well with Alex Song slipping back into his usually holding midfield role and Laurent Koscielny returning to center back from suspension.

Arsenal nearly struck first early in the match. A Theo Walcott shot was blocked after a Robin van Persie corner, but the rebound came out to Abou Diaby, who from 18 yards fired a shot that deflected off Paul Robinson, Blackburn's keeper, and a defender before being cleared.

Things got a bit nervy from there for Arsenal as Blackburn threatened from set pieces. Play after a long throw from Rovers' Rory Delap-esque Morten Pedersen was headed out for a corner, then Manuel Almunia was involved in a bit of an argument with El-Hadji Diouf, and the goal attempt after the corner was headed off the line by Fabregas.

The Gunners struck first in the 20th with a lovely goal from Theo Walcott which actually snapped the twine of the goal netting. Walcott picked up a through ball from van Persie as he beat the left back and fired a shot into the low corner from just to the right of the penalty spot. It's that trademark Walcott goal.

Seven minutes later, Blackburn were level, not through set pieces, but open play. Bacary Sagna was caught up the pitch and El-Hadji Diouf beat Laurent Koscielny. One Diouf's cross met another on the other end as Mame Biram Diouf, on loan from Manchester United, found a spot between Thomas Vermaelen and Gael Clichy, and M.B. Diouf found the net, with Manuel Almunia out of position after trying to block the cross. The fact that M.B. Diouf was so wide open was the fault of Clichy, who was oblivious to his presence. I'm starting to wonder when Kieran Gibbs might get a start at left back.

At about the half hour mark came an event I hope not to have to write about much this season. On an innocuous challenge, Robin van Persie twisted his ankle and was forced to leave the match, with Chamakh replacing him. From what I've heard, it's a 10-14 day injury, which means the upcoming international break is coming at the perfect time for our made-of-glass striker. Little else to speak of in the opening frame; the match was 1-1 at the half.

 

Blackburn's tactic of attacking aerially through Paul Robinson's free kicks worked in the first half (top), but was stifled in the second (bottom). Analysis via Guardian Chalkboards.

Arsenal were significantly more composed in the second half, which allowed them to take control of the match. When you don't concede free kicks in the attacking half against Blackburn, you don't allow keeper Paul Robinson to fire long balls in your direction and you don't allow them to control the aerial game. As you can see in the above passing map, Blackburn won three balls in the box in the first half from Paul Robinson free kicks. As a result, Blackburn controlled the tempo of the play for much of the first 45 minutes. They were not given the opportunity to do the same in the second half, leaving three points there for the taking for Arsenal.

The Gunners went up 2-1 just six minutes into the second half. Sagna's cross found Fabregas who fired a one-time shot into the backside of Theo Walcott. The ball pinged, fortunately, to Andrei Arshavin, who coolly finished past a diving Robinson to give Arsenal the lead once more. Fabregas, still not quite 100% as far as I'm concerned, was lifted a bit after the hour mark for Rosicky. I think Arsene Wenger gave him about ten more minutes than he was originally planning.

Arsenal had the better of chances throughout much of the second half as they attempted to extend their lead: Chamakh had a brilliant chance blocked, Walcott fired another over the bar, and Jack Wilshere (on for Arshavin late) had the best opportunity of the half at the death but was off balance and scuffed a shot straight at the keeper. I think Blackburn had, at most, one shot on target in the second half, a David Dunn effort that was straight at Almunia.

In retrospect, a vital three points for the Gunners if they are to seriously challenge for the title this year. The team controlled the second half and did not allow themselves to be undone by Blackburn's tactics as they were last May. Manuel Almunia was calm and collected in goal, a good performance from the Spaniard who may no longer be starting for Arsenal by the end of the international break in two weeks. The back four were solid, with the exception of the errors which led to Blackburn's goal, though I'm a bit frustrated with Clichy's start to the season. I don't like Alex Song's new hairstyle, but he and Diaby were solid in the holding roles, and the forwards continued their excellent form to start the year, even Arshavin, who has looked sluggish and uninterested at times.