We Don't Need a New Midfielder

Finally, after the long summer wait, this Saturday football will be back. Arsenal football that is, and it's an exciting time if you're a gooner. We've already made one big signing this summer, and it was in the position that many of us were crying for Arsene to improve: central defense. So with that transfer out of the way, I believe that we are one signing away from mounting a major challenge on all fronts next season.

The general consensus seems to be that we need a central midfielder to partner Cesc in the centre of the park. We need a dominating defensive-minded player who will do the dirty work in the centre of the pitch winning the ball back and launching our attacks forward. And if possible, perhaps this midfielder ought to be tall to give us an extra aerial threat and give us some added defensive solidity defending corners and set pieces.

But with pre-season about to be underway, and most of our players having already returned to training, we have yet to see that big arrival. So I pose the question, what if we don't sign a new midfielder?

Here's the answer: it doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter because we already have the player described above. And although a new signing would undoubtedly be the best thing we could get, what if we don't? What then? Then it will be time to say hello to who I believe should partner Fabregas in CM next season: Alexandre Song.

Alex Song had a disastrous start to his Arsenal career, and for the few seasons after that it really didn't look like he would make it at this football club. But then came last season, the season where I believe our young players finally grew up and gained the experience they need to be top class footballers and true title contenders; and Song was one of them.

In the latter half of last season Song started partnering Denilson in central midfield. This was before Cesc returned from injury, and at the time perhaps few noticed the effect it was having. With Song next to him, Denilson was able to get forward more and attack as he has always been accustomed to doing. And with Arshavin, Walcott, and Eduardo also returning, it got us back in form.

Then Fabregas at last returned, and Arsene Wenger had to make a choice: should Denilson partner Fabregas in midfield has he had done earlier in the season, or, considering our newfound defensive-mindedness, should Song partner Cesc? The decision made by Le Boss was to have Song partner Fabregas, and Denilson was left to the bench for the final month or so of the season.

And when Fabregas returned, we all noted how his form had drastically improved. He was attacking more, racking up the assists, and looking like the Cesc of old. But it wasn't just the long layoff that improved his form. For the first time in the season, he had a strong, dominating defensive midfielder behind him who was doing the work of cleaning up and winning the ball back; this player was Alex Song.

One need only look at his performance against Manchester United in both the League and Champions League to see the improvement in the Cameroonian midfielder. He was doing all the work that Flamini used to do, he looked solid, and most importantly his passing when he won the ball back was excellent.

If we don't sign a new defensive midfielder during this transfer window, I don't believe it will be the end of the world or a major inhibitor to a title push. Because we already have just the man we need for the job, and that man is Alexandre Song. I believe he should partner Fabregas in midfield next season, because, in a manner epitomising Arsene Wenger's youth plan, he has grown into the long-term replacement for both Flamini and Viera.

Feel free to either agree or vehemently disagree with me in the comments section below; I won't bite. And while you're here, if you for some reason you find yourself liking the blog, be sure to check out our Twitter and Facebook pages, and maybe even follow or become a fan of ours. Thanks for stopping by...four more days till Arsenal football begins again.

Fab 4

Vermaelan In, Who's Next?

The following article was written by our guest writer, Jamie Wright, a professional sports writer.

Central Defence Strengthened, Now for the Central Midfield

During the Premier League last season it was obvious Arsenal were conceding far too many goals to challenge for the title. Scoring goals wasn’t an issue, but problems at the other end of the pitch meant it was a disappointing season finale. The Gunners scored the same amount as Chelsea and Manchester United but conceded 13 more than both their rivals.

The signing of centre back Thomas Vermaelen has come as no shock to Arsenal fans but is a great signal of intent from the Arsenal board and manager. They have recognised a problem and have hopefully rectified it by signing the full Belgium international.

At only £11million it seems to be another astute signing by Arsene Wenger. When you consider Glen Johnsons £18million move to Liverpool this week, it seems fair to suggest that Wenger is never going to pay over the odds for his players. Thus, he avoids putting the club in any financial difficulties.

Now the defence has been strengthened, it is time to add depth to another key area in the Arsenal first team - the central midfield role. With a long term injury to Cesc Fabregas last season, it was left to Alexander Song, Denilson and Samir Nasri to make this position their own.

Although they all had a reasonable season, it is fair to say the defence was exposed many times. Solid performers in past campaigns such as a Gilberto Silva, Mathieu Flamini or Patrick Vieira would have provided much more protection for the back four.

Denilson is shaping into a great defensive midfielder but when compared to Manchester United’s Michael Carrick, Chelsea’s Michael Essien and Liverpool’s Javier Mascherano he isn’t quite at their level. If Wenger is looking to spend more money this summer I believe it has to be in this area and finally replace the void left by Mathieu Flamini last summer.

A few names I’ve seen mentioned frequently on message boards are Marcos Senna, Yaya Toure and Jeremy Toulalan. Any one of these names would provide a platform for our creative and flair players such as Fabregas and Nasri to perform on and would add valuable experience to a young midfield.

If Arsenal are going to improve their chances in the Premier League next season, surely it’s the central midfield that needs some strengthening next? Give us some of your thoughts. 

Vermaelen Signing A Signal of Intent

So it's finally been officially announced over at Arsenal.com that we've signed Thomas Vermaelen, the centre back from Ajax who was also last season's captain in Amsterdam. I have to say, I'm thrilled with this signing; he is just the type of player we gooners have been saying for months and months that we need: a big strong centre half with great leadership abilities who can dominate in the penalty area and lead the defensive line. And more importantly, this signing is a big signal of intent from Arsene Wenger.

It's signals our intention to challenge for silverware next season. We needed to strengthen our defense to challenge for honours next year, and now we have done just that. If we stop leaking the goals, and with new players like Arshavin we continue to score boatloads of them, then we will truly be genuine title challengers.

It signals to the Arsenal supporters that Arsene Wenger has identified the weaknesses in the team and is looking to rectify them. Le Boss said at the close of the season that he would analyse the team and see what more we needed to challenge next season, and it looks like he has now done that and is underway looking for new signings.

Finally, it signals that the next few months could actually be an exciting time for we gooners. The last few transfer windows have been admittedly depressing. We haven't signed too many exciting players, and when we have, their arrivals have been offset by the departures of several other major players.

This summer we have seen Sanga, Clichy, and Fabregas all publicly resisted the advances of foreign clubs, and the only players who I can see possibly leaving are Gallas, Adebayor, or perhaps Senderos on a permanent basis. And to be honest, I don't think too many of us would shed a tear if any of them were to leave us.

So we've got only players we wouldn't particularly hate to see leave looking like they may depart us, and now we've signed exactly the type of player we've all wanted, with more perhaps on the way. This is an exciting time to be an Arsenal supporter. I personally can't wait to see what's coming next! Until next time,

Fab 4

Jan/Feb Will Define Our Season

Hey all. The fixture list for next season has today been officially released; you can see the complete list over at the dot.com. It looks like the hardest parts of next season will be the beginning portion and then January and the beginning of February. So January and February could quite possibly make or break our season next year.

We open with a tough trip away to Everton, and that is followed up by a home game against Portsmouth that is sandwiched between the vital Champions League group stage qualifiers. Then, after the qualifiers comes an away fixture against Manchester United at Old Trafford. This reminds me of the 2006-07 season when we had the Old Trafford fixture in the beginning of September as our fourth match. We won 1-0 on the day thanks to an Adebayor goal; let's hope for a similar result on August the 29th.

After that is a series of fairly winnable games before we finally face Tottenham at home on the 31st of October. A Halloween night fixture at the Emirates, but hopefully this time we'll do better than last year's corresponding game, also in October.

We face Chelsea at the end of November at the Emirates, and then go to Liverpool on 12 December. The rest of the month features the regular fixture congestion, and it may serve to injure one or two of our best players, as this time so often does. But we will want them back quickly for the turn of the new year, as the vital month of January begins.

It's already packed with F.A. Cup and Carling Cup fixtures, but in the League we face Everton and Bolton before the potential difficulties really begin. A midweek trip to Villa Park on 27 January is followed by a weekend fixture against Man Utd. Then we face Chelsea and Liverpool in succession, after which the F.A. Cup and Champions League resume.

So this period of matches really will define our season. After that, the run-in is surprisingly easy, and if we can survive this potentially deadly string of matches, then we will be in the best position of anyone to win the league comfortably. So assuming that we can start the year well, stay in the title running until January, and then come through this difficult fixture lineup unscathed, we can quite possibly say hello to a Premiership trophy.

The easy league run-in will also be a boost in our Champions League and F.A. Cup challenges, assuming we're still in both by this time. We'll quite possibly have the chance to rest our best players for the relatively easy league matches, and save them for when we really need them. So who knows, next season could be a glorious one. With the right signings and a good beginning to the season, we should have no problem claiming our first pieces of silverware in five years.

So I think in order to be successful next season, we will really need to hit the ground running, and have a fantastic start to the season. Difficult league matches and the vital Champions League qualifiers must all be won, and if they are, and we are able to keep our title tilt going, then come the defining matches in January and February. It looks like either way, we're going to be in for an exciting time next season. Till next time,

Fab 4

Fab 4 Arsenal's Player of the Season

I know I said last week that we'd spend the week talking about the player of the season, but I think the time has come to stop dwelling on last season and look forward to next. But before we do so, we'll take one last look at least season by revealing our Fab 4 Arsenal Player of the Season. We'll count down the top five as chosen by our readers over the last few weeks in the poll over on the right. And of course, my own opinions will be factored in as well. So without further ado, here are the top five players of the season, in descending order.

5. Cesc Fabregas
This is perhaps the lowest ranking that Fab 4 himself has ever gotten in a season review of the best players. But to be honest, it's deserved; this wasn't the best of seasons for the young Spaniard. It started off with Cesc returning late in August after a lengthy break from his exploits in EURO 2008. But when he returned, he was not in top form. He looked like a shadow of the player from the year before, and just wasn't up to his best. Then came November and the Gallas-losing-his-captaincy fiasco. In the end, Fabregas was named our new club captain, and with the extra responsibility, he picked up his performances somewhat. But he would soon be injured against Liverpool, and it kept him out until March. When he returned, he looked like the Cesc of old; the layoff was exactly what he needed. He ended up notching 10 assists by year's end, and looks to be a major player for us once again next season.

4. Manuel Almunia
Almunia had an excellent season for us, and I look at it as, for me, the year he became a top keeper. He was remarkably consistent for us this past season, and fully deserved to be the number one. There were of course the weak moments, but they were few and far between, and definitely overshadowed by his great performances, such as against Fenerbache in the Champions League, or most especially against Man Utd at Old Trafford in the same competition. Our Spanish keeper this season was consistent, solid, and truly became a world-class goalkeeper.

3. Denilson
Denilson is a player that as a gooner you seem to have loved or hated this past season. Criticisms levelled against him were many, but the one most used is that he isn't a fighter like Flamini, and this isn't as effective. How wrong they are. Denilson is the type of player who works behind the scenes, doing a spectacular job without doing anything visually spectacular. The stats don't lie: Denilson completed more passes this season than anyone else in the Arsenal squad, and in fact more than 90% of the Premiership. He made more successful tackles and covered more ground than Flamini did last season, and even got more assists. He didn't just replace Flamini, he did better than the Frenchman. It isn't his lack of ability that makes him disliked among some supporters, it is his playing style. But I've said it once, and I'll say it again: if his less-aggressive playing style is getting better results, then who is to say it's not the superior one? Denilson was fantastic this past season.

2. Andrei Arshavin
It's quite the accomplishment for a player who only made his debut for the club in February to even be considered for player of the season. And for him to get second place in our poll (with 1 out of every 4 fans calling him the player of the season at the time of writing) is an even bigger accomplishment. But put simply, Arshavin was just what we needed. He was signed at a time when our attack was sterile. Our defense had been improved vastly, but at the cost of great, flowing attacking. Arshavin helped bring that back, and when he made his Premiership debut against Blackburn, scoring a spectacular goal as his first, we all knew he would be something special. His four goals against Liverpool at Old Trafford proved his class, and he was easily our most dangerous and inventive player of the last few months of the season. In this case, Arsene spent big, and it payed off brilliantly. He will be a key figure for us next season.

1. Robin van Persie
With almost 50% of the vote, RVP was by far the most popular choice, and it's one I agree with. Our best player of the season was clearly Van Persie. This season he completed his first full season in three years. No major injury layoffs, no delayed returns from those injuries: he was almost always fit, and he showed what all of us knew he could do should he ever have a full season fit. He was our top goalscorer, top assist leader, and in every sense, top player. He showed fantastic skill time and again, and he proved to be the most technically gifted member of the squad.

His goals against Liverpool and Chelsea in the first half of the season come to mind, as do his goals against Everton and Stoke in the latter half. And it wasn't just his goals; he was the top assist leader, and always seemed to be our most creative striker. He played almost like Dennis Bergkamp at times with his ability to either select the perfect pass, or take the shot and score himself. He truly has been a fantastic replacement for DB10, and should he stay with us next season we will have one of the most dangerous strikers in the Premiership at our disposal. When a player scores or assists every goal for the club for an entire month, as Robin did in January, then he is deserving of player of the season. And the fact that his was a mere highlight of a wholly outstanding season wins Robin van Persie the choice as our Fab 4 Arsenal Player of the Season.

So that wraps up our season review articles. This week we'll return to reporting the latest Arsenal news, and offer opinions and insights in a refined and polished way as always. Thanks to all those who read this article, and have also checked out our other season review articles. It's time to say goodbye to the 2008-09 season and look forward to next with optimism. So with disappointing, but also fond memories of last season and the progress and growth it brought to our team, see you next time;

Fab 4