Two weeks ago, the Arsenal fanbase was pretty content. A win over QPR had lifted us back amongst the top four at the turn of the year, a remarkable turnaround given the position we were in after seven games. At the time, the mental strength was being praised (by all and sundry, not just Wenger), and our chances of retaining a Champions League spot, the primary target after that nightmare August, seemed promising.

Just two games later, the vitriol is back. In the topsy turvy world of football support, particularly on the internet, a team has to be brilliant or terrible, a player either a world beater (or one in the making) or worthy of a public flogging. The manager is either a genius or ripe for the axe. There is no grey, no middle ground, nothing other than the dramatic. Because, after all, the dramatic sells newspapers, gets hits, and provides a satisfying point to a rant in the moments after a disappointing result.

So before getting to the rational, allow me to indulge in the black and white. We were pretty crap today, more so in the second half than the first. In the opening forty-five, I thought us adequate but unspectacular, with Swansea’s excellence being the reason for our difficulties, rather than any lack of application or quality of our own. At half time, I hoped our opponents would fail to maintain their terrific play, but they continued for the full ninety, while our level dropped. The more we pushed forward, the better they defended, and the more they opened us up at the back. Swansea fully deserved their three points today, and it was refreshing to see an opponent approach the game in a free flowing way – no cards were shown throughout, although you could argue that losing that sort of game is a bad sign for us.

Moving on.

Since the full time whistle, the analysis has been strong and vicious. Particular players have had their every trait dissected and criticised, leading to the inevitable conclusion of ‘crap, lazy, overpaid, sell him‘, usually interspersed with at least three words we should always reserve for the opposition. And the end result is always the same – we need to buy X, Y and Z, we need to strengthen in this position, that position. And for me, that is overly simplistic.

We have been educated, largely by the paid press, that transfers are the silver bullet to all problems. Don’t like a player? Sign a replacement. Got a gap in a position? Don’t even think about promoting from within, or altering your formation, buy buy buy. That the media have promoted this is hardly surprising – ‘Arsenal seek to sign £20m replacement for misfiring Arshavin‘ sells far more copies than any attempts to better accommodate players, tactical changes to enhance their effectiveness, or even the player themselves simply improving. And so it is transfers we always read about, from the fanciful to the daft, and the myth that the chequebook is always the way to go is perpetuated.

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes you need to buy. Our transfer activity on the final day of August showed that – we obtained the big centre back we needed, to give experience to the back four and keep Squillaci one further step away from appearing, and Arteta’s influence in central midfield cannot be overstated. As for Andre Santos, we’ve missed him greatly despite his short time at the club. Signings can be a great fillip. But they are not the only way.

Take a look at our squad, and count the players that fall into the following criteria : Talented, underachieving. My bet is you’ve named at least three, perhaps more. Given that we have that talent at our disposal, it is not more prudent to focus on getting full value from them, above and beyond bringing in new blood? To all those who keep saying we need to spend thirty, forty, fifty million, I’d counter that if we already have superb players at our club who aren’t performing, is it not a possibility that our problems run a little deeper, and simply adding more of those players may not help?

To give some examples, I’ll pick some names out, starting with the obvious – Andrei Arshavin. He was sixth in the World Player of the Year awards the year before we signed him, and he is often credited with getting us into fourth that season. He has given us unforgettable memories and is clearly a sparkling jewel of a talent. I would go as far as to say that buying a player with a greater level of raw talent would be exceptionally difficult, so if there were any way of getting him back to his best, I’d certainly favour that over buying another. For the record, I think he will leave in the summer, and unlike many, I will be sorry to see him go.

Then there is Chamakh. I recently watched a few of his games from early last season, and was staggered by the contrast with his more recent performances. He was bustling around, powering past defenders and making intelligent runs, and looked a completely different player. Again, this is not a ‘crap’ player as many opine – go watch those games if you want the empirical evidence. But the Chamakh we see now is a shadow of that. If we could get him back to his best, we would again have a player on our hands.

I could go on – we’ve seen Djourou, Diaby and many others show their talent, and at their best they are a force to be reckoned with. But for one reason or another (injury, form, confidence) they are not regular top level contributors. Perhaps they never will be, but before pressing for replacements I would want to know that those potential quality signings would not fall into the same category. We all saw Chamakh for Bordeaux and in his first few months for us – surely the last thing we need is to sign another player of high quality who drops his level enormously a few months later?

Consistency is the key, and consistency is not purely down to the sheer quality of an individual. It is a mental attribute, cultivated over a career. Some players have a headstart on others, so on one hand you could say transfers can help (compare Szczesny to Fabianski for an obvious comparison of mental fortitude), but I have to admit a concern that this Arsenal squad consumes players who previously showed a strong mentality, and weakens them. It is, perhaps, our biggest problem, and one I think needs addressing more urgently than any other.

Put it this way – if we jettison players ruthlessly, replacing them at the drop of a hat, then we are doomed to fail, frankly. Aside from the fact that transfers are expensive – with the agents involved I’d compare it to moving house regularly, where all your money is lost in taxes and fees – we would be competing with clubs far richer than us, on their terms. Chopping and changing is what Chelsea have done since Abramovich arrived – remember Tiago, Crespo, Veron, Shevchenko, Duff, Robben, Del Horno? Lots of quality, all ludicrously expensive, but for one reason or another their Chelsea careers stalled and they were moved on. Chelsea could afford that approach, and the resultant losses, we cannot.

So we cultivate, and that means showing more faith in players than many would. Sometimes, as with Alex Song, it pays off, and sometimes it doesn’t (hello, Aliadiere). But as fans, it means we have a responsibility to show patience too. Take Theo Walcott – a 22 year old still learning his game. Yes, he is fairly experienced now, but he is still 22 years old. How many players of that age have scored 35 goals for their club without playing up front? Or even gained as many assists?

Theo is the classic example of a player built up too soon, raising expectations to a level he could not possibly reach. And then, when he inevitably fails to hit those dizzy heights, he is vilified, destroyed by the press and by fans, and written off. I’ll tell you what I see – an immensely talented young footballer who has improved each year (his stats back this up) and has the mentality to perform on the big occasion. He scored his first goal for Arsenal against Chelsea, in a cup final. He scored again in a win against them last season, and again in the 5-3 triumph at Stamford Bridge. He thrives in the Champions League, inspiring our comeback against Barcelona two years ago – in fact, in the build up to last year’s tie, he was the talk of the Catalan press, not Cesc. It was Theo that was worrying them. And a hattrick for England in Croatia wasn’t half bad either.

Just to be clear – this is a player that a lot of fans want replaced and/or shipped out. Yes, he has facets of his game to improve, and at his age he should. But he seems down to earth, his game is improving, and he is already way beyond most at his age. Why on earth do people want him gone?

I can see the beginnings of the same pattern with Oxlade-Chamberlain. He should be nothing more than a peripheral player for the next two or three years – anything more and he is doing exceptionally well. But I am willing to bet that he will be criticised before the end of this season for a lack of end product, despite his tender age. And we are the ones creating these ridiculous expectations by building a player up to mythical proportions, and calling on his inclusion into the first team far too soon. Can you see where this is going?

So how does this all relate to today’s game? It means we need to lay off Walcott, Ramsey, Miquel and others – players who are young, working hard and showing immense promise. Enough vilification, enough vitriol, enough hate. It helps no-one. There are areas of the squad we need to improve, positions we do need reinforcements, but we have to set more realistic expectations of the ones we have, and stop destroying them when they fail to meet them. As long as they put everything into it, I will have no complaints, and nor should you.

Save your anger for the lazy ones.

Today was a bad day. We were poor, and Swansea fully exploited that with a superb performance. But much as we weren’t going to win the league two weeks ago, we don’t need a complete overhaul now.

Find the unspectacular middle ground. It is where the truth lies.

This week, the grisly details of Abou Diaby’s ankle injury:

May 1st 2006. Injury time at the Stadium of Light. Arsenal lead Sunderland 3-0.  Dan Smith hits Abou  Diaby hard with an over-the-ball challenge, studs down onto his right shin, just above the ankle. It is immediately obvious something is wrong but somehow Diaby manages to limp off, his right foot hanging at an odd angle as the physio helps him to the sidelines.

In the media furore that follows, the usual dialogue takes place; one side deplores the “horrendous” tackle, the other insists “he’s not that kind of player“. That’s all been debated ad nauseum, and my aim isn’t to go into that but rather to look at the impact this has had on what was a blossoming career.

Diaby suffered a fracture dislocation of his right ankle. It is common in these injuries for both tibia and fibula to break, sometimes in several areas. We don’t know the exact details, as football clubs rarely release them – it is, after all, confidential patient information. When the ankle dislocates there is trauma to the surrounding ligaments as well as the bone and ankle joint. The pictures below show normal anatomy (A and B) and potential effects of a fracture dislocation (C and D).

A) Normal X-ray

B) Ankle bones and ligaments

C) Ankle Dislocation

D) Fracture of tibia and fibula

In Diaby’s case, he had three separate surgeries to repair his injury. It is likely that this included an ORIF (Open Reduction Internal Fixation) of some description, depending on the nature of his injury.

I see these fractures regularly where I work as a physiotherapist, and they can be challenging to rehab. The nature of the trauma causes a lot of swelling and stiffness in the ankle joint. It is quite rare for a patient to recover 100% range of movement in the ankle, even with intensive treatment. The fact that Diaby was able to return to action nine months later is a great credit to Arsenal’s excellent medical team. He made 28 appearances in all competitions in 2007-2008 and by 2009-2010 that number rose to 40, before he featured for France in their disappointing 2010 World Cup. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Diaby has reportedly had 29 injuries since 2006. On average a player would expect two injuries per season. He has, on average, had around five per year and faced lengthy layoffs, playing just 20 times in 2010-2011 and featuring just twice this season.

Diaby’s most recent absence has been down to the surgery he had on his ankle this summer. Again few details have been released by the club, but it is possible he had the original metalwork removed, as this can cause problems. That said, professional footballers often have this removed at a much earlier stage. On returning to action Diaby has picked up a hamstring problem that has ruled him out again. I can only imagine how frustrating that must be for him.

It is easy for us as Arsenal fans to criticise Diaby or the Arsenal medical team for his repeated injuries. Many have the attitude that we should “get rid“. I think though that the blame lays clearly at the severity of the initial injury and not its management or Diaby’s ineptitude. Or blame John Terry. Maybe Diaby re-injured his ankle when he volleyed Terry’s hideous concrete block of head?

Kicking racism out of football

Dorsiflexion

When you reel off the names, the six year trophy hunt is a little baffling. We aren’t Liverpool – look at their teamsheet and ‘mediocre’ is the word that pops out. Against Fulham, their midfield contained the less than inspiring names of Adam, Spearing and Henderson – hardly a frightening force, even when you take their respective visages into account. We genuinely have had world class players, but for whatever reason something hasn’t clicked since the Invincibles disbanded.

This year, a case could be made that the overall quality of our squad is down – it is certainly an argument the pundits make. Personally, I’m not convinced – we may have lost Cesc and a bottler, but we’ve gained in other areas, particularly defensively, and the added experience of many of the younger players bridges that particular gap. However, it is probably fair to say that man for man, our individuals may not scare teams as they used to.

Yet something feels more positive. The atmosphere around the club is much improved from the poisonous nature of a couple of months ago (of course we are winning, which helps, but something more fundamental seems to have changed), there is a greater unity within the club, and the players are less inclined to wallow in the more negative moments – we’ve conceded the first goal a few times of late, only to come back impressively, a trait that we lacked up until recently.

I’ve been trying to put my finger on what has made the players seem more driven, more positive and more willing to fight, and also why the fans are suddenly so much calmer and able to forgive the bad moments. Six weeks ago, the Fulham draw would have resulted in a cacophony of boos, but was instead met with an understanding shrug. Quite the contrast. And I think I know why.

For all the talent in the club, there has been a feeling over the last few years that some players haven’t known the value of pulling on the Arsenal shirt, or at least they haven’t always shown it on the field. They may be motivated players, talented players, but that stops a little way short of what we have now – fans playing for the club.

Consider our spine. Szczesny hadn’t made his Premiership debut this time last season, yet is now a firm favourite with every one of us. Antics such as leading the crowd in a song last weekend, and his constant Chelsea and Spurs baiting on Twitter certainly help, but you can also see the pride he takes from being Arsenal’s number one, and how it hurts him personally when we’re struggling. He cares. It makes him feel like one of us, because in a way he is like one of us. Only better at football.

In front of him you have Vermaelen, who is furious when we concede a late goal in a 5-1 victory, and passionate enough to be determined to haul us back into the game after he scores an own goal. He simply refuses to lose, to give up, or to give anything less than his maximum for the club. And he doesn’t tolerate excuses, from himself or anyone else.

Further forward, and you find more of the young players who grew up with Arsenal in their blood. Jack Wilshere has been with the club from the age of eight, and without wishing to coin a painful phrase, has Arsenal DNA coursing through his veins. He also happens to be the brightest English prospect of a generation. And ours. But you don’t have to be English to be emotionally tied – for evidence of that, take one Emmanuel Frimpong. Ghana-born he may be, but he is Arsenal through and through – he joined the club when he was nine, and has progressed all the way through the youth ranks, determined to represent the club he loves. His anger at Nasri’s behaviour shows where his loyalties lie.

At the tip of the spine, we have Robin Van Persie, the most freescoring forward outside the unbalanced Spanish league. Feyenoord may be his first love, but Arsenal is his second, and unlike the Cesc situation, a return to his homeland would not be the final step to the top of the mountain. Right now, he is adored by the fans of a club he fights tooth and nail for, and one he is proud captain of. It still annoys me that many doubt his commitment, despite every one of his actions countering that assertion.

When fans get the feeling that the players do not care, or are going through the motions, we get angry. We yell at them and cannot understand why anyone in such a privileged position would give anything less than their all. But it is different with the current crop – for many of these players, success would be less sweet if tasted anywhere other than at home. And their home is the same as our home. The Arsenal.

We love them. They love us. The ties are stronger.

England got a relatively kind draw (at least compared to other groups), with Ukraine, Sweden and France their three opponents. But by the same token, those three countries probably feel they got a kind draw with England – after all, Germany and Italy were also in pot 2, and would be expected to go further. Despite this, Radio 5 had Paul Ince and Darren Anderton (I know) talking about the draw, and both concluded that England would be favourites for all three games, and should progress with ease.

Really?

Let’s start with France, the opening game. They’re terrible, right? Laughable in the World Cup, an imploding disaster of egos? Well, no, at least not anymore. Since Domenech’s hopeless reign ended, they’ve enjoyed something of a renaissance, qualifying top of their group, and embarking on an unbroken 18 match unbeaten streak, stretching back fifteen months, and including a comfortable win over England, something they have managed on each of the last three meetings between the countries. Even with Rooney, England would not be favourites for that one.

Next up, Sweden. England’s recent friendly win over the Swedes was their first triumph over them in 43 years. In between, the two countries had met twelve times, with Sweden winning four, and the other eight clashes ending in draws. Hardly a record that backs up the ‘overwhelming favourites’ label. The Swedes may not be as strong as they have been in previous years, but it takes remarkable arrogance not to notice that the same could be said of England. A draw, as ever between these two nations, is the likely result.

And then, finally, England face Ukraine in Donetsk. Hosts are always terrible in international tournaments, right? And as we know from club football, Ukraine is such an easy place to go and get results, isn’t it? Oh.

The fact is – all four teams in the group will be pleased with the draw, and confident of progression. But to hear pundits dismissively talk down the other three countries is exactly why so many nations are willing us to fail. Time and time again we convince ourselves that we’re amongst the contenders, but a quick look at the statistics reveals a telling tale.

Of the 16 countries competing, nine (Germany, Russia, Holland, Italy, Spain, Czech Rep, Denmark, France and Greece) have lifted the trophy. One more (Portugal) has competed in the final. You can also add Ukraine (four finals, and one triumph, when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union) and Croatia (two finals when Croatia was part of Yugoslavia) to that list, which leaves just four of the sixteen countries as nations yet to appear in the final.

Those four countries are England, Ireland, Sweden and Poland.

Given that, it is remarkable that there is any optimism around the national side, particularly when you consider that the ‘golden generation’ (which was hardly golden, at all) has passed, and the only striking threat is suspended for the entire group stage. It says everything about England’s lack of forward options that he will still be taken.

But I have nothing against optimism – having unrealistic hopes is part of being a football fan. But listening to Ince and Anderton dismiss our opponents as trivialities en route to the knockout stages was cringeworthy in the extreme.

England are often criticised for being a quarter final team. To be so again could be argued an overachievement.

On that note, does anyone else spot the irony that the press claim we’ll implode when Wenger leaves, just weeks after saying he was past it and should be replaced?

It is easy to get annoyed. After all, our last twelve games have produced an impressive 10-1-1 record, and even our much maligned defence is showing signs of tightening up, but despite that, there is still a negative overtone to almost every article we see. As an example, each Van Persie goal now guarantees an analysis along the lines of ‘totally reliant on him, they’ll plummet when he gets injured’. It is almost as if we should apologise for having a world class striker at the club. Do they think he is here by accident?

But take a step back for a moment, and realise that being the underdog, the team that no-one expects to succeed, is no bad thing. We’ve seen in recent years that the squad haven’t always handled expectations particularly well, so the longer the press refuse to talk us up, the longer we can carry on quietly working our way back up the table, slipping under the radar (in other words, we’ll be the anti-Spurs). We’re level on points with Chelsea and Liverpool, still in all four competitions, and could progress to the Champions League knockout stages tonight (while other English clubs are struggling to qualify). Some crisis.

The press have always taken a long time to come round to anything, good or bad. Only now are they beginning to realise that John Terry is slow, that Cech isn’t what he was, that Carragher and Gerrard’s best days are behind them. Likewise, they still haven’t noticed how solid Koscielny has become, or how effortlessly Arteta has fitted in. They even think Ramsey isn’t ready for first team action, despite assist after assist.

And it isn’t just Arsenal – they take ages to come round to any player. I remember it took Malouda about four months of brilliant performances in his second season at Chelsea before people realised he wasn’t as terrible as they thought. Outdated punditry views is nothing new – it is a cross between laziness that stops some of them from keeping their opinions up to date (here’s looking at you, Match of the Day), and a total refusal to back down on an opinion that has been proven wrong.

To bring it back to Arsenal, witness the analysis of Robin Van Persie. 31 goals in 29 league games in 2011 is a quite ridiculous record, the sort reserved for Messi and Ronaldo, who play for brilliant teams in a league containing an obscene disparity of quality between clubs. The Premiership is tighter, which makes the record even more impressive, and that is before you take into account that we haven’t had the best 2011 as a club.

But instead of focusing on the record breaking, they keep banging three drums. The first is the one man team garbage, which is ridiculously disrespectful to Ramsey and Walcott, who keep presenting chances on a plate to the Dutchman. Yes, he got both goals against Norwich at the weekend, but Vermaelen was the best player on the park by a distance. Any mention of that? Of course not.

The second is that Van Persie isn’t a natural striker. Really? The reason he gets so many goals is that his movement around the box is top notch, one of the key assets of being a ‘natural striker’. His finishing isn’t half bad either. To say he would be good in the Bergkamp role is probably true, but to say he should therefore play there is plainly stupid.

The final tired line is that he ‘is no leader’. Again – really? Aren’t we always told that the best leaders are those that lead by example? Those that the team look to for inspiration? Surely that makes him a more than adequate captain? I find English pundits have a massively outdated view on what being a captain actually is, as if shouting is all in entails. If you hadn’t noticed, the man they think should wear the armband – Vermaelen – isn’t a shouter either. He is quietly authoritative, and organises well, but he isn’t barking orders like Tony Adams once did. Yet he is clearly a good leader too – there are many different types.

A lot of the frustration comes from Match of the Day, where Hansen and Lawrenson are so painfully dinosaur-esque in their approach to punditry, harking back to the old days where flying tackles were okay (how many times have you heard them utter the phrase ‘nowadays, that is a yellow/red card’, as if ‘nowadays’ is so much worse?), managers shouted, captains shouted and everyone hoofed the ball past the ‘two banks of four’ to the big bloke up front. The irony is that a man most thought would make a terrible and annoying analyst – Gary Neville – is providing ten times the insight over on Sky, and is currently one of the best to listen to. Yes, I really did just say that.

But instead of getting angry about it, chuckle at their ignorance and move on. So what they that don’t give us a hope? So what that they think Koscielny is terrible, that Mertesacker’s 80 caps mean nothing, that they think we’ll have an exodus in the summer? Or that they think Spurs will finish above us? After all, we’ve heard so many of those lines before, and by May they are usually dismissed for another year, buried away as secretly as Harry Redknapp’s financial dealings.

Let them chuckle, let them taunt. As long as we have the last laugh, I couldn’t care less who is shouting loudest now.

As it happens, we signed the centre half, the midfielder and the striker, and got two bonus signings as well. I call them bonus signings because of their situations – Santos, our new Brazilian left back, only became available because Fenerbahce are embroiled in a match-fixing scandal which has already seen them removed from the Champions League and may yet see them follow the Juventus route down to the second tier of their national league. Meanwhile, Benayoun is on loan, adding experience and a work ethic that will hopefully rub off on a few.

The other three were the key moves. From front to back, Chu Young Park is the South Korean captain, and had a decent goalscoring record in a relegated Monaco team last season. He is perhaps the most risky of the three, and has the issue of mandatory national service in two years (which we will pay an additional fee to Monaco for, if he avoids it, in one of the strangest clauses you’ll find), but with Chamakh so woefully out of form and Bendtner leaving on loan, we needed a forward, even as a stop gap. I suspect Walcott will still get his wish to play through the centre on occasion, particularly once Gervinho settles.

In midfield, Mikel Arteta needs no introduction, and comes with vast Premiership experience (in fact, he has played more games than anyone in our squad) – an ideal signing when you consider how light we were in that area. Since Cesc’s departure, Ramsey has been asked to fill the void, and it has appeared to weigh heavily on him – whereas he would previously keep things simple, he appears to believe that new responsibility comes with a requirement for Hollywood passes. Perhaps now he has support, he can go back to doing what he does best. Speaking of Cesc, if you think that losing him was bad for us, you have to feel for Everton a little – how must their fans be feeling today?

But for me, the best signing was at the back, all six foot six of Per Mertesacker, who at 26 has amassed a whopping 75 caps for a German side who aren’t half bad. Previously captain at Werder Bremen (in fact, four out of the five signings have captained club or country in the past), he comes with experience, leadership and size. Judging from Wilshere’s tweets last night, there is a much-needed new excitement around the squad, a welcome fillip after the weekend’s horror show.

Personally, I’m delighted with the business, if a little puzzled why it came so late. Santos is an exception – he only became available because of Fenerbahce’s plight, so he could not have arrived sooner, but what stopped us signing Park, for example? Monaco were relegated in May, he cost next to nothing, and yet we’ve waited until three weeks into the season to sign him. Strange indeed. Still, better late than never.

I actually find the day after the window closes as fascinating as those frantic last few hours, particularly when it comes to how people judge the activity. And the one conclusion I’ve come to is that people are spinning the transfers to whatever suits their own view, with an utter refusal to change their minds. The same moves have been called inspired in some quarters, panic buys in others. Some say they are exactly what we need, some say that they are lacking in quality.

A couple of these struck me today. Firstly, Eurosport ran a transfer deadline day rater, which actually seemed to include the few days leading up to last night. Every club was given a grade, and here are a couple of their examples:

Arsenal: C

The £10m Arteta deal rescued Arsenal, who otherwise underwhelmed in the quality of their purchases.

Underwhelmed? Okay, so apparently the current South Korean captain, the mainstay of the German defence (who, as I recall, hammered England in the World Cup), and the current Brazilian left back are underwhelming quality? I find this sort of comment staggering, and to be honest it smacks of a very typical British arrogance towards any other league in the world. Sure, Park may or may not click, but I’m willing to bet that most of these writers have never seen Santos play, and to dismiss a 26 year old with 75 caps for Germany is daft in the extreme.

But it continues. The BBC ran a report, having spoken to ‘respected’ site Le Grove (oxymoron?) and AST spokesman Tim Payton. Now, I know Tim divides opinion, but I actually have a lot of time for him – in his position he has to take a club-challenging view, otherwise he would be somewhat irrelevant and unable to garner reaction from within the club, so while some of those views rub people up the wrong way, I can entirely understand why he must have them – it isn’t a case of lacking support for the club, quite the contrary, he looks for things the club can improve on and talks about them, which sometimes makes him appear negative. Having said that, the article had him quoted as saying:

“Mertesacker is just a cheap Jagielka.”

Interestingly enough, that quote has since been removed, and replaced with something much more complimentary, so it appears that Tim may have set them straight, or perhaps the quote should have actually been attributed to someone else (it actually sounds like the sort of outlandish comment you’d read on Le Grove). As for the quote itself, do I really need to analyse it? Why not.

Phil Jagielka. 29 years old, 9 caps for an England side who have played approximately twenty central defenders in the last three years.

Per Mertesacker, 26 years old, 75 caps for a Germany side who have reached at least the semi final stage of the last three international tournaments. European experience.

It is entirely possible that Jagielka was originally higher up the list, but maybe that wasn’t a list of preference, but a list of realism – you would have thought it would be easier (and cheaper) to sign a decent player from massively indebted Everton, than Werder Bremen’s vastly experienced club captain and star defender. As it turned out, the German’s price was lower, which tells you everything you need to know about the English premium. Don’t even get me started on the £17m demanded for Gary Cahill, despite the solitary year remaining on his contract. Congratulations Bolton, you have just lost yourselves a fortune.

Going back to that Eurosport grading article from earlier, this will make you laugh.

Tottenham: A

Tottenham’s success in retaining Modric despite a £40m bid from Chelsea and their removal of Crouch, Jenas, Hutton and David Bentley represented a job well done for their astute manager.

I’m sorry, what? Frankly, I don’t see the sense in turning down a huge offer for a player who doesn’t appear to have the stones to do anything but sulk from this point forward – for everyone bemoaning the Cesc debacle this summer, Modric has behaved a hundred times worse. And this is the same site that claimed Arsenal losing Eboue, Denilson et al was an ‘exodus’. Interesting.

My point is this – Arsenal’s transfer business can be spun in a number of ways, and it seems that people are taking the deals, and exploring them in a way which allows them to further their own angle.

As for my opinion? Prior to this week, I think the summer had been handled horribly – sales dragged on too long, pre-season preparation was badly affected, and purchases were delayed to the point that we’ve started the season not so much on the back foot, but slammed against the wall. However, those final few days provided the results we so desperately craved. Better later than never, certainly.

At last, I’m looking forward to the next game. And that alone says a lot.

Regular readers will know that I’m one of the most optimistic people out there (for example, I’d suggest that now is an excellent time to place a bet on us finishing in the top four – you’ll get good odds), but even I have to admit that the situation has progressed into the realms of the comical. Let’s just recap.

Three games gone – our major new signing, Gervinho, is one match into a three game suspension, Song is sitting on the sidelines for the same period while his impressive replacement, Frimpong, also misses our frankly frightening trip to Old Trafford. All banned. Alongside them, Wilshere hasn’t yet featured due to injury, Gibbs picked him his inevitable hamstring pull, Djourou followed after less than ten minutes on the field, and now Koscielny and Rosicky are also crocked. Add to that the Chamakh invisibility shield and Squillaci’s absence due to be quite plainly awful and out of favour ‘injury’, and the squad is looking staggeringly threadbare.

And I haven’t even mentioned the departures yet.

Back in March, we had a massive squad, and for once, they were largely fit. The bench was packed with talent, some getting increasingly frustrated with the lack of opportunities. Fast forward six months, and the inexperienced raw kids that you would want to see on a Carling Cup night have moved from the reserves, on to the bench, and then straight into our exposed team for vital early season clashes. Crazy doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Cesc, Nasri, Denilson (loan), Clichy, and Vela (loan) have gone, all players that played significant parts of last season. And behind them, JET, Randall and Traore (loan) have also been shunted out the exit door. Coming the other way, there is potential in Jenkinson, Miyaichi, Campbell and Oxlade-Chamberlain, but only the former has seen minutes so far and has, on occasion, looked as raw as you would expect a man so young to be. Only Gervinho has experience, and despite his early red card for slapping Joey Barton (frankly, I wish he had properly hit him, and he probably does too), he is at least a breath of fresh air. Relying on any of the others is as unfair on them as it is inevitable.

In the league, we have already paid a heavy price for the uncertainty around the squad. While we looked good defensively against Newcastle, we barely threatened, and that story was to repeat itself against Liverpool on Saturday, only for Ramsey’s freakish own goal to put the visitors in control, a lead they had never looked like gaining, but equally once ahead, one they were not going to let slip. Even the bright points were bittersweet – Frimpong was terrific but his sending off leaves us short of options for Old Trafford, while Nasri gave us a timely reminder of how good a player he can be before finally completing his move to Man City. A painful day all round.

The story in Europe is not as bad – despite a very impressive Udinese side coming to the Emirates looking for goals, they went away with nothing, leaving Walcott’s early strike the difference between the sides. Wilshere looks set to miss the second leg, but with the domestically suspended trio and Van Persie all available, we have a good chance of nicking the away goal that should send us through. And what a relief that would be.

However, even the silver lining of Europe has a cloud of frustration hanging over it, namely Wenger’s frankly nonsensical two match ban for ‘contravening the terms of his initial suspension’. Arsenal asked for clarity before the first leg, and were told by the UEFA delegate that Wenger could communicate with staff, but not be pitchside, in the dressing room or have any direct communication with the team until fifteen minutes after the final whistle. At half time, they changed their tune, saying he could not even communicate with staff, and despite him following that rule in the second period, they have still slapped him with a fine equal to one they often dish out for overt crowd racism, along with a two match suspension.

We should not be surprised, given Platini’s long standing feud with Wenger, but it still leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. They have spent the summer ignoring all forms of tapping up and financial irregularity, but have decreed this to be the hot topic that requires their attention. What a petty bunch of small minded morons.

Arsenal are appealing, but UEFA have already shown their hand by saying that the appeal will be heard after the second leg, during which Wenger will sit in the stands anyway. It is a farce no matter which way you look at it.

I have to say I’ve always found the concept of touchline bans odd. In what other profession could an organisation that is not the direct employer of an individual prevent them from walking into their place of work (owned by their employer, not the organisation), or even conversing with fellow employees? Just for laughs, I’d love to see it challenged in court – it is flimsier than Joey Barton’s conscience.

The only saving grace is that if this is the straw that breaks the camel’s back, that this is the catalyst for a siege mentality within the club, then it might eventually be seen as a good thing. Because right now, it feels like a scriptwriter is taking the piss.

“We’re going to get someone goaded by Joey Barton into getting suspended. Which club shall we go for?”

“Make it Arsenal. And make it two players. Oh, and make sure one of the players is the only player available in that position. And if they find a decent kid to replace him the following game, get him sent off too.”

“Great idea. Now we need to throw in a string of injuries in someone’s backline. They all have to be innocuous – you know, a back seizing up when no-one is near the player, a few muscle pulls, that sort of thing. All have to be defenders from the same club, just to put the shits up them.”

“Oh, make that Arsenal too. Everyone says they need defenders anyway, might as well give them an excuse to trot that line out again.”

“Ooo, I’ve just had this hilarious own goal idea where a defender boots it against another one, and it loops in. That’d be BRILLIANT. Maybe we should give that one to…..”

“Arsenal. Definitely Arsenal. And make one of the players a replacement defender for all those you crocked earlier. The irony will be hilarious. The manager will be livid. Find a way to ban him too. Just for a giggle.”

It is the sort of situation we find highly amusing in other clubs, but it is painful to have it happen to our own. Of course, it is fixable – we are utterly flush with money after receiving enormous sums for Cesc and Nasri, and with Wenger promising to spend before the window shuts, he has to find the right people, and quickly. Frankly, paying a little over the odds is to be expected now – everyone knows we’re desperate and holding out for the best deals would be futile. Get them done.

But first, we have an enormous match to tackle. I’m not talking about United, a game I was writing off even before I saw that Howard Webb had been put in charge, but Udinese. Qualification for the Champions League would be an enormous boost, and would leave no reason for players not to join. The alternative is not worth contemplating.

Tomorrow is pivotal.

Everywhere I look, I see predictions putting us outside the top four, which is hardly a surprise – most predictions have had us fifth before each of the last five seasons, and with all the furore around the current summer, it was hardly likely that those who have profited from our summer of angst would suddenly see our squad in a bright light. That said, the ‘top four’ placing is under more threat than in any season in recent memory, simply because the Big Four is no more – Man City have certainly added to the mix, and it won’t be Liverpool missing out every year.

As such, I’m not expecting us to suddenly become English football’s dominant force, but equally I’m not predicting the end of days. The truth, as ever, is somewhere in between.

League Prediction – 3rd (Man United champions)

For all the noises about our lack of summer activity, we’ve actually been as prolific in the market as most of our rivals. The worry stems more from the players who may yet leave, will little regard to the possibility that others may come in as direct replacements. It is indicative of the strange breed of fan we seem to have in spades, those that only see the bad, never the promise, and on occasion delight in the disappointing days because it affords them the opportunity to blaze an ‘I told you so‘ trail across the internet.

I always feel refreshed at this point of the year – for all our worries and fears, we actually don’t know what lies ahead. That said, it is worth looking at the activity of those around us, and consider that until that dreadful collapse at the end of the season, we were comfortably ahead of all bar Man United. We’re not as bad as you may think.

Speaking of the champions, they have brought in Phil Jones and Ashley Young, while replacing the retiring Van der Sar with a keeper half his age. I still see them as the benchmark, and would not be surprised to see the retain the title. As for Chelsea, they have been quiet, and their old squad gets even older. That said, they have an excellent young manager, and even with Essien missing I can see them finishing second.

Beyond those two, however, I don’t believe we should be behind anyone come the season end. City are probably the biggest threat, but for all their spending it still feels like they lack something, as I don’t think they will be consistent enough to push on from last year, especially with a Champions League adventure to distract them. Liverpool will improve, but I look at signings like Downing and Henderson and think ‘those are the sort of signings Spurs make‘. And where do Spurs usually finish? 5th-6th.

As I said earlier, Liverpool will not miss out on the top four every season, but I don’t see any of their signings propelling them back into the mix just yet. They have lifted themselves away from Spurs, but I still feel they are between the top four and the rest, and as such I can see the top four places because taken up with the same teams as last year.

In conclusion – we’re better than Liverpool and Spurs, we’re behind United and Chelsea, and City will get distracted by a Champions League run. Third it is.

Cup Prediction – kids in the Carling Cup, and a run in the FA Cup

So close to lifting the Carling Cup last season, but once that final was lost, we collapsed in horrific fashion. I wouldn’t be surprised if Wenger saw that as some kind of justification for the approach he took to the competition in previous years, and I’d expect a return to it being used as a test arena for some of the younger players. However, if that happens, I expect more effort being put into the FA Cup than usual. I’m not saying we will end our trophyless spell, but we should give it a go.

As for the Champions League, I’m mixed. The group stage never holds many fears, so if we got that far I’d expect us to qualify with our usual ease. But the preliminary round is arguably harder, and I have to say I’m a touch nervous ahead of the tie with Udinese. Get through that, and I expect us to reach the knockout stages, although I still don’t feel we have enough to go all the way.

Transfer Prediction – Cesc, Nasri, Almunia, Bendtner and Eboue to leave, one central defender and one central midfielder to arrive

Before you go ballistic on me, please be aware that this is not what I want to happen, rather it is what I believe will happen. A couple of the exits may be on loan, particularly Bendtner, given his desperation to leave this summer, but I would be surprised to see any of that quintet pull on the red and white after this month. As for those coming in, I would be staggered if we didn’t complete on one of our defensive targets, and allowing Cesc and Nasri to both leave would surely be dependent on at least one more player replacing them in midfield.

If that all happens, then I see two major holes in our squad. One is at left back, where Gibbs has issues with both consistency and fitness, but the bigger one is up front. Unless we’re looking to move to a Barcelona model of a wealth of attacking midfielders with no out and out forward (Villa changed that, certainly, but without him they function in a unique way), we are seriously lacking in a backup for Van Persie. Chamakh looked woeful in pre-season, Bendtner and Vela may be shipped out, so who remains?

There are possibilities – either Gervinho or Walcott could play through the middle, or who knows, we might see Arshavin in the target man role again. That went well, right?

Player of the Season – Thomas Vermaelen

Simply put, if we are to succeed this season, we need to defend better, and that stems from better organisation. If Cesc leaves, I hope Vermaelen is given the vice captaincy behind Van Persie, and marshals the back four as we’ve needed someone too. We missed him badly last year, and a fit season could see him establish himself as one of the finest defenders in the league.

Breakthrough of the Season – Laurent Koscielny

Some would hand this to Aaron Ramsey, but I’m loathed to expect too much of the Welshman, after seeing what terrible injuries did to Diaby and Eduardo. Ramsey is a class act, but we should be mindful of what he has been through and how that can affect careers. So instead I’m plumping for another defender, a man who impressed me greatly last season, and could really push on this year. He was inconsistent as times in his debut season, but I expect bigger and better things this time around.

Press Target – Jack Wilshere

Young Jack was awesome last season, and will be again this time around. But I would give a word of warning – the media love to build someone up and then pull the rug from under their feet, and it feels like they’ve pushed him as high as they are willing to. Expect a media bashing when he has the inevitable dip that all young players have. How he deals with that will be telling – I expect him to ride that wave well.

Fan Target – Marouane Chamakh

It seems many of the Arsenal fanbase need someone to lampoon, but with Eboue and Bendtner on their way out, Almunia forgotten, and Squillaci relegated to fifth choice if we bring in the expected central defender, they are suddenly short of options. Cue Chamakh, who can expect some unhelpful abuse from the unhelpful idiots who think lambasting a player short of confidence is someone conducive to helping your team.

———–

And that is about that. As I said at the top, I have been disappointed by the summer, and I don’t think we’re in ideal shape – even a signing or two would probably leave us short for a genuine title challenge. But I still laugh at those putting us around sixth – compare our squad to the likes of Spurs and you might change your mind. Another trophyless season? Perhaps, but not a disastrous one either.

Here we go again.

Let me explain, first by looking at the facts.

Nasri has one year left on his contract, and at 24, is now debating where to spend the prime of his career, a massive decision in any walk of life. He also knows that if he decides not to stay, he stands to earn a fortune when his current deal expires. Typically, when a player is signed on a free transfer, part of his real transfer value is included in his wages, spread over the term of the contract, substantially increasing the weekly salary – clubs can do that because the player retains value, and it is clearly in the best interest of the player, from a purely financial point of view.

In this instance, it appears Nasri has looked at potential earnings in a year’s time, and asked Arsenal to match (or very nearly match) that level to convince him to stay. This has angered many, since it appears to inflate his salary above his merit, but the reasoning is sound, when you look at it from a purely business point of view. It is a bit like owning shares – if your stock is worth £14k now but you know without doubt it’ll be £20m in a year, you are going to turn down offers of £15m, asking the potential buyers for more. Nasri knows how much he could be earning, and he is giving Arsenal the opportunity to match that.

Is he holding the club to ransom? In a way, yes. But he isn’t asking for that level of salary without logic, and probably feels quite justified in his request. I’m not saying for a moment that his performances merit the wage hike, and as a result they will surely be rejected, but that doesn’t make him wrong for asking.

Plenty of people who are criticising him would change jobs in an instant if a far greater salary was offered, and while I understand that the scale of money is very different, there is a still a potentially vast salary gap at stake here. It matters.

And then there is the other factor in the negotiations – ambition. I know many feel that Nasri’s situation is entirely about money, not trophies or club intent, but in truth the two are inextricably linked. Put it this way – if Nasri were to sign on at Arsenal for another five years, on our terms (which, as we’ve established, is considerably less than he could be earning elsewhere), then he needs a really good reason to do so, and that reason is the club giving him the opportunity to win trophies. Yes, Nasri’s form was poor in the second half of the season, but that can happen to anyone – I’m not going to hold that against him any more than I’m going to hold it against Wilshere when he has his inevitable dip – it feels as if we’re using Nasri’s summer actions to view his season (both halves of it) in a more critical light, which strikes me as churlish. Overall, he was good, even though he dipped so badly.

The other reason a player would be happy to stay on lower wages is loyalty, and love for Arsenal. And that is where I think the majority of us are sorely misguided, or at least blinded by our own unwavering support for the club. Nasri is not an Arsenal fan. He grew up at Marseille, his hometown club, and nothing will match up to that. Does he have affection for Arsenal? Probably – three years is likely to do that, but it isn’t anything he cannot replicate somewhere else.

I feel sometimes that we, as fans, miss this point entirely. As Arsenal fans, we cannot understand why anyone would leave the club, but these players are not fans, and even as representatives of the club they do not necessarily have it in their hearts. Imagine if you played for Bayer Leverkusen, and Inter came in with a big money offer for you. Top sides both, and as fans of neither you’d probably take quite a rational approach to the decision. Allow Nasri, and others, the same courtesy.

Perhaps that is the real issue here, the crux behind the feeling that too many players coast along – maybe not enough of them are true Arsenal fans. If you look at the current squad, who can you say really loves the club and is proud to pull on the shirt? Cesc, certainly (yes, he loves Barcelona too, but his clearly loves Arsenal), and Van Persie – the guy talks like an Arsenal fan. Wilshere, through growing up at the club, can be added to that list, but beyond that who is there? Sagna? Maybe. Interesting that the list of players you’d mark down as being proud to play for Arsenal are the same ones that give their all. Coincidence? I think not.

So if Nasri wants to move on, fair play to him. To me, he hasn’t been disingenuous, like Adebayor before him (if Nasri came out next week and claimed that he never considered leaving, then I’d change my mind, but as far as I can see, he has been open throughout), and perhaps we need to replace him with a player who will wear the club crest with pride. Arsenal DNA, you might call it.

I can understand people’s anger towards Nasri, because we don’t like to see our club in a negotiation where we hold no cards, especially when the opposing side knows and is exploiting  it. But this is business, and we are making it personal.

This is part two of the four part review – check back tomorrow for the midfielders.

Right Back

3. Bacary Sagna

Frankly, if we had more players with the Sagna’s heart, we would be far more successful. One of the few players who approaches each game with equal intensity, he has been a warrior at right back all season. Unlike Clichy on the other flank, he is utterly consistent, and even the most cynical of fans can probably only point to a handful of glaring mistakes in his time here. Perhaps his biggest lapse this season was losing his rag against Man City and getting a red card, but time after time he nullifies the opposing wingers before embarking on surging runs of his own. Still needs to improve his crossing, but has shown a new willingness to use what is quite the rocket shot. In the absence of Vermaelen, he has been our best defender, hands down.

Rating: A-
Future: Has to stay. In the mix for a vice-captain role.

27. Emmanuel Eboue

From the sublime to the ridiculous. The cult of Eboue is officially dead. Credit to him for sticking around after dropping so low in the estimation of fans that he was booed off a couple of years ago, and credit to him also for being a positive influence in the dressing room. But his role isn’t cheerleader and friend to all, it is to provide an attacking threat from right back and show basic defensive sense when required. The official site doesn’t list him as a defender, and they may be on to something with that. Eboue is 28 next week, he should be at his peak, one of the senior members of the squad, providing guidance and leadership qualities to those many years his junior. He isn”t even close. He has always had raw ability, but he has never fully exploited it, and nor has he ever shown a desire to stop acting like a clown on and off the field. His time is up.

Rating: D
Future: Too many years of mistakes and idiocy. Good player on his day, but will never improve. Time to go.

Left Back

22. Gael Clichy

Clichy is a divisive one. A risk-taking defender, he makes more interceptions than most thanks to his aggressive tactic of nipping ahead of attackers, but the flip side is that when he fails, he is all too easily turned and taken out of the game. Furthermore, he still suffers the occasional brain fart which, more often than not, is punished by the opposition. That said, he is comfortably the best left back we have, certainly from a defensive point of view, and has the pace to make up for some of his lapses. Going forward remains a problem – his crossing is still largely woeful, and despite a rare goal against Leyton Orient offers next to no goal threat. Were he to provide more dangerous balls in from wide positions, the oft used tactic of packing the centre of the pitch and pushing us wide would be less effective. Right now, his ineptitude with that final ball is aiding the opposition immensely.

Rating: C+
Future: Still our best left back, but still cannot cross, despite countless opportunities. Needs competition for his place.

28. Kieran Gibbs

Often touted as the man to oust Clichy from the side, he has been unable to push on in the last year, partly due to a constant string of injuries that have denied him a run of games. But even when he has been playing, his defensive weaknesses have been exploited. His positioning is poor at times, as is his understanding of when to come across to support the centre backs. On the plus side, he has shown the potential to offer more going forward than Clichy, but needs to remove the tendency to take another touch to set himself before crossing – at the highest level this split second gives the opposition defender a chance to recover. He is an excellent crosser of the ball, but this habit means his efforts are blocked too often. But the biggest concern remains his fitness.

Rating: C
Future: Still behind Clichy in the pecking order, and needs to add more discipline to change that.

Centre Back

5. Thomas Vermaelen

It is impossible to judge how much Vermaelen’s absence has cost us this season, but it is fair to say he could have made a massive difference. He counters many of our weaknesses – good in the air, an organiser of the defence, dangerous at set pieces, and even willing to embark on surging forward runs when the team is lacking a creative spark. In other words, he is exactly the player the press think we should sign. And in a way, they are right – perhaps it is evidence of our threadbare squad that the loss of one player hurts us so. Even if the backups have technical quality, the do not possess the overall traits of the man who could easily go on to captain the side in the future.

Rating: No rating
Future: Utterly critical. Tie him down and clone him. With a new Achilles.

6. Laurent Koscielny

His first season in English football has certainly been eventful. An own goal in a 6-5 victory in pre-season, a red card on his Premiership debut, and that calamitous cock up in the Carling Cup final. But while he has certainly had his disastrous moments, he has shown immense promise, no more so that in the victory against Barcelona, when he was an absolute rock. And early season, he impressed with his tenacity, surprising aerial ability and accuracy in the tackle. There are plenty who doubt his credentials – I have to say I am not among them, and fully expect a strong second season.

Rating: C+
Future: Keep. Will have more competition with Vermaelen back and perhaps a new signing as well, but has the ability.

18. Sebastien Squillaci

Poor Seb. His first season at Arsenal has been a painful one, and he has ended it being labelled as nothing more than the new Silvestre, which is about as insulting as it gets. In fairness, he has become such an easy target that he gets blamed for problems that aren’t always his fault, but at the same time, he hasn’t shown any signs of being a defender of the level we need. Fourth choice doesn’t have to be outstanding, but they can’t induce the jitters to the level he does. That said, it would break the habit of a lifetime if Wenger jettisoned him after only one season, so I would be surprised to see him go.

Rating: D-
Future: Unlikely to leave after one season. But a new signing could push him out of the picture.

20. Johan Djourou

Opinions have long been mixed on Djourou. Injury prone for so long but also highly rated by Wenger, he looked decidedly rusty in his opening games, drawing early concerns. But from then, he was a tower of strength while Vermaelen was absent, a fact that is so easily forgotten because his performances dipped so alarmingly in the final month of the season. But overall, Djourou came on leaps and bounds this season, and will look to push on next year.

Rating: B
Future: Stay, improve and become more consistent.

One final thing I’d add to this – when fit, it is difficult to look at any individual in our first choice back line and think them unworthy of pulling on the shirt. Somehow though, the whole is less than the sum of the parts – whether it is organisation, concentration or a lack of understanding between the players, there is a definite problem that simple signings may not fix. Perhaps the biggest challenge of the summer is uniting this part of the team.

Come back tomorrow for the midfield ratings, check out the keeper ratings from earlier, and feel free to given your thoughts and ratings in the comments below.

(part 1 – Holding the gloves)

(part 3 – The midfield mix)