A disappointing result, but there were plenty of positives to take from the Capital One Cup defeat to a strong Southampton side. Diaby’s return from injury was promising, Isaac Hayden put in a strong performance at centre-back, and Alexis Sanchez scored spectacular freekick!
Analysing each players performance, it was hard to pick out someone who had a particularly bad game. Here’s what I thought of the players. Continue reading
On a tense night at the Emirates, Arsenal came through with a 1-0 aggregate win over Besiktas to qualify for the Champions League Group Stages for a record 17th time!
Yesterday afternoon, the Group Stage draw was conducted and left Arsenal with matches against Borussia Dortmund, Galatasaray and Anderlecht. Here’s all you need to know about our Group D opponents.
Surprisingly calm about this Champions League Qualifying phase, I chose to watch the first half of this match at a Turkish pool bar near my work in London. Whilst there, I discussed our chances with the barman (a Galatasaray fan), who claimed that Besiktas shouldn’t even be in the Champions League; and that “Arsenal will wrap this up within the first 20 minutes”.
As a small but optimistic crowd of Besiktas fans gathered where I was, I looked on screen to see a capacity crowd at the Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadı in İstanbul, looking more than ready for this European encounter – and suddenly I doubted the Turkish barman’s assumption that we would win this game comfortably.
In an open game, both sides had chances, but both also lacked a clinical edge in front of goal. Continue reading
As I sit to write this post, the mood around Arsenal Football Club seems to be the best it has been since the move to Emirates Stadium in 2006.
Financially, Arsenal are looking stronger than ever. The lingering debts from the new stadium finally seem to have been paid off, and Arsene Wenger has not been afraid to flaunt his new-found riches in the summer transfer window.
This summer spending means the players are in a confident mood ahead of this season, with the new signings seemingly fitting in very well in pre-season.
The 3-0 victory over Premier League champions Manchester City in the Community Shield can’t have done much harm either.
In what could be a landmark season for the Gunners, stay with The Arsenal Way for reports and analysis on key games; player profiles; and honest opinions in our monthly feature about the ownership and financial management of the club and its ramifications for the supporters.
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