Hargreaves finds United's football more attractive than Arsenal's

Following Saturday's 2-2 draw between the Premiership's two top teams, Owen Hargreaves, who had been a long term Manchester United target prior to his transfer to the Reds in the Summer, believes that his new employers play a more exciting, attractive brand of football than Arsenal.

"Arsenal kept the ball and had a lot of possession, but they were never really threatening. Football is about scoring goals and winning games," said the former Bayern Munich player.

"I do not think they had a clear-cut chance created in the first half, apart from the header by Gallas, and that was a set piece.

"Defensively, we did a good job and tried to control their so-called beautiful football."

Well I'd just like to clear some things up for Mr. Hargreaves.

First of all, I don't think that anyone objective can argue that Arsenal doesn't play beautiful football. Arsene Wenger's brand of first-touch football is recognized throughout Europe for being the most attractive and entertaining in club football, and while Manchester United and Barcelona both could make claims, the beauty of Arsenal's football is unparalleled.

Secondly, William Gallas' effort was far from Arsenal's only chance of the half. In fact, Emmanuel Adebayor had a brilliant chance in the 10th minute before he mistimed his jump.

It was, rather, Manchester United who lacked chances. The shot from Rooney could have been stopped by Manuel Almunia if not for a lucky diversion via Gallas. Other than that chance, United had virtually no sniff of goal in the first half. Statistics prove this as well, with Arsenal managing 17 shots (6 on target) and United testing Almunia only 4 times from 10 shots.

Hargreaves dug himself a bit deeper, adding: "They keep the ball and try to play that way, but when a team is as good defensively as ours, you can keep them at bay because we played very tight together.

"You do not get to the top by conceding a lot of goals, but it is difficult when there is so much offensive power on the pitch.

"When you win the ball back against a team like Arsenal, who take a lot of risks going forwards, is vital that you attack.

"We have a lot of quality going forwards to catch them.

"Both of our goals were from really beautiful pieces of play and theirs were a bit more scrappy."

That last one really caught my eye. Both of their goals were from beautiful pieces of play and both of ours were scrappy? Let's go over the goals.

First, Manchester United scores off of a deflection, already discussed above.

Arsenal scores back after only three minutes of the second half when van der Sar is unable to control a volley from Adebayor. The loose ball falls to Bacary Sagna who sets up Cesc Fabregas who finishes magnificently.

Then United score again. Almunia rushes out of his net to stop Patrice Evra on the edge of the 18 yard box. The United defender, unsurprisingly, passes to Cristiano Ronaldo who pops the ball into an open net.

Arsenal's second looked a bit scrappy, with the ball bouncing around like a pinball machine. However, all of the bouncing was moot - the goal had already been scored after the first volley by William Gallas. The scrappy part of the goal came from Edwin van der Sar who knocked the ball out after it had already crossed the line.

So let's go over that again. United score one goal due to luck and one due to goalie error. Arsenal score two goals from straight play. Which is the scrappy team again?

Hargreaves, stop sucking up to your new employers and face the facts. Manchester are not scrappy, but Arsenal are even less so. United play beautiful football, but Arsenal play even more beautifully. United score lots of goals, but thus far, Arsenal has scored more.

Slavia Prague vs. Arsenal: Match Preview

High-flying Arsenal travel to the capital of the Czech Republic this Wednesday to face the Gambrinus Liga leaders Slavia Prague. Arsenal beat Slavia 7-0 in the home fixture, but the Eastern European side has developed a reputation as one of the most difficult clubs to beat at home.

Arsenal will be looking to clinch a spot in the knockout rounds of the Champions League by coming home with a full three points, but Slavia, who are three points behind second-placed Sevilla, will be looking to deny them.

The Gunners will be confident of a victory following their draws against two of the biggest English teams in the Premier League and their incredible unbeaten record which stretches all the way back to April of 2006. Slavia have also been on a good run of form though, and they will be hoping to slay the British giants.

Arsene Wenger chose a 4-5-1 formation for both this weekend's 2-2 draw with Manchester United and last weekend's 1-1 draw at Liverpool. However, I feel like he will go with a 4-4-2 in Prague on Wednesday.

Almunia will most likely start in goal again, despite his decision making costing Arsenal a goal against United on the weekend.

In front of him will be Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure, William Gallas, and Gael Clichy, who formed a tough defensive line against United and Liverpool.

Update: Kolo Toure did not travel to Prague, meaning that Gilberto is likely to start in central defense alongside Gallas.

The midfield against Liverpool and Manchester United consisted of Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini in the center of the pitch with Tomas Rosicky and Emmanuel Eboue on the wings. Alex Hleb was played in his favored position, in the hole between a lone Emmanuel Adebayor and Arsenal's other four midfielders.

Update: Tomas Rosicky, Alex Hleb, and Cesc Fabregas did not travel to Prague

However, Emmanuel Adebayor looked very unstable alone up front, and was once again guilty of missing chances. For that reason, Arsene Wenger may opt to play Theo Walcott or Eduardo da Silva up front alongside the lanky Togo striker, dropping Hleb to one of the wings and taking out either Eboue or Rosicky.

Whether we play a 4-4-2 or 4-5-1, Arsenal's midfield will be instrumental in creating goals. Alex Hleb's brilliant close control and laser targeted passing makes him a likely candidate to contribute assists or even goals, and Cesc Fabregas has already scored eleven goals in sixteen games this season. Tomas Rosicky also has a strong shot, and Emmanuel Eboue could provide Arsenal with another dimension by crossing balls across the face of goal for Emmanuel Adebayor.

Slavia will put up a fight and will be very physical, but I don't think they have what it takes to handle Arsenal's free-flowing style of play. Arsenal will boss around the midfield and should retain most of the possession, thereby creating lots of chances.

I predict a 3-0 win and an automatic spot in the knockout rounds.

Arsenal vs. Manchester United: Match Preview

Match Review

The Premier League's top two title challengers are set to battle it out at the Emirates this Saturday in what is sure to be one of the most exciting fixtures of the season. Arsene Wenger's first-placed Arsenal team is even on points and goal differential with Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, and both teams are in fine veins of form.

The winner of this game (if there is one) will go clear at the top of the Premier League, and this game could be one of the biggest factors in Arsenal's title aspirations. The title is, of course, not purely dependent on top four games, as Arsenal completed the double against last season's champions.

Both teams will be confident coming into the match. Arsenal are unbeaten this season, having drawn their last Premiership game 1-1 at Anfield in an impressive performance. Arsenal have yet to drop points at the Emirates and a 3-0 midweek win over Sheffield United in the Carling Cup will also bring confidence to any Arsenal youngsters who may play on Saturday.

Manchester United started the season badly, drawing twice and losing once in their first three games of the Premier League season. However, things have picked up for the Reds, and Alex Ferguson's team have won the eight games since their loss at rivals Manchester City. Although they were dumped out of the Carling Cup, the side won last Saturday's game 4-1 against Middlesbrough.

However, United will have some injuries to deal with. While Arsenal are missing only Robin van Persie and Philippe Senderos, Manchester United will be missing a contingent of six players. Crucially, Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, and Ji-Sung Park are all injured, meaning that Manchester United will be light in the midfield. Also missing are Louis Saha, Mikael Silvestre, and second goalie Ben Foster.

Arsenal will once again have Manuel Almunia in goal, with Jens Lehmann looking as though his time as Arsenal's number one is over.

In front of him will most likely be the familiar back-four of Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure, William Gallas, and Gael Clichy.

Our defensive lineup will be quite stretched against United, with Rooney, Tevez, and Ronaldo being the main threats up front for the visiting team. Clichy and Sagna may have to limit their runs into the attacking third on account of Ronaldo's pace, and although our entire back line is fairly pacy, they may have trouble dealing with the Portuguese winger.

The most likely midfield setup (and in my opinion the best) would be Alex Hleb, Mathieu Flamini, Cesc Fabregas, and Tomas Rosicky. However, Arsene Wenger has been favoring Eboue in the midfield, and if we go with a 4-5-1 the Ivorian could play on the right wing, with Hleb being moved into the hole behind a lone Adebayor.

Another possibility is Gilberto's inclusion. Wenger was very complimentary of his performance against Sheffield United in the Carling Cup, and he may play despite Mathieu Flamini's impressive form.

Up front I would like to see Theo Walcott alongside Emmanuel Adebayor. The English teenager registered an incredible performance against Sheffield on Wednesday, making some amazing runs despite not managing a goal. Walcott is a good finisher, and could turn provider for Adebayor or any of the Arsenal midfielders.

Eduardo is another option, and his brace at Bramall Lane on Wednesday will make him a strong contender to start the match as well. The Croatian striker is an excellent finisher and could provide the deadly edge that Adebayor has been lacking in his past few matches.

In any case though, Adebayor is almost certain to start up front, whether it is on his own or alongside Walcott or Eduardo.

This match will be a difficult but entertaining one, with the two sides widely regarded as the best creative attacking teams in the Premiership. Arsenal's one-touch football should dominate the makeshift United midfield, but last year's champions will have dangerous chances on free kicks as many of their players are good in the air.

In the attacking third our forwards will not be winning many headers (due to the impressive presences of Ferdinand and Vidic) so we will have to do the usual ground-based passing that Arsenal is so well known for.

If we can silence Cristiano Ronaldo we should be able to scrape through with a win, so hopefully Flamini's work-rate will combine with the skill of our back four to keep the winger at bay. If we manage to do that, I think we can come out 2-1 winners in this important match.

Sheffield United vs. Arsenal: Match Preview

Premier League leaders Arsenal take on the Championships nineteenth placed team, Sheffield United, this Wednesday in the fourth round of the Carling Cup. The Premiership giants were lucky to avoid drawing against the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea, but the Blades will not be nearly so happy to have to face Arsenal.

Arsenal played twice against United during the Blades brief one season stint in the Premiership, and while Arsenal demolished United 3-0 at the Emirates, the Blades will take some solace in the fact that they were able to defeat Arsenal 1-0 at Bramall Lane - the locale of Wednesday's fixture.

On current form though, Arsenal are far superior. Arsenal's first team is on a run of unbeaten games dating back to last April against West Ham. This season, Arsene Wenger's young guns went on a streak of twelve straight wins which was broken on Sunday in a 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield. Arsenal are at the head of the Premiership table with eight wins, two draws, and no losses so far this season.

Sheffield are not faring nearly as well in their return to the Championship. The Blades have won only three of their thirteen games this season, the other ten consisting of five draws and an equal number of losses. United have conceded twenty-one goals this season, the second highest in the Championship, and will have to play extremely well to defeat Arsenal's young side.

Sheffield United will be given some encouragement by the fact that Arsene Wenger always plays young sides in the Carling Cup, but Arsenal's youngsters are as good as any team outside the top four, as seen in 3-1 and 6-3 victories over Liverpool last season.

This season, Arsenal's young players have managed to defeat Newcastle 2-0 in the Carling Cup third round, following impressive periods of dominance from the young gunners.

Wenger will most likely field a lineup completely different from the one which played against Newcastle, due to injuries to Philippe Senderos and Eduardo da Silva. Emmanuel Eboue is also unlikely to play on Wednesday, although he may be injected into Arsenal's depleted defense.

Lukasz Fabianksi will almost surely start in goal, as Arsene Wenger is keen on giving the promising youngster a few starts this season.

In front of the Pole will most likely be Justin Hoyte, Alex Song, Armand Traore, and Kolo Toure. Toure may have to feature in the place of the injured Philippe Senderos, although Arsene Wenger may choose to play Lassana Diarra in the defense as well. Because of the Senderos injury, Wenger may even choose to give promising young Norwegian Havard Nordtveit his senior Arsenal debut.

In the midfield Neves Denilson will likely play alongside Abou Diaby. Depending on how much Arsene Wenger trusts his youth, these two could be complimented by any number of their peers. I would love to see Kieran Gibbs and Fran Merida or even Henri Lansbury or Mark Randall feature, but I feel that Wenger will be keen on making it through to the next round so his young players can get some more experience. For that reason, the likes of Mathieu Flamini or even Gilberto may be brought in to add some experience to the young Arsenal side.

Up front, Arsene Wenger's obvious choice would be to start Nicklas Bendtner alongside the electric Theo Walcott. Walcott could soon break into the Arsenal first team following his impressive performance in the 7-0 drubbing of Slavia Prague. If he can play well on Wednesday he may even start against Manchester United next Saturday instead of leaving Emmanuel Adebayor as the lone striker.

With an impressive midfield and attacking lineup, I can't see Arsenal losing this game. I'm not going to predict any scores because they could vary greatly depending on the team that Arsene Wenger decides to field, but I think it is safe to say that Arsenal are heavy favorites in this fixture and it would be very disheartening to see them drop out at this stage of the competition.

I would be disappointed by anything less than a comprehensive victory.

Liverpool vs. Arsenal: Match Preview

Match Review

Here it is, Arsenal's first real testing match of the Premier League season. We are currently on top of the league following a run of great form. With only two points dropped this season (at home to Blackburn after a Jens Lehmann clanger) we will be going to Anfield with plenty of confidence. Rafa Benitez's Liverpool side will not have the same morale though.

Whereas the Arsenal squad find themselves on a run of twelve straight victories, and come off of a 7-0 midweek win over Slavia Prague, Liverpool come into this match with only one victory in the month of October. The Merseyside team, which is currently in fourth in the Premiership, suffered a humiliating 2-1 defeat at Besiktas on Wednesday, and have also drawn with Tottenham (who Arsenal defeated 3-1) and lost to Marseillie 1-0 this month. Their only win of October came against their arch-rivals Everton, and even that came only after many favorable calls (a doubtable penalty, as well as two penalty shouts for Everton).

In terms of injuries Liverpool are also slightly worse off. Missing out will be Harry Kewell, Daniel Agger, and most importantly new signing Fernando Torres. Liverpool will find it tough to crack a thus far watertight Arsenal defense without the young Spaniard.

Arsenal are also missing their top striker, Robin van Persie, who was injured on international duty with the Netherlands. The only other injury to Arsene Wenger's squad is Philippe Senderos, who was unlikely to start anyway.

Wenger's lineup will almost certainly feature Manuel Almunia in goal again, and I have to say, I am starting to gain some confidence in the man.

In front of Almunia will be Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure, William Gallas, and Gael Clichy. Our back line has been solid so far this season (conceding only 6 goals in all competitions, with two being Lehmann blunders) so I don't think that we should concede many goals, even against a quality Liverpool side.

The midfield will once again be a bit tough to predict, but I once again suspect that Arsene Wenger may drop Emmanuel Eboue in favor of Tomas Rosicky. On the other wing will be Alex Hleb (who was instrumental in the 7-0 dismantling of Slavia) and in the center will be the effective partnership of Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini. While Liverpool have an impressive midfield lineup (especially Steven Gerrard) I think that Arsenal should be in control for most of the action in the middle of the pitch. Fabregas and Hleb are masterful passers, and Flamini's tough tackling will keep pressure on the Merseysiders. Fabregas, Hleb, and Rosicky will all be potent goal threats, and Hleb, if he plays again like he did against Slavia, will wreak havoc on the Liverpool defense.

Up front, Emmanuel Adebayor will partner either Theo Walcott or Eduardo. Walcott would be my preferred choice, as he was electrifying on Tuesday. However, Eduardo is also a threat, and with goals hopefully coming from midfield I don't know how much help we'll need up front.

Arsenal's offensive players can run rings around even the likes of Jamie Carragher, Sami Hyypia, and Steven Finnan. For that reason, we should be able to create lots of chances, and if Adebayor manages to take a few of his shots well, he should be able to score at least once. With goals also coming from midfield, I think that we will be able to get two past a tough Liverpool defense.

The Liverpool attack has also looked decidedly blunt without Fernando Torres. I think the Reds will step up against the quality opposition provided by our youngsters though, so we will have to look out for Steven Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt, and Andrei Voronin.

This game (and next weekend's game against Manchester United) will be the defining point of our season, and if we manage to win, we can finally silence the pessimists among football pundits. Liverpool will be a stern test, but I believe we can win this one 2-1, with Liverpool's goal coming from a Steven Gerrard set piece.

West Ham vs. Arsenal: Match Preview

Arsenal are set to play an exciting match on Saturday as they take on West Ham, the only team ever to beat Arsenal at the Emirates. West Ham are something of a bogey team for the Gunners, having won their last 4 Premiership meetings, and Arsenal will not be happy if they lose to recently departed Freddy Ljungberb. However, Arsene Wenger's boys will be heavy favorites to win this match, especially considering form that sees them undefeated in 17 games (since the loss to West Ham last season). Both teams have been performing well recently though, as Arsenal are in first, and West Ham not too far behind in seventh.

Arsene Wenger has told Arsenal.com that Alex Hleb may or may not be ready in time for Saturday. In other injury news, Emmanuel Eboue returned from injury against Newcastle, but probably won't feature on Saturday, as he is not match fit. Alex Song has also been added to the injury list, although he probably wouldn't have featured anyway. The other injured players are all still out, although Wenger did put something of a time frame on their returns.

Edit: Hleb is now fit but Eduardo is injured and Theo Walcott is set to be rested

“William Gallas is maybe a week or 10 days away,” said Wenger. “But I would not like to set a time on it really. As for Rosicky you can probably fix the date for Sunderland [next Sunday]. Jens Lehmann will be another week.”

Arsenal come off of the 5-0 defeat of Derby County last weekend and a 2-0 win over Newcastle in the Carling Cup on Tuesday. They will therefore be high in confidence - especially Emmanuel Adebayor and Cesc Fabregas, who have each scored 6 goals this season. Fabregas has scored a goal in each of his last 4 Premier League games and Adebayor recorded a hat-trick in the win over Derby.

Other starters will most likely include Bacary Sagna, Philippe Senderos, Kolo Toure, and Gael Clichy in the back line. It will be interesting to see who Wenger opts to play in the midfield, although Fabregas, Gilberto, Flamini, and Diaby are the most likely candidates if Hleb doesn't manage to return in time. Up front Arsene will most likely start Adebayor and van Persie, although Eduardo and Theo Walcott are also possibilities. Maybe we'll even see Nicklas Bendtner come off the bench.

Whoever we start, we should certainly be playing for a win, even against a bogey team. Craig Bellamy and Dean Ashton have been on decent form for the Hammers this season, but our defense shouldn't have too much trouble handling them if there are no errors from Senderos. We should get another clean sheet, and I expect a few goals from our side as well. I don't want to be too optimistic by predicting 3-0, so I'll go ahead and say that we should win 2-0, to stay at the top of the table.

Match Review

Arsenal vs. Sevilla: Champions League Match Preview

Wednesday will see Arsenal play Sevilla in the first week of fixtures of the 2007 Champions League. These two teams are heavy favorites to go through to the knockout rounds, and this encounter should prove to be a scintillating one.

Sevilla, who finished 3rd in Spain's La Liga last season, beat Recreativo Huelva 4-1 today, despite a missed penalty from Alexander Kerzhakov. Alongside Real Madrid they are one of two teams with a 100% record in La Liga so far this season (although Juande Ramos' side only played 2 matches due to the qualifying fixtures against AEK Athens). Nonetheless, they should provide a stern challenge for the Gunners.

Arsenal have similarly started well, coming in to Wednesday's match at the top of the Premiership table. Although they were held to a 1-1 draw against Blackburn, nobody can say that they have been under performing. Yesterday's 3-1 victory over Tottenham showed the spirit of our youngs guns, and technically the Arsenal youngsters are as good (or better) than any other team. Arsenal are slight favorites to win this fixture, but it will take some doing to unravel a tough Sevilla side.

One of the most important (and most exciting) battles of the match will be the one between Arsenal left-back Gael Clichy and Sevilla right-back Dani Alves. The Brazilian right-back is better on the attack than in defense, and is an integral part of the Sevilla team. Gael Clichy is also a dazzling attacker, whose dribbling skill is not matched by many players (let alone defenders). It will be interesting to see how the two deal with each other.

Another man Arsenal will have to watch out for is Fredi Kanoute. The former Tottenham striker has been on a good run of form lately, and scored twice in today's drubbing of Recreativo Huelva. The tall Malian will have to be well marked by equally tall Philippe Senderos if we are to keep the ball out of our net.

If we can keep those two quiet, I think the game should be fairly easy for Arsenal. Our midfield is sure to control the game, and the slick one-touch football of Arsenal will be difficult to defend against. Let's hope for some more goals from midfield and some good performances at the back. Maybe we'll even have a Robin van Persie who seems to be in the game...

In any case, I predict that we will win this entertaining encounter 2-1. I hope you can all catch this exciting game (good news for those of you in America: they're showing the match live on Setanta)! Let's hope for a win, because this one will be a huge leap towards the knockout rounds.

Poll Results: Arsene Wenger is the best signing of the summer

Who was Arsenal's best summer signing?

Arsene Wenger 40%
Bacary Sagna 7%
Eduardo 23%
Lassana Diarra 28%

Well, unsurprisingly the fans have decided that Arsene Wenger was this sumer's most influential signing. I was surprised that of the players, Lassana Diarra recieved the greatest percentage of the vote, seeing as how he has yet to play a game.

Diarra nosed out Eduardo by 5%, leaving Bacary Sagna, the only one of the new signings to feature regularly for Arsenal with a mere 7% of the votes.

I was surprised to see Sagna recieve such a small share of the votes, especially considering his solid performances throughout the pre-season and the beginning of the Premiership. He may not be the best going forwards, but he is one of the most solid right backs in the Premiership right now, although he is the type of player who would be more noticeable by his absence than his presence.

I agree that Diarra is a great signing, but as I have yet to see him in an Arsenal shirt, I think that Sagna and Eduardo are more important signings than him.

New Poll Question:
Who deserves the number 1 jersey at Arsenal, Jens Lehmann or Manuel Almunia?

Tottenham vs. Arsenal: Match Review

Match Preview

Two stunning goals from Cesc Fabregas and Emanuel Adebayor helped Arsenal to overcome a 1-0 deficit and beat Tottenham 3-1 at White Heart Lane.

Arsene Wenger opted for a different lineup than I expected, opting to play Abou Diaby and Mathieu Flamini in the midfield alongside Fabregas and Alex Hleb. The defense was as expected, Kolo Toure and Gilberto at centre-back, with Gael Clichy on the left, Sagna on the right, and Almunia in goal. Up front Wenger opted to play Adebayor alongside Robin van Persie.

Arsenal started well, with Adebayor forcing a save out of England's number 1, Paul Robinson, in a Thierry Henry-like volley.

However, Spurs started better, with a goal from a Gareth Bale free kick after Gilberto made a clumsy tackle from behind on Dimitar Berbatov. This was not Gilberto's only error, as looked off color for most of the game, making several sloppy passes and making many positioning mistakes. The Brazilian captain had flown in from an international in Mexico just days earlier, so hopefully we can blame his performance on jet lag.

Adebayor nearly pulled one back straight away, again forcing Robinson (who made several great saves over the course of the game) to turn the ball around the post. Arsenal clearly wanted an equalizer, and with the lion's share of possession we had quite a few chances.

In the 25th minute a fabulous pass from Fabregas reached Alex Hleb on the edge of the penalty box. He looked sure to score, but the onrushing Robinson once again managed to save the shot.

Hleb made up for his weak shot with a moment of brilliance in which he dribbled through the Tottenham defense and laid the ball off to Abou Diaby, who's resulting shot hit the crossbar after having beaten Paul Robinson.

Towards the end of the second half, possession started to go more in Tottenham's favor, but there was always a feeling that Arsenal were dangerous, that we would convert one of our chances. However, the second half ended with Arsenal in a familiar position at 1-0 down.

The second half started with what looked to be a sure goal for Tottenham's Berbatov, but the Bulgarian striker had the ball torn off of his feet at the last minute by a game-saving tackle from Kolo Toure. Steed Malbranque had slipped the ball through to the feet of Tottenham's top scorer last season, and Manuel Almunia made a terrible mistake in coming out, but Toure saved his blushes with a perfectly timed tackle.

Adebayor then missed two golden opportunities at the other end. The first came after great work from Bacary Sagna, who cut a pass back only for Adebayor to fire over an almost open net. A few minutes later the Togolese striker was unable to win a one-on-one with Robinson as a perfectly timed dive once again stopped an equalizer.

He was not to be denied forever, though, and finally found the back of the net with a header off a Fabregas free kick.

Berbatov almost pulled out a winner off of a corner, with Gael Clichy blocking the ball on the line. The rebound once again fell to the Bulgarian, only for him to uncharacteristically head wide from only a few meters away.

It was Fabregas who pulled out the winner instead, powering the ball around Paul Robinson from a good 30 yards away after receiving a pass from Tomas Rosicky.

Darren Bent nearly canceled out the young Spaniard's strike, but shot horribly wide in a one-on-one with Almunia.

To compound the Spurs misery, Arsenal scored another in stoppage time. Adebayor, not to be outdone by Cesc Fabregas, whipped a superb volley past Paul Robinson in the 94th minute to seal the game.

A win against our arch-rivals to put us at the top of the table is enough to put any Arsenal fan in a good mood.

Hoyte and Bendtner will both stay at Arsenal

Arsene Wenger has assured Arsenal fans that young gunners Justin Hoyte and Nicklas Bendtner will both be at Arsenal after the January transfer window.

Hoyte had already proclaimed his allegiance to the club, claiming that he would rather fight for a spot in the heavily contested right-back position than go for guaranteed first team football at a lesser club.

Bendtner, however, was more of a doubt, as he had earlier stated his unhappiness at not playing enough football for Arsenal. The Danish international, who has yet to turn 20, was linked with Inter Milan during the summer transfer window, and recently complained about his lack of first team chances.

Wenger, though, said that neither player would leave in January.

"Bendtner was only born in 1988. I know young players get impatient, but we will play in a lot of competitions and I will need them both. I don't think either player will go on loan."

Jens Lehmann injured again

In my last post I stated that Jens Lehmann would be eligible to play, after returning from injury. However, it seems that Lehmann has suffered from a reaction to the elbow injury he picked up in Germany's 2-0 win over Wales in Euro 2008 Qualifying last Saturday.

Timo Hildebrand is going to replace Lehmann for Germany's friendly against Romania which is to be played tomorrow. It is also unsure whether Lehmann will be fit in time for Arsenal's London derby against arch-rivals Tottenham. However, he was never guaranteed a spot in the game anyways, following his high profile errors and Manuel Almunia's decent performances.

While Lehmann is confident that he is still Arsenal's number 1, Arsenal fans have been less sure of this, and at 37 years-old he doesn't have that much time left in his Arsenal career. Arsenal have recently been linked with Celtic's Artur Boruc and Bolton's Jussi Jaaskelainen, both of whom are arguably better keepers than the out of form Arsenal 'keeper.

I'm not sure if Wenger should start Lehmann over Almunia, but I would like to get him back from injury to at least spur some competition between the two. Let's all send him get well cards.

Gallas and Sagna to be back in time for Tottenham clash

Arsenal captain William Gallas has stated that he is hoping to be fit in time for Saturday's derby against London arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur. The French international missed our last 2 games due to a groin injury but his recovery is going well and he is likely to return for Saturday.

Gallas' return will be welcome by Arsenal fans, as we have played the last few games with a makeshift back line, and would have had to play Gilberto as a central defender again next week. Philippe Senderos will miss the game due to a red card against Portsmouth and Johann Djourou was loaned out to Birmingham by Arsene Wenger, leaving us with only light cover in the central defense.

Even with new signings Bacary Sagna and Lassana Diarra we haven't had enough cover in the back line and ended the Portsmouth game with Gilberto and Flamini playing in defense after Senderos' red card and an injury to Sagna.

Sagna is also likely to return in time for the Tottenham clash, as is Jens Lehmann who may or may not start the game over Manuel Almunia. This should come as good news to a defense which had not conceded many goals, but had given up far too many chances.

Arsene Wenger Promises Arsenal Trophies

Now that Arsene Wenger has finally signed his new deal many are hoping to see Arsenal compete for some major silverware for the first time since 3 seasons ago. Wenger is among these, and feels that with the backing of the club's board of directors he can help Arsenal to some serious silverware.

He assured Arsenal.com that he has the board's backing saying, "I have had many moments when I have felt down because we have lost a big game, but I never ever had any doubts that I did not have the support of the club"

He went on to tell the fans how he was always going to sign a new deal, as he loves the club. Furthermore he claimed to feel a responsibility to "deliver silverware" and help the team go as far as it could.

"I have been entrusted with complete freedom to implement and execute my plans on what will make the team successful.

"That means I have a responsibility to the fans to deliver silverware and also a responsibility to the players to help turn our potential into prizes. I want to achieve the maximum with this team and it is young and very ambitious as well, and I feel I share that ambition with my team.

"That is one of the reasons, as well, that I wanted to get a taste of how hungry this team is first before I definitely go for it. I love the job I have at Arsenal – I love to win and I feel I can win with Arsenal. They are the main reasons [I signed].

"My heart is tied to this club, so signing a new deal was always my intention."

While we all knew that Arsene was doing his best to help Arsenal's players reach their potential it is great to hear him promise silverware and profess his love for the club. I know you can never judge by the first few games of a season, but if we keep playing as we have been (minus the Lehmann errors) we may be getting that silverware sooner rather than later.

Who was Arsenal's greatest signing this summer?

Arsene Wenger didn't splash out much cash during the summer transfer window (summary of Arsenal's transfer window activity here), bringing in only Bacary Sagna, Eduardo da Silva, Lassana Diarra, Lukasz Fabianksi, and Havard Nordtveit. However, there is no question that we have gotten some quality players through Wenger's astute eye for talent.

Some would argue that Wenger himself was Arsenal's greatest signing this season. Seeing him finally sign after months of speculation over his Arsenal future was a great relief to Arsenal fans. Having our manager stay on for another 3 years (without a get-out clause) was probably Arsenal's greatest coup this summer, but are some of Wenger's signings even more valuable than himself?

Bacary Sagna has been a rock at right-back since he came in from Auxerre for a fee rumored to be around £6.1 million. His defending has been more solid than any since Lauren was on top of his game, and his overlapping runs have provided excellent support up front. He's no Gael Clichy in terms of his dribbling skills, but his tough tackling adds a needed sting to Arsenal's back line.

Arsenal fans will be hoping that Eduardo will be able to provide the same sting up front. Dudu's arrival was controversial amongst Arsenal fans, with many looking for a more established striker after the loss of Thierry Henry and others happy to have signed a striker who could really put the ball away. I wasn't too keen on him in the beginning, but after seeing him play I began to believe that he could become a goalscoring left-winger in the mold of Robert Pires. Only time will tell, but Arsene may have once again unearthed an undiscovered talent in Eduardo.

The final major signing of the summer came in the form of the unwanted Chelsea utility player Lassana Diarra who came to Arsenal in a surprise final-day transfer. The 22 year-old has bundles of potential that he was never allowed to show with Chelsea and will be great support as a defensive midfielder when Gilberto is out. The 'new Makélélé' has yet to debut for Arsenal, but I think that there is little doubt that he will have some impact this season.

Arsene Wenger has once again managed to buy a fair amount of talent with a small amount of money, and it will be interesting to see which of our new signings has the most impact over our next few seasons.

Who do you think was our best summer signing?

Jens Lehmann believes he is still number 1 at Arsenal

Jens Lehmann, Arsenal's first-choice goalkeeper since the 2003/04 season seems to have lost his first-choice status at the club after 2 high-profile errors in Arsenal's first two league games. He was taken out due to a reported injury, and his replacement, Manuel Almunia, seems to have played the better of the two in his absence. The veteran shot-stopper was recently backed by Germany coach Joachim Löw to play as the first-choice international 'keeper, but his position at the club has been called into question.

Nonetheless, Lehmann, who reportedly sought a move away from Arsenal during the summer, remains confident that he is still the best goalie at Arsenal, and had no qualms telling this to the press.

"I feel I am the number one at Arsenal and Germany, although I know I have to train hard every day to justify this.

"I have not played recently because I could not play," he said. "If I am injured, then obviously another man plays.

"If he is a superman who stops everything, then I may not play again, but from experience, I know I have played constantly and I am not worried that I will not play again when I am fit."

He also displayed some of his characteristic temper in an outburst towards the press in which he said: "Your interpretation really annoys me.

"You write something and then you read it again and think that you were right, so then you ask me what I think of it.

"Don't ask me how I should interpret your interpretation.

"You were in England (for Germany's game against England last month) and have read the English press, which I don't read. If I did read it, then I would go crazy.

"The English exaggerate everything and how can you understand such an interpretation?"

All that I can say about all of this is that I sincerely hope that Lehmann is dropped from the squad. I think we should give him a chance to regain his top spot in the Carling Cup, but our team is too promising to be held back by errors from the goalkeeper. It may seem a bit harsh to say this, but he is getting old and he is becoming less and less reliable through the past few seasons. Let Almunia hold the spot until Fabianski is good enough or sign a new 'keeper. Lehmann is way past his prime.

Arsenal Transfer Window Summary

Recent interviews with Arsene Wenger and Gilberto Silva have heard both say that Arsenal don't need to spend big to be competitive in the Premier League and it was this philosophy which Arsene Wenger followed in signing new players this season, despite the fact that the powers that be at Arsenal have been constantly telling the fans that we have copious amounts of transfer money available.

Here are the transfers to and from Arsenal this summer (all transfer prices are what's listed on wikipedia):

IN - All Undisclosed
Bacary Sagna
Eduardo da Silva
Lassana Diarra
Havard Nordtveit
Lukasz Fabianski

OUT
Fabrice Muamba - £4 million
Mart Poom - Undisclosed
Thierry Henry - £16.1 million
Jeremie Aliadiere - £2 million
Arturo Lupoli - Free
Freddy Ljungberg - £3 million
Jose Antonio Reyes - Undisclosed

Its clear that we've made a profit on transfers during this transfer season - we are the only big 4 club to have done so, and yet we are 2nd in the league (behind Liverpool on goal differential) after playing a game less than Chelsea and Manchester United. Does this mean that we can indeed keep our Champions League place, or even challenge for the title? Only time will tell, but we're well on our way.

Lassana Diarra signs for Arsenal!!

The official Arsenal FC website, Arsenal.com, has released an article which officially states that Arsene Wenger has signed Lassana Diarra from Chelsea for an undisclosed fee. This comes as a surprise deadline day signing after Arsene Wenger earlier claimed that he would not sign any new players. Wenger, however, does have a reputation not only for making signings on the last day of transfer windows, but also for conducting business in secret.

This secret was not as well kept as some of his others though, and I in fact wrote an article about the possibility of Lassana Diarra coming to Arsenal not too long ago. The 22 year-old Frenchman will be a welcome addition at the Emirates as he can play both in the midfield and in defense. We now have plenty of cover at right back, and even a replacement for Gilberto if necessary, as Diarra is a fairly competent defensive midfielder - although he prefers to be played as an attacking midfielder (where we already have enough options).

Lassana Diarra is a great new signing, and I am very happy to hear that Arsene went forwards with this signing, as I was worried about the thin cover of our backline, and especially about an injury to Gilberto. Diarra should be far better as a defensive midfielder than Mathieu Flamini was. I hope to see great things from him in a few years time.

Who was Arsenal's greatest signing this summer?

Arsene Wenger wants Walcott as a central striker and Eduardo as a winger

In his post-match conference after yesterday's 3-0 drubbing of Sparta Prague Arsene Wenger discussed how he would be using Theo Walcott and new signing Eduardo da Silva in the future. Wenger has stated that he wants to use Eduardo as the goalscoring left-winger that Arsenal have been missing, while he hopes to convert Walcott from a winger to a central striker.

I think it would be great to use Eduardo as a left-winger. He played some of the Sparta Prague game out on the left flank, and while he did not cross the ball like an out and out winger, he often cut in, took on a defender, and then cut a pass back into the center of the penalty area - it was in fact a move just like this which set up Cesc Fabregas' goal. Eduardo would do well as a winger who pops into the box for to score his own goals as well, as he is obviously an excellent striker as well. I feel that this would be the ideal position for him. As Wenger said, "I found him more at ease on the left flank, where he had tricks of a winger, and then through the middle. He's a great striker, you know, and you could see that." A combination of a striker/winger would serve Arsenal very well.

Eduardo was not the only one who showed promise in the Sparta Prague game - Theo Walcott also showed some of the quality that got him called up for England's 2006 World Cup squad. His blistering pace was reminiscent of the recently departed Henry, and although he is young, his runs caused the Sparta defense a whole lot of problems. It was a cut back from Walcott that set up Rosicky's goal in the 8th minute, and Walcott supplied many chances for others as well. Wenger would like to try some of his magic on Theo, by converting him to a central striker as he did to Henry.

"In the future he'll be used more as a central striker. He can make a difference for England because there are not many strikers in this country who have his qualities or pace.

"If a defender is one yard behind him Theo will never get caught. He makes good runs along the line of the defence and he will be able to use that more when he plays through the middle.

"But it's good for him to learn the job on the flanks."

I haven't seen much of Walcott in a central striker position, but with all of his talent, I'm sure that he will be able to function well in any attacking spot on the pitch. I just hope that Arsene can do with him what he did with Henry. At 18 years old, Walcott still has quite a future ahead of him...

Why Arsene Wenger Loaned out Johan Djourou

I was very unhappy when I heard that Arsene Wenger had loaned Johan Djourou to Birmingham. As an Arsenal fan, I really like to see the Arsenal youth develop at Arsenal, the club which probably has the brightest young prospects in world football. I was not the only one who was shocked and disappointed when Djourou was loaned out. Djourou is one of the most promising young central defenders in the Premiership (alongside Micah Richards of course) and as such I was hoping to see him get some games this season.

However Wenger defended the decision yesterday, saying "I knew when Djourou left that Alex Song can play in there and Gilberto has played in there already,” said Wenger. “I wanted him to be experienced. I know Kolo will go in January [to the African Nations Cup] and I want Johan to play."

It is good to see that Wenger has him in the plans for the time that Kolo Toure is gone, although I suspect that we may see a lot of Gallas and Senderos if neither of them is injured. What worries me is the talk of Song and Gilberto in the central defensive position. Alex Song should be nowhere near the field until he gets some more experience, as he is not at all up to Arsenal's high standards. For some reason Wenger has faith in him, so I feel he deserves a chance, but that chance should not be in the heart of our defense - a defense which gave up more goals by far than any of the other top four last season. Gilberto on the other hand is a hard tackler, and would make a good defender. However, we have nobody who can effectively replace him in the defensive midfield role, where he shields our defenders better than anybody else. For this reason, I think that Djourou should have remained in our squad - not to mention his height: at 6 ft 4 in he would be very useful in defending set pieces and crosses.

While nobody could have foreseen the injury of William Gallas (despite his injury proneness last season), I still think that it was foolish to let Djourou go. He may get more experience at Birmingham, but as he is one of our brightest prospects for the future, I would like to see him fashioning a partnership with Gallas and Toure, and maybe even Senderos.

I just can't wait until I get to see Djourou play in Arsenal colors in January (not that I want Toure to go or anything - he's a quality defender)

Arsene Wenger rejects Adriano loan move

Arsene Wenger has publicly stated that he rejected a loan offer from Inter Milan which would have seen troubled Brazilian striker Adriano come to The Emirates in return for an unnamed player.

Wenger told reporters, "He [Adriano] is not needed. I was not out there [in the market] to take a striker on loan.

"If I find the right player with the right quality I will always take him. With Adriano they wanted to give you a player and also take one from your squad.

"It would mean losing a player and then get one in who you were not desperately wanting. It is nothing to do with the quality of Adriano."

The player that Inter Milan were asking for was not revealed, but it was likely promising young striker Nicklas Bendtner, who Arsenal fans would be loathe to see in any colors other than the red and white of Arsenal. It seems as though Adriano would also be unhappy with the move, having stated that he would like to leave Inter permanently, rather than on loan.

Adriano was furious with Inter manager Roberto Mancini for not telling him that he would not feature in Inter's plans this season sooner. However, after being rejected by Arsene Wenger, it seems as though he may have to stay at the San Siro for another season.

I don't think that we need a new striker, and I am glad that Arsene Wenger didn't do away with one of our young talents in favor of an inconsistent performer.