Poll Results: Fabregas is the best midfielder in the Premiership

Well, poll results are in, and 68% of you Arsenal fans thought that Cesc Fabregas was the best midfielder in the Premiership right now. It's good to see our young Spaniard topping the list over some stiff competitors like last seasons player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo, and England legend Steven Gerrard.

Results:
Cesc Fabregas - 68%
Cristiano Ronaldo - 9%
Frank Lampard - 6%
Steven Gerrard - 14%
Mikel Arteta - 3%

I'm not surprised to see Fabregas winning this one, considering that he has scored four Premier League goals already this season. The midfield maestro has contributed an additional 5 league assists, helping Arsenal to their first place spot.

Unsurprisingly, the 20 year-old also helped himself to a second Player of the Month award over at Arsenal.com, scooping up the honor with 48% of the votes, far ahead of second placed Emmanuel Adebayor with just under 29%.

In his current form, the young Spaniard could be the best player in the world. He is one of the few irreplaceable members of the Arsenal squad, and I look forward to a good game from him on Sunday against Sunderland.

Arsene Wenger: Quota Will Kill Premier League

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is firmly opposed to Sepp Blatter's proposed player quota. The FIFA President's plan would limit each team to only five foreign players, decimating the Arsenal squad.

Wenger, who's team is often criticized for its lack of English players believes that the quota would destroy the EPL's reputation as the best footballing Premier League in the world.

"It would kill the Premier League at the moment for being the best league in the world, certainly," said Wenger. "Why? Because you can see a massive reduction in the quality. If you have the choice between 200 million players or 50 million players, it is less good. It is as simple as that.

"It will protect the bad players, or those who are not good enough. Also, if the best English players play with the best world-class players, then they will be even better and develop quicker." The Arsenal boss also feels that it is not his job to look out for nationality, but rather to search for the best players he can find. Even at a British football club, that could mean anyone from anywhere in the world.

Wenger told Arsenal.com: “I would not be very happy [if it happened] because I feel sport is linked with quality. Our purpose is to push the level of the game as high as we can to give people entertainment. If one day you say 'sorry, you cannot play. I know you are better but you are not from the right place', then I would not be happy."

There's another reason Wenger would be unhappy: Arsenal's last starting XI was made up entirely of foreign players. If FIFA were to implement their plan, Theo Walcott (our only British player) would stay alongside 5 foreign players, leaving Arsene Wenger to find an entirely new football team.

Arsenal vs. Sunderland: Match Preview

Match Review

Arsenal will look to extend their 9 game winning streak even further this Sunday as they take on newly-promoted Sunderland at the Emirates. Roy Keane's fifteenth place team will be lucky to get any points out of this game, and will likely play with many men behind the ball.

Arsenal's physio room had a nice day on Wednesday as nobody was injured in the 1-0 win over Steau Bucharest, and only the long term injury sufferers are still out. Alex Hleb and Emmanuel Eboue returned in the midweek, and Jens Lehmann, William Gallas, Tomas Rosicky, and Alex Song have all returned to training, although none of them are match-fit yet, and they are therefore unlikely to feature on Sunday. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has only one injured player this match. Eduardo, who is out with an ankle injury, would have been unlikely to feature anyways thanks to the fine form of Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie.

The back line will probably be the same that we have seen in the past few games, with Manuel Almunia in goal behind Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure, Philippe Senderos, and Gael Clichy. I can't see our defenders having any real problems against Kenwyne Jones and Michael Chopra, although they will have to watch out for Sunderland's promising young attacking midfielder, Grant Leadbitter.

In the center of the field, Wenger will likely opt to play Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini in the central midfield positions, despite Gilberto fighting for a place. The in-form midfielders will probably be assisted by Alex Hleb, although the last spot is more contested. Wenger may choose Emmanuel Eboue as he did against Steaua Bucharest, but he might also opt to play Abou Diaby or Theo Walcott. Even against the likes of Leadbitter, I expect our midfield to boss around the Black Cats, and we are likely to see most of the possession.

Up front, Wenger will not want to tamper with his fine striking pair of Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie. The Togo and Netherlands internationals will be expected to find the back of the net in what may end up being a high scoring game for Arsenal.

I have been predicting high scorelines recently (and I was wrong about West Ham and Steaua) but I'm going to have to go high again and say that we will win this game 3-0. Down with Roy Keane, up with Arsenal!

Usmanov Still Interested in Arsenal Takeover

Alisher Usmanov, the disliked Russian billionaire who has been linked with Arsenal takeover talks, has finally admitted that he is interested in taking over the club.

The Metalloinvest and Red and White owner had previously stated that he only wanted to raise his stake to 25% of the club (he currently owns 23%), but he has now admitted that he would jump at the chance to launch a takeover bid.

Any takeover would likely be hostile, seeing as how the clubs board of directors (who together own 45% of the club) has stated that they will not sell their shares for at least one year. However, Usmanov says that he would only buy at a reasonable price, and if Arsenal's top shareholders agree to sell.

Having already bought David Dein's shares at market price, and other shares at far over their value, it seems as though the Russian businessman may be planning a takeover quite soon.

He is unlikely to succeed though, as Arsenal are currently the second biggest earners in club football, thanks in large part to the new Emirates Stadium. Without a need for Dein's money, and with a frugal manager Arsenal don't seem to be in any danger of becoming the next Chelski.

Steaua Bucharest vs. Arsenal: Champions League Match Review

Match Preview

Arsenal became the first team to beat Steaua Bucharest in Romania today, thanks to a left-footed goal from Robin van Persie. The gunners kept their top spot in Group H on six points, three points ahead of nearest rivals Sevilla (who we beat 3-0 at the Emirates) and Slavia Prague. Steaua are on the bottom now, having yet to win any points.

The victory was hard-fought, and it seemed at points as though a goal would never come. Steaua defended brilliantly, with Eugen Baciu performing especially well. Nonetheless, a pull-back from Emmanuel Adebayor (who had been a doubt for the game) resulted in a Robin van Persie goal, securing three points for Arsene Wenger's boys.

Lineups:
Steaua Bucharest: Robinson Zapata; Eugen Baciu, Ifeany Emeghara, Petre Marin, Ionut Rada; Nicolae Dica, Banel Nicolita, Petre Ovidiu; Valentin Badea, Adrian Neaga, Romeo Surdu

Arsenal: Manuel Almunia; Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure, Philippe Senderos, Gael Clichy; Alex Hleb, Cesc Fabregas, Mathieu Flamini, Emmanuel Eboue; Emmanuel Adebayor, Robin van Persie

Both teams started well, and after only five minutes, Badea headed off-target after meeting a cross from Romeo Surdu. Three minutes later, Surdu offered up another great cross, which was headed into the back of the net by Badea, but ruled out for offsides.

Arsenal heeded this warning, and almost immediately scored a goal following the restart. Alex Hleb found Cesc Fabregas with a cut-back, but the in-form midfielder shot over Zapata's crossbar with a disappointing effort.

Emmanuel Adebayor put a lot of pressure on Steaua's backline, cutting the ball across Steau's six-yard box, only to find that nobody was there. However, while Arsenal were putting pressure on the Romanians, they could be accused of once again trying to walk the ball into the back of the net.

In the 31st minute Robin van Persie found Emmanuel Adebayor in the box, but the Togolese striker opted to cross rather than shoot when he had plenty of space.

Arsenal nearly had their first goal when a deflected cross from Gael Clichy was acrobatically kept out by Zapata. The Colombian was adjudged to have kept the ball out of the net, although it was a close call. I couldn't quite tell even from the replays, but at least 90% of the ball was over the line.

Zapata followed this up with another great save, as he silenced Mathieu Flamini to end the first half.

Manuel Almunia almost proved to be Arsenal's downfall when he made yet another poor decision in racing outside of his 18 yard box to clear with a header. The ball fell to the dangerous Nicolae Dica who chipped it goalwards from forty yards out only to see it cleared off the line by the heroic Kolo Toure.

Arsenal were struggling, and at times it seemed as though Arsene Wenger would have to settle for a point.

Steaua substitute Constantin Iacob nearly put the home side in the lead when he beat Arsenal's offside trap to find himself alone with Manuel Almunia. The Spanish keeper wasn't even forced to make a save though, as Iacob wasted the best chance of the game, smashing it high over the bar.

Arsenal finally got their goal though, as Emmanuel Adebayor cut the ball back for Cesc Fabregas. The young Spaniard failed to latch on to the ball, but it fell nicely for Robin van Persie who promptly struck the ball into the net from 12 yards out.

The visitors nearly got a second when Adebayor turned well, only to fire just over the crossbar. One goal was all they needed though, as they played keep ball for the rest of the game, limiting Steaua's chances.

Arsene Wenger should be happy with the resilience and skill of his youngsters, and the Arsenal board should be happy with the victory. 1-0 may not be the most flattering scoreline, but 3 points are 3 points, and Arsenal now sit comfortably on the verge of the knockout stages after only two games played.

Flamini Is Finally Stepping Up

Arsene Wenger's undeniable genius was enough to earn him a contract extension until the 2010/11 season, and it's not hard to see why the Arsenal board were happy to keep him at the club. Under Wenger's tutelage, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, and Robert Pires were all transformed from struggling players into terrifying French wonders.

However, Wenger doesn't do everything right, and many Arsenal fans thought that Mathieu Flamini was one of his few mistakes. When Arsenal signed the 20 year-old midfielder from Marseille, he had only featured in 14 games for the team, and while he was unproven, the club had faith in Wenger, and expected great things of his new signings.

Fast forward two years to last season. Flamini was still seeing some time on the field, but many criticized his performances, applauding only his incredible work-rate. Flamini was a good squad player, but no more, and many were disappointed by him.

This season, however, it seems that Flamini is finally stepping up. Maybe it's that he's no longer under the shadow of Henry. Maybe he is trying to prove to the naysayers that Arsenal can indeed challenge for the title. Perhaps he has simply seen that Gilberto's place isn't set in stone.

Whatever the reason, Flamini is finally coming of age, and in recent games he has been chosen over Gilberto to partner Cesc Fabregas in the central midfield. It's not hard to see why, as his work-rate, tough-tackling, and team spirit are all great qualities for a defensive midfielder.

His inclusion has also given him great confidence, and he even tried a few long range shots against Robert Green in last Saturday's game against West Ham.

Mathieu Flamini has been consistently underrated by Arsenal fans, but that was unsurprising seeing as how he hadn't been performing as well as he could have until now. I still expect improvement from his current form, but even the way that he is playing now, I'm starting to think that selling Gilberto may not be a horrible idea.

I look forwards to this lad's next few years at the club.

Four Players Doubts For Arsenal Champions League Clash

Arsenal have four players who are doubts for tomorrow's Champions League game against Steaua Bucharest.

Alex Hleb, Mathieu Flamini, Abou Diaby, and Emmanuel Adebayor are awaiting late fitness tests before Arsene Wenger names his squad for the away tie. All four have made the trip to Romania, but it is yet to be seen if any or all of them will play tomorrow.

"Alex Hleb will travel," Wenger told Arsenal.com. "We tested him for a check on his bone and a decision will be made tomorrow over whether he will play or not.

"Emmanuel Adebayor will travel but we will make a decision on him as well. It looks a little less good than it did. Mathieu Flamini has a knock on his groin. Abou Diaby has a knock on his ankle so we need to check on them.

The injuries to Hleb, Flamini, and Diaby will leave Arsenal light in the midfield, with Cesc Fabregas and Gilberto the only fit midfielders who usually receive spots in the starting 11. If none of the three are fit for tomorrow's game, Wenger may be forced to start Eboue and Denilson alongside Fabregas and Gilberto.

Walcott could be another option on the wing, but with Eduardo and Adebayor out he may start the game up front with Robin van Persie. Another option (since )it is unlikely that Nicklas Bendtner will start) would be to play van Persie as a lone striker in a 4-5-1 including Walcott on the flank.

The 1-0 win over West Ham had quite a toll on our players, but I am optimistic about winning this match even with a depleted squad.