Wrong - The bubble is going to get even bigger. The disciplinary record will improve after Wenger fines a few players,we will replace the quality with quality. Buying guys like Hazard and M'Villa. Nasri will have a change of heart and stay. We will destroy Udinese with Walcott going goal crazy in Italy. Wenger will sign a new contract in Christmas. The Gooners will become like Stoke fans and scare the living daylights out of teams coming to the Emirates, in the CL we will beat Barca in the final via a Fabregas own goal. The league will be wrapped up early April and the fans base will grow so much that we will have to expand the Emirates.
1.Fine the players. 2.Oh yes we will. Dramtic moves for Hazard and M'Villa will happen. Also Phil Jagielka will be brought on the final day. 3.We will destroy Udinese, battering them on the counter with Gervinho and Walcott. 4.The fans will find a voice from nowhere and rival teams will not be able to stand the wall of noise at the Emirates. We where in it, after destroying Udinese, we progress all the way to Germany for the final and a Wilshere thunderbolt takes a massive deflection of Cesc's arse and files into the top corner for an Arsenal winner in the 93rd minute. Rise of the Arsenal. Watch out Europe.
Wenger is not a man to be dictated to or rushed. he has a "project" that he has to finish.The problem is everybody around him has seen what it is, sidestepped it and moved on, leaving the professor with his charts and statistics while they kick on. Even if he does go on a spending spree, which is doubtful, teams will know he is desperate and bump up their prices; Something that will make a purchase even less likely. Every team that goes to the Emirates this season will fancy it. His squad is ill-disciplined, lacking any clear leadership during games, either from Wenger or the players themselves and lightweight (ironically, part of the reason they pick up so many bookings.) If Nasri goes to Citeh even the most blinkered fan must be concerned. It is like us losing VDV and Modric, in which case I would be bricking it!
We will have to overpay, then. The board and Wenger will get so much stick if they do not buy it will be unreal. Also they have to make sure that the Nasri thing is sorted one way or another next week. Because if he goes then again, thats money we can use for transfers.
We'll see, but given Spurs record against the top teams last season I would be surprised if they won either of them, but as you say there is nothing to lose as you will be underdogs in both games, if you could even get a point from either than it would be a building block and something to work with. Spurs on their day are capable of drawing with United and beating City so time will tell. I would be very surprised if the top 6 all had 100% records in tact come the International break
It's going to be bigger this year for sure, this is the first time in a while where Spurs can match Arsenal. Almost every Gooner I know fears Spurs taking their 4th spot more than Liverpool and from what I have picked up on forums the vibe is the same. I wouldn't go as far as saying there is a "power shift" but I personally don't think any Spurs fan would envy Arsenal right now. I'm sure most Spurs fans would begrudginly admit that they would have killed to have players like Henry, Fabregas, Vieira, Pires, Bergkamp etc playing for them down the years, if you look at the Arsenal team now who would get into the Spurs squad? Szesney? No Sagna? Yes Vermaelen? Probably not Koscielny? No Gibbs? No Ramsey? No Wilshere? No Song? No Walcott? No Gervinho? Probably not cos Spurs have Bale RVP? Yes So if we go through Arsenal's strongest XI, Spurs fans would probably only find 2 of the Arsenal players preferable to the ones they have, I remember a time where you could have picked virtually every Arsenal player compared to his Spurs counterpart. Nobody can deny now the gap is closing and it is miniscule if at all. I feel if Liverpool get top 4, it will be very difficult for Spurs or Arsenal to get back in within the next few years. If Spurs get it there is always the chance they will drop out the next year
From what I saw of Liverpool yeaterday, I wouldn't exactly be quaking in my boots at the prospect of playing them. Apart from Suarez, whom I rate, I think they've overpaid a ****eload of money for some, not much better than average, players.
No, Meireles is a class player, he and Suarez are the only real world class players they have. As long as they persist with Carroll and this long ball approach they'll be weaker for it, not sure why they wasted £35 on him when they could easily have bought Aguero for that money. Had they got Aguero they IMO would be genuine title contenders. Adam, Henderson, Downing and Carroll are all average players in my view
Szesney? Yes Sagna? Yes Vermaelen? Absolutely! Koscielny? No Gibbs? No Ramsey? Yes Wilshere? Don't be silly Song? No Walcott? No Gervinho? Yes RVP? Yes
I'd agree with you on Wilshere and Verminsmum but Gervinho? All he has done so far is get sent off, hardly proven in the PL is he. Wouldn't choose the goalie either.
I'd like to know who Piskie's comparing each player to. The keepers and defences are obvious, but I'm not sure who he's paired Wilshere or Gervinho with, for example.
Szesney / Gomes = Szesney (I would say equal but Szesney is younger so has more potential to improve) Sagna / Waker = Sagna (not for much longer though!) Koscielny / Dawson = Dawson Vermaelen / King = King Gibbs / Assou Ekotto = Assou Ekotto Song / Huddlestone = Song (until we get Diarra) Wilshere / Modric = Modric Walcott / Lennon = Can't decide Ramsey / VDV = VDV Gervinho / Bale = Bale Van Persie / Defoe = Van Persie (hopefully we sign Adebayor but would still be Van Persie)
No Sandro, TBS? I'd put him ahead of Huddlestone and suggest that he's a better player than Song, as he actually plays his position. Song was good in the season before last, where he played the holding role very effectively, but he's taken it upon himself to wander about a lot now and he's a worse player for it. Presumably Diarra will go into the side ahead of Sandro if we sign him, though.
Yeah I was considering Sandro and I think he should be ahead of Huddlestone as he is much more mobile (then again most are compared to Hudd) but I'm not sure Harry sees it that way. It seems he is more inclined to pick Hudd and Modric when they are both available. I think he has his favourites though and I have a feeling that Diarra fits that category from their time at Pompy. Going by last season though I definitely would choose Sandro over Song. Once Sandro got used to the pace of European and English football he kept getting better and better. He was immense in the San Siro against Milan. They just could not get past his wall and he hasn't looked back since then.
I'd agree with most of that, but I think that Redknapp prefers Sandro to Huddlestone, especially alongside Modric. With the apparently impending signing of Diarra, we could actually end up with both of them being back-up, bizarrely.
That is the point. With Wenger pulling the strings,and he pulls almost all of them, you will NOT overpay. It is alien to him to pay the going rate let alone a premium. That is what happens when one man has that much power over a club. When it is going well it all rosy, when it's not... well I give you the last 6 years. Also, it is the 21st today. Do you not think that practically every player of the class of those departing has found a berth, at least until January? There are barely 9 days to go.
I've think Modric will leave to join the Chavs on the last day, Huddlestone will be the 'creative' midfielder and Sandro/Diarra the ball winner.
