Author Archives: Michael Roberts

Why Wenger Is Here to Stay

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Sometimes we witness things that we have thought to be impossible. It doesn’t happen too often, but it does happen. Many would tell you that believing that something ‘impossible’ will happen is the first step. Of course, the belief alone isn’t going to make anything happen, but it will make you remain dedicated to the goal, whatever it may be.

For example, there is a very small possibility that you will manage to win an online casino jackpot. Yet, some people do win jackpots. The possibility was small for them too, but, nevertheless they won. If you don’t think that it is possible, at least remotely possible, you probably won’t even make a wager. If you do, http://www.mobilecasinokings.com/ might help. This page presents the best mobile casino apps.

Who Would’ve Thought?!

Speaking of things that aren’t very likely to happen, is there anyone who believed that Wenger will remain at Arsenal for 20 years back in 1996?! It is highly doubtful as the odds that he will remain Arsenal’s manager for two decades were staggering 5,000/1, same as the odds for Leicester City to win the league last season. Yet somehow, both things happened. Arsenal have changed their stadium, but not their coach in the last twenty years.

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Wenger’s Amazing Achievements

Many have been criticising Arsène, especially in the past few years, but the truth is that the things he managed to achieve with Arsenal are more than remarkable.

  • Arsenal won the double only two years after Wenger became manager, in 1998;
  • Arsenal have never finished outside the top 4 in the past two decades;
  • In the 2003/04 season Arsenal won the title without losing a single game;
  • Arsenal won another double under Wenger in 2002;
  • The club reached the Champions League Final for the first time in history.

And that is just a fraction of his achievements. Should we mention the fact that he also brought financial stability?! Let’s not forget that he has a degree in economy and under his rule the club has been financially stable throughout the whole 20-year period, despite the fact that it isn’t owned by capricious multi-billionaires like Chelsea or Manchester City.

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A True Player Developer

Wenger has been able to discover and develop young talent like no other manager. Let us name just a few of the players that blossomed under his leadership:

  • Nicolas Anelka;
  • Cesc Fabregas;
  • Robin Van Persie;
  • Jack Wilshere;
  • Samir Nasri;
  • Patrick Vieira;
  • Yaya Toure;
  • Ashley Cole;

Wenger has truly made his mark not only on Arsenal, but on English football and football in general in the last 20 years and that is exactly why he is here to stay.

A Proper Gentleman

On top of being a great manager, Arsène has the attitude of a true gentleman. Always polite, well-behaved and thoughtful, that’s Wenger for you. No matter what someone says of him, he won’t stoop to their level. Pure class. It is a well-known and obvious fact that Mourinho can’t Wenger. The Portuguese has uttered mean things about Arsène on so many occasions. Wenger, on the other hand, refuses to do the same.

His Contribution Has Been Immeasurable

So far we’ve been talking about Wenger’s past achievements and his character. What about the future? – You may ask. The truth is that Arsenal wouldn’t have had even a perspective for a bright future if it wasn’t for Wenger. He made this club what it is today. Sure, the Gunners haven’t won a title in 12 years, but who knows if they would’ve won one in the past 20 if it wasn’t for Arsène?!

It would be more than shameful to sack him after all he has done. That is not how great clubs do business. Sacking a coach of 20 years is something suitable for club with no history, no principles and no values. And Arsenal isn’t such a club. Wenger will remain until he chooses to retire and that’s the way it should be. He could’ve joined another club, and he still can, but he simply loves Arsenal.

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Fortunately for those who are looking for a change of management, Wenger is already 66 and this is the last season under his current contract. It is likely that he will stay for few more seasons, if he wants to, but after that he’ll surely want to retire.

 

Would You Have Arsene Wenger For Another 20 Years?

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Obviously it’s hypothetical but answer me this, would you have Arsene Wenger for another 20 years?

Arsene Wenger has been at Arsenal for 20 years and marked his anniversary with a fantastic win over Chelsea. In a game where Arsenal were rampant for the first 45 minutes, Arsenal went into the break 3-0 up and it wasn’t the first time Arsenal have been irresistible for the first half of a match.

In recent seasons, we’ve swept aside Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Napoli and other big sides after starting the match right out of the blocks. And that kind of swashbuckling football is thanks to Arsene Wenger.

I could do into detail about the achievements but you already know them – the first double in 1998, the second in 2002, the Invincibles season in 2004, the FA Cups in between. The style of football he has produced at times has been the best in the country by far and although we’ve had some barren spells in terms of trophies, but that can be related to the expensive stadium move to The Emirates.

You will all have your opinions of Arsene – some of you think he needs to leave and his methods are outdated, others think he is the only man to move us forward considering everything he has done for the club.

But what do you think? Would you take another 20 years of Arsene Wenger (if it was possible?). Leave your comments below and cast your vote now!

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Why Chelsea Are Guaranteed To Beat Arsenal Today

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Not counting the Community Shield (I don’t care what you say, you can’t call that a competitive fixture) our record against Chelsea is utterly atrocious.

We’ve been pretty consistent (and don’t we know it) over the last 12 seasons, always finishing around 3rd or 5th in the table. In that time though, Chelsea have enjoyed less stability, finishing between first and tenth.

Despite Chelsea going through some tough periods (last season in particular) we still couldn’t muster a win over them. We lost twice in the Premier League last season against Chelsea, 1-0 at home and then 2-0 away.

Our last 10 results against Chelsea are as follows:

Arsenal 0 – 1 Chelsea
Chelsea 2 – 0 Arsenal
Arsenal 0 – 0 Chelsea
Chelsea 2 – 0 Arsenal
Chelsea 6 – 0 Arsenal
Arsenal 0 – 0 Chelsea
Arsenal 0 – 2 Chelsea
Chelsea 2 – 1 Arsenal
Arsenal 1 – 2 Chelsea
Arsenal 0 – 0 Chelsea

To summarise – that’s 10 games, 0 wins, 3 draws and 7 defeats.

And if you want to put the goals scored and goals against in there as well, Arsenal have scored 2 goals and conceded 17. Giving us a goal difference of -15.

Can you believe that?!

The game previous to that brilliant 10 game run was in October 2011 when Arsenal visited Stamford Bridge. Robin van Persie made John Terry look like a clown and we ended up winning 5-3 which, looking back, is one of my all time favourite games. Partly because I knew for a fact that getting results against Chelsea (in the post-Mourinho era onwards) was near on impossible.

It’s not so much that Chelsea have a hoodoo over us, it’s just that they’re a better team than we are. Even last season when Chelsea were all over the place we still failed to win a single point against them – mentally, we’re scared of Chelsea.

We couldn’t cope with the years of Didier Drogba abusing us and now the bully is in the form of Diego Costa. For some reason, we just can’t handle it against big, strong strikers who have a bit of a mean streak. We’re far too “nice” when it comes to it and would rather cry and complain instead of getting stuck in and fighting in those 90 minutes.

And it doesn’t matter that they might be having a bit of a “wobble” at the moment and seem to concede goals left, right and centre. And that we’re firing on all cylinders and all of our players seem to be hitting top form.

Because just like the sky is blue, water is wet, Yaya Toure’s agent will open his big mouth and Santa will unload his hefty sack all over your living room on Christmas Day, some things are just certain.

And another one of those is Chelsea winning at The Emirates on Saturday.

 

How Can Wenger Keep Hector Bellerin Away from Barcelona?

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Hector Bellerin has been at the center of rumors and speculation for some time now, especially with regards to his future at Arsenal. If you look at the latest Premier League lines, it is easy to conclude that Hector might be heading back to Europe soon.

Hector left Barcelona in 2011 when he chose to join the Gunners. Ever since then, he has had to work really hard to force his way into the first team. Additionally, he has become a full Spain International.

Now, intense speculation about Hector’s next move has begun to emerge, with many voices linking the full back with Manchester City and Barcelona. Wenger cannot afford to lose a talent like Hector.

And the fans have rightly begun to murmur in anxiety about Hector’s possible departure. And it isn’t like they do not have good reasons to worry about the Defender. Barcelona hasn’t come out to justify any of the rumours floating around about their interest in Hector.

However, they haven’t denied the rumours either, and according to most European Football analysts, there is a good chance that Barcelona is looking at Hector as a good replacement for Dani Alves.

A product of La Masia, Arsenal’s bid to keep Hector in place will be complicated by the fact that interest for the player extends beyond Barcelona. Manchester City has also begun lustfully gazing at Hector.

City Boss Pep Guardiola is a highly enticing coach for any player looking to make their mark in the football arena. And if all these rumours and speculative conversations were not enough, some outright statements of intent have been made in recent days.

The Barcelona Vice-President was recently heard making conversation about the potential possessed by players that leave and then come back to the club. He talked up the importance of developing players, releasing them to go find their fortunes elsewhere and then pulling them back once they had garnered enough experience.

Hector Bellerin is only 21-years-old, and everyone agrees that he is one of the most exciting fullbacks to play the game. Having triumphed over Theo Walcott for the title of fasted Arsenal Player, Hector’s technique is what you would expect from an ex-Barcelona youth product.

With an outrageous pace and plenty of potential to grow, Hector’s chances of success are strengthened by the fact that he has such an impressive attitude. Unlike some other premier league players within his age range, you do not need to teach Hector how to defend.

At this point, you would think that Arsenal fans wouldn’t have much to fear. After all, theirs is hardly the team that Hector joined five years ago. New TV deals and sponsorships have made financial issues a thing of the past, what with cash flow having recently reached record levels.

There is no offer that can be made to Hector by any club in the world which Arsenal cannot match, at least in terms of wages. Of course, they have struggled to win trophies, and Hector couldn’t be faulted for running off to a side he thought had a higher chance of prospering.

It is up to Wenger to make his team more appealing for Hector than Barcelona and Manchester City.

 

Henderson or Xhaka? Whose Goal Was Better? Vote Here!

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This weekend saw some excellent football – Liverpool shocked at Chelsea (well, under Klopp it’s a bit less of a shock), Arsenal convinced at Hull City (kind of), Watford thumped Manchester United and Manchester City once again played some scintillating stuff.

But the goals of the weekend have to be between Jordan Henderson and Granit Xhaka.

Both were fantastic strikes which gave the goalkeepers no chance.

So whose was better?

Granit Xhaka:

Jordan Henderson:

Credit: Copa90

Once you’ve seen the goals, cast your vote below!

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