What Do You Think Of Arsenal’s Champions League Group?

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After last night’s dramatic victory over Besiktas, the draw for the Champions League proper was made this afternoon at the groups have been officially drawn. Arsenal’s group consists of the following teams:

Arsenal FC (England)
Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
Galatasaray (Turkey)
Anderlecht (Belgium)

And we’re in Group D.

My initial reaction is that it could be a worse group. Chelsea (like Manchester United) always get an easy group and did so again this season, Manchester City have Bayern, CSKA and Roma while Liverpool are in a group with Real Madrid, Basel and Ludogorets.

You would think that along with Borussia Dortmund, we should be favourites to progress into the knockout stages and when you compare it to last years group of death, we should be okay.

We know the quality that Borussia Dortmund possess, and along with them is Galatasaray, who will give us problems. No-one likes travelling to Turkey and players you will have heard of include one-time Arsenal target Felipe Melo. They also have Hamit Altintop who used to play for Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, Wesley Sneijder and the man, the myth and the legend that is Emmanuel Eboue.

Eboue made over 130 appearances for Arsenal and although he was with us during our “barren” spell he’s won trophies in Turkey, winning the Turkish league twice and the Turkish cup twice (as well as their version of the league cup).

So what do you think of the Champions League draw? Could have been better? Could have been worse? Leave your comments in the section below!

[Vote Here] Who Should Replace Olivier Giroud?

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With the unfortunate news about Olivier Giroud, and the fact he had surgery yesterday on his ankle problem, needs must and the fact is we have our main striker out until the new year.

When interviewed, Arsene was cagey about going into the transfer market, mentioning that Sanchez, Walcott, Campbell, Sanogo and Podolski can all play as a striker. While not sounding completely convincing, it shows that if the right opportunity doesn’t present itself before Monday then Arsene is happy enough to promote from within.

So who do you think should be Giroud’s replacement? I’ve listed the options within Arsenal along with all the names we’ve been linked with recently by the media.

Vote below and choose the player you think should be playing in Giroud’s position, and don’t forget to leave your comments in the section below!

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Players Fight For Arsene Wenger In Biggest Game Of The Season

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The season only started 11 days ago and tonight was one of the biggest games of Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal career. A goal-less draw last week in Turkey meant that nothing but a win would do – and an away goal to Besiktas could prove hugely problematic to our hopes of playing in Europe’s premier competition.

The referee was extremely picky, showing his yellow card every 12 seconds. In terms of letting the game flow, he was awful and I think he was worse than the referee we had in the Champions League Final in 2006, and that’s saying something.

In terms of nervy nights, this was right up there. Arsenal scored when Alexis Sanchez slotted the ball home after good work from Mesut Özil and Jack Wilshere, but after that we struggled to increase our lead. With a single away goal from Besiktas enough to knock us out of the Champions League proper for the first time in 17 seasons, every miss added to the immense pressure – with Oxlade-Chamberlain having the best chance to guarantee Arsenal’s progress.

As Besiktas chased the away goal they needed, the game opened up and Arsenal had numerous chances to bury the game. It didn’t come and the referee, who made a series of terrible decisions all night, decided to send of Mathieu Debuchy after clearly winning the ball.

After that, it was all hands on deck as Arsenal defended for their lives, literally.

Chambers came on for Özil and the team were fantastic. Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, Nacho Monreal – everyone in fact, were immense, showing a huge amount of fight, desire and determination to get past the finish line.

In a world where some managers find it difficult to get their players to play for them, here there was no doubt whatsoever that Arsene Wenger doesn’t have the complete backing and trust from all of his players.

Arsenal have struggled in recent games, mainly because the majority of our players were involved in the World Cup. Without adequate rest before the start of the season, we’ve had to slowly get our rhythm and fitness back which has affected our performances – but in the past where we could have played badly and lost games, we’ve played badly and not lost any.

What does that mean when we do get our form and everyone is playing at the top level?

It means we’ll be a real force this season, home and abroad.

Have Arsenal Missed A Trick With Mario Balotelli?

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Today’s big news in the transfer market is that Liverpool have agreed a £16 million fee with AC Milan for Mario Balotelli. The striker was linked with a few clubs, Arsenal included, and now it looks like his return to the Premier League will be in a Liverpool shirt.

Many have already commented saying it’s a panic buy and too much of a risk, but I for one think he is excellent value at £16 million.

Of course, he comes with his own problems but in some ways I think he is misunderstood and the fact of the matter is he is one of the few players out there (and available) who has that world class talent. Despite his moods, tantrums and inability to put on a bib, you cannot deny the lad has supreme talent on the football pitch (when he wants to).

With the right manager, and the right team, Mario Balotelli can be a force to be reckoned with.

So have Arsenal missed a trick with this one?

£16 million is not much in todays transfer market for a player so talented. We need another striker (or two) and for that price would Balotelli be that much of a risk?

It would be ignorant to assume he’s going to lose the plot like he did at Manchester City, and don’t forget he’s still young – and maturing all the time.

For me, we’ve missed out big time on this one and for £16 million it wouldn’t have been that much of a gamble at all.

Mark my words, come next May people will be praising Brendan Rodgers for his cunning in the transfer market.

Where Does Lukas Podolski Fit Into This Arsenal Team?

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When Lukas Podolski arrived at Arsenal in the summer of 2012, he was seen as the replacement for the departing Robin van Persie – he had a hammer of a left foot and was an outstanding finisher. But with the arrival of Olivier Giroud that same summer, he found himself more as a winger, although he did manage to score 16 goals in 42 games which isn’t a bad return for his first season in England.

Last season however he was less of an impact, scoring 12 goals in only 27 games. A better return percentage-wise, but the season saw him play 15 less games than the campaign before.

Arsene Wenger obviously favours a striker who can hold the ball up, and that role is covered by Olivier Giroud. Even when Van Persie was at Arsenal, he had the ability to hold the ball and bring others into play – something that unfortunately Podolski isn’t really renowned for. We also play with one main striker so a supporting role as a second striker isn’t really an option, meaning Podolski has been limited to appearances on the wing.

But that’s an area we seem to be well covered as well, and a position where Arsene seems to prefer others. Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Tomas Rosicky, Serge Gnabry and Santi Cazorla can all play the “wider” midfield roles and give more in terms to team play. And with the signing of Mesut Özil last summer, we have another attacking midfield role taken up.

We’ve signed Alexis Sanchez who you would think would be one of the main attackers this season, placing Lukas even further down the pecking order.

I’ve heard from a number of sources that staff at Arsenal think Podolski is one of the best finishers they’ve seen at the club for a long time, which is quite the compliment.

The problem is though, that to me anyway, it seems that Lukas Podolski was either a “stop-gap” buy from Arsene to help fill the void of Van Persie’s departure, or (and this is probably more likely) that he has simply not shown enough to the boss that he’s good enough for Arsenal’s starting eleven.

So where do you think Lukas Podolski’s future lies? As a first team regular, a useful squad player or is he looking to leave The Emirates?