Reflections on a miserable year
    2006/2007 was a season to forget.  In a season plagued by injury to key players and internal unrest, there were certainly more blunders than achievements, more failures than successes, more losses than gains... all in all, the first season at the Emirates showed that unless some sort of change happens, whether it may be on the pitch or within the more delicate confines of club politics, Arsenal will continue to fall behind the likes of United, Chelsea, and Liverpool in the league pecking order.  A perpetual fourth-place finish is not what I, or any other dedicated Arsenal fan, will accept.

    The single most catastrophic event of '06/'07 has been the departure of David Dein.  Henry's future looks uncertain to say the least - a barren season, added to the loss of the club's most influential man, may prove to be the final straw - and Wenger may refuse sign a new contract come the end of '07/'08.  The loss of the manager would mean the mass departure of younger players such as Fabregas, which would in turn destroy everything that Wenger has been working for.  Arsenal's current take-over troubles with Stan Kroenke must be solved as soon as possible.

    Wenger's plan of building a young, talented side for the future was romantic but unrealistic.  Fabregas will inevitably return to Spain sometime before his contract expires in 2014, for Spaniards have not always enjoyed the harsh English weather.  Season after season without success will push others to find more fertile grounds.  Of the first-team players at Arsenal right now, only Gilberto, Toure, and a small handful of others appear 100% dedicated to the club on a long-term basis. 

    Wenger was too broad-handed in his allowing senior players to leave.  Campbell and Pires have been sorely missed.  Gallas may be experienced and versatile, but he is slow and it appears his best years are behind him.  Rosicky and Hleb are certainly gifted midfielders, but none have the clinical finishing and "magic," whatever it may mean, that Pires had.  The impact that these two players are capable of can be seen at their new clubs.  Campbell was rock-solid in defense for Portsmouth, and at one point helped Pompey claim a Champions League spot; meanwhile, in Spain's Liga, Pires inspired Villareal to 5th place after his return from injury.

    2006/2007 was not entirely gloom and doom.  The Carling Cup run to the final was astonishing, and by far the single greatest highlight of the season.  The double over United was brilliant, and displayed the talent and potential that Arsenal have.  But talent and potential mean nothing until it is translated into success and silverware.  In times of such dire need, it is imperative that the team win something now.

Looking to the future
    I do not think Henry will leave this summer, but should Arsenal go another season trophy-less, the exit of Wenger, Fabregas, Henry, and a few others would not be surprising.  

    Therefore, the approach taken towards the 2007/2008 season should be short-term and not long term.  Sign some older, more experienced players for instant success, and wait on the younger talents.  There is no longer time to allow foreign players to adapt to the league, nor is there time to carve and polish some rough diamond.    

    Arsenal have been, as is customary, linked with a host of players this summer, but it is important to select each signing carefully, and to take everything into consideration.  The African Cup of Nations will be played the following year, meaning the likes of Toure, Eboue, and Adebayor will be out on international duty.  I personally do not trust Philippe Senderos or Justin Hoyte as reliable replacements.  Instead, players such as Micah Richards, who have talent as well as considerable experience in English football, would be of high importance.  Sign Richards, an attacking midfielder such as Ryan Babel, and an exceptional center-back, and off-load some also-rans, and Arsenal could prove to be much more competitive next season.

Euro 2008 Qualifying

10/7/06
                   It was quite disturbing to see France lose in Glasgow. After having watched Henry's freekick shave the upright, both Vieira and Trezeguet called for offsides despite putting the ball in the net, and France completely dominating the Scots for the first 45 minutes of the match, Gary Caldwell's headed goal was truly shocking, if somewhat undeserved. But football, for all its thrills and excitement, can be sadly unfair at times, a fact I have learned the hard way, considering both France and Arsenal reached the finals of a major competition in the last 6 or 7 months, only to fall at the very last hurdle by the tiniest of margins.
                  I am of course not implying that Scotland is a weak side - on the contrary, no weak team scores 9 goals in three games while conceding just one - but that France and Domenech need to fix a problem that seems not to have been cured even by the departure of the eccentric (if somewhat brilliant) Barthez; the last four goals condeded by Les Bleus have all come from set-pieces. It was the horrendous defending on corners and freekicks that cost France maximum points in Glasgow, not to speak of the World Cup Final itself. What to do about this defect?
                A different approach to defending should be taken - Domenech should stress organization in the back, a feature both Switzerland and the notorious Greek side of 2004 excelled at. France currently plays a rather whimsical style of football, mainly relying and hoping that the individual brilliance of each player may fit nicely into a solid, compact team unit. Yet they should learn from the so-called "smaller" teams which clearly lack the same vast pool of talent - that the Henrys, Vieiras and Riberys cannot beat tight organization and clinical finishing. There has been much talk about the failures of the galacticos of Real Madrid, and the star-studded Inter Milan side going into the '06/'07 season without a single Champions League victory...let this conflict of oversized egos and overconfidence not plague the French national team as well.

                Looking back on the other Euro qualifying matches, I must say that Spain is, as Joaquin Sanchez deftly asserted, in a state of "chaos." A Larsson and Ibrahimovic-less Sweden was able to score not one, but two goals unanswered against the Spaniards, and poor Luis Aragones must be feeling the backlash of his stupid decision to omit one of Spain's most influential attacking midfielders from the national team.
                 In Group E, England missed a fabulous opportunity to maintain a stronghold over their group, as a lackluster performance at home against Macedonia continued Wayne Rooney's barren spell. Perhaps the Crouch-Rooney pairing in attack was really the downfall for Sven-Goran Eriksson and his men in Germany?

                  There were some quite shocking outcomes today as well, most notably Cyprus's stunning 5:2 victory against Ireland, highlighting the fact that Ireland are in deeper trouble than I had thought them to be in previously. Their slump in form has most definitely stemmed from Robbie Keane's inability to find the back of the net - once a clinical and reliable finisher, Keane has been wasting chances for both club and country, and his '06/'07 season is sadly heading towards disaster.

                The results from this week-end reflected Arsene Wenger's comments about the state of international football - everything is much too lopsided. Croatia and the Czech Republic scored 7:0 wins today; Slovakia, 5:1; Latvia, 4:0... and in only 6 of the 22 games did both teams find the scoresheet.

Some interesting games on 10/11/06:
Poland vs. Portugal (0:2)
Ukraine vs. Scotland (1:0)
Georgia vs. Italy (1:2)
France vs. Faroe Islands (4:0)
Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Greece (1:1)
Rep. Ireland vs. Czech Rep. (0:2)
Slovakia vs. Germany (2:2)
Croatia vs. England (1:1) 

ARSENAL

Arsenal should have no problem beating Aston Villa in their Premierleague opener - 4:0 to the Gunners!!
The midfield has never looked better, with Hleb patrolling the right, Aliadiere adding his own share of creativity and pace, Reyes and Rosicky lurking dangerously on the left (perhaps the versatile Czech can even play a la Bergkamp?!), and with Fabregas and Gilberto dictating play from center-mid...what is much more worrisome is the huge hole stemmizng from the departures of Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole. Granted, although the latter has not yet left the Club, the possibility is still there, a possibility over which Arsene Wenger is losing sleep.

Had Philippe Senderos not been injured that defensive void would surely have been filled, the energetic Swiss having given master performances for his country during the World Cup; but this not being the case, a new defender must be brought in to avoid seing Mathieu Flamini the only senior left-back until Christmas, when Gael Clichy makes his return from injury. So any thoughts?
I would personally love to see Arsenal acquire the services of Frenchman Eric Abidal, currently playing at Olympique Lyonnais. He has something of an Ashley Cole in him - fiercely combative, plus a tendency to move forward and attack - and with the money earned from the England man's sale, Lyon's $25 million evaluation of Abidal should easily be met.
Sol Campbell's signing with Portsmouth gives me no worries at all. It is time for two of the Gunners' youngsters, namely Justin Hoyte and Johann Djourou, to fight for a starting place until Senderos makes his return from injury.

It was kind of sad to see Sweden goalkeeper Isaakson join Manchester City. Lehmann has no more than two or three seasons left in him; Almunia is quite prone to errors and definitely needs to step it up if he wishes to be the new No.1; Mart Poom is out of the question, being aged and somewhat of a second-rate keeper...so a new guardian of the nets is also a mandatory signing for the near future. Isaakson would have been the perfect replacement for Lehmann. He is only 24, has plenty of experience on the highest professional level, and was instrumental in keeping the score down to 2:0 in Sweden's World Cup loss to Germany. Now that City have snapped him up, however, Arsenal must look elsewhere...perhaps another Frenchie, Mickael Landreau?

Whatever the little problems and worries that are bothering Wenger, one thing is crystal-clear; Arsenal has a squad strong enough to give the defending champs a run for their money, both in the Barclay's Premierleague and the UEFA Champions League. They were more than impressive in pre-season, beating both AZ Alkmaar and Dinamo Zagreb 3:0 in away matches, and this run of good form is showing no signs of flagging. Expect Capt. Titi Henry to claim the Boot once again, and young Fabregas to lead the team far in both its domestic and European campaigns.

FRANCE

I recently wrote a post concerning the future of the French team...with much more thinking, however, I've drawn a few conclusions:

1. There will be an intense midfield battle between France's youngsters. Lassana Diarra currently claims the role of "new Makelele", but with the rise of Rio Antonio Mavuba, Jeremie Toulalan, and Hatem Ben Arfa, and possibly even more young talents, only three at most can secure a spot for the World Cup 2010, or even the Euro 2008. Largely due to the new crop's huge amount of versatility (Julien Faubert, for instance, can play right-wing or right-back; Flamini, anywhere in midfield or left-back; Jeremie Berthod is another William Gallas, comfortable in center-back or left-back), competition will be fierce, and it will again be interesting to see who Raymond Domenech favors.

2. France will have a hard time qualifying for the Euro 2008 Championships - a difficult comment to make, considering the vast amount of talent Les Bleus can draw from. Yet seeing that both Ukraine and Italy have largely kept their World Cup squads intact, the youngsters may stumble against the weight of experience. And let's not forget an always-dangerous Scottish squad fielding some real quality players, plus the dark-horse teams of Georgia and Lithuania; the up-coming game at Bosnia & Herzegovina should give an idea of France's current international status.

3. TREZEGUET: Stuck in that hell pit that is now Juventus, Trezegol should come out all guns firing for France. His club career has taken a huge step back, and what fun is it to be scoring against Serie B outfits while you could be helping the national team win Euro qualifiers? I would love to see a more motivated, more clinical Trezeguet partnering Henry in attack...he's got to prove himself quick before the arrivals of other young strikers in the likes of Sinama-Pongolle, Anthony Le Tallec, Jimmy Briand, and Samir Nasri. Trezeguet, despite his loss of form comparable to that of Ruud van Nistelrooij, is still a force to be reckoned with on the international stage.

Time for the prediction game!!!!! :-)

UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying Group B:
France 1:1 Italy (H) France 3:0 Scotland (H) France 4:0 Faroe Islands (H)
France 0:0 Italy (A) France 1:1 Scotland (A) France 2:0 Faroe Islands (A)

France 2:1 Lithuania (H) France 3:2 Georgia (H) France 1:2 Ukraine (H)
France 2:1 Lithuania (A) France 2:0 Georgia (A) France 0:0 Ukraine (A)

Total Points: 25
(In this scenario, as long as our good neighbors Italy do us a favor by beating Ukraine, and as long as Lithuania, Georgia and Scotland combine to make life miserable for each other, France should take second place - or else, !!!!!)

Arsenal Fixtures, Barclay's Premierleague:
Arsenal 4:0 Aston Villa
Arsenal 3:1 Manchester City
Arsenal 3:0 Middlesbrough
Arsenal 2:2 Manchester United
Arsenal 2:0 Charlton Athletic

(I just can't see Arsenal falling to any of these teams, and Manchester United is not looking too good so a meeting at Old Trafford shouldn't be too perilous)

Any thoughts, suggestions, or comments on these subjects are most welcome!!!

Just three days away from the eighth anniversary of that glorious evening when a certain Zinedine Zidane buried two headers into the back of the Brazilian net, Les Bleus tripped at the  very last hurdle. Having completely outgunned the Italians, having outplayed the Italians, outpassed them...they just couldn't repeat the heroics of 1998. There was no moment of magic such as David Trezeguet's dramatic overtime goal that sealed France's Euro 2000. Fate had already guaranteed Italy their Fourth Title, and Zidane's dreadful sending-off only relayed that message. It was just simply not meant for France to win.

Yet even having committed that ugly incident, Les Bleus can go home proud of themselves and of the imprint they left in Germany, proud of their accomplishments and fulfillment of their goal. They were digne de la victoire. Ever since that very day when a little-known astrology buff by the name of Raymond Domenech - a man with barely any coaching experience - took charge and vowed to take France to the Final, they have fought, struggled, rejoiced, and suffered together - they were a team, a unit, inseparable by defeat or hardship, unfazed by challenges or obstacles that lay in their path to the pinnacle of sporting glory.

And through this bond of brotherhood they sent the biggest guns in world football crashing out of the tournament one after another, first Spain, then Brazil, and finally Portugal. Once the machine was oiled and the components began to click, there was no way of stopping it. Like Napoleon's Grande Armee they conquered all that lay between them and magnificence, and spread the legacy of the Kings of '98 so that the sheer might of la patrie could reverberate around the world. It was a pity - not just a pity but a tragedy - that this golden period of French footballing history  must have ended in sorrow.

For the Italians, it was a victory long overdue. They were robbed of glory in '90, '94, and '98 on penalty shoot-outs. In 2002, poor refereeing decisions granted hosts South Korea passage to the quarterfinals, leaving frustrated Azzurri fans asking themselves in disbelief what more was needed to replicate the successful 1982 campaign. Once the Juve scandal exploded, people immediately sought the ghosts of '82 for guidance. And with defensive grit and deadly efficiency up front, the Italians too, like France, left opponent after opponent rotting in the dust. Ghana, the Czech Republic, Australia, Ukraine, Germany...all felt the brunt of Italian Calcio.

The best two teams of the tournament fittingly met in the World Cup Final, the match of all matches. After equalizing in the 19th minute the Italians lost control of the game and resorted to their demonic defending. The French attacked in waves, at times completely besieging that courageous defense, launching threats from both flanks, from the air, from Thierry Henry's pace and magical footwork. They pushed, they fought in sweat and blood, giving everything they had.

Yet in the end, that wall, so flawlessly marshalled by Fabio Cannavaro, never ruptured. On the few times where it did stumble, that goalkeeper of all goalkeepers, Gigi Buffon, was there to deny Les Bleus. Fate had decided to sink the French battleship, mere kissing distance from winning the World Cup. So simple,
So cruel.
 

There is no need to complain, that the referee was unfair and biased, or that the Italians took a few diving lessons from the Portuguese. The referee did the best he could, the Italians played their style. Rather, disconsolate fans out there should look to the future. They should look towards the new gems emerging from France's vast pool of talent. They should look to the new Zidanes, Thurams, Vieiras and Trezeguets. These veterans have handed down their experience, their legacy, to that new generation of French warriors, and have acted as role models for those eager youngsters.

Through the cherished era they left behind - the mazy runs of Zidane, the courageous defending of Desailly and Thuram, the sprawling saves of Barthez, the attacking flair of Pires and Djorkaeff, the impeccable tackles of Deschamps and Makelele, and the deadly finishing of Trezeguet - every Frenchman may say with the utmost pride, "Je suis Francais."

We sent them home. Now, to all you fools who think Henry is a "swan-diver", may you send yourselves real quick to a mental asylum right now.

Idiot defenders like Puyol and Carvalho have been doing this to Titi for quite a while now - they push, pull, kick, elbow, slap, pinch, and nip at his ankles, dirty little tricks that are too often missed by the referees. Henry is sick and tired of all this crap, I tell you - the man's not a damn machine.

Even Big Phil admitted Carvalho's challenge was a penalty, so to all of you disgruntled Portugal fans out there, suck it up. If the English and the Dutch swallowed their defeats, well, so do you, because your Olympic diving team isn't any more special. Now that you've cheated your way to the semifinals, please understand that those who disregard and bypass the rules of the game always lose at some point, and France's victory was long overdue. To tell the truth, you guys really are better at diving than football.

As for Cristiano Ronaldo and his "ghost penalty", that's absolute non-sense. Sagnol puts his hand up, Ronaldo falls. What did Ronaldo have for lunch today? Is it really that windy in Germany? Or perhaps the grass is extremely comfortable?

There is no point in blaming the referee, the French players, or the rest of the world for Portugal's failures. Ronaldo can whine all he wants, but I don't really want to know what's going on in that little brain of his. The fact is, Portugal was beaten by a better team, and there's nothing more to say.