My say on how it will all end

In large, Arsenal can be pretty satisfied with the progress that they have made so far this season. Two shrewd signings in Mesut Ozil and Mathieu Flamini have bolstered the squad and provided the team with belief and the impetus to rise above every challenge put before them.  Quite simply, Arsenal have quietly but effectively emerged as serious title contenders for the first time in six years, to the disbelief of many.

In a season full of twists, turns and surprises, I will now attempt to lay down a base of predictions, however ambitious, in regards to the campaign going forward.

1) Mertesacker and Koscienly will continue their impressive form

The two centre-halves have been a terrific force for the gunners this term, contributing massively to Arsenal’s ten clean sheets and improved structural stability. The duo are so different in their playing styles that they compliment each other perfectly.

2) Podolski will be Arsenal’s main (second) source of goals

Much pressure has been placed upon the shoulders of Frenchman Olivier Giroud in recent months. Arsenal’s favoured out and out striker had his work load eased somewhat by the returns of Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski to full fitness. Now though, with Walcott out, look for Podolski to end this season on a high and display his renowned eye for goal and fantastic finishing ability.

3) Arsenal will conquer Bayern Munich

Though I don’t expect to see Per Mertesacker lifting the European Cup come May, I do think that Arsenal’s chances of beating Bayern Munich to reach the quarter final stage are good – or at the very least plausible. While Munich are the favorites for the tie, we may just see Arsenal’s spirit and talent nudge the German giants out of the competition, and avenge last year’s result.

4) …but will be knocked out the round after

Football can be cruel to anybody and any team on any given day. Progressing past Bayern Munich may seem like a hefty, monumental achievement to accomplish, but winning the tournament all together is far greater one. Unfortunately for Wenger’s men, I don’t see Arsenal reaching a Champions League semi-final.

5) Arsenal will finish the Barclay’s Premier League season as runners-up

Arsenal deserve all the credit in the world for their sudden rejuvenation this season, and will eventually be rewarded. However, I see Manchester City’s fire-power being too much for other teams to resist, and so expect to see this year’s crown being hoisted at The Etihad stadium when we reach the season’s end. Had Arsenal shown real intent in the January transfer window, I might have thought otherwise. I only hope that I am wrong.

6) Arsenal will win the FA Cup

A trophy drought closing in on nine years has left Arsenal fans desperately craving for a silverware. This year’s FA Cup is yet another golden opportunity to quench that thirst, and will be seen by many fans as the club’s most realistic target for 2014. Stiff competition litters the tournament, but I believe that Arsenal have the quality and the strength to emerge out as victors in this knock-out type tournament.

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MATCH PREVIEW: Arsenal Vs Crystal Palace

Arsenal will be looking to return to the top of the Barclays Premier League at least temporarily by beating Tony Pulis' Crystal Palace on Sunday. The Gunners dropped to second place following their draw with Southampton in midweek while Manchester City emphatically overcame Tottenham Hotspur and went top with a point's lead.

However, given the fact that City need to face Jose Mourinho's Chelsea, Arsenal can be hopeful of some dropped points from their rivals. They need to do their bit though and overcome Pulis' Crystal Palace who are slowly but surely steering clear of the relegation zone. Pulis has worked wonders since taking over from Ian Holloway.

In the last meeting between the two sides, Arsenal won against a Crystal Palace side who were fresh from the sacking of Holloway. The Gunners were far from convincing as they needed a Mikel Arteta penalty and a late Olivier Giroud goal to run out 2-0 winners. They will be hoping that things are much more comfortable this time around.

Arsenal
Arsenal's title challenge has had it basis on their impeccable home record. They have won eight of their eleven games at home and the conceding of only six goals has underlined their solidity at the Emirates Stadium. Since that dismal opening day defeat to Aston Villa, Arsenal have played with control and verve in front of their own fans.

In a worrying development for Wenger, the injuries have started piling up again. Aaron Ramsey and Tomas Rosicky who were expected back in action have suffered further setbacks. Mathieu Flamini did himself and Arsenal no favours with his sending off at Southampton and the subsequent ban means that the combative French midfielder misses out for the visit of Palace. Jack Wilshere, who has been great in recent weeks, suffered an injury. In what is perhaps the only real good news, Rosicky is expected to be available for selection for this game.

Crystal Palace
The story of Crystal Palace's season can be told in two timelines - before and after Pulis. The Irishman will surely get a nomination for manager of the year if Palace avoid the drop as they have picked up a remarkable 19 out of 36 points since his appointment compared to the measly tally of 4 out of 33 before it. They have won their last two league games keeping two clean-sheets in the process. However, it has been tough sailing away from home for Pulis with his side picking up only six points out of an available 33 and have scored only 5 goals compared to the 17 that they have shipped in. If they are to survive, such statistics need to improve and a result at the Emirates, one of the tougher grounds for visiting teams, is exactly the sort of boost that Palace need away from home.

Form Guide
Arsenal: D-W-W-W-W
Crystal Palace: W-L-W-L-W

Match Prediction:
It is a clash of soft centres as both sides have a host of injuries in midfield. The main threat from Palace will be their set pieces but Arsenal's overall quality should bring them the three points.

Score Prediction:
Arsenal 3 - 0 Crystal Palace

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MATCH PREVIEW: Southampton Vs Arsenal

Arsenal have the chance to go four points clear of their nearest rivals Manchester City at the top of the Barclays Premier League when they make a tricky trip to St. Mary's stadium to face Mauricio Pochettino's Southampton. With sixteen games to go, the Gunners lead by the smallest of margins at the top and are in great form heading into this one. The victory against Coventry City on Friday was their seventh one on the trot and Arsene Wenger's team must keep up that sort of form if they are to bring the Premier League trophy back to North London.

The Saints meanwhile are lying in midtable obscurity at the moment. They have little to play for in the league as neither the European spots nor relegation are likely. Known for their creative play under Pochettino, they do usually entertain the home fans, but the club has been going through some dark times recently. The resignation of chairman Nicola Cortese and the Pablo Osvaldo saga have dominated headlines, however, they put that to bed by progressing into the fifth round of the FA Cup at the weekend. In the reverse fixture, Arsenal prevailed over an impressive Southampton side as they ran out 2-0 winners thanks to an Olivier Giroud brace. However, the Gunners were far from their best on that day with Giroud robbing Artur Boruc for the opener, whilst grabbing the second from the penalty spot.

Southampton
The Saints began the season very impressively but have faded away since. After a dramatic victory at Anfield and a well earned point at Old Trafford, they were reaching dizzying heights. However, a defeat to Arsenal started a downward spiral which saw the south coast club pick up just 5 points from the next 27 available.

Southampton have been considerably weakened with injuries to key players. Gaston Ramirez and Dejan Lovren are both injured and miss the visit of the league leaders. Osvaldo is under suspension from the club due to his training ground misdemeanours. Lovren's injury in particular will be a huge blow as the Saintsare unbeaten this season when the first choice back four of Clyne, Lovren, Fonte and Shaw have started together.

Arsenal
The mega sponsorship deal with Puma which was concluded recently has boosted the club's finances but Wenger looks unlikely to make any major additions to his squad in the remaining days of this transfer window. The Frenchman is close to signing a new contract too and has decided to put his faith on the players that have carried them so far.

The team has been boosted by the return of top scorer Aaron Ramsey, captain Thomas Vermaelen, and the experienced Mikel Arteta ahead of this game.

Tomas Rosicky is a slight doubt after having had a small procedure to repair his broken nose. Jack Wilshere picked up a knock on his ankle in the FA Cup win against Coventry, but Wenger is hopeful that he will be able to shrug off the injury.

Arsenal have gathered 25 points out of a possible 33 away from home this season. They have scored 23 goals on their travels which betters even free scoring title aspirants Manchester City. And, they have been very solid at the back conceding 7 goals from 10 games if one dismisses the aberration of the six goals conceded at the Etihad Stadium.

Form Guide
Southampton: W-D-W-W-L
Arsenal: W-W-W-W-W

Match Prediction:

Southampton's freedom and presence upfront will pose problems to Arsenal just like it did in the reverse fixture and St. Mary's isn't the easiest place to visit. 3 points won't come easy for Wenger and his boys tonight.

#COYG

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PICTURE BLOG: Arsene Wenger

Faith in this man has been sorely tested and I have certainly had my doubts but Arsene Wenger just continues to impress with the undying commitment to his style of football and his principles of how to achieve it. He has suffered a series of unbelievable situations in recent times that might have undone many managers. But the Frenchman held on, and it seems that he is finally being rewarded.

Through it all, The Professor has maintained a level of class and dignity that is a credit to him and the club. The players appear to be playing for each other again. A grittiness has returned. We can be proud of the efforts we see every week. We can look forward to the matches again. These things are down to the manager. He deserves a great deal of continued support and respect for his 17 years of service to the club, and for building the side back up after some massive departures. Let's get behind him and the team and see if we can go all the way this season!

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MATCH PREVIEW: Arsenal VS Coventry City

Arsenal fight for a place in the next round of the FA Cup against Coventry City at the Emirates Stadium on Friday. They qualified for the 4^th round after beating north London rivals, Tottenham Hotspurs 2-0 at the Emirates, thanks to goals by Santi Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky.

Speaking to journalist ahead of the clash, Arsene Wenger expressed his admiration for the FA Cup, a competition he has won four times since he arrived at Arsenal.

“The only competition I could watch in France when I was a kid was the FA Cup final,” Wenger said.

“On black-and-white television, every year we saw the cup final. It’s a very prestigious competition for me.”

The two sides last met in the third round of the Capital One Cup in 2012, with Arsenal romping to a 6-1 home win in a match that saw Olivier Giroud score his first goal for the club.

Arsenal would go into the game, a better side currently leading the Premier League table in one of its finest season in recent years. Arsene Wenger would also be aiming at winning the FA Cup in his hopes to end the trophy drought at the club. The FA Cup being the last trophy his team won, back in 2005.

Arsenal have a rich history in the FA Cup, having won the competition on 10 occasions. Only Manchester United have won the tournament more times, and Coventry are also former winners, in 1987.

The game on Friday, would be a good time for Wenger to rotate his squad a little, but still present a team strong enough to out-muscle their opponents. He revealed Nicklas Bendtner could spearhead the attack after recovering from an ankle injury.

“He’s been back in the squad since the start of the week and he’s available if selected.”

The manager went on to reveal that the trio of Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky and Aaron Ramsey would miss the game but should all be available next week.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is also expected to play a part in the game. Arsene Wenger believes the winger could play tomorrow and hinted he could play from the central position.

This clash will just be their fourth against each other in the FA Cup. Arsenal knocked Coventry out of the competition in the fourth round in 1975 and 1977, and 37 years on, they will hope for the same result in their continued push for trophies.

The match would kick-off at exactly 19:45 PM GMT.

Keep calm and believe in Ozil

I hate feeble-minded people. They take the reasoning out of their lives and only let their mouths do the talking. I mean no disrespect, but after a thorough analysis of a comment which our fans made recently, I can't help but agree that even our beautiful club has supporters who believe in madness!

Why would a sane person who knows how to kick a ball properly ever question Mesut Ozil?

Apparently, the biggest signing in Arsenal's history has been a called a 'FLOP' by its very own fans!

There is no denying that the German play-maker has lacked his natural flair in the few games he has played recently. But its football we are talking about! Every player goes through a bad run of games at some point. Do we really have to make a fuss out of it?

Let me take you into a flashback.

• It took Thierry Henry 9 games to score his first goal for Arsenal. And by the time he left the club he had 226 goals to his name in 380 appearances.

• Aaron Ramsey found it hard to feature in the starting 11 after he had recovered from that broken leg he suffered from. Look at him now!

• Per Mertesacker had a disappointing start to his Arsenal career. He took his time to adapt to the English game and now, he is one half of the most consistent center-back pairing in the Premier League.

• Olivier Giroud has also found his missing form after a slow start at the club, and has been an asset for us up front this season.

• Even Robin Van Persie (and I hate to point this out), during his time at Arsenal had several spells where he struggled to find the back of the net. But he always bounced back stronger than ever. In his final season for the Gunners, he scored  30 goals in 38 appearances (league).

I also looked up Mesut Ozil’s performance at the various clubs he has played at.

Arsenal

Games: 24

Assists: 9

Goals: 5

Passes: 1514

Passing accuracy: 87%

Real Madrid

Games: 159

Assists: 71

Goals: 27

Passes: 6675

Passing accuracy: 85%

Bundesliga

Games: 101

Assists: 31

Goals: 13

Passes: 2937

Passing accuracy: 83%

Germany

Games: 51

Assists: 25

Goals: 17

Passes: 2925

Passing accuracy: 89%

(Source: http://www.mesutoezil.com/)

Seriously, is that what you call a ‘FLOP’?

Maybe the fact that we paid a hefty amount to land Ozil is what is making some of you restless. Or maybe it is Arsenal’s narrow lead at the top during this crucial time of the season.

My point is, expecting a lot from Ozil isn’t wrong. He is very much capable of taking Arsenal to glory on his own. But not backing him up when he is not delivering is monstrous on our part!

The Arsenal number 11 has already confessed that he is loving life at his new club. Now, it’s our turn to show that we really love him for wearing that Red &White jersey.

The boy is still 25. Give him some time and he will stand up to all your expectations. I give you my word on that!

KEEP CALM AND BELIEVE IN OZIL

An insight into Arsenal's transfer window

Ashish Kumar shares his views on the ongoing transfer window from an Arsenal perspective on The Arsenal Armory.

Wenger’s men have been taking each game as it comes. However, injuries have hit his squad hard, particularly Theo Walcott, who spends rest of the season on the sidelines due to a ruptured ACL. 2nd choice striker Nicklas Bendtner is also out for a couple more weeks which leaves Wenger short of men to fill in the striker's role leaving Frenchman Olivier Giroud as the only center forward at his disposal.

Although Lukas Podolski, and summer recruit Yaya Sanogo can both play up front, it would be a bitter pill to swallow for Arsenal Fans if their side doesn't sign a striker in the ongoing transfer window. They sure as hell don't want a DéjàVu 2007-08!

Despite frequent injuries to players in every position, the club from Holloway, London has shown remarkable mental strength and has remained on top.

With less than 2 weeks left in the “Silent” January window, Gooners around the world wake up every morning with the question “Have we signed a striker yet?" The Professor however, isn't a fan of the January window having recently vouched for the whole window to be scrapped!

We know for fact that Arsene Wenger's window starts on the 30th (Monréal or Arshavin are proofs for that), so there is still time left.  Here is a look at the players linked and a brief analysis of the possible transfer.

Julian Draxler

Boy, I would be lying if I said that every time I hear that name, it doesn't excite me. The 20 year old prodigy from Germany is someone who has regularly been linked to Arsenal for quite some time now. Speculations regarding the future of “DraxLAD” have been increasing as Schalke President admitted that things are out of his control now and the youngster could very well leave the club. It has been well known that Wenger and Draxler have regularly been in contact. So a possible transfer now or in the near future looks realistic.

I have seen people saying another attacking midfielder isn't what Arsenal need, but if you look closely, Draxler has everything you want in a Striker. Wenger is looking to do a “Henry” again and it is very much possible as Draxler has the pace and also the strength to beat his marker. He has the skills to make defenders look like kids and can hit it hard! He has all the qualities to be a world class striker, and seeing Draxler and Özil combine would be a delight.

Also, Özil-Giroud is a mismatch since the former requires fast players ahead of him who can get behind defenders, whereas the Frenchman needs a hardworking CAM with whom he can exchange passes with and combine.

Although the transfer could make Arsenal the front runners for the league, paying close to 40 millions in January is so unlike The Gunners' boss. Also, there is a risk of Bayern/P$G hijacking the move as the Bavarians won’t let a talent like Draxler leave Germany.

Personally, I would love to see Draxler in an Arsenal jersey. But I don’t think winter is the time we are getting him!

Alexandre Pato

The immensely talented Samba boy is another name which has been continuously linked to a move to Arsenal. From a personal point of view, I don’t find much credibility in the rumor though. There is no denying about Pato’s talent- Samba flair combined with pace and an eye for goal. He has everything Arsenal are looking for in a striker. But his persistent injuries and bad form will make Wenger think twice before placing a bid for the 24 year old.

Although, this being world cup year would make Pato want to get back to his best so that he can play a role in Selecao’s  bid to win it in their country.

I cannot speak about the odds, but if the deal happens, you might see another one of those classic Arsene Wenger bargains!

Christian Benteke

The Belgian gave a “come and get me” signal to Arsenal during the summer and he would not miss out on the chance if given now. He has confessed his love for Arsenal repeatedly, and rejecting Spurs has earned him a place in the Arsenal hearts. There is no question about his talent. He was a bit off form, but he has looked sharper recently, giving a MOTM performance against Liverpool. He is young, clinical and fast, and has considerable experience too. Villa signing Grant Holt on loan makes me wonder more about this move!

Dimitar Berbatov

The Bulgarian international too, has been linked to the Gunners. Wenger denied the rumors instantly, but trusting him when it comes to his word on possible targets is the last thing you want to do. After having a disappointing spell with the cottagers, Berbatov has been seen frustrated on and off the pitch. He would fancy a move away from his current club who are fighting hard to avoid relegation, and being linked to the league leaders could be his perfect escape route. His age is a concern, but given his experience, talent, and of course capabilities, a loan move would seem appropriate.

Yes, he is lazy, but at the same time if he gets to play with our midfield, I am sure he can work wonders!

Mishy Batshuayi

A transfer window doesn't simply go without Arsenal being linked to one wonder kid or another. This time its Batshuayi or Batman as I prefer to call him. The kid has attracted interest from BVB, Arsenal, and Everton to name a few. It would take 7 million to trigger the transfer clause in his contract, and seeing his recent form, 19 goals, 6 assists in 38 games, the money seems fair. His agent revealed that any club meeting the clause can start negotiating, but seeing that we already have Afobe and Sanogo, I can't see Wenger going in for him!

Paul-Georges Ntep

The Professor has always looked upon France as a gold mine of talent, and keeping that in mind Ntep is nothing but pure gold! He is a striker with speed and excellent technique. He is skillful and also boasts of a great goal scoring record.

There have been increasing reports about Arsenal meeting the required fee. His addition would be a boon for the club. His strength and technique can be an asset, and he can be a great backup for Giroud.

The odds with this move are high. Auxerre and Arsenal have had good relations in the past. Let's see what comes of it this time around!

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January isn't the time when you can get your desired players, but you can surely make a few changes to the squad and prepare it for the second half of the season!

Hoping Wenger signs someone soon, like he did exactly 8 years ago by bringing this lad in! COYG!

                                                -Ashish Kumar