Arsenal edge past Swansea at The Emirates

(Video Highlights can be found at the bottom of the article)


Arsenal put in a laboured performance to win 1-0 against a committed Swansea side this afternoon. 


Arsenal started the game brightly as good movement from the Gunner's attacking arsenal allowed Ramsey to get a shot off after 55 seconds. Unfortunately he was unable to convert a difficult chance as it sailed over the bar. Arsenal continued their early pressure when they gained a free kick from 25 yards after Arteta was fouled. Again, despite the luxury of having two set piece experts in Arteta and Van Persie, the ball failed to find the back of the net.

Walcott needed medical assistance after 5 minutes and, taking into account his almost invisible display, hindsight suggests he probably should of exaggerated his injury and came off. Walcott is a very good player but pretty average when played out of position on the wings. Performances like this show exactly why.

Soon after Szczesny pulled of a brilliant save as a Graham header looked destined for the bottom corner of the net, although huge Pole had other ideas as he got down to palm the ball away.

In a match that had started as an attack vs defence exercise, Arsenal had their first clear cut chance 14mins in when Walcott had a shot cleared off the line from Caulker. It only seemed a matter of time before an Arsenal goal.

Swansea began to recover from a slow start to fire a 26th minute free kick over the bar. They continued to threaten 10 minutes later when a cross was drilled menacingly across the area. One touch and Arsenal would of found themselves a goal down despite their early dominance.

The Welsh side ontinued to crank up the pressure when Mertesacker was forced to throw his huge frame across to block a shot from just within the area.
However it was during the period of the first half when Arsenal looked least likely to score when they did.

A cock up from the Swansea keeper allowed Arshavin to slide the ball into an empty net from a tight angle

Swansea were determined not to let the goal get to them as the second half kicked off when Szczesny was forced to tip a Sinclair free kick onto the bar eight minutes into the second half.

In a relatively uneventful second half, Wenger tried to inject new life into the game by handing Israeli captain
his Arsenal debut in the place of Russian captain Arshavin.

Over the next 20 minutes Coquelin and Chamakh followed as Arsenal looked to close out the game. Swansea worked hard but only had a late Graham miss to show for it as the home side secured the three points.

It was hardly vintage stuff from Arsenal today, but after one of the poorest and demoralising openings to the season in recent memory it will more than do. Catching the two Manchester based juggernauts may be a tall order for this current Arsenal side,  but Liverpool may well be looking over their shoulders nervously as Arsenal close the gap to three while still looking like they are in second gear.

Man of the match: Gunnersaurus 8/10 


Moment of the Match: Arshavin goal. More specifically, his celebration

szólj hozzá: A1-0S

Arsenal vs Swansea Live Streaming

For all the team news, read our previous article! Enjoy!


http://www.firstrowsports.net/watch/82816/5/watch-arsenal-fc-vs-swansea-city.html

There are 6 links within that- most of which work perfectly. Credit to Josh Pilling for finding this page

Arsenal vs Swansea Preview

Arsenal look to get their campaign back on track against Swansea on Saturday after a late plunge into the transfer market.


Signing Park Chu-Young has been included in the squad despite a race against time to acquire his Visa before the match.


Other late Summer signings- defenders Per Mertesacker and Andre Santos as well as midfield pair Yossi Benayoun and Mikel Arteta- are named in the match day squad although Andre Santos "a bit short" in match fitness and will most probably not start.


The Good News

Emmanuel Frimpong returns from suspension. Squillaci (calf) is not back yet.

...And The Bad News

Jenkinson sits out after his red card against Manchester United, while Alex Song and Gervinho are still banned. Tomas Rosicky (knee) is sidelined along with Ryo Miyaichi (calf) while Jack Wilshere and Abou Diaby (both ankle) are all making the club physios earn their money

Squad and Probable team

Squad: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Arshavin, Ramsey, Frimpong, Arteta, Walcott, Van Persie, Fabianski, Santos, Park, Benayoun, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Chamakh, Miquel.

Wenger's Say

                   "For us basically it is a new start. We start now and want to win a strong way,"

Prediction: 3-1

Ramsey keen to get back to "winning ways"

Aaron Ramsey is confident Arsenal can recover from their poor start to the season- starting with Swansea this weekend.

A mixture of a depleted backline and lack of quality replacements have resulted in Arsenal partaking in some moral crushing defeats, their most notable one the 8-2 mauling at the hands of Man.Utd last weekend. However after some positive deadline day signings, Ramsey is sure the worst is behind them

We want to put things right after our last result," said Ramsey after a man of the match performance against England on Tuesday

"Hopefully we put in a really good performance and get back to winning ways.

"We have had a good think about things and it will be a fresh start now."

"We have brought in some quality players, Arteta and Benayoun are two creative midfielders who are really comfortable on the ball and they will be great additions to the squad."

He is not, however, expecting Swansea to be easy opposition at the Emirates

"I saw last season, when I played against Swansea for Cardiff, that they are a good footballing team and like to pass the ball," said the Cardiff starlet who spent returned for a loan spell last January.

"It will be a good footballing game but hopefully we come out on top and get all three points."

Mikel Arteta's First Arsenal Interview

Alternatively, read the transcript below.

Mikel, you've been an Arsenal player for a week now. Have you met your team-mates?
A few of them. Most of them are on international duty at the moment but I have trained with some of the younger lads and all of the staff apart from the manager who is away. It has been very positive.

Do you know any of the players on a personal level?
No. I knew Cesc a little bit because he is Spanish and Almunia just to say hello to when we play against each other, but not much.

How has training gone?
It was good. I only trained yesterday [Monday], but you can see that the ball is involved in every exercise, there is good tempo in training and I think it is good, very good.

Is it different to what you are used to?
At Everton I think we used to run a little bit more than what we do here, without the ball. But it has only been a day so it is hard to say. In the next few months I will be more suited to answer that question.

Is there any reason why you won't be available on Saturday?
No, I will be there.

What will you bring to this Arsenal team?
I hope to bring creativity, 100 per cent commitment, work and help the team to do better.

You are seen as a replacement for Fabregas or Nasri - do you see it like that?
No, I don't want to use the word replacement. They were two top players for the Club, they did really, really well in the last few years and now we have some new players coming in to try and make the same impact. I am sure we will. I don't want the fans to be expecting the same as them because every player is different. We need some time to adapt as well, but I am sure that we will give everything we can to make this team better.

What is your strongest position?
The manager asked me to play in every position [at Everton] and the good thing is to get different things from every position. I played a lot on the left, I played a lot in attacking midfield and I played in front of the back four as well. It depends what the manager wants here from me - I have not had a chance to speak to him about that yet.

This is a young squad so how can you help the younger players?
It is too early to say but I know what type of character I am and what I like done. Hopefully there are things which we can make sure we improve. I can advise and hopefully that is going to help them.

What have you made of Arsenal's Premier League campaign so far?
Well it is not the best of starts obviously. Looking at the other teams, at Manchester United and City, both have nine points already but it is early stages. The season is very long with the Premier League, Carling Cup, Champions League and FA Cup. There is still a lot of work to do, but we want to start winning on Saturday and get that right. From then hopefully everything is going to be more positive.

How strongly can Arsenal challenge for the title?
This club has to be there with them fighting until the very end, that is for sure. Nobody can be happy saying they are too good or have spent more money. We can fight, and I do not think that is the right mentality. We have unbelievable talent here and if we can use it the right way I am sure we can fight with them.

How will you feel if you make your debut on Saturday?
I am really excited. It has been a bit strange having been at the same club for six or seven years, and it is a big change. Even when you just put a different kit on. But I am so excited, I hope I can do my job well and if I have the chance to play, I will give everything.

Newly-promoted clubs are difficult to play at this stage, aren't they?
I agree. They have got no fear and they will come here thinking, 'if we get something it will be unbelievable.' It is a big risk so we need to handle the pressure and be patient, because obviously the fans want to see us winning now and we need to know how to manage the situation.

Will you have any nerves?
There are no nerves, just excitement. For me it is a great opportunity, a big challenge and I want to take it and enjoy every minute. That is what I am going to try and do.

All of the above was via Arsenal.com. I do not claim to of written or produced the above- only published here for fellow Gooners viewing pleasure!

Mertesacker excited about move

Per Mertesacker has said that, although nervous, he is very excited about starting life at Arsenal.


The towering defender completed his move to Arsenal on deadline day after pursuits of initial targets Gary Cahill and Phil Jagielka fell through.

Speaking after his performance against Poland on Tuesday night, Per described it as "like the day before the first day at school".

He told Germany's dpa agency, "It is exciting. It is a new phase in my life and I am really looking forward to it, but I also feel nervous.

"It is like before the first day at school.

"Now I have a new challenge in a new country, a new style of play and a new language and I am ready for it."

International Scout Report: Per Mertesacker

With Per Mertesacker playing for Germany against Poland on Tuesday evening, The Arsenal Feed dispatched their finest scouts to a dodgy internet link streaming the match. Along with basic Korean commentating phrases, this is what they learnt.

Mertesacker started the game with little to, keeping it simple by passing to a nearby team mate as Germany exerted their authority on an inferior Polish side.

Per's first moment of note came after 17 minutes when a quick counter attack (something that Poland tried to launch regularly) threatened to catch him out given his well documented lack of pace. However he, in true Tony Adam-esque style, made up for this with brilliant reading of the game as he intercepted an attempted through ball.

The next 20 minutes or so were spent camped inside the Polish half, Mertesacker keept it very simple on the ball with his passing range being no more than 10 yards as his more technically gifted team mates searched for a breakthrough (it should be noted that Gotze was a constant thorn in the Polish side- his class clearly evident even in when far from his sparkling performance).

The Germans were caught in possession deep in their own half after 40 minutes however and would of found themselves a goal down had Per not made an excellent sliding interception to halt the Polish forward from finding himself clean through a distorted back line.

The tide was slowly turning slightly back into Poland's favour as, 43 minutes in, poor positioning from right back Trasch exposed Mertesackers lack of pace as a ball was threaded between the two. Fortunately for Trasch, Wiese was off his line quick to smother the shot as it left the Polish players feet. Per should be comforted in the knowledge that new defensive partner Sanga will be far better defensively and situations like this would rarely arise.

All in all Mertesacker walked into the changing rooms reflecting on a solid half. To be fair he had very little to do as Szczesny found himself the busiest player on the pitch, pulling off some fine saves.

54 minutes into the second half came Mertesacker's first mistake. Suspect positioning and a lack of pace allowed too much space in between the right back and him as Poland slipped a ball through the gap to put themselves 1-0 up.

However he made amends after 82mins when some brilliant reading of the game saw Mertesacker break from the defensive line to intercept a ball before rolling it off to a team mate to launch an attack. He continued his strong finish on 86 mins as he used all of his 6"6 frame to climb into the air to meet a pumped ball forward. Just what the doctor ordered for Arsenal.

In a game where he had little to do, Mertesacker done very well tonight. Although (in my opinion) not of Cahill quality, PM showed that he is more than capable to be a key player for Arsenal. The Polish played with a quick tempo, looking to counter with quick , creative players looking to make runs in and behind the defence so in theory were playing a system that should of shown up all his flaws and avoided his strengths (they rarely resorted to long balls or floated crosses). Despite this, the 76 time capped defender dealt with it and bar the 54th minute mistake played very well.



Match rating: 7/10

Frimpong opts for Ghana

Ghana Football Association president Kwesi Nyantakyi claims Emmanuel Frimpong will shun any call ups to the English senior side in favour of his native Ghana.

Frimpong was born in the Accra but moved to London at the age of 14. However he has already represented England 12 times at youth level and has recently been earmarked as a potential star with the English FA handing him a place in this weeks under 21s squad- only for him to pull out with a foot injury.

Along with England, the decision would also present a major blow for Arsenal who will have to face up to the possibility of their two strongest defensive midfielders being unavailable for selection  for the best part of a month as the two players respective nations do battle in the African Cup Of Nations.

"He will play for Ghana," Nyantakyi said. "We had a meeting and he told me he wants to play for Ghana. We will send off all the necessary paperwork to FIFA now and we hope to have everything concluded within two or three months.

"I am very happy for this because he is a good player."

Ghana boss Stevanovic revealed on Monday that he had spoken with the player about his international future recently.

"I am very interested in him," Stevanovic said. "He is a good player. He plays for Arsenal. They are a good club.

"Everything is possible. I wanted to speak to him to give him my vision of the future of the game."

John Pantsil, who captained Ghana at Craven Cottage, thinks Frimpong will improve as a player if he plays for Ghana.

"If he decides to play for Ghana he will have a chance to come and improve. He is from Ghana. We have lots of young players coming up. Frimpong is one of those and he would be good for the team," Pantsil said.

Verminator- "I will be back- next month"

Arsenal have confirmed vice-captain Thomas Vermalaelen will undergo "minor surgery" on his left ankle. 

Despite coming as a major blow, the silver lining is that he is expected to be back in training with the first-team squad in around a month- meaning he should not miss any clashes with major Premier League opposition.

A club statement read: "Vermaelen has undergone a minor procedure to remove an inflamed plantaris tendon from his left ankle."

"This is the same treatment that he had on his right ankle in January this year and has nothing to do with his Achilles tendon."

"The action was taken after consultation with specialists who advised this was the best thing to do to prevent it becoming a persistent problem."

Walcott- Arsenal are on the up

Theo Walcott feels the sides recent splash in the transfer market will rejuvenate the squad after the 8-2 mauling against Man.Utd.

"I'm not worried about the future at Arsenal at all," he said.

"New faces tend to get everyone bubbling. We all have to lift our spirits and hopefully those new signings will do the job."

"I have never seen Arsenal do that in all the years I have been there." said Walcott of the deadline-day frenzy.

"A lot of teams leave it until the last minute so it was interesting to see.

"We got rid of two great players but we've brought a few in and I look forward to seeing them on Wednesday."

Walcott also insisted the club need to move on from the game and make sure that they come out stronger from it.

"There's no point sitting and sulking about what you could have done better," he said.

"The better team won on the day.

"A lot of people dropped their heads as soon as that fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth goals went in. Maybe the organisation wasn't quite there either

"I wouldn't say we gave up. We tried our best. But Manchester United were very strong and scored some great goals.

"The dressing room was completely dead afterwards. It is hard to recover from that result and it could hurt a lot of players.

"But Arsenal are a big club. You have to be able to react to those sort of moments."

Arsenal lose Wenger appeal

Arsenal have lost their appeal against the two-match suspension handed to manager Arsene Wenger their Champions League defeat to Barcelona.

Wenger found himself in how water after criticizing Swiss referee Massimo Busacca's controversial decision to send RvP off in the game at Camp Nou tipped the game firmly in the star-studded (the team contained world player of the year Messi along with Oscar winner Busquets) Barca sides favour.

Wenger was originally given a one-game ban for the first leg of the Gunners' play-off round tie against Udinese but was found guilty of breaching UEFA's touchline ban rules by communicating with the bench.

This means he will miss the Dortmund game next Tuesday along with the home game against Olympiakos on 28th September.

In addition , Arsenal have been fined €10,000 for improper conduct by their officials during last month's match against Udinese at Emirates Stadium.

Platini: delighted with his decision to screw over another English side 

Bartomeu delighted at Cesc bargain

Barcelona vice-president Bartomeu admits Cesc Fabregas was worth much more than the deal reached this summer, calling the transfer "very good"



Fabregas, whose move to the Barca was worth a up to £35million, has enjoyed a brilliant start to his Barcelona career as he seamlessly slotted back into the side he left as a teenager.After watching this, Bartomeu smugly admitted the players value was in fact closer to €60m mark.

"After seeing the work he's done since his arrival it is true that Cesc meets the €60m valuation Arsenal initially demanded.

"The kid is demonstrating a high level and quality in three weeks of training. The transfer was very good.

"In a market that is so open Cesc is worth a lot of money.

"It was complicated to close the deal. The negotiations were very hard."