2013-2014: The Year of the Managers

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

This season, 2013-2014, has seen quite a movement of managers at some of the top clubs in this global sport. Owners are not shy to show managers the door and managers are not reluctant to confine players to the bench or not including them on the eligible roster.

The Chelsea manager, Mourinho, has won titles in La Liga, Serie A and the English Premier League. He cut his teeth as a manager in the Portuguese League. His managerial strategy has evolved in recent years as he is no longer defensiveminded but he remains a player provocateur and his criticism of players are not done in the office but in the glare of press conferences.

Juan Mata had an outstanding season last year as Chelsea’s playmaker and as a goal scorer. With the second coming of Mourinho to Chelsea, Mata has lost his starting place and has been told he will have to change his game or he will be a “tit-bit” player for the duration of the season. Oscar is the new playmaker with the newly acquired Willian as his understudy.

Against Fulham, David Luiz was also placed in Mourinho’s dog house and was confined to being a spectator. Mourinho punished him for the loss in the Championship League against Basel. Mata and Luiz are set to have ongoing confrontations with the combative Mourinho.

David Moyes is finding that Sir Alex Ferguson’s big shoes are not easy to fill. He received quite a spanking from Pellegrini’s Manchester City.

Yaya Toure was the towering figure in mid-field and turned the giant figure of Fellani into a dwarf. Pellegrini seemed to have figured out his starting eleven while David Moyes is busy criticizing his players like Ashley Young in the tabloids.

Arsene Wenger has silenced his critics. Without any great midnight shuffler, just the acquisition of Ozil, Arsenal is playing the best football in many a season. The obstinate yet visionary Wenger stuck with his young prospects like Ramsey and Wilshire who have emerged as big league impact players.

Managerial changes have taken place at Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Roma and Bayern Munich. Next year is the World Cup in Brazil and players’ fortunes in Brazil will be impacted by the decision of managers. In this era of coliseum spectacles, gladiators can be chewed up by the managers who are the Kings of the Jungle.

Daniel Sturridge Walks Alone

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

Liverpool vs Manchester United is one of the great rivalries in British football. The game played at Liverpool on September 1, 2013 is by far the best game played in the English Premier League to date. The two teams played with great intensity for ninety minutes. As against Aston Villa last week Liverpool on a Daniel Sturridge goal scored in the first half. Liverpool dominated possession in the first half and that dominance frustrated the Manchester United players that three of them ended the first half with yellow cards including Van Persie.

Just as in the Aston Villa games, Liverpool wilted in the second half and Manchester United had them backing up and defending desperately. This failure to maintain the same level of intensity in the second half has to be an issue of stamina. As the season advances, Brandon Rodgers will have to do something about that lack of conditioning.

Manchester United was without Wayne Rooney who suffered a gash to his forehead in practice. Manchester United continues to rely on the old geezer, Ryan Giggs, rather than giving younger players like Anderson, to develop their true potential. The telling question at this juncture is Giggs still a great player or was he a great player and simply running on fumes and his reputation? Giggs needs to take a seat beside Scholes.

Ashley Young started and Nani was brought into the game as a substitute. Both displayed their wares as top class players. But in the end Manchester United lost and that could be the omen for the season that they will have. Van Persie was closely marked and lost his cool a number of times. He has a steep hill to climb to replicate his incredible performance last season.

Does Wenger Know Best?

Arsenal started the season rather shakily and Wenger was being blasted by the fans for not bringing in top transfer players. But Arsenal showed in their game against Tottenham that they have a nucleus that can compete with the top tier teams.

Soccer evidently is a team game where the chemistry among the players must be like clockwork. Teams like Newcastle or Sunderland which made sweeping changes fail to develop an effective esprit d’corps. Arsenal has and the players who came in last year like Cazorla, Podolski and Giroud are now fitting in with the team.

Tottenham was unafraid to spend money and they brought in a new midfield. But it takes some players a year before they find their stride in the English league. Tottenham devoid of Bale is yet to score a goal in open play. They attack with great uncertainty and one wonders if Soldado can make it in the English league. Dembele looks lost and will lose his place to players like Erikson.

AVB is supposedly an astute student of the game but his trades do not seem to have a grand design. Nonetheless the season is young and one should wait until the half-way mark before being too definitive.

Managers to the Fore

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

The English Premier League 2012-2013 is now history. Sir Alex Ferguson has passed on the baton to David Moyes who will be second guessed to death if Manchester United in 2013-2014 is not off to a roaring start. This summer, football enthusiasts will monitor closely the perennial movement of coaches/managers. Rafael Benitez ended with a bang as Chelsea won the Europa Cup and edged Everton to close out the season. Benitez has indicated that he would like to land a coaching position in the EPL. If Abramovic had any sense, he would keep Benitez but the Chelsea owner is renown for his love of discontinuity.

The rumour is that Mourinho will make his second coming to Chelsea. Mourinho has a history of success but he does not wear well as after a couple of seasons, he becomes a divisive figure.

Wenger is safe as Arsenal by the skin of their teeth made it into the Champion’s League. As an ESPN commentator pointed out recently, in the five years that he has observed Arsene Wenger from the sidelines, he has not seen him issue instructions to his players but has been preoccupied with excoriating the referee and the fourth official.

Brendan Rogers made progress with the Liverpool experiment. The acquisition of Sturridge and Coutinho has added to Liverpool’s offensive potency. With the retirement of Carragher, they must now acquire an outstanding central defender. Liverpool should be a contender in 2013-2014.

Mancini slipped after winning the previous year and has been shown the exit door. The Malaga coach is set to replace Mancini who will pop up somewhere in Serie A.

The role of the manager/coach has become deterministic to a team’s success or failure. The management of highly paid stars requires a special tact. This summer we will not only pay attention to the movement of players but also the movement of managers.

Arsenal’s Continued Decline

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks



The race for the winner of the EPL 2012-13 title is virtually over. Manchester United continues to be the elephant in the race trampling over lesser prey. Manchester City has recovered its form but are too far back to displace Manchester United from the coveted title that City stole in the last day of last season by goal average.

The excitement in the EPL is over which three teams will finish below Manchester United and qualify for the UEFA Champions League where there is the big pay dirt and top players crave to be part of that super league.

That was the reason why the London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham attracted the world’s attention. Victory could be very decisive about the fortunes of which London club would obtain sufficient points to finish behind Manchester United.

Once again with the season on the line Arsene Wenger’s aggregation failed in the crunch. In moments of magic within the space of five minutes, Bale and Lennon, Tottenham speed balls, broke down the square Arsenal defensive line and made it 2-0. Bale and Lennon revealed the importance of top flight players coming through in the big games.



Giroud and Walcott could not be found. Wilshere was persistent but not really effective. And Ramsey, Wenger’s anointed, was his old disappointing self. Diaby was again injured.

It is unlikely that Arsenal will qualify for UEFA in 2013-2014. At this stage, it appears that the four teams will be Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea.

Arsenal is now slightly above the mediocre and below an elite team. It will become increasingly difficult for them to sell out their newly magnificent stadium. There is just nothing magnificent about Arsenal’s play.



Manchester United would not be in their exalted position were it not for the acquisition of Van Persie. Tottenham would not have been contenders for the top four position of the EPL were it not for Bale. The Welsh striker is proving that he is one of the top forwards in the game at this moment and can change a game in a jiffy. Tottenham has also strengthened its back four and their central defender, Dawson is having an awesome season.

Arsenal is in a quandary. The club is financially sound but their team is creatively unappealing. What may have worked in the past has now become anachronistic. Arsenal is on the verge of becoming the dinosaur of English football. As the soul singer, Sam Cooke stated, “a change is got to come”.

Arsenal & Chelsea: Searching for the Right Fix

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks



From the opening whistle to the final whistle, Mancini’s Manchester City outplayed Benitez’s Chelsea. Benitez didn’t come with a match plan and Manchester City dominated mid-field for the first twenty minutes. The Chelsea manager failed to make an adjustment.

Last season, Yaya Toure came back from the African Cup somewhat fatigued. This year before going, he looked like a spent force. This year, Toure returned from the African Cup rejuvenated. In the match up against Chelsea, the Ivorian gave his best performance for the season. He scored in the second half after Frank Lampard had missed a penalty.



Yaya Toure is a well paid mid-fielder and demonstrated on Sunday why he is regarded as one of the better mid-field players in the world. When he and David Silva are clicking, City becomes a formidable offensive force. Aguero was not at his best in this most crucial of games. When Tevez joined the fray in the second half, he showed his worth as his strike put City up 2-0. That was match and game.

What ails Chelsea? They performed like players who are not well paid and nothing is at stake. Juan Mata, their playmaker, was missing. Lampard was outplayed in mid-field. Chelsea in big games lack chemistry. On the field, they appear leaderless.



Manchester City ran all over them. Ramires did not play well. And when Benitez made a change and brought in Victor Moses and Oscar, both failed to have an impact on the game. Chelsea has an abundance of talent and a wealth of resources but their season is a reflection of their purchase of Torres for $50 million. Money has been squandered and the owner will have to recognize that greatness is not achieved overnight but through steadfastness and sticking with a coach who, over the years, hopefully sooner not later, will be able to synchronize the abundance of talent.

Arsenal and Chelsea are sailing in similar boats. The boats are experiencing choppy waters. In the case of Arsenal, the boat is not yet sinking but it is taking in water.

Arsenal was trashed Bayern Munich at home in the first leg of the UEFA Champion’s League 3-1. They barely pulled out an eleventh hour victory against Aston Villa this past weekend.



The newly acquired playmaker, Cazorla, came alive in this game and netted a pair of goals. Arsenal has slipped from the days of Henry, Viera and Berkamp. The players acquired over the summer are still adjusting to the rigors of the EPL. As in yesteryear, Arsenal’s defense is porous. With the departure of Alex Song, there is no specialist defensive mid-fielder and the only creativity in mid- field is Wilshire.

Arsenal’s acquisitions have panned out to be duds. And the young players on the farm are still struggling with their development. Whither Wenger? He is a coach who has lost his luster. He achieved greatness many moons ago. He should exit graciously. Wenger is now ready for Arsenal’s wax museum.

January and the African Exodus

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

Manchester City, trailing Manchester United by seven points, faced the once mighty Arsenal devoid of YaYa Toure tour de force in mid-field and Kolo Toure’s sometime presence as a substitute central defender, came along with 2-0 victory and coveted 3 points.

Arsenal is mired in a quizzical state of stagnation. In two years they have lost five world class players and replaced them with “so-so” players. Not long into the Arsenal vs Manchester City game, Koscielny was issued a red card as he prevented Dzeko from scoring with a wrestling tackle. Arsenal was condemned to play the juggernautish City with ten men.

Down 2-0, Arsenal gave a better account of themselves in the second half. Young Wilshire was his old penetrating self. The injury-prone Diaby returned and played sixty minutes without sustaining another injury. To return to form, Diaby needs time on the pitch.

Arsenal will not bring any new players in the transfer market. A player like Falcao would be a great addition but Wenger and the Arsenal management are not risk takers. All signs point to Arsenal ending this season below fourth place and losing money by not qualifying for the lucrative UEFA Championship League.

Brandon Rogers Reconstruction of Liverpool

Liverpool is in the throes of a makeover and is still far below the elite clubs. They acquired Daniel Sturridge in the January market and he did not start but came on in the second half and finished off a goal after a well struck ball by their skipper, Gerrard. Liverpool’s mid-field is quite ordinary and Garrick, Cleverly and Welbeck simply out-wizard them in the first half.

Even before the whistle blew to start the game, we knew that Skertel and Agger could not contain Van Persie who opened the scoring with a Van Persie-like finish. Evra scored the second goal from a Van Persie free kick, the 5 ft. 8 in. defender leaping above the opposition. That was his fifth goal for the season, quite a remarkable record for a left back.

Rogers lost much of Johnson’s ability by starting him at left full back. Johnson is not as effective going forward from the left side as he is from the right side. Their leading goal scorer, Suarez, was not a factor in the game. The substitutions that Rogers made to the Liverpool team did not change the game. He took off Sterling and kept Downing in the game and Downing has the distinction of playing for ninety undistinguished minutes.

QPR vs Tottenham

Harry Redknapp faced his old club and for ninety minutes for the first time this season kept Tottenham scoreless. Queens Park Rangers managed a point but remained poised for relegation. Mark Hughes was a disaster as a manager but old Harry used some old tricks to extract the best from his new team since his debut. Sean Wright-Phillips has returned to form and the team is defensively less porous. Harry has a steep hill to climb for Queens Park Rangers to avoid relegation.

Rains and Drought of Goals

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

This week the rains pelted the ballplayers as they tried to execute passes in the last third under trying conditions. Even before the rains cometh, coaching storms have been brewing in the E.P.L. Di Matteo has made an early exit from Chelsea as Chelsea made a pre-mature exit from the Championship League. Di Matteo won the Championship League last season but Abramovich spends his millions and demands immediate gratification. Rafael Benitez will now walk the Chelsea tightrope.

Chelsea vs Manchester City

Under difficult conditions Chelsea and Manchester City played to a deserving nil all draw. Both Chelsea and Manchester City pack potent offenses but the respective defensive unites closed down the passing lanes in the last third.

Manchester City was more fluid in their passing and Yaya Toure as usual was the general in mid-field. But his strikers could not create the necessary spaces to be effective.

Soccer must be admired not just for the offensive prowess of forwards but the defensive grit of central defenders and full backs. Chelsea’s central defender, Kompany, has emerged as one of the top defenders in the E.P.L.

Swansea vs Liverpool

Brendan Rodgers is walking on thin ice at Liverpool but the management at Liverpool are not as trigger happy as Chelsea’s Abramovich. Liverpool also played to a nil all draw against Swansea. Liverpool is still a work in progress and one wonders if the Liverpool squad as presently constituted can rise to the top of the heap in the E.P.L. There is Suarez and Sterling and Gerard but Liverpool suffers from a dearth of mid-field creativity.

Liverpool created most of the chances yet Swansea possessed the ball with greater ease but lacked finesse in the last third.

Arsenal vs Aston Villa

Arsene Wenger is not in danger of being fired but there is something rotten in the state of Denmark. Villa and Arsenal played to a scoreless draw. The new acquisitions at Arsenal have not demonstrated much offensive guile. At this rate, Arsenal will fall below the top four. They failed to score against a porous Aston Villa defense, a team in the regulation zone. Arsenal’s finances are in fine shape and their financial success is a far cry from what is being accomplished by Wenger’s ammunition-less Arsenal.

Manchester United vs Queens Park Rangers

The Queens Park Rangers’ crew gave Mark Hughes a great deal of rope but he kept using it to hang himself and to trip up the team. Q.P.R. owners’ cups eventually ran over and they have put Hughes out to pasture and brought in Tottenham’s ex-boss, Harry Redknapp.

Unfortunately, Q.P.R. was up against the best finishing team in the League. Manchester United have parked Nani but they are firing on all cylinders with Van Persie, Rooney, Welbeck and Young. Their problem is what do they do with “Chicharito” Hernandez, the scoring machine. How do you not play Van Persie and Rooney?

Manchester United spanked Q.P.R. 3-1 to return to the top of the table. If they continue to score goals in bunches, then they will soon break away from their rivals in the E.P.L.

Arsenal’s Dazzling Start

Ball Harambee
By Bagga Wilks


How does a team lose five of its top players at the beginning of 2010-2011 and now at the commencement of 2012-2013 season? One can argue that Arsenal was fortuitous to finish in the top four and qualify for the European Champions League.

Last season Arsenal started the dreadfully and the team remained vulnerable against set pieces. Van Persie and Alex Song were the rescue workers and now Song has moved on to Barcelona and Van Persie has shifted his goal scoring prowess to Manchester United.

What is truly remarkable is that the made over Arsenal in the few games played thus far, looks like a better team than last year. The defense is more solid. Arsenal as per usual retains possession of the ball. Possession is an essential part of the game but great teams do not give up silly goals and are capable of putting the ball in the back of the net when they are in the attacking thud.

Arsenal was scoreless when they played their first game of the season. Without Van Persie would they be able to score goals, win matches and remain a formidable force in English football? That question has been answered. The movement off the ball this week against Southampton was impressive. The movement of Cazorla, Podolski and Gervinho was sensational. If that kind of chemistry in the attacking thud continues, Arsenal will be contenders for the League title.


With the departure of Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal lacked a first rate playmaker. Cazorla has filled that void. By relegating Ramsey to the bench, the mid-field of Diaby, Arteta and Cazorla packs the arsenal necessary to keep opposing teams on the back foot. Also surprising is the improved play of Kieran Gibbs on both sides of the ball.

Wenger’s trades in the off season and his forging of the new players into the Arsenal style of football is testimony to his genius as a manager.

Chelsea Blues


It appears that Chelsea got off to a rollicking start but the club’s draw against Queens Park Rangers revealed that Chelsea is still a work in progress. Fernando Torres is no Drogba. Hazard will be an invaluable playmaker but the 4-3-3 formation allows teams to outplay Chelsea in mid-field. The aging Lampard neither has the zip nor the work rate to manage a mid-field of three. Mikel seems to be blossoming under Di Matteo but Ramires is more productive in the middle where his indefatigable presence makes Chelsea more competitive. And Di Matteo will sooner moreso than later, find a place for Oscar. Right now Chelsea would be better off playing Sturridge at the top, Hazard behind him and a mid-field of Ramires, Oscar, Lampard and Mikel. Cole and Ivanovic already play as attacking full backs. Di Matteo has to learn what is the personnel needed and the formation required for the Blues to be most potent.

O Mano


Mano Menezes, the Brazilian coach cannot continue with his experimentation until the date of the 2014 World Cup to be played in Brazil. He seemed to have abandoned the aging stalwarts, Kaka, Ronaldinho and Robinho. In recent games Mano has trotted out the young lions like Oscar and Lucas and has re-summoned the workhorse, Ramires. The defensive mid-fielder is still up in the air and Luca Leiva would be the favorite if he can return to full recovery from his injuries. Sandro has gotten his opportunities but appears likely to be in the squad but coming off the bench.


Menezes must be gratified with the discovery of Dede, another central defender who can partner with David Luiz or Thiago Silva. Up front Hulk is more energetic and more dangerous than Damiao. Neymar needs to be more involved as a playmaker and most become more mobile.

Things have been slow in forging a starting eleven. Under Mano Menezes, Brazil has been playing friendly after friendly and thus far it has been a grab bag as to who starts. There is now some signs of solidifying a team. Nonetheless, Brazil did not look like Brazil against South Africa even though they won 1-0. Against China, the Selecao scored eight goals but China could not have been more abysmal and that trouncing of China is not a reflection as to where the Brazilian national team is in relationship to its preparation for World Cup 2014.

Mano is running out of time but it appears that he is settling down with a nucleus but there are still gaping holes to be filled if Mano is not to have an ungracious exit.

Southampton Goes South in Waning Minutes

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

A soccer game runs for 90 minutes. Each half can be distinct from the other and the game is not over until the referee blows the final whistle. Newly promoted Southampton were on the verge of snatching a victory from the mighty Manchester United when they wilted and Van Persie blossomed.

Van Persie, the twenty-nine year old Dutchman, had a spectacular season last year leading the EPL with 27 goals. Previously, he had been plagued with injuries and missed a number of games. Being in and out of the line-up prevented him from displaying his scoring capabilities. He kept Arsenal in the top four last year and he has continued his torrid scoring pace in his move to Manchester United. Van Persie on Sunday missed a penalty but ended superlatively with a ‘hat-trick’ and a victory for his new team.

Arsenal

Arsenal broke their ducks against Liverpool as they scored on two breakaways to leave the new Liverpool coach winless at the start of 2012-2013 season. Podolski has wasted no time fitting into the style of the Premier League. He opened the scoring and will be a formidable attacking force for Arsenal this season. The French striker, Giroud, is still feeling his way. The reconstructed and thus far durable Diaby is approaching fine form and should bolster Arsenal’s mid-field bereft of Alex Song. Rather surprisingly, the traditional porous Arsenal defense has not given up a goal. The defense is playing as a unit and not ball watching. The unit thus far looks formidable against set pieces. Despite the loss of five top players in two years, Arsenal is still showing its resilience.

Transfer Market

The EPL needs to come up with a transfer system that is less chaotic. To have a transfer system spilling over after the season has begun, makes for great drama but poor planning. One can understand the January transfer market but the August 31st deadline is much too disruptive. It takes time to integrate newly-acquired players into a system. For the players themselves, especially those with families, they must feel like slaves being sold on the auction block.

Ivory Turns to Gold

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks
Manchester City had an uphill task, to go into Newcastle’s ground and beat an ever-improving team. At the end of the first half being scoreless, Manchester United fans found cause to hope.

Arsenal Rises From the Ashes

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

Wenger’s Arsenal refused to adhere to the script. Tottenham Spurs descended on the Emirate Stadium in third place and with the expectation that they would clobber Arsenal similar to the whipping that Arsenal had received from A.C. Milan.

In the first minutes of the encounter, Tottenham scored two quick goals and it appeared that Wenger’s Arsenal was facing another rout. Arsenal’s traditional game is ball possession, excessive squaring of the ball, and not much running off the ball.

Arsenal is Chasing Copperware

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

There will be no silverware for Arsenal again for 2012. Wenger’s team will spend the rest of the season chasing copperware and maintaining some level of respectability. This marks seven years that Arsenal has been coming out of the cold.
As the resurrection of Thierry Henry has reminded us, Arsenal’s best days are behind them. The present Arsenal team looks good against bad teams and bad against good teams. In the Europa Champions League, Arsenal was out of their league playing against A.C. Milan. Arsenal defense could not cope with the Milan’s movement off the ball. Robinho was at his best and when he is in form, runs off the ball as good as any player in the game. Arsenal returned from the San Siro with a four goal deficit and even though the return leg is at home at the Emirates with such a deficit, Arsenal has essentially made their exit from the Champions League.
Returning home against Sunderland in an FA Cup game, Arsenal succumbed to the improving Sunderland team. They lost 2-0. Sessegnon was the man of the match. Arsenal’s makeshift defense had a difficult time coping with his craftiness. Sessegnon is playing in his second season in the English Premier League and he is the embodiment as to how a playmaking forward can improve the standings of a non-elite team.


Wenger did nothing in the January transfer window. Some moves were made at the eleventh hour last summer but most of the acquisitions were non transformative with the exception of Gervinho.
Arsenal is now perched at fourth place in the race for the Premier League title but it is likely they will be knocked off that perch and finish among the mid-level pack.
Arsenal needs to acquire a new modus operandi. Building from below is fine but the world of soccer has changed. To remain at the top of the leagues, a club has to chase the class players if it is going to acquire silverware. With Wenger’s stubbornness, Arsenal invariably will be an “also ran” club in the competitive world of the EPL and beyond.

Ball Harambee Jan. 23

Manchester and the Beautiful Game by Bagga Wilks
The English Premier League has entered the second half of the season and the second half is shaping up to be more unpredictable than the first half. Liverpool succumbed to Bolton, a team that prior to this weekend seemed hell bent for relegation. They were able to put three goals on the scoreboard against the once formidable Liverpool defense. Bolton played with new-found energy and new-found creativity. We will see if that high octane level of ball can be sustained for the critical second half.
Chelsea vs. Norwich

Ball Harambee Jan. 16

The Arsenal Wasteland By Bagga Wilks


Arsene Wenger’s team has always been known as one that is skilled in possessing the ball. Playing against Swansea on Sunday, January 15, 2012, Swansea out-possessed Wenger’s Gunners. Swansea looked like an elite team while Arsenal played like a recently promoted team from the lower division.
With such a performance, Wenger can easily step out of the Fool’s Paradise. He cannot let January come and go without getting rid of the dead weight. Wenger has to jettison Arshavin, Benayoun, Chamakh and Rosicky. They are useless and contribute nothing whether they play 20, 30, or 90 minutes. On the bench or on the pitch, they add nothing of value to Arsenal.
With Gervinho away at the Africa Cup, Arsenal is bereft of a playmaker. Ramsey works hard but should either be on loan homing his talents or sitting on the bench learning from his elders. Against Swansea, Arsenal was without Arteta but even though he has some EPL value, Arsenal cannot be satisfied with his contribution hitherto. Old man Thierry Henry was a savior in the Carling Cup but Henry represents the past, not the future.

The Arsenal Downpour

By Bagga Wilks

Arsene Wenger has been blind to Arsenal’s defensive weaknesses. Those defensive weaknesses have been apparent from last season. At the beginning of the current season Wenger needed to go out and purchase experienced central defenders preferable with experience in the EPL. Instead, he looked to France and brought in Squillaci and Koscielny, central defenders who merely added to the porous nature of Arsenal’s defense. At 12 minutes to midnight, he went out and bought the German international, Mertersacker. The German will take some time to adjust to the English league. Wenger’s best defender who was hurt most of last season is again injured.

Against Blackburn, Arsenal did show that with the departure of Nasri and Fabregas, they shall have offensive punch. With the acquisition of Gervinho and Arteta, both players early in the season have demonstrated that they can finish, they can put the ball in the back of the net.

Arsenal falls apart in the defensive third of the field. They are incapable of defending against set plays. Sambo could have easily scored twice at the far post as the Arsenal defenders were temporarily fixed in cement. Wenger needs to hire a tested defensive coach and in January, jettison the jokers in the back, and acquire defenders who have an established track record in the EPL.

Arsenal gave up eight goals to Manchester United and four goals to Blackburn Rovers in their 4-3 loss away from home. They gave away two own goals, what has become typical self-inflicted wounds. Despite the tawdry defending, Arsenal had opportunities to pull the chestnuts out of the fire but Chamakh and Mertersacker misfired.

All signs are that this is going to be a season of tough sledding for the Gunners. With an unwillingness to spend for a premier central defender early in the summer and an ostrichtitive approach to the departure of Fabregas and Nasri, Wenger did not adequately prepare the club for the 2011-12 EPL season. Managers cannot glory in the past. Wenger has been more than wanting in getting his team prepared to play in the toughest league in the world.