Written by: Kevin McGarr, The Reserve Clause
If you've been following the English Premier League, you'd know that, at the moment, Arsenal are pretty much the laughing stock of the league. Through the first three matches of the season, The Gunners have only secured one point and were embarrassed last sunday at Old Trafford, losing 8-2 to Manchester United. As a die hard Arsenal supporter, this pains me very much.
I grew up watching Arsenal win the double in '01-'02. And then there was the Invincible season. Ah, yes, '03-'04 season. The Gunners became the second team in the history of football to go throughout the season without a single defeat. The won 26 matches, drew 12, lost none, and ended the year with 90 points. If you can tell me who were the first team to go undefeated (without looking it up), I'll give you a shout out in my next article. Leave your answers in the comment box below. Hint: Lancashire.
Anyways, back to 2011-2012. Arsène Wenger is notorious for being rather stingy when it comes to the transfer window. My fellow Gooners and I have become accustomed to what is known as “The Wenger Plan.” This “plan” consists of opting to not buy experienced, quality players and, instead, buying younger, undeveloped players in which Wenger can mold in to his system.
I grew up watching Arsenal win the double in '01-'02. And then there was the Invincible season. Ah, yes, '03-'04 season. The Gunners became the second team in the history of football to go throughout the season without a single defeat. The won 26 matches, drew 12, lost none, and ended the year with 90 points. If you can tell me who were the first team to go undefeated (without looking it up), I'll give you a shout out in my next article. Leave your answers in the comment box below. Hint: Lancashire.
Anyways, back to 2011-2012. Arsène Wenger is notorious for being rather stingy when it comes to the transfer window. My fellow Gooners and I have become accustomed to what is known as “The Wenger Plan.” This “plan” consists of opting to not buy experienced, quality players and, instead, buying younger, undeveloped players in which Wenger can mold in to his system.
With the departure of Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, and Gaël Clichy, Arsenal were looking rather thin in the experienced players area, and dropped critical points at the beginning of this season. Arsène Wenger looked to be on the hot seat if he did not improve the situation quickly. In the final two days of the transfer window (Aug. 30 & 31), Arsenal went in to overdrive and bought a bevy of experienced players who addressed major problems in the Arsenal starting eleven.
Here are Arsenal's newest players:
Here are Arsenal's newest players:
- Per Mertesacker (from Werder Bremen), CB. Over 70 caps for the German National Team and tons of experience in the Bundesliga, this 6'6” giant will anchor the middle of the back four alongside Thomas Vermaelen.
- André Santos (from Fenerbahçe), LWB. Brazilian defender. Need I say more?
- Park Chu-Young (from Monaco), F. Captain of the South Korean National Team, just a hair under 6'0, and has been referred to as the “Asian Kaká.”
- Mikel Arteta (from Everton), MF. Creative midfield (which Arsenal needed) with a nice shot, ability to allude defenders, wonderful vision, and is a positive influence on younger players.
- Yossi Benayoun (from Chelsea on loan), MF. Creative midfield who, when not hurt, has the ability to possess the ball and not force passes. Captain of the Israeli National Team.
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