A Really Vacillating Player

It's an issue I really hate discussing but one that I just can't avoid because it just eats away at you every day. I am of course talking about Robin Van Persie, so excuse me whilst I go on a bit of a rant.

When it comes to leaving a club I'm a big believer it doing it the right way. That goes for how players have left their clubs to join Arsenal and vice-versa, there is a way of orchestrating a move with minimal damange and that was one of the many reasons I never really liked Sylvain Wiltord, he had previously gone of strike to force moves away from Deportivo and Bordeaux in order to sign for us. Mathieu Flamini left Marseille at the first opportunity and turned his back on the fact they had introduced him to football. I'm not sure if I'm right on this matter but has he ever signed a new deal whilst at a club? Even Thierry Henry isn't blameless in this, after the 2006 Champions League Final he signed a knee jerk mega deal, including a huge signing on fee and at the same time we saw his value depreciate over the coming twelve months when it was quite apparent he'd sign for Barcelona whether it was 2006 or 2007. Now, it's the turn of Robin Van Persie to take the floor and it seems like last summer opened his eyes somewhat.

Last year he went to New York with his good mate Cesc Fabregas, now it would be naive to think they didn't discuss what Cesc's intentions were for the coming season. It would also be naive to think that Barcelona didn't advise Cesc on what stance he needed to take in order to force a move. Now Cesc was slightly different in that he didn't have twelve months to go on his deal but that is where Samir Nasri comes in. Nasri as we all know wanted parity with Fabregas' salary because he thought he was as good as our Spanish talisman. He genuinely believed that a three month purple patch would see him take home a six figure salary but the club didn't budge and he wanted the pay day he craved, sound familiar? Now the only difference been Cesc & Nasri and Van Persie is that neither went public about their intentions, unlike Robin's "update for the fans", which should have been entitled a "here's a knife for your back" but nevertheless Robin knows exactly what he needs to do in order to push through a move.

Give us a sign Robin...

When it comes to RVP, I've never believed that he owes us for his checkered injury record. He is eighth in terms of our all time goalscorers, which more than repays our patience. What I do begrudge is times that we've stood buy him when it would have been easier for us to cut our losses. I can cite a game against Southampton in 2005. The Saints had David Prutton sent off on the stroke of half time and we went in 1-0 up courtesy of a Freddie Ljungberg goal. Seven minutes into the second half and our hot headed Dutchman was sent off, Wenger was furious. This allowed Southampton back into the game, they snatched an equaliser and Cole had a goal ruled out late on.

After the game Wenger said "I told Van Persie at half-time the referee would be under pressure having sent off a home player to square up matters and he was an obvious target.
"I cannot support Van Persie in this but I feel we had the minimum reward for a good performance today."

Stern words for a manager that usually protects his players in front of the watching millions.

Sealing a 2-0 win against Newcastle

Then there was the summer of 2005 when he was arrested on allegations of raping a women and he spent fourteen nights in jail before being cleared. During what most have been one of the most horrific periods of his life, we stood by our player and he even went on to score in the season's opener at home to Newcastle.

In 2007, it appeared that Van Persie's big chance had arrived. Following the departures of Bergkamp, Reyes & Henry he had moved up the pecking order but again he kept picking up injuries and Adebayor took centre stage and scored thirty goals to Robin's nine. Then Adebayor transpired to turn a lot of his well received support against him within the space of one day in 2008. At an event for Adidas he confirmed he was committed to Arsenal but within the space of two hours he was talking up a move to Milan, then he signed a new deal but for 80k a week certain sections of The Emirates crowd took exceptionand he was booed for missing a chance against WBA.
Then we fast forward to 2009 , when Van Persie signed his last Arsenal contract. He claimed “I’m so happy to have signed a new long term contract. I’ve been at the Club for five years now and there really is a great feeling here at Arsenal. We have a top class manager, a squad full of superb young players, a world class stadium and brilliant supporters. Arsenal Football Club has a very bright future and I want to be part of it.

My heart is with Arsenal and I just can’t picture myself in a different shirt. I just can’t see it now because I love this Club so much

What he meant to say was he signed a new contract as an insurance deal because of his injury record and he couldn't believe Arsenal offered him an improved contract and that there wasn't really any competition for places as Adebayor had left for City. I would also like to hear why his beliefs have changed since that day, we still have a world class stadium, brilliant supporters and despite the amount of financial doping going on we are still finishing towards the top of the table. It is notable that when Van Persie signed that deal Liverpool finished second, so it shows there is so sort of achievement in being able to finish so high on a consistent basis.

Fine margins

Then there's the ambition term, which is code for "I want as much money as possible". Isn't it amazing that despite the fact we hadn't won anything in four years Van Persie was more than happy to sign a new deal in 2009 but when it comes to 2012 he cites "my goal has been to win trophies with the team and to bring the club back to its glory days." Well Robin since 2009 you have been responsible for our failure to collect silverware, others are also accountable but I'm sick of the "my goal is to win trophies" line but they exonerate themselves from any blame when the team fails to win. Look at Milan last season, we would have been level had he not have missed a sitter. Where was he at Sunderland in the Cup? Cup competitions are our most likely route to silverware but the players quickly forget about it.

That's not even going into the disrespect he's shown the club as he stated on his website "but unfortunately in this meeting it has again become clear to me that we in many aspects disagree on the way Arsenal FC should move forward".

Sorry Robin when did you become manager? Maybe Wenger disagreed with the way you handled yourself when you cost the team points but he stuck by you and made you the player you are today.
The killer line though has to be "I love the club and the fans, no matter what happens." No Robin, you don't love the club otherwise you'd be going on tour with the rest of the squad tomorrow but instead you are staying behind to work on your fitness because you are committed to the side.. We love the club, the fans, not you. We are the ones that hurt when we lose but we remain.  I'm glad that you are "very proud of being part of this fantastic club for the last 8 years" but for me your time at the club now means nothing. You will be held in the same regard as the likes of Adebayor not the status of our true legends.

Van Persie has been brilliant for 18 months and the side responded well to his leadership and he was loved by the supporters but he's chosen the most common way to leave Arsenal and for that he erases any good memory any gooner ever had for him. As Wenger has said today in Kuala Lumpur "He (RVP) is world class, and I have supported him for his whole career." And he should acknowledge that.

The Illustrious Armband

So another summer and another captain. The question is who is it going to be and what are they going to bring to the table. Whoever it is will have a tough job on their hands, as the previous skipper did create a very positive atmosphere and their was a real togetherness amongst the side. Unfortunately our former captain threw himself under a bus and wishes to have his entire Arsenal career count for nothing. So who are the candidates, well you can probably work them out for yourselves but I've shortlisted four potential suitors.

Tomáš Rosický

Why not start with the captain of the Czech national side? Tomáš set a new seasons best 38 appearances last season and he certainly has experience on his side. He also has the trust of his manage and whenever Arsène speaks about him it's always positive and it looks like a coaching position beckons after he retires. Although it's highly unlikely Tomáš will be given the armband, he can't be overlooked. He's played in huge tournaments and many a big game, so he's knows more than most.

Bacary Sagna
Bac is probably the second most popular candidate for the role. He's our most consistent and best defender and he'd fully warrant any new found responsibilities. He is however returning from an injury hit season and he could probably do with overcoming his rather fragile leg and just getting another season behind him. I also feel that our current formation also isolates his ability to communicate with the rest of the side. His protection is 60 yards ahead of him on the field of play and that will have an impact.  

Mikel Arteta

Well I never thought after our desperado deadline day signings that Arteta would be in the running but he is because he was given the armband versus Leeds in the FA Cup last season. Arteta proved an integral part of the Arsenal machine last season and he was sorely missed in January and at the end of the season when we won only one game in his absence. Giving him the authority of being skipper could just be what Alex Song needs too. Then there's the disciplined approach he adopts in every game, always sacrificing himself for the good of the team, which is a very favourable attribute to have. Seems like he has a lot in his favour...

Thomas Vermaelen


Give me the bloody armband, now!

Then there's the front runner, our current vice-captain. I think we all know he's pretty much nailed on to get the role but I can't help but feel he's the wrong selection. He's everything that Arteta isn't, he's reckless with his style of play taking far too many gambles and then there's his ill-disciplined side, much like Song when he's in the zone he's quality but there's a massive tendency to play his own game. His forays forward leave us exposed and we lose our shape and I just don't think those are the sort of attributes that befit a Captain these days but that aside he did sign a new contract so he is committed unlike some so I can't be too critical.

So there you have it, the likely skipper is Vermaelen but I'd love Wenger to spring a surprise and keep the players on their toes by announcing Arteta as El Capitan. If truth be told Jack should get the captains armband in the next few years just so long as he conquers his fear of grass. If we can get him on the pitch and Arteta can pass on his wealth of experience we might just be onto a winner there.

Let me know your views? Are their any more dark horses for role? Who do you want and why?

Team Analysis

 Team Analysis

Keepers

Thankfully we’ve managed to release Almunia but with Fabianski set to leave, we need an experienced keeper to not only compete with Szczesny but some who can help bring his game on. Szczesny has made some poor decisions at times this season and having someone to lean on in a playing capacity can only be beneficial

Verdict – Experienced Keeper is a must 

Defenders

Right Back

We need more depth at right back, it’s hard to compete with someone as good as Sagna but we need a more experienced full back to deal with long layoffs, as Sagna’s health is now somewhat in the balance after breaking the same leg twice in the same season and no, I don’t consider Jenkinson to be a first team player just yet.

Required –Cover/Competition for Sagna

Left Back

Santos or Gibbs? Well in truth, neither. I enjoy watching the Brazilian on his forays going forward and I think he’s excellent in the challenge but he can be lethargic when in possession at the back and he gets caught out of position too often. Gibbs still has to prove he can stay fit, again that’s his biggest challenge heading into another season.

Required – A new left back preferably one that can defend and attack.

Centre Backs

We have one world class defender (Koscielny) and two very good partners in Vermaelen and Mertesacker. Personally I prefer the Mertesacker and Koscielny combination because they both just defend and I’m a bit tired of seeing defenders that mask their own deficiencies just because they score goals. That will probably not go down too well but our back four needs to learn how to walk before it can run. A new centre half would be a nice addition but with Djourou and Squillaci looming large it’s unlikely.

Required – A new face if we manage to offload dumb and dumber.  

Midfield

As starting midfield trio’s go Song>Arteta>Wilshere is a pretty respectable combination but the trouble is we’ve never seen that line up.

We have seen Rosicky occupy the main attacking role but with all due respect, he doesn’t score enough and we need a playmaker who can take some of the pressure off van Persie.

 Is it worth discussing Diaby? Really? I do think some sections of support forget how inconsistent he is when he returns. I don’t think any side loses any sleep over Diaby and it would be nice if he could take part in a campaign for once. That would be a positive in itself and it would allow us to rotate.

After that we have youthful exuberance in Ramsey, Frimpong & Coquelin. I do fear that Le Coq is seen as cover at right back but I think this hinders his development in the middle, as he should be cover for Song. His performance against WBA on the final day demonstrated a player not used to patrolling the centre of the park.

Required – A playmaker and a defensive midfielder both of which need to be quality

Attack (aka van Persie)

Where do I begin?

Chamakh/Park– hopeless/never gets a look in. Neither of these figures in our plans but are both are burning a hole in the clubs pocket. We were 3-0 up at Wolves late in the season and the home side had been down to 10 men since the opening minutes and still Wenger wouldn’t bring on either to give RVP a rest, need I say more?

Gervinho had a poor season but I see something in him, I like his direct approach but another ACoN beckons and I don’t think that helped him last season year and I fear it will be the same again this year.

Walcott improved last term but he still lacks in far too many areas.  When he gets in-between fullback and centre half he can be devastating but most respectable full backs (exc. Cole) suffocate him when he is in possession. He could certainly be replaced that’s for sure and if you listen to van Persie, Afellay wouldn’t be a bad choice.

Oxlade-Chamberlain –I often find the clamour for his involvement in the first team rather embarrassing in all honesty. Wenger knows how to introduce these youngsters into the team and we all need to be patient. He is an excellent player but he’d be even better if the personnel he trained with every day were much better than him.

Required – Well we have Podolski who is a superb signing but I see him more on the left. So I think we need a quality striker (or two…) and also a more consistent winger

So after assessing our squad I think we need seven new players, which is obviously not going to happen but it’s what we need in order to compete. Until we start addressing the issues that presents themselves with this squad then we can never expect to challenge for anything. This is probably what van Persie wants to get him to put pen to paper but in truth it’s not about appeasing his needs, it’s about meeting our expectations as supporters. We finished 19 points behind Man City and whilst we did finish third, I see that more as a reflection on the poor standard in The Premier League. We have to start resurrecting ourselves on a domestic front and our lack of depth means we can’t actively compete on every front.  

Stick or Twist

With the rumour mill suggesting that Yossi Benayoun is available for a mere 1m transfer fee (The fee of Eddie McGoldrick in 1993) I look back at the Israeli’s season at Arsenal and evaluate whether or not it would be a sensible move for us to make a move or wave goodbye.

Deadline Day

As part of our desperate shenanigans on deadline day, we signed Benayoun on a season long loan deal from Chelsea. Many eyebrows were raised and rightly so. We found out he hadn’t undertaken a medical at Arsenal, as he was away with Israel at the time and he was coming off the back of a season where he missed seven months due to a ruptured Achilles tendon. That evening Benayoun tweeted

                “Staying in London...will sign soon ... I will twitt when it happens”

Now there are several clubs in London but one only is really of any importance. The Arsenal twitterati went into overdrive and Yossi went on to tweet

                “I sign with arsenal, very happy and excited about it, but now my head is only in the game against Greece on Friday, thanks for the support.”

That capped what was a frenetic 48 hours and our business was concluded.  Our focus was now on getting some points on the board and climbing the Premier League table.

New boys warming up prior to our game v Swansea.

Squad Player

I think it’s fair to say for the most part of the 11/12 season we had a square peg in a round hole. He was a player that Wenger seemed confident to play in a cup games but reluctant to give a starting role come the Saturday. Yossi was very much a ‘squad player’ much like that of Marouane Chamakh if you get where I’m coming from. That said it was a cup game (and a meaningless one at that) that seemed to breathe some new life into Benayoun’s Arsenal career. We played Olympiakos away, you remember the ‘Santos’ game. In my opinion he was having a rough night but then he scored an absolute peach, the sort of goal that only a quality finisher can produce, a finish that smacks of ability not a fortunate goal by any stretch. That goal seemed to get him on the radar but he didn’t feature in the next two games but then he was introduced with nine minutes to go at Villa Park and he managed to score a header (from a corner) to secure us all three points. We were starting to unearth a midfielder/winger that could score goals, take not Mr Rosicky.

A Starting Berth

Off the back of Benayoun’s effort’s he was rewarded with his first two starts of the season in the Premier League against Wolves (H) and Swansea (A). Although his start against Wolves was due to Theo Walcott taking ill the night before but nevertheless he still set up Gervinho for our only goal in disappointing 1-1 draw. Following the Swansea disaster, Benayoun wouldn’t start another game for forty two days. The surprise was his next start was it was our biggest game of the season, Sp*rs at The Emirates. I needn’t say any more about that game but he provided us with a cutting edge to our attacks; he was busy and industrious, just what we had been missing.  We then went on to win at Anfield with Yossi in the side.

A Pivotal Role

Out of the last seven games of the season he started six games, only missing out on one game due to the fact we played Chelsea. Yossi started that stretch of game by performing well against City, although he contrived to take part in one of the misses of the season along with Vermaelen, I still don’t know how that opportunity passed us by. This was followed by a very tidy finish away at Molineux and with that game he completed his first full 90 minutes in the Premier League for Arsenal, quite remarkable.  Then Part III of our poor spell’s started against Wigan but he certainly wasn’t found wanting unlike many others.  When we were exploited on the break for their opening goal, it was Benayoun who was challenging Di Santo as he tapped home and he wasn’t there by chance, he’d legged it from the edge of Wigan’s box. He was also up from some hard graft at Stoke, where he linked particularly well with Rosicky and we secured a draw. He scored another beauty against Norwich after one minute to give us a lead, on a day that should have seen a routine win but instead turned  into a gut wrenching point, to think we thought Sp*rs would capitalise on our mistake eh? Silly fools. Yossi capped his final game of the season with a crucial opener at The Hawthorns, he chased what was a lost cause, a cause that created uncertainty and led to our opening goal. His name was sung aloud by the travelling fans and the stand was bouncing . Towards the very end of that game, we put ourselves under a lot of pressure by sitting back but when we managed to boot the ball clear, Benayoun killed it dead as if it was nothing special (fairly standard for a Premier League player). We went on to win a throw and the game was over. The place went nuts because he'd released pressure, put us back in control and secured us 3rd place. Something we rarely see, usually it's Gael Clichy slipping on his backside and the opposition punishing us but this for once was different.

Benayoun nets the opener against West Brom

Pro’s and Con’s

Sadly if you look at the signing from the point of view, I think the con’s outweigh the pro’s. He only completed two Premier League games all season, which for one reason or another will probably count against him as he doesn’t come with light wage packet. That said his ability to score goals, all be it in only a handful of starts but that cannot be overlooked.  The likes of Rosicky and Ramsey have both been deployed on the wing at some stage but neither can manage goals in the preferred position let alone out wide. Then we have the Chamberlain factor, I truly believe Wenger did all he could to stop AOC going to the Euros but alas he failed. Ox has been used on the left and he has had success, it remains to be seen if it’s Chamberlain v Walcott or Chamberlain v Gervinho. If it’s the former then it would be good to have Gervinho and Benayoun competing for the left wing spot. I wanted to use Yossi’s age against him as a reason not to sign him but Rosicky is 32 in October and he recently secured a new deal, so I don’t see why that would be any different for the Israeli.  You also have to factor in the possible emergence of Joel Campbell, I'm not sure whether we will get a work permitfor him but if we did I'd expect him to partake in a couple of Carling Cup games and the FA Cup 3rd round before going on loan to another Premier League side. Your left with more questions than asnwers and I haven't even mentioned Lukas Podolski.

Gamble

Personally, I think we should sign him. There’s been a very healthy connection between him and our supporters. He has undoubted qualities and if we are to compete for honours we need players who can chip in with the fair share of big goals and performances. A two year deal is probably the best he could hope for and I’m sure we could manage to taper his wages slightly. I just hope the club tries to makes this transfer happen. Van Persie commented on Benayoun after his goal in Greece and he said:

                “It was really good for Yossi scoring because he has been training unbelievably - trust me, he is absolutely unbelievable.”

High praise indeed but it adds weight to his signing. He delivers on and off the pitch probably because he comes across as a good honest, hardworking pro. We need players like this as it is something we have been lacking in certain areas of the field.  I think he can also do a job as the creator in the our midfield trio, especially considering Wilshere's amount of setbacks we can't rely on Rosicky all season. That said, the only trouble is he seems to be referring to us in the past tense but then that could just be the usual contractual naviety that we often see displayed by our club.

It's over

Koscielny on hand to tap home.

Like most supporters I can’t say I’ve particularly enjoyed this season.  We’ve been written off by many , we were mocked by our near neighbours #mindthegap and yet we finished 3^rd. I would say this season has been a failure but we have improved our league position from 12 months ago. The damage was done in the summer with the sales of Fabregas and Nasri coming once the Premier League season had actually kicked off. Then the fact we couldn't reinvest until Champions League qualification was sealed via a very difficult clash v Udinese. The thing with yesterday's game was that although the result of the game would decide our fate, it wouldn’t have been the reason behind our failure to seal a top 4 finish. In a way yesterday was typical Arsenal performance that we've come to hate, the usual scrappy defending with the ability to score goals (although credit must go to Martin Fulop). One thing that has improved this season and it was there in abundance yesterday is the resilience of this side, our ability to get points from losing positions emphasises that. We conceded two quick goals yesterday but we managed to get ourselves back in the game and deservedly equalised when Santos smashed home. It was then fitting that one of our stars of the season grabbed the glory though, Laurent Koscielny is easily our most improved player this season and he prodded home to make it 3-2. Of course with Arsenal nothing is easy going and superb blocks from Koscielny and more importantly Gibbs helped ensure we ran out winners and claimed that “all important” 3^rd place but it could have be so different.

Rough Patches

It’s always widely assumed that a team will encounter a rough spell at some point during the season but we didn’t have one poor spell or two but three and they were all pretty gruesome. In the previous season we never managed to win four consecutive games in the Premier League but this season our below par efforts centred around five game spells. After five games of the new season we had taken four points from fifteen. Then at the beginning of the New Year we replicated that effort with another four points from fifteen. Finally our end of season form produced six points from fifteen. All in all, three poor spells producing fourteen points from forty five available. Which makes finishing third all the more remarkable. You can only really put that into perspective when other teams around us claim to have had a fantastic season and its real achievement to finish in the top four. I’m under no illusions, there is a lot of work ahead for this side but I hope we learn from our mistakes (wishful thinking I know) and realise that our squad isn’t good enough to compete at the highest level. When fit we have a pretty good starting XI but it is quickly exposed with injuries that we so regularly suffer and we’ve not been able to play our strongest side at any point this season.

Lows of the Season
3rd:   Losing at Blackburn
2nd:  The performance in Milan
1st:   Manchester United

Notable mentions: NLD (A), Swansea (A), Sunderland (FA Cup)

Automatic Qualification

Why is this so important? It’s important because we don’t have to endure a qualifier and the possibility of not mixing it up with Europe’s finest. It’s even more important that the revenue it brings is guaranteed here and now. Our spending towards the end of last summer’s transfer window had more to do with beating Udinese than it did with the horrendous outing we had at Old Trafford. We’ll also be in Pot 1 when the draw comes around, ensuring we should have an “easier” group.  These are all positives and the signing of Podolski indicates that we are in the market to sign top quality players. Wenger’s work starts now and I hope the future of RvP is resolved sooner rather than later. If he is to go, then go early and allow us to rebuild. We can’t underestimate what today has done to stabilise our summer, I just hope van Persie signs a new contract. and he has gone on record to say he’ll sit down with the club later this week, so let’s see how that goes well.

Positives

What A Moment!

Despite our failings there have been many highlights, none bigger and better than the North London Derby and Bacary Sagna proving to be the catalyst on a chaotic day. It epitomised the team spirit we now have, as it did with many of our late victories. We had Benayoun’s late header at Villa Park, van Persie’s spectacular volley at Anfield, Henry’s final touch in the Premier League at The Stadium of Light and Vermaelen's late surge up field to seal a last gasp win over Newcastle. That turned four points into twelve and we shouldn’t forget that on days like today. Also up there has to be our performance at Stamford Bridge, we had already lost at Man United and Sp*rs and we travelled more in hope than expectation on that day and I still can’t quite believe we scored five but it did bring back a lot of belief back to this side and that was exactly what this side needed at the time.

Highs of the Season

3rd: Henry's goal v Leeds

2nd: Chelsea (A)

1st: Beating 5pu2s 5-2

Notable mentions: Milan (H), Udinese(A), City (H) and Dortmund (H).

Player of the Season

3rd - Mikel Arteta

Arteta scoring at Ewood Park

He was very much the 11th hour transfer and it could have gone so wrong. Arteta joined with a questionable injury record and many thought he would be a direct replacement for the already departed Fabregas. However, Wenger sprung a surprise and he played him alongside Song and he acted more as an insurance policy to protect the defence. Arteta grew into his new found role and Chelsea away proved to be the pivitol moment in his brief Arsenal career. He began to believe he was good enough to play in a big side, having coasted along in Everton's side for a few years. Arteta's passing has been a pleasure to watch and he has scored some quality goals too. He could be the best panic buy in a long time, certainly beats Kiwomya, Helder and Hartson. As it stands looking ahead to next season he is one of the first names on the team sheet next season and you can't pay him a bigger compliment than that.

2nd - Laurent Koscielny

Blackburn away was a very dark day for us and none more so in playing terms that for Koscielny but since that day he has been colossal. His reading of the game has been first class, it has been his outstanding quality this season. He also does the ugly side of the game by getting stuck in, throwing himself infront of the ball when it matters and he isn't afraid to take a card for the good of the side. Personally I think Koscielny performs better along side Mertesacker but I think it's highly unlikely we will ever have them as our first choice centre back pairing. Finally we have someone to fill the number 6 jersey and if he continues progressing at his current rate he will be the 2nd best centre half in the Premier League, although some will argue he already is. Expect to see a lot more shirts with the Frenchman's name on next season.

1st- Robin van Persie

van Persie audacious penalty at Molineux

"He scores when wants, he scores when waaaants, Robin van Persie, he scores when wants." Despite his lack of team honours he has won the odd few awards this season, none bigger than the PFA Players' player of the Year. Whether he stays or goes his contribution will not be forgotten and if he is to go, we will know that we can't match the players ambition and ultimately the fans too. Arsenal said they'd never allow a repeat of last summer and now we find Walcott and van Persie in the same position as Nasri last year. This is his side and it's built around him. He is our first true captain since Vieira and the side thrives off him. He seems to have shaken off the injury prone tag and if he does stay next season and beyond, then we will need to manage him properly because he's not going to get a good rest. Summing it up, if it wasn't for him we'd not have Champions League football next season and we may not have had the chance of celebrating St Totteringhams Day. Thanks Robin.

Overall, Wenger has worked wonders with the resources and the situation that transpired in the summer . I remember the amusement that we created at the beginning of the season but he believed in his players when we all doubted his sanity. Yet again, he was proved right and that's why Arsene will always know best.

Van Persie Conundrum

It's open season once again regarding the future of the Arsenal captain. When you think about it, a lot of media outlets have been obsessed about if for over a decade now. It began with Vieira, then Henry and most recently Fabregas, for the fans it feels like each transfer could be a defining moment for the club and yet we carry on despite the loss of yet another quality player. This time the epicentre of our side is at risk, again. Yet strangely it's not a contract scenario that is not wholly one sided in the favour of RvP staying, in fact there are a couple of discussion points to be had.

He Owes Us

RvP after deciding he wants to score.

A frustrated classic line that is so out of touch with modern day football, he owes us. Some believe RvP owes us for sticking by him during his injury ravaged past. I'm sure RvP is extremely grateful for the support we have given him in the past but he has suffered from two horrible injuries. The simple fact is he has scored 129 goals in an Arsenal shirt so excuse me if you don't agree but he owes us nothing, nothing at all. If it wasn't for him we'd be miles out of touch with the top four, we'd be a less attractive proposition to any prospective new players looking to join the club and don't forget that he scores when he wants.


Fitness

He was injury prone but his horse placenta op seems to have worked wonders. He has played in 43 games this season which isn't even a season best, that was achieved in 2008/2009 when he made 44 appearances. I know I'm treading a fine line here but he has been quite durable and dare I say reliable. It's about time that this ghost was exercised.

RvP versus Sunderland

Then there's the tiredness talk after competing in a long hard season. A lot of fans believe he is suffering from tiredness due to his record of one goal in seven games. In my opinion that is absolute nonsense, RvP is suffering from a slight dent in his super human efforts of late. His last goal from open play came against Newcastle eight games ago. He wasted good opportunities at Everton, including one effort that hit the woodwork. He missed an absolute sitter at QPR, when he wasted a one on one opportunity and he's been unfortunate against City and Chelsea hitting the woodwork against both and having Vermaelen deny him a certain goal. That is not the efforts of a tired forward, you just need to take the rough with the smooth and I'm sure his double player of the year awards this week will have served as a much needed boost to his confidence in front of goal.



Value For Money

The value of a passionate leader

The most logical argument I've come across is that commitment we would be making to him if he was to sign a new deal. If we believe the figures being touted around then he will sign deal worth approx 150k per week which would probably come with a four year deal. That's a £31m commitment to a 29 year old (as of the start of 2012/13) which is monumental for Arsenal. It could be a sign that we are flexing our financial muscle at last. Although if you want to use the best barometer, the past then RvP will be sold for £30m within days of the new Premier League season. When we suggest making such a commitment we need to ensure we are going to get our monies worth. His goals return is sensational, look at the clip of Liverpool if you want to know what it would be like without a clinical finisher. It's not just his goals though it's his leadership too. I know he hasn't covered himself in glory lately with Caldwell and Krul but I like that in a player. I like them being pumped up and disappointed when we lose. Remember Henry when he lost it with Graham Poll at Highbury? Winners hate losing it's as simple as that and we've let too many of them go during this transition to The Emirates and it's time that we stopped being a selling club and started building a side capable of challenging for top honours. The only way to do that is to keep RvP.


Decision Time

You've probably already guessed that I think we should commit to his demands, meet his expectations on the field and put this saga to bed. Wouldn't it be great to go into the Euros with this deal signed and sealed? We all know that won't happen, this is Arsenal after all. If we harbour any aspirations of seriously competing for trophies (actually ones not fourth place) then he has to stay and his value in the market would not get you an adequate replacement. RvP is possibly our best captain since Vieira and their seems to be a good atmosphere around the club, it would be a great shame to lose that and the fact that this team is built around RvP would signal yet another period of transition or maybe we'll just carry on regardless.

Mikel Arteta

Midfield Maestro

When we signed Arteta on deadline I couldn’t help but get engrossed in the whole ‘panic buy’ mentality. We had replaced our captain with a budget equivalent from Everton. When Arteta took the field against Swansea I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew he was cultured and usually at the forefront of all things good in an Everton shirt but what could he add to our side? To my surprise he settled into the middle part of our midfield three, with Ramsey given the licence to roam. This puzzled me somewhat and to be honest by the end of September I was wondering if we had bought Denilson II. He had already scored away to Blackburn but we were left with more questions than answers that day. In truth what was developing was a solid partnership between him and Song. We all know Alex looks a good old charge forward but Arteta’s discipline allows Song to good forward at will. He (Song) still recognises the need for protecting the defence as well but if he does have the rush of blood he is susceptible too, then we will Arteta protecting the back four, whereas previously there wasn’t anyone. Since that horrendous afternoon at Ewood, we have conceded 10 goals in 11 games (3 of which were at Chelsea) which is a huge improvement. I want to give the defence a lot of credit as well but we’ve had that many changes at the back that indicates to me Song and Arteta are the reason why we’ve had such an upturn in our fortunes. The protection they offer now is so much better that what was happening previously.

Possession

Arteta’s passing statistics since Blackburn have been phenomenal.

Opponent         Passes/Successful         Completed %

Bolton              62/71                           87%

Thursdays        79/87                           91%

Sunderland       66/73                           90%

Stoke               77/87                           89%

Chelsea           73/78                           94%

WBA               84/93                           90%

Norwich          63/71                           89%

Fulham             78/88                           89%

Wigan              85/97                           88%

Everton            57/64                           89%

City                 67/73                           92%

Now before we all get a bit Denilson about this, those figures are fantastic. Is it a coincidence that has best passing completion ratios are in our 3 biggest games in that list? He takes care of the ball and this clearly eases the burden off our back four. 

Only misplacing five passes v Chelsea (below) is some achievement but even more impressive is he only lost possesion once in our own half.. This game also provided his only assist of the season but that's not to say he isn't creative. He is also the leading league scorer from midfield as well; he has 3, Song and Ramsey are both stuck on 1. Obviously it goes without saying that Cesc’s goal can’t be replaced from midfield but we are currently accommodating that with RVP’s stunning efforts. I do think we need to get more from Aaron Ramsey and I fear it could be his position up for grabs in once Wilshere returns.

Arteta performance against City was equally as impresive. Only misplacing six passes on this occasion. He does seem to have a phobia of the opposition box if you compare the two graphics, but i'll let him off. His work rate is tremendous and in such a competitve envoirment in a packed midfield  it's good to see he can get on the ball and really dictate play. There was a notion from some quarters of Everton support that he went missing in big games. For me, he was probably just surrounded by lesser players. It has a huge impact, imagine the joy of passing to Van Persie instead of Anichebe?




He will never replace Fabregas as he's a completely different player. He's slotted in extremely well at Arsenal and he's only missed 10 of the 1160 minutes available to him! Which is a credit to him given he was thrown into the mix from the word go and he was injured at the beginning of the season. I think we've struck gold with Arteta and whilst Scott Parker laps up all of the praise, it's time Mikel started getting some recognition.