The importance of being Samir - Part 1

Few have had cause to criticise him this season, Samir has set the Premier league alight with his performances for Arsenal.

He's 23 years old and is growing game by game, but what is driving his improvement this season? Is it the indignance of being dropped for the France squad for the World Cup? Only Samir can tell us that - and indeed he has confirmed that the rest has done him good.

Much has been reported about the personality of Samir, his widely reported clashes with Gallas (now taking up squad space at Shite hart lane) have alluded much to his personality but I've seen a different side of him via interviews. It has been reported that he was cocky and arrogant, but in interviews I have seen and read recently he seems quite humble. I know these things are easily manipulated so I'm not putting much faith in either side, but to say that its probably a bit of all of it.

If I was rising to the upper echelons of football, with one of the worlds biggest clubs then it wouldn't surprise me one bit if I got a bit cocky about it. Though I would expect to be shot down and learn a lesson in humility and then move on.

So what is Samir? Whats his best position? I think his best position is one similar to Messi's. A free role to roam and create havoc. He's a good enough team player to work out where he is needed and what is expected from him and he will make it work. I see so many similarities in the running style of Samir and Messi. They both ride tackles very well and can control the ball extremely well at full pace - bamboozling opposition players as they dance around them.

Samir isn't Messi, but he has what it takes to be come the actual real successor to Zidane's crown - a tag that has dogged his career but like any good prophecy, this one might actually come to pass.

I've got a lot more to say about Samir, but this is part 1, so I'll see you in part 2 and I'll edit and link where appropriate when its written.

WG.

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What I want Arsene to say..

I want him to say that the goal we conceded was a joke and they will work to do better. Great defenders don't do that. I want him to say that his line-up from the weekend will start on Wednesday.

Players in form don't want a rest, they want to maintain their rythym and maintain their form as a result. Nasri won't want to start on the bench, he'll want to ruin Partizan and continue his path to being a legend at the Emirates. His stock is rising rapidly and I've been really impressed.

Qualification for the next round, taken for granted two games ago in the Champions League is now on a knife edge and now we need to take it seriously or not reach the next stage for the first time in years.

I'm a bit worried to be honest. I really thought the boys would have put this to bed already. I'm also annoyed a bit that they haven't.

Looking forward to hearing Arsene later to see what the squad is and what he is thinking.

WG

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Comedy defending? You're having a laugh!

I just thought I'd take a moment to cherish what happened against Fulham on Saturday. The clash of heads between Squillaci and Koscielny was excellent. Absolute comedy gold.

Being a fan of such types of comedy as Monty Python, Bill Bailey, John Bishop, Jason Manford, Comedy doesn't escape me often. I can see this hitting the shelves in time for xmas in some daft "100 greatest football comedy moments" dvd. I was stunned that two grown men, able of communicating in the same language couldn't shout for the ball between them and dodge where appropriate.

The result of which has left Koscielny with concussion, though perhaps it could be for the best as I feel Djourou performed well and should get a start on wednesday and at the weekend at Old Trafford.

Old Djim Djimminy Djim Djimminy Djourou is a good player and I'm pleased that his performance was recognised by Wenger and his previous absences is for the benefit of Djourou and not a result of shifting opinions in the Arsenal camp. I think he has all the ingredients to be a really good centre-back.

Just a thought, forgot to ask yesterday, did anyone have a punt on Nasri to score?

WG

The thing about form is..

Its massively linked to confidence, happiness and fitness. Games like we've had recently have given us confidence when sides set themselves up to be hard to beat.

Fulham played well yesterday, to some extent they deserved something out of the game, save for a masterclass of close control by Nasri.

An open question, could he grow further to be like Messi? I can see comparisons grow every week and with great merit to Nasri's workrate, desire and skill.

In general we were lively, creative and dangerous. At the back we were a bit shaky but we need to keep the same centre-backs from one game to the next...that would be pretty ace!

A good performance all round, Flappianski appeared for a brief moment but recovered and saved smartly at the end. Arshavin again the architect of so much showed again his class. He plays so much better when Fab4 isn't around.

Much more to talk about, but no time now, xmas shopping to do.

Til later!

WG

Craving success at the Grove

Today Fulham visit us at the grove on a thawing saturday. We've been hot on our travels and the Carling Cup game against Wigan should have banished any home jitters.

Arshavin has really hit into form in the last few games and we will need him today. Fulham set themselves up like any Mark Hughes side, they're tight, in your face and attack in numbers. We will need the magic of Arshavin, Nasri and RvP to create chances for Chamakh and bury their own goals themselves.

This is another home game where we need to bury the demons of games past and I'm looking forward to it. I expect the squad to look something like this;

Fabianski
Sagna	Koscielny Djourou			Gibbs
	Wilshire Song
Nasri		Robin Van Persie		Arshavin
		Chamakh

Playing RvP behind Chamakh is something that Wenger has alluded to and I think it might be given a shot today. Robin was on fire on tuesday creating chances all over the place. His skill at dead-balls will be a massive asset, especially today.

I'm really looking forward to this. I think we're going to trash them today and I'm excited.

As usual put your cash on Nasri to score, he's so hot he's practically magma in front of goal at the moment.

WG

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English woe, Russian pride and a leaving a legacy

Leaving a legacy is a desire for all of us. We all want to make our mark in the world, just to have something to show we were here and we made a difference.

Sepp Blatter is no different in this regard. Though ostensibly the one real difference he should make is video replays and leave football to those that love it. It should be no surprise that the self-serving git would cajole and press the Fifa Exec committee into choosing Russia. I would suggest Panorama check out his own Federation, those of his committee members and look into all the mystery donations their football associations might get to fund new pitches and academies.

Lets not be naive, we all know football has evolved from a sport and into a business. If you look at the World Cup without our rose-tinted glasses its a massive multi-billion dollar event, where subsidies, kick-backs and sponsorships are ten-a-penny and where wheels are often greased to facilitate these things.

I'm not happy with the timing of the Panorama program, but I don't really think it made a difference. On paper England ticked all the boxes for the World Cup but Fifa ignored it because they wanted to make a difference, create a legacy. The Russians had it right, there might be Russian Billionaires all over the place tickling each others armpits and owning football teams, but they've sensibly not invested in their football grounds because they knew Fifa would plump for them and give them money to do it. After all, the Russian game needs development - though perhaps they should stop buying Brazilians and start nurturing home talent first?

This all sounds awfully bitter, but in truth I never expected us to get the World Cup, so disappointment isn't so tangible as much as its a welcome cushion that I can sink into and ignore the press furore about it all.

WG

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A great time to get the monkey off your back

Super result in the snow last night. Vela frustrated and then showed his class by setting up Bendtner. Its worth mentioning Vela got past his man and delivered some quality balls into the box and generally looked very lively, but clearly not match-sharp.

Which begs the question, what can we do for players like Vela. He needs to play some games, I think we should bung him off in Jan on a 6 month loan deal to someone in the championship, he needs competitive games and he needs to do it here. It needs to be a development move for him and he needs to stay focussed on Arsenal, not be casting approving looks elsewhere in Spain etc.

I like Vela, I like the way he just picks himself up, dusts off and tries again. He offers something different but he'll never hit form playing reserve and carling cup games.

Bendtner had a decent game too last night, pushing away the lazy slurs he worked hard last night. I do wish he'd look at Chamakh's game and try and learn from it though. I still think he's a bit naive when it comes to working a defence, but I'm not bashing him for it, he's still young and has the potential if his ego will allow him to learn. Which is a big BIG question mark.

For the second game in a row I was impressed with Koscielny, I thought he was on the money last night. Tackling, jockeying and heading he was an all-action hero. He didn't leave Djourou much to do but together they did well.

Wilshire played well, setting up Vela on many occasions but the young mexican was profligate in front of goal and unfortunate, his lack of match-sharpness was so apparent last night. Wilshire continues to impressand he's definitely proving his mettle with another battling display and he clearly outshone Denilson who had a bit of a bad day at the office I felt.

Last night provided an excellent opportunity to get the home losses off of our backs and start again and a cleany wont hurt at all. Sczcesny did ok with little to do, he'll be hoping for more of the same in his next appearance to continue to see his stock rise and take the next step towards the number 1 jersey.

So whats up next, we've got the Cottagers at home. Its time for Mark Schwarzers bi-annual storming performance and a whole lot will be made of it pre-match. Importantly the players need to focus and deliver a performance. Fulham won't lie down and they'll play tight and hit us where it hurts on the counter.

For now, embrace the snow, its going to be here for a while...although not here...its just frosty at the moment here in Wigan.

WG

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