Gunners Stumble As New Season Opens

It was a bad day for Mr. Wenger and his fans (Mirror.co.uk)

I'm not sure how Arsene Wenger imagined his club's opening fixture would go, but I'm sure this wasn't in the script.  The day's controversial calls favored visiting Aston Villa, and the Villains rode them to 1-3 win at the Emirates to give themselves a dream start for their EPL campaign.  American fans will be pleased to note that Brad Guzan had a stellar outing in the win.

It actually started brightly enough for the Gunners though, as for the first six minutes it looked like things were going to go swimmingly despite zero additions to the team. specifically their attack.  They did their usual pretty passing and possession game.  In the sixth minute Villa defender Ron Vlaar got himself out of position and made a horrible challenge up near midfield, he whiffed and took himself out of the play.  Meanwhile, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain streaked into the space, ran forward and sent a pinpoint center pass to the six, where Olivier Giroud  tapped it home to make 1-0 to the Gunners.  That was about the end of the good things for Arsenal.

In the 22nd minute Gunner 'keeper Wojciech Szczesny took out Villa's Christian Benteke as he strode 1v1 in the box and conceded a PK.  I thought he should have seen red, but referee Anthony Taylor showed him  the yellow card instead.  Szczesny then saved Benteke's rather pedestrian PK, but gave up a fat rebound right back into the center of the box, which Benteke headed into the empty net for the equalizer.

The first half then proceeded to play itself out in a bloody manner, with Arsenal's Kieran Gibbs leaving the match with a massive bloody wound to his head.  The ref handed out a few more cards, but seemed to lose the match. Despite that the half cruised to a 1-1 end.

It went from bad to worse for Arsenal in the second half as Oxlade-Chamberlain went out early on with a knock to the knee.  Then in the 60th minute Villa took the lead for good off of another penalty  Laurent Koscielny took down Agbonlahor in the box, but it looked fairly soft.  Still, Benteke iced the PK this time to make it 1-2.  The referee further drew the fans' ire when he sent Koscielny off in the 67th minute with his second yellow card.

Soon enough the fans' wrath turned to Wenger though.  With the Gunners offense sputtering in search of an equalizer, they gave up a counter attack where Antonio Luna slotted home the final goal of the match to make it 1-3.  The Gunners fans unfurled banners lambasting Wenger for not spending as the club was booed off the pitch.  It really was quite the sight.

Interestingly enough, the Hawkeye Goal line technology system was first used in this game.  In the 52nd minute Villa's Fabian Delph hit the bottom of the cross bar, and the system correctly showed that the ball did not cross the line.  It was indeed a successful test.

It doesn't get any easier for Arsenal though, as they face a tough Champion's League Qualification test midweek, and they now have even more injuries.

Puddle's Barclay's Premier League Preview 2013-2014

This man represents my biggest question going into the EPL season. (Manchester United Press)

The new Barlcay's Premier League season gets underway this weekend, and there's a lot of new aspects to be digested, especially for us fans here in United States.  This season the coverage shifts from Fox Soccer to the NBC Sports Network, which should mean more viewers for the league here in the states.  Plus NBC will be offering all matches on TV via their "Premier League Extra Time" and online via their streaming service.  It's quite exciting!

Of course there's plenty of new in the league itself, and none of the stories are bigger than the new managers at three of the league's top four clubs.  With Sir Alex retiring, Manchester United handed the reigns to Everton boss David Moyes.  Chelsea washed their hands of Rafa Benitez and brought Jose Mourinho back to Stamford Bridge for another go 'round.  Meanwhile, another Champions League failure and the loss of the EPL title cost Roberto Mancini his job at City, where he was replaced by Manuel Pellegrini, lately of Malaga fame.  In my opinion, these three men will largely shape the title race, and here's how I think it will shake out:

UEFA Champions League Places:

1. Chelsea FC--Last year I bet against Manchester United in the title race, and I got shown up.  Alas, I'm going to do it again.  I think having Mourinho back in the fold is going to make a huge difference for the Blues, and they've all seemed pretty positive.    The Blues have also gotten quite a bit younger, and I think they have a good mix of old guard and new.  The preseason buzz has largely surrounded the Blues pursuit of Wayne Rooney.  Ultimately, I don't see United selling him to a title rival, but we'll see.  Samuel Eto'o has also emerged as a dark horse possibility.  However, I'm looking for this guy to have a BIG impact this year:

When the Blues first signed Romelu Lukaku, he was hailed as "the next Drogba."  To my mind, he hasn't done anything to lose that reputation as he torched the league on loan with West Brom last year.  He should do even better under the Special One.

2. Manchester City--Pellegrini is a solid manager with tried and true experience in Europe.  Honestly, I look for City to have an improved Champions League campaign this year and to push Chelsea for the title all season long.  Edin Dzeko could be key for city, with Tevez and Balotelli both finally out of the way.  He's certainly a shoe-in for my fantasy squad.  Hopefully a lot of City's off the pitch issues exited with Tevez, Balotelli, and Mancini, giving Pellegrini a clean and quiet slate to work with.  Expectations will be high though, and he best meet some of them.

3. Manchester United--Do not adjust your screens.  I'm putting United in third.  Now, to give a little perspective, the title could come down to just a few points.  I expect United to contend all season long.  As for Moyes, it's time to see what happens.  For years people have been wondering what he could do if he had a big payroll and a big budget.  That day is here.  Unfortunately, Cesc Fabregas is not here, and as of yet United haven't seemed to be able to bolster that midfield.  Last year Van Persie was the man for United, and it's safe to say that he will be again, but does Moyes have the Sir Alex gusto that will take to push through to the title?  We'll see.

4. Arsenal.--It seems like fourth place has been a trophy in and of itself for Arsenal lately, and honestly, I don't see them getting much higher this year.  The summer transfer window has once again been devoid of significant action while Chelsea, City, and United have been more active.  If they can add another piece or two, they'll be outside contenders for the title, but I look for them to have another solid season and hit the Champions League spots for next year.  The question is, when is that going to stop being good enough?

THE BEST OF THE REST

5. Swansea City--The scary thing is, not only did Swans hold on to what was theirs in the off season.  They got better.  Micheal Laudrup not only has Michu at his disposal, but also newly acquired Ivory Coast International Wilfried Bony, who scored 32 goals last year in the Dutch league.  Swans will be a threat for the domestic cups, and if somebody in the top 4 slips up, they could have an outside chance for a Champions League spot.

6. Everton--No Moyes?  No problem.  That's been the attitude for Everton so far in the preseason, where they have looked really fresh and up for the competition.  New manager Roberto Martinez has the Toffees playing really attractive football, and they've just gotten deeper during the summer. (I'm looking at you Gerard Deulofeu.)  It could be an exciting year for the Toffees, with Europe not out of the question.

Now to finish out the top 10:

7--Tottenham
8--Liverpool
9--West Ham
10--West Brom

Who is going to relegated?  Sorry for fans of:

Southampton
Hull "Tigers"
Crystal Palace (I wish it were going to be otherwise.)

So there's my take on the EPL this season.  Good luck to everyone, the first fixtures are almost here!

EPL Final Sunday 2013: Chelsea, Arsenal Clinch UCL spots.

Demba Ba and Chelsea clinched 3rd place with a win over Everton (Getty Images)

Today was the last day of the 2012-2013 EPL season.  It's always sad to see the league wrap up another campaign, and it's bittersweet for some people this year as retirements and changes in TV contract rights will really change how we, here in the US, see the league next year.  More on that later, let's talk about today's pertinent action.

Often the final Sunday is called "Survival Sunday" as teams scrap to escape relegation.  That wasn't the case this year.  QPR and Reading have been relegated for a few weeks now, and Wigan joined them with a loss to Arsenal last Tuesday.  Last year we fans were spoiled as the EPL title came down to pretty much the last kick of the season as Manchester City came from behind to steal the title from United.  This year, the Red Devils put that to rest weeks ago. 

That doesn't mean that there wasn't anything to play for today though.  There was a lot of pride and a lot of MONEY on the line as three teams, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham battled for the final two UEFA Champions League places.  Chelsea were pretty much through, but Spurs needed a win and some help from the Gunners to climb into fourth.  The Gunners had qualified for the Champions League every year under Arsene Wenger, and were keen to keep that streak alive.  There was also the possibility of Chelsea and Arsenal having a one game playoff to decide 3rd place, as they were so close on both points and goal difference.  In the end, that wasn't needed.

All Chelsea needed to do to avoid that fate was win.  That wasn't going to be an easy task as they hosted Everton, who were playing their last match with David Moyes in charge.  Juan Mata gave the Blues the lead on 7 minutes, but Everton bounced back later with a goal from Steven Naismith in minute 14.  The game remained deadlocked late, with the specter of the playoff hanging over Stamford Bridge.  Then Fernando Torres punched in a goal in minute 76 to cement the newly minted Europa League Winners in third place.

Third place is important because the winner goes straight to the Champions League group stage, and Arsenal were shooting for that as well as just trying to hold off a late charge from Tottenham into fourth.  The Gunners visited Sports Direct Arena to face a lowly Newcastle squad who had every reason to already be on the golf course.  Newcastle did put up a fight though, and played better than they have of late.  It wasn't enough though as Laurent Koscielny scored in the 55th minute to give the Gunners the only goal they would need on the day.

All of Sunday's matches ran concurrently though, so with the matches being close, tension was still high.  Spurs needed the three points against Sunderland to even have a prayer at joining the Champions League, plus they needed Arsenal to lose or draw.  Spurs left it late as Gareth Bale hit a wonder strike to give them a 1-0 win at White Heart Lane, however with Arsenal's win, the Spurs face another season in the the gauntlet that is the Europa League.

So here's how things shape up now that all is said and done:

Champions League Group Stage--
Manchester United (Champions)
Manchester City
Chelsea

Champions League Playoff Qualification--
Arsenal

Europa League--
Swansea City (League Cup Champions)
Wigan (FA Cup Champions)
Tottenham Hotspur (5th Place Finish in the Premier League)

Relegation:
Wigan
Reading (promoted this year)
Queens Park Rangers (QPR finish in last place).

Promoted to EPL:
Cardiff City (Championship winners)
Hull City (Championship Runner-up)
Watford OR Crystal Palace (TBD by playoff at Wembley on 27 May).

So there it is folks.  Congrats again to United and Sir Alex on a great career.

Next year fans in the USA will being seeing the league covered by a different network for the first time in a long time.  NBC Sports was awarded the broadcast rights earlier this year in a move that was a big blow to the current holders: Fox Soccer and ESPN.  I'll miss Ian Darke's call on ESPN, but I'm very glad Gus Johnson won't be torturing any more Premier League matches on Fox.

Check back later this week for the Puddle's season review, and don't forget, only 90 days til next year!

Champions League Roundup: Bayern Drubs Arsenal. Barca Fall

Didier Drogba returned to Champions League Play with Galatasaray (Getty Images)

The second week of knockout action in the UEFA Champions League action certainly provided some interesting results, though not a lot of it along with the pundits' scripts.  Out of the eight teams that played, probably only one really punched their ticket to the next round, but there definitely could be some surprises in store in the second legs.

The action kicked off on Tuesday with Arsenal hosting last year's finalists Bayern Munich at the Emirates in London.  The Gunners were reeling after the weekend saw them drop out of the FA Cup with a home loss to Blackburn.  Sadly for Arsenal supporters, things didn't improve on Tuesday as Bayern were up two goals within 25 minutes courtesy of Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller.

Arsenal did manage to survive until halftime without conceding again, and a stroke of luck awarded them a comeback goal in the second half.  The referee wrongly awarded a corner kick to the Gunners after Santi Cazorla's shot defected off of his own man.  Bayern 'keeper Manuel Neuer totally flubbed on the corner, missing the ball completely.  Arsenal man Lucas Podolski was in the right place at the right time to nod the ball into goal to give Arsenal hope on on 55 minutes, but Matrio Mandzukic struck in minute 77 to ice the match 1-3 to Bayern.  It's tough to see the Gunners going to Germany and making up the deficit, but as Chelsea fans will tell you, stranger things have happened.  However,  I do believe at this point that Bayern are as good as through.

Tuesday's other match took place in Portugal as FC Porto hosted La Liga's Malaga.  Much of the punditry, especially on Fox, gave Malaga the advantage in this one, despite Porto's excellent record at home in Europe.  Malaga have been decent in La Liga this year, but far from world beaters, and to me, they're a bit over-rated. 

Porto controlled the possession 63%-37%, but the match offered few clear chances for either side.  Finally Porto broke through in the second half though.  Portugal international Joao Moutinho took a pass from Alex Sandro, who positioned him well between the final Malaga defender and goalkeeper. From there it was only for Moutinho to side foot the ball into the net to give Porto the 1-0 win.  The hosts would probably have preferred to see a bigger advantage for all their possession, but Malaga will be disappointed not to come away with the away goal.

The shocker of the week came Wednesday at San Siro in Milan as AC Milan hosted Barcelona, who have looked to be a juggernaut in most of their competitions this year.  Barca seemed to sputter a little more than usual against Milan, albeit on an obviously choppy pitch.  Kevin-Prince Boateng put the home side up early in the second half, but in controversial fashion.  Riccardo Montolivo took a shot the quite clearly deflected off the arm of Milan's Christian Zapata, but there was no whistle.  The ball fell to Boateng, who managed to slot past Victor Valdes to give Milan the 1-0 lead on 56 minutes.  Gerard "Mr. Shakira" Pique was booked for dissent after the goal.

There wasn't controversy in the 81st minute though as Sulley Muntari beat Valdes with an excellent finish to make it 2-0 on full time.  The organized Italian side contained Messi for most of the match and their lead is well deserved, despite the obvious talking point.   Certainly Barca are more than capable of making up the ground at Camp Nou, but it might be a bit tougher without the away goal.  Don't bury them yet though.

The final game of the week took place in Turkey as a revitalized Galatasary squad hosted Schalke 04.  With former UCL champions Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba now in the fold, the Turkish side looked to be in good shape for a deep run in the knockout stages.  They even took the lead only 12 minutes in when Burak Yilmaz.  Yilmaz wowed the crowd by flicking the ball over a Schalke defender then banging into the net to get to give the home side a 1-0 lead.

Schalke had some other things in mind though.  Right before halftime Jefferson Farfan set up  US International Jermaine Jones after Gala gave the ball away in midfield.  Jones took the pass and calmly beat Gala 'keeper Fernando Muslera to tie the score at 1-1.  It would be the last scoring of the day.  Schalke will be well pleased with the way goal.

There is some controversy surrounding this result as well as Schalke have officially challenged the match with UEFA.  The concern is over Drogba's inclusion in the Galatasaray squad.  Drogba was given a temporary license with UEFA after the Ivorian striker contended that his contract with the Chinese club he joined was void after they failed to pay his wages for three months.  He then joined Galatasaray.  However, there is some dispute over this, and UEFA is investigating the legal status of the contract.  Schalke is contending that Drogba was ineligible to play pending the outcome of this investigation.  I doubt UEFA will do anything given the temporary license, but we'll see.  At any rate, the result is a positive one for the German club.

West Ham Struggles Continue Versus Gunners

Olivier Giroud & Lukas Podolski celebrate an Arsenal goal.

Arsenal supporters were very happy at the end of this rearranged Boxing Day match.  The West Ham supporters weren't quite so amused, despite being in rapture earlier in the match when their club took the early lead in this London derby.  However, at the end of the day the Gunners' somewhat maligned strike force showed exactly what they were capable of, using a scintillating second half performance to down the Hammers 5-1 at the Emirates.

One would not have guessed that the full time result would include so many goals judging from the opening minutes of the match, when both sides looked a little lethargic and out of sync.  Chances were non-existent in the first ten minutes, and when the first one finally came, it was hardly noteworthy.  On the tenth minute Ricardo Vaz Te put his head to a cross from Guy Demel, but pushed it well wide of the target.

West Ham did look the slightly more dangerous side though, as they tried to press the Arsenal goal.  Carlton Cole missed the target in the 15th minute, but the Hammers finally took the lead in minute 18.  Arsenal failed to totally clear a corner kick, and the ball fell to Jack Collison sitting outside the penalty area.  Collison unleashed a wicked drive that soared past Wojciech Szczesny and tore into the back of the Arsenal net to make it 0-1.

The strike seemed to finally jolt the Gunners awake though, and they responded almost immediately.  In the 22nd minute Jack Wilshere dropped the ball off to Lukas Podolski who was lurking outside the Hammers' box.  The German smacked a shot of his own into the net with a huge drive that probably exceeded the greatness of Collison's effort four minutes earlier.  The Gunners were back in the match at 1-1.

Arsenal finally started to hit their stride with their passing game and started to mount more attacks on the West Ham goal.  They came close to taking the lead right before halftime, when Jussi Jaaskelainen just managed to parry Santi Cazorla's effort away from the top corner, keeping the sides even going into the break.

There was nothing even about the second half though, as Arsenal opened an all out assault on the Hammers from the opening whistle.  In the 47th minute Olivier Giroud volleyed a home a Theo Walcott corner to give the Gunners their first lead of the evening at 2-1.  They were hardly done though.

In the 53rd minute Cazorla got on the board as he took a pass from Podolski and knocked home a goal from close range to make it 3-1 to the Gunners.  Podolski would play provider again just a minute later, hitting Walcott in the center of the box with a spot-on through ball.  The England international promptly slotted it home to make it 4-1 and the blowout was in full effect.  They would tack one more goal on in the 57th minute when Giroud tapped in from up close to complete his brace and make it 5-1.

The venom went all out of the match in the 72nd minute though, when West Ham's Daniel Potts dropped to the floor after a clash of heads with Arsenal's Bacary Sagna.  He was treated on the pitch for some 18 minutes with an emergency blanket, gas, and a neck brace.  He was eventually stretchered off and West Ham continued with 10 men as they had already used all three substitutions.

The match faded out through the 90 and 12 minutes of stoppage time, with 5-1 being the score at the full time whistle.  The three points were huge for Arsenal after back to back losses to City and Chelsea.  Potts spent Wednesday night in a London hospital and tests showed that he had indeed sustained a concussion.  He returned home on Thursday, thanking well wishers on West Ham's website.  He will be evaluated further before he is allowed any future training.

Fulham Earn Testy Draw at Arsenal

Mikel Arteta had a forgettable game for the Gunners (Getty Images)

Arsenal vs Fulham is kind of the London derby that isn't, as the Cottagers have never won away to Arsenal and have secured very few draws.  This year's Fulham side is a bit different though, led by Dimitar Berbatov, and looked to alter that horrible away record.  Arsenal had the better of the start, but in the end it was Fulham who were happier on the day.

Fulham came out looking quite positive, moving the ball around rather nicely, and it was a bit odd honestly.  You don't usually see teams come out and have possession against Arsenal, particularly at the Emirates.  However they could only turn this into one early chance, as Bryan Ruiz had a shot deflected just wide of the Arsenal goal in the 4th minute.

The good news for Arsenal was that Olivier Giroud was very active in this one.  The Frenchman has been viewed as a little bit of a bust since coming over to the Gunners, failing to tally in the Premier League.  He opened his account in a big way in this one though.  In the 11th minute Theo Walcott sent a corner kick into the Fulham area and Giroud planted a bullet header just between Fulham 'keeper Mark Schwarzer and his near post to make it 1-0. 

It wasn't just Giroud who got in on the act for the Gunners though.  Lukas Podolski was also among the goals.  In  the 23rd minute the Fulham defense fell asleep at the switch in their own penalty area, allowing Mikel Arteta to easily drop a centering pass off to Podolski at the top of the six.  The German promptly slotted an easy finish past a helpless Schwarzer to make it 2-0.

It was at that point that Dimitar Berbatov decided he had had enough, and took over the game for Fulham, working well on the ball when he had it, and demanding better from his teammates when he didn't.  Berbatov tallied Fulham's first, doinking in a close range header from a corner kick to make it 2-1 on 29 minutes as set piece defense continued to haunt the Gunners.

The former United man was far from finished though and helped pull the Cottagers level before the half.  In the 40th minute he sent a spot on cross over to Alexander Kacaniklic who was coming in from the Fulham left.  Kacaniklic then headed the the ball just inside the near most to make it 2-2 going into the halftime interval.

The second half would be as much of a battle as the first, though a good portion of the story of the stanza would be told from the penalty spot.  In the 65th minute Arsenal conceded a PK as Bryan Ruiz was brought down in the box.  Berbatov pretty much froze Arsenal 'keeper Vito Mannone on the spot kick, icing it into the bottom corner to make it 2-3 to Fulham.  Arsenal looked to be reeling.

It didn't last long though as Giroud and Walcott came to the Gunners rescue again.  In the 69th minute Walcott found the Frenchman lurking in the six with a cross, and Giroud dropped in yet another headed goal to equalize the match with 20 minutes left, 3-3.

Things stayed knotted well into the stoppage time, when controversy reared it's head.  In the 4th minute, referee Phil Dowd awarded Arsenal a PK when an Andrei Arshavin cross bounced off the lowered hand of Sascha Riether from point blank range, it really was a tough call.  The Gunners crowd scratched their heads though when Arteta stepped up to take the penalty as opposed to Giroud, the striker.  Arteta then proceeded to send a tame penalty in toward the corner which Schwarzer easily saved to preserve the draw 3-3 at full time.  It really was a horrible missed opportunity for the Gunners at home.

EPL: Arsenal Survives 10-Man QPR

Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey celebrates the match winning goal (Getty Images)

It's been a long week for the Gunners.  Not only did they drop a home Champions League match to Schalke 04, but Arsene Wenger drew some ire from some supporters and media after saying that qualifying for the Champions League was probably more important than winning a trophy.  Well I think we all know Mr. Wenger is probably talking about trophies like the League Cup, but the point of criticism still stands and has been debated for much of the week.  Wenger and his players came into the match hoping a result against bottom dwellers QPR would ease some of the pressure.

There was reason to be optimistic for the Gunners as well.  Jack Wilshere made his season first team debut after an injury that sidelined him for more than a year.  He looked pretty good too.  As a matter of fact, he was about the only thing that looked good in the first half.

Arsenal did have the best chance of  the opening stanza, and it came very early on.  In the 10th minute Bacary Sagna sent a cross into the six, where it met the head of Aaron Ramsey.  Ramsey managed to direct it on to the goal, and perhaps he had Julio Cesar beaten.  However, the ball dinged off the crossbar and out of danger.

QPR was largely punch-less through the first half as well, failing to tally a shot on target.  The Gunners would have a half chance right before halftime, as Andre Santos got a shot on goal, but Cesar made a fairly easy save to send the teams to the interval scoreless.

After a very mediocre first half performance, Arsenal came out looking much better in the second.  In the 51st minute Per Mertesacker headed a free kick from Mikel Arteta that forced a diving save from Cesar.  It was the first of a couple of fine saves from the former Inter man in the second half.

In the 77th minute Arsenal had a golden chance to go a goal up.  After a bit of a scrum in front of Cesar's goal, the ball fell very nicely to Santi Cazorla, who was all alone in the middle of the box.  Unfortunately the Spaniard blazed his wide open look well over the crossbar to the dissatisfaction of his teammates and the crowd.

The match changed just two minutes later though, and it totally swung the odds in Arsenal's favor.  In the 79th minute Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen pushed QPR's Stephane Mbia just outside the QPR penalty area.  The assistant referee awarded the foul, but that wasn't enough for Mbia, who lashed out in a kick at the Arsenal man.  The referee spotted it, and had no choice but to issue him the red card, putting QPR down a man with ten minutes to go.

It didn't take Arsenal long to capitalize either.  In the 84th minute Cesar found himself alone in front of his goal with Olivier Giroud and Arteta.  Cesar managed to save Giroud's close range header, but parried it right to Arteta, who hit the bar with a header of his own.  The ball dropped to him though, and the former Everton man poked it over the line to give Arsenal the 1-0 lead.  Replays later showed Arteta was was probably offside on the play, but it would have been a tough call for the assistant to see so close to goal.

QPR did not fold though, in fact they responded with their best stretch of the match.  In the 90th minute Adel Taarabt found Esteban Granero in the box with a long range free kick, but Granero poked his shot just wide of the far post.  In the 2nd minute of stoppage time, Jamie Mackie gave the Arsenal defense the traffic cone treatment and maneuvered for a close 1v1 with Vito Mannone.  Mannone saved the shot stone cold to preserve the lead.  Finally in the third minute of stoppage, Mannone came up big again, tipping a Granero free kick away from his top corner, which finally silenced QPR and locked in the 1-0 win for the Gunners.

Alex Song Officially Joins Barcelona

Alex Song has completed his medical and arrival at Barcelona

The exodus from the Emirates continued today as Arsenal midfielder completed his medical evaluation paving the way for his official arrival at Barcelona.  The move is rumored to be worth about £15 millon.

Song is a 24 year old midfielder from Cameroon, who has spent the last seven years in North London.  He has signed a five year deal with the La Liga giants, where he hopes to provide them with a bit more of a physical presence.  I think it's a good move for both player and club.

Song did not play for Arsenal when the Gunners hosted Sunderland this last weekend.  Immediately after the end of the match, which finished scoreless, they announced that they had agreed to terms with Barca for the transfer.  Song appeared in 204 matches for Arsenal, scoring 10 goals in the process.

RVP Signs With United, and Wayne Rooney Trolls Piers Morgan

At this point we all have all pretty much heard that Arsenal Captain Robin Van Persie has been sold to Manchester United.  You also probably know that Piers Morgan threatened to end his own life should RvP leave the Gunners.  Well, unless you follow Wayne Rooney on twitter, which I recommend you do, you might have missed this little masterpiece of Twitter Trolling:

Yes, Wayne posted a pic of RvP in his new United training duds, directed right at the CNN host.  United fan or not, Wayne Rooney is always good for a laugh.  One of my favorite footballers on twitter.

Robin Van Persie Wins Both PFA and FWA Player of the Year

Arsenal's Robin Van Persie has claimed a double honor in England (telegraph.co.uk)

The Puddle would like to extend congratulations to Arsenal captain and Dutch International Robin Van Persie.  RVP has claimed both player of the year awards in England, one voted on by the players and one voted on by football journalists.

Van Persie was given the PFA award on Sunday, and was announced as the winner of the FWA award on Tuesday.  According to GiveMeFootball.com, the accomplishment isn't all that rare, and has happened 15 times in 32 years.  Who are some other players who have pulled it off?  Try Wayne Rooney, Kenny Dalglish, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Thierry Henry to name a few.

RVP has netted 27 goals for Arsenal this season, and some folks credit him with resurrecting the Gunners from their horrible start almost single handedly.  He currently has them in 3rd place in the EPL, in Champions League position.

Congrats to Mr. Van Persie, and I'm sure all the Gunners fans are hoping they retain your services.

Puddle's Goal of the Weekend: Mikel Arteta Knocks Out Man City

For my goal of the weekend this week we go back to the Premier League, and to Emirates Stadium. In the 87th minute of the Arsenal vs. Man City match, Mikel Arteta smacked home this great goal to give Arsenal a win and most likey hand the league title to Manchester United.

Wenger Receives 3 Match European Ban

                                                  mirrorfootball.co.uk

Seems Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is up to his old tricks.  Namely, thinking that the only reason the Gunners ever lose is because of referees.  It looks like it's gotten him into trouble again.

Today UEFA slapped him with a 3 game European ban for comments he made to the match official after Arsenal was eliminated from the Champions League by AC Milan.  Weird thing is, Arsenal won that match 3-0 (The Gunners had lost 4-0 in Italy).  At any rate, the ban and accompanying 40,000 Euro fine ($53,000) were handed down for "improper conduct."

If Arsenal qualifies for the Champions League or the Europa League, which looks likely, Wenger will be serving his third such UEFA ban in a year.  The other two bans stemmed from instances in last year's Champion's League, and the qualifiers this year.

Wenger has indicated he will appeal the ban.

EPL: Everton vs. Arsenal

Thomas Vermaelen heads home a goal. (Getty Images)

It's really hard to sit here and write about this match and not think Everton deserved a point out of this one, especially in light of the fact that they had a perfectly good goal ruled out. Still. for Arsenal. they seem to be getting some of the breaks now that weren't going their way early in the season.

The evening started like it was just going to be a typical Arsenal performance. They got possession and kept it, featuring a string of one and two touch passes. It wasn't long until they started creating chances. However, most of them fell to Aaron Ramsey, and he couldn't hit the broadside of a barn in this one. In the sixth minute he got a really good look at close range, yet somehow sprayed the ball wide.

However, the Gunners came good in the 8th minute, after another Ramsey shot was blocked. They set up for a corner kick and Robin van Persie used it to send in a gorgeous cross. Thomas Vermaelen leaped into the air and headed it away from Tim Howard and into the goal to give Arsenal the 0-1 lead.

Arsenal continued to control much of the first half, but the Toffees slowly got their feet underneath them. The game's real moment of controversy came in the 32nd minute. Everton was on one of their best attacks of the match and Royston Drenthe smacked the ball in for what appeared to be an equalizer. The celebration was short lived though, as the flag was up for offside. Replays clearly showed he was on. With the goal ruled out, halftime came with Arsenal still holding the 0-1 lead.

Everton came out actively looking for the equalizer and kept Arsenal somewhat on the back foot through the second half. However, lack of creativity in the final third really limited their chances, despite their possession. In the end, the best chance fell to Royston Drenthe in the 78th minute, but his shot following a corner kick sailed harmlessly over the bar. All in all, I'm sure Arsenal felt fortunate to be picking up all three points, but I think Arsene Wenger should stop complaining about the refs for awhile.

Mertesacker Out Long Term for Arsenal.

As if getting drilled in the Champions League wasn't bad enough for Arsenal, today they got some more bad news affecting their much maligned defense. According to the club, German defender Per Mertesacker had ankle surgery yesterday and will be out "long term," perhaps for the rest of the season.

Mertesacker sustained an ankle injury during last weekend's 2-1 win over Sunderland. According to Arsene Wenger, the surgery was to reconstruct ligaments in his ankle. The center back arrived near the end of last summer's transfer period and his loss will be a blow to the Gunners.

They did get better news on Laurent Koscielny though. He had sustained a knee injury against Milan at the San Siro. However the subsequent scans were better than expected and he is only expected to miss a week or so,

UCL: AC Milan vs. Arsenal

Different Reactions, Arsenal and Milan....(AP Images)

Well if you thought Leverkusen played poorly in Tuesday's marquee Champions League match, Arsenal was downright pathetic on Wednesday. Honestly, can we drop them and bring back City, United, or somebody who at least cares? Arsenal fans have said it all year, "We're finally turning it around, Arsene Wenger is going to get it done." I have an even harder time believing that after this match. Dispatching a bottom table EPL opponent is one thing, playing the defending Serie A champs in the Champions League is something else entirely.

The Gunners took some possession in the opening minutes and probed hesitantly for a gap in the Milan defense. However all they got was a horribly wide shot from Tomas Rosicky and the ball pretty much went to Milan for the rest of half.

AC Milan did suffer a blow early on though, as captain Clarence Seedorf went down with an injury in the 10th minute. He tried to continue, but was replaced by Urby Emanuelson in the 12th minute. Emanuelson took Milan's first great crack at goal a minute later but shot wide. He really should have done better.

It was not to be the last chance for Milan though. In the 15th minute Milan got the ball into Kevin Prince Boateng after a horrible clearance. Boateng unleashed an absolutely SICK volley into the net to make it 1-0 to the Milanese. The attack didn't end there either. Antonio Nocerino poked quite a few holes in the Arsenal back line, and even hit the top of the crossbar in the 21st. Robinho rounded out the first half scoring by taking a cross from Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the 38th minute and heading in a goal to make to it 2-0 to Milan at the half.

Surely Arsenal would get better in the second half, right? They put in Thierry Henry, in his last match before rejoining his MLS club. He was pretty much useless. Not that he played poorly, but they couldn't get the ball to him or Robin Van Persie for that matter.

Milan made things even tougher for the Gunners in the 49th minute. With Milan prowling around the edge of his own 18, Thomas Vermaelen slipped and fell, opening up a chance for Robinho, who took advantage and blasted home his second goal to make it 3-0. Then in the 78th minute Johan Djourou stupidly wrestled Ibra down in the 18 to concede a PK. The big Swede calmly nailed the spot kick to make the final humiliating score 4-0 to Milan.

Can anybody out there see Arsenal getting 4 on the Milan defense back in London? I think not. I'll take the Italian champs to be moving on.

EPL: Arsenal vs. Manchester United

The promos that FOX had been running all week to build this game up talked about the 8-2 thrashing the Gunners took at Old Trafford earlier this season. Since those those early season woes, an obvious low point for the squad under Wenger, Arsenal has somewhat gotten back on their horse, qualifying for the knock out stage of the Champions League and propelling themselves into 5th spot in the Premier League.

What everybody watching knew today was that Arsenal had to start getting it done against teams like United to really convince people they were back in it as far as the race for the Champions League spots goes. Could they prove that today, or would they hit another low? After all, they had lost back to back matches coming into this one, including a crushing defeat at Swansea last week when the newly promoted side totally outplayed them.

The Gunners tried to start the game brightly, and although they had the possession in the opening minutes, they got very little that resembled an actual chance. Aaron Ramsey rolled a shot in on goal in the 8th minute, and Theo Walcott put forth a a meager effort in the 11th, both easily saved by Anders Lindegaard.

After the opening 10 minute control by the Gunners, Manchester United slowly started to take over. In truth, it was a rather lackluster first half effort from both sides. Both Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney managed to test the 'keeper in the 23rd and 35th minutes, respectively, but it wasn't until the stroke of halftime that they converted. Ryan Giggs came up the wing totally unmarked and sent in a gorgeous cross that was headed into the goal by Antonio Valencia to make it 0-1 in first half stoppage time.

Wenger must have actually raised his voice at halftime, because the Gunners came out much more lively, trying to push their way back into the match. They almost managed it in the 51st minute as Robin Van Persie found himself staring at the net at almost point blank range after a United defensive blunder, but somehow the Dutch striker managed to put his shot wide.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made his first EPL start today for Arsenal, and the 18 year old was one of the few, if not the only bright spot for the Gunners. In the 61st minute he had a great chance to equalize but just sent his shot wide. Then in the 71st minute he put a great ball into Van Persie on a counter attack that RVP just managed to knock past Lindegaard to tie the match at 1-1.

Then Arsene Wenger did something incredibly stupid. He subbed out the wonderfully performing Chamberlain for the utterly useless Andrei Arshavin. The crowd at the Emirates actually booed the sub. Arshavin didn't waste much time making his presence felt in all the wrong ways. In the 81st minute he let Valencia slip right by him in the area. Valencia then centered to Danny Welbeck who slotted home the goal to make it 1-2 to United. It proved to be the game winning goal, as the rest of the match descended into bad tackles and yellow cards, and the crowd virtually booing Arshavin and Wenger off the pitch. What a dumb move.

ROBIN VAN PERSIE SCORES IN THE SECOND HALF. (Mike Hewitt--Getty Images)

EPL: Swansea City vs. Arsenal

I heard a lot of great stuff about this match over the last couple days, so as I decided what matches I really wanted to focus on watching and blogging this week, this was the at the top of the list. Both of these sides are known for playing beautiful passing and flowing football, and they really didn't disappoint. The match could have used a few less defensive blunders though.

Kemy Agustien had the first shot for the Swans within the first minute, but it went wide and the Gunners went on the attack. Swansea gave them everything they had though, constantly pressuring and harassing the Arsenal players the minute they touched the ball. The first shot may have gone to Swansea, but the first goal went to Arsenal. In the 4th minute Andrei Arshavin put a nice through ball toward the area for Robin Van Persie. Both Michel Vorm and his defenders closed RVP down, but somehow he snuck the ball in near post to make it 0-1 to the Gunners.

After that most of the credit goes to Swansea. They weren't phased at all by the Arsenal goal and stuck to their possession game plan. At one point they had 65% of it to just 35% to Arsenal. This is ARSENAL we're talking about. They usually do that to other teams. The pressure paid off for Swansea in the 16th minute as Arsenal conceded a PK. Depending on what commentary you read or listen to on this, opinions differ. Aaron Ramsey clearly made contact with Nathan Dyer in the box. Could Dyer have stayed on his feet? Perhaps. However, was it a foul? I say yes. Dyer probably went down easily, but Ramsey gave the referee the chance to make the call. Both of the announcers calling the game thought it was the right call too. At any rate, Scott Sinclair nailed the spot kick to equalize at 1-1.

Both sides had decent chances again before halftime. In the 29st minute, RVP nearly put Arsenal back on top, only to be saved by Vorm. Swansea defender Steven Caulker got a header on a goal from a set piece situation in the 32nd, only to see Arsenal's scrambling defense clear it off the line. The half ended at 1-1.

There were even more chances and in the 2nd half as the match opened up even more. Theo Walcott had a nice chance for the Gunners right off in minute 46, but put his shot high. Just two minutes later Arshavin got a really good look at goal but somehow managed to put his shot into the cheap seats. It really wasn't a good day for him.

In the 53rd minute Swansea forward Joe Allen put a shot tantalizingly close to goal, but had it just go wide. However he redeemed himself just four minutes later as he worked a ball to Dyer, who smacked the ball in far post to make it 2-1 to the Swans on 57 minutes.

Now it was Arsenal's turn to react to falling behind. They changed up their squad, including inserting Thierry Henry. It wasn't Henry however, but the man wearing his old number 14, Theo Walcott, that got the equalizer. He took a through ball from Djorou on 69 minutes and slotted it past Vorm to make it 2-2.

The Arsenal elation didn't last long though. Forty-five seconds to be exact. Gylfi Sigurdsson caught the Gunners asleep at the back and threaded a ball through to Danny Graham who whizzed the ball past Szczesny before the Arsenal keeper even saw it coming. The goal gave Swans the 3-2 lead, which they held until full time.

The three points put Swansea into the top half and closer to safety. Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger was left to complain. He didn't complain much about how his team got outplayed for large stretches of the match, he complained about the ref and the PK. Yeah, we know Mr. Wenger, you'd win every trophy if only the refs weren't out to get you. The loss leaves the Gunners 4 points behind Chelsea for the final Champions League spot.


A frustrated Henry had little to no effect. (Micheal Steele--Getty Images/FoxSoccer.com)

EPL: Arsenal vs. Everton

I would be tempted to describe this match as a snoozefest. However, I think there's a better word to describe it, frustrating. Well, I guess it would be frustrating to a neutral like myself, or to an Arsenal fan. For some reason the Gunners just could not finish in this one. Now, I'm sure that suits Everton's fans just fine.

Everton played real nose to the grindstone football, as they are known to do. They certainly don't generally have the fire power to keep up with the Big Four, so they play the way that gives them the best chance, which is just fine. They played well defensively in this one too, but in the end a lot of Arsenal's misfirings came down to them, not the Toffees.

One thing that Everton did extremely well throughout the match was execute the offside trap. Theo Walcott got caught three times just in the opening minutes. Robin Van Persie ended up getting caught as well. It was flag after flag. However, when Arsenal did manage to stay onside, they created some chances. Aaron Ramsey caused the Toffee defense some problems, but couldn't trouble Tim Howard. He missed the target on his best two chances in the the 29th and 32nd minutes, respectively.

After coming out of half time still scoreless Arsenal continued to pretty much much control the proceedings, but they didn't look really great doing it. Everton did finally get a foothold and create some chances though. Their best run came from about the 65th to 70th minutes with multiple chances from Tim Cahill, Phil Neville, and Marouane Fellaini. However, nothing went in the back of the net.

Arsenal Captain Robin Van Persie finally found the goal in the 70th minute. He took a great ball from Alex Song and tapped the prettiest volley you'll ever see into the far post.

In the end, the goal was all Arsenal would need to wrap up three points against Everton. It came on an appropriate day, as the club marked it's 125 anniversary during the pregame ceremonies.


Here's a Youtube link to the RVP goal

UCL: Olympiakos vs. Arsenal

PHOTO: FOXSOCCER.COM/GETTY IMAGES



There's not a lot to really say about this one. I try to make it a point to catch Olympiakos when I can, even if it's a replay of an older match, just because I don't ever get to see the Greek teams. Coming into this home match against Arsenal, they needed to win and hope Marseille didn't win in Germany in order to advance.

The task was quite different for the Gunners. They had already assured themselves a place in the next round, so they left most of their first team back in England. This meant that their reserves were going to get a shot at the Greek champs. However, it was Olympiakos that did most of the shooting.

The match was characterized by all around poor play by Arsenal at the back. Indeed, I'd say most of their wounds were self inflicted. In the 16th minute Rafik Djebbour took advantage of an Arsenal give away, then calmly ran around Lukasz Fabianski and tapped the shot in far post to make it 1-0 to the Greeks. Just six minutes later, Fabianski headed the ball right to Kevin Mirrallas, but the Olympiakos MF missed the target wide. Fabianski was injured in the next sequence and Arsenal brought in their 3rd string 'keeper, Vito Mannone. He played like a 3rd string 'keeper and Olympiakos tacked on a 2nd in the 36th minute to make it 2-0 at the half.

The second half proceeded in a bit of a disjointed manner, but Arsenal did manage a goal. In the 57th Yossi Benayoun sent a volley into the back of the Olympiakos net to make it 2-1. However the Greeks sealed the deal in the 89th as Francois Modesto tapped in a rebound after a corner to make 3-1 at full time. Unfortunately, Marseille beat Dortmund very late, which knocked the Greeks out of the CL knockout stage.

For Arsenal, ugly match. They have a lot to do at the back for their youngsters. Certainly the Greek champs taught them a lesson they won't soon forget.

EPL: Arsenal vs. Fulham

All eyes were on Arsenal's Robin Van Persie coming into this match. It's perfectly understandable. Only Real Madrid's Ronaldo has scored more goals for club and country in the 2011 calendar year. However, it wasn't the prolific Arsenal captain that found the back of the net, but a center back, and he found the net for BOTH teams.

As is typical, Arsenal controlled much of the match. Fulham had never won at the Gunners, and it seemed like it would be a tough ask today as well. Andrey Arshavin got a look in the 11, after sitting out the Champion's League fixture midweek. He looked pretty good. Early on he took a pass from RVP and smacked it into the back of the net, but the flag was up and replay showed he was indeed offside.

Theo Walcott and Ramsey also had great chances for the Gunners. Ramsey in particular forced a great save out of Mark Schwarzer to keep the game level. Fulham had two solid chances in the first half, one from Bobby Zamora and the other from Mousa Dembele. However they couldn't beat Wojciech Szczesny and we went into the half time break at 0-0.

Business then picked up in the second half. Van Persie got his best look of the game early on, only to see his shot cleared off the Fulham goal by Chris Baird. Then in the 65th minute we had our first goal of the day. Thomas Vermaelen tried to play a bouncing ball in his own area, but ended up putting it past his own 'keeper to make it 0-1 to Fulham.

A few minutes later, Bobby Zamora knocked in another for Fulham. However, he was also flagged for offside, but just barely. It was a lot closer than Arshavin's called back effort.

Vermaelen redeemed himself and snatched a point for the Gunners in the 83rd minute. He got his head onto a Theo Walcott cross and directed it into the back of the net to make it 1-1. Arsenal put on a lot of pressure in the final 7 minutes, but Fulham held on to snatch a road point at the Emirates.