Arsenal vs Sunderland Preview: Team and Injury News

Morning all,

Apologies for the briefness of the post as I am about to embark on an epic journey. A journey that will take me from Highbury & Islington station to the depths of the Bailey for some special brew (not literally) in a little over an hour (I know it’s early but it is how I celebrate the start of the season). From there we shall pop into whichever pub confronts us across Holloway Road until Daniel, Aman, Kristian and I set foot in the majestic Emirates stadium to welcome the Premier League campaign.

It may be difficult to ascertain exactly who might play and how we will shape up but one thing is clear; we will be out there to win. Despite what has happened in the last 48 hours regarding Song and Van Persie, the attitude and commitment that was shown from the boss in the pre-match conference was one to marvel at. He literally confronted fire with volcanic lava and then stuck the boot in to make sure.

He took questions with an aura of someone who has had enough with player power. He met questions with such disdain at times I am surprised that it was not bigger news. He seems to have grasped the notion that the players he has moulded into superstars no longer care about loyalty and that is the “reality” we live in.

Either way the next fixture is the most important and as such we need to look at the options we have available. In addition to the long term injuries of Wilshere, Frimpong, Sagna and Rosicky, we have Oxlade-Chamberlain and Koscienly out according to Arsenal.com. We also have Theo Walcott facing a late fitness test on a bruised thigh, one which I expect him to pass. Cazorla is also expected to face a test due to his excursions midweek with Spain.

Either way, this is the team I expect to play:

                                                    Szczesny

Jenkinson                    Mertesacker                 Vermaelen                   Gibbs

                                    Arteta                          Diaby

                                                    Cazorla

Walcott                                                                                               Gervinho

                                                    Podolski

The line up could easily include Podolski and Giroud which would likely result in Gervinho starting on the bench.

Sunderland are a decent team but one which has struggled to strengthen from last year. I would guess that as with any Martin O’ Neil team, they will be difficult to break down but given the firepower, I can see us getting a couple.

My prediction is 2-0. A solid start.

Let me know your thoughts.

GoonerVerse.

2012/13 Season Preview Part 2

Welcome to part two of my season preview. Before we get to Arsenal let's have a look at some other teams that may present an obstacle in our quest for glory this season.

Liverpool

Now last season I previewed Liverpool’s chances and gave them absolutely no hope of doing anything. I made fun of the signings of Carrol as well as Downing and was in turn lambasted by Liverpool fans. Now I am not one to say I told you so, but I did tell you so.

This season though I have a slightly different feeling. They have someone in charge that seems to know what they are doing. Rodgers is slowly but surely assembling a squad that will have that little bit of creativity and skill that has realistically been missing from Liverpool these last few seasons if he can bring in the last few targets on his list. If successful I think he will do well to turn round a team that have been on a steady decline these past few years.

I still feel a lot of work has to be done for them to challenge for the Champions League places let alone the title but if they can start building up momentum, particularly early in the season then you never know how well they might do with quality players like Gerard, Suarez (as much as I hate him he is a great player) and with the addition of some more quality like Sahin they may do well. It does look like they will be a better team, on paper at least so we will see how they actually play together.

Player to Watch:

Luis Suarez

Love him or hate him (I hate him) he is a quality player who may be able to help Liverpool get closer to where the fans want to see them. A lot will depend on him and if he is firing then Liverpool fans will be hoping they can make the Champions League places.

Threat to Arsenal: Medium to Little

Newcastle

The surprise package from last season wont be much of a surprise this season. Whilst they had a brave attempt at the Champions League places I feel they may struggle to replicate the same form this season. Especially with the added fixtures of competing in the Europa League this year. There is talk in the Independent that they will rest their big names in the competition next week but as the season grows it might prove a tough juggling act.

Either way it seems that despite some further shrewd acquisitions that Newcastle United will, in my opinion at least not have the same impact they had last season.

I certainly think they will still get some big results but might act as more of a spoiler in the race for Champions League places then a contender themselves.

Player to watch:

Hatem Ben Arfa

With much focus on the Newcastle strikers, one player that has undoubted skill is Ben Arfa. Exciting to watch and a thunderous left foot combine well to make him the most attacking player in the team.

Threat to Arsenal: Small

And now for the main event:

Arsenal

What threatened to be a summer of uncertainty and misery ended up starting quite well. Podolski arrived before the 2011/12 season even finished and shortly after Giroud joined him as attacking reinforcements. Many speculated that two strikers meant the end of Robin Van Persie and it turns out that they were essentially right.


The two strikers were bought, as Wenger said in his press conference today, to replace Robin Van Persie but more talent could and should be added. He confirmed we are looking and also confirmed that Alex Song may be leaving the club which was interesting.

It is quite clear then that we are not quite as settled as would have liked to be come the start of the season but as mentioned we have been far more proactive in our dealings this year ensuring that any player that leaves will not be missed. That is a big ask but a combination of Podolski, Giroud and most importantly Cazorla could provide great attacking threat this season.

With yet more additions and dare I say a proper defensive midfielder, I feel we will have significantly strengthened in spite of the departures. I am probably in the minority here, but I feel the departure of Song, if suitably replaced will actually benefit the side as it will give it more balance and hopefully a better shape off the ball.

Too many times last season we found Alex Song bursting forward when he would have been better to fill in at the back. He seemed to have little discipline and as such it cost the team goals. This is the main area of the team that needs strengthening and despite Song being a much improved and now very talented footballer, I genuinely think that the team would be better served to have a defensive midfielder with discipline, tactical nous and most importantly awareness.

Either way whatever happens, it seems certain there will be more activity in the transfer market. It is hard to remember a season where our best XI was not clear at this stage because for the first time in a long time there seems to be genuine competition for places. In midfield we have Diaby returning (touch wood) along Arteta, Wilshere, Chamberlain, Rosicky, Cazorla, Ramsey, Arshavin, Coquelin and Frimpong. That doesn't include Song or any potential replacements. If we asked 100 Arsenal fans to pick their best three out of the names mentioned above you would be hard pressed a majority that were the same.

I for one would love to see Chamberlain play because I think he is an exciting, exciting player. I really think he could be something special and with a bit of luck, stay with us for years to come. He may actually get more opportunities in the wider position where he can be equally effective which adds to the competition for Gervinho, Walcott, Podolski and Cazorla. The only area we may be thin is up front as I really never want to see Chamakh playing again.

Player to watch:

Santi Cazorla

I am very excited about all our new boys, I really am. I was a bit unsure about Podolski when we were initially linked with him due to his stint at Munich not quite working out but from what I have seen and heard since is clinical excellence. He looks to have a hammer of a left foot that could even rival Van Persie's.

Giroud equally looks to be a solid footballer who could thrive in a side known for creating chances so I am certainly optimistic for him.

The one that excites me the most is certainly Cazorla, a two time European Champion with Spain and a player who is highly regarded in Spain. He has made 49 appearances for them and his last appearance saw a lovely 25 yard strike just days ago. Any player that can be in and around the current Spanish side is certainly a worthy acquisition. I look forward to him creating chances for the other players in the team.

All in all, I feel optimistic about the season ahead and if we can have a good start, something which we clearly didn't last time around, then there is no reason we cannot challenge for the league. Do I think we are the favourites? Certainly not. I do however think we have a genuine chance of being serious challengers if we act on what we learnt from last year.

Good luck Arsenal and Come On You Gooners!

GoonerVerse.

2012/13 Season Preview Part 1

Afternoon all,

So the eve is upon us and just like at Christmas I think I may struggle to sleep tonight. Such is the excitement I feel, that I am literally struggling to think about anything else. Not great when you have a lot of work to do and a BBQ to shop for.

I was thinking of a number of ways I could write the season preview but given the fact that I expect a number of players still to sign and some more to leave my original idea of rating each position might have to wait until the close of the Transfer Window.

Instead, I will, without any bias of course, have a brief look at all the teams that we will challenge with this season.

Manchester City:

Haven’t strengthened as much as they would have liked and in all honesty there aren’t many positions that Manchester City look like they need strengthening. Lucky to have a large number of quality players in each position, Mancini’s biggest challenge will be finding the winning formula once again whilst juggling some huge personalities. Will the team rest on its laurels or will they in fact look to take the next step and defend their title and maybe more? That remains to be seen.

One thing is for sure though, that Manchester City despite only obtaining modest acquisitions in the form of Rodwell, still have a squad very capable of winning the league.

However, one must not forget it was largely this squad/team that competed against Arsenal last season and were comprehensively outplayed for 90 minutes. Some may argue that is a one off but we will see if more teams take it to Manchester City this year.

Player to watch:

Sergio Aguero

He literally won them the league with pretty much the last kick of the season and he will look to push on from a hugely impressive debut campaign. If he can remain fit and improve on last season, Manchester City have a great chance at retaining the title.

Threat to Arsenal: HUGE

Manchester United:

Where to start. I had begun, in my older age to hate them less. Don’t get me wrong, I still hate them but it was dwindling as seasons went by due to my perception of greater and more annoying evils in the form of Manchester City and Tottenham.

However in one single moment they have returned to the top of my hatred list alongside Tottenham and X factor. Well maybe I don’t hate X factor quite as much but I do hate it, and Big Brother while I’m at it. Anyway, I digress.

Yes they have strengthened and strengthened significantly in the form of Robin Van Persie but I do not attest to the claims made by Ferguson that they now have the best strike force in the world. They do have two quality strikers but outside of that they have what I consider to be two above average players, Welbeck who could potentially be great but at the moment, meh.

Despite this area of the team being strengthened, the midfield still seems sparse in my opinion. I do not think they are great and whilst the purchase of Kagawa is both astute and will help United at the creative end I still feel they are missing a little steal in the middle. Cleverly is a great prospect and it will be interesting to see how he comes on this season but will their midfield be good enough to challenge for the league.

I would like to think not but then I have made that mistake before. Somehow Ferguson manages to get the most out of what I believe to be quite mediocre players. I don’t know how he does it but he surprises me time and time again by making a team that whilst on paper you may doubt the ability of, competitive.

Player to watch:

Robin Van Persie

Cannot believe I am saying this but Robin Van Persie, the player of the year will be the main attacking outlet at United and as such if he continues in his vein of form for last season then it is likely that Manchester United will do very well.

Who know though, he may just get injured.

Threat to Arsenal: Big

Chelsea:

They have decided to get their oil money out again as this transfer window has seen a splurge of sorts. Last year they looked like a team that lacked any ideas going forward and as a result struggled for large portions of the season.

They have acted on this and bought in the service of the Hazard brothers with Eden in particular looking to make a mark on the Premier League, Brazilian Oscar and Marko Marin all will strengthen Chelsea in this regard. Add to that Mata and Torres and you are looking at a team that will in all likelihood be unrecognisable from the team that played last year.

How well they will fare in the Premier League is yet to be seen but they have certainly strengthened well.

I would suggest that despite winning a Champions League and a FA Cup that their management situation might let them down. They have had a far from ideal pre-season and a bad start and they might just end up having a season which never gets going until its too late like last season.

Player to watch:

Fernando Torres

This was quite difficult to pick as they have a number of exciting players coming in this year but it feels like the time for Torres to come into his own in a Chelsea shirt has finally arrived which is unfortunate for the rest of us.

I think the players they have bought will complement his style far better and he is likely to hit the back of the net a fair few times this season. If he doesn’t then Chelsea have little hope of competing in the league.

Threat to Arsenal: Big

That'll have to do for now, make sure you tune in later to check out the Arsenal preview which will be a bit more in depth.

Until later.

GoonerVerse

To Keep or Not To Keep Part 6: Striker Edition

Morning all,

I could go into further detail about the Robin Van Persie saga but to be honest it is time to put it behind us. I am in many ways glad it is over and whilst this was never the outcome anyone wanted we can finally move on. If you want to read a great piece on the situation, his legacy and the general feeling check out arseblog today, as I feel it sums it up best.

I however will not dwell on the situation and instead I will ignore the increasingly likely reports of another departure in the form of Song to focus instead on other players that may be leaving in the “To Keep or Not to Keep” series.

Something a little different today, we will look at 3 players all at once, and the reason for this is all 3 players had very little to do for Arsenal last season. There were numerous reasons for this whether it be a player going out for loan, a player never being trusted or a player completely devoid of any confidence.

You may have guessed in this triple addition we are looking at Chamakh, Park and Bendtner.

If we start with Chamakh then, a player I have never been a fan of I will admit. In spite of that I will try and be as neutral as I possibly can be. He did play some games but due to the form of Robin Van Persie combined with his own bad form, his playing time was certainly limited. Even so, this is how he fared:

Player	Apps	Minutes played	Goals	Goals Per Match	Goals Per Minute
Chamakh	11	169	1	0.09	0.01

Nothing to write home about but it is clear that confidence was low and he seems to be a player that needs to be in the team playing to get himself into some sort of form. Unfortunately the situation itself was a vicious circle for him in that he wasn’t able to play due to his bad form but he needed to play in order to gain some momentum. Ultimately the season was a complete failure and was very forgettable.

It was frustrating to see especially given the impact he had when he first signed but in all honesty he was never the most prolific of players even at his peak.

The matter of keeping or selling is somewhat complicated by the imminent departure of Robin Van Persie. can we afford to sell all of our strikers and only have the two new arrivals. Either way i say he is not Arsenal standard and must be sold. Not to keep!

Park Chu Young:

Hmm. I don't know what to actually say about this particular player. Despite playing for us for almost a year i don't think i know anyhing about his ability, other than Wenger doesn't deem him good enough.

In that case, either do I.

Short and sweet: Not to Keep.

Niclkas Bendtner:

Again quite difficult to analyse his performance given he hasn't played for the club in a while and when he did, more often then not he was played out of position. He is a player who has done well in patches but has never matched (or even got close to) his own perception of his quality.

I will not deny he has ability and I do think in the right team and with the right service he could well be a very good and important player. I think the fit has never been right at Arsenal and as such we know which way this is going. He has quite publically ruled out a stay at the club and more recently said that Arsenal want him to leave as well.

As such it is very likely he will leave at some point before the transfer window closes. There is mounting speculation that Milan are after his signature and they would be able to afford the high wages Bendtner would demand. Despite that, out of the three strikers, he would be the one I would keep if we had to but on his own merits we have another player that has to go.

If all three do leave which is looking likely, then it is essential we buy another striker. There are rumours about Llorente and I would love that but as mentioned yesterday, I cannot see that happening. As such, I would not be too surprised if we see Chamakh staying at the club this year. *Sigh*

That'll have to do for now. Will be back later with part 7 of the series. Enjoy your day.

GoonerVerse.

Breaking News: Arsenal agree terms with Manchester United for Robin Van Persie

Evening all,

After months of speculation, the inevitable has happened. As much as I hoped we would stand our ground and not sell to a rival, Arsenal.com have confirmed that terms have been agreed for the sale of Robin Van Persie.

“Van Persie will travel to Manchester on Thursday in order to agree personal terms and complete a medical ahead of the proposed move.

Further updates will feature on Arsenal.com in due course.”

It clearly isn’t the outcome everyone wanted but it is certainly one that was foreseeable and unavoidable following the outburst statement released by Robin Van Persie just five weeks ago. Although I would rather he was sold abroad or made to see out his contract, it is a decision that is understandable given the reported £24million fee.

The transfer is subject to personal terms and a medical and whilst the latter may give us a surprise I am under no illusions about the former. It has been widely reported that Robin Van Persie will be paid around the £200,000 a week mark and he has almost certainly already agreed terms with the club (in my opinion).

So expect to see him paraded in a Manchester United shirt tomorrow which will in all likelihood make me physically sick and the red nosed alcoholic look delighted.

My personal feelings aside it is a move we were expecting and in many ways have prepared for. The signing of Giroud confirmed to many that the now infamous meeting had not gone to as planned from an Arsenal perspective and Giroud seems a player that would play well leading the line.

Where do we go from here? Do we go out and buy a striker to replace him? To be honest that would be nice but I cannot see that happening in all honestly. Not unless we can also sell at least if not both of Park Chu Young and Chamakh. I sincerely hope neither is expected to help solve the burden of goalscoring as you cannot replace the best striker in the premiership with utter rubbish. It is pointless. There are murmurs of Athletic Bilbao’s Llorente which I would be delighted by but cannot see it happening due to the near £28million release clause.

Either way, expect a lot more business, both incoming and outgoing between now and the end of August. Strangely despite what can be seen as a colossal set back, I still feel strangely optimistic, even by my standards, about the season ahead.

What of his legacy? There is none. He went from near legend to Manchester United player. He has been around the club long enough to know what this move would mean for him with regards to the fans. In spite of that and regardless of the reason, Robin Van Persie is and will forever be remembered by me as a United player and nothing more.

As a parting gift, and something to remember the 8^th highest scorer in Arsenal’s history, here is an amazing picture going around twitter highlighting the integrity and honesty of our “captain” :

 Great work @captainbradh

As a final point, I foolishly paid an arm and a leg for these trainers and I think I may burn them. Just a lesson for all you impressionable people out there.

Oh well, onwards and upwards.

Arsenal is bigger than any player.

Come on you Gooners!!

GoonerVerse.

Arsenal vs FC Koln Preview: Excitement rises as Season fast approaches

Afternoon all,

Today marks the start of the season with the traditional curtain raiser in the form of the Community Shield. This used to be a very exciting day in the Arsenal calendar in the not too distant past but for the moment I don’t really care about it all that much because we are not involved. What I am more concerned with is the pre-season friendly that Arsenal are involved in.

There is much talk about Song and Van Persie still in the media, with “breaking news” stories such as Van Persie may play in pre-season friendly. Really? Is it such a surprise that a player still on the books may play in the last pre-season friendly.

Anyway in case it was ever in any doubt it seems as though the Dutch manager, Louis Van Gaal is privy to information we are not and he declared:

“Robin will play his first game this Sunday. He has told me he is at least going to play 45­ ­minutes this weekend. It is a good job, because I almost had not selected him.”

So there we go, all the other rumours surrounding him being in Manchester are completely false and any news regarding him at the moment is clearly speculative at the moment. I hope we stand firm and get a fee we are happy with or keep him but to be honest this is well trodden ground.

Similarly with Song, we get a feeling that is all too familiar, the players cannot wait to talk about one of our players and whilst Cesc said he respects us too much to talk about one of our players, the rest of them have no respect whatsoever.

Either way let’s talk about something more real and tangible like our upcoming pre-season friendly with FC Koln. The reason there is an air of excitement around this fixture when compared to other pre-season friendlies is obvious. It is the first time our complete squad (barring injuries of course) will be together to compete in a match. Also with it being our last game before the league starts next week, you can rest assured knowing that today will be a clear indication of how we are likely to shape up next week. With so many questions that remain unanswered, least of all the futures of some key players, it is sure to be an intriguing game of football.

For instance, where is Santi Cazorla going to play? He was most effective on the right hand side for Malaga last season but is equally capable in playing furthest forward in a midfield three. I would put money on him being used in that capacity today, and possibly for most of the season.

Of course that is dependent on what formation we utilise because as you may remember, Wenger alluded to Podolski and Giroud playing in a 4-4-2 together, that decision may hinge on the future of Van Persie. Is Diaby going to play? What is our best starting line up?

For the first time in years it is difficult to actually pick a starting XI such is the competition for places at the moment.

I would expect a first half XI to resemble what Wenger believe’s our best team is going into the season but expect a raft of changes at half time, enabling the majority of the 24 that have travelled to get some game time. I am certainly looking forward to the game, not because I necessarily expect a superb game of football which we dominate, just to get a glimpse into the exciting squad we are quietly gathering.

Place no stock on the result or even the performance but this is an important opportunity for the new boys and old boys to gel together and to practice “the shape of the team” that Steve Bould is trying to instil.

I expect and to be fair at this stage is compete guesswork on my part, the team to look like this:

                                                            Szczesny

Jenkinson                    Koscienly                                Vermaelen                   Gibbs

                                    Song                                        Arteta

                                                            Cazorla

            Walcott                                                                                   Podolski

                                                            Van Persie

That is a mighty looking XI especially when you take out Jenkinson and replace him with Sagna. Get the work ethic and defensive shape right and that is a great XI.

Either way, I look forward to what the match may have to offer but more importantly I am genuinely excited about this team (if it stays together) and it’s chances this season.

Come on you Gunners.

GoonerVerse.

To Keep or Not To Keep Part 5: Johan Djourou

Morning all,

It’s quite an exciting day today with Arsenal’s last pre-season friendly before the start of the Premier League. I will have a preview of sorts for you later but just to get the day started I am going to continue with the “To Keep or Not To Keep” series this time focussing on Johan Djourou.

Here we have another player who is much debated as Arsenal fans look for a solution to solving the defensive woes at the club. With the rise of Koscienly last season and the disappearance of Squillaci, for many Djouorou became the man seen as the weakest link in our defence.

Before we have a look at the stats perhaps it is worth taking into consideration a couple of factors that may have contributed to the negativity surrounding Djourou last season.

I believe the biggest contributing factor was the fact that he had a very promising season in 2010-11 so much so that, his injuries coincided with dips in form for the club. He, in the absence of Thomas Vermaelen, came to the fore and was the lynchpin of our defence. Don’t believe me?

Player	Apps	Mins Played	Goals Conceded	Goals Conceded per game	G.C. per 30 Minutes
Djourou	22	1796	15	0.68	0.25
Vermaelen	5	450	6	1.20	0.40
Koscienly	30	2617	36	1.20	0.41
Squillaci	22	1817	28	1.27	0.46

Centre-backs sorted by goals conceded per game 2010-11

As you can see Djourou in this regard certainly had a good season. So in many ways the expectations he set was the instrument of his own demise. Especially when we take into account the second contributing factor of him playing out of position for the majority of his appearances as he was used to cover a full back injury crisis, something he was clearly never comfortable doing.

With those two factors in mind we can now look at how he compared to the other centre backs in the squad last season.

Player	Apps	Mins Played	Goals Conceded	Goals Conceded per game	G.C. per 30 Minutes
Vermaelen	29	2478	25	0.86	0.30
Mertesacker	21	1830	25	1.19	0.41
Koscienly	33	2874	42	1.27	0.44
Djourou	18	1166	21	1.17	0.54

Centre-backs sorted by goals conceded per game 2011-12

Quite a contrast from last season, from being the defender that conceded the least goals per 30 minutes he goes to the defender conceding the most goals per 30 minutes. In fact the goals conceded per minutes on the pitch is almost double Vermaelen and over double the goals conceded per 30 minutes last season.

Player	Apps	Mins Played	Clean Sheets	Games per Clean Sheet
Koscienly	33	2874	11	3.00
Vermaelen	29	2478	9	3.22
Mertesacker	21	1830	6	3.50
Djourou	18	1166	4	4.50

Centre-backs sorted by games per clean sheet 2011-12

Unsurprisingly, Djourou’s “games per clean sheet” is also the longest, taking 4 and a half games per clean sheet which is significantly higher then all those above him. Important to note is that in 18 appearances we only had 4 clean sheets with him playing.

It is therefore surprising given the above two tables that Djourou would be more successful in the tackle than both Vermaelan and Mertesacker. Below is a table sorting the players by tackles per 30 minutes and as you can see he made a good account for himself.

Player	Apps	Mins Played	Tackles	Tackles per game	Tackles per 30 Minutes
Koscienly	33	2874	85	2.58	0.89
Djourou	18	1166	26	1.44	0.67
Vermaelen	29	2478	47	1.62	0.57
Mertesacker	21	1830	17	0.81	0.28

Centre-backs sorted by tackles per 30 minutes 2011-12

This again shows the promise that Djourou shows even in a relatively poor season.

Player	Apps	Mins Played	Interceptions	Interceptions per game	Interceptions per 30 Minutes
Koscienly	33	2874	104	3.15	1.09
Vermaelen	29	2478	70	2.41	0.85
Mertesacker	21	1830	37	1.76	0.61
Djourou	18	1166	15	0.83	0.39

Centre-backs sorted by interceptions per 30 minutes 2011-12

Unfortunately, as you can see the good tackling wasn’t translated into a high interception rate and though this can partly be attributed to the fact that he would have less need to intercept (when compared to a central defender) balls at right back.

Player	Apps	Mins Played	Chances Conceded	Chances Conceded per game	Chances Conceded per 30 Minutes
Vermaelen	29	2478	266	9.17	3.22
Koscienly	33	2874	325	9.85	3.39
Mertesacker	21	1830	210	10.00	3.44
Djourou	18	1166	145	8.06	3.73

Centre-backs sorted by Chances conceded per 30 minutes 2011-12

Again, in terms of chances conceded, Djourou is trailing behind his peers and to anyone that watched him last season; that will come as no surprise. Although Mertesacker actually conceded more chances per game, in terms of time on the pitch, Djourou gave away more chances per 30 minutes.

Player	Apps	Mins Played	Defensive Errors	Defensive Errors per game	Defensive Errors per 30 Minutes
Koscienly	33	2874	3	0.09	0.03
Vermaelen	29	2478	3	0.10	0.04
Djourou	18	1166	2	0.11	0.05
Mertesacker	21	1830	3	0.14	0.05

 Centre-backs sorted by Chances conceded per 30 minutes 2011-12

I was hoping that this statistic would glean some information or provide us with a good indication as to whether he would be good enough but needless to say, the above shows that whilst he is joint bottom, he is pretty much on par with the rest of the players in terms of defensive errors.

So what do all these numbers really mean. They clearly suggest that in spite of some good tackling statistics, he is consistently ranking toward the bottom of the defenders we have. Does that mean he is not good enough and should be sold? Strangely, not necessarily.

He is clearly not good enough to be a automatic starter, that is undeniable, stats or no stats. Just watching him play in recent months tells you that. However by holding him up to those standards distorts opinion because he is essentially a fourth choice centre back and in an ideal scenario his playing time will be limited hoping our main centre backs remain fit.

So in that perspective, as a fourth choice centre back who can come into the centre of defence if injuries dictate so, then he is not a bad choice. As the first table shows, his goals conceded per game in the 2010-11 season indicate he can do a job when required but he not the versatile option who can fill in at full back as Wenger deployed him last season.

It is strange to have four full backs out all at the same time for a prolonged period of time, something I cannot remember happening in my lifetime. (Doesn’t mean it hasn’t.) However with that in mind, and if Djourou’s role is taken into its proper context, we are looking at a fourth choice centre back who can be a useful squad player who as seen in 2010-11, can do a job.

So it is with this logic that I think Djourou is a keeper. I just hope he never has to play right back again! Especially against Manchester United.

I will be back soon with a preview/news update blog later today.

Good day to you all.

GoonerVerse.

(Stats compiled using EPLindex.com – powered by OPTA)