Arsenal Squad 2013-2014

ARSENAL SQUAD 2013-14

BACK ROW (l-r): Serge Gnabry, Ryo Miyaichi, Emmanuel Frimpong, Ju Young Park, Chuba Akpom, Yaya Sanogo, Lukasz Fabianski, Wojciech Szczesny, Emiliano Viviano, Nicklas Bendtner, Carl Jenkinson, Nacho Monreal, Gedion Zelalem, Mathieu Flamini, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
MIDDLE ROW (l-r): Vic Akers (kit manager), Paul Akers (assistant kit manager), Darren Page (masseur), Tony Colbert (fitness coach), Neil Banfield (first-team coach), Boro Primorac (first-team coach), Olivier Giroud, Per Mertesacker, Abou Diaby, Steve Bould (assistant manager), Gerry Peyton (goalkeeping coach), Colin Lewin (head physiotherapist), Paul Johnson (equipment manager), Dr Gary O'Driscoll (club doctor), Kieran Hunt (masseur)
FRONT ROW(l-r): Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Oezil, Tomas Rosicky, Bacary Sagna, Thomas Vermaelen, Arsene Wenger (manager), Mikel Arteta, Laurent Koscielny, Lukas Podolski, Theo Walcott, Kieran Gibbs, Santi Cazorla at London Colney

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Arsenal’s Crisis is Arsène’s Opportunity?

Arsène Wenger has so far built 3 distinct teams.

The first team 96-00 was built on the rubble left by George Graham. At the time he got great credit for rehabilitating and actually improving the side but then revisionists like Myles Palmer started to justify their own agendas by questioning his achievement declaring it to be a George Graham Built Side that won the double in ‘98. It wasn’t – Graham and Rioch had left a team of mentally weak, drunks and drug addicts who were running on empty – Wenger transformed them in to confident, arrogant top class modern players. That team was broken up over the raids on our club by the Spanish giants and Wenger set about replacing the older defenders and filling the holes caused by the departures.

The second team 00-05 was built on the same blueprint but had a superstar spine with Campbell, Vieira and Henry. Wenger built a squad of players to suit Henry (on and off the pitch), youngish, french(ish) and easy going- but Henry started doing tv ads and hanging out with Roger Federer and Tiger Woods and again the Spanish Giants came in and destabilized and broke up the team so Wenger went about building his third team.

Both the first two teams were built on attacking Pace and Power – there was no great defensive system just a collection of natural defenders who knew how to beat their man. Wenger doesn’t teach defensive systems. He teaches technique.

The next team was to be built on Possession and Craft, the defensive philosophy is the same, however the caliber of natural defender is not the same. This is a hard skill to spot – you have to somehow remove the defender from the defensive unit and imagine how he’d react with out a script.

The 05-11 iteration is a team built around perhaps our most naturally talented player ever, Cesc Fabregas but has never fully delivered. Oh how the Manager has indulged Fabregas and his friends (Hleb, Flamini, Nasri etc) in an attempt to unleash their potential. He has mostly shunned older, experienced players in the transfer window, so that Fabregas can always be the Alpha Male in his pack.  Now Cesc and his crew believe that they are somehow not in the slightest bit responsible for themselves not winning medals. Cesc even said that to go to Barca is to win things… If I was Guardiola I would think twice about bringing that complacency to the club.

Wenger’s mistake was to treat Fabregas the same way as he had treated Henry. Henry was older and had done his time. His on field entourage (Pires, Lauren, Edu, Vieira) was older and had already been in the trenches. Bergkamp even lent himself to creating the “Henry” legend. Henry was also a more precious personality type who needed the “love”. Fabregas started out a much tougher character and the “love” has weakened him – Spoiled him. Look at the Cesc Fabregas Show on Sky a couple of years back – who does that? Who allows them?

Suddenly the Invincibles were gone and Fabregas is surrounded by his contemporaries in a youth team that relies on natural ability and a need to retain possession almost to the point that it borders on being an anal retentive fear of shooting.

Sure Wenger has his share of the blame. But in fairness to him, he was trying to compete in a world where he was building a new stadium in an economic collapse and the economy proof Spanish Giants were suddenly joined by newly rich Chelsea and “willing to take on huge debt” Manchester United who could buy players at any cost and forced Wenger into a different player recruitment strategy, The good news is I don’t think that Real, Barca, Man U, Man City or Chelsea care anymore about who we buy as they know they can let us take the risk and then buy the diamonds from us after we have sorted and polished them.

We need Wenger to analyze the current team in this light and build his last great team, to restore his legacy at least. He owes us this and as supporters, we owe him that. He can do it quickly, as can be seen by his rapid building for teams 1 and 2. Maybe we are better off without Fabregas or perhaps in an ideal world, Fabregas becomes the king maker (ala Bergkamp) rather than the king – If he stays, great but if he goes thats great too.

Arsenal’s crisis is Arsène’s opportunity. He has delivered great teams when faced with crisis before, he reacts better than he proacts. And this summer is a crisis in the full meaning of the word, but what a great opportunity to reinvent the team and restore Arsene’s Legacy.

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Arsene Wenger "The Profesor"

Name: Arsene Wenger
Nationality: French
Date and Place of Birth: October 22, 1949 in Strasbourg, France
Current Team: Arsenal (Premier League)
Previous Teams: Nancy-Lorraine (1984-87), Monaco (1987-94), Nagoya Grampus Eight (1995-1996)

Trophies Won:

Monaco:
1988 French League

Nagoya Grampus Eight:
1995 Emperor's Cup
1996 J-League Super Cup

Arsenal:
1998 Premier League
1998 FA Cup
2002 Premier League
2002 FA Cup
2003 FA Cup
2004 Premier League
2005 FA Cup

Philosophy:

“I believe the target of anything in life should be to do it so well that it becomes an art.”

Arsene Wenger was born on 22nd October 1949 in Strasbourg, France. Even though he has a degree in Engineering and a Master’s degree in Economics, football is what he chose as his profession. He is currenty manager of Arsenal and has been there since 1996. He has earlier managed 3 other clubs including AS Monaco. He is fluent in French, German and English and also speaks a bit of Japanese, Italian and Spanish.

Arsene Wenger’s Early Career

The best time of his life has certainly been spent at Arsenal. Not only that but Arsenal’s best time of their history has been under Arsene Wenger! Before joining Arsenal he was rejected by AC Milan for looking too much like a schoolmaster! They would later have been wishing had they accepted him as he won Arsenal the League in his first season in charge!

Earlier in his life he tried out as a football player also. He appeared for numerous small clubs and even made an appearance in the UEFA Cup but he paid more attention to his education rather than his playing career. After getting his Master’s in Economics though, he moved back to football and coached a local junior squad after obtaining a manager’s dimploma. He moved to a couple of clubs before moving to AS Monaco. He was a relatively unknown even when he was manager there but winning the League with them certainly raised his image. David Dein was the man who had the most faith in him an so appointed him as Arsenal’s manager. At Arsenal he has achieved milestones that no other manager has been able to. He led the team to the prestigious Double in his first 18 months as manager and repeated the same feat four years later. He also managed his team to a whole League season unbeaten, a feat that has not been achieved by any other top football  manager yet. He has created football legends all by himself. Its Arsene Wenger’s special ability to spot talent and then nurture it. From Anelka to Bergkamp to Henry to Fabregas, Arsene Wenger has created some of the worlds best footballers in their time. In recent years he has developed Arsenal into a team that plays football the way its supposed to be played, the beautiful football! He has made Arsenal into the most delightful club to watch. Be it their beautiful slick passing game or the extremely talented youngsters being nurtured by him, Arsene Wenger is truly a legend. A legend not only of Arsenal but of football. He has undoubted passion and love for the game which has led him to great heights.

Long Live Arsene Wenger!

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Arsenal Training Centre

The Shenley Training Centre is the state-of-art training ground of the Premier League club Arsenal FC. Located in Shenley, Hertfordshire, the multi-million pound project opened in 1999. Further upgrades have since been implemented and include an indoor training facility.

In August 2006 an artillery shell was found near the site during development work, leading to the surrounding area being evacuated

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Arsenal Facts

Gold Trophy

Premier League : 13 

( 1930-31, 1932-33, 1933-34, 1934-35, 1937-38, 1947-48, 1952-53, 1970-71, 1988-89, 1990-91, 1997-98, 2001-02, 2003-04 )

Piala FA : 10 

( 1929-30, 1935-36, 1949-50, 1970,71, 1978-79, 1992-93, 1997-98, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2004-05 )

Piala Liga : 2 

( 1986-87 Dan 1992-93 )

Community Shield : 12

(1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1948, 1953, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2005 )

Piala Winners : 1993-94

Piala Fairs : 1969-70

REKOR PEMAIN :

Terbanyak Tampil : David O’Leary (772)

Terbanyak Tampil di liga : David O’Leary (558)

Berturut-turut tampil : Tom Parker (172 03/04/26 –26/12/29)

Pemain Termuda : Francecs Fabregas Soler ( 16 Tahun 177 Hari )

Pemain Tertua : Jock Rutherford ( 41 Tahun 159 Hari )

Tampil Buat Timnas : Kenny Sansom ( Inggris,77 )

Rekor Pembelian : Jose A. Reyes, 25 Juta Paunds ( Sevilla 27 Januari 2004 )

Rekor Penjualan : Nicola Anelka, 23 Juta Paunds ( Real Madrid, 2 Agustus 1999 )

REKOR PENONTON :

Terbanyak : 73.295

( Arsenal 0-0 Sundrland, 9 Maret 1935 )

Tersedikit : 4.554 ( Arsenal 0-3 Leeds, 5 Mei 1996 )

Tiket Masuk : 392.726 Paunds ( Arsenal 3-2 Samdoria, 6 April 1995 )

PENCETAK GOL :

Top Skorer : Thiery Henry (226)

Terbanyak di Liga : Thiery Henry (174)

Terbanyak di Satu Musim : Ted Drake (42 gol, 1934-35 )

Terbanyak di Satu Pertandingan: Ted Drake (7) Aston Villa 1-7 Arsenal 14 Desember 1935

Tercepat : Gilberto Silva (20,07 Detik ) PSV 0-4 Arsenal 25 September 2002

Termuda : Francecs Fabregas Soler ( 16 Tahun 212 Hari ) Arsenal 5-1 Wolves 2 Januari 1965

Hat Trick Termuda : John Radford ( 17 tahun 315 Hari ) Arsenal 4-1 Wolves 21 Januari 1965

PERTANDINGAN

Partai Liga Pertama : Arsenal 2-2 Newcastle

2 September 1983

Kemenangan Kandang Terbesar : Arsenal 12-0 Loughborought

12 Maret 1900

Arsenal 12-0 Ashford United

14 Oktober 1893

Kemenangan Tandang Terbesar : Standart Liege 0-7 Arsenal

3 November 1993

Kekalahan Tandang Terbesar : Arsenal 0-6 Derby Cauntry

28 Januari 1899

Kekalahan Tandang Terbesar : Laughtborought 8-0 Arsenal

12 Desember 1896

Skor Terbesar : Leicester City 6-6 Arsenal

21 April 1930

Jumlah Pertandingan Terbanyak

Satu Musim : 70 ( 1979-80)

LIGA DOMESTIK

Kemenagan Berturut – Turut : 14 ( 10 Februari - 17 Agustus

2002 )

Kekalahan Berturut – Turut : 8 ( 12 Februari – 12 Maret

1977 )

Draw Berturut - Turut : 6 ( 4 Maret – 1 April

1961 )

Tak Terkalahkan Berturut –Turut

Di Liga : 49 ( 7 Mei 2003 – 24 Oktober

2004 )

Tak Terkalahkan Di Partai

Tandang : 27 ( 5 April 2003 –

25 September 2004 )

Tak Terkalahkan Di Partai

Kandang : 33 ( 22 Mei 2003 –

22 Januari 2005 )

Tak Pernah Menang Berturut –

Turut : 19 ( 28 September 1912 –

1 Maret 1913 )

Tak pernah Menang Berturut –

Turut Di Liga : 19 ( 28 September 1912)

Tak Pernah Terdegradasi

Dari Divisi 1 : 79 ( Sampai Sekarang )

Mencetak Gol Berturut – turut : 55 ( 18 Agustus 2001 –

4 November 2003 )

Mencetak Gol Berturut – turut

Di Partai Tandang : 27 ( 18 Agustus 2001 –

4 November 2003 )

Kemenangan Kandang Berturut –

Turut : 8 ( 23 januari – 8 mei 02 )

Kemenangan Atas Lawan Yang

Sama Berturut – Turut : 11, Manchaster City ( 10

Agustus 55 – 1 Februari 04 )

Kebobolan Tersedikit : 17 ( 1998 -1999 )

Poin Dari Partai Tandang : 47 ( 2001 – 2002 )

Kemenangan Tersedikit : 3 ( 1912 – 1913)

Poin Juara Tersedikit : 54 ( 1952 – 1953 )

HARI BERSEJARAH

Senin : Juara Divisi I ( 1970 – 1971 )

Selasa : Juara Piala Fairs ( 1969 – 1970 )

Rabu : Juara Piala Winners ( 1993 – 1994 )

Juara Premier League ( 2001 -2002 )

Kamis : Juara Piala FA ( 1992 – 1993 )

Jum’at : Juara Divisi I ( 1988 – 1989 )

Sabtu : Juara Piala FA ( 1997 – 98, 2001 -02 )

Minggu : Juara Piala Liga ( 1986 – 87, 1992 -93 )

Juara Premier League ( 1997 – 1998 )

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Arsenal Stadium

Highbury 

Highbury 

Highbury, officially called Arsenal Stadium, was the home of Arsenal FC between 1913 and 2006. In its latest years it had a capacity of about 38,500 seats.

In the early years of the 20^th century Arsenal had been playing its matches at Manor Ground close to Greenwich, when then Arsenal-Chairman Henry Norris decided to move the club to North London. A plot of land was leased in the borough of Highbury, and a stadium designed by Archibald Leitch.

Emirates Stadium

Emirates Stadium

Capacity: 60,361 seats

The Emirates Stadium replaced Arsenal’s previous home Highbury, which had become too small and lacked the possiblities for expansion being hemmed in by housing.

First plans for the construction of a new stadium were made in the late 1990s , but also a move to the new Wembley Stadium was considered.

In the end a site was chosen just a few hundred yards away from Highbury, and, after a few delays, construction of the stadium started in 2004. The total project budget amounted to £390 million.

The Emirates Stadium officially opened on the 23rd of July 2006. The first match was a testimonial match for Dennis Bergkamp featuring an Arsenal and Ajax side.

Due to the competition of nearby Wembley Stadium, the Emirates Stadium has never hosted the English national team, however the Brazilian national team has regularly staged friendlies at the stadium.

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History of Arsenal

Arsenal FC

Founded: 1886

Address: Emirates Stadium, Drayton Park, London N5 England

Phone: 020 7704 4000

Fax: 020 7704 4001

Email: website@arsenal.co.uk

Official URL: http://www.arsenal.com

Chairman: Peter Hill-Wood

Club Director: Ken Friar, Sir Chips Keswick, Lord Harris of Peckham, Stanley Kroenke

Stadium: Emirates

Club History

The Fall Of The Invincibles

Arsene Wenger's tenth anniversary at the club he has shaped so effectively and attractively around his own footballing ideals coincided with a uniquely turbulent year in Arsenal's history.

Wenger had steered the Gunners to a Premiership top two finish in each of his first eight full seasons in charge, delivering three titles, four FA Cups, two Doubles and one unbeaten League campaign along the way, and producing a team that played the most scintillating attacking football that most people had ever seen in England.

In his ninth season, with that 'Invincibles' team starting to be broken up and the Gunners bidding farewell to Highbury, they finished fourth - but reached the final of the Champions League for the first time.

Wenger's priorities for the 2006-07 campaign were clear as Arsenal settled into their impressive new 60,000 capacity Emirates Stadium home: go one better in Europe's premier club competition, while mounting a sustained challenge to Chelsea in the Premiership.

Although key players such as Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires, Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole and Jose Reyes had left the club in the summer, the arrivals of Tomas Rosicky, William Gallas and Julio Baptista - and the emergence of gifted young stars such as Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie, Gael Clichy and Emmanuel Eboue - meant the club still boasted one of the most talented squads in the League.

But for various reasons the season was one of unfulfilment. Talismanic captain and all-time leading scorer Thierry Henry was absent injured for most of the campaign. Van Persie was sidelined by injury from January onwards. The team repeatedly had to come from behind at the Emirates and were betrayed by a lack of experience away from their new stadium. So often they dominated matches, created countless chances but failed to convert them.

Their season was defined by an 11-day spell in late February/early March when they lost the Carling Cup final to Chelsea, an FA Cup 5th round replay to Blackburn and a Champions League tie (on aggregate) to PSV. Then in April vice-chairman David Dein, Wenger's friend and ally, quit the club after failing to convince the rest of the board that the club needed a major injection of funds from would-be foreign investors.

Every End Is A New Beginning

In the summer Henry left for Barcelona, the future ownership of the club remained uncertain and their main rivals appeared to be leaving the Gunners behind in the transfer market.

Yet all the negativity blurred the fact that Wenger had assembled a young, exciting, talented squad that was highly motivated and learning fast from its experiences. Wenger made it clear he was still committed to the club, signing a new contract, and to his new team, to which he added Bacary Sagna and Eduardo Da Silva.

The Gunners have made a very solid start to the 2007-08 campaign, and suddenly the reports of Arsenal's demise seem at best premature, at worst hopelessly wide of the mark. Wenger's post-Henry Gunners - more robust, full of pace and with Fabregas the creative fulcrum - look ready to prove a few people wrong.

They could add a new chapter to a story that began when Arsenal Football Club was formed by workers at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, south-east London, in 1886.

The Early Years

The club began as Dial Square (the name of one of the workshops), and included two former Nottingham Forest players, Fred Beardsley and Morris Bates. Beardsley wrote to his old club for help and Forest provided the fledgling club with a full set of red jerseys and a ball.

The club became known as the Woolwich Reds, although their official title soon after formation was Royal Arsenal (1886), then Woolwich Arsenal (1891) and finally Arsenal in 1914, by which time the club had moved to Highbury in North London. Arsenal turned professional in 1891 and became a limited company in 1893.

They became the first southern-based team to join the Football League (1893), and won promotion from the Second to the First Division in 1904. Relegation in 1913 was immediately followed by the move to north London in search of a more accessible location and a bigger, more reliable fan base.

On the resumption of football after the First World War, Arsenal succeeded in being elected to the expanded First Division at the expense of bitter local rivals Tottenham Hotspur. But if their elevation smacked of political intrigue, they have justified their status, having enjoyed continuous membership of the top flight ever since (81 consecutive seasons in the First Division or Premier League by the end of 2006-07 season, excluding wartime; next best is Everton with 53 consecutive seasons).

The arrival of Herbert Chapman as manager in 1925 really put The Gunners on the football map. They became the first southern club to win the League title, doing so in record-breaking style in 1931. Arsenal dominated the 1930s under first Chapman then George Allison, and enjoyed further success immediately after the Second World War under former player and trainer turned manager Tom Whittaker.

Success In The Modern Era

Bertie Mee led them to European success and the domestic Double in the early 1970s, and a member of Mee"s side, George Graham, took Arsenal to six major trophies in nine years (1986-87 until 1994-95).

Arsene Wenger was appointed manager in 1996 and has led the club to two domestic Doubles (1998 and 2002). In 2004 he became the first man to win three League titles for the Gunners. His side completed the 2003-04 campaign without losing a single League game - a modern record. It was the second season in three that Arsenal remained unbeaten away from home.

The Gunners have won 13 of the 18 League titles won by London clubs and are second only to Manchester United with FA Cup wins (10). But their major challenges now are to recapture the Premiership crown and, finally, to win the European Cup (Champions League). Wenger will insist that their attempts to do so are based on the fast-flowing passing game he unswervingly champions..

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