Arsenal 1-0 West Brom: Goodbye Sagna?

Not much to talk about, am I right? The match was as interesting as those godawful 'classic' musicals, the result (however narrow) was predictable, the fans were at their brilliant best, and ultimately, it ended three points to us.

The result, coupled with Chelsea's 0-0 draw at home to Norwich (Remember when Jose said this?) means that they are 3 points ahead of us going into the final Matchday. Mathematically, we could still achieve third if Chelsea lose on the final gameweek, and Arsenal defeat Norwich 0-20. Hey, it is a possibility.

Coming back to the game, which had a lot of positives. Firstly, we displayed a rare ability to score goals from corners. Santi whipped the ball in around the 18th minute, the West Brom players were too busy admiring Giroud's face, only to see him bang a header into the net. 1-0, get in!

Secondly, I think Ozil had a fantastic game. This was exactly the kind of stuff you pay 42 million quid for. Sure, he didn't get any goals or assists, but then again, I never judge people on goals and assists. I like Rosicky even though his assists this season have been pitiful. I don't fancy Giroud as a first-choice striker even though he has amassed 22ish goals this season. Similarly, I was always wary of Ozil's long-term impact to the side, even though he was backed by impressive statistics.

Don't get me wrong, I still am. However, today, Ozil showed class, you know what I mean? That drifting away from defenders, gliding into space and splitting open defence lines was all apparent. It was inspirational stuff, really.

However, our happiness at his performance suggests that we've almost forgotten how it feels to have a world-class player. Ozil cannot carry the team next season, not to mention that to truly flourish, he needs the team to be built around him. To satisfy his creativity, he needs a pacey striker. To negate his lack of workrate and his physical weakness, he needs a powerhouse of a midfielder, a Patrick Vieira figure. Ozil played well because he was rested and didn't have the pressure of expectation on him. If Wenger manages to create that atmosphere for him as long as possible, and build the team around the German, it would be great for the club as a whole.

In other news, Abou Diaby is back. I, for one, am sure that he's going to play a part next week and/or in the FA Cup Final, along with Jack Wilshere. It's not exactly a massive boost to see him back, seeing that our league objective is pretty much accomplished and that we have Mathieu Flamini to cover up his loss, but I'm sure everyone wanted him to get a run-out on the field yesterday.

Would he be the answer to our defensive midfielder issues? Could he be Arsenal's Yaya Toure? I imagine if he's given the right amount of games and gathers confidence, he can be our answer. However, it's impossible to see him produce a string of consistent displays without getting injured, especially not under Wenger's murderous man management skills and his inept medical staff. I honestly don't hate Diaby, I doubt any Arsenal fan does. However, when it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be.

Diaby has to go.

After some huge spans of dull moments, which were made like 4% exciting by an Ozil miss and Podolski hitting the bar, full time was upon us. And as the players went through the customary lap of appreciation, one chant in the Emirates Stadium rang in chorus, above all others:

"We want you to stay, we want you to stay! Bacary Sagna, we want you to stay!"

Who could argue with that? After all, Sagna has been a superb right-back for so many years. He's stayed throughout the trophyless years and kept respectfully mum. He's Arsenal through-and-through. He has the potential to be a reliable centre back in the future as well, once his pace dies down. Which club wouldn't want to keep him?

I still haven't ruled out the possibility that Sagna will stay if we win the FA Cup. From time to time again he's spoken about his dream being to watch Arsenal "compete", and winning a trophy at long last would certainly suffice that. Does Sagna's future rest on the FA Cup? I think so, but I'm not sure. We'll see.

Anyway, that's all for today. Vib_H will post an article in midweek, while I take the week off. Until then, have a good one Gooners.

P.S. Apologies for the short, lifeless post. In honesty, there wasn't really much to talk about, was there?

-Santi (Follow me on twitter: @ArsenalBlogz )

Arsenal vs West Brom: Match Preview + Wenger's transfer quotes

Literally nothing to play for today, as Manchester City did our job yesterday. Win, lose or draw, whatever happens, fourth is sealed.

We should look to win, though. Facing West Brom at home is ideal to finish our impressive home record with a bang, not to mention improve on our points tally.

The outside chance for third remains as well. IF Chelsea lose today as well as next week, and we win our matches, third is ours. Long shot, anyway. No need to keep my hopes up. I guess I'm desperate to see Arsenal improve on fourth, especially considering the Premier League season we've had prior to the 5-1 Anfield game.

Today's just one of those nothing games, so I hope the manager will rest some of his players. I'd probably give Sanogo a run, not to mention rest Ozil, Arteta, Ramsey and either Mertesacker or Koscielny. Now that Gnabry's fit, trying to integrate him won't be a bad idea either.

Of course, these are just fantasies. Wenger won't change much in the lineup, even though there is absolutely nothing to play for. I suspect only Giroud and the fullbacks will be rested, while the others unnecessarily overplayed. What a predictable guy.

Anyway, now that the pressure is off us, I'd expect to see a mesmerizing Arsenal performance. We play well when there's no pressure, and we certainly play well at home. Seeing that there's nothing at stake except for a 1% chance at third and a near-perfect home record, I think we'll be an attractive side to watch today.

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Remember this Arsenal side, guys, for it will be one of the last times we'll see them like this. Arsene Wenger went all psycho in the press conference, pretty much confirming half of what I had predicted in my last post.

Says Wenger: "The main thing for us will be to keep the stability because we feel we are close. We want to add something that makes us even stronger, but number-wise it will not be

Number-wise it will not be massive?!

We have Fabianski leaving. Viviano leaving. Kallstrom leaving. Bendtner leaving. Sagna almost definitely leaving. Podolski and Vermaelen possibilities as well. That makes it eight players needed in the summer, not to mention a wild card purchase. Nine players needed in two months, and Wenger says "number-wise it won't be massive"?!

Remember I said this yesterday?

"2. Arsenal will fall short of players. There will be at least one panic purchase on deadline day, and in the end we'll lack in depth in at least one area. Whether it's goalkeeper, defence, midfield or forward, I don't know. Whatever happens, fans will come out with their excuses. Stuff like Wenger wasn't allowed to spend by the board, World Cup was an unnecessary distraction or clubs deliberately didn't sell their players to Arsenal, will be doing the rounds."

 Yeah, like it or not, it's happening. Live with it. Because this is what our manager proceeded to say:

"From my experience the World Cup years have always been very quiet until the end of the World Cup, with no players reachable. Everybody is focused in the country on their national team and there is not a lot happening, people are away so I believe this year again you will have to wait until July 15 to start going."

 Well, Mr Wenger, that didn't stop Chelsea from doing their business early, did it?

And it's not like they bought some promising 20 year old nobody. They bought DIEGO COSTA, one of the hottest strikers on Planet Earth, the dream player for any football club!

If our need for a striker is obviously more than theirs, why didn't we try to buy Costa as well? Did Financial Fair Play stop you? Or the referees? Or injuries?

"We have only two players who are out of contract - Fabianski and Sagna."

Incorrect. Viviano, Kallstrom and Bendtner are out of contract as well.

“I want to keep [Fabianski]. He’s 29 and has a decision to make. Does he want to stay here or move and have a guarantee to be No 1? He knows I want to keep him. I hope, because we have shown faith in him for long periods, that we will be rewarded for that.”

Come on Wenger. We know that Fabianski is leaving, emotional blackmail won't help. Just accept it and move on, or else offer him a bumper deal with the promise of being a regular first-teamer. Why are you pulling a van Persie all over again?

Even though there is time for it, the summer is already showing signs of turning into anarchy. Late deals, panic buys, injury crises, unprepared squads... this will turn into a repeat of summer 2011 under Wenger. I guarantee it. And I'll quote this on September 2nd (that is, if Wenger stays, of course).

Enjoy the World Cup, guys, and pray to Lucifer that Wenger calls it a day after Hull, because otherwise, we're in for another embarrassing summer. Indeed, another embarrassing campaign, possibly.

Ozil didn't sign up for this.

-Santi (Follow me on twitter: @ArsenalBlogz )

A truthful Gooner quits the club + 2014/15 predictions

No, it's not me.

I still have truckloads of Arsenal passion in me. Even though I know that the ship of Arsenal is going to sink regardless of whether we win the FA Cup or not, my pure love for the club means that I'll always be there.

However, Arsenal Truth, a blogger that has been saying the absolute reality of the situation for around six years, has withdrawn his support for the club, exiting after yet another unnervingly accurate post.

Let me get this straight - I have no affiliation whatsoever with Arsenal Truth. I haven't the slightest clue about his life, nor does he care about mine. I seriously doubt he'll ever read this post. However, his exit from blogging genuinely took me aback, which made me spill my thoughts on the Internet.

Arsenal Truth, by the way, is the reason I've become enlightened to the ugly truths surrounding Arsenal Football Club, also the reason why I started this blog. His critical analysis and predictions, that are nearly always right, has made me wise to the depths of incompetence of Arsene Wenger. Even though I've never met him, I have respect for the anonymous guy who ran the site.

A note to the Arsene fan base: Instead of arguing over what will happen next season, why don't you go to the Arsenal Truth archives instead? The evidence of Wenger's incompetence and his regularly accurate predictions written there are so true, it's scary.

Here's an extract from Arsenal Truth. Who could possibly disagree with this?

"If this season ends up potless and Arsenal uncompetitive, for obvious reasons, somebody quite simply HAS to be made accountable! I am also leaning further and further towards wanting David Dein back at the club, even if it means having his sidekick Usmanov with him. Dein would be at the forefront, the beached whale would be peripheral, and his vulgar money is really no different to Kroenke's.

They're all in it for the prestige and the profit - but at least we know Dein cares passionately about Arsenal, and has the ruthless, naked ambition that the rest of the Arsenal board evidently lacks. Dein sacked Terry Neill and brought George Graham to Arsenal, they didn't even get on, but Dein sat it out because George was a legend and a winner. And Arsenal need that now, not a board full of corporates and a manager that even alongside Dein, best friends as they are, wouldn't be allowed to get away with this ludicrous incompetence."

Many would assume that this post was written around the 6-0 Chelsea game, or maybe the 5-1 Anfield demolition. Wrong, it was actually written in September 2010, approximately one week after we thumped Blackpool 6-0. 4 years later, barely anything has changed.

Arsenal Truth is one of the few Arsenal blogs that I've seen, which speaks with absolute conviction and truth regardless of the final scoreline on Matchday. It's the first Arsenal blog I had come across that took such a violent and aggressive turn from other Arsenal blogs, yet was bang on the money in the long run.

Arsenal Truth, as you would expect, is anti-Wenger, but speaks with reason. While I believe Le Grove is better than Truth, AT was the first blog I had found, hence I followed it more.

Not anymore. Now that Arsenal Truth has called it quits, I'm left seething over Wenger, because he was mostly responsible for a loyal supporter turning his back. I hope I won't end up his way under Wenger stewardship.

I genuinely understand why Arsene's supporters are angry with the Wenger Out section. After all, I was one of them around 2 years ago. However, whichever way you look at it, the Wenger Out crew has always been right. The truth may be bitter, or it may be what you don't want to hear, but it remains the truth. Wenger remains a con man, a procrastinator, a tactical joke, a poor motivator, an excuse-hunter, a dictator, a miser and a two-faced fallen philosopher. Loads of evidence, and archival match reports from Le Grove, Arsenal Truth (and indeed, this blog) suggests the same.

For five whole years, everything has stayed the same. The only change has been an increase in our bank balance, which was down to Mr Gazidis, not Arsene Wenger. Anyone who thinks that a football manager was responsible in striking deals with PUMA and Emirates are off their rocker, frankly.

Every year, it's the same mistakes. Under Wenger, those mistakes are certain to continue. We won't compete for the Champions League nor win the Premier League EVER. We'll always find supporters - desperate to not see their fallen hero being blamed - lambasting injuries and refereeing decisions instead. We might pick up some cups along the way, but let's face it, they'd be a poor substitute for our proud history.

In fact, I can make 10 bold predictions for the next season. If Wenger stays, regardless of what happens in the FA Cup, the following will happen in 2014/15. I guarantee it.




1. In the transfer market, Arsenal will not do even half their business early (before the World Cup). Even though there is a possibility of needing to buy around 8 players to have a complete squad for the next season, I'm sure we'll make a circus of it.

2. Arsenal will fall short of players. There will be at least one panic purchase on deadline day, and in the end we'll lack in depth in at least one area. Whether it's goalkeeper, defence, midfield or forward, I don't know. Whatever happens, fans will come out with their excuses. Stuff like Wenger wasn't allowed to spend by the board, World Cup was an unnecessary distraction or clubs deliberately didn't sell their players to Arsenal, will be doing the rounds.

3. Arsenal might buy one world-class player, but he would be bought due to fan pressure, not out of some master plan. It'll be synonymous to the £42.5m splash on Ozil. This one would possibly be on deadline day too.

4. Arsenal will not win the EPL, nor will they come close to winning the Champions League. We might win the FA Cup or the Capital One, but we won't win trophies a club of Arsenal's stature should win.

5. 90% of the mistakes that I've mentioned about Wenger (to see them together, click here) will recur. Whether they are unnoticed by deluded supporters or are spoken by the mainstream media remains to be seen.

6. There will be negative, Villa-ish results at least thrice next season. Boos ringing around the stadium are certain to follow, if these matches happen at home.

7. Even though lack of transfers will have a huge impact, Wenger's insane tactical approach, and his clear inability to motivate his team during the crunch clashes will prove decisive in us not competing. Of course, Wenger's apologists will instead blame injuries and refereeing decisions.

8. There will be an injury crisis, somewhere after the Christmas schedule.

NOTE: This isn't because fate, luck and destiny loathe Arsenal, it's because Wenger overplays his key players until they can barely walk, and then overrules his medical staff advice like the dictator he is. It's not a coincidence that Arsenal have topped the injury list for the past five years.

9. Mesut Ozil will not be as successful as people think. A lot have got it wrong with Ozil, they think this season is his adaptation period. If so, shouldn't he have a bad first half of the season and then a good second half of the season? Why is it the other way around?

Fact is, Ozil never was good with Arsenal once he learnt the Wenger way. Sure, he started his season brilliantly, but once Wenger started to impose his tactical approach on Ozil, the guy faded. Wenger also overplayed him throughout the Christmas schedule and heaped pressure on him. He surrounded Ozil with weak and slow people which exposed his flaws even more. Ozil's injury was predictable, really.

Of course, there is every chance Ozil can resist Wenger's suicidal man management. World class players like Cesc and Robin did. However, if Ozil manages to set the league alight next season, it would be inspite of Wenger's management, not because of him.

I fear Ozil will go the way of Arshavin.

10. The season, as the past ten, will end up as 'not good enough'. A majority of Arsenal's fan base, to not heap pressure on their beloved philosopher, will instead glorify what he will 'achieve' throughout the following season, make themselves believe that better days are set to arrive and continue their futile exercise of hoping that Arsenal, under a zombie manager, will put things right the eleventh time around.

--

While I can't guarantee that all of these will happen next season, certainly around 8 of these points will transpire under Arsene Wenger. Most of them happened this season, they happened last season, and also the season before. If you don't want to believe that it's happening, tough, but it'll happen anyways, and you'd better deal with it then.

Frankly, it's embarrassing that a blogger from India can predict the impending disaster with such certainty, before one of football's supposed greatest managers can do anything about it, or even know it. I'm in no way suggesting that I could be a better manager than Wenger, for I have zero footballing managerial experience. But if me, Le Grove and AT can see what's coming, why can't Wenger?

It doesn't take anyone to be a football manager to realize that Arsenal needed a bloody striker for two seasons. You don't need to win the Premier League to have an opinion on Wenger's laughable tactics. If people loathe Hitler for killing millions of Jews, did any German retort by saying, "Well, you haven't been a dictator, you don't know how hard it is!"

In honesty, I feel sorry for Arsenal fans, I really do. The Arsenal fanbase is, in my opinion, one of the most loyal and patient ever. However, Wenger destroying his own legacy is having an adverse effect on these fans, who are now filled with self-doubt, false belief and are forced to accept mediocrity from time to time. Wenger is killing the club, feeding Gooners with the poison of hope, destroying their passion and trust and in return, delivering nothing.

How do you describe this situation? One word - fraud.

Don't let a 3-0 win against a disinterested Newcastle, or penalty shootout relief against a Championship side fool you; Arsenal is a mess. The backroom staff don't get a say under Wenger, the rotten system - flawed on ALL levels - will not change, players will get fed up and leave, Wenger will pick up his salary, the clueless board will not challenge him, and Arsenal will remain godawful under his dictatorial reign. On every level, the club remains hamstrung.

Hopefully if Wenger leaves in the summer, all the madness will stop and fans will be fed with genuine optimism. I have always supported Arsenal, but today it is more out of loyalty than pure passion. If Wenger is to leave, that passion will return.

Otherwise, if the chaos continues, years from now, I might end up like Arsenal Truth.

-Santi (Follow me on twitter: @ArsenalBlogz )

Arsenal 3-0 Newcastle: Ozil struts his stuff as Arsenal seal North London superiority

In one of the most routine victories ever, Arsenal beat a team comfortably who, by all accounts, came to the Emirates Stadium just for the heck of it.

This was one of those wins where it was hard to find any negatives to balance the positives. There was, however, that drab opening 22 minute spell that sucked the life out of me. Sure, we had possession and we had an Ozil chance that whisked past the post, but other than that, it was dire.

I was worried. If Newcastle would open the scoring - they did come close when Sissoko curled an effort past the far post - then there was the real chance we might lose the support of the crowd. Coming back to win would have been difficult, considering our team's fickle mood-swings.

However, as it stood, Arsenal were just biding their time. We won a free kick around the 25th minute, Santi curled it in and Koscielny (who else?) dived to meet the ball and guide the ball into the far post. That's three goals for him directly responsible for St. Totteringham's Day, all in the same fashion. It's almost like the script was written.

The goal was what Arsenal needed, as we let go of the handbrake and started to impose ourselves. Against a Newcastle side with absolutely nothing to play for and Ozil in the mood, it was pretty easy. Podolski could have made it 3-0, when his low strike, which seemed to be going in was saved by Krul, and later when he was denied a headed goal after another Krul save.

We did get what we deserved just before half-time. Arteta floated a ball on the path of Giroud who was making a rare run behind the defence. The back two of Williamson and Collocini are particularly slow players, which probably helped Giroud put in an improved performance. Imagine how much chaos a quicker striker would have created. Remember Theo Walcott's hattrick against Newcastle in December 2012?

Anyway, Giroud controlled the ball perfectly, but then went for a shot instead of passing it to Ozil. His two strikes, both saved by Krul, kind of highlighted how poor he is in finishing one-on-one situations. There wasn't any clever attempt to curl it past the keeper or round him - instead, Giroud just decided to put his foot through the ball and see where it took him. On this occasion, he was saved by the deflection falling to an offside Ozil who tucked it in, but he won't be saved every day. He needs to be careful.

In the second half, after Gouffran showed evidence that Newcastle were theoretically still in the game, we proceeded to kill the game off. Ozil, who was simply breathtaking after scoring the second goal, took advantage of a Ramsey reverse and bulleted the ball in for Giroud to meet with his head. I don't know many Arsenal players who could have delivered that flat speedy cross like Ozil did, he deserves more credit for that than we give him.

I liked Ozil's performance yesterday. While I thought his performance at Hull was overrated, the Newcastle one wasn't. He was all over them, really, and showed elegance along with end product. Kudos to the guy, for what I think was his best performance in an Arsenal shirt since Napoli at home.

Kudos to Wenger too. He made absolutely the right call by removing the influential and essential trio of Ramsey, Ozil and Giroud, who deserved a rest. Come to think of it, he did the same against Hull, removing Ozil, Giroud and Podolski when the game was practically over. Is this a sign of a newfound positive man management from Arsene?

After the most comfortable win since, well, last week, Wenger said:

"It is a step forward [to fourth], but we need to make another one because we have another home game [on Sunday]. It is another opportunity to win again. What is important is to focus on our performance. Game-by-game, they look strong and convincing now."

Fourth could be sealed if Manchester City defeat Everton on Saturday, as seems increasingly likely. However, I haven't given up hope of third, so I hope Everton defeat City and we defeat West Brom. I know the chances of Arsenal overhauling City are slim to none, but as I said before, it's better to fight for third than stay content with fourth.

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Right, time for some FIFA. And if time permits, I might change the layout of the blog or something, you never know.

Till then, Happy St. Totteringham's Day. Have a good one, Gooners.

-Santi (Follow me on twitter: @ArsenalBlogz )

The fight for fourth, Moyes' sacking, Newcastle preview and CL thoughts

It's been a busy week of football, one I regret missing out on.

A lot has happened in terms of football in general, so please forgive me for turning my attention away from Arsenal in this post. Without further ado, let's get right into the thick of it.

Hull was the performance of the old...
...and by old, i mean six months ago. The 3-0 win against Hull displayed football by Arsenal that we had gotten used to around the September-December period. And there was one man who was at the centre of it, just like he was in the thick of it half a year ago.

Aaron Ramsey was simply... well, Ramsey. I didn't expect much from him because he had just returned from injury, and one assist against West Ham didn't exactly mean he was 'back', as such. Indeed, I tried to downplay his importance to every Gooner I knew, for I didn't want to increase the burden on his tired shoulders.

How wrong was I? Ramsey bossed it. His direct, purposeful running was an acceptable surrogate for Theo Walcott's absence. His all-action midfield play is irreplaceable, really. He immediately got back in his groove with a goal and an assist, not to mention being significantly involved in the third. I had genuinely forgotten how good he was, and didn't want to hype his earlier season form for fear of setting unfair expectations on him.

However, I didn't need to. Ramsey's performance leaked of efficiency and enthusiasm. It's getting impossible to raise the bar on his expectations. Had Wenger not overplayed him and rashly attempted to bring him back to action, we could have been a lot better off than we currently are.

Podolski deserves mention too. Even though I'm increasingly of the opinion that deploying him on the left flank in a 4-3-3 isn't the best idea, I want Podolski to do well at Arsenal. His second goal was one only Aaron Ramsey could have scored in this present Arsenal team, which highlights how much we need him.

Podolski is a rarity at Arsenal. He gives us that cutting edge, the final product and covers his defensive deficiencies by smashing the ball into the net. Goals win football matches, to use the redundant footballing cliche, and Podolski offers that. Which is why, in the absence of Theo, the guy is becoming indispensable.

Work out the math. How many players currently at Arsenal would have scored the goal that Podolski did against Hull, or even West Ham? Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott and maybe Santi Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky. With the latter two not exactly in their prime currently, Walcott injured and Ramsey only being one guy, Podolski continues to deliver the goods. And that's why Arsenal need him.

Moyes had to go...
I'm not saying this from an Arsenal perspective. As a Gooner, I think what he was doing was hilarious. Bringing a title winning side to practically mid-table unwittingly is beyond remarkable. United were hopeless and hapless under him.

However, hearing United supporters protesting to Moyes' sacking and trotting out "#InMoyesWeTrust" was almost stupid. Moyes was given time to gel with the players and build on a foundation set by Ferguson, and he failed miserably. He lost the dressing room, pampered Rooney, never found a stable backline and mismanaged van Persie and Kagawa.

However, the reason why he had to go was because of what he did back in last summer. By firing a backroom staff full of winners, he was drilling a box of nails into his grave.

As a football fan, I believe that modern day managers can be successful by living off the information from their backroom staff. By piecing together knowledge from your medical staff, your transfer negotiator, your scouts, your first team coaches, etc., you could make informed decisions and take the club forward. By being a figurehead to experts working behind the scenes, the manager can mould that information to take calculated risks.

Maybe that's what Ferguson saw in Moyes. Maybe Ferguson believed that Moyes could act as a nominal leader, take advice from United's superb backroom staff and carry on business as usual. It is a lesser known fact that Ferguson was an awful tactician, so instead of going around with his own tactics (like Wenger does), he took advice from his coaching staff.

However, Moyes blew it. Inspite of Ferguson's pleas, Moyes made what was his worst decision as Manchester United manager, in my opinion, by hiring Everton's staff and firing Ferguson's staff. Is it really a surprise that their negotiating staff failed to lure Coentrao, Alcantra and Ozil to their team?

As their dog turd of a season wore on, he eventually lost the players, the support and the plot. He panicked into giving Rooney a megadeal, and overpaid for Juan Mata. He made insane decisions like playing Januzaj as central attacking midfield and Valencia at right back. Some legacy.

If the replacement, touted to be Louis van Gaal, does come in, he'll have to sort out the backroom staff. Otherwise, if the new manager's pedigree is modest, I'd expect to see more of the same.

Perhaps this should be a lesson for Wenger. While Moyes took the advice of incompetent ex-Evertonians in the backroom, it is widely known that Wenger acts as a one-man army. He does not heed the advice of his backroom staff at all, a result of his egocentric and dictatorial mindset. Would any medical staff sanction playing Ramsey for 112 minutes, only after two days of full training?

Wenger has to learn. Ferguson took the advice of his coaching staff and became a footballing legend. Moyes ignored it and became a laughing stock. Wenger, for a good decade, is ignoring the advice of behind-the-scenes men and is watching his Arsenal regressing.

For me, the writing is on the wall.

Real Madrid have exposed Bayern's weaknesses...
While I think Bayern are currently the best footballing side in the world, that doesn't mean they're flawless. There were glaring errors in their matches against Arsenal, errors that a better manager would have taken advantage of. Ancelloti did.

After our 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena, I had said:

"I still fancy Bayern to win the Champions League. However, I say that because I don't find any other team that can match their prowess. Real Madrid, maybe, but I'm not so sure."

I didn't see the match, so I don't know the tactics Real employed. I did hear people say that Real should have had a bigger lead going into the second leg, so it seems like Carlo got his tactics right. Either way, the second leg at the Allianz promises to be a cracker. I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Anyone but Chelsea...
Since the season began, I had predicted Chelsea to win the Premier League. It wasn't a pleasant thought, and I wasn't supporting them in any way. And even though Jose somehow managed to get his buses past Anfield, it's unlikely they'll win the title.

However, I have this nagging feeling that they are going to win the Champions League. I don't know why, because they certainly are underdogs against the might of Real and Bayern. They may even be too weak to get past Atletico.

Looking at Mourinho thumping his Chelsea badge against the sea of Anfield incensed me a bit. It was then, when I realized that I want Chelsea to suffer as much hurt as possible this season. I hate the club, the plastic fans, the mafia owner and the anti-football manager. Why the fuck do you spend billions and then play like Stoke City?

I think I hate Chelsea more than Tottenham Hotspur, which really is saying something. And that is why I find the nagging feeling, that they might win the CL uncomfortable. Should they perform that feat, the niggling thought might eat me up.

Anyone but Chelsea.

Everton did us a massive favour...
I didn't expect them to lose against Southampton, be it at St. Mary's. However, to lose like they did - by scoring two own goals - was as surprising as it was delighting. Needless to say, fourth is well and truly in our hands now, and looking at City's win over Crystal Palace, we're forced to be happy with what we have.

Today could be St. Totteringham's day...
With Newcastle United coming up in a few hours, three points would seal Arsenal's superiority over Tottenham for the 19th season running. Remarkable, really.

On comparison to the previous two seasons, where we had to wait till the last game of the season to establish North London superiority, it shows how much we have progressed and how much Tottenham have regressed. St. Totteringham's Day has almost gone under the radar due to the prospect of going four clear of Everton.

I find it surprising how little I care over St. Totteringham's. I barely even care about top four, really. Bar the FA Cup, this season is over for me. All I care about is Wenger's possible departure and decisive additions in the summer.

Until then, it's just getting through another Matchday.

-Santi (Follow me on twitter: @ArsenalBlogz )