#ARSNAP UCL Tonight

Happy Independence Day Nigeria. We love you regardless.

We Love Arsenal too. Tonight, we play our first home match in the UCL against a strong Napoli side. They are unbeaten in the Serie A and have had a good start to the season as have we. Gonzalo Higuain comes to the Emirates for the second time since his move to The Arsenal failed. We played Napoli in the Emirates cup and though it was a pre-season match, it wasn't easy by any means. They were 2 nil up before we fought back to draw the match through Koscielny and Giroud. A careful look at this Napoli side and you know they have many very good players in Hamsik, Insigne, Higuain, Inler, Callejon, Reina and so on. Mesut Ozil welcomed his former team mates but apologised for having no presents for them...please, do them the honour of receiving your first Goal, Mesut.

Team news: Rosicky is back in the squad and should start the match IMO. Looking at the players who have had to start on the wings due to injury issues, I'd say he should have a shot at replacing Wilshere or Gnabry on one side of the field of play.

The Manager has said it's like an obsession wanting to add the UCL to his CV which is a good thing for us. I hope the desire and willingness to follow up with action is also instilled in the players enough. The Likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Man City? (duh???) Have teams good enough to win the UCL. That doesn't stop other teams from pulling off upsets and getting a chance to hold the trophy. Dortmund came close with a carefully built rather than bought team. We are in a group hard enough to start with which has Dortmund in it. A win tonight will give us a mighty advantage albeit a home match because it puts the pressure on the other teams. Hopefully Giroud will get a post birthday goal and Ramsey continues his rich form in front of goal.

Let's do the rest on twitter tonight. #COYG #ARSNAP #AFC

Follow me @caspanova

TGIM...eh?

Hey. Who loves a Monday morning except the traffic police and parking agents that make some fuss of the little power they have been given. Here in Nigeria, we may go around driving without a license...till we're caught and the story becomes quite unpleasant.

It's so hot I wish today' a holiday. Tomorrow is the Independence Day (National Day) celebration here in Nigeria and I bet lots of people are gonna celebrate INSIDE their houses. It's hardly a big deal these days. 53 years ago tomorrow, Nigeria became an independent nation from the British Colonial rule.

Enough of the lessons. Talking about British stuffs, most Nigerians are fans of British soccer especially the EPL teams. The best of these teams will be in action tomorrow and victory will make some good celebratory atmosphere I must say.

Arsenal host Napoli tomorrow in the UCL and a win will see us sit at the top of another table, alone.

The boys have done well so far and the loss to villa is now like a match from last season. Tomas Rosicky is expected to be part of the squad and that is some good news per the returning of injured players. Some tired legs could hamper our run so we need the lads back as soon as possible.

The Group is so difficult no one can predict the outcome. Of course we expect the Arsenal to scale through and haven won a match away, that's an advantage. Now, all we ought to do to go through is win all our home matches (which won't be that easy by the way) to ensure that we're in the knockout phase.

Ramsey may just nick one in tomorrow, who knows? I wish Ozil would also get on the score sheet, I want to see how he celebrates a goal in the gooner colours. When do you think Ozil will score his first Arsenal goal?

Follow me on twitter @caspanova

#TopOfTheLeague

I was on twitter celebrating the perfect scoreline for the Sp*rs v Chelsea match. Yes, perfect, if we win we'll be on top the table with 2 points between us and Sp*rs. That will be something. Then few hours later, the manchester clubs gave us everything...for the day at least.

So, to South Wales for the Saturday Night Football and the boo boys picked on the in-form Ramsey. The first 45' were open and cagey at the same time. Both teams passed the ball around but didn't create much but for the great run of the little german boy in the final minutes of the half to set up the Handsome Frenchman who missed a great chance to put Arsenal ahead.

The 2nd half was so so...Arsenal played with more intent and it paid off after some smooth attack that led to Ramsey setting up the little german who fired past Vorm to make it #OneNilToTheArsenal. Ramsey set up Ozil few moments later and the german settled down to shoot but Vorm was so well placed Ozil couldn't get any angle to place the ball but shot close to the keeper who made the save.
It didn't take long, Wilshere's tackle in the Swans half led to some good passing moves with Giroud who fed the ball to Ram...Goal!! 2 nil. The boo boys knew it didn't they?

Swansea scored a goal to make it nervy towards the end but we held on #TopOfTheLeague was trending.

The interesting thing I find is how some pundits including the rather comical Michael Owen are playing down our chances of being not even Champions, in the top 4. Wow! 8 points ahead of Man Utd, yet Michael Owen reckons they are a much better team than us based on our players performances last season. Ridiculous. We may not win the league but we've put our selves in a very good position from the start, all we have to do is fight to remain where we are. #TopOfTheLeague.

Wait for Podolski, Cazorla, Chamberlain, Walcott, Rosicky, Dia-who? And Arteta isn't even fully back yet. Just wait!

Follow me twitter @caspanova

Pre Weekend Post. Swansea Vs Arsenal

Hey...I've been pretty much occupied with work that I haven't been able to blog about the Arsenal. Well, it's Friday and you know it's the beginning of the weekend, a good time for football lovers and hardworking people to get some time to cool off.

Tomorrow sees two very important games go down. We play Swansea away and hopefully we can keep the momentum going and make it another away game with 3 points in the bag. Can't help but wish we had all our players fit. Santi Cazorla is yet to play alongside Mesut Ozil which is something many Arsenal fans and neutrals can't wait to see. Well, Aaron Ramsey and Matheu Flamini will both have fitness tests ahead of the game and the Manager believes they will both make it for the game.

The other match i alluded to is the Sp*rs vs Chelsea match. A quite interesting match with all the talks about both Managers, the teams ambitions and most importantly for us, their positions on the table. Someone's gotto give something up for us.

There are stories on Sky appreciating Mesut Ozil's contribution to Arsenal since his arrival.

Hopefully our injured players return soon enough to boost the squad and keep us where we wish to be...at the top of the table.

My Prediction for the game is 3:2 to the Arsenal.

Till tomorrow then. have a wonderful weekend and hopefully, 3 points to the Arsenal

Images of the Lads

                           The Great Dane and Self acclaimed Greatest Striker To Ever Live

Returning el - capitan TV5

 

Emiliano Mafioso Viviano coordinating his lot

 

#WengerBoys Zelalem & Gnabry feeling among

 

Pre West Brom Training Session (Via Arsenal.com)

 

Follow me @caspanova

It's Tuesday!

It's Tuesday. Maybe you knew maybe you didn't. If you didn't know then you should know it's Tuesday. 
No Arsenal football match today but we are a day away from the Capital One Cup match against West Bromwich Albion.

The sad news this morning is that Theo Walcott who was a few minutes away from starting the match against stoke is now feared to be a few (unspecified time) away from playing. If he were fit he would likely not have played the Capital One Cup match but it's better to have him fit and not playing the match than not fit and not knowing when he may return from this rather strange injury. Reports claim that he's facing about 2 weeks out.

Arsene Wenger said.
                “We hope we haven’t lost Walcott for a long time. He has a muscular abdominal problem but I don’t know how serious it is,”
“Is it a question of days? I hope so. He had a little problem before the Marseille game and it became a bit worse.
“It is a bit mysterious because we don’t really know what it is.”

We hope to see him back soon. He got off the mark in his last match. It was a bad time that injury.

In other news, Keiran Gibbs has said he's taking yoga sessions to help him overcome his injury challenges and hopes it will take him back into the England squad. What does he do? Imagine Ashley Cole screaming, holding his left ankle laying on the stretcher? and maybe Baines having one of those Walcott strange injuries. Well, Gibbs has been one of our top performers so far, I'm positive he'll be rewarded somehow. Fingers crossed.

That's it for today. Catch you tomorrow for the match preview. 

Follow me on twitter @caspanova

Arsenal 3 (Ramsey Again, Per and BAC) Stoke 1. (Turn Table)

It's a wonderful morning here in the Capital City of Nigeria. It's drizzling though, makes it a tiny bit dull. Forget all that. We are sitting at the summit of the EPL this morning, with no one having a game in hand. So, From a first day in office that was dreadful to having a squad, though affected so much by injuries, yet, the renaissance of resonance (if you will) in the team has been unbelievable. 7 straight wins. We've been scoring double numbers of goals, bar the Sp*rs match. 

Mesut Ozil made his home Debut yesterday and had a game to remember. He directly assisted two goals from corners and the 3rd was scored from the rebound of his free kick. So, 2 EPL appearances 3 assists and that is no coincidence according to the gaffer.

                             When you look at Özil’s numbers, the assists are not a coincidence – it is a reality of his game. When you play against Stoke you don’t expect to score three goals from set pieces but it shows how important his delivery is, and I believe once he has completely integrated you will see even more. He has shown today that he is a great player"

And that is well said. Stoke under Tony Pulis were a very stubborn "anti-football" team. They let you play, park the bus and take advantage of set pieces and long throws. Yesterday, the did more of the football while we did the scoring and from set pieces.

Next Match is on Wednesday, we play WBA in the Capital One Cup. I'm sure most of the players will be rested and the Captain and Vice - Captain that have just returned from Injury should use this game to get fit.

Credit again to Aaron Ramsey. He's becoming the revelation of the season. He has now scored 7 goals in 7 games since the defeat to Villa. Who would've thought he'd be our highest goal scorer at any point of the season. No one, maybe Wenger.

Till Tomorrow. Have a wonderful week ahead.

Wenger - Giroud’s silence impressed me

Arsène Wenger has praised Olivier Giroud for ignoring transfer speculation and focusing on his game during the summer.

Newspaper reports linked Arsenal with a host of strikers during the transfer window, with Wenger completing the signing of France youth international Yaya Sanogo in July.

But Giroud remains the main man up front - scoring five goals already - and Wenger is pleased with the improvements his compatriot has made.

This season is a big test for Olivier but I'm sure he will have a great season

Arsène Wenger

“I believe he has improved technically in his link play and that will come out throughout the season,” the boss said.

“He has a huge physical presence that is very difficult to find these days. This season is a big test for Olivier but I'm sure he will have a great season.

“He has a kind of belief, [a] positive mentality that comes out. He has a good self-esteem and that is a very important quality because when you're a striker you have to deal with a lot of pressure. It doesn't affect him too much when he doesn't always score. Overall I think he has a very strong mentality.

“Every day when you opened a newspaper he saw another striker coming here but he didn't say anything. For me that's the best answer you can give when you're a football player. Don't talk too much, play and show how good you are. Many people forget that sometimes but that's the core of your job.”

From (Arsenal.com)

Marseille 1 Arsenal 2 (Walcott and Ramsey takes us across the line...3 beautiful points)

wow...what a lovely day this is. After the night comes sunlight, after a great last night come today's great light.
The team has had a great run. A record 10th away win for the club in all competitions and it's obvious confidence is running high in the Arsenal camp right now. The bleep against Villa is now distant memory as we have gone on from that to win 6 straight matches in all competition. We have put ourselves in a great position on all fronts not having to fight from behind. Let's hope some of our injured players return to reduce the burden on the current squad which picks itself automatically with the limited options we have at the moment.
after the match which saw Theo Walcott score his 1st of the season and Aaron Ramsey (would you believe it) his 6th of the young season in all competitions, the Manager was full of praise for the patience and focus of the team
                  "Marseille had a very good first half but we didn't make big mistakes at the back and were patient enough to win it in the second half. I felt we were a bit within ourselves in the first half, a bit timid, and Marseille were more mobile and first on the ball. They dropped in the second half and we took advantage of our strong moments. That got us three very important points."

Mesut Ozil didn't sparkle so much last night. That's not to say he isn't a great player. The young man still needs some time to settle in. He was said to have a tight muscle problem before the game, I hope he stays fit. The man who has been adding so much to the team is someone I had reservations about in the last 2 seasons, Aaron Ramsey. The lad seems to be enjoying his football so much at the moment that he can't stop putting them in the back of the net. He's stealing Ozil's thunder I must add. The german must be wondering how he ran from Spain after the arival of one welsh kid and came to London to meet a new one. This time I'm sure they'll work for the victory of our team.

Next up is Stoke at home in the EPL. Let's get some home record running now. Mikel Arteta, Santi Cazorla, Tomas Rosicky, Abou Diaby, Oxlade - Chamberlain, Lukas Podolski and Bendtsanogo are all out injured. Hoping they return one by one soon enough to keep the team pushing.

Here in Nigeria, Chelsea fans are some worth quiet today. Any idea why?

Till tomorrow then. Have a wonderful day.

follow me on twitter @caspanova

Blog Introduction + 2013/2014 in view

This is an introduction to this blog...this particular blog. I am Mona, the Grand Blogger of this blog and I want to use this medium to express MY point of view of football in general and Arsenal in particular. 

I started supporting Arsenal about a decade ago and I have seen some highs and a few lows...okay, a few more. However, I have always been hopeful that somehow, The Club will get back on track, back to winning ways so i have kept the faith in the team, as have many many many Nigerian fans of Arsenal.

Over the years, many have waited and wished for Arsenal to get back into the league of top teams and keep up with the big spenders; Man City, Man Utd and Chelsea. Fans have showed their desire to see trophies, world class players, a team of talented home grown and foreign players especially to match up with our very beautiful stadium. That is a sight to behold you know.

The start of the 2013/2014 season couldn't have been worse. We were beaten by a team that barely escaped relegation and well beaten at that. Fans were disgruntled, the Manager was of course not happy for all his talk about us having a good team, we had lost at home to a smaller team. Fast forward to five matches after, we are not just unbeaten, we have won ALL 5 games and scored 12 goals and conceded 2 (+10). We  are a point off the top of the table but that is not what has got the fans exited, We have bought a player, a world class player, a special surprise the Manager promised us right after we has beaten rivals Sp*rs in the early derby. They had spent about a hundred million pounds and we had spent about, nothing!

So the surprise is no longer a surprise. He's Mesut Ozil, the German wonder kid called the wizard of OZ by some. His introduction was almost marred by two weeks of wait and an illness, but after the painful wait, he came through. He was not even at his best but he showed the world why he cost us a lot of money. Yes, a lot of money that made him the second most expensive player in English Football.

Tomorrow, we may get a good show again when we head to Marseille to begin our quest for European glory. Fingers crossed more players return from injury and no one else gets injured. Some very important players have been sideline making our squad quite thin at the moment.

Welcome to the blog eh.

Till tomorrow then.