Aaron Ramsey says Arsenal can use their agility to counter the physical presence of Manchester City and Chelsea this season but admits winning the Premier League will be tough with the top six increasingly competitive.
The Gunners haven’t dropped out of the top four throughout Arsene Wenger’s 18-year tenure, however, without a title win in ten years questions linger whether the club have the resources to challenge their monied opponents.
After 128 days at the top of the table last season there’s reason for optimism at the Emirates even if confidence-sapping defeats away from home ended their title challenge.
Promising that he and his teammates won’t be bullied on the road again Ramsey told Sky Sports: “Manchester City are a big team and Chelsea are a big team. It’s all about opinions. We’re quite a small team by comparison and we like to get the ball down. Maybe they won’t be as agile and we can play around them.
“It helps those teams with power and drive but I’m sure we’ll be playing the other way.”
Ramsey stopped short of suggesting Arsene Wenger should sign Ralph Macchio to crane kick Yaya Toure, but he did go on to talk about the fine margins that could define the race for silverware.
“These teams are always capable of getting results off each other. The Premier League was really tight last season and I think it’s only going to get tighter and tighter.
“It’s going to be more difficult to win it because I think there are six teams now. The so-called bigger teams are going to drop points throughout the season. The key when that time comes is to go to the next game and get back to winning ways.
“It’s a long season and I’m sure there are going to be many twists and turns. There’s going to be a few teams fighting for it.
“The biggest thing we need to do is to pick up points against the bigger teams away from home. If we’d have nicked a win or a couple draws in those games last season we would have been up there on 84 or 85 points.
“That’s the one thing we have to improve on. We lost to Everton away last year so we go there on Saturday and we’ll be looking to put things right and hopefully come away with a good result.”
In other news, Mathieu Debuchy is excited at the prospect of playing alongside returning German trio Lukas Podolski, Per Mertesacker and Mesut Ozil.
The summer signing from Newcastle has already spoken in glowing terms about the differences between Arsenal and former clubs Newcastle and Lille and seems to still be rubbing his eyes in disbelief at the quality of his new teammates.
“It is fantastic for me to be part of this team,” Debuchy told the official Arsenal magazine. “When I see the squad now and I think that Ozil, Mertesacker and Podolski are still missing, it is incredible. It is an amazing squad.
“Playing with them is pure happiness, even at training it is top level. You have to give your best all the time because the level required is immense.”
Ryo is back.
Who gon stop us now?
I had high hopes for him, he performed so well in the eredivise ( earned the name RYOdinho) but I guess the PL is different level.
Look forward to 1 or 2 additions of starting 11 material in this transfer window, to sustain a title challenge till the end of the season.
Winning the title is the hope, finish above the C*%# team that is Chelsea is the desire for me this season.
more likely is the signing of a backup center half.
New brand-spanking-shiny signings would be awesome, but I don’t think Arsene would be leaning in that direction. We are wishing for more signings from a manager, whom has repeatedly reiterated, that more than three players is the number that unsettles a squad. Looking at how well De Bouche Chambers and Alexis have settled in, and still having Campbell biting at the bit, we would already be looking at four players, that number is already one more than what Arsene deems fit. We have some really exciting young prospects coming through in Campbell, Ox, Gibbs, Wali, Jack, Ramsy, Ryo, Belliren and… Read more »
I agree with Ramsey. If we sort out out away from to ‘big teams’ then we can be in with a shout. I just hope Walcott is fit enough when we play these teams. His pace can make a differnece.
Yes; walcott could be enormous however cannot see us seriously challenging for anything more than 3rd with giroud as our main upfront option. Sorry lad truth hurts…..! and I am not looking at the glass half empty
hope he proves me wrong
and yet we led the league for longer than any other club last season, with Giroud as our only upfront option. And this season we have more, with Walcott to come back as well and the transfer window still open (ahem).
So basically what you’re saying is that you have no idea what you’re talking about
Exactly! It’s crazy, one poor game on a bobbly pitch in Turkey (where he had very little service) and people have got the knives out for Giroud again. He was ace for us last season, and he’ll be even better this season as we can actually rest him from time to time. Alexis can play CF, with his back to goal even. The guy is strong as fuck. It also really does my nut in when people write the same old negative tripe and then bolt an ‘I hope he proves me wrong’ on the end. You can’t have it… Read more »
I thought the ‘we led the league longer than anyone else’ trophy was still held by Newcastle when under Keegan?
“And yet we led the league for longer than any other club last season.” That statement was truly Wengeresque, Sam; it beautifully sums up just about everything that’s wrong with the club right now. It celebrates mediocrity, not achievement. Does the guy who’s leading at the bell get the gold medal in the Olympics? Or maybe the boxer who wins the first six rounds but gets knocked out in the seventh? Does Lewis Hamilton get to stand on the podium if he leads most of the race but crashes out on the final lap? Forgive me if I’m wrong, but… Read more »
I have to agree with Fat gooner. Lets face it Man City couldn’t give a fuck about how long we spent on top of the league when they lifted the title. When you look at the strikers that our title rivals have at their disposal it’s hard to argue that an upgrade on Giroud wouldn’t go amiss. That’s not saying I hate him as a player. More than happy for him to be part of the squad he would give us a great plan B just wish he wasn’t plan A. From a defensive point of view numbers are needed… Read more »
its not just about winning. its about how u win 🙂
Fatty, Sam was merely acknowledging the fact that Giroud did a sterling job up front, he didn’t say anything about it being an achievement. Yet again your assumptions get the better of you. No one thinks it’s an achievement, we were unlucky and have built on that. Balotelli is not a solution, he has far too many demeaning features to warrant a move to the mighty Arsenal. And for £160,000 a week, it’s just not worth it. But I could’ve definitely guessed you were a balo fan. Did you know 78% of Italian football fans think milan will improve without… Read more »
@fatgooner It is clear that your understanding of relatively simple words and terms, such as “achievement,” “fan,” “supporter,” “mediocrity,” and “glaring deficiencies” is highly deficient. 1. Being a supporter/fan is about cheering on your team, not whinging and complaining at every juncture. 2. We won the FA cup last season, after interminable whining about “we haven’t won a trophy in ___ years!!1!1!1” Somehow the whinging hasn’t lessened a jot, it seems. Inasmuch as we’re also in the top tier of professional football domestically and manage to qualify for the premier European club competition as well, claiming that Arsenal are mediocre… Read more »
Hey hey hey, lovely to actually get the chance to read what Fatgooner has written. What a relief, as when ever I see his name, he has all those red thumbs down, as has been kicked in the nuts, well kinda. I actually agree with what Fatgooner is saying. leading the race at the bell and then just fading is absolute bullshite. We ran so many players into the red last season, it was a nightmare. Then when we started getting spanked and then fell down into 4th place, well fuck all of this supporting a club if any right… Read more »
Yas, What you have said is pretty much the very definition of looking at it half empty.
You giving him much credit.. He sees the current Arsenal as emptier then empty..
“cannot see us seriously challenging for anything more than 3rd with giroud as our main upfront option. Sorry lad truth hurts…..! and I am not looking at the glass half empty ”
1. We did challenge for first last year and led the league for weeks on end.
2. Yes, you are in fact “looking at the glass half empty,” and just asserting that you’re not while publicizing pessimistic sentiments is amusing hogwash.
Is the glass half empty or is it half full….either way that means there’s room for more alcohol in it. Two trophies in two months, 3 points from the first game and the Arsenal Gentleman is back. I’m really glad we didn’t sign Balotelli he’s just like Suarez an accident waiting to happen. Although I agree we are short in some departments, the transfer window is still open and I’ll reserve my judgement until it closes and I reckon after the Everton game tomorrow we’ll have a better idea of how much quality we’ve got. Tomorrow’s a real test and… Read more »
Highberry, I can’t say I concur re: Balotelli (always liked him since the first day I saw him play, and I think Wenger could reach him) but clearly he’s a polarizing character.
I see what you’re saying Jo and I like Balotelli really I do he’s a character who enriches the game but I don’t want his antics to be the cause of a heart attack and the mugsmashers will rue the day they bought him imho
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsaAV9l4E78
Just to remind ourselves of what we have been missing and avaiable (cough titi/RVP….) Sorry lads coudnt find a top 10 for FHB….aside for his effecient and effective hold up play!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paEvdZl1FP8 and this!
Now you’re resorting to video trolling?
I’ve changed my earlier comment. Your glass hasn’t got a drop in it.
Remember his goal against Tottenham in Emirates……..and don’t forget his defensive work on set pieces.
And that absolute stunner against City, which was 2 weeks ago but already forgotten by most of the people
the team is built to dominate through possession. the problem is that arsenal have not been able to maintain possession when it counts against the ‘big’ teams. all of the maulings occurred when we made a habit of giving the ball away cheaply, thus leaving the defense mightily exposed. a gruff dm would mean we change strategy and play to frustrate and counter. a more fluid player would mean a continuity of the domination-through-possession strategy. i really don’t think flamini is the answer, much as i like him, for that reason alone. he’ll help us scrap but in the long-run… Read more »
EXACTLY- Meaning Giroud IS NOT solely responsible for not winning the league last year. No CF on earth would have changed those matches…
Not just his pace, but his attitude also! He’s a big game player like the Ox
Hope they’re more coordinated at Goodison Park. Frequent misplaced passes can break all the tempo you work so hard to build and they look pretty untidy too. Wouldn’t mind putting the Ox on the left wing for this one. Lets test Everton with pace on the wings. Maybe he can move in the centre at the hour mark with Joel Campbell replacing someone. We’re not the most physical team out there but our pace is certainly our strength!
Ox can also help Nacho better if they try to put Lukaku over there again. And Flamini is going to be a key watch in this match.
Sometime I wish I had a sister that I could marry off to Rambo, he’d make a great brother-in-law
that is all
Rambo’s married last June, you know.
Welcome to The Arsenal…Fc!
Beating Everton or any side for that matter depends more on chance and luck than most other things.
Refereeing decisions?
Congested schedule?
Players available for us?
Players available for them?
The pitch?
Form?
Mindset?
Which matches are most affected by these vagaries?
And so on …
The thing is that the best sides deal in consistency from August to May. We have the players. We may well get in some more. But this season we’re categorically competing for the title no matter what (often ex-Liverpool) idiots in the media say.
huh? i agree that fortune plays a role, but surely the quality and depth of the squad play the biggest role.
… “most other things” But even squads like Man City and Chelsea end up losing or drawing matches against really rubbish opposition thanks to the above. Look at our own FA Cup win and the dickhead refereeing that went into that. The only reason it didn’t end up as costly was a moment of genius and Aaron Ramsey. It was an act counterpoint to incompetent refereeing. And no, squad size/depth isn’t that much of a factor if major players are not at their best/unavailable. And you certainly can’t substitute/rotate your best players in ‘top four’ matches. Only if you have… Read more »
I honestly thought debuchy was a c*** when he was at newcastle but from listening to his interviews and watching him play he seems like a decent guy.
Top quote from Debuchy. Really hope he contributes more to creating chances than Sagna did.
He may have already- it was almost him with the winner that ended up rebounding to Ramsey.
I honestly think that AW is going to start using Theo as a centre-forward as an alternative to giroud – with alexis we now have a tricky winger – and Walcott playing off the shoulder of CB’s with his direct running is a dream for our midfield. chamberlain(LW) – Walcott(CF) – alexis(RW) ——- that has tremendous pace with two wingers that are 1. tricky 2. don’t shy away from defensive duties and protecting their full-back. just a thought as an alternative….theo impressed in the CF role when he injured himself against the trash also – this is a completely different… Read more »
If Alexis and Theo both start, they can exchange places and roles as well, which would have the added benefit of making life more unpredictable for the defenses we face. Plus we know Ozil likes drifting wide to help create overloads on the wings. I feel like this could be very potent when facing teams with slow CBs who prefer to defend crosses.
+ no Barkley for everton
Ramsey is gonna be one of the key players on the pitch tomorrow. I hope we connect our passes properly and get our rhythm going on. I somehow feel that Rosicky should start tomorrow – brings a spark to the team. Hopefully another 3 points and get our momentum going . COYG!
i hope chamberlain comes on for cazorla — pace out wide will ensure everton CB’s don’t press high-up essentially pinning us in our half like last time – knowing that chambo alexis can burst in behind will push them further back – along with their fullbacks to.
I see this game being much more balanced than the last time out
“I somehow feel that Rosicky should start tomorrow”
Dead on.
I found it very strange not to have seen Rosicky yet. Maybe Wenger has been keeping him rested for tomorrow. Feel like he could have changed the flow of both games so far.
Ramsey would own Ralph Macchio
Immense agility. Just look at Sanogo.
all arms and legs that one.
Just you wait. He’s like a baby deer, just getting his legs under him.
EPL should really have had a longer break after the world cup,even our pre preason seems really inefficient as we are travelling around the world for commercial purposes. Something needs to be changed
“we are travelling around the world for commercial purposes.”
That’s how we secure the $ to buy the players all these whingers are demanding.
Hurry up. I think arsenal should play every other day. I need to get a life.
Seriously
Debuchy is the man, pace and often gets a good foot into tackles. Adds some depth to our wing in the attack as well
It will be difficult to play around fat Frank Lampard at chelski. Oh wait.
I think facing Everton on Saturday, them not having Barkley will have a much larger impact than us having Ramsey available.
Everton are definetly one of those top 6 teams. Its gonna be a dogfight, scrappy 1-0 win will do for me.
I said last season that as long as Giroud reamain our No.1 striker,we won’t win the league. IMO, that statement remains valid. I hope he proves me wrong though.
*remains
I don’t know about you people – but with Arteta out, I’d like to see Jack filling in that holding role. He has got the aggression as well as picking up the ball from deep – his preferred way of receiving possession.
Jack CDM, Rambo CM, Santi CAM til 55-60min to get Özil on. Ox to start on the left wing.
Doubt we’d go with such attacking intent – Flamini will play.
Jack at DM? That’s a waste of talent. H is built to create, not shield. H is not strong enough for the role and I think his positioning is terribly wanting. Only coq and Flam are d true holding midfielders in this team. Playing jack there is under utilising an offensively intelligent player in m view.
Love your points but I think you might need a new keyboard mate
Took me a minute to work that out, I was wondering who the fuck H was.
Always a hard game at Goodison Park. Except when we beat them 6-1 a few years back. Even Denilson scored that day. I’d take a 1-0 tomorrow with the winning goal in off the post from after being deflected off the keeper’s nuts.
Just 3 additions would sort our drought for the Epl trophy.. A brick wall at DM, a CB backup and a lethal finisher! A sniper infront of goal.. Giroud ain’t the man for the job!
Great, but agility doesnt mean bearhugging or shirt tugging rambo.
I really hope we get a CDM… And really fast too… Am okay with Giroud and the rest foward options we have unless somebody’s sold then we’ll have to replace… For tomorrow, I hope Wenger plays Alexis and Chambo on both flanks… We need to keep those Everton fullbacks in thier own half… Baines’ and Coleman’s freedom to run the lines last season due to Santi and Tomas’ tendency to drift in and the fact that they’re a bit not too fast (Tomas is, buh he’s not as fast as Sanchez… Oh! That Alien… The Mozart doesnt age…) So Sanchez… Read more »
A CDM would mean we try to play on the break. A proper holding midfielder would mean trying to win through possession. I’d opt for the latter.
Loved Debuchy standing up for his team mates against Basiktas.
Good lad…
Fat Gober love your analysis of what defines a winning side. Only one flaw in your argument. There were three domestic trophies that we were all competing for and in case you had suffered a bout of amnesia ( obviously a reaction to the countless meat pies you consume on match day). WE WON THE FA CUP!
Fat gooner has taken up the martial arts….he is now a black belt in “the way of the whinger”
Im liking Debuchy more and more, and more.
The #ArsenalStrikerChallenge I hereby nominate Yaya Sanogo (to go out on loan), Olivier Giroud (to learn how to be a striker http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Good-Soccer-Striker) and we sign FALCAO!
that’d be ideal. sanogo on loan and a top striker in. but it’s not going to happen. sanchez was bought both as an alternative to giroud and walcott. until walcott is fit, he’ll be on the wing and then he’ll shift more to the center as the season goes on. wenger was not going to drop 30m+ on cover/competition for walcott.
Houston gooner have you been on the oil again? Most fans respect Giroud and his contribution last season and getting us into top four to play CL this season. He seems to be the focus of arseholes trolling on Arsenal sites these days. Ok we need a striker to add depth to our team agreed but cant you and others give it a break?
No, i won’t give it a break. Giroud is mediocre, mediocrity doesn’t win you the EPL, top quality up front does. He gives some good assist i must admit, but the main job description of a striker is to score goals! He’s sufficient for a side challenging for a top four spot not the title.
Tell that to last year’s Chelsea. Their CF’s sucked ass last year. It was scoring from the wings and midfield that kept them in contention for the title. We are all well aware there are 11 players on the field. Giroud is just the lazy pundit’s scapegoat. He didn’t ship all those goals to our top opposition now, did he? What would he have done to stop those routs? Score 7 goals a match? We were the most consistent team against lower opposition. The difference was the big teams, and they shredded our midfield and defense on the counter for… Read more »
And what have chelsea done? they’ve gone ahead to address that deficiency. I could clearly remember the chelsea game, he had a clear opportunity to score the game’s first goal but he missed in typical giroud fashion.
I would agree with arsenalista’s comment about using sanchez upfront as well when walcott returns.
Politician-like you dodged the main point of my post in your response. It wasn’t CF issues that lost us those games, and it was those games that defined the point differential, because we did better against lesser opposition. Falcao is not going to score 7 in a match. The whole team lost those matches. Not one CF.
So you can keep with the lazy pundit-driven scapegoating, or take a real think for yourself.
My problem with people calling Giroud “mediocre” is that it’s clear as day that they don’t take all of his contributions into account. Even the game he had against Besiktas should be scrutinized because I saw a lot of neat flicks and one-twos, especially with Sanchez. Of course, I also saw some clumsy dribbling and terrible shooting. But that’s partially due to the fact that Besiktas was pressing all game long and suffocated space up front. The fact it’s early in the season and the team as a whole is trying to find its rhythm certainly doesn’t help his cause.… Read more »
Good Point Yacine. He has good quality as team player “so i will keep him”, but lacks quality of a goal scorer “would make sure it’s on bench tho” cos striker score goals. We all enjoy his flicks and holdup plays (excellent stuffs including his hairstyle). but what feeling do you have on Giroud when you play the so called big teams where chances are limited ?? and do we always have to wait for ozil & theo to make him function (just because those player are handful) and because he needs tap in?? It’s a team Game, but he… Read more »
Mediocre won us the cup
Would like to see Everton with zero goals at the half.
Would like to see Arsenal with more goals than Everton at full time.
Would like to see hard, crisp passes to the boots from the first minute.
Would like to see Alexis get more than five shots on goal.
Would like to see Cambell and Chamberlain get game time.
Would like to see us improve defending from set pieces.
I am pretty confident Wenger has more transfer business up his sleeve, but I have no idea what, who or when.
That is all.
Nothing’s happening on the marquee signing front until two things happen: 1) The Mega Rich will need to set the market and then all the other clubs will compete for the remaining talent available. 2) The club needs to get through the CL playoff to buy the quality of talent Wenger is looking/waiting to buy. Both of these will take place next week and likely won’t happen until the last 24-48 hours in the window. We know we are going to get a cb or cb/cdm hybrid. What is in question is the quality of that player and if Wenger… Read more »
Don’t want to but I am worried the Balotelli signing for Liverpool could be a big plus for them. His size and power would have especially been a real good addition for us. Some size and power to go with our obvious agility. Still feel AW could have controlled him. Just hope somehow he self-destructs in Liv.
Balotelli 6’2 could be a big plus, could be a big minus. Such is the balance of the earth! In truth, though, Sanogo is bigger and more powerful 6’3, and Giroud is taller than both of them 6’4 and quite powerful. What Balotelli has though is a little more quickness and quite good agility and feet. What he lacks is work ethic (and discipline, maturity and common sense, as we all know). He will never be the impact Suarez was. Ever. Suarez was more hungry than any player on the field. We are far better off without him. The players… Read more »
Agility is great but height is important (particularly with set pieces) when fielding a midfield involving Santi, Alexis and jack.
No surprise Manolas in frame (at 6’2+) or Rabiot (6’2) or perhaps khedira (6’2).
Would not mind also Subotic at 6’4.
I agree. Balatelli is exciting, but not worth the risk. You can’t easily out a price on how well our team got along last year. The trust and closeness I think is a big part of the way Arsenal play.
Plus, I think Giroud and Özil are both going to look a lot better when they have Walcott and Alexis to feed with assists and to draw defenders. Not saying another striker wouldn’t be nice, but I suspect we will all be very happy we have Giroud by the end of this season.
So we’ve had a couple of mixed performances so far this season but if there’s one thing we’ve learned so far, it’s that Debuchy is fukkin’ delighted that he got away from Newcastle.
John Terry is a cunt of unparalleled proportions.
Giroud mediocre? I suppose that wonder goal in the Community Shield is very old news now? He had a bad game against Palace that’s all; just because the transfer window is open he needs to be replaced?
On another note, how come Arsenal are not a super-rich team with only the two billionaires as major shareholders? He’s looking for a good result against Everton, COYR.
** Here’s looking for a good result against Everton, COYR.