My Arsenal Starting XI

Wojciech Szczesny (Keeper)
He has been brilliant this year having performed very well in all the games especially in the last Premier League appearance against Crystal Palace where he made numerous stunning saves. Since being dropped last year he has worked very hard and now looks like the real deal. He is vocal which is so important in this Arsenal team which really lacks a leader.


Bacary Sagna (Right-back)
He was quite poor near the back-end of last season but has been consistent this time out and is vital in Arsenal's attack. With the absence of pace as Theo Walcott is out injured Sagna's overlaps and crosses are hugely important. Defensively he is sometimes lacking but has performed well even when playing at centre-back.


Per Mertesacker (Centre-back)
He is definitely not the quickest but has performed on a consistent basis. His height is a real asset in the Premier League as it is often hugely physical with a constant aerial threat. He has long legs and is usually a very good tackler. He also seems a decent leader and cares about the success of the team.


Laurent Koscielny (Centre-back)
Quick, agile and great at tackling. He has been a revelation for Arsenal this season and towards the end of the last one. He has established himself as a crucial member of the team. He can be bit reckless from time to time being sent off several times during his Arsenal career. However his partnership with Per Mertesacker is developing into a formidable one therefore he is a must on the team sheet for me.


Kieran Gibbs (Left-back)
When fit he is a reliable and decent left-back providing some attacking flair. However, he is very often injured and not yet mature enough even though he has a bright future ahead of him. Nacho Monreal is far worse and since we don't really have any other options in this department, Gibbs is again a must if he is fit. He does have some decent crossing and pace which is very much needed when the team is quite slow especially in midfield.


Theo Walcott (Right wing)
In the last two seasons he has been immense for the Gunners scoring and providing many goals. It is unfortunate that he has got such a terrible injury since he is so valuable for us with his pace, crossing and goals that Arsenal need to push on their title challenge. Arsenal's midfielders are very good and clever passers who can pass their way through defences but Walcott provides a different outlet that is key in breaking down stubborn defences.


Mathieu Flamini (Central Defensive Midfield)
He is the type of player Arsenal missed, he is a player with a bit of bite who will do the dirty work. He has been a hugely valuable addition to the team even though he is not a brilliant or beautiful player. I have picked him ahead of Arteta because he is an organiser of men and is not afraid to bark orders and abuse at team mates. He is an absolute rock for Arsenal and needed.


Mesut Ozil (Central Attacking Midfield)
Signed for over £40million in the summer, he started off brilliantly for the Gunners but has hit a bit of a wall for us recently. I believe it is because he has never played in a league without a winter break so he may be lacking a bit of fitness in his first season. However his range of passing and quality is undoubted so he is vital for us since he can always conjure up a bit of magic. He has begun to play better, most notably against Everton in the FA Cup 6th round.


Aaron Ramsey (Central Attacking Midfield)
He has been Arsenal's main man at the start of the season scoring 13 goals in no time at all and establishing himself as a starter for the Gunners week in week out. Hopefully he can continue his form after he returns from the injury that has curtailed his season when he was playing so well. He is young and can still improve so he is a huge talent for the future.


Santi Cazorla (Left Wing)
He is clever, good passer and often grabs a goal or two which is an important trait for a midfielder. He was our best player last season but hasn't quite managed to replicate his form. However, he has popped up with 6 goals so far setting up others as well. He is still a brilliant player and influential for the Gunners in the centre of the pitch.


Olivier Giroud (Striker)
He is often accused of being wasteful but he has scored 18 goals this season which is a decent return. He could end up with 25 goals or more which would make people turn their heads and pay attention. He is constantly improving and always tries hard which is admirable. It is clear that he needs some support but he has done reasonably well this season.

Who should be in Englands's Ashes XI down under?

1. Alastair Cook
He has proved he is a class act with 25 Test Centuries to his name. He is stunning off the back foot which is vital down under as the pitches have more bounce. He showed how effective he can be in these conditions last time out in Australia breaking records left, right and centre. Cook did have a difficult series in England and looked at some points out of ideas as a captain. However he is still relatively new as a captain but he must learn quick and become a bit more adventurous.

2. Nick Compton
I know he isn't even in the squad but it was extremely harsh to drop him even though he played well against the Australians with counties. He has got 2 Test Centuries in hard conditions and really deserved a chance in the Ashes. He has technical issues as he seems to fall over slightly but he is a fighter and good off the front foot which is vital for an opener when the bowl is hooping around. Joe Root is a good player but isn't effective at the top of the order due to his reluctance to step forward and not fall back into his crease.

3. Jonathan Trott 
He has had problems over the last year or so but for me it is all in his head. It seems like someone has told he has to speed up and play at a run a ball. He ends up throwing his wicket away when he is playing very well when on previous occasions he would have scored a 'daddy' hundred. He has an average just under fifty and will bounce back but he must return to his calm, slow and boring self.

4. Kevin Pietersen
He is the most dangerous player England have as he is capable of swinging the momentum of the entire match in less than a session. He has scored more than 20 Test hundreds for England and has a great average of 49. He showed his class at Old Trafford in the Ashes series scoring a match saving century. He must fight his ego and play the correct shot instead of always trying to dominate the bowling attack often resulting in the loss of his wicket especially against spin.

5. Ian Bell
Brilliant! Stunning! He deserves all the superlatives he gets as he saved England on countless occasions in England making extremely tricky positions into potentially match winning one. He scored 3 centuries in the Ashes series this summer averaging in the 60s. All those scores came under immense pressure coming in numerous times with England three down for about thirty runs. He will be hugely important in England's middle-order effort.

6. Joe Root
I replaced him at the top of the order but get him in the team because I see him as very calm and a technically good player. He has huge mental strength and seems to always be enjoying his cricket scoring two centuries in the process including 180 at Lords against Australia. He will be valuable down the order especially since he is prolific off the back foot which in Australian conditions later in the innings will be vital.

7. Matt Prior
He was very poor in the last Ashes series but he is a fighter as shown in the away New Zealand series. He is great with the tail and will help to contribute important runs near the back end of the innings. He is aggressive which will ensure quick runs which are always very handy. He is one of the best wicket-keepers around and will prove to be a safe pair of gloves once again.

8. Tim Bresnan
He always works hard and is an accurate bowler. He was decent in the Ashes series in England but played very well down under last time. His batting will add useful depth to the line-up. I didn't pick Steven Finn as he is too wild and is completely out of form. Chris Tremlett is another I didn't pick as he hasn't had any cricket and don't think he is quite ready for the Ashes.

9. Stuart Broad
He had a great series against Australia last time out taking 24 wickets and scoring very important runs especially in the 1st Test at Trent Bridge. However his batting is a bit hit and miss when I believe if he concentrates giving his wicket more value he often plays a good hand. His bowling is sometimes inconsistent but once he is in form there is no stopping him as he rampages through the batting line-up. We saw this at Durham and several times against India a few years ago.

10. Graeme Swann 
He is very good indeed and took the most wickets in the previous series, 26. However, conditions will not favour him but his accuracy will keep one end tight building up pressure. Moreover when conditions do favour him he will pounce and the Australians did not play him particularly well which is a good sign for England.

11. James Anderson
He is the leader of this England attack and has shown countless times that he is England's best bowler by a country mile. He is accurate and knows how to control his swing and seam bowling perfectly.

What does Arsene Wenger need to buy in January?

In short, a central defender, winger and striker.

Central Defender 
Arsenal have loaned out two reasonable central defenders in Ignasi Miquel and Jonathan Djourou yet Arsenal do not have strength in depth at the back Vermaelen has been poor this season just like the one before hence him losing his place in the starting line-up even though he is still the club captain. If I had a huge budget I would go for the expensive option of Mat Hummels of Borussia Dortmund worth at least £25 million. A cheaper player yet full of quality would be Ezequiel Garay currently playing at Benfica who would come in for an estimated fee of around £10-15 million.



Winger
Here I would really splash the cash on either Marco Reus or Hulk both of which would cost in excess of £30 million. However they would be worth it as Arsenal either have to pass through the opposition or exploit the pace of Theo Walcott. With the addition of another winger we can have pace down both flanks or have a strength in depth in that department which at the moment we are lacking.



Striker
Wenger, this summer, pursued Luis Suarez and Gonzalo Higuain and got neither. However, this proves that even he needs another striker even though Olivier Giroud is playing very well having already scored 8 goals so far this season. An injury to Giroud would be a disaster as we have Podoloski out and have no suitable replacements bar Park and Bendtner. A high quality striker would really increase Arsenal's title credentials. Robert Lewandowski would be pricey and he has supposedly agreed a deal with Bayern Munich, but Dortmund would love to sell abroad and not to Bayern who have already bought Mario Gotze this season. £35-40 million might force a move through to Arsenal. If not I would go for Diego Costa as Athletico Madrid seen to be in contant financial problems and Costa may be swayed by higher wages and a potentail title winner side.

Ashes: Key Battles Down Under

Ryan Harris vs. England’s Top 3

Harris took 24 wickets in 4 Tests tormenting England’s top order last summer. Cook and Trott both averaged in the twenties compared to their career averages of just under fifty. Excluding Root’s brilliant innings of 180 at Lords, he averaged just 17. Root’s move to the top of the order hasn’t been very successful due to his reluctance to play off the front-foot.

In Australia the conditions are very different to those in England with more pace and bounce. They will suit Cook and Root especially, who are better off the back-foot but Trott’s problem lies in his head. He appears to want to take the attack to the bowlers rather than being his calm, composed and often boring self. Between the three they have 35 test centuries so they are quality players that will bounce back. Harris will be very dangerous and in his backyard he will be an even more threatening proposition.

Graeme Swann vs. Nathan Lyon

Swann is a world-class spinner, having taken 248 test wickets at an average of about 28. Lyon has taken 85 wickets at an average of over 33 and didn’t look particularly effective in England when conditions favoured him. Swann took the most wickets in the series, 26, and was extremely economical whereas Lyon often gave away free runs which were at a premium in England.

Conditions in Australia will not favour them, but Swann seems to be able to keep things tight building up pressure. Lyon needs to do the same, if Australia are to have a balanced and potent attack.

England’s Bowling Unit vs. Australia’s Batsmen

Australia’s batting has been their Achilles heal all summer, collapsing from winning positions to humiliating defeats. Two examples that stand out are when they threw all ten wickets away for 60 runs at Lords and lost 8 wickets for 40 runs at Durham. England’s bowling was sometimes quite ordinary and often required a miracle spell from either Broad or Anderson with both taking 10 wickets in a Test. Anderson did it at Trent Bridge and Broad at Durham. Australia’s batsmen must be able to maintain concentration for long periods of time which at the moment they do not do. They have technical issues such as Shane Watson planting his front pad and being trapped lbw.

This is an interesting battle as England’s other bowlers were poor and Australia now have the comfort of home conditions along with the crowd.

James Anderson vs. Michael Clarke

James Anderson was stunning in the first Test at Trent Bridge but then fell away somewhat. However, he has dismissed Michael Clarke more than any other Ashes bowler. Anderson is the focal point of the English attack and Clarke is the leader of the Australian dressing-room and batting effort. If Clarke doesn’t fire, very often the entire team puts in an awful display. Clarke is a top-drawer player with 24 centuries to his name and a brilliant average of over 52.

They both performed in certain Tests in England but in Australia, Clarke will feel most comfortable and that is ominous for England. Clarke once in, usually gets a ‘daddy’ hundred. Anderson was vital in England’s win down under last time out and will again be critical for England’s chances of victory.

Ian Bell vs. Shane Watson

Bell comes out of the series of his life having been England’s turning very tricky positions into winning ones. He scored three hundreds averaging over 63. Shane Watson had a terrible series until his 150 at the Oval. Both players are hugely important as they will have to rebuild in the case of a collapse and will be key in their teams attempts to score quick runs.

Matt Prior vs. Brad Haddin

They are both stunning wicket keepers and fighters. Prior had a sorry series in England and Haddin put in key contributions showing that he merited his place in the side. They will be vital in their teams effort to extend the innings scoring valuable runs with the tail.

Kevin Pietersen vs. His Ego

KP has been England's star of the last decade with his ability eclipsing all other English greats. However, his temperament is quite the opposite as he has thrown his wicket away countless times making him hugely frustrating to watch. He averages just under 50 and played reasonably well in the series this summer culminating in a hundred at Old Trafford. He would have scored more runs if he didn't always try and dominate the bowlers, often playing a rash shot especially against spin.

If he plays well there will be no stopping him bar himself and that is why this is one of the most important battles in the entire tour.

Why England lost to South Africa

England lost the series against South Africa 2-0 on their own turf and in this blog I explore why that is the case and where England lost it.

Some people are just willing to accept that South Africa are simply better but that is just a lazy excuse for poor form of key players, incorrect decision making and utter idiocy by the selectors. England came into the first test having won the series against the West Indies 2-0 in the test arena. People were feeling confident since it seemed the horrific problems of the winter had been sorted. However that is definitely not the case as  England we not ruthless enough when in good positions. The problem was that they would get 300 runs for the loss of a few wickets but then collapse to 400 all out like at Lords which was entirely down to the lack of a good number six that would link the middle-order with the tail. Bairstow was poor and that is why Eoin Morgan should be in the team there even though he has a poor record. The difference between the two is that Morgan is a player that has experience and is in his prime after changing his batting technique drastically. On the other hand Bairstow is a player of the future not the present and I have no doubts that he will be a fantastic player just not yet. Moreover the bowling attack failed to convert six down into an all out quickly for example at Lords and in the Second Test. This was even more apparent when there was a 150 run stand for the last wicket. This does not sound like number one material.

South Africa exploited these problems and taught us how to be ruthless. The First Test at the Oval highlighted this as England were 271-3 and then ended up 385 all out and then only managed to get 2 wickets in South Africa's innings after a fantastic opening spell from Anderson. Then a classic sign of a weak team is after knowing that they cannot possibly win they basically forfeit collapsing to 67-4. Eventually all out for 240 which was even more disappointing considering we got to 203-5. The first test was a horrific start and the only positives were the 100 of Cook and the fluent 60 and 49 of Prior.

The Second Test at Headingly would have been a miserable failure if it wasn't for one man whose name is Kevin Pieterson who changed the course of  the match after England were 170-4 and scored a magnificent 149 and took 4 wickets in the Test!! This gave the English a chance to win which they promptly went and threw away by swinging at everything and also committing suicide with a calamitous run-out. However this was a definite improvement which looked to bode well for the final Test which England had to win to remain at the summit of the World Test Rankings. 

But then the ECB once again show their true form of a bunch of stubborn, old men by dropping the star man in the Headingly Test match, Kevin Pieterson for misconduct. England then go into the decisive match where all hopes of retaining the Number one mace lie. England lose by 51 runs but I think this match was definitely win-able as Kevin Pieterson would have got more runs than Taylor in the match and scored at a faster rate giving England more time to chase down the score rather than go out swinging like chickens as they promptly did. The bowling was not ruthless enough in the test as SA were 54-4 and recovered to 309 all out. In the second innings England got back into the game with Steven Finn striking three times in quick succession but again SA got another hundred runs making the task for victory more unlikely. Moreover England began the run chase 5-2 then 43-4 that is a sign of a weak team with no backbone and determination to win.

However I believe the lower middle-order fought hard in both innings to give us a sniff of victory with Bairstow (95 and 54) and Prior (70 odd) and Swann's 41 of 30 balls. The top order was really to blame as they failed to deliver in five of the six innings. SA were more ruthless, consistent and frankly determined than England. The contrast between the captains is illustrates this perfectly Strauss did not get a 50 Smith got 150 in his first innings.

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The ECB are idiotic to drop Pieterson!!

There has been a lot of talk recently about the Kevin Pieterson saga but the only real way to look at this is by going all the way to the start. To do this we have to go back to the ODI series between England and the West Indies. Pieterson asked the selectors if he could have a rest for some of the games in the series which was completely reasonable after he basically played non stop cricket since January where England played Pakistan, then he went to play against Sri Lanka and then to the IPL. This request was made even more reasonable by the fact that the previous week two players had been rested for the final test match against the West Indies. The board refused and then got into a battle of principles with him saying that he was not bigger than the team. This led to Pieterson retiring from all forms of one day cricket. However talks continued between the ECB and Pieterson.

Recently Pieterson has hinted at returning but only if his conditions are met but at the Headingly Test match against South Africa he also hinted at quitting test cricket all together. He also sent texts supposedly criticising the board and Andy Flower to the SA players which was later revealed to be friendly banter but the ECB would have none of it. Then Pieterson knowing that he would be punished severely made himself available for all forms of cricket. The ECB promptly dropped him.

This was utterly ridiculous as he had recently socred 149 runs and took 4 wickets in one test match therefore the decision had nothing to do with cricket. Moreover England have to win the test where Pieterson was dropped to retain their number one status. Pieterson is England's best player and he fills stadiums. The ECB however have proved that they are a bunch of stubborn old men.

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What does the Future hold for English Cricket?

Many were willing to judge England as a test team after the four match npower test series against India. This is because India are the number one ranked test side. But only after one match it is clear that England are a team on the rise.
All the english players performed a which resulted in a crushing 196-run victory over the tourists.
England lost the toss and put into bat which seemed to be the correct decision after dismissing both openers; Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook for 22 and 12 respectively. Jonathon Trott and Kevin Peiterson undertook the rebuilding. Rain shortened the first day but England finished on 127-2 which considering it was a very overcast day in London was extremely solid.
England resumed with Trott well placed on fifty and Peiterson looking confident after a tricky first day. However Trott failed to add lots of runs to his overnight total getting out lbw on 70. Ian Bell came in to a join a not fluent Peiterson. They had a job to do as a partnership was needed.
This is what occurred but fell just shoet of his half-century edging Kumar to Dhoni on 45. Then Eoin Morgan was removed aswell by Kumar and England were five down and Pradeen Kumar bowling a marvellous spell of swing bowling.
Peiterson however remained very calm and reached his first century for in England for three years. His joy was clear to see. This was his slowest century in his career off over 200 balls. Although it seemed his best century since he battled early on and played very unlike him. Prior at the other end was very good reaching 71 but also fell. England still looked to push on and Peiterson did not disappoint reaching his third double hundred of his career. His second hundred came of only 110 balls showing how he can go through the gears. He hit 21 fours and 1 six ending on 202 not out. After achieving this landmark England declared on 474-8 leaving a short passage of play for India to survive. They came through this and at the close of day 2 India were on 17 for no loss. Day 3 was a sunny day and India were expected to bat well. The start was promising as Mukund raced to 49 and Gambhir played the anchor role. Then Stuart Broad came into bowl who was under pressure as his place in the side had been called into question. It was clear from the start that he had a different approach as he pitching the ball up as opposed to short deliveries. He bowled very well and got his reward getting both openers, bowling them both.
Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid came to the crease. They looked promising but Tendulkar was also removed by Broad. Then due to the excitement of removing the 'little master' Strauss dropped Laxman and Swann dropped the vital wicket of Dravid. Then Laxman was out because of Tremlett's persistent lines and lengths.
Then Swann trapped Raina for a duck. This put India in a spot of bother. Dhoni and Dravid kept fighting getting over 200 but then Tremlett got the break through sending the Indian captain back to the Pavilion. From this moment onwards the Indian innings flopped. Harbajhan Singh was out for a duck off the bowling of Tremlett giving him his third wicket of the match.
Then Broad took Praveen Kumar and Anderson finished off taking 10 and 11. This all happened very quickly but Dravid still had time to get his 33rd century. The Indians were all out for 285 giving England a great first innings lead of 188. Then the English openers had to survive for a couple of minutes. On day four it was obvious what England wanted to do. They wanted quick runs which at 54-1 seemed very likely but then England appeared to have nostalgia and collapsed to 62-5. Morgan and Prior needed to have a large partnership as India could now see victory in their grasp. Their tails went up again when Morgan got out on 19.
Broad took guard on a pair but played brilliantly. Both players had an aggressive approach which gave England time to bowl at India. Prior got a magnificent 100 and Broad finished on 70. Their partnership exceeded the 150 mark. England declared again on 269-6. They had 20 at the end of the day to put pressure on the Indians which they did taking Mukund early. Due to injuries to Gambhir and Tendulkar Dravid opened and Laxman came in at three. They both batted well and survived till the close of play.
At the start of the day India looked solid and determined but then Anderson and Swann bowled very well. They both got rewards; Swann taking Gambhir and Anderson took Dravid, Laxman and the valued wicket of Tendulkar. Then the Indians began to frustrate the English through Raina and Dhoni.
The match entered its final session but because of England scoring quick runs almost a session was added. Tremlett bowled patiently but with a bit of extra bounce got Dhoni caught behind.
This gave England the impitus to get Singh and Kumar. Anderson and broad getting a wicket each.
Anderson then bowled a magic delivery which first moved in towards the batsman and then seamed away from him taking the outside edge of Raina's bat. At this point England only needed one wicket to win in 30 overs.
This was taken by Stuart Broad bowling Sharma. He ended with match figures of 7-94 and Anderson lead the attack brilliantly in the second innings claiming a 5 wicket haul.
England beat Australia convincingly on their turf and now are bossing the world number ones. The future looks bright because of England's young talent and the squad is also young with many years ahead of it and will definitley claim the number one spot in the near future.

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