Tag Futebol

Yossi Benayoun has stated, in no uncertain terms, that Rafa Benitez was the single reason he left Liverpool. The Israeli midfielder has signed a four and a half year deal with Chelsea and this weekend accused Benitez of trying to ‘break’ him as a player.

“Everyone asks me why I left Liverpool,” said Benayoun. “There is only one reason – Rafa Benitez. If I played well, I never felt he gave me credit. When I scored, I still expected to be out of the team the next game. On two occasions early last season, against Fulham and Lyon, the fans booed when I was subbed. They thought I was playing well but Benitez told me he was surprised the fans booed because I was not good enough.”

Benitez’s man management came under scrutiny during his time in England with many commenting that his calculated and mechanical style stifled players who were more receptive to encouragement and motivation. Benayoun went on to claim that Benitez intentionally tried breaking his confidence as a player and intimated the same thing happened to Spanish winger Albert Riera:

“He tried to destroy my confidence. You can’t treat a player like this and expect him to be happy. I don’t want to speak on behalf of other players at Liverpool, but people know what happened to Albert Riera and Xabi Alonso. It was the same for me. Benitez tried to break me like he broke Riera.”

Whilst there is no smoke without fire and repeated criticisms of Benitez’s man management can lead us to safely assume he doesn’t put an arm around his players when they’re down, we shouldn’t conclude that Benayoun’s words paint the whole picture (or even if his reported words are the truth, depending on your level of cynicism with regards to our country’s press). The only discernable truth about the situation is that this is a prime opportunity to criticise Benitez; he’s left England and Benayoun has secured a move to the current champions, Chelsea. But my question is why didn’t Benayoun seek a move earlier? And is a four year deal at Chelsea really the choice that optimises his playing time?

I do feel Benayoun was not utilised as often as he could have been in his last two seasons at Liverpool but I cannot completely subscribe to the idea that a manager – any manager – would intentionally seek to break a player’s confidence and thus damage their future as a top flight professional. Many of Liverpool’s players commented that Benitez had a style of management that took some getting used to i.e. he didn’t shower individuals with praise after good performances. This did not stop Alonso, Mascherano, Gerrard, Torres, Reina and Carragher to all excel under his stewardship, though. Benayoun, like Babel and Riera, suffered more because he could not sustain a place in the starting XI and whether that is down to managerial preference or objective output will remain a mystery to most of us.

There’s certainly some truth in his sentiments but his circumstance as a squad player makes it a little easier to blame Benitez outright.

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Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer

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The transfer rumour mill went into overdrive around Xherdan Shaqiri last week, but where should the Swiss winger move this summer?

Last week, a report from Swiss publication Blick claimed Stoke City winger Xherdan Shaqiri could be purchased for just £12million this summer, due to a relegation clause in his contract.

Everton and West Ham are the two clubs most strongly linked with the wing wizard, and fans have been voting on where he would be the better fit.

Everton had a busy transfer window last summer, but desperately need quality over quantity this summer.

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The Hammers ended the season on a positive note with a 3-1 win over the Toffees, but are still in need of some more creativity up front, and a combination of Shaqiri, Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini would be some sight to behold.

Of course, Shaqiri has already held a successful partnership with Arnautovic, as the two combined for 26 goals and 20 assists in the two seasons they spent together in Stoke.

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Everton fans didn’t particularly like the links to Shaqiri, and it seems people think he would be better suited in London, as 60 per cent of fans said the £15.9m rated international should choose West Ham.

You can find the full poll results for yourself below…

With Robin van Persie leaving and Javier Hernandez seemingly on his way out, talk is bouncing around the rumour pages of who Manchester United could be bringing in to compete with Wayne Rooney for the striking berth.

It seems as though Louis van Gaal is to opt for a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 in the coming season, meaning that any striker who arrives is likely to have to compete with Rooney rather than partner him in the 3-5-2 we saw for much of last season with Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persie.

Top class strikers seem extremely hard to come by in the current market, but the draw of Manchester United means that no player is out of bounds. The current set of summer signings will make the pull of the club ever greater and the prospect of playing alongside Rooney, Angel Di Maria, Memphis Depay and Juan Mata should attract any player.

Here are FIVE options for LvG…

Robert Lewandowski

Despite his success at Bayern, Lewandowski is likely to still be available at the right price to United.

His goal scoring record continues to impress, but the role of a centre forward still seems somewhat unnatural to a team managed by Pep Guardiola. The presence of Lewandowski would offer something different to that of Rooney and would act as a focal point for the great attacking midfield talent around the squad.

One issue would be attracting Lewandowski to a team where he is not guaranteed to start.

Karim Benzema

With the Benitez era beginning at Real, Benzema’s position could be under threat if the Spaniard is to use Cristiano Ronaldo in a number 9 role.

Benzema is one of the most underrated players in the world right now and continues to be overlooked for his contribution to the brilliance of Bale and Ronaldo. His link-up play with back to goal is exceptional and would be great at bringing the in runs beyond of his team-mates.

It will be a sharp expense if United are to target Real Madrid’s first choice striker, but he is probably the best option they have.

Charlie Austin

As the second highest scoring Englishman in the league last season, Austin has demonstrated his ability at the top level in a weak side.

There are, inevitably, risks of the QPR man being a one season wonder, but his style of play would offer an alternative to what Rooney or Depay could offer as the lone centre forward. Austin has risen from non-league football to this standard and United would be taking a considerable risk in securing his addition, but he is likely to be more comfortable as a back-up than other options.

His standing in the game to this point means Austin would be more willing to bide his time to get into the starting line-up.

Mauro Icardi

Inter’s Argentine striking star was the shining light in the Nerazzuri’s disappointing campaign last time around.

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Icardi has had his fair share of attitude problems throughout his career, but is beginning to pick up interest from some of the top sides around Europe. As one of an incredibly strong Argentine striking unit, opportunities are international level are hard to come by but Icardi has the potential to become one of the best in the world.

Much like Austin, the Internazionale man may be more willing to wait for his chances while he establishes his name at the club.

Edinson Cavani

Since arriving at PSG, Cavani has been largely playing second fiddle to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and would welcome the opportunity to play centrally more regularly elsewhere.

The move to Paris was clearly a money motivated one, but the Uruguayan probably expected more chances to play as centre forward than he has had so far. Unfortunately, Cavani has been largely utilised one the right-wing but he has still managed an impressive goal return.

His high work-rate and intense physical game should make the adaptation to the Premier League and easy one for Edinson.

In light of the 2014 World Cup, a Brazil three-part special is on the cards.  Part one will be looking at Brazilian players specifically, part two will look at the national side and their current set up, how it has changed and how it will fair in their own nation next year.  Finally, part three, will look at the dazzling Neymar, and if he really is the wonder kid that can live up to the hype.

So part one.  After identifying a common theme among most Brazilians I decided to investigate further.  It is something which has always been there, but it was first drawn to everyone’s attention on a larger scale with the move of Ronaldinho.

It’s fair to say that Ronaldinho made his mark not only in Europe but around the world.  Blasting onto the stage in the 2002 World Cup, everyone knew who he was by the time his free-kick dipped over David Seaman and hit the back of the net.  At this point, Ronaldinho was already playing in Europe for Paris Saint-Germain, which was his first club after boyhood Brazilian team Gremio.  Soon after the World Cup, where Brazil won and Ronaldinho had bagged himself two goals, he moved to Barcelona in a €30million deal.  This is truly where he shined and in his time at Barcelona Ronaldinho scored 70 goals in 145 games.  He also won one Ballon D’or and two FIFA World Player of the Year titles.

Ronaldinho summed up what Brazilian football was all about, he played with flair and his footwork was the best the world had seen.  After spending five years at the club and stating they were the ‘best of his life’, Ronaldinho took on a new challenge at AC Milan.  Unfortunately he wasn’t as prolific with a return of 20 goals in 76 games, but he still showed signs of that footwork mastery we’d become accustomed to.

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After two seasons, Ronaldinho and AC Milan parted company – alerting a number of other clubs to his availability.  However it was Brazil that he chose, in the form of Flamengo, something which meant, no more Champions League, no more Europa League and no more big big money.  At the time, this baffled quite a lot of people, why would you go back over there, when the better football is here?  But is it that or is it because we don’t know enough on the Brazilian league and set up?  I believe it is the latter, undoubtedly Europe is far bigger with the likes of many nations coming together and playing in the Champions League, however Brazil does hold a certain footballing quality unseen anywhere else in the world.

Ronaldinho went back home to play football, he wanted to go back where it all started and bring back the quality.  As well as guaranteed play he would enjoy a better quality of life.  It becomes a lot clearer when Ronaldinho stated at the time of his move to Flamengo, that he did it to get back in the squad for the 2014 World Cup.  Although he is playing in a league with less quality, if he can prove himself to be the player he once was, it wouldn’t matter what league he is in.  Still, playing in Brazil for Atletico Mineiro, Ronaldinho has found some form and has won a place back in the national side.

A childhood dream for most players is playing in a World Cup, playing in a World Cup on your home soil is even more special.  No doubt this will be Ronaldinho’s last World Cup and he will go on to retire in Brazil.  And this is a common theme.  Many Brazilian players starting off their career in Brazil and making their mark in Europe, have all since gone back to Brazil to the end of their playing days.

Ronaldinho is just one case, but here is a starting 11 of Brazilian internationals that ended their playing days where the started:

– Dida (Brazil 91 Caps, AC Milan 206 Apps)

– Juan (Brazil 79 Caps, Bayer Leverkusen 169 Apps, Roma 117 Apps)

– Josue (Brazil 28 Caps, VfL Wolfsburg 140 Apps)

– Lucio (Brazil 105 Caps, Bayern Munich 144 Apps, Inter Milan 96 Apps)

– Gilberto Silva (Brazil 93 Caps, Arsenal 170 Apps, Panathinaikos 78 Apps)

– Kleberson (Brazil 32 Caps, Manchester United 20 Apps, Besiktas 45 Apps)

– Elano (Brazil 50 Caps, Shakhtar Donetsk 40 Apps, Manchester City 62 Apps, Galatasaray 33 Apps)

– Rivaldo (Brazil 74 Caps, Deportivo La Coruna 41 Apps, Barcelona 157 Apps, AC Milan 22 Apps, Olympiacos 70 Apps)

– Ronaldinho (Brazil 97 Caps, Paris Saint-Germain 55 Apps, Barcelona 145 Apps, AC Milan 76 Apps)

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– Ronaldo (Brazil 98 Caps, PSV Eindhoven 46 Apps, Barcelona 37 Apps, Inter Milan 68 Apps, Real Madrid 127 Apps, AC Milan 20 Apps)

– Luis Fabiano (Brazil 45 Caps, Porto 22 Apps, Sevilla 149 Apps)

All of these players made a decent impact in European football, the three R’s in there being the most noticeable.  All of them retired or still play within the Brazilian league.  It may surprise many people to learn that in fact Rivaldo still plays on at the age of 41 for Brazilian side Sao Caetano.  He’s scored twice so far in 2013.

Whether it be a lifestyle choice or a bid to regain the passion of football, nothing beats the essence of home for most Brazilian players.  This could arguably be fanned out as a South American trend, if we look at Carlos Tevez,  who by all means, could play for most clubs in the world, but wanted to move back to South America.  Corinthians nearly had a deal in the bag, before it was scuppered at the last minute.  Tevez was desperate to re-unite with his family and spend time with them, he even left the country for three months to try and force a move and be alongside his family.

The greatest player that ever breathed, Pele, never left Brazil until his final two playing years.  He played for Santos for a total of 18 years never once going to Europe.  Argentine legend Diego Maradona started and ended his playing career in Argentina, while having a stint in Europe.  There is definitely a theme not many can deny that, all for different reasons.  Most of all, the football league in Brazil is bigger than we may think, and this, is where we are having our next World Cup.

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Former Tottenham Hotspur team-mate Luka Modric has urged Gareth Bale to join him at Real Madrid, believing he would make the perfect counterpart to Cristiano Ronaldo on the opposite flank.

In the Premier League, the Welsh winger has been in hot form again this year, with six goals already to his name as well as an assist. Although just 23-years-old, Bale has been improving year upon year, and the suggestion from Modric that he should move to a bigger club sparks an interesting debate. Has Gareth Bale simply outgrown Tottenham – a team that currently plays in the Europa league, and certainly have strong competition to finishing fourth? A dive into the stats should help clear things up.

Bale is certainly a Champions League player, he proved that with his exceptional display against Inter Milan a few years ago, where he ran riot on the left flank against Maicon – an experienced defender who is a World Cup winner. Furthermore, he has often become talismanic at times for Spurs. For example, it is no coincidence that the Welshman was the only player capable of making a difference for Tottenham after Adebayor’s sending off during the North London derby. His second half goal, in which he penetrated the Arsenal half with his direct pace and dribbling, before producing a tidy and accurate finish into the bottom corner with his weaker foot is in many ways a trademark goal for Bale.

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It seems a long time ago since Bale arrived at White Hart Lane from Southampton for £5million, at which time he was considered to be a left-back as opposed to a left-winger. He was best known for his free-kicks, which is another asset that the 23-year-old has in his locker. Since then his turn of pace and his dribbling control has greatly improved, and along with his technical ability has made him a serious goal threat. The Cardiff-born winger has a shot accuracy of 52%, which is on par with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Demba Ba, Michu, Robin van Persie and team-mate Jermain Defoe. But furthermore, that is hardly the only part of Bale’s game.

He is also the seventh best crosser in the league, with a success rate of 20% – which sounds low, but is comparably quite high – despite the fact he has spent much of the season with mainly Jermain Defoe to aim at, and considering he has attempted over 100 crosses already in just fifteen games. It is a better return than any of the Chelsea attackers, and is mainly overshadowed by full-backs and central midfielders who often have more space to cross from. In total, Bale has created 32 scoring chances this season, the tenth best in the league.

Back to Bale’s defensive roots – he should not only be considered an attacker. Unlike many of his other counterparts, the Welshman can tackle and anticipate the game well while his team is defending, and then has enough speed and acceleration to quickly advance on the break, or join the attack from a more defensive position. He has made twenty interceptions this season, with a tackle success rate of 68%, and is statistically much better in the air than the majority of Premier League wingers.

It would be wrong to suggest that the Tottenham man doesn’t come with faults. His incessant diving has agitated fans and referees, and despite being incredibly athletic, he often comes across weak and lacking in passion when it comes to stern challenges. Similarly, his passing is questionable at times, with a 68% passing completion rate in the final third, and 78% completion rate for passing overall – not the best for an attacking midfielder.  He is also often inconsistent, sometimes with a dribbling success rate of 50% or more, but in other games failing to gallop past a single opponent and his work-rate off the ball is also sometimes lacking.

Perhaps suggesting he has outgrown Tottenham is somewhat harsh on a club who performed well last season and are currently lying in fourth place. But Bale is an important aspect of that team, despite his young age, and cannot drive the team on by himself. My main argument is quite simple – Gareth Bale’s abilities are rarely limited by his opposition, proved by the fact he has scored against Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool this season. His pace, skill and technique make him a constant danger to any defence, and he has the ability to score goals as well as create chances from either out wide or the middle. Furthermore, he can contribute defensively, although that side of his game has somewhat diminished as he takes on greater attacking responsibility.

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Bale is improving year on year, and considering he already has six goals to his name, will no doubt beat his total last season of ten, but has some way to go before matching his assists tally of eleven. I do believe however, Bale’s departure from White Hart Lane is not a matter of if but when, and is likely to happen sooner or later. I’ve always viewed him as a Manchester United player, but should the Spanish giants come calling, it is hard to imagine the young Welshman will be able to resist.

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According to reports, American billionaire Paul Allen is interested in buying West Ham, and fans are finding it hard not to get carried away.

The ugly scenes during West Ham’s 3-0 defeat to Burnley earlier this year were the culmination of several seasons of frustration.

The move to the London Stadium is certainly what broke the camel’s back, but fans have been losing patience for years with the Hammer’s bosses.

The report from West Ham World claims Paul Allen, who owns part of MLS franchise the Seattle Sounders, is “very interested” in buying the club.

Allen is a co-founder of Microsoft, so he certainly would have some deep pockets to put to use on the Hammers’ uninspiring squad.

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The 65 year-old has a net worth of nearly $20billion, and owns two sports teams already, the Seattle Seahawks (NFL) and Portland Trailblazers (NBA), as well as his role with the Sounders.

David Moyes’ side currently sit just three points clear of relegation danger, and one would have to think they must avoid the drop to have any chance of a big money takeover.

Fans have grown frustrated with both Moyes and the lacklustre players, and a complete overhaul from a powerful new owner could completely transform the club.

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Of course, there is no concrete news yet, and plenty of fans are keeping their expectations low to avoid disappointment, but others just can’t help themselves.

Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…

Leeds United have started their shake-up already and have a few key players in the pipeline of early signings this summer.

Uwe Rosler is in as the new manager and with the help of the board has already laid out his potential targets for the summer transfer window. The German manager is keen on bringing in a couple of experienced defenders and a striker who can help improve and compliment the young stars already making such a massive impact on the team.

According to reports, they are hoping to bring in Chris Baird, Alex Pearce and Jermaine Beckford, but realistically only one of these has the potential to be a signing for the Yorkshire club.

Premier League side West Bromwich Albion have announced that one of Leeds’ targets has been released. Northern Ireland international Chris Baird has left the club, despite playing over 20 games for the club this season. The 33-year-old would be a superb addition for the Elland Road club as he is an experienced and versatile defender. Leeds have a fabulous youth set-up but lack the experienced players needed to help guide them through the season.

Although it seems likely that he will sign, two other potential signings remain unlikely. It had been hoped that Reading defender Alex Pearce would be arriving at Elland Road as his contract expires over the summer, but it now seems that the Royals are planning to keep him despite handling his contract renewal poorly. The club decided to wait until they had survived in the Championship before handing out new deals to those who were out of a contract.

The other player Leeds were hoping to bring to the club is former employee Jermaine Beckford. The striker has been extremely influential in his current club’s rise to the Championship scoring a hat-trick for Preston at Wembley in the play-off final. The 31-year-old has refused to comment on his future at the Lilywhites and many believe that struggling Leeds could be the first on his list.

While the two defenders seemed logical choices, it seems highly unlikely that Beckford would decide to move after the support he has had from Preston.

Before heading to the North West club, the striker’s career had begun to stall but, under the influence of manager Simon Grayson, the Englishman has found his form again. Preston are certainly keen on keeping him and will want to tie him down permanently during the summer transfer window.

Beckford has been on loan at Preston since the beginning of the season but is about to be released by his parent club Bolton. Grayson told the press before the League One Play-Off at Wembley: “The one thing you’ll say about Jermaine is he loves being here.

“We like to think we’ve got the best out of him, he’s a happy lad, so let’s hope we can make a decision easier by getting into the Championship.”

Preston obviously succeeded in that plan and despite Leeds desperately trying to sign him, it seems highly unlikely he will chose to move anywhere else.

If they need a new striker at Elland Road then they better start looking elsewhere because this one will not be coming back.

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Roberto Soldado has sort of flown under the radar this summer, and that’s completely understandable. With Europe’s leading strikers in Edinson Cavani, Radamel Falcao, Luis Suarez, Mario Gomez, and a handful of others dominating much of the headlines, it’s easy to forget that Roberto Soldado, while not in those players’ class, is more than good enough to jump on the striker merry-go-round of this summer’s window.

Soldado falls into that category of strikers that compatriot Alvaro Negredo finds himself in: very good, but not quite world class. The Valencia striker has the talent, the experience at the highest level and the scoring credentials to warrant a big-money move out of La Liga. The problem is, he doesn’t have that aura and wow factor that can force an upturn in morale at Arsenal, or a big enough name to be Chelsea’s leading striker in the way Cavani could have been.

But that’s all politics that take away from his ability on the field. Like Negredo – and should Soldado arrive in England, the comparisons will rightly continue – he can play a significant role at a major team challenging for honours. With Valencia in a financial mess, he’s the club’s most saleable asset, allowing them to make up plenty of the revenue that is now lost after they failed to land a Champions League place for this coming season.

So forget the marketing factor that would be lost in signing Soldado over a genuinely big-name forward this summer and question whether he can be a team’s go-to outlet over the course of a season.

Can Soldado do it in big games? Last season at the Bernabeu, Soldado wrongly had a goal waved off for offside as he sprung the offside trap from an incredibly high Real Madrid backline and rounded Iker Casillas to offer Valencia what should have been a 2-1 lead and eventual win.

Since arriving at the Mestalla in 2010, Soldado has competed in three back-to-back Champions League campaigns, scoring a combined total of 15 in 21 games.

Surely the sensible and perhaps logical line of thinking is that a striker who can score over 20 goals a season in an okay though not terrible team, as Valencia were last season, can only go on to better those numbers in a team with the attacking capabilities of Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, or even Liverpool.

Chelsea may not really need him, with Romelu Lukaku, Demba Ba and the myriad attacking options from midfield able to supplement Fernando Torres’ unpredictable output over the course of a season. Liverpool, however, could do very well to replace Luis Suarez with Soldado, though how much will a lack of Champions League football affect the Spaniard’s decision to go to Anfield, as well as them being a little further away from breaking into the top four than Tottenham?

Soldado could be a perfect fit for Arsenal, able to act as the “fox in the box” that Wenger has spent years looking for. He’s not just another Olivier Giroud, if there is some kind of negative connotation attached to the Frenchman. The former Montpellier striker arrived at Arsenal after one very good season in France, though prior to that his name was hardly up in lights. Soldado, on the other hand, is very well known across Europe and has been one of Spain’s leading marksmen for the best part of the last four years.

Yet Arsenal are a bit of a strange one. While Soldado does fit the bill for what the club need – a natural and at times lethal goal scorer – he simply does not fit the bill of that “marquee name” the club have seemingly promised supporters. Make no mistake, there is a very real chance that Arsenal will completely fluff their lines this summer and be left with a worryingly small pool of strikers with which to choose from, forcing the club to target the Valencia man. But from a football perspective, it’s no real worry. The big hammer blow and backlash will come on the PR front, where the club have once again failed to deliver. Yet Soldado, combined with an improving Giroud – who isn’t bad by any means – plus Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski, is capable of helping to turn pretenders into Champions.

Local rivals Tottenham have plenty to offer too, though again you have to bring up the debate about a lack of Champions League football, mainly because it could be on offer elsewhere for the player. Yet in a World Cup year, Tottenham would offer him a regular place in the starting XI over the other London options.

There would be no PR damage at Tottenham’s door, rather it would be greeted with huge praise that the club were able to land a forward good enough to have his name featured on the list of big-name forwards on the market this summer.

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Valencia will lament the loss of such an important figure should a transfer occur, as they have done in the recent past with other forwards. But if Soldado does arrive in the Premier League, White Hart Lane would appear to be the ideal fit, for both club and player, and due to the waves others are looking to make in the market.

Which Premier League club is the ideal destination for Soldado?

Join the debate below

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It seems the last time Arsene Wenger sent out his strongest team on a consistent basis was the nearly season of 2007/08. That year, the central midfield duo of Mathieu Flamini and Cesc Fabregas arguably became Arsenal’s best partnership post-Vieira. They were flanked by Alex Hleb and Tomas Rosicky, and their results and charge on the Premier League title was testament to how technically excellent and effective they all were.

That appears about it for Arsenal, as since then the injuries have continued to pile up, the best players have continued out the exit door, and for all of Wenger’s wisdom in the game, he never seems willing to seize the day.

The win against Tottenham saw Arsenal play their most impressive football of the season, certainly from an attacking perspective. It wasn’t just that the team were in the right frame of mind for the occasion, but every member of the starting XI was comfortably the best Arsenal had to offer. That so far has been the only league game where all of those players have started together.

But should it be seen as mismanagement from Wenger? After all, isn’t it he who often says that the club are only focused on the next game as it is the most important? Why then opt for rotation? Why keep one eye on the next game when all manner of disappointments can occur between two matches? Why not go out and grab all three points when they are clearly on offer?

It came to light a few days following the game at Aston Villa that Jack Wilshere was carrying a knock and needed to be rested. But supporters and the media weren’t to know that. The player was evidently fit enough to take a place on the bench, with the option of throwing him on in the worst case scenario. It sparks memories of the game against Aston Villa at the Emirates in 2009 where Cesc Fabregas came on for a 20-minute two goal cameo, only to be subbed off after aggravating his injury.

You can understand why any manager needs to rotate his players over a season which tallies up 50-plus games. But Arsenal have always been a greatly different proposition. They’re a team who can crumble with shocking ease, they’re a team who are often devoid of any leadership on the pitch, and the most obvious factor of failing to capture all three points has been the considerable lack of depth.

To reiterate recent points, Arsenal seem to fall to pieces when just one key player is taken out of the starting XI and replaced with someone of lesser quality. The most famous night at the Emirates up until this point is certainly the win against Barcelona in 2011, a match which saw Arsenal’s strongest midfield and attacking line up start. Goals came via Robin van Persie and Andrey Arshavin, the second of which being put together by Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas and Jack Wilshere. Two weeks later, Arsenal crumbled in the League Cup final against Birmingham. The makeup of the team was largely the same, except for arguably the most important factor—Cesc Fabregas.

Arsenal have always had fantastic players—undoubtedly some of the best in England and Europe—but the squad has always held them back. The lack of consistency with the makeup of the starting XI has been a problem, and there’s always a sense that we never really experienced the best of this Arsenal era on a regular basis.

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It was Robin van Persie who was a regular casualty for much of his Arsenal career, while the injuries certainly increased for Fabregas in his final few seasons with the club. It was also a disappointment that Aaron Ramsey missed the entire season in which Jack Wilshere rose to prominence, while Thomas Vermaelen spent a season out injured following his impressive debut year at the club.

There’s always been a gap, an unmistakable but costly void somewhere in the team. Would Arsenal have gone on to win the title in 2008 had van Persie, Eduardo, Bacary Sagna and Flamini not picked up injuries at various stages in the year? That was certainly Arsene Wenger’s best team since the move to the Emirates. But like the Invincibles, we simply didn’t get to see enough of them.

As reported by The Evening Standard, Arsenal will not be pursuing the signature of Manchester United star Anthony Martial this summer.

What’s the story?

On the fringes of the Man United first team under Jose Mourinho, there’s been rumblings recently that the French international will leave Old Trafford at the end of the season.

However, it appears Arsenal aren’t a potential destination.

That’s according to The Evening Standard, who report that the Gunners are unlikely to follow up their January interest in the £60m-rated attacker, even if he’s set to exit the Red Devils.

Is that the right decision, or should Arsene Wenger reconsider and chase his signature?

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Should Arsenal go for him?

While it’s true the Gunners now have plenty of attacking talent available in their first team squad, a player of Anthony Martial’s standard is only going to improve that and could well be an upgrade on players like Alex Iwobi, who has struggled to perform consistently this season.

Alongside the likes of Alexandre Lacazette, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Martial could help usher in a new era of Arsenal and contribute massively.

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With 11 goals and 10 assists this term for United without being a first pick in Mourinho’s team, he’s proven he is more than capable of performing at the standard required for a club like Arsenal.

If he’s available, his signing is something Wenger should strongly consider.