Keep A Space for Sagna

It’s my first Arsenal blog in a while today but I was in the writing mood so I’ll compose a few thoughts on one of our most consistent players of the past few seasons: Mr Bacary Sagna.

 

I read that he was the last to depart the pitch on Tuesday night and his waves appeared to be lingering ones. I would fully agree with @LittleDutchVA on his Arseblog column when he said that he’d like to see Jenkinson phased into the team with Sagna there to help the transition. Gunnerblog made a very good observation on Tuesday night when he noticed how Gibbs was “coached through the game by Steve Bould who regularly passed on advice to Gibbs from the touch-line.” I think we can all agree with him that it worked and McManaman was fairly subdued in the game. Gunnerblog went on to say that “Gibb’s positional play and anticipation were as good as I’ve seen him produce.” Remembering how good Sagna was against Sunderland when he was moved into the centre due to injuries, I can only imagine his experience at centre back being a positive were we to keep him for the final year of his contract. I know Merty and Kos are the preferred centre back pairing but if we could persuade him to see out the final year of his deal to help mould Jenks into the brilliant right-back we know he will be that could only be a good thing. He could be that on field coach for the young Jenkinson knowing exactly what's needed having bombed up and down that right flank for his career. I do think our squad now has the right balance of youth and experience and getting one more year from Sagna would be fantastic. The criticism he has received at times this season has been un-warranted. Yes he has made a few mistakes this season but it’s only after 5 years of sterling service. It’s only now I realised he’s only human. But seriously, with abs like the ones in the picture above you can be forgiven for thinking he wasn’t human! Super ability coupled with such impressive determination meant that no cause was lost if it was on Sagna’s radar. I remember this goal saving clearance like it was yesterday! Supreme determination! 

One leg break, let alone two, are difficult injuries to return from. But return he did and he’s rarely if never given less than 100% for the team. His recent error against Man United led to a double error such was his determination to make up for the first error. That’s determination to right a wrong. We all know over determination can lead to two wrongs but I forgive when there’s 100% dedication and commitment to the cause by the player. My belief in his ability to shift from right to centre back is one that comes from watching Thuram make a similar move from right back to centre back while playing for Juventus. Like Sagna, Thuram was a top quality right back, quick in the tackle, strong and his reading of the game was fantastic. All the skills which are necessary to make the move to centre back. 

Keeping this attitude and player in the squad can only be a positive for Arsenal for next season. This season has been a very tough one and we’ve no one to blame for its toughness as it was caused solely by ourselves during the early part of the season. But look at our form since January. If we can continue with this newly found grit and determination into next season, coupled with a few offensive additions I believe we are looking at an Arsenal side capable of challenging for the title. In my view, Sagna could be a big part of this. No Arsenal fan can forgot thee defining gritty and determined goal of the last couple of seasons!

BOOMPH! What a header! What's that? From another angle you say? No problem!

Shiver me timbers! That was a goal! 

 Obviously it is all dependent on what the man himself wants but he's been a fantastic player for us since 2007 and I'd show the same determination to keep him as he has shown on his right wing since he first sprinted up it

Oh The Positivity

Now Arsenal are one of the loves of my life. Every game that’s on TV I not only watch it, but I follow it on the Arseblog live blog! Just to make sure I’m not missing out on anything! Fanatic would nearly be what I’d describe myself as. This season has been a joyride. Occasionally the adrenaline rushes have been amazing, but other times, it has been downright out of control and dangerous to watch for health reasons. But then again, that’s what you do for love! I honestly can’t imagine myself doing anything else on match day. Now we had an amazing result yesterday against the Spuds and I have the great pleasure of being in London for it. I was in the vicinity of some Spuds fans in the Canadian bar in Covent Garden and to listen to their banter was great! They were 2-0 up and ‘loving’ Arsene for what he had done to Arsenal! I kept on finding it hilarious that our ‘dear’ north London rivals could love anyone that turned Arsenal into the powerhouse they are today. I mean, he has never allowed the Spuds to finish above us? Anyway, fast forward a couple of minutes and the real team were 5-2 ahead! I enjoyed the turn in their attitude to hating Wenger again! Once the final whistle went, I turned and pointed to the thing on their jersey and said “it must be terrible to be constantly reminded of what you are: Cocks.” The laughter from the United fans to the other side of me was brilliant! It was the first time the Spuds fans had quietened down for the whole amazing football spectacle.

Anyway! I digress slightly. The thing that I love at the moment floating about the interwebs is the positivity surrounding the club again. They’ve just announced a healthy profit up to the end of November, the players are tweeting, the bloggers are purring and the club is enjoying the moment with some of the Facebook photos that have gone up! For me, this is what it is all about! But I know it will not last. It bugs me immensely the vitriol and hatred out there between the gooner family in times of bad results but I point the finger at idiots for that. The media and internet are partially to blame for having created the monster that is instantaneous society. It allows too many people with not two functioning cells in their head tag something with a ‘#’ and suddenly the world knows what some idiot thinks. But some could argue that I too, am the idiot! They have a convincing argument also. I am eternally pessimistic and always try arguing for the system we have. Every season I put forward why we’re in with a good shout for the league title, the champions league and a cup in England! That’s my fault. I build up the assumption that we’ll win something. But when we suffer heartache around February time every season, I don’t turn to hatred. I try and assess why it has happened. I argue for what Wenger does right and wrong in my opinion and I am not of the opinion that he is above criticism, but when you compare what he is up against, what he has done and how he has transformed our Club – he deserves respect and not the vitriol he gets. I know there are clowns supporting every club but for a club with whom the word ‘stability’ is synonymous, I’d expect more from the people associating themselves with the Arsenal.

A few words on the game itself:

Magic. Amazing. Emotional.

It was a rollercoaster of a match! Van Persie was immense as always. Rosicky played as well as I think I ever saw him play in the red of Arsenal. I read a comment somewhere recently and forgive me for not referencing where, but the author commented that if he were to tell you in 2008 that Rosicky was going to be a pivotal player in 2012 you’d have thought him mad. While I see their point, I’d have to disagree. As a poster succinctly put it, Class Is Permanent. I think Rosicky just needed to get rid of the injury niggles and get a good run in the team. Wenger knew he had it in him. Wenger also knew Van Persie had it in him. His patience with some players does raise my eyebrows quite a bit but more times than not, we’ve seen why he persists with players. Denilson is an example of one of the bad apples. Diaby is just mightily unfortunate that he happened to be on a pitch with a douche like Dan Smith. But patience is key. I think Wenger’s bad calls in recent years have been his choice of captain. Gallas and Cesc were made captain in an attempt to placate their status as the key players in the teams they were in. This was wrong. Gallas showed what he was when he sat in the centre circle at Birmingham. Cesc was amazing for us. But he’s not the player that a Vieira, Adams or Van Persie is. Players not afraid to shift you from your comfort zone and kick your arse. The squad is far more together than it has been for a long time. Van Persie has been instrumental in organising player get togethers outside of the playing and training arena.  The fight has been evident this season, not all the time, but at more times than in recent years. How many Arsenal teams would have felt sorry for themselves at 2-0 on Sunday? This time last year after the Carling Cup the team wouldn’t have come back. Two years ago neither. I think my point will be proven when we beat AC Milan at the Grove. I think we’ll score 5. But I think our defensive issues still surface and we’ll concede 1 or 2.

There’s that positive pessimist again! Quieten down will ya?!