Pradeep Kachhala
Back from sunny Mumbai, where I saw a rather rotund man wearing an ill-fitting Arsenal 2004 kit (shorts, socks and all) with "Henry" printed on the back...it just goes to prove the point that, once players leave Arsenal, they go downhill. However, my plane-ride to India was much the sweeter having hours earlier watched an RVP-inspired Arsenal defeat Chelsea. I am sure much has been written about that game on this site, so all I will add is that the jubilation at the end of a classic game by the players will act as a fuel to get us by in the cold winter months that will follow. Barcelona last season aside, for the first time in many years it feels nice to be on the positive end of a classic match in the Premier League. A draw at home against Marseille means four points from two games meets Wenger's targets, while the 3-0 win at home vs. West Brom is just the sort of routine win that we couldn't achieve six weeks ago.
How much is an RVP contract now worth? Let’s say we sign him to £170k a week over four years - this is basically £35mn, a lot of money by any stretch of the imagination, especially for a 28-year-old. However, RVP's game, much like Bergkamp's, doesn't rely on pace but rather on attributes which are less diminishing, such as guile, vision and the eye for goal, along with a thunderous shot. Furthermore, how much would it cost in the present climate to replace him? In short, sign him up as soon as possible, and if it doesn't work out (i.e. he loses form or misses games due to niggling injuries), there are always teams such as Man City who will be willing to pay exorbitant prices for players.
Speaking of ex-players who have moved on, I heard a statistic that Nasri has spent 150 more minutes on the City bench than he has actually played. Something in my Gooner crystal ball tells me that, within 18 months, he will have packed his bags and moved back to North London to rediscover his form - at Sp**s... I always thought that out of the two that went to the blue part of Manchester in the summer, it would be Clichy who would struggle with form and fail to get into the first eleven rather than Nasri. However, Clichy, with the protection of wingers such as Silva ready to support him, has thrived so far.
Nice to see that Jack Wilshere has committed the rest of his mortal life to Arsenal. So much changes in football that I am not going to hold a 19-year-old to such comments - but it is refreshing that he is happy at the club and it has always been my view that the players held in the highest esteem by fans tend to be the "one-club men", such as Adams or even, latterly, the likes of Scholes and Neville at Man Utd. I should like to think that, in a perfect world, the faith Wenger showed in Ramsey, Wilshere and Szczesny by giving them the chance to play at such a young age will be repaid when the vultures eventually begin to circle.
Just heard that Arshavin is a little miffed at being benched permanently at the moment. However, in our current 4-3-3 I just don't see AFC ever getting the best out of him on a weekly basis, which is a shame. Hence I don't see his long-term future at our club, unless Gervinho or Walcott sustain an injury any time soon. Perhaps his chance will come when the dome-headed one goes to the African Nations Cup. However, by then, the Ox may well be charging at the first-team door too...
Do we judge players too quickly? Karl Jenkinson and Laurent Koscielny are examples of two players currently repaying the faith the boss had in them. The former has improved more dramatically, while the latter showed potential against Barcelona and Man Utd last season. Since there are a number of games left to go in the season, perhaps we should get behind such players rather than persist with negativity. I, for one, am guilty of such malaise, and will happily revert to calling our right back by his proper name rather than Karl Pilkington, which I have done in previous posts. Hence, perhaps it will take the likes of Mertesacker a while to adjust to the Premiership: to my mind, only Vermaelen has settled instantly into English football and maintained it over a sustained period.
The international break is another chance for us to see how many players will come back injured. Some, such as Gervinho and Song, will travel half the globe to represent their countries. Even with first-class treatment, the journeys can be draining. We return with an away game at Norwich, who are a useful side. Let’s hope the momentum is not lost in the next two weeks.
