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It’s another year that Arsene Wenger won’t get his hands on the Champions League trophy. Last night, Arsenal were defeated 2-0 at home to Bayern Munich in a game which was overshadowed by two interesting decisions.

After Mesut Ozil’s lazy seventh minute penalty was saved, Arsenal’s night turned into a living nightmare. Wojciech Szczęsny’s 37th minute red card (the second of his career) after the Pole had fouled Arjen Robben in the box, led to a Bayern Munich penalty kick. Up stepped David Alaba, but his penalty (which was 10 times better than Ozil’s) crashed against the post and Arsenal went into the break, full of optimism that they could grind out a result against the current Champions League holders.

However, Arsenal were chasing shadows for much of the second half, and since the Gunners had used two substitutes (Kieran Gibbs came off injured) in the first half, Arsenal had one throw of the dice left to try and outsmart their opponents.

But it wasn’t to be, as goals from Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller gave the holders a well deserved 2-0 lead to take back to Germany.

Arsenal looked tired, dejected and fed up by the final whistle, as the red card obviously put a massive dent in Arsenal’s game plan. However, there was a shock before the game that might of affected Arsenal’s plan.

The surprise inclusion of Yaya Sanogo starting ahead of Olivier Giroud AND Lukas Poldolski was a main talking point. The 21-year-old Frenchman had only played three games for Arsenal before the clash with Bayern, with his only start being against Liverpool a few days before. Some might say that with Olivier Giroud’s private life being plastered in the papers, starting Sanogo was a wise move by Wenger. However, after Szczęsny was dismissed, you can obviously tell that by 75 minutes, the youngster was tired to the core after putting a shift in for his team. But, why didn’t Wenger take Sanogo off for Fabiasnki?

Arsenal, who were playing with one striker, should have played defensively by taking off Sanogo when the red card happened. The move would have benefited the Gunners as they didn’t need to attack, which would have frustrated their German counterparts. Taking a 0-0 draw to Bavaria would have been the dream result, as one goal for Arsenal in Germany would swing the entire tie in Arsenal’s favor and could have potentially knocked Bayern out of the competition.

I believe Sanogo had a great opportunity to show Europe what he could do, however, in a game of such magnitude, shouldn’t you have played a striker who has experience in the competition against similar players? Lukas Podolski would have been the perfect striker to play yesterday. He’s tenacious, he knows how the Germans play and he knows his international team mates’ weaknesses. He would have been the ideal striker to start last night, and yet Wenger went for inexperience to try and knock out the current holders of the competition. Of course, you need to experiment, but do that after Sanogo has got a few games under his belt. The more experience he gets, the better he would have coped in a match like last night. Yes, the red card ruined Arsenal’s gameplan completely, but I still believe Wenger should have gone with Podolski instead of Yaya Sanogo.

This result could also derail an Arsenal season full of promise. In the 2007/08, 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons, the Gunners had promising campaigns, where winning trophies was a massive possibility. Arsenal were winning games against the teams around them convincingly, and looked liked a side that was going to be winning trophies at the end of those seasons. However, one bad result (strangely, all of the games were against Birmingham City) ruined Arsenal’s seasons, as a bad run of form cost Arsenal matches, results and more importantly, first team players.

Wenger has been in the game long enough to know what could happen in the upcoming weeks. Games against Sunderland, Stoke, Tottenham, Manchester City, Everton (twice), Chelsea and Bayern Munich all await the Gunners in the next few weeks, games that can defy Arsenal’s over- expected season.

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Arsenal HAVE got the quality in their squad to win the majority of these fixtures and win trophies on paper, but, will their minds and morale be strong enough to end  this horrific run of not winning silverware? We’ll soon see, but one thing I guarantee you is that Arsenal fans will not be sitting easily in the next few weeks.

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Has anybody ever seen an off-the-ball incident in League One or League Two that the referee and his assistants had not spotted and thought, ‘ouch, if that was in the Premier League the replays would have picked that up?’ In this instance, and it happened recently to Stoke’s Andy Wilkinson, the player will receive a retrospective ban, whereas realistically in the lower leagues the same fate wouldn’t apply.

Like Premier League players, Premier League supporters suffer from the same sort of fate. This applies when Premier League teams are charged over tasteless chanting.

My point here is that tasteless chanting occurs throughout all four leagues in England, but it only gets recognised and reprimanded retrospectively in Premier League games. It was interesting that in the build-up to the Liverpool/United game last week,  the media seemed intent on finding some sort of dirt on whether they could hear tasteless chanting or not, from if we’re honest, is from a large minority of people who both sets of supporters don’t want to be associated with anyway.

I was at a League One game last week and when an Asian man dressed in a chef’s uniform walked across behind the goal and the fans started chanting ‘Jackie Chan, Jackie Chan, Jackie Chan.’ I couldn’t help think when I was at the game was that if those chants would have been heard in a Premier League match, then it would have been highlighted in the media.

Likewise, before yesterday’s East Midlands derby between Nottingham Forest and Derby County, Forest winger Andy Reid had urged Derby fans to stop the sick chants about former Forest owner Nigel Doughty who died, aged 54 of a cardiac arrest in February. Last season’s derby was marred by sick chanting of Doughty’s death. There seemed to be minimal focus on the sick chanting building up to that game compared to what there was at Anfield the week before.

These examples I have just given are nothing new in football. I reckon that at some stage in the past ten years, every one of the 72 Football League clubs has chanted a song a little bit below the belt. The overexposure in the Premier League hides away a problem that is genuinely rife in football.

However, because of the obsession with the Premier League (and rightly so), this means that when issues are discussed in football they are generally in relation to what is happening in the Premier League. For example, a current hot topic this week has been in relation to diving,  not diving in League Two, but diving in the Premier League because this is the league everyone can relate to because of its media exposure.

It cannot be case that Premier League supporters are of a completely alien and different social and economic make-up to the supporters of the 72 Football League clubs, it just so happens that these fans support teams in the top flight and as a result are more liable to be criticised as a result of being in the constant media spotlight.

The key point is that Football needs to come to terms with the fact that incidents of obscene chanting are not isolated to the Premier League.

So what are the solutions? Well the first thing to note is that it is difficult to control what people say, especially when they are anonymous in the crowd. Additionally, we don’t want a return to the dark decade of the 1980’s where a fractious relationship between the supporters and the police existed and there is more focus on what’s happening in the stands rather than what’s happening in the stands.

The most achievable solution to overcoming a lingering problem with tasteless chanting is setting up a body as a means of raising awareness of the matter, similarly to what the Kick It Out! campaign does to raise awareness of racism in football. In doing so, the body can raise a general appreciation of an issue to which I believe is understated  in football.

Rather a suggestion than a solution is for there to be more exposure of Football League games. Perhaps then there would be more of a burning desire within the collective football family to undermine the minority of fans at every club who tarnish the clubs reputation.

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I would love to hear people’s thoughts on this. Am I overstating the issue of obscene chanting in grounds or do you like me feel that it is an issue that has been overlooked in football and subsequently needs addressing?

.

Matt Read

Follow Matt on twitter @Matt_of_the_day

According to La Verdad, Newcastle United want to sign Celta Vigo attacker Pione Sisto in this summer’s transfer window.

The 23-year-old had a fine 2017-18 campaign at Celta – scoring five times and registering 10 assists in 36 appearances in all competitions for his Spanish club.

Sisto’s performances throughout the season are believed to have attracted the attention of a number of European clubs, and Newcastle are said to be in the hunt.

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The attacker, who is valued at £13.5m by transfermarkt.co.uk, joined Celta from FC Midtjylland in the summer of 2016, and has gone from strength to strength during his time in the top flight of Spanish football.

It is not a surprise that a host of teams are monitoring his situation, but it is worth noting that Sisto has a contract at Celta until the summer of 2021.

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The Newcastle fans have been reacting to the transfer speculation, and it would be fair to say that a number are desperate for the Denmark international, who has previously been linked with Southampton, to move to St James’ Park this summer.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

West Ham United fans were given a treat at the weekend when Spanish forward Toni Martinez was finally handed his first-team debut in the FA Cup against Shrewsbury Town.The club’s supporters have long been demanding for the 20-year-old to be given his chance, and now the fans want fellow youngster Martin Samuelsen to sample some first-team action.Samuelsen has impressed for West Ham’s Under-23 team this season, and he was on the scoresheet in their 3-0 win over Manchester United Under-23s on Monday night.The midfielder is already a three-time Norway international, but he has not represented West Ham since the early stages of the 2015-16 campaign.He has turned out for Peterborough United and Blackburn Rovers on loan over the last two seasons, however, and now looks ready to be given some action in the FA Cup this term.On Monday night, the West Ham fans called on head coach David Moyes to hand Samuelsen some minutes in the coming weeks.A selection of the Twitter reaction can be found below:

Fulham looked weak, stunned, out of their depth, and far from the team who put four past Crystal Palace only a few games prior. That was predominantly due to the quality displayed by Manchester United, who had put themselves three-nil up inside 22 minutes.

You can discuss the shortcomings of teams and even managers, but when they’re so ruthlessly exposed by an opposing team, you acknowledge their ability – in this case United – for turning on the style in such a fashion.

How much should we extract from United’s last three or four games? Well a lot, because if we’re going to be quick on the draw when David Moyes looks lost at sea, it’s only fitting to praise a team who look to be navigating out of that particularly rough spell.

The margin of victory against Real Sociedad could have been bigger had it not been for the heroic performance of Claudio Bravo in goal for the Basque club. On the night, United, and Wayne Rooney in particular, looked energised and focused on the job at hand.

The turnaround against Stoke could and probably will hold far more significance than simply beating a team who are below United in terms of quality and resources. Yes, losing to Mark Hughes’ side could have prolonged this difficult start to the domestic campaign for Moyes, but the new manager’s celebrations were evidently laced with an understanding of the long-term effects that win would have.

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How far should we support the line that anyone can beat anyone in the Premier League? League-leaders Arsenal struggled against Crystal Palace but came through unscathed, while Manchester City lost to Cardiff and United themselves picked up a loss against West Brom. So the win at Craven Cottage on the weekend was notably thrilling, while accepting the premise that even the “underdogs” are capable of having their day.

Alex Ferguson’s teams were not always the most impressive, but the Scot forced a level of performance from his players that was often unmatched across the league. For all the shortcomings of a host of players, there was an inevitability about results: a knock-on effect of fear generated from the manager to his players that eventually washed over the opposition.

It’s not that the fear-factor has been lost from this United team under Moyes, but rather that it had to be rediscovered. Very few thought that the transition would be smooth, and naturally there was a period of bedding in that may not be complete.

But the players themselves know the culture of the club and the manner of performance that’s expected of them. Good players don’t always combine for football that can at times be described as merciless. The van Persie-Rooney duo looked like a renewed force that could legitimately claim the title of best strike partnership in the league. They’ve been there and done it, and why shouldn’t they have enough about them to alone guide United up the league and force a stay at the top?

It needed a decent run of results, but domestic teams are now seeing the combined ability of United’s front two. With Javier Hernandez waiting in the wings – and having scored in the League Cup – there is plenty of firepower to genuinely frighten opposition backlines.

United had a way about them under Ferguson, an attack that relentlessly pummelled the last line of opposition defence until the wall fell. Going three-nil up within 22 minutes is evidence that the intensity hasn’t deserted United just yet. It’s a level of play that forces mistakes in defenders, once again stemming from a fear that the wave after wave of attacks will continue for much of the ninety.

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There is still much to do. Moyes needs to retain defensive stability while also utilising an ever-increasing array of attacking options. But fortunately the locker still holds one of United’s most valued weapons. There aren’t too many teams around Europe who genuinely strike fear into the opposition in the way United can.

Will United’s fear factor help guide them up the table?

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After blooding a number of young players at Euro 2012, England boss Roy Hodgson is looking forward to the return to fitness of Jack Wilshere, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, and plans to keep a close eye on Ryan Bertrand and Adam Johnson. Roy Hodgson insists England must remain ‘English’ and not try and copy World Champions Spain.

Hodgson’s Euro 2012 tactics have come in for criticism but he is adamant that he will not be bullied into ripping up what he believes are England’s strengths, and he will not be dazzled by buzzwords either. “The words vision and philosophy frighten me because I had to go to the dictionary once to find out what the word philosophy meant, and I’ve forgotten again,” said Hodgson.

“I don’t want to emulate other nations. I want England to be England. We have to maintain that degree of pragmatism that we have always had in English football. We also have to retain that fighting spirit and doggedness. We mustn’t start throwing those qualities over-board just so you can come off the field and have someone say you’ve had more shots at goal. We will be working to keep what’s good about our game and to improve the things that obviously did not go right for us this time.” Hodgson added: “Sometimes in football you have to be realistic.”

Meanwhile, Hodgson has already identified the kids he wants to build England’s new era around in preparation for the 2014 World Cup. The former West Brom boss has certainly experimented in friendlies and World Cup 2014 qualifiers since the Euros and has focused his early Premier League scouting missions on watching the youngsters.

Having already put Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Danny Welbeck, Theo Walcott, Phil Jones and Jordan Henderson in his Euro 2012 squad, Hodgson is committed to further nurturing young talent. He is looking forward to the return to fitness of Jack Wilshere, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, and plans to keep a close eye on Chelsea left-back Ryan Bertrand and Sunderland’s Adam Johnson.

Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley has been involved in both of England’s World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine and looks certain to play a part in Hodgson’s plans for the next few years. However, the imminent return of Jack Wilshere may cause Hodgson to think twice about young Cleverley.

“Jack Wilshere had an impact when he played in the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign before he missed the whole of the season with injury,” said Hodgson. “We hope he’s going to be fit again and reach that level. The young boy Bertrand at Chelsea did very well in the Champions League final. So there are players out there, I’m just naming people off the top of my head. It’s my job now to study and research that.”

Of course, qualifying for Brazil will be the top priority and I doubt much will change. An astute manager should be able to bring in the new, younger talent and still get the results. After all, the ‘Golden Generation’ – your Frank Lampards, Steven Gerrards, Gareth Barrys – may be looking at the World Cup 2014 as their last international tournament, and our youngsters will reap the benefits in the long term if they can boast a wealth of international experience, starting from early in their careers. While qualifying for Brazil 2014 will be paramount, thinking five, maybe ten years ahead should also be of vital importance to Hodgson and his England side.

A potential future England starting XI (in a 4-3-3 formation):

Butland

Walker, Jones, Smalling, Bertrand

Oxlade-Chamberlain, Cleverley, Wilshere

Walcott, Welbeck, Johnson

I don’t know about you, but that starting XI excites me. It’s a just a matter of giving these players plenty of international experience over the next few years so that we can mount a serious challenge in a major tournament down the line.

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The summer before Michael Carrick joined Manchester United, he went with England to World Cup 2006 as part of the most talented Three Lions squad of its generation.

Despite it being clear that the Gerrard-Lampard conundrum could be solved by introducing a holding midfielder, Carrick was not contemplated as the answer.

Owen Hargreaves was the belated solution Sven Goran Eriksson reached for – and Sir Alex Ferguson completed his signing the summer after Carrick’s arrival – but it was the former West Ham man that the Scotsman chose to replace Roy Keane.

Following the Irishman’s acrimonious departure during the previous season – United’s third consecutive campaign without winning the Premier League as Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles and Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea machine looked set to dominate – the understated Carrick was brought in to replace him, as well as inheriting the famous number 16 shirt.

Carrick was the only new arrival at Old Trafford in the summer that proceeded a Premier League title win that led to a period of sustained dominance that saw the Geordie collect five Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a Champions League winners medal.

The deep-lying playmaker was a quiet, unassuming character, often deferring to Paul Scholes in the early days of his United career before blossoming into the last standard-bearer of the excellence Ferguson demanded, retiring five seasons after the legendary Scotsman.

Speaking ahead of Carrick’s testimonial, which took place at the end of last season, Gary Neville summarised why the playmaker made such a success of his time at Old Trafford, underlining his dedication to improvement and setting a standard.

“One of the biggest compliments you can pay Michael is that the team-mates around him had huge appreciation for him. He made everybody play better. What people may not understand is the quiet, introverted passion that he holds for Manchester United.

“When we won leagues, Michael would be the one singing the most and going home last from the parties; the one that would look the happiest and most joyous behind the scenes at having won a trophy.

“Behind the scenes he showed how much he loved the club. He absolutely loves United. He’s also an incredible role model.

“Michael would always do every single rep in the gym, every single inch of every warm-up; he made sure he ate every single thing right, did absolutely every single bit of pre-activation, was always in the gym with the fitness coaches and sports scientists, always did the hydration tests.

“He did absolutely everything by the book and set an incredibly high standard not only for himself, but also in the dressing room.”

Those words from Neville, who himself was not the most naturally talented but carved out a hugely successful career at his boyhood club through unstinting hard work and professionalism reveal the level of dedication that went into maximising Carrick’s talent to allow him to thrive under constant scrutiny at Old Trafford.

There aren’t many joyous highs that stand out from Carrick’s United career – the double in the 2007 7-1 against Roma, the 2008 Champions League final penalty and the 2009 late winner at Wigan are the three that come to mind – but similarly it is hard to remember many nightmares he had.

Never the quickest or strongest, Carrick was only truly outmaneuvered by the Barcelona sides of 2009 and 2011 – where his attempts to stifle the most talented midfield seen in modern times on the biggest stage of all were hamstrung by the presence of an aging Ryan Giggs alongside him in central midfield.

It is easy to say he was underused by England – and there are times when he would have undoubtedly added greater balance to a midfield lacking the ability to look after the ball – but Carrick himself has admitted that his enthusiasm for international football could have been greater, as could his performance level at certain periods.

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It was that single-minded desire to succeed at United that created a classy, ultra-professional playmaker who remained in a vastly successful side under Ferguson.

He is the last of that Fergie-era side to retire but the fact that Jose Mourinho wants to keep Carrick around to instil that same high standard of consistency into the current crop speaks volumes about how rare that personality is to find.

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As reported by The Mirror, former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has criticised Jose Mourinho for not using Daley Blind more than he has done this season.

What’s the story?

The Dutch defender hasn’t started an English Premier League match since August, leading to questions about his long-term future at the club.

Now the manager who brought him to Old Trafford has rushed to his defence and suggested he move to Barcelona.

As quoted by The Mirror, Louis van Gaal said:

He is not even on the bench for United sometimes. Daley can play in more than one position and at Barcelona he would never be sat in the stand. I think Daley would fit in better at Barcelona anyway. His level and his style of play is more suited to Spain than England. He can operate as a central defender who builds up the play. He can be a defensive midfielder or an attacking left back. Daley can do it all.

Is Jose Mourinho under-utilising him or is van Gaal simply showing his bitter side after leaving the club?

An important role

Despite not playing much English Premier League football this season, Blind has still been utilised in important matches, playing every minute of United’s UEFA Champions League group stage.

With the knockout stages to follow and FA Cup action due to start soon, he will be needed for matches in all three competitions and although it may be frustrating for the defender to be sitting on the bench, Mourinho still recognises he is excellent back-up in a variety of positions.

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He could fit in at a number of elite clubs and if he wants a move, he’ll likely get it, but until the end of the season at least he should bide his time and take his opportunities when they come.

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Alan Hansen isn’t too far off his assessment of Arsenal. The problem, like with most, it that it’s laced with the hope of failure, hatred even, and resentment at the idea that the pieces could finally fall into place for Arsenal.

I don’t expect Arsenal to win the Premier League title this season. The squad isn’t strong enough. But there is a difference between winning the title and being in contention. At this stage, Arsenal are contenders for the Premier League title. Why wouldn’t they be? They’re top. If the excuse that they’ve only played the “weak” sides of the league is wheeled out, then what exactly is the point of those teams? Dock points off Arsenal because they’ve had an “easy run.” Yet funnily Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Tottenham have all lost to one of the “weak” teams so far.

Hansen’s criticism is based on the fact that Arsenal aren’t as good without the ball as they are with it. Yes, that is true. But again, people like to ignore the progress that’s being made at the club this season. The pieces are in fact coming into place. Clubs like Arsenal have to pace themselves in their building, either through choice or necessity. The team may not be a title-winning team now, but why couldn’t they be next season or the season following? In any case, Arsenal aren’t a team who finished seventh, or ninth or even lower; they finished in the top four, as they have done in all the years of Arsene Wenger’s reign. Why is it so absurd that a fourth-placed team could win the title?

The club have made a massive improvement from what they were last season. The midfield is stronger in terms of numbers, while most are capable of carrying out the style of football fans want to see on a weekly basis. The defence, too, doesn’t get as much credit as it deserves. But then I wouldn’t be overly worried. Those who criticise Laurent Koscielny for not being strong enough and Per Mertesacker for being too slow are the same who say David Luiz is a terrible centre-back.

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My own criticism of Arsenal, as it has been for the whole of the season thus far, is that the squad isn’t deep enough. But everyone knows that. The problems Hansen is highlighting are correct. The team don’t defend as well as Borussia Dortmund, for example, whose pressing game alleviates the need for an out-and-out “destroyer” in the middle of the pitch – Hansen alluded to Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira, citing their leadership, but his true intention was clear. Dortmund press from the front and win the ball high up the field. Arsenal simply don’t do that. Dortmund are a good example but Barcelona – at least the Barcelona under Pep Guardiola – are even better. They worked tirelessly to win the ball back as a unit so individuals wouldn’t be exposed.

This is where Arsene Wenger’s tactical shortcomings come into play. When discussing the best tacticians in the game, Wenger doesn’t belong. He’s tactically inflexible, forcing his own methodology on every situation. When you’re not as good as Barcelona, you simply can’t do that. And if there is a suggestion that Barcelona only did it when faced against Spanish opposition, they twice made Manchester United look well, well, well, below average.

But where is the credit? Nobody plays football as well as Arsenal do in the league. Manchester City, Chelsea and even Manchester United – the three teams who Hansen states will finish above Arsenal this season, though failing to state how or why – all have fantastic footballers but collectively don’t move the ball about as well as Arsenal. Some teams are ok with that; others want to maintain or even rediscover the ideals of their club.

Arsenal blew away Napoli in the Champions League, they spun Norwich in circles and even looked good in spells against Dortmund. But where is the acknowledgement of the football on display? Santi Cazorla is so good that it isn’t sensationalism to say he could have easily played for Barcelona during the Guardiola era; Mesut Ozil actually came from Real Madrid and was considered their most important player by Cristiano Ronaldo. Why are we not celebrating the football that’s on display at the Emirates?

Everyone has an agenda. Everyone is desperate to see Arsenal fail. If Arsenal do eventually finish fourth, there won’t be any comment about the good football that was played this season, the fact that the club obliterated their transfer record or the improvements of players like Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud. Instead, everyone will point the finger and say “I told you so, they simply weren’t good enough.”

That’s why, while Hansen’s criticism may not be far off the mark, it’s a little hard to take. The compliments seem forced, as if he reluctantly obliged to tip his cap to the team so far but held absolutely no sincerity in anything he said.

In their current state, I don’t believe Arsenal will see out the season and finish top. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that they deserve to be where they are now.

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Is Alan Hansen right?

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The Premier League has played host to some of the greatest talents to have ever played the game. It is arguably the best league in the world and attracts fans from all across the globe. It is therefore unsurprising that huge numbers of players wish to ply their trade in England at the heights of the career. With the vast sums of money flowing through the top flight, it is not rare to see huge sums of money splashed out on some unknown quantities. Even the clubs down the bottom end of the table will occasionally shell out for a big-money signing, in relative terms, but of course these do not always work out for the best. It could be that a player is not cut out for the style of play or they feel the pressure of their price tag, they may find the step up too demanding or it could just be bad luck. Numerous players have blessed the Premier League with some of the finest moments in football history, but now we take look at a few who failed to make the grade.

Click on Robinho to unveil 15 Premier League Transfers That ‘Didn’t quite Go to plan’

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