Hands off! Arsenal fail in bid for Gary Cahill

It is public knowledge that Arsenal have not been shrouded in good luck as of late. The problems at the Emirates continue to cause unrest amongst Gunners fans; another example of this being Arsene Wenger's failed attempt to sign Bolton's Gary Cahill. 

The departures of Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas have recouped around £60m for Arsene Wenger to allegedly be able to 'spend' on players. We all know that this has not happened the way he would have planned. 

Gary Cahill has passed 100 appearances for Bolton, but will leave the club for the right price.

Gary Cahill has now entered the last year of his contract with Bolton, meaning if no deal is put in place this year, he is likely to be able to leave on a free transfer next year (providing he does not sign a new contract). Having made 113 appearances for the club he seems to be more than settled at the Reebok stadium. 

Premier League Teams fair well in Champions League draw

England's representatives in the Champions League have learned their fate for the forthcoming UEFA Champions League. 

Man City face the toughest test of the four English teams, with Bayern Munich, Villareal and Napoli making up Group A. 

Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City did however manage to avoid European giants Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Bayern Munich. 

The draw in full...

Group A: Bayern Munich, Villarreal, Manchester City, Napoli

Group B: Inter Milan, CSKA Moscow, Lille, Trabzonspor

Group C: Manchester United, Benfica, Basel, Otelul Galati

Group D: Real Madrid, Lyon, Ajax, Dinamo Zagreb

Group E: Chelsea, Valencia, Bayer Leverkusen, Genk

Group F: Arsenal, Marseille, Olympiakos, Borussia Dortmund

Group G: Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Zenit St Petersburg, APOEL Nicosia

Group H: Barcelona, AC Milan, BATE Borisov, Viktoria Plzen

What do you make of the draw? Who do you fancy to win the Champions League 2011/12? Comment below!

DH

Theo Walcott v Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Searching around it didn't take too long to find an able video that compares the talents of Theo Walcott against Arsenal's latest multi-million pound recruit from Southampton. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has cost Arsenal a reported £15m in total; a quite remarkable spend on a 17 year old who has yet to play at the highest level in professional Football. 

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has become Arsene Wenger's latest young recruit. Photo: Telegraph.

PFA Premier League Team of the Year... some shocking oversights!

With the announcement of the PFA Premier League Team of the Year, we see the same domination from the so called 'top four'. Eight of the 11 players selected came from either Man Utd, Arsenal or Chelsea, however I think their have been a few oversights in this team. 

The PFA named the following team as their 'Team of the Year'....

Goalkeeper - Edwin Van Der Sar (Man Utd)

Defenders - Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Nemanja Vidic (Man Utd), Vincent Kompany (Man City). 

Midfielders - Luis Nani (Man Utd), Samir Nasri (Arsenal), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal), Gareth Bale (Tottenham). 

Strikers - Carlos Tevez (Man City), Dimitar Berbatov (Man Utd). 

Leighton Baines has had an outstanding season for Everton but was completely overlooked! Photo: People.

Whilst it is difficult to disagree with some of the entries, it is possible to state a case for some players who have been overlooked! My PFA Team of the Year would have looked a little something like this...

Bale and Wilshere Scoop PFA Awards; but is the voting system flawed?

Last night's announcement that Gareth Bale has been named PFA Player of the Year was not a great surprise to many. Bale fought off competition from the likes of Charlie Adam, Rafael van der Vaart, Carlos Tevez and Nemanja Vidic to scoop the prestigious award, voted for the highest proportion of his fellow professionals. 

What has raised eyebrows amongst the media and fans alike however is the fact that voting for the award closes at the beginning of March! Surely we are in a position to question the nature by which a player is crowned PFA Player of the Year with a third of the season still remaining. Michael Owen eluded to the strange nature of the voting system on his Twitter account, tweeting that "Only half the season has gone when we post our vote." He did however pass on his congratulations to Gareth Bale and PFA Young Player of the Year Jack Wilshere. 

Gareth Bale was voted Player of the Year by his fellow professionals. Photo: caughtoffside.com.

Wenger Paints an Honest Picture as Ancelotti Refuses to Give Up

Half Time at Upton Park yesterday and Arsenal and Chelsea will have been licking their lips at the slight prospect of Man Utd dropping points in the title race. Had Man Utd dropped all three points yesterday and Arsenal had beaten Blackburn, the title would have been out of Man Utd's hands. Instead however, Sir Alex's men find themselves seven points clear at the top of the table following Chelsea and Arsenal's dire displays yesterday.

A picture is worth a thousand words...Arsenal's mustered up 511 successful passes yesterday, but not one goal. Photo: Guardian Chalkboards.

Cracks Continue to Show At Arsenal. What Must Arsene Wenger Do?

Those of you who watched yesterdays Carling Cup Final between Arsenal and Birmingham will have at times been stunned at the state of Arsenal's defensive prowess (or lack of). A lot has been said in the media about the result and how it came about. I would like to initially focus on what Birmingham did well during the match, as I think this has not been recognised as much as it should. The focus however will be on what The Gunners are lacking  at this stage and the effect it may have on the remainder of their season. 

Arsenal players dejected after a catastrophic defensive display. Photo: Tom Jenkins, Guardian

Alex McLeish should be credited for an astute tactical set up against an Arsenal side still yearning for silverware. a 4-5-1 set-up ensured a packed midfield who's tireless work ethic paid dividends. The 6ft7in Nikola Zigic was the lone Striker and was clearly the main target for almost every forward pass that Birmingham played, including almost every kick that Ben Foster put up field.  McLeish will have known that Arsenal's suspect back-four would struggle to cope with Zigic; and so it proved when the Serb headed Birmingham into the lead.

Statistically Gareth Bale has been no better than Theo Walcott in this seasons Premier League, so what is it that Walcott lacks as a player?

Theo Walcott is quite simply the Marmite Man of the Premier League! 50% of football fans think he has quality attributes, whilst 50% see him as nothing more than a player who has a decent turn of pace. If you’re an Arsenal fan, you may agree when I say that Theo Walcott strikes me as an incredibly talented player lacking in self-belief. As you will also read later in the article, Walcott compares very similarly to Gareth Bale this season, but with one fundamental difference…

Walcott is an excellent player yet to realise his full potential. Photo: TeamTalk

Can Man Utd Improve Away From Home To Fend Off Man City's Title Charge?

We are now approaching 2011 and the midpoint of the Premier League season. The season to date has seen some very interesting results, but where is the Premier League title going to end up? Man Utd's sheer resilience and ability to not be beaten sees them at the peak of what I consider to be the most hotly contested Premier League title since it began. The blue half of Manchester will be buoyed by the fact that they are sitting on level points with United; despite United having two games in hand at this stage. So, if we are to believe the words of Man City's First Team Coach Brian Kidd then the title is Man Utd's to be lost, but where could it be lost?

United have gone about their business almost quietly this season. Whilst the focus of many articles in the media and blogs alike has focused on Chelsea's faltering form, or Arsenal's evident inconsistency or on the crisis at Liverpool, few have focused on the fact that Man Utd remain unbeaten going into 2011!

Man Utd have been a formidable force at home this season. Photo: Zimbio.

Arsenal - Superb Samir Nasri Covers Up Arsenal's Frailties For Now

Last week I posted an article focusing on how Arsenal may suffer in the absence of Cesc Fabregas. Today's 2-1 victory over Fulham has not changed my mind on Arsenal completely, however I feel compelled to write an article focusing on where Arsenal are getting it right; and where they are still lacking in my opinion. I would welcome the opinions of Arsenal fans and football fans alike in determining how the clubs' fortunes may pan out over the remainder of the season.

Samir Nasri has been in scintillating form this term. Photo: Daily Telegraph Online.

Arsenal - Could Fabregas Absence Damage Arsenal's Season Further? Can Spurs Capitlaise?

Arsenal fans will undoubtedly agree with me when I say that Cesc Fabregas is one of the greatest Midfield talents the Premier League will see. A domineering Midfielder so comfortable on the ball he can make an experienced crop of Midfielder's look shabby. I think Fabregas is what really makes Arsenal tick, which is why I believe his reoccurring hamstring injury could prove very costly for Arsenal this season. Tottenham fans will be licking their lips when they see big names like Fabregas forced to watch from the sidelines because I feel Arsenal are the only team to stop Spurs breaking into this season's top three.

Will the Fabregas injury continue to stop Arsenal getting into their rhythm? Photo: Football News.

Who Will Pay The Price For Inconsistency In This Seasons Premier League?

The Premier League is deemed the highest quality and most competitive football league the world has to offer. Recent results and events in the league are starting to strongly support this theory; so is this potentially going to be the best Premier League season we as football fans have the pleasure of seeing? I hope to get close to an answer in the following article and look at why so many teams this season are falling victim to gross inconsistency (with the exception of a few).

Are Spurs contenders for the title, or is it a step too far? Photo: BBC Football.

I am revelling in the fact that week by week I am not sure what is going to happen. Cast your mind back over the last five or six Premier League seasons and you will be reminded of the dominance of Chelsea, Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal in the top four spots in the league. This trend was broken last season only by Tottenham achieving fourth place in what was a slightly different season to what is deemed 'the norm'.