Arsenal are the team in disarray and a sitting target for the German Bundesliga club FC Cologne, or at least that is the view of the former Liverpool, Newcastle and Germany international midfielder Dietmar Hamann, reports The Mirror this week.
He said, “One must clearly say, Arsenal show signs of disintegration under Wenger.
“The debate about Wenger isn’t new, but I didn’t expect them to start this early in what is still a relatively new campaign.
“This is why Cologne’s chances against Arsenal are quite good — if they don’t show too much respect for the name Arsenal and the individual players.
“Cologne is a blank sheet of paper for them. However, there are many players who are experienced on the international stage at Arsenal.
“I don’t believe they will underestimate the challenge. But when there are basic problems within a squad, when the team doesn’t pull together – then it doesn’t matter who you play, the opponent will always have a chance of progressing.
“I even think that Cologne is strong enough and will advance from this group.”
I suppose that Hamann is entitled to his opinion and as he works as a pundit for Sky Germany and has never been all that keen on Arsenal it is hardly a surprise that he finds negative things to say about us and positive things about the German club.
Having said that, it is pretty easy to see that Cologne are in a much worse place than us, as they sit rock bottom of the Bundesliga table having lost all three of their league games so far. They were not the hardest of games either, but Cologne shipped three goals to both Augsburg and Hamburg so to say that Arsenal are the team in crisis seems a touch harsh.
In fact, we have won two games pretty well and only lost to Stoke due to some dodgy decisions from the referee. Yes we were poor at Anfield against Liverpool but that is just one game. Tonight’s Europa League clash will also see some Arsenal players on the pitch who are hungry to prove their worth to Arsene Wenger and the Arsenal fans, such as Reiss Nelson, Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud and Jack Wilshere, who Wenger spoke about in the build up as reported by The Mirror.
The Frenchman said, “He is very hungry and sharp. He is not completely at his best, but he is getting there. He enjoys being back and competing for his place and what I see in training is positive.
“We’ve got at least two good teams [in the Gunners squad] and have a lot of competition for places.
“It’s very nice for everyone because we need to be focused and always improve ourselves.
“So, trust me, we’ve got a very good team on paper tomorrow.”
Does all this suggest to you that it is Cologne, not Arsenal, who are about to get a proper stuffing?
Bob.