The fact that Arsenal had some sort of first refusal clause with Cesc Fabregas and that Arsene Wenger decided not to utilise it this summer was always going to be a bone of contention with us Arsenal fans. And the fact that our former captain then went on to play for our least favourite manager Jose Mourinho at one of our least favourite clubs and direct rivals for the Premier League, Chelsea, only made it worse.
It might have been alright if Fabregas had gone to Stamford Bridge and flopped, but that was never likely and the Spaniard has actually turned them from a solid but uninspiring team into one that looks favourite to win the Premier League title. And the questions will only get louder as long as our own playmaker Mesut Ozil continues to frustrate the fans by not really having the influence that we thought £42.5 million would get us.
And it was the fact we already had the German that was the reason for Arsene Wenger passing up the opportunity to bring Fabregas back to north London, so the big game on Sunday would be an ideal time for Ozil to defy his growing bunch of critics and show that the Prof was right to sign him and subsequently snub Cesc, but can he pull a rabbit out of the hat for us?
I hope so, of course, and the new understanding between him and Danny Welbeck certainly makes it more likely. With the new pace and movement up front suiting Ozil’s eye for a pass more than Olivier Giroud did, Mourinho will be wary of his former Real Madrid player, but he also knows that a bit of rough stuff and close attention could well take Ozil out of the game. Wenger could well say the same for Cesc but we don’t really have the players to mark him out of the game.
I have got a horrible feeling that Maureen and our former captain will be the ones left smiling on Sunday and Wenger with egg on his face. What do you think Gooners?
I don’t expect a win there.
A draw would leave me very happy and win will leave me ecstatic and hopeful of a solid title challenge.
For me this game will define our season.
COYG
F*ck!!! It’s football!!! Lose is lose, win is win and good teams play to win. I say we go out there and play to win, while at the back of our minds we must be determined not to lose!!! #Nuffsaid!!!
I hope our back four don’t push high up the pitch on attack, same for corners.
I don’t mind Mert going up for corner, but Kos must stay back to keep Costa in his pocket.
people are gonna make a huge deal about this,
ozil vs fabregas etc, stick mesut in the middle so he at least gets a chance!
gonna be so surreal seeing cesc against us, had to happen eventually but weird all the same
ozil and fab both are good players but both have different quality
ozil has much accurate passing % as compare to fab but fab have strength
ozil has good ball control but fab have good view about player position.
so both has different technique so let see what will happen on sunday #coyg gooners for glory
No. Ozil is a better dribbler while cesc is better at long range passes. Cesc plays from deep while Ozil plays in the attacking 3rd.
Ozil and Welbeck have shown good chemistry to date. It will only get better from hereon in.
i just dont like it when people start crying about cesc. This guy left us in a miserable state, payed part of his transfer fee to leave us because we were not good enough for him, then when he realizes that things are not good on his side he wants to get back, wtf. Meanwhile the best no 10 in the world leaves the most prestigious club in the world to join us thinking that we are good for him, who would you prefer, people say Ozil does not defend even cesc does not defend, its matic and Ramiez who do the donkey work. There is no no10 in this world who defends. If you know any give me his name
Meanwhile everyone is forgetting that cesc is playing with world class players, Ozil is playing with Average players. Most of you will not accept the fact that we have average players but that is a fact, give Ozil Chelshits players and see what he will do.
Wenger is trying to bring in world class forwards and everyone is complaining. You are the same type of people who will complain if he brings in Reus
what a load of BS
This is a result of many fans being loyal to people in the club and not to the club itself, how they should be. And thats one of the main problem i have with many follow Arsenal fans in this forum.
Same as people being loyal to Wenger even when he has been more of problem than a solution for years.
Ozil makes clever passes in the final 3rd, while Fabregas can dictate the tempo of a game. Both are world class, but I wouldn’t take back a disloyal player!!
@ymoola
What about keeping an idiot of a manager?
well ppl were saying arsenal badly needed a striker with pace and better finishing,now those fans have been proved right which cud have been the difference last season.unfortunately wenger thought otherwise.dont understand why is ozil played on the wing when hes PROVEN to be efficient in middle (and wenger cites example of brazilian team winning world cup with no10’s,oh dear !.if arsenal are to win the title,then we shud start playing defensively against rivals like morinho does.atleast the opposition cant gain ground over you !!
2 issues arsenal have:
1.playing high line against all the teams with the same attacking mentality
2:this is most important problem,unable to keep the ball and take it to final third against high pressing teams….(and its pretty same as last year)
I know Wenger said we couldnt acquire Fabregas because Ozil is at our club, but I think this title is wrong. The actual question should be “Can Ramsey prove Arsenal were right to pass on Fabregas?” since they’re in the same role and are much more comparable players than Fabregas & Ozil are.
It means nothing but Fabregas > Ramsey
Even if Wenger re-signed Fabregas and sat him on the bench it would have been far superior than letting him sign for Chelsea. Big mistake Wenger!
but we didn’t let him sign to Chelsea – HE signed to Chelsea. Who would’ve thought a player, who swears Arsenal is in his blood, who swears he will never play for any other BPL would actually go and play for another BPL, one of our biggest rivals at that?
I’m just gonna have to refer back to Xabi Alonso again. The guy wanted to protect his EPL legacy and went to play for a different league. If Cesc was true to his word about his love for the club, he would’ve done the same or suck it up and stay at Barca. Yes, AW passed on Cesc. But it was Cesc’s ultimate decision to join Chelsea, not Wenger’s.
@Mesut O-thrilled
Fabregas was willing to come back, Wenger decided not to take him knowing that Fabregas had a preference for coming back to London for personal reasons. Whichever way you look at it it’s Wenger’s doing that Fabregas is playing against us on Sunday and not for us!!!
Wenger is a money man not a football man. There was simple no chance of getting him back. He plays the shocking 4-1-4-1 for a reason. Its bec we have to many similar players in the team.
Ozil has nothing to prove. The one who proved to be an ungreatful C%$nt Is Fabregas alone.
ONLY IF WENGER PLAYS HIM AT THE RIGHT PLACE
But think about it… we wouldn’t be talking about Cesc as much if we had gotten the players we needed (ST, DM, CB, LW) from the jump. If Wenger did, we would have a more solid and confident team right now. And maybe we would’ve had more wins under our belt. And maybe people wouldn’t be complaining of Wenger passing on Cesc.
The point is that Cesc is one of the best players in the world in his position, simple fact.
Wenger always talks about signing “top top top” players but when one comes begging and when we simply do not have a better player in that position, he is too arrogant and stubborn to sign him.
Now for yet another year a team will lift the premier league cup because of a player Wenger allowed to go to them.
There really is a pattern here for all to see.
Oh hw I wish our lineup on sunday will look like this
Szcezsny
Coquelin Per kos. Gibbs
Chambers
Ox ozil. carzola. Sanchez
Welbeck
Bench : ospina. Monreal. Rosicky. Diaby. Campbell. Podolski. Bellerin. Wilshere.
(You can swap wilsher for carzola but because of caution not to aggreviate the injury) so I say second half if carzola is tired put him on…coyg
Coquelin vs Chelski’s fast wingers???
Did I miss something like Coquelin playing a lot of PL games and getting good???
I think it was 2007-08 when we had Hleb-Cesc-Flamini in the middle of the park. That was some of the most entertaining soccer I had seen because the understanding between Hleb-Cesc-RVP. #tikiataka
Like someone mentioned above, Cesc controls the tempo of a game. He would of formed a similar partnership with Ozil that he had once earlier with Hleb. Add Chambers as their holding mid and we’d have the best midfield in the EPL.
We’d have good depth with Ramsey, Wilshere, and Cazrola. Arteta could have been sold. Oh well, we still have a strong team that can win if Wegner plays the right players out on Sunday.
Chambers as a holding mid is imperative on Sunday. Your strongest players need to play in the middle of the park. Chambers will have more of an impact as a CDM than RB.
@lucia,exactly the same lineup I have in mind.Bench Wilshere whether he is fit or not fit, i don’t want a situation where we will be loosing the ball to Chelsea.
A real sign of ambition would have been to send Wilshere on loan (or even sell him… He won’t improve anyway and we clearly saw since last season that when he is on the bench, we are playing better and winning) and get Fabregas back.
Saying in the newspaper that “Fabregas wanted to come back to Arsenal” is, again, another deluded statement from Wenger. As you would wonder why is he playing for Chelsea?
Some would argue that we have Ozil, but we are still to see a team winning trophies with less quality in the squad season after season…!!
Well, may be Wenger knows the formula… After the youth policy, nothing is impossible!
For Sunday, I just hope the players will be calm and NOT follow Wenger instructions (if any)… Last season feature was a disgrace (with LB and RB going up constantly and opening gaps for Chelsea… Sign of a clueless managerial evidence… Typical) and it would be a shame to repeat the chaos…!
I bet Wenger wants to prove others wrong as he always has done. Just keep playing Ozil through the middle ffs! And this is Ozil’s chance to consolidate as an Arsenal player, if we win and he plays a mayor role, I can just see all the praise to him. Everyone will love Ozil! Let’s be optimistic, but don’t get to gutted if we lose. At the end football is 11 v 11, anything can happen, please stick behind the team! Also, I believe that the team should go for the win, but always think of never going behind, that mentality can be the key, COYG!
NOPE!!!
Ozil is not as good as Fabregas and Wenger is a fool for not bringing him back to Arsenal.
Fabregas scores more goals, has more assits, controls the game better and works harder in defence.
Im sorry but when Chelsea win trophies on the back of Fabregas controlling the midfield, what is Wenger and all his supporters going to say?
Thats pure bs man. Because just look at the stats of both players . The reason wenger rejected fabregas is not because of ozil. Its because of ramsey and wilshere . If cesc comes in he will have to drop them. Because cesc is more of a offensive cm rather than a cam. Wenger knows the talent of wilsher and ramsey. Fabregas left us. Where as there is a 80% chance that both rambo and jack will satay with us foreever. Those guys are younger without no doubt can be better than or good as cesc. I dont care anymore against cesc. He is no more a gunner . I dont hate him but i dont care. That should be the attitude of our fans
reading comments on justarsenal
is like reading comments on
just-deluded fans.com
sometimes am surprised there way most people with brains reason.
u expected wenger to bring back fabregas when we had so many attacking midfielders, what we needed was a defensive midfielder…
if u feel u know better than wenger go and apply for the arsenal job with your FIFA 14 credentials..
if u are a real fan u should support the club and hope for the best…
our team is better than what we last season…
All the respect in the world for Cesc but 8 years 1 FA Cup. Ozil, 1 year 2 trophys. To me that’s all the convincing I need.