Good morning and say hello to Friday!

There isn’t much floating about in the news this morning. Everything at this stage of the season tends to rotate around speculation of which teams can pick up points where to avoid relegation. Suddenly, football supporters talk equations and psychology with each other in the stands.

With speculation, we could be here all day, so I’ll avoid looking at who could be relegated from the Premier League. QPR and Reading are just about gone; ten points away from safety is too much of a gap to bridge now.

It’s all about that last spot and I’m putting money on Stoke to fill 18th place.

Anyway, as I said, I’m not getting involved in that speculation (for now).

Alex Song unhappy at Barcelona

It isn’t like we saw this coming, is it? In his last season at Arsenal, in the 2011/12 season, Song was a key player for all the wrong reasons.

As a specialised defensive midfielder, Song’s job was to track runners, sniff out danger and initiate play from deep. Nothing more than that, just the job you would ask of a defensive midfielder. Mikel Arteta, signed from Everton and paired with Song, soon found that he had to be careful when making runs forward from deep, as Song liked to do that as well, often without communicating that fact.

I vividly recall Arsenal playing QPR away last season and for Samba Diakite’s goal, which ultimately proved to be the winner. In this moment of play, QPR countered and Diakite made a run deep from QPR’s midfield and strolled into the Arsenal penalty area to score the winning goal. In the hundred acre space that was afforded to Diakite, where was Song?

Very often last season, Song shirked his defensive responsibilities. There can be no denying however, Song’s importance to Arsenal in the final third last season. Eleven assists, including two world class chipped passes to Robin van Persie for stunning goals against Everton and Liverpool, just highlighted his attacking worth to the team.

At times, Song’s propensity to try the spectacular pass in the final third came at a detriment to the team’s collective cause. Against AC Milan at the Emirates Stadium last season, Arsenal needed a goal in the last few minutes to force extra-time. On one of the final attacks in the match, Song was in lots of space in midfield, bringing the ball forward. To his right, was the option of passing to Park Chu-Young, which would have stretched play and kept the momentum going. Ahead of him, was Robin van Persie, who was slightly to the left of the area. As he had done earlier in the season against Everton and Liverpool, Song tried a chipped pass over AC Milan’s defence, but this was read and thus cleared by Milan.

On the touch line, Arsene Wenger was going apoplectic, gesticulating to Park Chu-Young and asking why Song hasn’t made the pass. The groans inside the stadium suggested that had been once too often from Song. Coming back to the QPR match at Loftus Road and Song tried said chipped pass about four times when the simple pass would have been a better option.

Alex Song is a very good football player in terms of ability and skill. In terms if anticipating play and positional awareness however, Song comes up short and this has been exposed since his move to Barcelona.

Reports circulating after Rigobert Song (Alex’s uncle) said Alex Song is unhappy at Barcelona have fuelled talks of a return to Arsenal. This wouldn’t happen for a number of reasons, one being that if Francis Coquelin is given a prolonged run in the team, then he’ll develop into an incredible player. Second, third and fourth reasons being that Aaron Ramsey, Mikel Arteta and Jack Wilshere play in this area. There’s no need for Song at Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger said in his press conference yesterday, that Alex Song should give it a go at Barcelona for at least another season.

Song could do with two more seasons learning and perfecting his game with Barcelona. If Song improves his anticipation of play, then he will improve to a great degree. There’s also a great need for Song to extinguish his ambitions of joining attacking play before he can be a great defensive midfielder.

That’s all from me today. Have a good Friday!

Good morning and say hello to Friday!

There isn’t much floating about in the news this morning. Everything at this stage of the season tends to rotate around speculation of which teams can pick up points where to avoid relegation. Suddenly, football supporters talk equations and psychology with each other in the stands.

With speculation, we could be here all day, so I’ll avoid looking at who could be relegated from the Premier League. QPR and Reading are just about gone; ten points away from safety is too much of a gap to bridge now.

It’s all about that last spot and I’m putting money on Stoke to fill 18th place.

Anyway, as I said, I’m not getting involved in that speculation (for now).

Alex Song unhappy at Barcelona

It isn’t like we saw this coming, is it? In his last season at Arsenal, in the 2011/12 season, Song was a key player for all the wrong reasons.

As a specialised defensive midfielder, Song’s job was to track runners, sniff out danger and initiate play from deep. Nothing more than that, just the job you would ask of a defensive midfielder. Mikel Arteta, signed from Everton and paired with Song, soon found that he had to be careful when making runs forward from deep, as Song liked to do that as well, often without communicating that fact.

I vividly recall Arsenal playing QPR away last season and for Samba Diakite’s goal, which ultimately proved to be the winner. In this moment of play, QPR countered and Diakite made a run deep from QPR’s midfield and strolled into the Arsenal penalty area to score the winning goal. In the hundred acre space that was afforded to Diakite, where was Song?

Very often last season, Song shirked his defensive responsibilities. There can be no denying however, Song’s importance to Arsenal in the final third last season. Eleven assists, including two world class chipped passes to Robin van Persie for stunning goals against Everton and Liverpool, just highlighted his attacking worth to the team.

At times, Song’s propensity to try the spectacular pass in the final third came at a detriment to the team’s collective cause. Against AC Milan at the Emirates Stadium last season, Arsenal needed a goal in the last few minutes to force extra-time. On one of the final attacks in the match, Song was in lots of space in midfield, bringing the ball forward. To his right, was the option of passing to Park Chu-Young, which would have stretched play and kept the momentum going. Ahead of him, was Robin van Persie, who was slightly to the left of the area. As he had done earlier in the season against Everton and Liverpool, Song tried a chipped pass over AC Milan’s defence, but this was read and thus cleared by Milan.

On the touch line, Arsene Wenger was going apoplectic, gesticulating to Park Chu-Young and asking why Song hasn’t made the pass. The groans inside the stadium suggested that had been once too often from Song. Coming back to the QPR match at Loftus Road and Song tried said chipped pass about four times when the simple pass would have been a better option.

Alex Song is a very good football player in terms of ability and skill. In terms if anticipating play and positional awareness however, Song comes up short and this has been exposed since his move to Barcelona.

Reports circulating after Rigobert Song (Alex’s uncle) said Alex Song is unhappy at Barcelona have fuelled talks of a return to Arsenal. This wouldn’t happen for a number of reasons, one being that if Francis Coquelin is given a prolonged run in the team, then he’ll develop into an incredible player. Second, third and fourth reasons being that Aaron Ramsey, Mikel Arteta and Jack Wilshere play in this area. There’s no need for Song at Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger said in his press conference yesterday, that Alex Song should give it a go at Barcelona for at least another season.

Song could do with two more seasons learning and perfecting his game with Barcelona. If Song improves his anticipation of play, then he will improve to a great degree. There’s also a great need for Song to extinguish his ambitions of joining attacking play before he can be a great defensive midfielder.

That’s all from me today. Have a good Friday!