ARSENE'S SELECTION AND ITS IMPACT ON THE TEAM

I want to apologise for not writing all these while. I got involved in a handful of projects that took my time off writing but these coming days will be different though- will write
regularly. Here is just a freestyle
writing about Arsene's selection since the new year .
There are enough new ingredients for me to believe it’s possible to continue the winning streak : the eerie calm of David Ospina, the fearless physicality of Francis Coquelin, the inspirational athleticism of Alexis Sanchez.
It was interesting to see that Arsene Wenger’s team selection was not swayed by the renewed availability of some big names. The manager chose to keep Mathieu Flamini, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott in reserve, giving the likes of Francis Coquelin, Tomas Rosicky and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain a chance to extend their run of impressive form. I suspect that even if Kieran Gibbs had been fit, Nacho Monreal might still have got the nod at left-back. Gibbs was very poor at the Britannia, and Monreal has emerged as a rugged and reliable option at full-back. His last eight starts have all resulted in wins, with six clean sheets along the way. It seems Arsene has adopted a meritocratic selection policy, rewarding those in good form and making some players accustomed to an automatic spot bide their time. That’s ostensibly a decent plan. The one selection decision I'm not entirely convinced was based on performance levels, the one that saw Wojciech Szczesny dropped for David Ospina. As much as Arsene insists that call was made purely on form, it looks to me like a clear disciplinary issue. I’m generally more comfortable seeing Szczesny between the sticks, but that’s largely because I haven’t seen enough of Ospina to make a valuable judgement. My suspicion is that the Pole will be back in the goal before too long


BACK TO TRANSFER BUSINESS : Arsenal have signed teenage midfielder Krystian Bielik from Legia Warsaw and are confident they would secure a work permit for
Villarreal defender Gabriel Paulista without too many problems. The Spanish club are holding out for something close to his €20m buyout fee, which sounds a lot until you remember just how hard it’s proven to find a half-decent centre-half.










( photo credits Arsenal.com )

REASONS WHY ARSENE WENGER MISTAKES HAVE COST ARSENAL FC THE PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE

Arsenal are already battling to claim a Premier League top-four place at best this season – and we reveal three ways in which Arsene Wenger has blown the title hopes at the first stage of the campaign.     Arsenal went into the last weekend before Christmas 13 points behind leaders Chelsea whereas this time 12 months ago, we were riding high in the summit.     Much has happened over the last year with the fortunes of Arsenal and Chelsea having diverged markedly, and we have identified the mistakes made by the manager, Wenger which have cost the club all chance of a first league title for 11 seasons. 1) Failing to sign an experienced central defender in the summer     There was no harm in selling Thomas Vermaelen even to Barcelona because the Belgian’s standard had dropped off alarmingly in the last couple of seasons, but not bringing in a replacement of similar stature was a big mistake. Instead, Wenger signed teenager Calum Chambers from Southampton, a player for the future but currently a boy being asked to do a man’s job when put alongside Per Mertens Acker and his naivety has been exposed. Laurent Koscielny has been troubled by injuries this term and that has meant the nightmare scenario for Wenger, who really must delve into the transfer market this month. Calum Chambers does not yet look ready to be an Arsenal centre-half. 2) Being tactically too gung-ho    Okay, so Arsenal’s strength is undoubtedly going forward because we have a formidable range of attacking talent. But we appear never to know when they should rein themselves in and keep pushing on when it is unnecessary in search of more goals, leaving the defence unprotected. That was the case when Swansea came from behind to beat us 2-1 and we were also picked off readily by Manchester United when losing by the same scoreline at the Emirates Stadium – and the manager has to take the rap for that . 3) Under-using Lukas Podolski      The German must have splinters in his backside given the amount of time he has spent on the bench this season, and it is difficult to understand why. Even when Arsenal have been losing games, Wenger has not turned to Podolski, sometimes even preferring unconvincing rookie striker Yaya Sanogo. When Podolski does get a chance he does the business and scored the winning goal in our Champions League match away to Anderlecht before bagging a double against Galatasaray.

5 QUESTIONS FROM ARSENAL'S DEFEAT AT at SOUTHAMPTON

Will Arsenal win three consecutive league games this season?

We haven’t managed it yet. Arsene Wenger is quick to point out that consistency will be the key to making the top four, but it's precisely that which evades us at present. Every time we seem to be building some
momentum, that nefarious handbrake slams down to foil us once again.
    Nevertheless, six points from nine is more than I expected from our festive fixture list. Watching our defending at St. Mary’s, the victory at Upton Park began to look ever more miraculous. I still think we’ll make the top four, but I think that case more about an absence of quality elsewhere in this league than any positive attributes of our own.

Is Francis Coquelin the answer to our defensive midfield problem?
Not for me. Coquelin’s tenacious displays don’t make me think we ought to anoint him as the long-awaited “DM” — rather, they convince me of how much better we'd be with a top class player performing in that role. However, Coquelin does look as if he will give Mathieu Flamini a run for his money until a superior player arrives. At present, Coquelin’s certainly a better option in that role than Calum Chambers.
According to www.squawka.com , Chambers didn't make a single tackle during his return to his former club. That stat doesn’t necessarily mean quite as much as you might imagine — interceptions are just as important, and tackles can be a
desperate last resort prompted by poor positioning. However, it was clear watching the game that the Englishman is a long way from ready to play regularly in central midfield.

Is Wojciech Szczesny good enough to be our number one?
I think so. He has the talent. Is it being properly harnessed? That’s another question.  Look at where David de Gea was two years ago and where he is now. That’s surely
down to coaching. Has Szczesny made the same strides forward? Probably not. He relies on his instincts and his self-confidence. Technically and tactically there are still flaws in his game. The identical errors made by Almunia, Fabianski and Szczesny can’t be mere
coincidence. The problem must lie on the training ground.

What’s up with Laurent Koscielny?

Although Szczesny was painted as the villain of the piece, Koscielny also endured something of a personal nightmare against Southampton. Aside from misjudging the run of Saido Mane on the opener, he also
played a weak back-pass that ought to have resulted in a third for the Saints. if you watched the match ...
You know, it’s almost as if he’s being
forced to play through a debilitating chronic injury- Tendinitis doesn’t just disappear. His is a condition that requires careful management. It’s been said many times, but Wenger has to buy a central defender with the ability to cover a prolonged absence for Koscielny. Relying on him is a risk we can not afford.
On the subject of the back four, much will understandably be made of how shoddy we looked with our first choice defensive unit in place. However, in their defence it was
the first time those five players have played together this season. All change — even position change — can be disruptive. It will take time for that unit to click.
What sort of team will we see in the FA Cup?
Ideally, I think Arsene Wenger would like to field a rotated side after a demanding Christmas period. However, a glance at our subs bench at Southampton suggests he has very few options at his disposal. Theo Walcott should start his first game in a year, while David Ospina is guaranteed a game in goal. Other than that I expect it to be fairly similar team. The development of Joel Campbell does not seem to be quite such a priority for our manager.

-JAMES , arsenalphilic
   

The views expressed above are solely that of the author and not of the Xclusive Gentleman 

MY OPINION : MUSIC INDUSTRY IN 2014

2014 has been a massive year in the music industry with great hits and lots of revelations. As for the friends in the industry, well... we're proud of each and everyone of you but some of you need to chill on the hustle though. There were couple of tweet-fights. Stop acting desperate. It's never that serious.

OK, let's get back to business...

Omo Baba Olowo ( O.B.O ), the baddest, has been dynamic, hardworking and unique this year. He gave us a banger earlier this year followed by great hits that rocked the air waves. AYE, song of the year ( Headies, 2014) , produced by T Spize, was undoubtedly one of the best hits in 2014. It was a memorable year for Davido, as he scooped 22 awards in the year 2014. He plans to release his sophomore album April, 2015.

God bless Don Jazzy... he's indeed an enigma. I'm loyal to him any day, any time but I pray Mavins would live up to its full potentials. The Mavins gave us major hits for the year - SURULERE, ADAOBI, DOROBUCCI, GENTLEMAN amongst many others, that rocked the country after which DOROBUCCI was awarded the pop single of the year ( Headies, 2014). Don Jazzy did it before with Mo'Hits. I believe he can do it again ''IDJA'', with the signing of Rookie of the year ( Headies, 2014), Reekado Banks, Korede Bello and Aphro Di'ja...

Tuface has really chilled these days... been a family man ain't easy talk less of been a multi-family man. Respect anyday, any time. Another Legend.

Shallah to Wizkid though... I believe the entire Starboy is on his shoulders and yes, he hasn't failed us yet. Having dropped his second album AYO ( JOY) in 2014 with great collabos featuring top artistes, Wizkid should keep up the good work. 2015 promises to be a better year.

Banky W has always been a boss, give it to him. He gave us something we held on to -  ( JAIYE ORI MI ) in the year 2014.

Skales, one of the major hit-makers for the year 2014 ( SHAKE BODY ). I pray for Skales and hope you guys would appreciate his hustle... that nigga is talented, don't take that away from him.

Yeah, back to the street of Bariga ...
  The King Baddo, himself with the YBNL crew had a great 2014 and are still much in the game. They created SHOKI, they trended it and here it is, almost everybody is dancing it.

Olamide's songs; AWON GOONS MI and STORY FOR GODS made our best naija songs for the year 2014. Kingin, as Olamide is mostly called, dropped his fourth album titled STREET O.T, which was among the best selling naija albums for the year 2014.

Olamide revealed the sensational Shoki crooner, Lil Kesh through his record label, YBNL and he's been doing good ever since.

Victor... the new year would reveal.

Have I said something about Dem Mama Records...

Timaya wasn't ommitted in the year 2014. He released some club bangers. He was also signed as MTN brand ambassador this year.

Timaya was notably credited for the emergence of the Next Rated Artiste for the year ( Headies, 2014 ), Patoranking with his first official track, ALUBARIKA followed by major tracks like GIRLIE ft Tiwa Savage, HAPPY DAY.

Big ups to my brother, Sean Tizzle, he has kept the hustle real, releasing his debut album and some classic videos off the album. The album titled THE JOURNEY bagged the Best RnB album ( Headies, 2014 ) and it was drropped under his record label - Difference Entertainment - managed by the Real DTunes, a renowned producer in the industry.

I will try and study the Capital Hill family but I do believe they have potentials, funny thing is I always had my focus on Ms. Kedike, Chidinma and Phyno ... Shout-out to the big boss, iLLBliss. ALOBAM !

A few talents came out strong in 2014. Runtown ( GALLARDO ), Korede Bello, Pepenazi, Orezi ( YOU GARRIT ) especially. God bless your hustle hommies.

Alright... let me sign out right here. I'm hoping for the best in 2015 and yes, shout-out to the lovers of the the game especially the ones who love to take-off their clothes for the love of it, you all made the industry what it is though.

HAVE A WONDERFUL YEAR