Arsenal | Wild American Gooner

July 10, 2014
by etfaust 9 Comments

Arsenal’s Puma Kit Trilogy Launch (What Does That Even Mean?)

The modern convention of making soccer kit launches big events makes very little sense in the Twitter age, as nearly every single kit has been leaked at some point. So there was very little suspense among Arsenal fans when it came to the first Puma design. But that didn’t stop the club from making the reveal of their first PUMA kits an insane spectacle. It was dubbed the “Arsenal/Puma Kit Trilogy.” If only the kits were as epic as the name.

With Puma taking over from Nike, the company was always going to make a big deal out of their first big club in England. And as Arsenal got a lot more money out of Puma than they did from Nike – Puma will be paying Arsenal £30 million annually, while Nike only payed £8 a year – it made sense that they would try and please the company from the start. Arsenal’s website has been a big advertisement for Puma lately, and the Alexis Sanchez transfer even got buried beneath Puma stuff. It’s all a bit ridiculous.

But their launch today was downright strange. For those around the world, there was a Live Launch Video on Youtube that consisted of a 30 minute countdown (one that didn’t even count down the entire time – see the 8 minute mark of the video for when it counts up) and less than three very strange minutes of vaguely discernible holographs projected onto water in front of the London Eye with Arsene Wenger doing his best Morgan Freeman impersonation. Watch the video for yourself, it’s extraordinarily strange. I can’t imagine what being there would have been like.

The kits themselves aren’t as bold as I would have expected from Puma. And while it’s refreshing to see new designs after watching so many generic Adidas and Nike looks dominate the EPL recently, I don’t particularly like this new Arsenal set.

Here are all three looks for the 2014/15 season

The Home Red

The kit that we will see the most of is not particularly aesthetic to the eye. The shoulder panels are awkward, unable to decide if they should be rounded or straight. Ever since this jersey leaked months ago in a photo with Thierry Henry wearing it, I have not been looking forward to seeing it on the field. However, I do like the little bit of red on the cuffs of the sleeves. It’s a nice, subtle touch. The random piping on the side seems unnecessary though. In general, I don’t like jerseys to be overly tight, and Puma has had a tendency of doing that for soccer jerseys. Out of the three new Arsenal designs, this one could be the most susceptible to that dreaded too tight look. The socks and shorts are nice enough, but overall, this primary strip is disappointing as Puma’s first effort.

The Away Yellow

This design harkens back to previous Arsenal looks more than the others. The yellow and navy work well together here, but a slightly brighter blue like the one used in this past season’s away strip might have been better. I think the shoulder and sleeve design looks a lot cleaner than it does on the home, albeit significantly harsher, but it’s interesting Puma didn’t settle on one consistent look. The whole design is rather simple, but the little bit of yellow on the sleeve makes a boring design slightly less so. Once again, the random navy piping on the sides is worthless. The shorts are pretty standard, but the yellow and navy stripes on the socks look sharp.

The Alternate Blue

I’m generally not a fan of having an entirely new third kit, but with Arsenal not having a third Puma option, this one was necessary. Out of the three though, this look may be my favorite. The diagonal stripes across the front are handsome, and while the kit is similar to Nike’s 2011/12 design, it’s much nicer. The touch of lime-green helps bring out the stripes, and for once, I think the side piping kind of works because it’s a third color. If the shorts are different than the away kit’s, it’s hard to tell, but the socks are an entirely different design. I prefer the stripes of the others to the blocky look of this one, but overall, they aren’t a disaster. It’s a pretty classic kit, and I hope Arsenal gets to wear it more than a couple times.

With inspiring mottos like “Future Forever Victorious” and “Stronger Together,” many would have expected something more akin to the Star Wars trilogy than the Arsenal Puma Kit Trilogy. But at least we were spared the misery of another kit introduction later on for the third strip. I guess I should be thankful that the money from the Puma contract helped bring Alexis Sanchez to Arsenal, but these kits don’t seem all that revolutionary to me.

July 10, 2014
by etfaust 3 Comments

Arsenal Get Their Dream Man – Welcome Alexis Sanchez

Today is a landmark day for Arsenal Football Club, as Arsene Wenger has won a worldwide battle for a dream transfer target, getting Alexis Sanchez in a compelling move from Barcelona. Alexis Sanchez was a true star at the World Cup for Chile this summer, and coming off of a very successful third season at Barcelona, one in which he scored 19 league goals along with 10 assists, he was a valuable commodity. Seen by new Barcelona coach Luis Enrique as surplus to requirements, Sanchez had his pick of places to go, among them Liverpool and Juventus. Once other teams got involved, many Arsenal fans feared his transfer story would go the way of Gonzalo Higuain’s. But in recent days, it became clear that this time was different. And this afternoon, Arsenal confirmed that Sanchez is a Gunner.

As many people saw at the World Cup, Sanchez is a useful player indeed. He isn’t your typical striker, but his movement and pace are smart enough that he can more than hold his own up top when called upon. However, his best positions or Arsenal will likely be on the left or right side of attack. He has the speed to get in behind the full-backs, and having successfully played a similar role for Barcelona, he has learned how to make the diagonal runs in between the defenders. He has a rocket of a shot, but has also scored a lot of clever goals with finessed efforts and chips.

The player who will benefit most from this transfer is Mesut Özil. With Real Madrid, the German superstar was at his best alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and other pacey players who could continuously make intelligent runs from the flanks. Özil could sit deeper, finding the perfect ball to thread in between the defenders. With Theo Walcott out for much of the year, Arsenal’s record signing had nobody to play those type of balls to, and had a tougher time creating chances. Olivier Giroud certainly wasn’t making those runs, and neither were Lukas Podolski or Santi Cazorla from the left. But now Sanchez will be there to run in behind, and with Walcott soon returning to fitness, defenders will be downright scared of leaving any space behind them. Sanchez is an ideal signing to bring out the best in Özil.

The other area that Sanchez can help tactically is that he’ll be another head to aim at in the box when Arsenal look to cross. Sanchez has showcased his ability to get to the back post in recent years, which is something Arsenal have been without. And with more bodies to cover in the box, Aaron Ramsey might find more space to make his late runs forward. Podolski and Cazorla certainly possess great abilities in the attacking third, but neither player was eager to get in behind. As such, the midfield got overcrowded at times, with no options beside Giroud at which to aim crosses. Sanchez’s abilities to be both the creative force in midfield and the hard-working finisher should make Arsenal’s attack significantly less predictable.

Sanchez’s arrival may not be the only signing up front this summer, but his versatility could allow Wenger to focus the rest of his transfer energy on other areas. Behind Olivier Giroud, Arsenal now can play Sanchez, Yaya Sanogo and Joel Campbell in addition to Walcott and Podolski on occasion. And with an abundance of attacking midfield talent, Arsenal possess an incredible front 5. The lineup of Giroud, Sanchez, Walcott, Özil and Ramsey should scare everyone. That Cazorla, Podolski, Tomas Rosicky, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere won’t all be good enough to even make the bench if everyone’s healthy shows that Arsenal’s depth in this area is tremendous. Everyone will need to work harder for places in the side, and that can’t be a bad thing.

There are still moves to be made to shore up the defense, with the potential Mathieu Debuchy arrival looking likely, but today’s signing of Alexis Sanchez sends a message to the rest of the Premiership that Arsenal will be a force in the attacking third this year. And as none of Sanchez, Özil, Walcott or Ramsey are older than 25, this will be a potent side for years to come. I can not believe Arsenal got this deal done so quickly, and with a nearly full preseason to get acquainted with his teammates, Sanchez should be firing in no time. This is a great day to be a Gooner.

July 10, 2014
by etfaust Leave a comment

My Thoughts on the Celtics Trade and the Pierzynski DFA

Good morning, everyone. I write this knowing there’s a strong likelihood I’ll have a lot more to say later today about a certain Arsenal transfer story. If that is announced, expect my thoughts and analysis on it in the late afternoon.

Yesterday in Boston saw a couple moves from our hometown teams. The Red Sox took step one towards 2015 by designating A.J. Pierrzynski for assignment in order to make room for rookie catcher Christian Vazquez. The young backstop is major league ready defensively, but his bat will take time. I’m a fan of giving him time to adjust in the major leagues for the next few months, as he could struggle now rather than in April and May of next year. Hopefully given some at-bats, he’ll find his stroke at this level. At worst, he’ll be another sub-.200 hitter for the rest of the year, but if he can throw out some runners and get comfortable with the pitching staff, it’ll be a good investment in the future. Being around the veteran David Ross could also do wonders for Vazquez. Last night’s walkoff win was an exciting start to the Vazquez era, and who knows, maybe this team still has some life in them this year.

As far as Pierzynski, I feel for the man. Clearly he thought that coming to Boston would be his best opportunity at another championship late in his career, but instead he got three months on an uninspired team. He struggled at the plate, devoid of the power that once made him a valuable bat in the lineup, and his swing-at-the-first-pitch style never was going to sit well with Boston fans if he wasn’t producing. At his age and with his short-term contract, keeping him in the lineup was doing nobody any good at this point. Hopefully he can catch on as a backup on a contender for these next couple months, but I think getting rid of him was a solid first step towards next year.

The other trade in Boston yesterday saw Danny Ainge and the Celtics collect three assets for essentially nothing. Ainge’s track record on trades gets better by the minute. With the trade exception from the Paul Pierce departure (when did everyone decide that trade was the Pierce trade as opposed to the Garnett trade?) set to expire this week, Ainge had a lot of incentive to make a move. And with lots of teams trying to shed cap space in the LeBron James hunt, it was the perfect opportunity for the Celtics to improve. In addition to acquiring another first-round pick, which can never be a bad thing, Ainge also added an intriguing expiring contract in Marcus Thornton and a young center in Tyler Zeller.

Marcus Thornton could help this team in a number of ways, even if he never puts on a Celtics jersey. His expiring deal will be attractive to many teams looking to shed cap space in 2015, and he could be a valuable trade chip. He might even be a piece the Celtics could use in the hunt for Kevin Love. I doubt he ever plays in Boston, but Thornton could help accelerate the rebuilding process in other ways than his play on the court. Zeller, on the other hand, will be a true center on a team that lacks one. I’m sure many Celtics fans will remember Zeller having a couple good games against us in the last two years, and he’s somebody who could play alongside Jared Sullinger or Kelly Olynyk. There won’t be much pressure on the UNC product, but he could prove useful, even if he’s no superstar.

That’s all for now, but hopefully there will be big news today on the Arsenal front. Check back later.

July 7, 2014
by etfaust Leave a comment

The Red Sox Only Deserved the One All-Star, Arsenal Begin Pre-Season and a Thank You to Josh Radnor

Good morning, everyone. With another day before we get back to World Cup matches, I thought I’d take this opportunity to write about a couple different things.

I’ll be disappointed once the World Cup ends, but it’ll be nice to have time to focus on baseball again. The Red Sox seem hell bent on keeping fans away this summer though, as they continue to find ways to lose. Yesterday’s game was yet another in which the Red Sox showed glimpses of last year, this time coming back from a 6-1 deficit with a five run seventh. But yet again, all clutch hitting disappeared and the Red Sox fell once more in extra innings. The late-inning magic epitomized by Jonny Gomes that the Red Sox had an abundance of last year has not existed this year when it is needed. They’re a frustrating team to watch at the moment.

It seems fitting that our defending World Champions have only one all-star on the roster selected by their own manager. Jon Lester will be the only one donning the special all-star game hat next week in Minnesota. Reports say David Ortiz told John Farrell that he preferred time off this year, but really, was Ortiz even worthy of a selection? While I do think Lester was deserving of a spot, he hasn’t exactly been the stopper his team have needed at times. He’s had a lot of games where he pitched well, but not well enough. For an ace to beat other aces, he needs to be almost perfect. And Lester has been far from that.

I made the case for John Lackey to be an all-star a few weeks back, but he’s cooled down a bit since then. The only other player I think should have made it from the Sox is Koji Uehara. It’s hard to believe there have been many relievers better than him this year, and I would have thought Farrell would have wanted to turn the ball over to his closer at the end of the game. Uehara’s success over the last 12 months certainly merited a spot, but ultimately, his team’s failure cost him his place on the team, as Farrell couldn’t give his Red Sox an extra spot they didn’t deserve. Hopefully Uehara gets in as a replacement, but I understand why there is only one Red Sox on the roster this year.

Maybe this announcement will serve as a wake-up call for Dustin Pedroia. The former MVP has seen a dramatic drop in production this year, and it seems like there’s no injury to blame this time. I’m sure Pedroia likes to think of himself as the best second baseman in the game, but he was not even close to making the American League roster this year. Even if the Red Sox don’t turn things around as a team, for Pedroia, a return to his best could help get next season’s team back on the right track.

On a different front, Arsenal’s pre-season is about to get under way. I love the World Cup, but I am dying to see Arsenal get going again. Personally, I really enjoy watching preseason games, as I like seeing young players like Chuba Akpom, Thomas Eisfeld and Kristoff Olsson get run outs. It’ll be fun to watch those guys get another few games under their belts to prove they belong at this level. The friendly against Boreham Wood on July 19th can’t get here soon enough.

But as pre-season heats up, the transfer sagas begin to get more important. It’s at this point that I, along with just about every other Gooner in the world, would like to see Arsene Wenger get something done. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a big slash yet, but I would just like to see some movement. There are a lot of signings needed this summer – backup goalie, right back, center back, holding midfielder, forward – and I would hate to see Wenger need to fill all of those on the last day of the window. Getting a signing out of the way now would help ease some pressure off of his overall load.

I don’t like to comment on transfer rumors because they rarely turn out to be anything more than letdowns for Arsenal supporters. But I will say that a certain Chilean attacker currently heavily linked with a move to North London would be an incredible signing – one that would legitimately put Arsenal squarely in next season’s title race. The other major link – the one with a certain French right back – would also be a useful signing. I’d like to see that deal get done in the next couple days to get things moving towards the new season. I won’t name any names until the signings get done, but these rumors excite me. It’s going to be a fun year.

And on a similar note to yesterday, I’d like to thank How I Met Your Mother star Josh Radnor for reading my post about HIMYM and favoriting my tweet. Little votes of confidence like that inspire me to keep writing, and I’m incredibly thankful for what Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas have done for me over the last few days. If I go on to become a writer full-time in the future, I’ll have them to thank.

As the How I Met Your Mother post has now nearly quadrupled the number of hits that any other post has gotten, I want to ask if anyone has any desire for further HIMYM content. If you have an idea of another piece I could do, put it in the comments or tell me on Twitter (@MrMcGinnis94). Writing a non-sports piece every once in a while would be a nice change of pace, and people seemed to enjoy the one I did. Hope your day is wonderful. And thanks for reading.

July 4, 2014
by etfaust 4 Comments

Langweilig und Wirksam – Deutschland Geht Zum Halbfinale (Boring and Effective – Germany Goes To the Semifinals)

From the moment Jogi Löw’s teamsheet was released, it was clear Germany had a plan for overcoming their recent struggles – a return to the German side of years past was on the cards. Philipp Lahm was back in defense, and Miroslav Klose returned as the traditional center forward. Germany were done playing around, and France was going to have to beat them the hard way. By solidifying their defense and beefing up the attack, Germany looked a much more difficult side to beat.

France was unlucky to give up the opening goal on a set-piece, but particularly poor defending by the young Raphaël Varane allowed Mats Hummels a free header. It was a wonderfully taken free kick by Toni Kroos and an even better header from Hummels. With the goal, Germany could sit further back, looking to hit on the counter. They looked to play the same sort of tactics that they did in 2010 when they had so much success against England and Argentina in the knockout round.

On this day, Germany dominated in the midfield with experience winning out over youth, with France having a hard time dictating the game as a result. Kroos, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira were noticeably effective at breaking up play in the middle of the park, forcing the French to move wider. The German defense was excellent for much of the match, with Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels looking an impressive pairing in the middle. Per Mertesacker will feel unlucky to have been left out, but Löw’s choice to add a little pace in the back helped keep Karim Benzema quiet. The few times France did manage to send in a useful ball, Hummels was always there to clean things up.

Manuel Neuer had yet another standout game between the posts, cementing his stance as the best all-around keeper in the world. Once again, his shot-stopping and distribution were top class. He looks a composed figure in net, and Germany have a huge advantage with him in the side. Neuer’s confidence seems to have a way of making the rest of his team feel at ease. One has to feel that if Germany wind up in a crucial penalty shootout, Neuer immediately gives them the edge.

France seemed to lack urgency in the second half, but that’s probably more of a testament to the German defending than it is a reflection of the French players. They were never able to find much of a rhythm, and even when Loïc Rémy was introduced to infuse pace in the side, nothing much went his way. France should be disappointed with their indifferent performance today, but they should feel confident about their current state going into the hosting duties of the 2016 European Championships. They look a team on the rise again, having gotten over the horrors of 2010.

From the Arsenal standpoint, it was frustrating to see so many players left out of these sides today. Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski deserve a run-out in the final two games for Germany. If they are going to be attacking on the counter, Podolski should be on the pitch late in games, as his finishing ability surely would have led to another goal or two today. And for France, Didier Deschamps will be left reconsidering his choice of central defenders. Laurent Koscielny was one of the very best defenders in the whole Premier League last season, and you have to wonder how he couldn’t make the starting 11 for his country. I did, however, agree with Deschamps selecting Antoine Griezmann ahead of Olivier Giroud today. As far as the one Gunner to get a start today, Mesut Özil had a slightly better game in my opinion. While he was not involved in much action, he looked dangerous on the counter attack and was unlucky not to have gotten an assist late on. He still remains a long way off from his best, but at least he made a number of decisive passes today.

I still have Germany as my favorites for the tournament, and today’s more disciplined performance will hopefully quiet some of their critics. With Manuel Neuer in net, die Mannschaft might just win this thing.

Wild American Gooner

When Sports Are More Than Just Sports

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