Jens Lehmann thinks Arsenal’s new German stars can win trophies

Former Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann believes the German duo can shine for Arsenal.by AM

Lukas Podolski joined Per Mertesacker at Arsenal this season after signing from German side Koln. Both the German internationals have had massive impacts at Arsenal so far this season. Mertesacker initially got into the team after Koscielny was injured but has not looked back since. The big defender has added physicality to the Arsenal defence and might keep out Koscielny from the starting eleven as of now.

Podolski on the other hand seems to have settled down very well in no time at all. He has already scored two goals and one assist in four appearances and has added a directness to the Arsenal attack which they have lacked at times. Jens Lehmann, Arsenal’s former custodian, has praised Arsenal’s ‘approach’, stating that considering the fact that the Gunners probably had the smallest budget among the top teams in England and Europe, the way they have performed so far is admirable. Lehmann was also confident of Arsenal winning something very soon and hoped that the German contingent in the squad can play a big part in it.

“I’m quite optimistic about the current season and hope of course that Arsenal will win something,” he said in the Mirror. “All right, there are some teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Man City, Chelsea, who come into the game with big money in the bag, and only one of them can win the trophy.

“That shows you that you have to be better at little details in knowledge, wisdom and approach of your team and of your set-up.

“Arsenal always had a great approach, they always made it into the top four with probably the smallest budget of all the big teams now, and so why should it not happen this year that all of a sudden, when nobody expects them to win something, all of a sudden they go on to win something.

“Now with Podolski and Mertesacker they have two German players who are very experienced because of their caps in the national team of Germany, I think they’re near 100, both of them are near 100 and still at a young age.

“They are expecting of course to see them performing three times a week on a high level, so far my impression is that everybody’s quite happy with them, but everybody knows that they still have to improve, to adapt to the English football and to adapt to the pace of the game there.

“Lukas and Per are both mentally strong and they have definitely got the potential to perform and to improve their game.”

It would be interesting to see how long Wenger continues with Mertesacker in the starting eleven with Koscielny, who was perhaps Arsenal’s best defender last season, waiting in the wings. The upcoming fixture against Manchester City will answer that question along with whether Arsenal are really title contenders this season.

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Two Arsenal stars are ready to win things this season

Arteta Says Arsenal Are Good Enough To Carry On Without Song by AM

Mikel Arteta has said that they were disappointed with the result against Sunderland as they wanted to start of the new season with a win. The Spaniard knows that Arsenal need to improve in the final third, but is confident of them doing so, as the new signings get used to playing with each other. The former Everton man has also spoken of his admiration for Alex Song and how good he was, before stressing that the squad is good enough to move on even without Song.

Arteta said – “I think we are looking good. We looked really organized on Saturday, just maybe in the final third we didn’t take the chances we should have done.

“It will take a while because there have been some new players coming in and we are building a new team. We have lost some important players too so we will need some time. But we wanted to start with a win and that is why we are disappointed. In his interview to Arsenal Player, the Spaniard said –

“We know that our new players can make the difference as well. We will have to give them a chance to settle into a new place.”

“I felt really comfortable when I played with Alex last year, he was a terrific player,” said Arteta. “But if he and the Club decided that the best option was for him to leave we have to accept it. I think we are good enough to carry on without him.”

Meanwhile Gervinho has also talked about belief being high among the squad and that they are confident of ending the barren run this season.

“There’s great belief that we can contend for trophies. This is important, not only for the players, but also for the Club in general.

“There is real hope that we can bring trophies to Arsenal. Every player is conscious of this and we’re going to do all we can to achieve it this season.

“We’ve had a few changes at the Club and there’s a good spirit among the group – we’re all enjoying playing together. Everyone is happy and it goes without saying that the group is up for having a good season.”

“I know Olivier Giroud personally from the French league,” he said. “He’s a good striker, he’s really impressed me and has made a good impression generally.

“These new signings will help us move on and I think they are a good set of strikers.

“We’ve got lots of options in attack, but every team is different, every team has it’s own players and every team has got it’s own qualities up front.

“But the most important thing is that we’ve got a good strikeforce, we have to concentrate on ourselves, take care of our own business and I think that our attacking options can really make a difference this year.”

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Two more future Arsenal stars – Serge Gnabry and Kristoffer Olsson (plus videos)

More of Arsenals Reserve Team Wonder Kids (Part 2) – by JG

Well, now that the Van Persie hysteria is leveling out I suppose we can continue discussing the Wonder Kids coming up through Arsenal reserves/academy. Someone actually commented saying “where is the second part of the wonder kids articles? Let’s get back to talking about that.” I agree, let’s float back down from the realms of insanity, anger, and anguish. Today, the two Wonder Kids are Serge Gnabry and Kristoffer Olsson.

Serge Gnabry is undoubtedly the more mentioned and hyped up of the two. First spotted playing in an international tournament, and signed after a week’s trial, Gnabry was transferred from Stuttgart where he was born, and where he was playing for the VFB Stuttgart youth teams. He plays in midfield (mostly on the flanks but loves cutting inside), 5ft 8ins, 11st 7lbs, has a very similar build to Alex-oxlade Chamberlain (and playing style). There is a reason that this particular kid is already so popular on youtube and with Arsenal fans; he is a very skilled player and poses such a threat on the pitch with his speed. Not only that, he has a great attitude, arsenal.com had an interview with him, I suggest (if interested) you skim through it. Anyway, enough of me talking about him, how about a video? Below is a great compilation of just how amazing Gnabry is, and how much he could offer to Arsenals future.

The lesser known of the two Kristoffer Olsson, will not be so “lesser known” in the years to come. The young Swedish creative midfielder is a Swedish Under-16 International. The teenager impressed Liam Brady and his staff while on trial last season and joined the Club from IFK Norrkopings last summer. I know that previously, we have talked about Thomas Eisfeld having a similar playing style to Rosicky, but Olsson could arguably match Rosicky’s playing style even more. A wonderful passer of the ball, Kristoffer is usually the starting point of Gnabry’s dangerous attacks, that’s why I mentioned these two players together. Actually I’ll restate that; most dangerous attacks stem from a crucial pass/involvement from Olsson. Here is a very well made compilation displaying what Olsson could might well be doing for the Arsenal first team in the future.

My concerns in the last article, in regards to the longevity of these players are still valid; but I am very hopeful that they all shoot up through the ranks just as Jack Wilshere (and so many more) did.

Anyway, let us know what you think; and again…Arsenal’s future looks more bright than any other club in the world in my opinion.

ARSENAL FOR LIFE