Henry
leading the charge to the top
Useful information
Vite: Henry,
under Wenger's tutelage, was the most improved striker in the Premiership
last season
Photograph: FRED ERNST
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Summer summary: The dream of a team featuring half of the brightest
stars of Euro 2000 took a knock with the departure of Petit and Overmars,
but new men were already signed to take their places. Signings of
Brazilians Edu and Edmilson fell through, but Wiltord, if he joins,
will leave the squad marginally stronger than last season.
Transfers in: Robert Pires (Marseilles) £6m; Lauren Bisan-Etame
Mayer (Real Mallorca) £7.2m; Guy Demel (Nimes) free.
Transfers out: Emmanuel Petit (Barcelona) £5m; Marc Overmars
(Barcelona) £20m; Davor Suker (West Ham) free; Nigel Winterburn
(West Ham) free; Jay Bothroyd (Coventry City) £1m.
Looking forward to: Thierry Henry continuing where he left
off at the end of last season (scoring in seven successive matches).
Worried about: The ageing back five — sorry, four now that
Nigel Winterburn has left for West Ham. David Seaman, especially,
is fraying around the edges, and Tony Adams may play no more than
two matches in three, in an effort to help him last the season.
Liabilities: Players required for Olympic squads, World
Cup qualifiers etc: not only Kanu this season, but also Lauren,
of Cameroon.
Tactical profile: Although Lauren has appeared on the right
of midfield in pre-season, he is expected to partner Patrick Vieira
in the centre of midfield, with Pires, although supposedly right-footed,
obviously able to play on the left, as he showed when setting up
the winning goal in the European championship final. With Winterburn
gone, Silvinho will be a definite first choice, and is expected
to improve on the promise shown last season.
Style: Boring, boring Arsenal? With Bergkamp, Henry and
Kanu?
One player they need: Emmanuel Petit, probably.
Fans’ gripe: Not enough seats.
Fans’ big wish: You mean apart from the Premiership title
and Champions’ League? Probably to see some evidence of the youth
policy the club says it is committed to bearing fruit.
Up-and-coming prospect: David Noble, man of the match in
last season’s Youth Cup final, although Jermaine Pennant may get
his chance in midfield first. Wenger has also predicted that Ashley
Cole will feature strongly, probably at left back if Silvinho is
pushed forward.
Manager’s quality: Unrivalled ability to find bargain players
who are sold on at vast profits such as Nicolas Anelka, profit £21.5
million. Confident of winning Premiership and Champions’ League
(he says). Not a bad tactician either, but he has admitted that
although Arsenal are no weaker, some of their opponents have grown
stronger. Bogey team: Liverpool.
Likely disaster: Retirement of Tony Adams, feared by Wenger
if the stresses and strains on that injured back/leg/knee/ankle
become too much.
Potential of their new signings: A little early to say.
Pires is of proven quality, but much will be expected of Lauren,
player of the tournament when Cameroon won the last African Nations’
Cup. Early signs are promising, but the Premiership season is very
different from Spain’s Primera Liga.
Ideal improvement: 20 points
Sure sign of an Arsenal fan: Stopped reading Fever Pitch
at the point when Nick Hornby started supporting Cambridge United
Hollywood actor most likely to star in Arsenal: The Movie:
Samuel L. Jackson as Patrick Vieira.
Why sponsor’s name is (in)appropriate: Two members of the
Dream Cast are now playing in Barcelona.
Most bizarre statistic: 1-0 to the Arsenal only happened
three times last season.
Where it all went wrong last time: Valley Parade. Useful
foreign phrases: Barcelona, s’il vous plaît. Single.
Prediction: Runners-up again.
NICK SZCZEPANIK
Useful
information
Squad: 1 David Seaman; 2 Lee Dixon; 4 Patrick Vieira; 5
Martin Keown; 6 Tony Adams; 7 Robert Pires; 8 Fredrik Ljungberg;
10 Dennis Bergkamp; 12 Lauren; 13 Alex Manninger; 14 Thierry Henry;
15 Ray Parlour; 16 Silvinho; 18 Gilles Grimandi; 19 Stefan Malz;
20 Matthew Upson; 22 Oleg Luzhny; 23 Nelson Vivas; 24 John Lukic;
25 Kanu; 27 Christopher Wreh; 28 Graham Barrett; 29 Ashley Cole;
30 Paolo Vernazza; 31 Stuart Taylor; 32 Rhys Weston.
Stadium: Highbury
Capacity: 38,500
Address: Arsenal Stadium, Avenell Road, Highbury, London
N5 1BU
Telephone: 020-7704 4000
GunnersLine: 0906 474 4000
Official website: www.arsenal.co.uk
Contradicting the tag of boring, boring, Arsenal, this fine site
has been given a sleeker look and a new feature, the diary of a
female fan. For traditionalists, there is a virtual tour of the
Marble Halls.
Unofficial site: www.anr.uk.com
In-depth news coverage, all the rumours of Highbury-bound French
players, and critical reports and analysis of games.
Manager: Arsène Wenger
Assistant manager: Pat Rice
First-team coach: Boro Primorac
Chairman: Peter Hill-Wood
Ticket details: inquiries 020-7704 4040; recorded information
020-7704 4242. 20,000 season ticket-holders. General sale of match
tickets very unlikely.
Ticket prices: £16.50-£32
Cheapest/most expensive adult season ticket: £478/£1,066.
Waiting list.
Recommended radio station: Capital Gold 1548 AM
Programme: £2
Fanzine: Highbury High
Cost of adult replica shirt: £39.99
Training ground: Arsenal Training Centre (no visitors)
Directions to ground: The stadium is adjacent to Arsenal Underground
station on the Piccadilly Line. Planning on parking near the ground?
You should be so lucky.
Pubs near the ground: The Drayton Park, 66 Drayton Park;
The Auld Triangle, 52 St Thomas’s Road.
