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Like many Arsenal fans, I was I'd not see much of Samir Nasri play for Marseilles, so I took the opportunity to catch the France-Ecuador game last night. Nasri started the game very brightly and looked very tidy and creative. My first thought was that he looked more Rosicky than Zidane with perhaps a smidgen of Flamini like tenaciousness thrown in. Nasri looks very much like a third generation Arsene player if I have ever seen one. A player who can play wide and likes to come inside to pull the strings and allow the fullbacks to their wingback job when we are in possession of the ball.
Is he as good as Hleb? It is obviously very difficult to say so at this point. He has never set foot on an English premier league pitch, it will be different to what he is used to. But he is not an delicate flair player, he can mix it up as well and that will help him alot. The thing that struck me when I was watching him become to the most influential player in the first half was the fact that he is only 20! Cesc Fabregas and Sami Nasri are 20 years old. 7 years younger than Hleb. Alot of improvement can happen in 7 years, especially under a coach like Arsene Wenger and he knows that, that is why he will join Arsenal and not a big Spanish club.
I thought Ben Arfa looked more direct than Nasri but less subtle - although this is perhaps something Arsenal need more of (as highlighted by the effectiveness of Walcott's pace in the last 10 games of the season). On occasions he would try and do a little to much when the option was there to keep it simple. Ben Arfa looks more like a potential match winner than Sami Nasri - but perhaps I'm getting a little too carried away in the analysis of one match...
In othernews you will no doubt have heard about Mr Blatter still banging on about this 6+5 rule that he is fighting to get into the game (which is the rehashed 7+4 which was recently thrown out). He has a big task in getting around the EU laws but he is looking at every possible angle. Lets hope he doesn't find a crack that he can hammer into and find his way inside. Sky Sports and the BBC were doing their best to point out the all time low figures of English players in the Premier League. And obviously they highlighted us being the team who only fielded 1 Englishman in the last match of the season (Sunderland) how they wish Theo wasn't playing that game.
Update: Looks like UEFA's William Gaillard has moved to pour cold water on the 6+5.. favouring the policy of clubs sourcing of players who have been trained locally over enforced quotas of Englishmen.
Is he as good as Hleb? It is obviously very difficult to say so at this point. He has never set foot on an English premier league pitch, it will be different to what he is used to. But he is not an delicate flair player, he can mix it up as well and that will help him alot. The thing that struck me when I was watching him become to the most influential player in the first half was the fact that he is only 20! Cesc Fabregas and Sami Nasri are 20 years old. 7 years younger than Hleb. Alot of improvement can happen in 7 years, especially under a coach like Arsene Wenger and he knows that, that is why he will join Arsenal and not a big Spanish club.
I thought Ben Arfa looked more direct than Nasri but less subtle - although this is perhaps something Arsenal need more of (as highlighted by the effectiveness of Walcott's pace in the last 10 games of the season). On occasions he would try and do a little to much when the option was there to keep it simple. Ben Arfa looks more like a potential match winner than Sami Nasri - but perhaps I'm getting a little too carried away in the analysis of one match...
In othernews you will no doubt have heard about Mr Blatter still banging on about this 6+5 rule that he is fighting to get into the game (which is the rehashed 7+4 which was recently thrown out). He has a big task in getting around the EU laws but he is looking at every possible angle. Lets hope he doesn't find a crack that he can hammer into and find his way inside. Sky Sports and the BBC were doing their best to point out the all time low figures of English players in the Premier League. And obviously they highlighted us being the team who only fielded 1 Englishman in the last match of the season (Sunderland) how they wish Theo wasn't playing that game.
Update: Looks like UEFA's William Gaillard has moved to pour cold water on the 6+5.. favouring the policy of clubs sourcing of players who have been trained locally over enforced quotas of Englishmen.
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