da stake casino： The gaping hole in Arsenal’s trophy cabinet since 2005 has been the cause of much concern for the Gunners supporters who, along with the press, continue to talk of an ongoing crisis. Fans of sides lower down the leagues can only smile wryly when a ‘crisis’ means only qualifying for the Champions League year in, year out, indeed even the Liverpool fans may begin to wish their club was in a similar position.
da apostebet： Regardless of whether you believe in the crisis talk surrounding the Emirates, there’s no doubt that results haven’t been quite up to scratch in comparison to the early Arsene Wenger years. The Gunners built their legacy, even before the Frenchman took over, on a solid brick wall at the back, with Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn, Tony Adams and Steve Bould/Martin Keown forming an impenetrable block in front of David Seaman. Clean sheets became common place and ‘1-0 to the Arsenal’ was the chant heard ringing out round Highbury. Things are quite different now as the names Sebastien Squillaci, Per Mertesacker and Johan Djourou are enough to send shivers down the spine of any Arsenal fan. Rather than put his faith in the youth players as he usually would, Wenger has been out and bought centre backs to try and stop the rot, but the likes of Squillaci and Mertesacker merely made the situation worse.
There is one youth prospect in the ranks that could potentially provide a solution to Arsenal’s defensive woes. Ignasi Miquel has followed a similar route to North London as Cesc Fabregas, starting in the Barcelona academy before sealing a move to England, albeit with a spell at UE Cornella in between. The 19-year-old is perfectly adept at playing either centre back or left back, and considering that the Gunners have struggled for consistency down their left flank, it could well be in that position that Miquel makes his first team breakthrough.
He made his debut against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup, playing the full 90 minutes in both the initial 1-1 draw and then the replay, marking his progression from raw prospect to talented youngster in a rise that saw him made reserve team captain along the way. Last season saw Miquel become a regular in the League Cup campaign that ended in the fifth round, but he also made his league debut for the Gunners, coming on as a substitute in a baptism of fire against Liverpool in August, a game that Arsenal lost 2-0. The young Spanish defender coped well, but suffered the misfortune of being at fault for one of the goals by kicking the ball into Aaron Ramsey’s chest before it ballooned into the net for a costly own goal. It was a difficult time for the youngsters in the Arsenal setup as numerous individuals made their debuts at the beginning of last year, especially considering Wenger’s men produced some poor form and also got trounced 8-2 at Old Trafford, ensuring the Frenchman quickly realised his young troopers weren’t quite ready for action. Although Miquel made his Champions League debut against Olympiacos, his appearances became more sporadic as the year wore on, but he did make his first Premier League start in January, featuring at left back in the 3-2 defeat to Swansea.
Miquel himself has praised the influence of former Gunners favourite Steve Bould, who has taken over as Wenger’s assistant this summer, and certainly the defence looks much better, as Arsenal are yet to concede this season. With Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny forming an ever-improving partnership in the heart of defence, Miquel will struggle for game time at centre back and he faces significant competition for the left back spot as well, with Kieran Gibbs and Andre Santos ahead of him in the queue for a first team slot. Miquel was linked with a move to Brighton on loan and given Wenger’s past record with youth players, a temporary move away seems most likely.
Miquel is clearly a talented defender with his ability to nip in front of his opponent and grab an interception and as you’d expect from a man playing under Arsene Wenger, he’s extremely comfortable on the ball. His positional sense needs some work and a lack of pace could be an issue in the future, but better defenders than Miquel have overcome their lack of speed off the mark. Arsenal fought off competition from the likes of Manchester United and Valencia to secure his signature as a mere 16-year-old, while his performances for the Spanish U19 side, who won the 2011 European Championship, won’t have escaped the attentions of those at home.
He may have been released by Barcelona as a youngster, but Arsenal fans will hoping that Miquel doesn’t follow the same route as Fabregas and return to the Nou Camp in a full circle career move. Undoubtedly, Miquel has the potential to make it to the top at the Emirates and it will be interesting to watch his development over the next couple of years.
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