Gary Armstrong 
Arsene Wenger is a man who wants his football played predominately through the middle of the park. Although he deploys players such as Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla, they often tuck inside and look to link up with Olivier Giroud in the central areas. So, to reinforce their striker area they will need a forward who is comfortable with the ball to feet, can keep hold of possession and combine with the creative players behind them.
When Arsenal celebrated their FA Cup victory back in 2005 few people would have said that it would be their last piece of silverware in at least nine years. The Gunners have had to endure a long, tough time over the last decade or so, but things are starting to look up again.
Mario Balotelli is a player who splits opinions across the footballing world. His off-field antics while at Manchester City caused him to pick up a hero status to those not associated with the club, but those who paid money to watch him couldn’t help but feel frustrated with him on the whole. He’s a player who does what he wants, when he wants and he isn’t afraid to let people know how he’s feeling, and that was the case last week when he was reduced to tears after being substituted off in Milan’s recent 3-1 loss to Napoli.
Arsenal are notably short in the striker department – I don’t think there are many people arguing about that. Despite the fact they have topped the Premier League for the vast majority of the season, the Gunners have now slipped to second and could fall even further if Manchester City win their game in hand. A big part of Arsenal’s season has been Olivier Giroud, who started the campaign in blistering form, but I am going against the grain here and am going to suggest that he is not good enough to lead the line for the Gunners if they want to win the league next season.
Brendan Rodgers has made it clear regarding the way he likes to set up his sides. As well as a desire for silky, well-thought out football, he has injected a wealth of youth into the side and he has certainly reaped the rewards of that, with the likes of Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge shining this season.
Looking at the Premier League table makes interesting reading. Although Arsenal have topped the English topflight for most of the season it is their London rivals Chelsea who currently sit at the helm, with Manchester City and Liverpool making up the top four. City hold a game in hand over Chelsea however and will go top with a win thanks to their superior goal difference. I think Jose Mourinho’s side will blow it as well. Here’s why.
Modern day football isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. How many times have we heard fans complaining about over-paid players who show no passion? Well that certainly wasn’t the case yesterday when Daniel Sturridge, who was moved to tears after Liverpool fell to a 2-1 defeat at Arsenal in the FA Cup fifth round, was being consoled by Gunners full-back Kieran Gibbs.
The rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United is an intense one. The two clubs’ level of hatred towards one another is enough for most players to not even contemplate a move directly from one to the other, but there are a few who have represented both outfits.