
I am going to offer you my best bit of guess work on this. If there is Arsenal interest then we have probably checked to see if the player wants to join by far the greatest team the world has ever seen, and unless he drinks WKD on a regular basis, that answer should obviously be a yes. But either Leicester City are completely unwilling to sell or do not like the prices suggested to them so the whole 'he is staying' line could be being used to force whichever interested parties out there to go away and come back with something more to their liking

Alex Iwobi's rise into the first team ahead of more established players gave us an insight into how Arsene is trying to shape his squad. Many assumed that Iwobi had replaced Theo Walcott in the team when in fact it was Alexis who had taken over the role of our number 14. Making runs from the right to join the central striker, while Alex Iwobi was tasked with adding some extra creativity and additional numbers in the middle of the pitch

Jamie Vardy also brings another positive aspect to the footballing side. Losing Danny Welbeck for such a long time means we will miss his pressing and energy in the final third when it comes to closing the opposition down. Luckily Jamie Vardy brings those very same attributes to the table, and I wouldn't be surprised to see us focus a lot on winning the ball and moving across the pitch as quickly as possible to create chances next season. Having Xhaka, Cazorla and Mesut Ozil in the same team gives us some real cutting edge when it comes to carving out chances
The manager’s game-plan was executed very well and the few times we made errors (like Alexis giving the ball away in our half twice in a minute) Bayern did not capitalize. Did winning this game mean Bayern were too open in midfield or tactically maneuvered? I’m not too sure. Cech's world class performance on the day is what kept Bayern's very potent attack at bay. Now, compare this to the home game vs Barcelona where we set up in an identical way. We caught Barca on the break time and time again during the game but didn’t take our chances. The game plan was executed well enough by the players but the few times mistakes were made, we got punished. Again, does the fact that we created decent chances against Barcelona

While scouring through the Coquelin videos, it struck me just how good that lad is at winning the ball back. We all know this already of course but when you watch his highlight reel, it's just amazing. The speed of which he gets across the pitch and the timing of his challenges is really second to none. Rosicky is just such a classy player but at 35 and coming off a long term injury, I don't see him starting many games unfortunately, perhaps a few cup games perhaps but what a player to bring off the bench when you want to grab some control of the game. Watching Ramsey earlier in the season, I thought to myself that a fit and younger Rosicky would suit that role so well.

It will be interesting to see whether Wenger continues his ploy of starting David Ospina in cup competitions or if Petr Cech gets the nod. Bayern have a number of star names unavailable but still boast a travelling group full of world-beaters. Ageing wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery remained sidelined for Guardiola’s men, with the responsibility of providing thrust in wide areas handed to summer signing Douglas Costa. Mario Gotze is another that will not feature, however Kingsley Coman is likely to take his place in the attacking ranks. Defensive pair Holger Badstuber and Mehdi Benatia are both harbouring injuries and will not play

You recoil with horror yet his is all very sensible, particularly in a Moneyball sense. You know, cleansing your mind of the biases that deny the hard data, emancipating yourself from the kind of reflex devotion to your team that bookmakers prey on. Think of the Tottenham fan betting that this will be the season they break the top four, or a Liverpool supporter convinced that 2015-16 is their year. They're danged fools, right?
I don't want to be a danged fool, and with nothing to say in the face of this common sense I accepted the possibility that I too might learn to enjoy a goal by someone I don't like. And I have to admit it feels great.
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Our squad, rocked as it was, would have crumbled without his influence that season. Our best player, some guy called Ronald I think, had the best year of his career - he could not have done any more. That extra 5-10% - the difference between gasping our last breath as the turbulent current pulled us under and grasping the life preserver with our outstretched hand - would have to come from someone else. In a team with an equally moderate smattering of talent and brain cells we desperately needed another leader – on the pitch and off it - to help shepherd the masses

Wenger is loath to sign players in order to keep them from the clutches of other teams; Fabregas was the most recent example, opting not to sign the player due to Ozil’s status at the club despite knowledge that Chelsea would follow up with a bid. Similarly, Wenger recommended Antonio Valencia to Wigan back in 2008; having scouted the player for quite a while, Wenger recommended him to Steve Bruce as we were well stocked for wide players at the time. It is one of the attributes that makes him such a fantastic man to work with, his compassion and respect for his players is well known and is one of the reasons he is spoken of so highly of by former players. But with the financial arsenal at his disposal, it may now be the time to become rather more cold-blooded.

The truth is, loyalty doesn’t exist in football and Sterling owes Liverpool nothing. The argument that Liverpool allowed Sterling to play on the biggest stage, to start in their starting line-up whilst other, more experienced players sat on the bench, holds no weight. For if it wasn’t for Sterling’s own ability then Liverpool would not have given him the opportunity. Sterling earned his right to play at that level due to Liverpool’s lack of an alternative and the player’s own progress. His ability and importance to the team should not be used as a tactic against him to stay at the club; this train of thought can only be viewed as a form of emotional blackmail. You could argue that the young Englishman may not have made the progress he did without the help of Rodgers and his backroom staff