Premier League Week 2-Write up Stoke v Arsenal

Stoke 0-0 Arsenal
Everyone who watches the Premier League knows about the love-hate relationship between Arsene Wenger and Stoke City, it's fair to say that this match will not ease his dislike of a team that seem to have become his nemesis in recent years.

Stoke have made a habit of not losing games over the past few seasons and have an excellently drilled defense that often refuses to be breached and that's again what happened as they bent and buckled but refused to snap to relentless Arsenal pressure. In fact it was Arsenal's defense that seemed to be broken early in the game as Jonathan Walters put the ball in the Arsenal net inside the first 10 minutes before the goal was ruled out. It was as close as either team came to breaking the dead lock.

Arsenal, via Santi Cazorla and Mikael Arteta dominated the game with two Spaniards pulling all the strings in the middle though the organised Stoke back 4 managed to hold out and really limited the solid chances Arsenal had. Whilst at the other end Peter Crouch was effectively played out of the gme by Per Mertesacker and Thomas Vermaelen who seemed to show Steve Pulis' men that Arsenal had manned up this year.

For Steve Pulis this was a point well earned as his team were on the back foot for much of the game and they proved that they are defensively as sound as ever. Whilst they couldn't really get into the game going forward with only a handful of half chances they proved to be resolute and solid at the back. The Stoke fans may feel a slight aggreived not to have had a penalty in the second half but it would have been very soft to have awarded a penalty for the coming together in question and all in all they were lucky to get  apoint.

Arsene Wenger hasn't tried to hide his dislike of Stoke over the years and he will again be seething whilst feeling that his team had enough chances to bag all 3 points. He knows Stoke are physical however he'll have been pleased by the fact that his players refused to be kicked off the pitch however the wasted chances will really annoying him, especially given how much of the game they bossed. Once again Santi Cazorla looked exceptional and controlled the game for the second match running however it was Mikael Arteta who perhaps deserved all the plaudits as he was the one who was fidning Cazorla in space.

Notes-
Arsenal have been involved in both of the 0-0's so far
Stoke failed to get a single corner whilst Arsenal had double figures.

Premier League Week 1-Write up Arsenal v Sunderland

Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland
Arsenal week has been a bad one, not only have they seen their talisman Robin Van Persie leave for bitter rivals Manchester United but they've also bee dragged into a transfer saga regarding their defender Alex Song who is a wanted in Barcelona. Despite this Arsenal have signed a number of highly regarded players themselves which are expected to turn Arsenal back into a title contending team. The Gunners started their campaign against Sunderland who's key signing in the transfer window was experienced Spanish defender Carlos Cuellar whilst they lost Asomoah Gyan.

From the off Arsenal looked the more dangerous team with new signing Santi Cazorla pulling the strings and looking like a real class act for the Gunners. Sadly despite looking dangerous Arsenal couldn't convert any of their numerous chances due to real issues with accuracy. As well as Arsenal's problems with aiming Sunderland refused to give space and time and were working hard for a point and their manager.

As much as Arsenal tried to score a winner they simply couldn't get the goal they needed and despite dominating the game they had to settle for a point. Despite only getting a point it's fair to say that Arsenal have signed some excellent players in Carzola, Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud and the three really have potential to turn Arsenal into a very serious title threat. The team will gel well and has a lot of flair with real goal scoring threats. Write Arsenal off at your own peril.

Whilst Sunderland were out played for vast chunks of the game they played hard and played for their manager who appears to have the team doing what he wants them to. Whilst it's fair to say they were negative they knew they'd be out gunned if they tried to go toe-to-toe with Arsenal. If I was a Sunderland fan this year I'd have to say I'd be pretty relaxed with the knowledge that, at worst I'd be supporting a solid, mid table team with an excellent manager. Whilst it's true Sunderland haven't spent much they have a solid team there and I'd imagine O'Neill will be looking to bring in at least 1 more player, probably an attacker before the window closes just to strengthen his team.