Great bets to give Arsenal fans interest in the Euros

With no Arsenal games for the next few months, we can at least console ourselves by watching some of our best players performing at the Euro2016 tournament in France this summer. I have been looking around at some good bets to give us an interest in the competition while keeping an eye on the form of our Gunners.

A lot of Gooners in the UK will be looking for Jack Wilshere to regain his earlier Arsenal form in the qualifying Group where he won the Man of the Match for England in 5 out of 6 games. The Lions are 8/1 fourth favourites to win the competition, and if you think Our Jack can be the man to galvanize them to victory it may be worth backing Wilshere at 66/1 with Betfred to win the Player of the tournament, or if you are feeling very lucky try Aaron Ramsey at 150/1.

Okay enough of the fantasies, let’s look at some realistic bets from Betfred that could actually win us some money. I personally don’t think that England can win it, but the 11/2 that Betfred offer on the Lions to win all three Group games seems very reasonable. And a fair Ramsey bet is for Wales to reach the QuarterFinals at 4/1. These are Betfred specials but if you sign up using this Betfred promotion code 2016 they will also give you £30 in free bets to play with!

Arsenal have other players at the Euros though, and with Giroud and Koscielny playing for the favourites France and Mesut Ozil appearing for the World Cup winners Germany, we can expect one of those to go all the way to the Final. My favourite longshot is for Germany to win it and Muller to be top scorer at 16/1. If Ozil continues providing chances that could be a very good bet. Also I’ll do Ozil to be named Player of the tournament at 20/1. I can see both those bets winning me money!

If you think that Giroud’s hat-trick in our last game shows that the Frenchman is coming back to form, it may be worth having a saver on France to win the competition and Giroud to be top scorer at a very tasty 28/1. I’m going to do all of these wagers and I’m pretty sure I’ll still have some interest going on all the way through to the Final.

What do you think is the best bet out of that lot?

Chamberlain wants to score more goals, so do Arsenal fans!

Alex Oxlade Chamberlain is a popular figure amongst the club mainly because of his raw talent but also because of his likeable, friendly and open character. He is a down to earth professional who doesn’t get hyped over the financial side of things and plays the game for the right reason. The Ox is a true professional and because of this Arsenal fans expect a lot of the youngster.

Chamberlain has certainly proved his worth over the last two seasons despite not being an integral part of our team. His fantastic performances are because of his pure talent. He has pace, skill, good passing ability and a great work rate, the only thing he seems to lack is goals, and the Englishman recognises he needs to improve on that side of his game.

“My dad wants me to score more goals, he’s always telling me to do that. He’s right because I want me to score more goals. I know that’s one of the things I need to improve on next season. I just want to improve my overall game. You can always keep learning and getting better. I know I still have a lot to do.”

Chamberlain has a great shot; there is no doubt about that, with goals against Coventry and Newcastle being absolutely fantastic goals. He also displayed his rocket shot last season, whilst he also proved he can finish in the trickiest situations, scoring two very tight goals against Blackburn.

Chamberlain also scored a well taken goal against Brazil recently and the 19 year old had a little joke with the media about his stunning drive.

Oxlade-Chamberlain said: “Dad sent me a text before the Brazil game saying, ‘Make sure you do something good.’ The next day he sent another which said, ‘I like it when you listen to me’.”

Let’s hope the Ox ups his game next season and continues to add to the team with a few more goals, what is certain is he is an uprising star that could be a surprising important player next season.

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The ex-Arsenal traitor Samir Nasri has shown the world that he still hasn’t grown up despite being saying at the end of last season: “I’ve matured, I’m now a champion in England and can handle these pressure situations,”

Nasri became a figure of hate for Arsenal fans after he forced Arsene Wenger to sell him to Man City and then followed it up by many anti-Arsenal comments during the season.

He proved he was still a pain in the a*se when he was asked for his post-match reactions after France’s defeat to Spain last night. He was reported as responding that “you journalists are always looking for s—,” while also shouting at the media crowd to “go f— yourselves, you sons of b—-es; now you can go write that I was poorly raised.”

Well I don’t know about being poorly raised, but I do know he is an overpaid idiot with an over-inflated ego who will never get a job as a diplomat!

Van Persie Flop at Euros? Not at all says Wenger!

Robin Van Persie only managed to score once for the Netherlands at the European Championships, as they meekly dropped away from the tournament without winning a single point. The Arsenal striker was critized by the Holland fans and pundits as he missed chance after chance, especially in the first game defeat by Denmark.

But Arsene Wenger personally thinks the critics are totally wrong, in fact he thinks Van Persie was the best striker in the whole competition. He said: “Robin deserves more credit than he gets in the Netherlands,”

“Robin van Persie was the best striker during the tournament. He’s much better than strikers from other countries and he’s also better than Huntelaar.”

“Van Persie makes sure that a team plays football. I’ve analysed his performances and if you watch really closely, you will see that he made some brilliant moves and runs.

“At crucial stages he didn’t get the ball. On the times he did not score with the chances he had can be put down to fatigue. But he’s the perfect striker.

“If you want to reach a really high level as a team, you must pick Van Persie. He’s an example for every striker. He’s an exceptional football player and more than just a striker.”

Well that doesn’t sound like a man that is expecting to lose his captain, unless of course he is just trying to bump up the price???

Arsenal loan players make an impression at the Euros

It may be sacrilegious to make such a comment, but I’ll make it all the same. As a Gooner I really find it hard to be too excited about the European Championship, the World Cup or any international competition.

Sure I enjoy watching football, because that’s what those of us who love the beautiful game do far too frequently. I am a proud Englishman and want my national team to do well, but I find it difficult to cheer on an England team containing the likes of Terry, Cole and Parker; players I despise.

Arsenal is my first love, so when I watched England play France I was interested in seeing the performance of the Ox and sadly only a couple of minutes of Theo.

While Arsenal play beautiful, sophisticated, slick passing football; England play dull, turgid one dimensional football that is all too predictable.

It is of course no coincidence that the one English midfielder with the ability to make things happen is an Arsenal player. That the English national team is bereft of midfield quality apart from Jack Wilshere is a serious indictment of those running English football. Arsene Wenger has proved time after time that he knows how to develop young talent and it is England’s loss and Arsenal’s gain that he manages our club.

There was a real buzz watching Lukas Podoloski playing for Germany and his presence, plus the likely arrival of Olivier Giroud from Montpelier will hopefully convince RvP that Arsenal are likely to be serious contenders for top honours next season.

These signings also suggest that the Professor will have a more defined plan B, adding Giroud’s strength and aerial prowess to Arsenal armoury. While Arsenal will never play long ball football, there are times when this option is necessary.

If Ivan Gazidis’s comments that Arsenal plan to buy quality rather than quantity come to fruition then I am confident that the 2012/13 season will be a remarkable one for Arsenal and one that will see a return of silverware.

With one round of matches in Euro 2012 now complete, there have been mixed fortunes for current and ex-Arsenal players. RvP lacked his usual sharpness, missing chances he would normally have buried; while Szczesny in the Polish goal had a nightmare, being partly responsible for the Greek goal and also collecting a red card. However Bendtner, in a very different role, impressed for the Danes.

But for many of us Gooners, the performance of Andrei Arshavin raises a number of questions. How can a player be so bad for one club and so good for another? In the few months since returning to Zenit St. Petersburg on loan, he has by all accounts been outstanding, both for club and country; while in the first half of the season in red of Arsenal he was often an embarrassment.

Arshavin looked the perfect match for Arsenal and had some outstanding matches, but overall was a disappointment and worse often looked disinterested. It is clear that the player did not want to live in London and while it is not always easy to identify such a problem in a player, maybe the club should consider the player’s mindset as well as his fotballing qualities before making a purchase.

On the subject of mindset, if Samir Nasri, is as reported, surplus to requirements at Manchester City, should we consider trying to lure him back to the Emirates? He was so desperate to leave Arsenal; yet seeing him give a man of the match performance and score a quality goal against England makes you realise what value he could add to our team.

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About the writer

Phil Harris has been a season ticket holder at the Emirates and Highbury before it for 20 years. He maintains a critical eye on all thing Arsenal and sports and in his spare time can be found gambling at livecasino.smartlivegaming.com

Barcelona to poach Arsenal’s Vermaelen? Highly unlikely!

Barcelona are in need of defensive cover. Carlos Puyol is nearing the end of his career and if he gets injured again, the Catalan team will be in trouble. At the top of their wish list is Spanish international Javi Martinez, but the Spanish press think that the deal is dead in the water and he is now out of the betting on www.OddsWinner.com to join the Spanish giants.

The bad news is that Thomas Vermaelen is next on the list, according to The Mirror. Arsenal’s centre back and vice-captain is very highly regarded by Barcelona, and his ability to play at left back would give them much needed cover in this position as well.

The good news is that Vermaelen is happy at Arsenal, is very good friends with Arsenal captain Robin van Persie, and signed a new four year contract last summer. Barcelona have been put off Martinez by Bilbao’s 40 million euro valuation and are now looking to the English league.

The Spanish club have also been linked with a move for Chelsea’s David Luiz and Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany.

Vermaelen’s partner in defence at Arsenal, Laurent Koscielny will finally get his chance at Euro 2012, as Philip Mexes received his second yellow card for France. Koscielny will get a baptism of fire as France face World and European champions Spain on Saturday night.

Arsenal midfielder back in Euro 2012 contention

Tomas Rosicky is a relieved man. The 31-year old Czech midfielder had feared that his tournament could be over, due to an Achilles problem that he picked up against Greece a week ago. There was good news for Arsenal and the Czech Republic today, as the influential midfielder returned to training.

It will not be known until tomorrow whether he is fit enough to play against Portugal, but he will be desperate to add to his 87 caps and 20 goals. Once nicknamed “little Mozart,” Rosicky is the main playmaker for the Czech Republic.

They will need him on good form if they are to overcome a talented Portugal side, complete with Christiano Ronaldo, tomorrow night.

Another midfielder who has already been eliminated from the competition, Nigel de Jong, has stated his intention to stay at Man City and fight for his place. Arsenal had been alerted to the possibility of signing the combative midfielder for very little, as it was thought he wanted a move.

Mancini seems to have convinced the Dutchman that he still figures in the plans at the Etihad, so de Jong is happy to remain where he is.

Oxlade-Chamberlain happy with England performance

The Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was a surprise inclusion in the England squad to go to the Euros, but it was even more of a shock that he was picked to start in England’s most important Group Game against France yesterday.

But, as always, the 18 year-old kept his feet firmly planted on the Ukranian ground and was just pleased that he Roy Hodgson had faith in him to do the job, although he admitted that he didn’t get much chance to show his breakneck speed against the tough French defence. He looked pretty strong when he went forward and looked like he’s taken a high dose of hmb to help his muscle development!

The Ox said after the game: “Yeah it was a surprise to be picked, everything’s just coming to me as a surprise at the moment!

“But I have to remind myself that I was one of the initial players picked for the squad. I’m here to do this job and, when called, I’ve got to make sure I’m ready.

“Obviously I’m delighted to get the call and then you’ve just got to get your mind around the game.”

“I think I did okay,” Oxlade-Chamberlain continued. “I think it was a bit frustrating at times for me to get into space and do what I like to do and run at people and find space out wide.

“But we like to play compact and I think we had to against a good French team who almost overloaded the midfield.

“Obviously I’m delighted to represent my country and I gave everything, but tonight wasn’t about me, it was about the team and getting a good result.

“Against a good French side we’ll take a draw, we’ll move on and we’ll get something from there.”

Although he had a couple of chances it seemed that the French strategy was to cynically drag him to the floor every time he used his speed to try and get through their lines, but he was obviouly not in awe of the occasion and can only improve as the competition goes on.

Perhaps he will be England’s secret weapon?

Arsenal’s Szczesny a good bet to keep a clean sheet for Poland tonight

Wojciech Szczesny’s EURO experience is about to begin, and this will also mark his first international tournament in his career, as the 22-year-old is about to enter a very tight group, but one from which Poland has quite a good chance of going through, especially as they will be playing on home territory.

Szczesny’s debut match, and the match which will also mark the beginning of the 2012 European Championship is the one between Poland and Greece. The two sides will face, later in the tournament, the likes of Russia and the Czech Republic in what is one of the tightest groups of the competition.

The Poles are favorites to win tonight, as the bookies offer Szczesny’s team at odds of Evens to win the game, while they rate Greece at around 7/2.

Greece has a 7/10 odd of scoring in the Pole’s goal, which gives him quite a good chance of finishing the game with a clean sheet. Although Poland isn’t known for its defense the way it is for its attacking force, Greece’s defensive style of play will probably grant the Gunner an easy-ish game.

Arsenal’s second strike goalkeeper Lukas Fabianski is going to be on the sidelines waiting for Szczesny’s mistake like he always does, while another player linked intensely with Arsenal, Robert Lewandowski, is expected to be providing the goals this evening.

Arshavin favourite to beat Rosicky tonight!

Russia and the Czech Republic are due to go head to head in the EURO 2012’s opening day, as they both will try to do their best to qualify into the knockout stages of the tournament.

Arsenal have once again sent most of their best players off on international duty, and although we have yet seen the likes of Robin Van Persie, Walcott, Chamberlain or Koscielny, we can be happy to see that the Gunners are ruling the opening day of the European Championships.

Andrey Arshavin and Thomas Rosicky are the best two players of their respective sides, and it seems that although they’re not in their youth anymore, people still expect them to be the ones who will clinch the winner.

Arshavin is currently on loan at Zenit and is expected to leave for good this summer, while Rosicky just extended his contract with the Gunners. Tonight the Russians seem to have the upper hand, as the bookies offer them a 6/4 odd of winning the game and rate the Czechs with a mere 9/4 odd.

Thomas Rosicky has a 5/1 odd of scoring in the game, being one known for his passes rather than for his goals, while Arshavin has a 5/2 odd of getting the ball in Petr Cech’s net.

Who do you think will be victorious tonight?