Arsenal steadily strengthens its firepower

By Vic Mills

LONDON (JP): There is something sad about a great football club in decline. Indeed, a week ago it appeared impossible for Arsenal's season to degenerate any further, but it did.

Twenty-four hours after Stewart Houston, the assistant manager, had resigned to join Queens Park Rangers, Tony Adams, the club captain, admitted he had a drink problem and was attending Alcoholics Anonymous.

However, the signs are that life might be improving around Highbury's marble halls. First came news that their manager-in- waiting, Arsene Wenger, would be on his way to the club at the end of the month. The feel good factor continued late into Monday evening when Arsenal registered an emphatic 4-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday.

There is equally encouraging news, too, of Tony Adams. Sidelined with a knee injury since England's exit from Euro 96, he came through ninety minutes of reserve team football unscathed on Tuesday.

The North London club head to Teeside on Saturday to face a Middlesbrough side just one position below it and level on points. The meeting sees a shoot-out between Premiership's leading scorers, Fabrizio Ravanelli and Ian Wright.

With six goals apiece, the pair, alike in style if not stature, need only a second's lapse of concentration on the part of a defender to strike.

Through the promptings of Brazilians Emerson and Juninho, Ravanelli has reveled in his introduction to English soccer. His education will be taken a stage further on Saturday as Arsenal employs three very large central defenders in the form of Bould, Keown and Linighan.

Indeed, it is to defense that Arsenal always turns in times of crisis. Reverting thus to type, its game plan will evolve around frustrating the home forwards, with the hope that a solitary strike from Wright or Merson will steal the points.

No such negative thought on Merseyside where Liverpool and Chelsea, two of the Premiership's three unbeaten sides, clash in the most attractive game of the weekend. Yet despite occupying top spot, all is not well at Anfield.

It took the half-time substitution of Berger for Collymore to bring Liverpool to life and beat lowly placed Leicester City on Monday afternoon. At five million pounds, Collymore is fast becoming the most expensive misfit in the Premiership.

The instant rapport that Czech international Berger struck up with McManaman in particular, and Fowler, suggests he will start the game against Chelsea; a situation, that could well see Aston Villa renew its interest in the under-achieving Collymore.

With Manchester United set for a testing away fixture at Villa Park, Chelsea manager Ruud Gullit will be fully aware that a win at Anfield could see his side go top. A scenario that will not be lost on the Chelsea players as they prepare to encounter Liverpool's currently far-from-convincing home form.

Yet for all its riches, the feeling persists that we shall not see the best of Chelsea until Gullit plays, but that will only happen when his body tells him it is the right moment.

Nightmare

Manchester United put aside the nightmare of Turin to put four past hapless Nottingham Forest last weekend. Although only September, it is clear that it will have to play extremely poorly to retain its title. As to whether this will be enough for a manager and a city that craves European success, only time will tell.

In light of the shortcomings against Juventus, manager Alex Ferguson is set to strengthen his defense with the signing of Barcelona's rugged central defender, Nadal. The midfield will be similarly reinforced on Saturday with the likely return of Roy Keane after a month-long injury.

Not a side to be intimidated, Villa will hope to repeat last year's resounding 3-1 humiliation of United. A team within a team game, it will look to Sasa Curic and Savo Milosevic to work a little Serbian magic, as they did when playing together at Partisan of Belgrade.

A spot of sorcery would not go amiss either at Elland Road where Leeds United and new manager George Graham ready themselves for a visit by Newcastle United.

Graham added to his backroom staff in the week with the appointment on Monday of former Arsenal captain David O'Leary as assistant manager. Having lacked forward power in last weekend's defeat at Coventry, Graham will seek an early return to fitness of his front men, Yeboah and Deane. There is talk, too, that Tomas Brolin, currently on loan in Switzerland, may return now that Wilkinson is no longer in charge.

All of which will be of little interest to the Newcastle side, which, while still to show the form of last season, is nevertheless beginning to string together some useful performances.

Elsewhere, events at Ewood Park, where Blackburn entertains Everton, will be overshadowed by the reported interest of both clubs in acquiring the services of disillusioned German striker Juergen Klinsmann.

Never the best of friends during their days at Inter Milan, relations between Klinsmann and new Bayern Munich manager Giovanni Trappatoni remain strained. The constant substitution of the striker in league matches has not helped matters.

With 15 million pounds in the bank from the sale of Alan Shearer, Blackburn Rovers, currently bottom of the Premiership, is favorite to sign Klinsmann should he turn his back on the Bundesliga.