19-year-old Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong recently revealed that he will likely join a Championship side on loan this coming season in an effort to get more playing time. Goal.com has reported that Frimpong, who was sidelined with a knee injury for 8 months last season, believes he may be headed to Charlton Athletic or Cardiff City.

It was a difficult season for me with the injury and the comeback, but I think I will need to look elsewhere if the current situation continues,” Frimpong said.

“There have been talks about Cardiff and Charlton Athletic, but I know being a regular of Arsenal if I stay clear of injury I know what I can do because I have already shown to people what I can do in the short period of time.”

Frimpong took a lot of Arsenal fans by surprise last year, with a very strong pre-season showing, before he was sidelined with that terrible knee-injury that cost him his season.

He is one that I feel must get a look this pre-season, along with Francis Coquelin, Henri Lansbury, Carl Jenkinson and Pedro Botelho. Coquelin and Frimpong especially need a chance, because cover for Alex Song as a holding midfielder is limited to Abou Diaby and Denilson, with the latter expected to depart this summer.

Between the two, Francis Coquelin probably has the upper hand after a successful loan at FC Lorient, while Frimpong’s injury has likely set him back some. I predict bright things from both of them, and above all Frimpong must remember to have patience, his time will come.

In other news, Johan Djourou has promised that Arsenal will learn from last season, and that it has strengthened the club’s resolve heading into next year.

“I know it has been said before, but we must turn the negatives into positives for next season,” said Djourou in an interview with the Islington Gazette.

“Of course it was a disappointing season, it was difficult to take after we were playing for so many trophies at the same time, so it’s always hard to take when you come out empty-handed. But I don’t think we need to envy anyone, we showed against Barcelona at home and away that we can be a contender.”

Djourou also went on to say that he felt the defense received an unfair share of the blame.

“The defence is not an issue, of course you’re always going to come back to the defence when you lose a game. It’s all over the pitch, there are 11 men, not only four against 11, and that’s what I think people tend to forget sometimes.”

Honestly, Johan makes an excellent point regarding our defence. The back four at Arsenal is scrutinized more closely than maybe any defensive unit in the world, at least recently. Every defender’s strengths and weaknesses are plotted and compared, by fans and media alike.

Every mistake is examined under a microscope, and it should be. Arsenal are a world-class club, why should we expect anything less than top class defending?

What often gets overlooked, unfortunately, is the little things. When it comes to defending, it’s often the little things that kill Arsenal. Andrey Arshavin half-heartedly tracking back, leaving Clichy and Koscielny more exposed on left. Alex Song charging forward on attacks, leaving the back four with no holding midfielder for cover. The implicit emphasis on attack that has become the shining ethos of Wenger’s teams, while the defense is often left unattended to.

One of the bright spots of Marouane Chamakh is how hard he works, not just on offense, but on defense. Instead of just praising him for his efforts, we should have been asking, “why isn’t every Arsenal player working this hard?”

I hate to point to Barca for an example, but they do play a similar style. At Barca, defending doesn’t start with the defenders, it starts with the forwards. As soon as possession is lost, a swarm of players is pressuring the ball. Djourou is absolutely correct that it takes 11 people, not just 4, to successfully defend.

Thegunninghawk