Arsenal

Football is back and, apparently, better than ever. Liverpool and Arsenal played out a seven goal thriller in London, the Merseyside club racing to a 4-1 lead before surrendering two late goals and giving Arsene Wenger’s men a brief moment of joy.

Having watched Moussa Sissoko appear, and even using that word is a stretch, for Newcastle United on 37 different occasions in the Premier League last season, you could say that his performances for France at the European Championship left me feeling a little salty.

Billed as a box-to-box midfield engine that can grab games by the scruff of the neck, which he’s done on a couple of occasions on Tyneside, his abject performances for the Toon throughout 2015-16 made his Euro something like a slap in the face to Newcastle fans.

When you play a friendly against a team with the word "Viking" in its name, it's only natural that they will give you a sword. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger found this out when the Gunners played Norwegian club Viking FK, and the Norwegians thoughtfully presented the Frenchman with a sword.

The boss has just received a pretty unusual gift...#VIKvAFC https://t.co/N2JdVjZsrM

Arsenal fans like to share their opinion on things...a lot. Now, before we go any further, we must say that there's a fair bit of whinging and moaning from fans of every club, however, Arsenal seem to take it to a new level. 

Arsene Wenger is doing it again. He’s toying with Arsenal fans for his own sick and diabolical pleasure. He’s being Arsene Wenger. As a result of this next season, Arsenal will continue to be Arsenal. In other words, Arsenal will continue to be mediocre and underwhelming.

Unless Wenger decides to think outside the box and think like his old nemesis Sir Alex Ferguson and make a wise decision to snap up Javier Hernandez from Bayer Leverkusen. Would this be good for Arsenal? Of course it would, Chicharito brings guaranteed goals and, of course, he knows the Premier League.

Through the first 30 minutes of the 2016 MLS All-Star Game, there was an interesting contrast between the midfields of Arsenal and the MLS All-Stars. Andrea Pirlo anchored the setup for MLS, in tandem with Kyle Beckerman and Kaka, while Arsenal chose the strength of Francis Coquelin and Mohamed Elneny to support Jack Wilshere.

The average age of the duel was 24 for Arsenal and 35 for MLS, but one couldn’t help but be in awe of the play of MLS’s old guard — particularly the sumptuous, metronomic style of Pirlo.

Patrick Vieira’s initial appointment as the manager of New York City FC raised more than a few eyebrows around footballing circles. He’d previously been employed as Manchester City’s reserve team and Elite Development squad coach, but his profound experience as a player saw him linked with massive jobs such as manager at Newcastle United.

Between now and August 31st, expect to hear an incredible amount of noise regarding speculative transfers, rumors spun by players’ agents and utter nonsense from tabloids trying to sell papers. It's the summer transfer window!

It’s the best of times, it’s the worst of times. Primarily, it’s the absolute worst. Especially if, like me, you’re a supporter of Newcastle United and seemingly about to lose every player in your squad.