Is there a Premier League fan base that has been on more of an emotional rollercoaster ride for the last few years than Arsenals? For 80 minutes on Saturday, Arsenal fans were ruing the lack of a “world class” goal scorer, chastising manager Arsene Wenger for failing to address this shortcoming during the transfer window. Trailing 2-0 away to Everton, Arsenal looked on course for yet another failure on the road against a top-five team – venues at which they had not won in their previous 14 attempts, taking only three points from a possible 42. It wasnt just the lack of a natural predator that saw Wenger come under fire; most Gunners feel that the absence of a proven goal scorer, along with a dominant holding midfielder and a commanding central defender is preventing Arsenal from being genuine title challengers this season. Yet the narrative shifted from “we just arent good enough” to “we have tremendous character!” in the final 10 minutes on Saturday. First, Aaron Ramsey side-footed home a teasing cross from second-half substitute Santi Cazorla in the 83rd minute to bring Arsenal to within a goal. Then, in the 90th minute, halftime substitute Olivier Giroud headed home the equalizer from a Nacho Monreal cross. Arsenal fans went from agony to ecstasy in just seven minutes. Despite the result – and many will argue that the draw was down to Evertons inability to kill off the game rather than anything special from Arsenal – the murmurs of discontent will continue for Gunners fans. Olivier Giroud is someone that should be leading the line for Arsenal. I cannot understand why some Arsenal fans do not rate him; he holds the ball up well, bringing Arsenals wealth of midfield talent into play, is an aerial threat and a physical presence, but most importantly, he scores goals. Last season, only five players in the Premier League (Suarez, Sturridge, Toure, Aguero and Rooney) scored more than Girouds 16 league goals. Does Arsenal need another striker to challenge Giroud for a place in the starting lineup? Absolutely – especially if the injury he sustained in the closing minutes of Saturdays game keeps him out for any length of time. But suggesting that Giroud isnt up to the job of being the main man is wide of the mark. More pressing for me is Arsenals lack of power in midfield. One of my favourite teams in the Premier League era was Wengers “Invincibles” – the team that won the Premier League in 2003-04 without suffering a single defeat. While Arsenal teams have always placed a premium on style, that team also had the steel needed to win the title. Look at the spine of that team: Jens Lehmann in goal, Sol Campbell and Kolo Toure at the back, Patrick Vieira and Gilberto in midfield and Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp up top. Just the thought of lining up against that team made opponents shudder, because not only could they play, they were also horrible to play against. That doesnt mean that they ran about simply kicking everything that moved – far from it. It meant that they didnt shirk challenges when they needed to be made, nor do they shirk responsibility when their team needed them to deliver. Henry was never renowned for his tackling ability or for his toughness, but anyone who watched him play for Arsenal would agree that he had ice running through his veins. When it mattered most for Arsenal, he delivered. The same can be said for Bergkamp. In midfield, Vieira had the combination of size, strength, talent and personality that the current Arsenal midfield is most lacking. There isnt a player in Wengers 2014 Arsenal team that even remotely resembles Vieira, and this is where I feel Wengers transfer dealings have fallen short. The additions of Alexis Sanchez, Calum Chambers and Mathieu Debuchy have been good ones for Arsenal, as all three are likely to be heavily involved in Arsenals starting lineup this year. But none of them addresses the most pressing deficiency in Wengers squad - an all-around midfielder in the mould of Vieira. I can live with the three central defenders that Arsenal currently has on the books: Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny and Chambers. But Wenger is faced with a big decision as the end of the transfer window looms: Does he spend big on a holding midfielder and look to add another striker, or does he stay put with what he has. The fact that Wenger hasnt already addressed these deficiencies suggests that he is more likely to take the latter decision than the former. But unfortunately for Gunners fans, this will effectively keep them out of the title chase, as they lack the key ingredients required for a genuine championship push. I simply cannot see an Arsenal side with Mikel Arteta or Mathieu Flamini as the holding midfielder winning the Premier League title. Yet another rollercoaster ride is on the cards for Arsenal supporters this season, Im afraid. 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That happens if the Blue Jays decide to start the season with an eight man bullpen. Danny Amendola Dolphins Jersey . Kevin Durant certainly played like there was on Sunday night, scoring 36 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as the Thunder made quick work of the visiting Pacers with a 118-94 win.TORONTO - Toronto Blue Jays hitting coach Kevin Seitzer usually stands right behind the cage during batting practice while the players take their cuts. From time to time, hell move over to the side and will weigh in with a quick tip or two. Its a comfortable approach that has paid dividends for the American League East division leaders, who boast an offence that is among the best in Major League Baseball. "I think hes hands on when he needs to and he sits back and he watches when he needs to too," said Blue Jays catcher Erik Kratz. "We have a lot of good hitters here and with good hitters comes success and some streakiness. "He does a good job of limiting the bad streaks and extending the good streaks." The teams offensive statistics over the first two months of the campaign have been eye-opening. Entering Wednesdays games, the Blue Jays led the major leagues in home runs (83) and were second in runs scored (296), RBIs (281), slugging percentage (.451), hits (534) and OPS (on-base plus slugging — .784). Toronto was also tied for second in on-base percentage (.333) and sat fifth in team batting average (.264). Seitzer keeps a close eye on all the numbers but values some statistical categories more than others. "Runs scored is the one Im most concerned about," he said. "If youre scoring runs, whether you do it by home runs, situational hitting, youve got to be able to get on base, draw walks, be able to move runners and get big hits when guys are in scoring position. "It kind of encompasses everything really." The 52-year-old native of Springfield, Ill., was hired by the Blue Jays last fall after spending parts of five seasons as a hitting coach with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals. He succeeded Chad Mottola, who spent one year in the position. Seitzer, a two-time all-star as a player, had a .295 career average over 12 seasons with the Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics and Cleveland Indians. As a coach, he has preached the importance of preparation and making hard, consistent contact in the box. "Have an idea of what the pitcher has got and what hess going to try to do, and then what each guy needs to do in order to have the best chance to succeed," he said of his approach.dddddddddddd "I like to keep things simple. I dont like it complicated, they dont want it complicated. "Theyve made really good adjustments so far." The power portion of the Toronto lineup has delivered so far with sluggers Edwin Encarnacion (.272 average, 19 homers, 50 RBIs) and Jose Bautista (.310, 14 homers, 41 RBIs) on pace for big seasons. Among the other notable performances, first baseman Adam Lind is batting .347 while Melky Cabrera has a .303 average. Juan Francisco is hitting .276 with nine homers and 24 RBIs in just 36 games. As for that important runs scored category, three Toronto players are in the top 15 in the major leagues: Bautista (44 - tied for fourth), Encarnacion (41 - tied for seventh) and Cabrera (37 - tied for 14th). Those numbers are a big reason why Toronto took a 35-24 record — the second-best mark in the American League — into Wednesdays game at Detroit. Its a big step up from this time last year, when the Blue Jays were last in the East at 24-34. "Its been phenomenal," Seitzer said of the teams effort. "If youre in first place after the first third, then the second third and the third one, then youre right where you need to be. So I couldnt ask for more right now." The 2013 Blue Jays posted decent offensive numbers despite their poor 74-88 record. The team was ninth in runs scored (712), fourth in homers (185), 11th in RBIs (669), eighth in slugging percentage (.411) and 15th in batting average (.252). While Seitzer deserves his share of the credit for the improvement, hes quick to praise the players for their professional approach and effort. He has been very impressed with what hes seen so far. "Probably the most (impressive thing) is the talent level and then secondly, their work ethic and preparation going in," he said. "When you have that combination and the ability to make adjustments along the way, youve got a chance to do some damage every night. Theyve been doing great." 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