If you're an Arsenal fan, then for the last few seasons, every winter has been one of discontent. A promising start gives way with crushing inevitability to a mid-season dip; with Spring might come a resurgence of form, but generally the only prize at stake is a place in the coveted top four with the promise of Champions League riches and fame. Not so this season. Arsenal have taken 13 points from a possible 15 this month in one of the busiest periods in domestic football. With such extraordinary cause for celebration one might therefore forgive a small modification of the original quotation:
'Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this son of Cataluña'
It was the most memorable cameo since Boy George appeared on the A team (honestly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47puweMw9Wk&feature=player_embedded). Fabregas came on after a dreary 57 minutes, scored two goals and came off again, spending just 27 minutes on the pitch. The second goal came at a price however, as the Spaniard aggravated the hamstring injury that had forced him to start the match on the substitutes' bench. Wenger has said that the gamble was worth it, and he may be right, but with Fabregas likely to be out for three weeks and Arsenal to play three fixtures in the next ten days, only time will tell on this one.
The game itself was, if I may resort to clichés, very much a game of two halves. The first 45 was an uninteresting affair. Neither side managed to assert any prolonged period of dominance. Arsenal and Villa both created chances: Eduardo again showed a lack of cutting edge after shooting lamely at Friedel inside the box, and Carlos Cuellar shot well wide from just outside the area when he should have at least hit the target. Things improved after the break; an Eduaro free kick was palmed away by Friedel and Gallas was unlucky to see his shot cleared away from the line. The addition of Fabregas brought the necessary quality to break the deadlock. His mere presence was enough to draw defenders out position, and Arshavin was able to exploit the gaps in front the Villa goal to draw a fine save from Friedel.
For the second week in a row it was a direct free kick that gave Arsenal the lead. In the past the suggestion has been made (at least by me) that as Fabregas can do damn near what he pleases with the football it should follow that he can score from dead ball situations. I'd be lying if I said I watched him bend an unstoppable free kick into the Villa goal with no small amount of satisfaction.
The second goal was just as irrepressible. As another attack broke down for the visitors, Traoré, that is to say our third choice left back, demonstrated the technical ability that runs right the way through the squad as he first had the vision to see Walcott streaking down the pitch and then the skill to pick him out with a cross-field pass. The winger was then able to play in the rampaging Fabregas to score his second.
Gallas and Almunia combined well to stop Agbonlahor late on to give Arsenal their third clean sheet in five matches, before Diaby capped another excellent performance by scoring a superb solo goal, ghosting through the Villa midfield before slotting past Friedel.
An excellent yield of thirteen points from fifteen in December will mean little if an Arsenal side without Fabregas go on to have a woeful January, but it seems to be a good indication of the growing character and ability of this young side. Diaby will need to continue his excellent form is he is to negate the effect of Alex Song's departure to the Africa Cup of Nations, and Aaron Ramsey will need to show incredible maturity if Arsenal are to prolong this run beyond the new year.
How do I love thee Cesc? Let me count the ways. 12 goals and ten assists. Easy. Get well soon.
Wednesday 30 December 2009
Monday 21 December 2009
Arsenal played Hull on Saturday, but the game raised more questions than answers. How did Stephen Hunt stay on the pitch? Is Stephen Hunt the new Robbie Savage? And how long will it be before calling someone a 'Stephen' is an acceptable part of the lexicon of 'Cockney Rhyming Slang'? No question about the result though (3‐0 by the way).
Whilst Hunt is fast becoming the Piers Morgan of the Premiership (you don't love to hate him. You just hate him), Hull City have taken Bolton's mantle as Arsenal's 'bogey team'. Gary Megson's side are rooted in the bottom half of the table; they no longer have the creativity and skill that accompanied the brutish physicality which caused Arsene Wenger so many problems, and Phil 'tango' Brown and his gang from Yorkshire seem intent on replacing the Trotters in the hearts and minds of Gooners everywhere. Despite Arsenal having met Hull just four times in living memory, there exists a level of animosity between the two teams and their managers that will seem familiar for those who observed Wenger's frosty relationship with Sam Allardyce at Bolton and Mark Hughes when he was at Blackburn.
It's an oft repeated opinion amongst pundits and fans that Arsenal 'don't like it up 'em' (although this blog would suggest otherwise when Arshavin is concerned), that is to say the Gunners can't cope with the physical side of the game. Hard tackles and sneaky elbows, that's how to deal with those French pansies from the Emirates. Bravo to Hull for paying close attention when Wenger sent Tony Pulis and the brave lads from Stoke packing, as Phil Brown plumped for essentially the same tactics.
Against Stoke it was the ingenuity of Arshavin and the intelligent football around the box that won the day, but this time, with a more robust midfield of Song,Diaby and Denilson, Arsenal were in a better position to combat the opposition's physical approach. The ensuing first half was disjointed, as persistent fouling left little time for either side to carve out decent opportunities, but two events stick in the mind: one was the mass‐brawl started by Nasri, as he stepped on the foot of the Hull player Garcia. Incredibly all 22 players stayed on the pitch, for which one must grudgingly credit the referee for; the other was a sublime moment of skill from Denilson of all people, the diminutive Brazilian scoring Arsenal's first direct free kick since 2007.
As the game became more stretched in the second half, Arsenal's midfield, in particular Diaby who was majestic in his control, composure and distribution, looked likely to exploit Hull's desire for an equaliser. As it happened, the visitors were gifted a potential route back into the match when Silvestre was harshly adjudged to have fouled Craig Fagan in the box. Steve Bennett indicated that the penalty had been awarded for shirt pulling, but replays suggested the striker had just as much if not more of Silvestre's shirt in his hand when he went over. The issue became academic, however, when Geovanni, scorer of that sublime drive in the very same goal last season, allowed Almunia to beat out his spot kick, with Stephen Hunt incredibly heading the rebound wide from only a couple of yards out.
Moments later, Diaby played a one‐two with Song and his cutback found Eduardo who would have had to try very hard to miss. From that point on the result was a foregone conclusion. Diaby's hard work paid off when he received a pass from Arshavin and with an almost apathetic shrug he fooled his marker and blasted the ball beyond Boaz Myhill in the Hull goal. Walcott should have added a fourth but his attempted lob dropped just wide of the post; in the end 3‐0 seemed ample reward for an Arsenal side that combined strength and skill with near ruthless efficiency.
Hull City were applauded off the pitch by fans of both sides at the Emirates last season, but this time they received no such honour. The plucky underdogs have shed the image that so endeared them to football fans around the country, and few tears will be shed outside Hull if they go down this season. Their overly physical approach was made to look pretty foolish by three much‐maligned midfielders who brilliantly exposed the visitors’ entirely one‐dimensional strategy.
Nice try Phil Brown, but you'll need to get out of the sunbed a lot earlier if you're to fool Arsene Wenger again.
Whilst Hunt is fast becoming the Piers Morgan of the Premiership (you don't love to hate him. You just hate him), Hull City have taken Bolton's mantle as Arsenal's 'bogey team'. Gary Megson's side are rooted in the bottom half of the table; they no longer have the creativity and skill that accompanied the brutish physicality which caused Arsene Wenger so many problems, and Phil 'tango' Brown and his gang from Yorkshire seem intent on replacing the Trotters in the hearts and minds of Gooners everywhere. Despite Arsenal having met Hull just four times in living memory, there exists a level of animosity between the two teams and their managers that will seem familiar for those who observed Wenger's frosty relationship with Sam Allardyce at Bolton and Mark Hughes when he was at Blackburn.
It's an oft repeated opinion amongst pundits and fans that Arsenal 'don't like it up 'em' (although this blog would suggest otherwise when Arshavin is concerned), that is to say the Gunners can't cope with the physical side of the game. Hard tackles and sneaky elbows, that's how to deal with those French pansies from the Emirates. Bravo to Hull for paying close attention when Wenger sent Tony Pulis and the brave lads from Stoke packing, as Phil Brown plumped for essentially the same tactics.
Against Stoke it was the ingenuity of Arshavin and the intelligent football around the box that won the day, but this time, with a more robust midfield of Song,Diaby and Denilson, Arsenal were in a better position to combat the opposition's physical approach. The ensuing first half was disjointed, as persistent fouling left little time for either side to carve out decent opportunities, but two events stick in the mind: one was the mass‐brawl started by Nasri, as he stepped on the foot of the Hull player Garcia. Incredibly all 22 players stayed on the pitch, for which one must grudgingly credit the referee for; the other was a sublime moment of skill from Denilson of all people, the diminutive Brazilian scoring Arsenal's first direct free kick since 2007.
As the game became more stretched in the second half, Arsenal's midfield, in particular Diaby who was majestic in his control, composure and distribution, looked likely to exploit Hull's desire for an equaliser. As it happened, the visitors were gifted a potential route back into the match when Silvestre was harshly adjudged to have fouled Craig Fagan in the box. Steve Bennett indicated that the penalty had been awarded for shirt pulling, but replays suggested the striker had just as much if not more of Silvestre's shirt in his hand when he went over. The issue became academic, however, when Geovanni, scorer of that sublime drive in the very same goal last season, allowed Almunia to beat out his spot kick, with Stephen Hunt incredibly heading the rebound wide from only a couple of yards out.
Moments later, Diaby played a one‐two with Song and his cutback found Eduardo who would have had to try very hard to miss. From that point on the result was a foregone conclusion. Diaby's hard work paid off when he received a pass from Arshavin and with an almost apathetic shrug he fooled his marker and blasted the ball beyond Boaz Myhill in the Hull goal. Walcott should have added a fourth but his attempted lob dropped just wide of the post; in the end 3‐0 seemed ample reward for an Arsenal side that combined strength and skill with near ruthless efficiency.
Hull City were applauded off the pitch by fans of both sides at the Emirates last season, but this time they received no such honour. The plucky underdogs have shed the image that so endeared them to football fans around the country, and few tears will be shed outside Hull if they go down this season. Their overly physical approach was made to look pretty foolish by three much‐maligned midfielders who brilliantly exposed the visitors’ entirely one‐dimensional strategy.
Nice try Phil Brown, but you'll need to get out of the sunbed a lot earlier if you're to fool Arsene Wenger again.
Monday 14 December 2009
It's not often that on one weekend, every result goes in Arsenal's favour: Saturday saw Manchester City draw, Chelsea draw, Tottenham lose and Manchester United lose. Sunday's game at Liverpool would surely end in heartbreak; Arsenal never get everything their way, right?
Well for 45 minutes it certainly looked like that was going to be the case. Liverpool had their best team out, Arsenal had out a side ravaged by injuries. Arshavin was again started in the middle of the front three, and Traoré was still deputising at left-back. Every game is a must win game for Rafa Benitez's side in what has become the race for fourth, and after a frenetic start the home side were the first to settle. Going forward the gunners were unimpressive, allowing too large a gap to exist between midfield and the strikers, and Arshavin looked awfully lonely up front, with only the ineffective Walcott and Nasri to keep him company.
Liverpool on the other hand were extremely lively: Torres was played in behind the defence but shot tamely at Almunia. Gerrard went down shortly after, having been bundled over by Gallas in the box. Tricky one to call, as Gerrard had lost control of the ball, but how far does ahead of the player must the ball go for a foul in the box to not constitute a penalty? Something of a grey area, probably a penalty on balance, and a stroke of bad luck for Liverpool (although cynical viewers might claim that Liverpool have been riding their luck for years and it's about time it ran out, or that if Gerrard stayed on his feet more then referees might feel more inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt when he does go down. Not me though. I'm staying well out).
It didn't seem to matter much though when, four minutes before the break, Almunia flapped at a corner, allowing to ball to land at the feet of Dirk Kuyt who prodded home. Playing the way they did in the first half Arsenal seemed set to concede a bunch more in the second, but a strange thing happened during the interval. Wenger got mad. Throwing stuff at the walls, foaming at the mouth, Lou Ferrigno 'you wouldn't like me when I'm mad' mad. When I said last week that I hoped Arsenal would develop a more chelsea-like mentality, it was, at best, wishful thinking, and I didn't think any kind of replication would manifest itself in a Mourinho style half time rant, but that's what we got. 'You're not fit to wear the shirt' said Wenger, and suddenly there was a lot more than just points at stake for the Arsenal players. Wenger's respect is not to be taken for granted, and you could see by the wry smile on his face that his players realised this and moreover, done something about it.
First a slice of luck let Arsenal back into the game, Glen Johnson unable to shift his feet in time, prodding the ball into his own net, before Andrey Arshavin, scourge of Anfield, produced a sublime moment of individual skill, pouncing on a loose ball before hammering the ball beyond Reina off the upright. The question of course remained, could Arsenal close out an unlikely win in front of the Kop, and the answer was an unequivocal yes. Liverpool had no answer for the visitors resolute defending, and barely registerd a shot in the second half. Vermaelen earned his man of the match award as he and Gallas made light work of keeping Torres and co at bay.
So it was that Arsenal managed their first win at Anfield since Robert Pires scored a wonder goal there almost six years ago. The suggestion now is that the Gunners are right back in the title race; winning their game in hand would see them overtake Man Utd on goal difference. Assertions that Arsenal can keep pace with Chelsea and Utd seem knee-jerk at best, the squad is simply too thin to maintain a challenge beyond January, but real pleasure must be taken in knowing that this team at least knows how to see out games, even in the most hostile surroudings. Also Wenger can throw a half time hissy-fit. Who knew?
Well for 45 minutes it certainly looked like that was going to be the case. Liverpool had their best team out, Arsenal had out a side ravaged by injuries. Arshavin was again started in the middle of the front three, and Traoré was still deputising at left-back. Every game is a must win game for Rafa Benitez's side in what has become the race for fourth, and after a frenetic start the home side were the first to settle. Going forward the gunners were unimpressive, allowing too large a gap to exist between midfield and the strikers, and Arshavin looked awfully lonely up front, with only the ineffective Walcott and Nasri to keep him company.
Liverpool on the other hand were extremely lively: Torres was played in behind the defence but shot tamely at Almunia. Gerrard went down shortly after, having been bundled over by Gallas in the box. Tricky one to call, as Gerrard had lost control of the ball, but how far does ahead of the player must the ball go for a foul in the box to not constitute a penalty? Something of a grey area, probably a penalty on balance, and a stroke of bad luck for Liverpool (although cynical viewers might claim that Liverpool have been riding their luck for years and it's about time it ran out, or that if Gerrard stayed on his feet more then referees might feel more inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt when he does go down. Not me though. I'm staying well out).
It didn't seem to matter much though when, four minutes before the break, Almunia flapped at a corner, allowing to ball to land at the feet of Dirk Kuyt who prodded home. Playing the way they did in the first half Arsenal seemed set to concede a bunch more in the second, but a strange thing happened during the interval. Wenger got mad. Throwing stuff at the walls, foaming at the mouth, Lou Ferrigno 'you wouldn't like me when I'm mad' mad. When I said last week that I hoped Arsenal would develop a more chelsea-like mentality, it was, at best, wishful thinking, and I didn't think any kind of replication would manifest itself in a Mourinho style half time rant, but that's what we got. 'You're not fit to wear the shirt' said Wenger, and suddenly there was a lot more than just points at stake for the Arsenal players. Wenger's respect is not to be taken for granted, and you could see by the wry smile on his face that his players realised this and moreover, done something about it.
First a slice of luck let Arsenal back into the game, Glen Johnson unable to shift his feet in time, prodding the ball into his own net, before Andrey Arshavin, scourge of Anfield, produced a sublime moment of individual skill, pouncing on a loose ball before hammering the ball beyond Reina off the upright. The question of course remained, could Arsenal close out an unlikely win in front of the Kop, and the answer was an unequivocal yes. Liverpool had no answer for the visitors resolute defending, and barely registerd a shot in the second half. Vermaelen earned his man of the match award as he and Gallas made light work of keeping Torres and co at bay.
So it was that Arsenal managed their first win at Anfield since Robert Pires scored a wonder goal there almost six years ago. The suggestion now is that the Gunners are right back in the title race; winning their game in hand would see them overtake Man Utd on goal difference. Assertions that Arsenal can keep pace with Chelsea and Utd seem knee-jerk at best, the squad is simply too thin to maintain a challenge beyond January, but real pleasure must be taken in knowing that this team at least knows how to see out games, even in the most hostile surroudings. Also Wenger can throw a half time hissy-fit. Who knew?
Sunday 6 December 2009
Arsenal players went on a nightmarish journey this week, to the land of the giants; that must have seemed the case at least, when they lined up alongside Stoke whose average height exceeds 8ft. Arsenal meanwhile looked like half of the cast of 'The Wizard of Oz' who had taken a wrong turn. Things didn't look too rosy when it emerged that Arshavin was to take a central role in the Arsenal's front three, and he can't have been too fresh after his journey back from destroying the one ring in Mordor, but to his credit, his guile and agility proved invaluable in seeing off Stoke, and the Gunners ran out 2-0 winners.
Arsenal had lost the last three games, conceding seven and scoring none going into yesterday's contest. A reaction was necessary, the fans demanded it, but after 25 minutes, the game seemed to bear all the hallmarks of a contest where the home team do everything but score, and inevitable pay the price. Arshavin had missed a one-on-one, Fabregas had missed a penalty and Wenger was waving his arms frantically on the sidelines but to no avail. Cometh the hour, cometh the man: Arshavin needed just a moment to receieve a pass from Fabregas, take it into his stride, hold off a defender twice his size, and poke an inch perfect finish into the far corner. Spectacular.
Stoke's response was to pepper the box with throw-ins from Rory Delap, but an Arsenal defence that has managed about three clean sheets all season looked pretty comfortable throughout. If Stoke stay up this season (and they probably will) it will not be on the merit of their away performances against teams like Arsenal. Tuncay looked pretty lonely up front, his midfielders only pushing up to support him on set pieces, and after just one period of sustained pressure early in the first half, the Arsenal goal was rarely threatened in a meaningful way.
Still, a better team would have punished Arsenal's lack of strength and creativity in the same way that Chelsea did. Arshavin and Fabregas linked up well a couple of times, and they showed flashes of genius, but it was a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde show from the two of them as they both made sloppy mistakes. In the end though Stoke were made to pay for their lack of adventure as little Aaron Ramsey strode through the middle of their defence and curled the ball past Sorensen. Delap was taken off shortly after and Arsenal were home and dry.
Unconvincing, but Arsenal did what they had to do with the players that were available. I suppose that's all you can really ask for. Liverpool away next weekend, and with Rosicky added to an injury list that is reaching biblical proportions I can't see it going too well (unless of course Arshavin has another four goals in him). 'The Lads' have got their backs against the wall now, and Wenger is none too popular either after handshakegate, so maybe we'll develop that siege mentality that has served Liverpool and Chelsea so well down the years. Or maybe we'll fold like a house cards. Difficult one to call, especially if there's a joker in the pack, but erm, I'm all in. Ante up, Mr Wenger...
Arsenal had lost the last three games, conceding seven and scoring none going into yesterday's contest. A reaction was necessary, the fans demanded it, but after 25 minutes, the game seemed to bear all the hallmarks of a contest where the home team do everything but score, and inevitable pay the price. Arshavin had missed a one-on-one, Fabregas had missed a penalty and Wenger was waving his arms frantically on the sidelines but to no avail. Cometh the hour, cometh the man: Arshavin needed just a moment to receieve a pass from Fabregas, take it into his stride, hold off a defender twice his size, and poke an inch perfect finish into the far corner. Spectacular.
Stoke's response was to pepper the box with throw-ins from Rory Delap, but an Arsenal defence that has managed about three clean sheets all season looked pretty comfortable throughout. If Stoke stay up this season (and they probably will) it will not be on the merit of their away performances against teams like Arsenal. Tuncay looked pretty lonely up front, his midfielders only pushing up to support him on set pieces, and after just one period of sustained pressure early in the first half, the Arsenal goal was rarely threatened in a meaningful way.
Still, a better team would have punished Arsenal's lack of strength and creativity in the same way that Chelsea did. Arshavin and Fabregas linked up well a couple of times, and they showed flashes of genius, but it was a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde show from the two of them as they both made sloppy mistakes. In the end though Stoke were made to pay for their lack of adventure as little Aaron Ramsey strode through the middle of their defence and curled the ball past Sorensen. Delap was taken off shortly after and Arsenal were home and dry.
Unconvincing, but Arsenal did what they had to do with the players that were available. I suppose that's all you can really ask for. Liverpool away next weekend, and with Rosicky added to an injury list that is reaching biblical proportions I can't see it going too well (unless of course Arshavin has another four goals in him). 'The Lads' have got their backs against the wall now, and Wenger is none too popular either after handshakegate, so maybe we'll develop that siege mentality that has served Liverpool and Chelsea so well down the years. Or maybe we'll fold like a house cards. Difficult one to call, especially if there's a joker in the pack, but erm, I'm all in. Ante up, Mr Wenger...
Monday 30 November 2009
Some games leave you feeling elated, some games leave you feeling relieved. A sense of injustice can stay with you for months, even years after a match has finished (Thierry Henry would do well to stay out of Ireland for the rest of his life, unless he likes 'random' cavity searches at customs). Some games leave you feeling such despondency that you start to wonder whether it's all worth it.
Some games just leave you numb. Arsenal vs. Chelsea was one such game. By the time Didier Drogba's 86th minute free kick found the back of the net, all you could do was admire his technique, and put to the back of your mind the fact that it was the third goal Chelsea had scored. With no reply. At the Emirates. So lacklustre was Arsenal's peformance that it was difficult to feel anything really. Wenger points to an Arshavin goal which was disallowed early in the second half, a goal that could have changed things dramatically, but away from the media spotlight he'd do well to address his own team's failings, which were many.
Arsenal started reasonably brightly, but possesion did not convert to chances. Chelsea soaked up the early pressure with consummate ease, and it wasn't long before they were able to start asking questions of the Gunner's defence. No one really had any answers to Drogba's power or Anelka's ingenuity, and Chelsea's first two goals were absolute gifts from the home side. Both came about through crosses from Ashley Cole out on the left (as much as it pains me to say it, he was one of the best players on the pitch, in spite of the the hostile atmosphere), who was given far too much space by Sagna. The first was stabbed home by Drogba, inexplicably left free in the six yard box, the second was laughably turned home by Vermaelen who, to be fair, would have done extremly well to do anything but score an own goal given the quality of the cross.
Wenger introduced the completely ineffective Theo Walcott at the start of the second half, but in spite of his bufoonery on the right wing there might have been a ray of hope, had the referee not adjudged Eduardo's foot to be high when he basically kicked the ball out of Cech's hands. If the ensuing goal had stood, Arsenal would have had the foothold in the game they so desperately needed, and I wouldn't have minded so much that I'd spilled my pint when I leapt up to celebrate it.
The decision was probably a fair one though, and it's awfully telling that a correctly ruled out goal was Wenger's focus in the post-match conference. Whether it was a tactic employed to deflect attention from his under-performing team, or whether he genuinely believed it was a fair goal, the real story he needs to look at is that Arsenal managed just 5 shots in the entire game.
That's not shot on target. Just shots. Five of them. In 90 minutes.
If your team's tactic is essentially, if you score 2 goals we'll score 5, then you better make damn sure your star striker doesn't get crocked, otherwise you're just left with a defence that leaks like a papier-maché prophylactic.
It's nearly impossible to overstate the impact that Van Persie's injury will have on this team. His injury is season-ending for himself and Arsenal. The Dutchman was at the hub of one of the most lethal strike forces in Europe, and without that brain to issue commands, limbs just seem to be flailing wildly, like a drunk uncle dancing at a wedding. There's no incisiveness, no spark, no flair. There's no one to play in the middle of a front three either, at least until Bendtner returns, so Wenger might have to overhaul his tactics if he wants to see his team, who had previously been averaging three goals a game, end this run of two games without scoring.
As far as I'm concerned, Van Persie's injury has effectively killed off any chance Arsenal had of challenging for major honours this year. He was so incredibly important to the team, and unless someone can step up and assert their authority on an offense that looks completely lost, Arsenal are going to struggle at both ends of the pitch for months to come.
Some games just leave you numb. Arsenal vs. Chelsea was one such game. By the time Didier Drogba's 86th minute free kick found the back of the net, all you could do was admire his technique, and put to the back of your mind the fact that it was the third goal Chelsea had scored. With no reply. At the Emirates. So lacklustre was Arsenal's peformance that it was difficult to feel anything really. Wenger points to an Arshavin goal which was disallowed early in the second half, a goal that could have changed things dramatically, but away from the media spotlight he'd do well to address his own team's failings, which were many.
Arsenal started reasonably brightly, but possesion did not convert to chances. Chelsea soaked up the early pressure with consummate ease, and it wasn't long before they were able to start asking questions of the Gunner's defence. No one really had any answers to Drogba's power or Anelka's ingenuity, and Chelsea's first two goals were absolute gifts from the home side. Both came about through crosses from Ashley Cole out on the left (as much as it pains me to say it, he was one of the best players on the pitch, in spite of the the hostile atmosphere), who was given far too much space by Sagna. The first was stabbed home by Drogba, inexplicably left free in the six yard box, the second was laughably turned home by Vermaelen who, to be fair, would have done extremly well to do anything but score an own goal given the quality of the cross.
Wenger introduced the completely ineffective Theo Walcott at the start of the second half, but in spite of his bufoonery on the right wing there might have been a ray of hope, had the referee not adjudged Eduardo's foot to be high when he basically kicked the ball out of Cech's hands. If the ensuing goal had stood, Arsenal would have had the foothold in the game they so desperately needed, and I wouldn't have minded so much that I'd spilled my pint when I leapt up to celebrate it.
The decision was probably a fair one though, and it's awfully telling that a correctly ruled out goal was Wenger's focus in the post-match conference. Whether it was a tactic employed to deflect attention from his under-performing team, or whether he genuinely believed it was a fair goal, the real story he needs to look at is that Arsenal managed just 5 shots in the entire game.
That's not shot on target. Just shots. Five of them. In 90 minutes.
If your team's tactic is essentially, if you score 2 goals we'll score 5, then you better make damn sure your star striker doesn't get crocked, otherwise you're just left with a defence that leaks like a papier-maché prophylactic.
It's nearly impossible to overstate the impact that Van Persie's injury will have on this team. His injury is season-ending for himself and Arsenal. The Dutchman was at the hub of one of the most lethal strike forces in Europe, and without that brain to issue commands, limbs just seem to be flailing wildly, like a drunk uncle dancing at a wedding. There's no incisiveness, no spark, no flair. There's no one to play in the middle of a front three either, at least until Bendtner returns, so Wenger might have to overhaul his tactics if he wants to see his team, who had previously been averaging three goals a game, end this run of two games without scoring.
As far as I'm concerned, Van Persie's injury has effectively killed off any chance Arsenal had of challenging for major honours this year. He was so incredibly important to the team, and unless someone can step up and assert their authority on an offense that looks completely lost, Arsenal are going to struggle at both ends of the pitch for months to come.
Monday 9 November 2009
Short one this week, I'm feeling ill.
Arsenal played Wolves on the weekend, and, as at Fulham earlier in the season, barely even got into third gear. However, instead of fending off attacks and holding onto a 1-0 lead, the gunners instead won the game 4-1, Fabregas and Arshavin grabbing one apiece and the Wolves defence obligingly giving up two own goals. A late consolation robbed the defence of a clean sheet, but only Almunia seemed at all bothered.
Controversial, I know, but honestly, I think I might have been happier with another scrappy 1-0.
Arsenal are currently top of the form table, taking 16 points from a possible 18 in their last 6 games. Another resounding victory has, perhaps for the first time this season, led to journalists seriously pondering an Arsenal title challenge. "What's wrong with that you moron? And what's wrong with 4-1?" I hear you ask. You may be right, I'm probably being ridiculous, but as soon as people start asking: "Can Arsenal challenge for the title this year?", I start envisioning broken legs and centre backs sobbing in the centre circle. Of course Gallas is a couple of years older now, so if and when Arsenal do piss away whatever chance they have of winning the league he might not throw quite as big a tantrum.
In a way, I'd almost be happier if we were coasting along without all the pizazz of scoring 7 goals a game or whatever the average is now. I feel we'd stand a better chance of just sitting off Chelsea and Utd before kicking into 5th gear around Febuary and flying to the top of the table. I'm a moron, I heard you the first time, and I know I have to accept that Arsenal are playing the best football in the country (/Europe?) right now, and I should just be content. However, I think it's the right of every gooner out there to expect Arsenal to orchestrate an extraordinary cock up at any moment, god knows it's happened before, and it always seems much more likely to happen when the team is bearing the burden of expectation.
The team's a little older this team, and hopefully a little wiser. Maybe the inexperience of chucking away a potential eight point lead in 2008 will prove invaluble in the run in this time round. Maybe the away fixture at Birmingham in March will be the point when Arsenal stamp their authority on the title race instead of Martin Taylor stamping on Eduardo's ankle. Maybe Eduardo will score the winner.
Now the journalists have got me believing we can do it. Which is just what I feared.
Arsenal played Wolves on the weekend, and, as at Fulham earlier in the season, barely even got into third gear. However, instead of fending off attacks and holding onto a 1-0 lead, the gunners instead won the game 4-1, Fabregas and Arshavin grabbing one apiece and the Wolves defence obligingly giving up two own goals. A late consolation robbed the defence of a clean sheet, but only Almunia seemed at all bothered.
Controversial, I know, but honestly, I think I might have been happier with another scrappy 1-0.
Arsenal are currently top of the form table, taking 16 points from a possible 18 in their last 6 games. Another resounding victory has, perhaps for the first time this season, led to journalists seriously pondering an Arsenal title challenge. "What's wrong with that you moron? And what's wrong with 4-1?" I hear you ask. You may be right, I'm probably being ridiculous, but as soon as people start asking: "Can Arsenal challenge for the title this year?", I start envisioning broken legs and centre backs sobbing in the centre circle. Of course Gallas is a couple of years older now, so if and when Arsenal do piss away whatever chance they have of winning the league he might not throw quite as big a tantrum.
In a way, I'd almost be happier if we were coasting along without all the pizazz of scoring 7 goals a game or whatever the average is now. I feel we'd stand a better chance of just sitting off Chelsea and Utd before kicking into 5th gear around Febuary and flying to the top of the table. I'm a moron, I heard you the first time, and I know I have to accept that Arsenal are playing the best football in the country (/Europe?) right now, and I should just be content. However, I think it's the right of every gooner out there to expect Arsenal to orchestrate an extraordinary cock up at any moment, god knows it's happened before, and it always seems much more likely to happen when the team is bearing the burden of expectation.
The team's a little older this team, and hopefully a little wiser. Maybe the inexperience of chucking away a potential eight point lead in 2008 will prove invaluble in the run in this time round. Maybe the away fixture at Birmingham in March will be the point when Arsenal stamp their authority on the title race instead of Martin Taylor stamping on Eduardo's ankle. Maybe Eduardo will score the winner.
Now the journalists have got me believing we can do it. Which is just what I feared.
Monday 2 November 2009
So, another premier league weekend, another load of talking points. A loss for Phil Brown at Hull means it won't be long before he can spend weekends working on his perma-tan instead of pretending to manage a football team. A loss for Rafa Benitez and Liverpool means...well, nothing really, he's got tenure, or so it seems. There were nine red cards too which just goes to show nothing at all.
Arsenal entertained another non-entity, some team from a couple of miles away. Barnet, maybe. I forget. Anyway, it was far more comfortable than the 3-0 scoreline would have you believe. Suggestions that Barnet have a much better squad than Arsenal were made to look very silly indeed.
I jest, it was of course the North London derby, the 162nd one at that, and it was little Robbie Keane who tried to claim that Tottenham are not only a match for Arsenal, but even have more strength in depth. Point well made Robbie. Good thing you put in the kind of performance to back up such a bold assertion. It's just a shame that Arsenal were much, much better, and that you and your team were in fact rubbish.
Tottenham's long held belief that a place in the top four is tantalisingly close was dealt another blow early Saturday afternoon by a team who are, at least at home, flying. Spurs have been beaten by Chelsea, Manchester United and now Arsenal (they did beat Liverpool, but then so did Sunderland), conceding 9 and scoring 1. They haven't won away at any of those four clubs since 1993. In their defence, Lennon, Modric, Defoe and Woodgate, possibly their four best players, were ineligible through suspension and injury, but surely this allowed Arsenal to test Keane's belief that Tottenham have a better squad. Harry Redknapp was able to call on players like Jenas and er, Bentley, the latter's return to his former club marred by the fact that he did nothing except hoof the ball up to Crouch every time it came near him. Thank you David for reminding us all just why Arsene was happy to let you leave.
I shouldn't overstate Tottenham's incompetence. For 42 minutes everything went to plan for the men in white. Arsenal's attacks were largely ineffective, and Spurs soaked up most of the pressure exerted on them. There were just two notable chances. Song denied Robbie Keane at one end with a great last ditch tackle (Song was great by the way, really calm in the middle and performed both his and Diaby's duties with consumate ease). Then Cesc Fabregas steered Arshavin's deflected shot goalwards, and just as the ball seemed certain to find the back of the net Gomes made a fine one handed save to keep it out. The first half seemed destined to end goaless; but a quick throw from Sagna down by the corner flag was returned to him and he was given the space to smash a good cross right into the danger area. Van Persie (who else?) was on hand to get in front of Ledley King and squeeze it past Gomes. Great technique from the Dutchman, who is finally and deservedly being mentioned in the same breath as Rooney, Torres and Drogba as one of the great premier league strikers.
If the first goal caught Tottenham napping, the second one caught them with their pants down, and gave them a kick up the arse for good measure. If you've not seen it, I suggest you go watch it now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPAvxAgr-aU
You don't score goals like that unless you really really want to, and Fabregas clearly has that desire and conviction so often lacking from this team in past seasons. Two sucker punches from Arsenal, and two fingers to Tottenham.
It didn't get much better for Spurs either. Everyone stopped when Eduardo got taken out next to the touchline, but Sagna was the first to react to Mark Clattenburg's clever advantage and another good delivery (he must have been practicing) wasn't dealt with by keeper or defender allowing Van Persie to tap into an empty net. Woeful defending. You almost felt sorry for them. Almost.
It could have been worse, as chances were created and wasted. In the end Tottenham were lucky to escape a thrashing. The gap between Arsenal and Tottenham might not be as big as it once was, but based on this evidence, Redknapp's men are not ready to bridge it just yet.
Arsenal rumble on though, a midweek win against AZ should all but secure a berth in the next round of the Champions League and going into this weekend's game in Wolverhampton the team should be brimming with confidence. Tottenham, on the other hand, might just have a large, Fabregas shaped dent in theirs.
Arsenal entertained another non-entity, some team from a couple of miles away. Barnet, maybe. I forget. Anyway, it was far more comfortable than the 3-0 scoreline would have you believe. Suggestions that Barnet have a much better squad than Arsenal were made to look very silly indeed.
I jest, it was of course the North London derby, the 162nd one at that, and it was little Robbie Keane who tried to claim that Tottenham are not only a match for Arsenal, but even have more strength in depth. Point well made Robbie. Good thing you put in the kind of performance to back up such a bold assertion. It's just a shame that Arsenal were much, much better, and that you and your team were in fact rubbish.
Tottenham's long held belief that a place in the top four is tantalisingly close was dealt another blow early Saturday afternoon by a team who are, at least at home, flying. Spurs have been beaten by Chelsea, Manchester United and now Arsenal (they did beat Liverpool, but then so did Sunderland), conceding 9 and scoring 1. They haven't won away at any of those four clubs since 1993. In their defence, Lennon, Modric, Defoe and Woodgate, possibly their four best players, were ineligible through suspension and injury, but surely this allowed Arsenal to test Keane's belief that Tottenham have a better squad. Harry Redknapp was able to call on players like Jenas and er, Bentley, the latter's return to his former club marred by the fact that he did nothing except hoof the ball up to Crouch every time it came near him. Thank you David for reminding us all just why Arsene was happy to let you leave.
I shouldn't overstate Tottenham's incompetence. For 42 minutes everything went to plan for the men in white. Arsenal's attacks were largely ineffective, and Spurs soaked up most of the pressure exerted on them. There were just two notable chances. Song denied Robbie Keane at one end with a great last ditch tackle (Song was great by the way, really calm in the middle and performed both his and Diaby's duties with consumate ease). Then Cesc Fabregas steered Arshavin's deflected shot goalwards, and just as the ball seemed certain to find the back of the net Gomes made a fine one handed save to keep it out. The first half seemed destined to end goaless; but a quick throw from Sagna down by the corner flag was returned to him and he was given the space to smash a good cross right into the danger area. Van Persie (who else?) was on hand to get in front of Ledley King and squeeze it past Gomes. Great technique from the Dutchman, who is finally and deservedly being mentioned in the same breath as Rooney, Torres and Drogba as one of the great premier league strikers.
If the first goal caught Tottenham napping, the second one caught them with their pants down, and gave them a kick up the arse for good measure. If you've not seen it, I suggest you go watch it now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPAvxAgr-aU
You don't score goals like that unless you really really want to, and Fabregas clearly has that desire and conviction so often lacking from this team in past seasons. Two sucker punches from Arsenal, and two fingers to Tottenham.
It didn't get much better for Spurs either. Everyone stopped when Eduardo got taken out next to the touchline, but Sagna was the first to react to Mark Clattenburg's clever advantage and another good delivery (he must have been practicing) wasn't dealt with by keeper or defender allowing Van Persie to tap into an empty net. Woeful defending. You almost felt sorry for them. Almost.
It could have been worse, as chances were created and wasted. In the end Tottenham were lucky to escape a thrashing. The gap between Arsenal and Tottenham might not be as big as it once was, but based on this evidence, Redknapp's men are not ready to bridge it just yet.
Arsenal rumble on though, a midweek win against AZ should all but secure a berth in the next round of the Champions League and going into this weekend's game in Wolverhampton the team should be brimming with confidence. Tottenham, on the other hand, might just have a large, Fabregas shaped dent in theirs.
Tuesday 27 October 2009
West Ham United 2 - 2 Arsenal
It's not easy being an Arsenal fan, as this press release from Wrigley will verify: http://www.wrigley.com/uk/press/news-details.aspx?id=1381
For those who haven't read it (most, I would assume), Wrigleys (the chewing gum manufacturer), in conjunction with some nondescript 'scientists', has compiled a league table of heart rates for fans of premier league teams. Suffice if to say that there is little or no scientific merit or credibilty in Wrigley's league table, but Arsenal's fans have been placed in second and if my heart rate last Sunday is anything to go by then this should come as no surprise (at least to me).
Arsenal had won their last four league games going into the match at Upton Park, as well as 3 in the Champions league and Carling Cup leading up to the game at Alkmaar. Of those seven games, I would suggest that in only one (4-0 against Wigan at the Emirates) did Arsenal look truly assured. Hubris, inexperience, a lack of confidence or a sense of entitlement have all been offered as potential reasons for this. Regardless, on the pitch it has meant that each game has been extremely hard work and rarely have Arsenal looked comfortable.
A game like the one on Sunday was almost inevitable. Arsenal went to East London to face a team languishing in the relegation zone, low on confidence and looking for a result to kick start their season. The Hammers started brightly and were making Arsenal work hard without creating any real chances when Arsenal were able to make good use of a rare spell of possesion. After a neat one-two, Sagna was given enough room to whip a delightful cross into the the 6 yard box (there's a first time for everything) and a miscommunication between keeper and defencer resulted in Robert Green palming the ball into the path of the onrushing Van Persie who stuck it away. The gunners had a foothold in the game, and capitalised from more sloppy defending when Gallas nodded in a corner ten minutes from the break.
Call me what you will, genius, cynic, or just canny observer of footballing trends, but in my (rapidly beating) heart I knew that even at 2-0 and with West Ham struggling to create anything, it would just take just one second, one slip, one lapse in concentration and they'd be back in contention. In the end they were given a boost in the most irritating way; Alessandro Diamanti, a regular diamond geezer (sorry), tried to bend a free kick around the wall, only to see Vito Mannone push the ball straight onto Carlton Cole's head, much like Green did with Van Persie's goal earlier. Suddenly Arsenal went from a team completely in control to a team very much on the back foot. West Ham were pushing forward in search of an equaliser, but were still struggling to carve out good opportunities. There was a decent penalty shout when Scott Parker went down in the box but it was waved away; not so when Song clumsily kicked Carlton Cole in the back of the ankle several minutes later, and Diamanti duly tucked the spot kick away, the flash git (sorry). Even when Parker was sent off for two bookable offenses with five minutes to go West Ham still looked more likely to grab a winner.
The signs were there against Blackburn, again against Birmingham and it became clear in Alkmaar that Arsenal cannot close out games out the moment. It's difficult to pin down a reason. The centreback partnership of Gallas and Vermaelen seems to get better every game. Song and Diaby look more and more confident shielding the back four, and the full backs look less jittery. Why then, does this team look constantly as though they are about to throw games away needlessly? Why are we shipping goals like never before? Canny as I may be, in all honesty I'm finding it difficult to explain. Maybe it is an issue of confidence or inexperience, but the problem seems to run deeper than that. With a tricky run of games coming up, including Spurs and Chelsea at home and Sunderland away let's hope Wenger gets to the bottom of this before I do, or a season that seemed to be trundling along nicely might just come off the rails. Or my heart might just explode, whichever comes first.
For those who haven't read it (most, I would assume), Wrigleys (the chewing gum manufacturer), in conjunction with some nondescript 'scientists', has compiled a league table of heart rates for fans of premier league teams. Suffice if to say that there is little or no scientific merit or credibilty in Wrigley's league table, but Arsenal's fans have been placed in second and if my heart rate last Sunday is anything to go by then this should come as no surprise (at least to me).
Arsenal had won their last four league games going into the match at Upton Park, as well as 3 in the Champions league and Carling Cup leading up to the game at Alkmaar. Of those seven games, I would suggest that in only one (4-0 against Wigan at the Emirates) did Arsenal look truly assured. Hubris, inexperience, a lack of confidence or a sense of entitlement have all been offered as potential reasons for this. Regardless, on the pitch it has meant that each game has been extremely hard work and rarely have Arsenal looked comfortable.
A game like the one on Sunday was almost inevitable. Arsenal went to East London to face a team languishing in the relegation zone, low on confidence and looking for a result to kick start their season. The Hammers started brightly and were making Arsenal work hard without creating any real chances when Arsenal were able to make good use of a rare spell of possesion. After a neat one-two, Sagna was given enough room to whip a delightful cross into the the 6 yard box (there's a first time for everything) and a miscommunication between keeper and defencer resulted in Robert Green palming the ball into the path of the onrushing Van Persie who stuck it away. The gunners had a foothold in the game, and capitalised from more sloppy defending when Gallas nodded in a corner ten minutes from the break.
Call me what you will, genius, cynic, or just canny observer of footballing trends, but in my (rapidly beating) heart I knew that even at 2-0 and with West Ham struggling to create anything, it would just take just one second, one slip, one lapse in concentration and they'd be back in contention. In the end they were given a boost in the most irritating way; Alessandro Diamanti, a regular diamond geezer (sorry), tried to bend a free kick around the wall, only to see Vito Mannone push the ball straight onto Carlton Cole's head, much like Green did with Van Persie's goal earlier. Suddenly Arsenal went from a team completely in control to a team very much on the back foot. West Ham were pushing forward in search of an equaliser, but were still struggling to carve out good opportunities. There was a decent penalty shout when Scott Parker went down in the box but it was waved away; not so when Song clumsily kicked Carlton Cole in the back of the ankle several minutes later, and Diamanti duly tucked the spot kick away, the flash git (sorry). Even when Parker was sent off for two bookable offenses with five minutes to go West Ham still looked more likely to grab a winner.
The signs were there against Blackburn, again against Birmingham and it became clear in Alkmaar that Arsenal cannot close out games out the moment. It's difficult to pin down a reason. The centreback partnership of Gallas and Vermaelen seems to get better every game. Song and Diaby look more and more confident shielding the back four, and the full backs look less jittery. Why then, does this team look constantly as though they are about to throw games away needlessly? Why are we shipping goals like never before? Canny as I may be, in all honesty I'm finding it difficult to explain. Maybe it is an issue of confidence or inexperience, but the problem seems to run deeper than that. With a tricky run of games coming up, including Spurs and Chelsea at home and Sunderland away let's hope Wenger gets to the bottom of this before I do, or a season that seemed to be trundling along nicely might just come off the rails. Or my heart might just explode, whichever comes first.
Monday 19 October 2009
Birmingham. Famous for Birmingham City Football Club. And Aston Villa. And...well not a whole lot else (as far as I‘m aware), so the boys from the blue half of the city were no doubt keen to make an impression on the Emirates crowd by ending Arsenal's 100% home record. In the end though, the visitors were outclassed, and their new owner, the Hong Kong Billionaire Carson Yeung, will have been given a pretty clear idea just how much work will have to go into this team before they can truly play with the big boys.
Two goals, two minutes apart, another one five minutes from the end (with one Bowyer strike in between, just to keep things interesting) were enough to secure all three points. Arsenal’s goals were all well taken: the game was only fifteen minutes old when Van Persie controlled Alex Song’s pass and, turning his man he angled a sharp drive low into the far corner. Shortly after Eboué managed to release Rosicky down the wing who then squared the ball across the edge of the six yard area, and there was little else Diaby could do other than to smash the ball into the roof of the net. Arsenal’s third showed just why Wenger paid £16,000,000 for Arshavin. Just when Birmingham seemed to be threatening an equaliser, Mannone claimed a cross and rolled the ball to Fabregas who was able to turn and run into acres of space. Striding purposefully down the pitch he played the ball into Arshavin’s feet, just outside the area. The little Russian took full advantage of the room afforded him by the defenders, and nonchalantly rolled curled the ball into the far corner. Job done.
Not since Henry has Wenger has such a clinical finisher of counter attacking moves. The threat Arsenal used to carry from defending set pieces box was phenomenal. One minute they would be camped in their own box as the ball was lumped in, the next they’d be down the other end of the pitch finishing off another lightning quick move. It was football Blitzkrieg. Whilst this capability hadn’t been eroded entirely by the departure of players like Overmars, Anelka, Pires or Henry, there was no one that could be relied upon to take these sort of chances when they were presented with them. Arshavin can and will stick most chances away, and Arsenal can once again view the counter attack as another weapon in their…er….armoury.
Arsenal have set two records thus far this season: they have scored 27 goals after only 8 games, more than any other team in the history of the premier league at this stage. However, they have also conceded 11, the most conceded by an Arsenal team after this number of games. The two facts are probably not unrelated. Song and Diaby were both excellent in disrupting Birmingham’s flow, and at no point when Arsenal had 11 men behind the ball was there a cause for concern, because it became clear that wouldn’t be long before a pass was intercepted or a tackle made. It was when Arsenal did not have numbers back that doubts started to creep in, as the disinclination for tracking back shared by some Arsenal players was plain for all to see. Rosicky can be forgiven for not running the length of the pitch every time the ball is lost, his return from a prolonged absence was probably hastened by the loss of Walcott and Nasri, and his fitness might still be an issue; but Arshavin has no such excuse. Granted he’s not a teenager anymore, but 28 is the new 25. And given that he was playing down the left in front of the inexperienced Gibbs there was really no excuse. To be fair to the lad he made more of an effort as the game progressed, but it could have been a case of too little too late if Birmingham has taken their chances. As soon as Wenger reminds some of these players that the game doesn’t stop when the ball is with the other team, defensively we might look a little more assured.
On a lighter note, the beach ball that sunk Liverpool on the weekend ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Sur49i4QPo ) was part of the Liverpool FC beach set, and having been marked down from half price before the game it has probably been removed from the club shop all together to deter giddy Manchester United fans from littering the pitch with them at Anfield next weekend.
Edit: as predicted... http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/oct/20/liverpool-sunderland-premier-league
Two goals, two minutes apart, another one five minutes from the end (with one Bowyer strike in between, just to keep things interesting) were enough to secure all three points. Arsenal’s goals were all well taken: the game was only fifteen minutes old when Van Persie controlled Alex Song’s pass and, turning his man he angled a sharp drive low into the far corner. Shortly after Eboué managed to release Rosicky down the wing who then squared the ball across the edge of the six yard area, and there was little else Diaby could do other than to smash the ball into the roof of the net. Arsenal’s third showed just why Wenger paid £16,000,000 for Arshavin. Just when Birmingham seemed to be threatening an equaliser, Mannone claimed a cross and rolled the ball to Fabregas who was able to turn and run into acres of space. Striding purposefully down the pitch he played the ball into Arshavin’s feet, just outside the area. The little Russian took full advantage of the room afforded him by the defenders, and nonchalantly rolled curled the ball into the far corner. Job done.
Not since Henry has Wenger has such a clinical finisher of counter attacking moves. The threat Arsenal used to carry from defending set pieces box was phenomenal. One minute they would be camped in their own box as the ball was lumped in, the next they’d be down the other end of the pitch finishing off another lightning quick move. It was football Blitzkrieg. Whilst this capability hadn’t been eroded entirely by the departure of players like Overmars, Anelka, Pires or Henry, there was no one that could be relied upon to take these sort of chances when they were presented with them. Arshavin can and will stick most chances away, and Arsenal can once again view the counter attack as another weapon in their…er….armoury.
Arsenal have set two records thus far this season: they have scored 27 goals after only 8 games, more than any other team in the history of the premier league at this stage. However, they have also conceded 11, the most conceded by an Arsenal team after this number of games. The two facts are probably not unrelated. Song and Diaby were both excellent in disrupting Birmingham’s flow, and at no point when Arsenal had 11 men behind the ball was there a cause for concern, because it became clear that wouldn’t be long before a pass was intercepted or a tackle made. It was when Arsenal did not have numbers back that doubts started to creep in, as the disinclination for tracking back shared by some Arsenal players was plain for all to see. Rosicky can be forgiven for not running the length of the pitch every time the ball is lost, his return from a prolonged absence was probably hastened by the loss of Walcott and Nasri, and his fitness might still be an issue; but Arshavin has no such excuse. Granted he’s not a teenager anymore, but 28 is the new 25. And given that he was playing down the left in front of the inexperienced Gibbs there was really no excuse. To be fair to the lad he made more of an effort as the game progressed, but it could have been a case of too little too late if Birmingham has taken their chances. As soon as Wenger reminds some of these players that the game doesn’t stop when the ball is with the other team, defensively we might look a little more assured.
On a lighter note, the beach ball that sunk Liverpool on the weekend ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Sur49i4QPo ) was part of the Liverpool FC beach set, and having been marked down from half price before the game it has probably been removed from the club shop all together to deter giddy Manchester United fans from littering the pitch with them at Anfield next weekend.
Edit: as predicted... http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/oct/20/liverpool-sunderland-premier-league
Monday 5 October 2009
Monsieur, with this sublime attacking football you are really spoiling us.
Apologies in advance, miscalculations with train times have seen me miss the game and technological problems have ruined all prior attempts to write up this week's game. So here, for your viewing pleasure, is a cursory glance at last weekends match.
A bullish Blackburn team lead by Sam Allardyce came to the Emirates yesterday, and - on the weekend where Arsene Wenger celebrated becoming Arsenal's longest serving manager - they did everything in their power to cut short the celebrations. Instead they were forcibly ejected from the party with their tails between their legs, and Wenger was able to reflect on his thirteen years in charge with a great deal of pleasure after a breath-taking exhibition of football the way he wants it to be played.
Arsenal's peformance (at least going forward) exhibited the hallmarks of a classic Wenger team; quick, incisive passing, wonderful skill and clinical finishing were all on display, and the result was 6 sublime goals from 6 different scorers (Vermaelen, Van Persie, Arshavin, Fabregas, Walcott and Bendtner). Cesc Fabregas was unsurprisingly involved in 5 of them, scoring one and creating the other four. On scoring his goal he made a point of running over to the part of the stand where he almost certainly knew Thierry Henry to be (in North London to congratulate Wenger perhaps, or maybe just move into the newly completed Highbury complex) and practically kissed the badge right off his shirt. A real show of loyalty for a player routinely dogged by rumours about a transfer back to Barca, his boyhood team. It's a commonly held belief that Cesc will be on his way to sunny Spain at the end of this season, but if he's going to do that every week then it'll be much easier to convince ourselves that he has no intention of leaving (right up until he actually does it next summer).
The only sour note on an otherwise perfect afternoon was yet another exposition of Arsenal's defensive frailties. They may not seem so important on occasions like these, but if Arsenal truly believe they can win the title, the defence simply must stop shipping goals. Vermaelen's height (5ft11") isn't generally a factor when he throws himself into every aerial battle with such gusto, but when he's up against players 5 inches taller than him (Nzonzi, the scorer of Blackburn's first goal) it's going to cause problems. Still, if he's going to score a cracking 25 yard thunderbolt every time he's beaten in the air then fair play to him. (Don't make him angry. You wouldn't like him when he's angry). Clichy and Sagna look out of sorts too, and the only explanation I can come up with is that they're finding it difficult to adapt to adapt to Arsenal's new 4-3-3 formation. I’m confident that the great footballing sage that is Arsenal Wenger will take all these issues into account, and maybe against stiffer opposition we'll see Arsenal adopt a less attacking style. Well...stranger things have happened.
A bullish Blackburn team lead by Sam Allardyce came to the Emirates yesterday, and - on the weekend where Arsene Wenger celebrated becoming Arsenal's longest serving manager - they did everything in their power to cut short the celebrations. Instead they were forcibly ejected from the party with their tails between their legs, and Wenger was able to reflect on his thirteen years in charge with a great deal of pleasure after a breath-taking exhibition of football the way he wants it to be played.
Arsenal's peformance (at least going forward) exhibited the hallmarks of a classic Wenger team; quick, incisive passing, wonderful skill and clinical finishing were all on display, and the result was 6 sublime goals from 6 different scorers (Vermaelen, Van Persie, Arshavin, Fabregas, Walcott and Bendtner). Cesc Fabregas was unsurprisingly involved in 5 of them, scoring one and creating the other four. On scoring his goal he made a point of running over to the part of the stand where he almost certainly knew Thierry Henry to be (in North London to congratulate Wenger perhaps, or maybe just move into the newly completed Highbury complex) and practically kissed the badge right off his shirt. A real show of loyalty for a player routinely dogged by rumours about a transfer back to Barca, his boyhood team. It's a commonly held belief that Cesc will be on his way to sunny Spain at the end of this season, but if he's going to do that every week then it'll be much easier to convince ourselves that he has no intention of leaving (right up until he actually does it next summer).
The only sour note on an otherwise perfect afternoon was yet another exposition of Arsenal's defensive frailties. They may not seem so important on occasions like these, but if Arsenal truly believe they can win the title, the defence simply must stop shipping goals. Vermaelen's height (5ft11") isn't generally a factor when he throws himself into every aerial battle with such gusto, but when he's up against players 5 inches taller than him (Nzonzi, the scorer of Blackburn's first goal) it's going to cause problems. Still, if he's going to score a cracking 25 yard thunderbolt every time he's beaten in the air then fair play to him. (Don't make him angry. You wouldn't like him when he's angry). Clichy and Sagna look out of sorts too, and the only explanation I can come up with is that they're finding it difficult to adapt to adapt to Arsenal's new 4-3-3 formation. I’m confident that the great footballing sage that is Arsenal Wenger will take all these issues into account, and maybe against stiffer opposition we'll see Arsenal adopt a less attacking style. Well...stranger things have happened.
Tuesday 29 September 2009
Not since the Spartans at Thermopylae have the Greeks offered up such stiff defence in the face of overwhelming superiority. Olympiakos came to the Emirates this Tuesday night with the intention of playing out a stalemate, so as to take a point with back to Athens, but in the end it turned out to be history repeating itself as Arsenal were able to break down their stubborn resistance and end the evening with all three points: to the victor, the spoils.
The Greek side had clearly done their homework, and the way they set out was reminiscent of the tactics employed by almost every other team to come to Islington; men strung out across the midfield to stifle Arsenal's passing game, and a lone striker to lead any counter attacks that might arise. Their plan seemed to be working too. Fabregas, Arshavin and Rosicky all came close, Fabregas sweet volley which connected with the crossbar was the standout effort, but as the evening wore on, the game seemed more and more likely to be header for a draw.
It was Wenger's ability to call on a wealth of talent from his bench that was the tipping point. Vela and Eduardo would walk into most premiership teams, and their made their presence felt almost instantly: Eduardo latched onto a clever through ball from Fabregas, and was able to hold off a defender before squaring for Van Persie to sweep it into the net.
With Olympiakos strectched as they pushed for an equaliser, it was only a matter of time before Arsenal added another goal. Arshavin was at least a yard offside when he impudently backheeled into the net, but it was no less than the team's performance merited. I may be guilty of saying this every time Arsenal grab a late goal against a very defensive side, but it seems like this is the sort of game that we might have struggled to win in previous seasons. Sometimes that late goal just wouldn't materialise, and we'd have to settle fo a draw. Early indications suggest that this season will be different, as our cutting edge just keeps getting sharper. And with Nasri and Walcott still to come back, things can only get better....right?
The Greek side had clearly done their homework, and the way they set out was reminiscent of the tactics employed by almost every other team to come to Islington; men strung out across the midfield to stifle Arsenal's passing game, and a lone striker to lead any counter attacks that might arise. Their plan seemed to be working too. Fabregas, Arshavin and Rosicky all came close, Fabregas sweet volley which connected with the crossbar was the standout effort, but as the evening wore on, the game seemed more and more likely to be header for a draw.
It was Wenger's ability to call on a wealth of talent from his bench that was the tipping point. Vela and Eduardo would walk into most premiership teams, and their made their presence felt almost instantly: Eduardo latched onto a clever through ball from Fabregas, and was able to hold off a defender before squaring for Van Persie to sweep it into the net.
With Olympiakos strectched as they pushed for an equaliser, it was only a matter of time before Arsenal added another goal. Arshavin was at least a yard offside when he impudently backheeled into the net, but it was no less than the team's performance merited. I may be guilty of saying this every time Arsenal grab a late goal against a very defensive side, but it seems like this is the sort of game that we might have struggled to win in previous seasons. Sometimes that late goal just wouldn't materialise, and we'd have to settle fo a draw. Early indications suggest that this season will be different, as our cutting edge just keeps getting sharper. And with Nasri and Walcott still to come back, things can only get better....right?
Sunday 27 September 2009
This weekend Arsenal went to Craven Cottage to play Roy Hodgson’s well organised Fulham team, knowing full well that these are the games that make or break a season. Manchester United won last season’s title largely because of their superb record against the Premier League’s lesser teams, taking 70 from a possible 72 points against the bottom 12 clubs. The mini-table between the ’big four’ often barely figures: it’s the games against sides like Fulham, West Ham and Tottenham, the teams who make up the rest of the top half of the league, that are really important if Arsenal are going to sustain any sort of title challenge beyond December.
On Saturday afternoon the Gunners went to West London and put in a performance that a title-winning United side would have been proud of. They were outplayed for long stretches of the game, looked lethargic and uninterested, and were, for want of a better word, rubbish, but still came away with all three points in a win that could only be described as ‘smash and grab’. We are routinely reminded by moronic pundits that it’s games like this that are a fundamental part of any championship contender’s campaign: ‘you gotta win ugly’ is the refrain oft’ heard on the Match of the Day couch. ‘If you can play badly and win, consistently, then you’re going to be right up there at the end of the season’. Previous Arsenal teams have done their best to combine substance with style AND take maximum points week in week out, but as the experts are quick to point out, no team can play at 100% every week, and it’s the really good teams that can play at 50% and still win.
Arsenal ticked two boxes on the title challenge checklist yesterday: they beat a top ten side, away, and did it badly. It didn’t stop Alan ‘you don’t win anything with kids’ Hansen from glibly remarking that United looked much more convincing in their win at Stoke than Arsenal did, despite the fact that he offers little else in the way of punditry other than to remind viewers that champions ‘win ugly’.
Which is exactly what Arsenal did. So, in short, put that in your pipe and smoke it, Hansen.
That’s not to say I think Arsenal will win the league. Nonetheless, Saturday’s performance did much to assuage some nagging doubts that had crept over me after those two losses in Manchester.
The game itself was notable for a couple of things, namely Fabregas and Van Persie’s ability to make something out of nothing, and Vito Mannone’s excellent performance between the sticks.
It’s the same people who come out with those trite phrases about champions winning ugly that often say it’s the best players that can turn an awful individual performance into a brilliant one in the blink of an eye; whilst these two expressions are hackneyed to say the least, they are in part true. Van Persie and Fabregas had offered little going forward until, in the middle of the second half, a sublime lofted pass by the Spaniard was controlled beautifully by the Dutchman, and before the Fulham defence had a chance to stop him he had rolled it into the corner of the goal with his weaker right foot. From disappointing to magnificent in a matter of seconds. Whilst they may not have the reputation of Gerrard and Torres, or the power of Lampard and Drogba, Fabregas and Van Persie are the lynch-pins of Arsenal’s frontline, and it’s becoming increasingly clear, as at Chelsea and in particular Liverpool, that this talismanic duo of midfielder and striker must stay fit if we’re to have any success.
Mannone meanwhile staked his claim for the number one jersey after a ‘man of the match’ performance saw him make a string of excellent saves to keep Fulham’s strikers at bay and in turn ensure victory for Arsenal. It would be premature to just hand over a place in the first team to someone so young and inexperienced, but it’s reassuring all the same to know that if Almunia’s increasing unreliability continues there’s any able deputy ready to take his place.
On Saturday afternoon the Gunners went to West London and put in a performance that a title-winning United side would have been proud of. They were outplayed for long stretches of the game, looked lethargic and uninterested, and were, for want of a better word, rubbish, but still came away with all three points in a win that could only be described as ‘smash and grab’. We are routinely reminded by moronic pundits that it’s games like this that are a fundamental part of any championship contender’s campaign: ‘you gotta win ugly’ is the refrain oft’ heard on the Match of the Day couch. ‘If you can play badly and win, consistently, then you’re going to be right up there at the end of the season’. Previous Arsenal teams have done their best to combine substance with style AND take maximum points week in week out, but as the experts are quick to point out, no team can play at 100% every week, and it’s the really good teams that can play at 50% and still win.
Arsenal ticked two boxes on the title challenge checklist yesterday: they beat a top ten side, away, and did it badly. It didn’t stop Alan ‘you don’t win anything with kids’ Hansen from glibly remarking that United looked much more convincing in their win at Stoke than Arsenal did, despite the fact that he offers little else in the way of punditry other than to remind viewers that champions ‘win ugly’.
Which is exactly what Arsenal did. So, in short, put that in your pipe and smoke it, Hansen.
That’s not to say I think Arsenal will win the league. Nonetheless, Saturday’s performance did much to assuage some nagging doubts that had crept over me after those two losses in Manchester.
The game itself was notable for a couple of things, namely Fabregas and Van Persie’s ability to make something out of nothing, and Vito Mannone’s excellent performance between the sticks.
It’s the same people who come out with those trite phrases about champions winning ugly that often say it’s the best players that can turn an awful individual performance into a brilliant one in the blink of an eye; whilst these two expressions are hackneyed to say the least, they are in part true. Van Persie and Fabregas had offered little going forward until, in the middle of the second half, a sublime lofted pass by the Spaniard was controlled beautifully by the Dutchman, and before the Fulham defence had a chance to stop him he had rolled it into the corner of the goal with his weaker right foot. From disappointing to magnificent in a matter of seconds. Whilst they may not have the reputation of Gerrard and Torres, or the power of Lampard and Drogba, Fabregas and Van Persie are the lynch-pins of Arsenal’s frontline, and it’s becoming increasingly clear, as at Chelsea and in particular Liverpool, that this talismanic duo of midfielder and striker must stay fit if we’re to have any success.
Mannone meanwhile staked his claim for the number one jersey after a ‘man of the match’ performance saw him make a string of excellent saves to keep Fulham’s strikers at bay and in turn ensure victory for Arsenal. It would be premature to just hand over a place in the first team to someone so young and inexperienced, but it’s reassuring all the same to know that if Almunia’s increasing unreliability continues there’s any able deputy ready to take his place.
Friday 18 September 2009
The fourth week of the Premier League may be well over, but one talking point in particular has had lingering consequences that will play out over the weeks to come. Emmanuel Adebayor’s vendetta against Arsenal and the fans that spurned him manifested itself in last Saturday’s game between Arsenal and Manchester City at Eastlands stadium, the upshot being that he will sit out at least the next three games.
In what was the pick of the weekend’s action, a City team pushing for Champion’s League football ran out 4-2 winners over a sluggish Arsenal side who matched their hosts for chances and possession, but failed to match their desire and clinical finishing. Missing only the creative genius of Arshavin, Wenger sent out a team that should have realistically run out winners against a City side that was missing Tevez and Robinho, relying instead on Bellamy to partner the thus far prolific Adebayor up front. Behind them sat a midfield of De Jong, Ireland, Barry and Wright-Phillips, and it was hardly surprising that it was Arsenal who controlled proceedings for long stretches in the first half, City occasionally bursting forward with real intent but lacking any great creativity or skill. Gallas should have scored with a free header just outside the 6 yard box, but in the end it was a freak goal at the other end that broke the deadlock. A Micah Richard’s header pushed onto the post by Almunia bounced back onto the hapless keeper and into the net. It set the tone for what would be characterised as an unlucky game for the Gunners; Mark Clattenburg failed to penalise Garth Barry for handling the ball in the area, and Adebayor did well to stay on the pitch after first stepping on Cesc Fabregas’ ankle in a wild tackle in the first half before intentionally stamping on Van Persie’s face in the second.
To attribute the lopsided scoreline purely to poor refereeing would naïve however. In fact, a handful of Arsenal players must shoulder most of the blame, notably Clichy, Diaby and Almunia. Clichy was partly at fault for the three second half goals: he lost the ball in dangerous places and was out of position for all three, leaving the rest of the defenders completely exposed and allowing City to finish off their rapid counterattacks. Diaby was simply not an adequate replacement for Arshavin. Again he showed flashes of brilliance but spent most of the match mired in mediocrity, gifting the ball away and lacking any sort of cutting edge. This season will surely be make or break for him; he simply can’t keeping putting in wildly inconsistent performances at the highest level, and unless he’s able to display the form that Wenger knows he’s capable of every week, this season may be his last.
Almunia has almost always been excellent since taking over from his German counterpart Jens Lehmann two years ago, and is an unsung hero for Arsenal, but mistakes have started creeping into his game with alarming regularity. If he doesn’t want to share the same fate as his predecessor and be forced to watch from the stands as one of his colleagues deputises, he needs to do the same as Diaby and show a little consistency.
Two defeats in two in trips to Manchester is a bitter pill to swallow for the fans after such a scintillating start to the season. The early optimism has been swept away by a Mancunian tide of blue and red, and has been replaced by the same old worries that have infused the terraces of the Emirates for the last couple of seasons. Still, there were some positives to take from the game. Rosicky looked extremely bright when he came on with 40 minutes to go, and he got the goal his performance deserved. Gallas and Vermaelen somehow still look great together despite having conceded an average of two goals a game so far. And Alex Song continues to make strides towards being the defensive midfielder Arsenal so desperately needs.
There is also comfort to be taken from Adebayor’s antics - the terrible fouls on Fabregas and Van Persie, and running 90 yards up the pitch to goad the Arsenal supporters after scoring—a performance which attracted the attention of the Manchester police for “incitement to riot”. They completely overshadowed what was essentially a huge statement of intent from a team trying to usurp Arsenal’s Champions League spot, which with any luck will relieve some of the pressure on Wenger and the team.
Adebayor managed to remind everyone why he’s sort of the player that a manager would do anything to have on his team, whilst simultaneously being the sort of player that no self-respecting manager would touch with a ten foot pole. A story goes that after a really lacklustre performance at a home game, Emmanuel returned to his car which he had parked on the Holloway Road, only to find it had been keyed by angry fans. How did they know it was his car? Because he had his name and shirt number emblazoned on all the head rests. How long before he falls out with the City fans, who can be just as unforgiving as their north London counterparts? Not soon enough as far as I’m concerned. He has somehow managed to replace Ashley Cole as the most hated ex-Arsenal player, and we can only hope that his three match ban will give him time to reflect on what a complete ass he is.
In what was the pick of the weekend’s action, a City team pushing for Champion’s League football ran out 4-2 winners over a sluggish Arsenal side who matched their hosts for chances and possession, but failed to match their desire and clinical finishing. Missing only the creative genius of Arshavin, Wenger sent out a team that should have realistically run out winners against a City side that was missing Tevez and Robinho, relying instead on Bellamy to partner the thus far prolific Adebayor up front. Behind them sat a midfield of De Jong, Ireland, Barry and Wright-Phillips, and it was hardly surprising that it was Arsenal who controlled proceedings for long stretches in the first half, City occasionally bursting forward with real intent but lacking any great creativity or skill. Gallas should have scored with a free header just outside the 6 yard box, but in the end it was a freak goal at the other end that broke the deadlock. A Micah Richard’s header pushed onto the post by Almunia bounced back onto the hapless keeper and into the net. It set the tone for what would be characterised as an unlucky game for the Gunners; Mark Clattenburg failed to penalise Garth Barry for handling the ball in the area, and Adebayor did well to stay on the pitch after first stepping on Cesc Fabregas’ ankle in a wild tackle in the first half before intentionally stamping on Van Persie’s face in the second.
To attribute the lopsided scoreline purely to poor refereeing would naïve however. In fact, a handful of Arsenal players must shoulder most of the blame, notably Clichy, Diaby and Almunia. Clichy was partly at fault for the three second half goals: he lost the ball in dangerous places and was out of position for all three, leaving the rest of the defenders completely exposed and allowing City to finish off their rapid counterattacks. Diaby was simply not an adequate replacement for Arshavin. Again he showed flashes of brilliance but spent most of the match mired in mediocrity, gifting the ball away and lacking any sort of cutting edge. This season will surely be make or break for him; he simply can’t keeping putting in wildly inconsistent performances at the highest level, and unless he’s able to display the form that Wenger knows he’s capable of every week, this season may be his last.
Almunia has almost always been excellent since taking over from his German counterpart Jens Lehmann two years ago, and is an unsung hero for Arsenal, but mistakes have started creeping into his game with alarming regularity. If he doesn’t want to share the same fate as his predecessor and be forced to watch from the stands as one of his colleagues deputises, he needs to do the same as Diaby and show a little consistency.
Two defeats in two in trips to Manchester is a bitter pill to swallow for the fans after such a scintillating start to the season. The early optimism has been swept away by a Mancunian tide of blue and red, and has been replaced by the same old worries that have infused the terraces of the Emirates for the last couple of seasons. Still, there were some positives to take from the game. Rosicky looked extremely bright when he came on with 40 minutes to go, and he got the goal his performance deserved. Gallas and Vermaelen somehow still look great together despite having conceded an average of two goals a game so far. And Alex Song continues to make strides towards being the defensive midfielder Arsenal so desperately needs.
There is also comfort to be taken from Adebayor’s antics - the terrible fouls on Fabregas and Van Persie, and running 90 yards up the pitch to goad the Arsenal supporters after scoring—a performance which attracted the attention of the Manchester police for “incitement to riot”. They completely overshadowed what was essentially a huge statement of intent from a team trying to usurp Arsenal’s Champions League spot, which with any luck will relieve some of the pressure on Wenger and the team.
Adebayor managed to remind everyone why he’s sort of the player that a manager would do anything to have on his team, whilst simultaneously being the sort of player that no self-respecting manager would touch with a ten foot pole. A story goes that after a really lacklustre performance at a home game, Emmanuel returned to his car which he had parked on the Holloway Road, only to find it had been keyed by angry fans. How did they know it was his car? Because he had his name and shirt number emblazoned on all the head rests. How long before he falls out with the City fans, who can be just as unforgiving as their north London counterparts? Not soon enough as far as I’m concerned. He has somehow managed to replace Ashley Cole as the most hated ex-Arsenal player, and we can only hope that his three match ban will give him time to reflect on what a complete ass he is.
Thursday 3 September 2009
So Arsenal have lost to Manchester United, but the first time in a long time it’s a defeat that has not spelled disaster for the gunners. It was an extremely encouraging performance, one which saw Utd largely outplayed, but, in time honoured fashion, sneaking a victory whilst turning in sub-par performances. Arsenal on the other hand were for the most part impressive, pressing their opponents high up the pitch, dominating the midfield and stamping their authority on the game. Fabregas and Song were not fit, and had they been able to play their presence would have no doubt tipped the scales further in Arsenal’s favour. Despite their absence, the makeshift midfield comprising Denilson, Diaby and Eboué played extremely well, controlling the middle of the park for long stretches. Indeed it’s more than likely that without those two moments of madness from keeper and midfielder, Arsenal would have taken all three points back to North London. Instead. Almunia’s madcap rush off his to line to haul down Rooney, and Diaby’s wildly misdirected header effectively handed the points to United. But this needn’t be a cause for despair; in fact, coming home empty handed but with the knowledge that they outplayed last season’s champions (in their own backyard) may well serve the squad better than having been outplayed but nicked a point, say. It seems ever more likely that Chelsea will be team to beat anyway, United looking entirely unlike the team that has won the last three premierships.
Ferguson has refused to yield to demand from his team’s fan base to spend some of the 80 million pounds, ‘burning a hole’ in the club’s pockets as his programme notes so succinctly put it. On Saturday’s evidence this might have been a mistake; Rooney looked isolated up front on his own, Nani and Valencia completely lacked creativity, succeeding only in making the gulf in class between themselves and Ronaldo look even wider. No one has suggested that Ronaldo would not be missed, to do so would be incredibly naïve; however, Ferguson’s belief that Valencia and Owen would be able to adequately replace Ronaldo and Tevez is beginning to look just as naïve. It was suggested that giving Owen a contract was a no-risk venture, given that his pay would be largely based on his performing well. However, I would suggest that Owen represents a gamble every time he steps on the pitch, given that it means someone else will have to be confined to the bench (Berbatov for example), someone much more likely to score than a striker who is well past his best. When commentators say that Owen has lost a yard of pace, what they really mean is that he’s not fast anymore. For a striker who relied heavily on pace and finishing, the loss of speed has left his game very one dimensional. It’s still early days, and he still has time to prove his detractors (like me) wrong, but I simply don’t think he has it in him, and it looks increasingly like Ferguson will have to dip into that 80 million come January if he wants Manchester United to still be in contention at the end of the season.
Still, encouraging signs from the gunners, and the team should be confident going into their second game in Manchester against City. Arsenal fans everywhere will be desperately hoping that the outstanding pairing of Gallas and Vermaelen can put a stop to Adebayor’s resurgent form (and make him shut his trap for five minutes about how great everything is up North).
Ferguson has refused to yield to demand from his team’s fan base to spend some of the 80 million pounds, ‘burning a hole’ in the club’s pockets as his programme notes so succinctly put it. On Saturday’s evidence this might have been a mistake; Rooney looked isolated up front on his own, Nani and Valencia completely lacked creativity, succeeding only in making the gulf in class between themselves and Ronaldo look even wider. No one has suggested that Ronaldo would not be missed, to do so would be incredibly naïve; however, Ferguson’s belief that Valencia and Owen would be able to adequately replace Ronaldo and Tevez is beginning to look just as naïve. It was suggested that giving Owen a contract was a no-risk venture, given that his pay would be largely based on his performing well. However, I would suggest that Owen represents a gamble every time he steps on the pitch, given that it means someone else will have to be confined to the bench (Berbatov for example), someone much more likely to score than a striker who is well past his best. When commentators say that Owen has lost a yard of pace, what they really mean is that he’s not fast anymore. For a striker who relied heavily on pace and finishing, the loss of speed has left his game very one dimensional. It’s still early days, and he still has time to prove his detractors (like me) wrong, but I simply don’t think he has it in him, and it looks increasingly like Ferguson will have to dip into that 80 million come January if he wants Manchester United to still be in contention at the end of the season.
Still, encouraging signs from the gunners, and the team should be confident going into their second game in Manchester against City. Arsenal fans everywhere will be desperately hoping that the outstanding pairing of Gallas and Vermaelen can put a stop to Adebayor’s resurgent form (and make him shut his trap for five minutes about how great everything is up North).
Wednesday 26 August 2009
There are a couple of strange and, for some younger fans, unfamiliar emotions permeating the terraces at the emirates; those of hope and expectation. Arsenal are without a trophy for four years, and while some more experienced fans will shrug their shoulders at this and say they’ve seen their team go much longer without silverware, today’s game is played with a constant sense of impatience and a demand for success. Trophies bring money and prestige which in turn leads to better players and more trophies. Four years is a long time for a proud and sometime successful team. What’s more, the four years went by whilst offering little in the way of optimism, as Wenger’s persistence apropos his youth policy seemed to be rooted more in stubbornness and a desire to be vindicated than actual reason and logic.
However, whilst this season may only be two weeks old, a transformation seems to have taken place, and it is a metamorphosis which few saw coming. Arsenal losing two big name players in Adebayor and Toure, a proven goal scorer and a reliable defender, and only bringing in an untried and young (23) centre back in Vermaelen could only spell disaster, or so the pundits would have had you believe. Four wins and 15 goals later, most experts have been hastily re-writing their end of season predictions.
There is a belief creeping into players and fans alike that Professor Wenger’s grand design is coming to fruition, as a balance of youth and experience has finally been found that will lead Arsenal to realistically challenge for honours. In their first four game Arsenal have comprehensibly outplayed and outthought domestic and European opposition, and they go in this weekend’s crunch match against old rivals Manchester United full of confidence. Saturday’s game will represent the first and probably the biggest test for Wenger’s men, and could be an indication as to whether, come the final game of the season, Arsenal will be right up there with the top (as opposed to flirting with fifth place).
Wenger should take real encouragement from the performances of some of the players often derided as the weak links in his team. Diaby is easily the most enigmatic player in the squad, showing flashes of brilliance but habitually looking lazy and uncommitted, giving the ball away too easily. In the 4-1 demolition of Portsmouth though he showed fantastic composure and vision, breaking up opposition attacks before setting up Arsenal ones. Inevitably this has led to comparisons being drawn with Patrick Vieira, and now might be his chance to fully justify the belief that he can fill a similar role to the leggy Frenchman.
Song has always showed promise but is only now starting to fulfil it, bossing the midfield in front of his back four. The same can be said of Denilson who has looked really sharp and creative; and with the young Cameroonian and Brazilian stepping up to control the defensive side of things, Cesc Fabregas will be given license to roam up field behind the front three. His presence there will be instrumental in almost all of Arsenal’s success, much akin to Gerrard and Lampard at Liverpool and Chelsea, and the maturity of the three young midfielders has established a real sense of equilibrium between attack and defence.
This evening Arsenal eased their way in the group stage of the champions league, outclassing an average Celtic team, the draw finishing 5-1 on aggregate. Arsenal’s first goal at the Emirates unfortunately came about through a bit of play acting on Eduardo’s part, the little Croatian going down in the box under minimal contact from the keeper. It’s always disappointing to see one’s own players hamming it up, and it’s especially disappointing to see it from a player that has always seemed to play the game honestly. What’s also irritating about the situation is that whilst Eduardo has taken a lot of stick about it (as he rightly should), English players that have behaved similarly (an awful piece of acting from Steven Gerrard in the CL a couple of seasons ago to keep them in the competition springs to mind) have been given the benefit of the doubt, and at worst accused of gamesmanship. It’s indicative of the infallibility of English players in the eyes of the press (and perhaps a very ugly undercurrent of xenophobia). Regardless, I hope that Wenger will explain to Eduardo, as an aside, that that’s not the way to play the game and with any luck tonight will be the end of his acting career.
However, whilst this season may only be two weeks old, a transformation seems to have taken place, and it is a metamorphosis which few saw coming. Arsenal losing two big name players in Adebayor and Toure, a proven goal scorer and a reliable defender, and only bringing in an untried and young (23) centre back in Vermaelen could only spell disaster, or so the pundits would have had you believe. Four wins and 15 goals later, most experts have been hastily re-writing their end of season predictions.
There is a belief creeping into players and fans alike that Professor Wenger’s grand design is coming to fruition, as a balance of youth and experience has finally been found that will lead Arsenal to realistically challenge for honours. In their first four game Arsenal have comprehensibly outplayed and outthought domestic and European opposition, and they go in this weekend’s crunch match against old rivals Manchester United full of confidence. Saturday’s game will represent the first and probably the biggest test for Wenger’s men, and could be an indication as to whether, come the final game of the season, Arsenal will be right up there with the top (as opposed to flirting with fifth place).
Wenger should take real encouragement from the performances of some of the players often derided as the weak links in his team. Diaby is easily the most enigmatic player in the squad, showing flashes of brilliance but habitually looking lazy and uncommitted, giving the ball away too easily. In the 4-1 demolition of Portsmouth though he showed fantastic composure and vision, breaking up opposition attacks before setting up Arsenal ones. Inevitably this has led to comparisons being drawn with Patrick Vieira, and now might be his chance to fully justify the belief that he can fill a similar role to the leggy Frenchman.
Song has always showed promise but is only now starting to fulfil it, bossing the midfield in front of his back four. The same can be said of Denilson who has looked really sharp and creative; and with the young Cameroonian and Brazilian stepping up to control the defensive side of things, Cesc Fabregas will be given license to roam up field behind the front three. His presence there will be instrumental in almost all of Arsenal’s success, much akin to Gerrard and Lampard at Liverpool and Chelsea, and the maturity of the three young midfielders has established a real sense of equilibrium between attack and defence.
This evening Arsenal eased their way in the group stage of the champions league, outclassing an average Celtic team, the draw finishing 5-1 on aggregate. Arsenal’s first goal at the Emirates unfortunately came about through a bit of play acting on Eduardo’s part, the little Croatian going down in the box under minimal contact from the keeper. It’s always disappointing to see one’s own players hamming it up, and it’s especially disappointing to see it from a player that has always seemed to play the game honestly. What’s also irritating about the situation is that whilst Eduardo has taken a lot of stick about it (as he rightly should), English players that have behaved similarly (an awful piece of acting from Steven Gerrard in the CL a couple of seasons ago to keep them in the competition springs to mind) have been given the benefit of the doubt, and at worst accused of gamesmanship. It’s indicative of the infallibility of English players in the eyes of the press (and perhaps a very ugly undercurrent of xenophobia). Regardless, I hope that Wenger will explain to Eduardo, as an aside, that that’s not the way to play the game and with any luck tonight will be the end of his acting career.
Sunday 23 August 2009
Open Season
The premiership is back at last, and not a moment too soon. The story of the summer was of course the exorbitant amounts of money being exchanged for Europe’s top players (also Adebayor), but now is the time for them to start justifying the jaw dropping sums of money spent on them. For some this will be easy; Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema, Real Madrid’s new attacking line are good enough to shine in any league (Benzema is definitely one to watch).
However, oil-rich Manchester City’s transfer purchases might struggle to live up to the enormous expectation heaped upon them by long-suffering fans of the club. Suffice it to say that even the best players in the world would labour to atone for the deficiencies of centre back liability extraordinaire Richard Dunne, or the prosaic managerial style of Mark Hughes. City are without the best players in the world, instead toiling with an ensemble cobbled together from cast-offs from other premier league teams. Some early predictions had them pipping Arsenal to fourth place, but there’s a fair chance the gunners performance this weekend up at Goodison Park will have a few revising their opinions.
Wenger’s men put in a very respectable opening day performance, strolling past a lacklustre Everton side 6-1. One particularly notable performance came from Cesc Fabregas, dedicating his performance to Dani Jarque, Espanyol captain and friend who died of a heart attack during pre-season. Two goals and an assist saw the captain deservedly take the man of the match award, although some credit for the lopsided scoreline must go to Everton’s normally resolute defence who crumbled half way through the first half. The main focus of post-match analysis was on Everton’s uncharacteristic collapse and its implications for the rest of their season, but this will suit arsenal well, who function best when expectations are low and they left to fly under the radar. Credit must also go to a couple of others, namely the debutant Vermaelen, grabbing a goal and looking assured at the back, Denilson who scored a spectacular effort and was composed in his passing, and Alex Song who looks better with each passing game. It is of course premature to suggest that he will solve Arsenal’s defensive midfield problems, but he is showing a great deal of promise, and this might just be his season.
Song put in another great performance against Celtic in the midweek champions league qualifier, proving to be Arsenal’s standout performer. Involved in breaking down opposition attacks all over the pitch and in driving the team forward, he showed composure beyond his years and seems to be justifying Wenger’s decision not to enter the transfer market in search of a defensive midfielder. The rest of the team meanwhile looked uninterested by comparison, but will still have a two goal lead to take back to the emirates for the second leg. Arsenal’s young side refused to be overawed by the daunting atmosphere inside Parkhead, playing much the better football whilst barely breaking a sweat, and should see themselves through comfortable in one weeks time.
A rosy start to the season for Arsenal, but potential clouds on the horizon in the form of successive trips to Manchester to play Utd and City later this month. Still, in this form Arsenal need fear no one, and if there is a serious title challenge to be mounted, the foundations will be need to laid now.
However, oil-rich Manchester City’s transfer purchases might struggle to live up to the enormous expectation heaped upon them by long-suffering fans of the club. Suffice it to say that even the best players in the world would labour to atone for the deficiencies of centre back liability extraordinaire Richard Dunne, or the prosaic managerial style of Mark Hughes. City are without the best players in the world, instead toiling with an ensemble cobbled together from cast-offs from other premier league teams. Some early predictions had them pipping Arsenal to fourth place, but there’s a fair chance the gunners performance this weekend up at Goodison Park will have a few revising their opinions.
Wenger’s men put in a very respectable opening day performance, strolling past a lacklustre Everton side 6-1. One particularly notable performance came from Cesc Fabregas, dedicating his performance to Dani Jarque, Espanyol captain and friend who died of a heart attack during pre-season. Two goals and an assist saw the captain deservedly take the man of the match award, although some credit for the lopsided scoreline must go to Everton’s normally resolute defence who crumbled half way through the first half. The main focus of post-match analysis was on Everton’s uncharacteristic collapse and its implications for the rest of their season, but this will suit arsenal well, who function best when expectations are low and they left to fly under the radar. Credit must also go to a couple of others, namely the debutant Vermaelen, grabbing a goal and looking assured at the back, Denilson who scored a spectacular effort and was composed in his passing, and Alex Song who looks better with each passing game. It is of course premature to suggest that he will solve Arsenal’s defensive midfield problems, but he is showing a great deal of promise, and this might just be his season.
Song put in another great performance against Celtic in the midweek champions league qualifier, proving to be Arsenal’s standout performer. Involved in breaking down opposition attacks all over the pitch and in driving the team forward, he showed composure beyond his years and seems to be justifying Wenger’s decision not to enter the transfer market in search of a defensive midfielder. The rest of the team meanwhile looked uninterested by comparison, but will still have a two goal lead to take back to the emirates for the second leg. Arsenal’s young side refused to be overawed by the daunting atmosphere inside Parkhead, playing much the better football whilst barely breaking a sweat, and should see themselves through comfortable in one weeks time.
A rosy start to the season for Arsenal, but potential clouds on the horizon in the form of successive trips to Manchester to play Utd and City later this month. Still, in this form Arsenal need fear no one, and if there is a serious title challenge to be mounted, the foundations will be need to laid now.
Close season
As the season draws to a close, it seems fitting to congratulate Manchester United for winning a record 18th league title, albeit through gritted teeth. Their achievement is indeed an impressive one, and players and pundits alike agree that the current squad is probably the strongest that Sir Alex Ferguson has ever assembled. Whilst the FA cup may have eluded them, they are still on for an historic treble of sorts, and aside from my unbridled and fervent dislike of the manager, most of the players and the franchise, there is no one is England, Europe and probably the World who are better, and as much as it upsets me to say it, I expect them to put Barcelona to the sword in Rome. Still, one could take encouragement from a spirited Arsenal performance from a team with nothing but pride at stake. The game was billed as a grudge match, revenge for the defeat inflicted on Utd in 2002, when a Sylvain Wiltord goal saw Arsenal clinch the title in Utd’s back yard. Given that this game was played at Old Trafford and not at the Emirates, as far as I was concerned it was far from revenge; until Ferguson’s men win the title in North London the derisory chants should be reserved strictly for Arsenal fans to direct at their Manchester counterparts.
Utd were caught in two minds, struggling to decide whether to go for the jugular and seal the deal with an emphatic win, or put in a solid defensive performance and play for the draw which would seal the title for them. Consequently Arsenal were able to exploit this indecision and dominate the midfield for long stretches; several chances were created which should have been dispatched, Van Persie notably heading over the bar, unmarked, from 10 yards out. Arsene Wenger can take heart from his team’s efforts to spoil the party; confidence will be high going into the last league game, a home fixture against the bully boys of Stoke, and a win there will give the fans something to cheer about at last after a wearisome month.
Reports linking Wenger to Real Madrid meanwhile seem premature. Wenger described the prospect of working with the ex-president of the club, who is running for re-election, as ’interesting’. Commentators looking for any juicy piece of gossip as the season tapers off in excitement levels jumped on this, interpreting it as a clear indication that Wenger is on his way to Spain. Unlikely, I feel, given Wenger’s stubborn nature and his prior refusal to abandon his youth project. He has also intimated that he may bring in some experienced players over the summer transfer window, suggesting that he has no plans to leave; exciting times ahead for us beleaguered Arsenal fans perhaps.
Utd were caught in two minds, struggling to decide whether to go for the jugular and seal the deal with an emphatic win, or put in a solid defensive performance and play for the draw which would seal the title for them. Consequently Arsenal were able to exploit this indecision and dominate the midfield for long stretches; several chances were created which should have been dispatched, Van Persie notably heading over the bar, unmarked, from 10 yards out. Arsene Wenger can take heart from his team’s efforts to spoil the party; confidence will be high going into the last league game, a home fixture against the bully boys of Stoke, and a win there will give the fans something to cheer about at last after a wearisome month.
Reports linking Wenger to Real Madrid meanwhile seem premature. Wenger described the prospect of working with the ex-president of the club, who is running for re-election, as ’interesting’. Commentators looking for any juicy piece of gossip as the season tapers off in excitement levels jumped on this, interpreting it as a clear indication that Wenger is on his way to Spain. Unlikely, I feel, given Wenger’s stubborn nature and his prior refusal to abandon his youth project. He has also intimated that he may bring in some experienced players over the summer transfer window, suggesting that he has no plans to leave; exciting times ahead for us beleaguered Arsenal fans perhaps.
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