Almunia Back in the First Team

February 22, 2011

With Fabianksi out for the rest of the season, we’re only one injury away from Manuel Almunia resuming his position as Arsenal’s starting goalkeeper.

Let’s say Szczesney picks up a knock in training or gets Shawcrossed on Wednesday night – it would mean Big Al coming in for a string of important games that could include Barcelona away and the Carling Cup Final.

This sort of scenario could happen any time between now and the end of the season and whenever it does the timing will be inconvenient. Let’s face it, the games are only going to get more intense the closer we get to May.

I know that most Gooners would welcome the prospect of Manuel’s return about as much as a cyclist would welcome a bad case of piles during the Tour de France, but it’s a distinct possibility.

So what do we do about it?

For me it’s simple. We throw out the preconceptions, we ditch the bitching and we get behind our man.

If Fabianski, Song, Eboue, Arshavin, Clichy, Walcott and others can find their form again after becoming the butt of the fans’ frustration, Almunia should be given the same chance.

He is being blamed by many for the Orient goal on Sunday – although opinion seems divided as to whether he was at fault. But even if he could have done better, it was one mistake by a player lacking competitive game time.

What many Arsenal supporters seem to forget is that Manuel Almunia can be a very good ‘keeper.

And before you shout me down, take a look at this:

Yes, you can point out that that was way back in ‘08/’09, but cast your mind back just a year ago to this:

There was a time when Almunia was being seriously mooted as a possible England goalie. When the competition included David ‘Calamity’ James, Paul ‘Air Kick’ Robinson and Robert ‘Butterfingers’ Green, you can see why Manuel was in the frame.

Almunia has played very well for Arsenal in the past and, while he’ll never be in the Seaman or Lehmann class, he’s a solid professional who, if he played in a mid table EPL team, would probably be highly thought-of by the fans.

He has had bad spells as well as good, but some of the bad spells have coincided with having a defence in front of him offering about as much protection as a cotton condom.

In his good spells he has been very good and, in my opinion, his greater stature makes him less likely to be bullied than Fabianski. (I’ve never seen us concede a goal by having Almunia bundled into the back of the net, as has happened with Fabiasnki).

Szczesney is undoubtedly in Pole position (pun intended) for the Arsenal number one spot but if Almunia comes back into the first team in this exciting season he will need our support, not our ridicule.

Apart from anything else, I have never heard Almunia complain about his lot, I have never heard him slag off the boss or his team mates. He has not sulked. He has just consistently tried to do his best for the club.

So if he does come back in a big game, let’s not give him the ironic cheer treatment and let’s remember his great moments instead of his bad ones.

Let’s forget the Spanish Waiter and Coco the Clown jokes and give him the respect and credit he deserves.

Our season may yet depend on him.

RockyLives

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Posted by RockyLives

Arsenal’s lack of sharp shooting gives O’s a payday

February 21, 2011

Written by GoonerinExile

After the highs of Wednesday night, expecting either the fans or the players to get excited about the game against Leyton Orient was a big ask.

So with that in mind and also the visit of Stoke on Wednesday night and the trip to Wembley on Sunday we could only expect Arsene to field a much changed side.

The likely candidates were given a much needed outing, Squillaci, Rosicky, Gibbs, Denilson, Chamakh and Bendtner all needing starts. The surprise selection was our 18 year old Spanish centre back Ignasi Miquel. Remaining spots filled by Sagna, Arshavin and Song.

This side looked strong enough on paper to overcome League One opposition, unfortunately football, as the old adage goes, isn’t played on paper, it turns out at Brisbane Road it isn’t played on grass either, but still the pitch should not be used as an excuse as it seemed in the main to be flat enough to play our style of football on.

At kick off I sunk back into my sofa to relax and enjoy the match, this was my change from Wednesday night when I couldn’t move from the edge of my seat for 90 minutes of football.

Despite controlling possession from kick off the play stagnated around the edge of Orient’s box, where it became ponderous and confused in front of two banks of four defending. Bendtner seems in these games to think he can walk the ball around the opposition and forgets the Wengerball principle of pass and move, often realising too late that he needed to release the ball, and by then being too far into a treble stepover to do anything about it.

Chamakh was holding the ball up well and attempting to bring others in to the play, when through a combination of his hold up, a pass by Rosicky and a cross from Gibbs he was presented a chance on a plate but fluffed his lines and failed to get enough contact with the ball to give us an opener.

The first half played out with us camped mainly in their half or, if not in their half, in our half with possession in droves. Still failing to create any more clear cut chances except for a quick bit of interplay between Bendtner and Arshavin which saw the latter shoot wide at the near post and into the side netting.

Bendtner was shooting from improbable angles and positions but that is I suppose better than failing to have an effort on goal.

The second half continued as it left off with the team stalling in Orient’s defensive third. That was until Sagna decided to fire a shot from well over twenty yards, which after a bit of ping pong found its way to Bendtner who moved the ball wide to find space and picked out Rosicky with a cross, a well placed header later and it was one nil to the Arsenal.

Following the goal Orient then decided to play a bit and broke their banks of four at the back, this should have meant that we could then break through in numbers and on the counter. Twice after our goal breaks were made, but where we would normally expect to see two or three players join the break Arshavin had to make do with trying to score from 18 years out, and Song had to try and beat the defence on his own when he found himself clear.

Lacking match fitness or too frightened to commit men forward the team allowed Orient to get a foothold in the match, then the crowd started to get involved, and eventually we were made to pay for our ineffectiveness going forward, the ball falling to Tehoue, who in a blink of eye had skipped past Gibbs and Miquel and was through on goal, he smashed it as hard as he could between the legs of Almunia and added an unnecessary game to our fixture list.

In summation I think the team should have been good enough, but for whatever reason once they had got their noses in front decided to sit back and see out a comfortable win, I guess no one in the side got the memo that Barry Hearn wanted a replay at the Emirates and seemed to think what Orient had been giving up until the 53rd minute was all they could muster, they ended up getting a shock for their naivety.

A quick word on our debutant Miquel, for an 18 year old he appeared very calm at the back, unflustered in possession, and quick to read the game. Another cracking prospect for us to look forward to seeing more of.

Ratings:

Almunia 6 (still hesitant when the ball is his for the taking)

Sagna 7 (untroubled defensively, supported attack well when given the ball)

Squillaci 7 (great block with his face, otherwise untroubled)

Miquel 7 (would have been 8 but for his part in Orients goal)

Gibbs 6 (not as attacking as I would hope and dived in to give Tehoue the room to get away)

Rosciky 7 (seems to be unable to find his teammates consistently enough, but did score!)

Denilson 6 (kept the ball moving, rash in the tackle)

Song 6 (needed to step up to the plate and move the team forward more)

Arshavin 7 (always showing and continued to try for 90 minutes, shame his teammates were not on same wavelength)

Chamakh 6 (a shadow of the player we saw at the start of the season)

Bendtner 6 (needs to be taken down a peg or two, glimpses of skill followed by a lot of arrogance)

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Romance vs Silverware

February 20, 2011

What a run we are on!  Can our East London neighbours stop the momentum this team is building? If Arsenal were to lose today would it have a knock on effect for the rest of the season? What do you think?

I know what I am about to write will be as popular as a root canal treatment but I can see advantages to our suffering a cup upset. Hold hard before you jump on me and allow me to explain……

The magic of the FA Cup. Let’s be honest, it has disappeared as the Champions League and  TV saturation of the Premiership has developed. Gone are the days of the plucky young David’s defeating the Goliath. Nowadays we see Man Utd put out a team with 10 changes from their regular PL side scrape past Crawley – does SAF take this action because he believes in the sanctity of the FA Cup? No, he does so because he puts a low priority on the Cup with big games to come for his side. I expect Mr Wenger to do the same today. In my youth, the Cup was as important as the League and I travelled near and far to watch the Arsenal (one particularly gruesome and bitterly cold trip to Yeovil stands out in the memory). Today, that excitement has dissipated..

It would be great for the future of the Cup if a minnow won and reached the final rounds, and why should it not be Orient? A club which many Londoners and in particular Arsenal fans look upon with affection. Headlines would be written around the world about how the mighty Arsenal having just beaten “the best team of all-time” have been beaten in the World’s oldest Cup competition. It would be a superb advert for the Cup. Surely we can be that generous to the long term future of the FA Cup.

And how would a loss affect our side? In my opinion we would have a group of deeply ashamed and embarrassed players who would gird their loins and refuse to allow that ever to happen again. Sometimes a good kick in the kischkas is the propellant required to push a team to glory.

Plus we would have one less competition to worry about. One could argue that there are only 3 decent sides left in the competition and we have a real chance to win another domestic Cup Double, to which I can only agree.

Games like today raise questions about our loan system.  Most of our loanees would have played today  – Mannone, Cruise, Traore, Bartley, Ramsey, Vela, Coquelin, JET, Randall, Lansbury to name but a few. Instead AW will be forced to play a number of members of his first team just a few days prior to a tough game at home to Stoke.

This is my guess for today’s line-up:

This team should certainly have enough to beat a determined Leyton Orient.

Leyton is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It was severely damaged by Zeppelin raids during the First World War who were trying to bomb the local docklands. Iron Maiden , those true English gentleman who carry the banner of Proper Rock to the world were formed in Leyton.

COYRRG

Written by BigRaddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Proof That Arsenal Are The Greatest Club The World Has Ever Seen

February 19, 2011

Form, as they say, is temporary. Class is permanent.

According to the form books, Barcelona are pretty good at the moment. And Chelsea have had a decent run over the last few years. Manchester United have had a great 20 years and we all know about the Liverpool heyday in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

But if you want a team and a club that has exuded pure, unadulterated class for its entire history then there’s only one: The Arsenal.

And here’s why:

Which team has spent the most consecutive seasons in the English top flight (90 years and counting)? ARSENAL

Which team holds the longest unbeaten sequence in the English top flight (49 games, from May 7th 2003 to October 16th 2004)? ARSENAL

Which team has the longest unbeaten away sequence in English league football (27 games, April 5th 2003 to September 25th 2004)? ARSENAL

Which team has the longest consecutive scoring run in league games in England (55 games from May 19th 2001 to November 30th 2002)? ARSENAL

Who scored the most away goals in an English league season (60 goals in 1930/31)? ARSENAL

Which team has scored the most goals in an English league season (127, in 1930/31)? ARSENAL

Which team has the record for most goals scored by a single player in an English top flight game (Ted Drake – seven goals away at Aston Villa, December 14th 1935)? ARSENAL

Which club holds the record for having the highest number if players in an England starting eleven (seven players, versus Italy in 1934)? ARSENAL

Which club has the highest attendance in English league football (83,260 for a game against Man Utd at Maine Road in 1948)? ARSENAL

Which team has featured in all three of the highest-attendance league games in English football? ARSENAL

Most away points in a top flight English season (47 in 2001/02)? ARSENAL

Most consecutive Champions League matches without conceding a goal (October 18th 2005 to April 26th 2006)? ARSENAL

First team to use numbers on the back of their shirts (1927)? ARSENAL

First team to play a match broadcast live on radio (versus Sheffield United, 1927)? ARSENAL

First team to play in a match broadcast live on TV (versus Arsenal reserves, 1937)? ARSENAL

First team to play a match broadcast live in 3D (versus Man Utd, January 31st 2010)? ARSENAL

There you have it.

The Arsenal is not just a club with history.

It’s a club that writes history, shapes history and makes history.

Others may have their moments in the sun, but only one side has endured in such a way for such a long time.

I look at the supporters of all other teams and feel only pity.

So thank whichever God watches over you (or if you ascribe to the new religion of Dawkinism, thank the mindless tinkering of the blind watchmaker) for one simple fact:

You are lucky enough to have been BORN TO SUPPORT THE ARSENAL.

RockyLives

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Arsenal has come home

February 18, 2011

Did Wednesday night’s game at the Emirates mark a watershed for the Arsenal? All the reports I have read about the Emirates have decried the lack of atmosphere and compared it to a library.

Now, never having been there, I am these days the archetypal armchair fan subscribing to every TV and Computer feed that will bring me the games as they happen and have therefore got used to the sound or lack off it, in many cases, coming through my speakers.

Last night, however, was somehow different, even before the kick off there seemed a buzz, I had not heard before. Was this I wondered ITV playing games or had the sleeping giant wakened?

All week long the blogs had been alive with passionate plea’s for people to sing and shout to give the place and the team a lift. I had seen songs old and new proposed to sing for our individual heroes.

Now as a veteran of countless epic Highbury nights, both European and Domestic, I have long been amazed that the crowd even needed to be lifted. Although I do appreciate just how that vast central corporate swathe running round the stadium, undermines the faithful and their singing, as does of course the lack of a standing area.

Highbury had its own memories I suppose of massive games, nights of triumphs and tragedies, strange how all the great memories seem to be lit by floodlights.

The Emirates is of course, by and large bereft of such memories and triumphs, although one or two games have laid claim to greatness in gooner eyes, nothing in my opinion has got anywhere near last nights game. Here at last rolling round my lounge was the noise and passion I associated with the lovely Highbury of my dreams. Nor did it die down when we went behind the din was continuous.

Just before we scored, reacting to the urgings of Cesc for even more noise, the volume was noticeably turned up and when RVP arrowed home the first goal all hell broke loose, and minutes later when AA slotted home that beautiful sidefooted curler the lid came off.

This at last was it, no library this, not even Highbury reborn, but the Emirates, the Grove whatever you choose to call it. A coming of age. A finding of its voice, its pride, its identity, our new stadium claiming its rightful place in Gooner folklore on a night none of us fans will ever forget. Whether we were there or not.

Written by dandan

 

Be a Gooner, Be a Giver

One of our young gooners has signed up to do the Fun Run for Arsenal’s chosen charity Centrepoint and it would be fantastic if any of you felt you wanted to support her and the charity by donating on her giving page.

The Fun Run will take place at the Emirates stadium on the 19th March 2011. Centrepoint do such good work for homeless young people in London and Arsenal are hoping to raise £500,000 this season to help fund the refurbishment of a facility in Soho.

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Posted by dandan

WE CAME, WE PLAYED, WE WON!

February 17, 2011

Written by Californian Gooner

Very few people gave Arsenal a chance of advancing in the Champions League this season when we drew Barcelona back in December. But after 90 minutes of amazing football and an even more amazing 2-1 victory, the Arsenal will travel to Catalonia in three weeks time with more than a fighting change to send the hosts home. Most of us will approach that game with a great deal of optimism. For now, let’s just savor a fantastic game, a great night and a stunning victory against what may be one of the best club sides ever.

With such a wonderful game, one is tempted to just dispense with a review and tell you, dear reader: go watch the game again (assuming you didn’t miss it). And then watch it another time. It is some of the best football you are likely to see.  While other teams – the Chelsea or Inter— might have come to park the bus, this Arsenal team came to play, and came away victorious.

As the game started, I was filled with hope, but also trepidation. Fresh in many minds were the first 25 minutes of the same tie last year, which saw us virtually played off the park.  The first 10 minutes put those fears to rest. This was a different Arsenal team – one with much more confidence, much more aggression, and importantly, a full first choice line up (minus Sagna).  The rise and rise of Jack Wilshire also added something that was missing last year – another player who could keep the ball in a tight spot and move it on intelligently. Arsenal players were finding space and Van Persie came close after a beautiful dinked ball from Cesc set him free on Valdes’ right. Fear of Walcott may have also played a role as the Catalans played unusually deep, leaving us space in the midfield.

As the match continued, Barca began to tighten things up, stifling our attack and pinning us in our own end. An early run from Messi was ended by a very late Song tackle, and the later received  a fair, if slightly harsh, yellow card that signaled the beginning of a difficult night for our midfield enforcer.  The ref was calling things extremely tight and the Catalans began to play for the whistle a bit. A through ball to Messi saw him scamper through the middle, only to see his chip go wide. Credit to Szczesny, who made the shot difficult, hesitating a split second to go to ground and forcing Messi to adjust. Barcelona began to tighten the screws, but Arsenal’s attack looked dangerous each time we managed to break their midfield pressure. Around 23 minutes, quick work from Wilshire released Walcott who carried the ball up the middle of the pitch, releasing Cesc with an inch perfect pass on the right. As Valdes came out, Cesc opted to pass, rather than shoot, Abidal clearing with a desperate header just before Van Persie could get there.

Minutes later, Barcelona had scored. A seemingly innocuous run by Messi drew the defense in before he released Villa, who sprung the offsides trap and scored through Szczesny’s legs. From that point on, Barcelona dominated possession, smothering the Arsenal attack quickly. Still, while the Catalans no doubt dominated this long stretch of play, Arsenal looked dangerous when they were able to break the pressure, and it was clear that an equalizer was possible.

Everyone on the pitch and off it for that matter knew that Walcott would be our danger man, our main outlet. But it was the increasing confidence of another man – 19 year old Jack Wilshire—that really gave cause for hope, taking the ball in tight positions and time and time again breaking Barcelona’s pressure with a clever pass. As Barcelona’s spell of pressure subsided at the end of the first half, one was left with the feeling that the match could go in any direction; 2-0 or 3-0 for Barca or a comeback for Arsenal all seemed a distinctly possible. A victory for the Arsenal, at that point, felt a bit far-fetched.

Arsenal opened the second half with much the same intensity they had opened the game with. Wilshire in particular began to take possession of the midfield and Koscielny was growing in confidence, taking on Messi and Alves and Pedro and time and again, coming away with the ball.  At 69 minutes Wenger removed Alex Song, who had played much of the game on a yellow card, for Arsivin, and shifted Nasri back to midfield. A few minutes later, Bendtner would come on for Theo. This line-up was either going to score or lose 3-0, effectively eliminating us from the tie.

The goals, when they came, were stunning. RVP, who had previously shot errantly and tamely when he might have done better, was put to the corner of Barca’s  six yard box by a promising through ball off Gael Clichy’s right foot. While the obvious play was a cross to Bendtner, RVP found his balance and rocketed a shot through the narrow gap between Victor Valdes and his right post. 1-1. Game tied and The Emirates was rocking. My local pub in the suburbs of San Jose, California– equally divided between Barca and arsenal fans – was rocking as well. Cue baby crying… she is an Arsenal fan in training, so I can only assume those were happy tears. The response was a bit frightening!

The second came minutes later, as a Cesc pass set Nasri free down the right side. Unable to beat the defenders, Nasri slowed the play down and bought time, before shuffling a lovely low cross for the onrushing Arshavin to curl a sumptuously controlled shot into the lower right corner from 12 yards out. 2-1!

Seven minutes left, but in no way did this match seem to slow down. Brimming with adrenaline and confidence and cheered on by a raucous crowd, arsenal began pressing higher up the pitch. Clearly they could smell the fear in their opponents, and either they were going to take the ball and head in for more or Barca would some how come back and nick one. Despite some late jitters, arsenal was able to hold on for the victory.

I will leave the player ratings to others, but just mention a few standouts. Jack Wilshire (my MOTM) and Laurent Koscielny were excellent. Wilshire grew as the match progressed and actually outplayed Xavi and a somewhat anonymous Iniesta later in the match. Koscielny basically won every dual he entered – against Alves, against Pedro, and most impressively, against Messi. Eboue – a major worry for many fans—was good and got even better as the game progressed –confidently carrying the ball out of defense. Clichy was his normal, battling self – his pass to RVP was better than normal. Theo was ‘kept quiet’, but his influence should not be underestimated. Much of Barca’s defense was geared at stopping him, and that opened up space elsewhere. And Szczesny was immense.

Now that you have read this review, go back and watch that match again.

This is the second of two great match reports we received, to save confusion please return to the first post to leave comments click here


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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Arsenal beat Barcelona over two legs? Of course we can

February 17, 2011


Written by Wonderman

Barcelona started the game with their one and two touch passing and movement when in possession and double and treble  teaming when not, but unlike like last year we were putting pressure on the man on the ball and holding our shape well. Which is one hell of a task when you see how Barca position themselves with their full backs playing as additional midfielders. In the 3rd minute we got a free kick on our left which Nasri floated in , but Valdes was in control as no one made any contact.

In the 4th minute Wallcott swapped passes with Fabregas and put on the gas in the direction of the goal. In my opinion he took the wrong choice in trying to slide Robin in with the outside of his foot when Nasri was in more space, but the ball ran out harmlessly as Theo hit it a little too hard. In the 6th minute Walcott danced his way into the 6yrd box, layed off to Cesc who then provided a sumptuous chip into Robins path but Valdes was equal to the shot.

Almost immediately Barca were on the counter with Messi running at our back line, Song intervened and got a yellow card for his trouble ( but very necessary) the next few minutes saw both teams showcasing their passing but we were losing the ball needlessly with Djourou and Cesc being the main culprits. In the 14th minute a slide rule pass saw Messi through on goal but Chesny won the game of bluff and Messi screwed his shot wide of the post. Barcelona then went onto enjoy 60% possession for the next 10 minutes and the scene was set.

We seemed comfortable playing on the break including a rapid break in the 24th minute started by Wilshere who found Walcott just outside our 18 yard box. Again Walcott ran at their defence attracting four players with the aid of Van Persie’s intelligent movement. This allowed Fabregas space to receive Walcotts pass, unfortunately his cross was intercepted by Pique stopping an almost certain goal from van P.

A minute later we were behind . A foul in Barca’s defensive 3rd led to a temporary loss of concentration and after a short spell of inter passing Messi fed  Villa who slotted under the onrushing Chesney. In the stadium I thought he was offside, bt replay’s showed that Clichy was playing him on 0-1. But my worry was Alex Song . Having been booked in the 6th min Song committed foul after foul and was in danger of being sent off. Strangely I still felt that we would score.

Chesney pulled off another save at his feet in the near post and another attack on the break saw van P shoot wide.  Barca were beginning to enjoy themselves , they are the masters of finding space offensively with 1 touch passing and movement but more impressively they press in 2’s and 3’s to win the ball back. However we seemed to be helping them by not using what little possession we had in a more penetrating way. Half time 0-1 but a much more even game than we had last year.

We started the 2nd half brightly and Wilshere continued where he left off  ( someone needs to check his passport). We were pressing Barca well and seemed to be  adopting the counter attack approach. Nasri was getting fitter as the game went on and we started to force corners and free kicks as Barca’s work rate  began to diminish. Koscielny was making a mockery of all those who doubted the validity of his purchase  and Jack continued to play as if he was in the park. We had eradicated our sloppy passing and were beginning to ask questions further up th field. For all their possession in the second half it was Valdes who was doing all the work. Messi was  going deeper and deeper and attempting to run at our defence . In the 67th minute he got through on their left but hit the side netting.

That could be seen as the turning point. Villa was subbed for Keita and Song removed for his own good for Arshavin. All of a sudden we were beginning to find space, it appeared the superior pace of the prem had primed our players to perform at a higher intensity for longer. Cesc was finding his range and Eboue had taken his scaredy cat glasses off. In the 77th minute Clichy and Arshavin combined on our left which resulted in a right footed chip from Clichy which put van P in at a ridiculous angle. With Bendtner’s run seducing Valdes into expecting the cross Robin lashed it in at the near post 1-1 and the stadium went mad .

 

Barca seemed to be trying to hold out for the result but we were having none of it . Five minutes later Koscielny again intercepted, fed Bendtner, who found Wilshere, one touch to Fabregas who with a sublime pass found Nasri on the right , Robin raced forward to cause confusion as Nasri delayed, cut inside and fed an on coming Arshavin to curl the ball into the net 2-1 and cue absolute madness !!! No less than we deserved and a finish not to be underestimated. Barca’s problem now was they had 6 minutes to change their mindset. They had a couple of chances but Chesney was more than up for it

Cheers of ‘we’ve got Cesc Fabregas ‘ rang around the stadium…maybe I wasn’t mad in predicting we would triumph over 2 legs after all…..

Ratings

Wojciech Szczesny– Did less work in the whole game than Almunia did in the first 20 minutes last year. This boy’s decision making was spot on last night and the defence seem to trust him implicitly. I cant see the shirt being taken from him  8

Emmanuel Eboue – A whiff of a dive here and there, and a touch of fear in the first half, not as marauding as we know he can be, but to be fair to him he was not exposed once in the game and I can think of worse back up right backs 7

Johan Djourou – Was alarmingly wasteful with his distribution in the first half , but his partnership with Koscielny is flourishing. A much better second half performance  and proved he is just as good on the deck as he is in the air 8

Laurent Koscielny – It is easier to say what he did’nt do well….misplace maybe two passes…. This guy is still not the finished article, but anyone who dares to argue that there is not potentially a world class defender in this guy must be mad my joint MOM 9

Clichy – A lot of their attacks came down his side but other than playing Villa onside for their goal, the usual aggressive quick and committed performance 8

Alex Song – Was harshly booked early on and lucky not to be sent off in my opinion. Not his best , but not his worst performance and his substitution probably saved us going down to 10 men , but battled for the cause 7

Jack Wilshere –I am lost for words for this young man. He  respects no opponent and plays with the same intensity every game. I feel the grit and determination of Jack and Kosser were instrumental joint MOM 9

Cesc Fabregas – Was guilty of many a misplaced pass in the first half but didn’t give up. Was instrumental in the winning goal with his early defence splitting pass 8

Samir Nasri – I was surprised to see him start and he looked off the pace in the first 25 mins but seemed to grow as the game went on. Excellent awareness for the winner 8

Theo Walcott – Obviously scared the living daylights out of them periodically and was double and treble teamed for his trouble . I suspect he will cause more havoc on the Nou Camp pitch 7

Robin van Persie – World Class sums Robin up . ran his legs off for the majority of the game without seeing too much of the ball but never gave up. Scored from a ridiculous angle and realy should have had another goal in the first half 8.5

Subs

Nick Bendtner– Didn’t do a lot , but I think his run was instrumental in concerning Valdes for Robin’s equaliser 6.5

Arshavin – Came on and ran at the opposition, almost gifted them an equaliser, but is back on form. I would have started him, but what do I know ? crucially scored the winner which was no easy finish 8

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Once More unto the Breach, Dear Friends ….

February 16, 2011

Should the unthinkable happen and United go on to win the PL, what will we say? I will tell you, we will say that the best team in England are not the Champions, because without any question this Arsenal team are the best in the country. 4 points behind but 5 years ahead in terms of footballing ability. If any team in Europe can beat an in-form Barcelona it is an in-form Arsenal.

And you doubters, think on this – last season we went to the Nou Camp level after 90 minutes. True, we got steam-rollered in the first half at THOF but more than held our own in the second.  Then we went to Barca without …  Cesc, Gallas, RvP, Arshavin and Song. Take the 5 most influential players out of the Barca team and see how well they do against a full strength Arsenal. And let us not forget, we scored first.  That night we had Silvestre playing at CB,  Eastmond, Merida, Campbell and Traore on the bench!!.

But what do we hear? We hear that AFC received a football lesson in Spain.  Well, tonight Barca will be playing almost our first XI, and I expect things to be different. Had Nasri been fully-fit, Sagna and Vermælen available we could compare like with like,  as it is we will have to beat them with Eboue.

The loss of Sagna (a dreadful decision from a dreadful referee) may well prove costly. I have made my opinion clear about Eboue, he is not good enough, and I fear for him tonight. Defensive discipline is a must and unfortunately our Ivorian has lapses of concentration. I would love for Eboue to prove me wrong but if I was Guardiola, I would target him. The combination of Messi and Alves cause trouble for the very best – both Eboue and Walcott will need total concentration.

What  a mouth-watering battle we have in midfield tonight. The emergence of Wilshere has propelled Fabregas to a higher level. Who needs Iniesta and Xavi when we have two players who are as good and are a combined 15 years younger?  Song has become the Premiership’s best defensive midfielder with the ability to create as well as tackle. And then there is Nasri, our will o’ the wisp, a man who can bamboozle any defence. Should he not play, Arshavin is returning to his devastating best and will be hungry to show the world that he remains World class. We know that Busquets is a fine player – he forced Yaya out of Barca – but Jack will have him running and tackling air. Will Mascherano or Keita play? We know all about Mascherano, a super player and  well used to playing Arsenal. I hope he is on the bench!

Then there is the form of our attack. Both Van Persie and Walcott are in fine fettle. Robin is in the best form of his life and looks unplayable, whereas Walcott has already shown Barca that his pace can and will cause them problems. An ageing Abidal should be targeted by both Nasri and Walcott, he remains a fine player but has lost a yard of pace, and by playing down the left we will force Pedro to stay and cover.

No defence can realistically stop Messi, Villa, Pedro etc. but the central pairing of Djourou and Koscielny are developing into a fine unit. They have pace and power and neither seems to panic under pressure. Djourou in particular has been a revelation – we all know that the 2 points gifted to Newcastle were as a direct result of JD leaving the field. Barca defend from the front with the strikers working the defence and stopping an easy out-ball, thankfully both JD and Kos are comfortable with the ball at their feet. Clichy will have to be alert and contribute to a secure defensive performance.

What a night for Szczezny! Still using stabilisers on his bicycle and yet playing against what is being heralded as the best football team of all-time. How will he cope? Indications are that he will be calmness personified, but who knows? It is a huge test. Fabianski wilted under pressure in the Champions League and it took him a year to recover.  It’s testament to the Other Pole in Goal that there is no talk about our goalkeeping frailties.

My team:

Bench: Almunia  Bendnter Denilson  Squillaci  Arshavin/Nasri  Rosicky  Gibbs

What makes this game such an exciting prospect is that we are playing a team like ours, a team that has one way of playing –  quick on-the-ground football, fast feet and faster imaginations, elegance and brilliance allied with pace and power …. proper entertaining football. It is easy to wax lyrical about Barca, their demolition of Real Madrid was the stuff of legend and will live long in the memory. They are fantastic in every position and have (possibly) for the first time ever, the top 3 players in the world playing in the same team, in fact Barca have 6 players in the World Team of the Year.

There has been much defeatist talk over the ‘net about the prudence of losing to Barca and concentrating on the League.  Many say that the Champions League may be a step too far, and that the prospect of fighting on four fronts is asking too much of our young team.  Nay, Nay, thrice Nay and absolutely not, this is a hugely important game in the ascent of our team to World Domination. We have to show the world we have the nuts to go on and win a major trophy, and if we can win one, why not four? 🙂

This is one of those nights when I am gutted to live 1000 kms from the Grove. Tonight the team need their 12th man and it is up to each and every one of you lucky people who have tickets to roar the lads onto victory. No lapses, just 90 lung-bursting and throat rasping minutes of vocal encouragement.

Come on You Rip Roaring Gunners

Written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

White hankies and lacklustre support- Let’s not turn into Barca fans

February 15, 2011

Written by CarlitoII

On the eve of THE rematch, I wanted to share my experience of living in the beautiful city of Barcelona. I moved  there (permanently in my mind) 3 days after 9/11. I fell in love with the City, Las Ramblas, the fantastic area of Gracia where we lived, and the relaxed and welcoming Spanish/ Catalan lifestyle.

Needless to say, I met a lot of Barcelona fans during my 18 month sojourn in their fair city and the discussions I had with them led me to be very disappointed in their fan culture. Admittedly, this was during the days of Van Gaal at Barcelona, and the era of Zidane, Raul and McManaman at Real Madrid. Nonetheless, it seemed to me that there was a vast discrepancy between how I thought of myself as an Arsenal fan, and how they saw themselves as Barca fans.

I find it hard to recall specific games, but it slowly dawned on me that the supporters I met would rather lose playing great football. In protest at the pragmatic tactics of the dour Dutchman, the masses waved white hankies around the ground, walked out when their team went behind and constantly complained about what the man said in the press and his lack of charisma. Being a young man who had supported Arsenal throughout the Graham years, I could not understand the fans’ complicity in their own downfall.

The great history of the club was explained to me: the amazing resistance to Franco that meant the stadium was the only place in the whole of Spain where you could speak Catalan without fear, the amazing football of the 70s with Cruyff, the Cruyff-led “dream team” that won the European Cup at Wembley and the tradition of swashbuckling football that was always, first and foremost, an expression of anarchist resistance to the Fascist regime of Franco. All themes I could warm to, yet the reality was a spoilt football public that would not sing unless winning with style and constantly sniped at their players and coaching staff.

I was unimpressed. Moreover, Arsenal were playing the best football I had ever seen us play and that Summer we won the double and won the league at Old Trafford which I watched at a great Irish pub near the Sagrada Familia. There was no comparison. At Highbury I knew that if we went 1-0 down we would not throw in the towel and signal our surrender as the white hankies demonstrated, we would sing up and urge our team on. In fact, I characterised the crowd at Camp Nou as Tottenham fans- forever in thrall to past glories, getting on their team’s back and dragging them down.

Now Barcelona were not a bad team in those days. They had Kluivert on top form, Saviola looked like he was going to be top drawer and with Overmars, DeBoer  and Rivaldo there was no doubting they were a force. But they couldn’t match Real Madrid at home (they went out to them in Europe too) and they didn’t play with enough panache for their demanding ‘socios’. I didn’t even want to go to Camp Nou, I was disgusted by the sniping and what I felt was a lack of support for their team. Angry and drunk one night, I asked, “Do you only support when the team plays well?” How they laughed at the young Englishman with his lack of class and his broken Spanish!

10 years later I find that my own team has now acquired a similar attitude from its fanbase. “We’ll sing when you play well enough” seems at times to be the dominant theme on the blogs and from the fans. I thought when I lived in Barcelona that Arsenal fans would forever be superior, would never question the club or the team as long as they played their hearts out and we sang our hearts out.

But it seems that success is a double-edged sword and despite Barcelona coming through their malaise to become the greatest football team I have ever seen play the game, their fans no longer know what it is to support their team through thick and thin, they are merely connoisseurs of great football and I hope with all my heart that even if we one day become as great a team as they are, we never fail to support our team when the going gets tough.

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Same Old Arsenal, Always Cheating

February 14, 2011

After a fine win and an excellent performance on Saturday you would have to be of a churlish disposition to find any negatives.

So here I am, Churl-in-chief, primed and ready for a bit of top churling.

It amounts to this: I have one complaint about our lads.

It’s not the wayward finishing (although if some of our forwards were tasked with clubbing baby seals, my money would be on the cuddly little blubber-buckets to emerge injury-free).

Nor is it the tendency to always look like we might give the opposition a chance to get back in the game no matter how much we’re battering them.

No, my beef is with our players’ behaviour when they foul and are fouled.

We’re all familiar with the moronic baying of ‘same old Arsenal, always cheating’ whenever one of our team goes down under an attempted leg-breaker or, conversely, whenever an opponent is left on the floor after an Arsenal tackle.

Make no mistake, the label has stuck.

From the Mensa-dodging nouveaux-riches of West London to the barcoded disappointment-junkies of the far North East; from the Unconvincibles of Old Toilet to the Inconsequentials of N17 there is a veritable chavscape of received opinion that Arsenal players really do cheat.

But it’s clear from recent games that the problem with our team is that THEY DO NOT CHEAT ENOUGH.

That is the great irony: the team reviled the length and breadth of the land as cheats is actually more honest than just about any of its opponents,

There was a classic example in the Wolves game. The Mighty Zubar (I’m sure he used to be a character in Dan Dare when I was a kid) executed a studs-up challenge into Robin van Persie’s knee. I happen to think it wasn’t particularly malicious but was, rather, a cack-handed attempt to get the ball. However, it was rash and dangerous and certainly deserving of a yellow.

On impact, Robin was spun in the air and crumpled to the ground. And here’s where Zubar was clever. Knowing that he had just made a cert yellow card tackle (and possibly even a red card one) he crumpled to the ground too, mysteriously clutching his shoulder. It was enough to confuse the referee, Chris Foy, who did not penalise Zubar.

We saw the same thing the week before at Newcastle. Joey Barton, one of the modern game’s most noted thugs, turned out to have a brilliant line in rolling around on the floor whenever he went in for tackle with one of our players. From macho man to milkshake man in a heartbeat.

In that game the truly awful Phil Dowd bought it every time. Probably the worst example was the free kick given against Rosicky that led (indirectly) to Newcastle’s fourth goal. He and Barton jumped together half-heartedly, neither really touching the other. Rosicky stayed on his feet but Barton went to ground. Cue the man from Dowd Cuckoo Land: free kick, goal, two points lost.

Similar examples were littered throughout that entire game, particularly in the second half.

And during Saturday’s Wolves game there were several occasions where we were penalised for fairly winning tackles, just because the opponent went to ground and feigned injury.

Foy’s criterion for giving a free kick seemed to be no more sophisticated than “he fell over, must have been a foul.”

At the same time there were other moments where our players took whacks to the head or boots to the calf but did not collapse in agony. Our lot seldom do that – if anything they simply tend to stay on their feet and look a bit affronted.

Many people observed that against Newcastle, if Diaby had rolled around in agony after the Barton challenge he would probably have got the little toe-rag a yellow. But Abou didn’t do that because, although he knew the tackle had been a potential leg breaker, he wasn’t actually that badly hurt. He was too honest to pretend he was in severe pain. Instead he got up, tickled Barton’s neck and the rest is history.

Earlier in the same game, Arshavin also hopped straight up after another appalling Barton challenge from behind. (Mind you, Arshavin never shows he’s hurt: that tiny frame carries all the suffering of Mother Russia in its soul, so the odd smack in the mouth or boot up the arse is neither here nor there).

On one level I applaud our players for their honesty. One demented Ivorian aside, I can’t think of any Arsenal player who regularly feigns injury, whereas our opponents are doing it in every game and are winning free kicks for it, as well as getting our players carded.

Maybe it’s time we dished out a bit of their own medicine to them. I don’t mean we should pretend to be fouled when there’s been no contact, but when there is a bad challenge we should stay down and make it clear to the ref that it was dangerous. It won’t always work (Robin was clearly hurt by Zubar but Foy missed it) but if it works half the time that’s more free kicks for us and fewer for whomever we’re playing.

And when our players mistime their challenges and catch the opponent instead, let’s take a leaf out of Zubar’s book and go down as well.

The sad truth is that, with the standard of officiating in the EPL today, playing fair just gets you shafted.

That’s it. Churling over.

Now let’s go and win the League (and if, to do so, we have to sometimes be less than angels, that’s OK with me).

RockyLives

Be a Gooner, Be a Giver

One of our young gooners has signed up to do the Fun Run for Arsenal’s chosen charity Centrepoint and it would be fantastic if any of you felt you wanted to support her and the charity by donating on her giving page.

The Fun Run will take place at the Emirates stadium on the 19th March 2011. Centrepoint do such good work for homeless young people in London and Arsenal are hoping to raise £500,000 this season to help fund the refurbishment of a facility in Soho.

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Posted by RockyLives

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