The world of football has changed in so many ways since first I clambered up the steps at Highbury and looked down in awe at the scene before me; an oblong of green set at the bottom of a man made bowl, the concrete sides towering above it. There it was the home of my schoolboy dreams, the canvass on which I had for all my growing years drawn in my mind’s eye the daring deeds which I, “Roy of the Arsenal” had performed heroically, defeating all and sundry with magical skills and wondrous last minute goals.
It had not been easy being a gooner, raised in a family of spuds and living many miles from the ground despite having been born In Walthamstow. Indeed in those days I don’t remember being called gooners, we were the Gunners and proud of it.
But in the fullness of time a gooner I became, the umbilical cord of that born again experience, when first I discovered the team that played with the cannon on its chest, still keeps me joined some sixty years later to the wonderful club that has meant so much to me over the years.
Still from those far off days, it is the humour I remember from watching the Arse, the banter with the oppositions supporters was, pointed, cutting and at times downright hilarious . We had the morons of course, but they were few and far between and usually dealt with by the crowd itself.
The days of the football hooligans that led to all seated stadia lay well in the future, these were the days when we didn’t win anything but still the humour remained, It was a scouser who I first heard tell an Arsenal player “he was as much use as a chocolate teapot” and another as “useful as a third tit on a nun”.
Arsenal fans at King’s Cross to catch the special trains to Huddersfield for the FA Cup semi final against Grimbsy, 21st March 1936. Arsenal won 1-0
So where I wonder did the hatred come from, the obscene chants that are classed by many as funny these days. Even our refined, cultured, intelligent manager is bombarded on a weekly basis by brainless choirs regurgitating accusations far too vile and scurrilous for repetition on any blog with aspirations to quality.
Tribalism is fine, it helps the common cause and binds the supporters together in a collective quest to play their part in motivating and driving the team onwards and upwards, supports them through tough times and rejoices in their success.
But why the sectarianism, racism and the vitriol poured on rival supporters, particularly in our case the spuds and Chavs
Yes I know there are those that will say football grounds are not the home of knitting circles. But where is the respect for the skills of opposing players, who if the truth was told, we would love to see in our shirt, and the supporters who had they been born, like us in different places would in all likelihood support some other team.
I have never been to the Emirates, but read constantly the comments of those that do, that we don’t support or cheer our team enough, maybe, and here I can only surmise, maybe the trend to abuse more than support, and attrition rather than respect, is what keeps the much derided corporate customers embarrassed and quiet.
Ever since the departure of Fabregas and the long-term injury to Wilshire, I have been trying to figure out how the ‘New Arsenal’ will play this season. For quite a while I was convinced Arsène wanted to continue with his 4-2-3-1 formation of the previous seasons, and as such, he was trying to get Ramsey to play in the Fabregas position/role, with Song in the more traditional DM role and Arteta in the box-to-box ‘Wilshere’ role – which is effectively a second DM (most of the times).
I figured that at soon as the back-five would have gained enough strength and consistency, we would ‘evolve’ and start playing with one DM, and two attacking midfielders – very similar to Barcelona’s 4-1-2-3 system (pressure high up the pitch and boxing in the opponent, whilst pin-balling around till a gap is found for a deadly attack. I was convinced that as soon as Wilshire would return we would start playing Song as sole DM and two of Ramsey, Wilshere, Arteta or Diaby as our attacking midfielders. This seemed the logical, final, evolutionary step of the Wengerball project.
5-3-3 System, with the three ‘mini-teams’
This might still happen, but I am starting to think that Arsene is developing a new system that is here to stay: 5-3-3. More than ever, I feel the team consists of three sub-teams: the back-five, the middle-three and the front-three. The back-five focus very hard on becoming a defensive wall that keeps clean sheets and helps out midfield and attack – especially through our FB’s – as much as possible.
The three attackers up front focus on creating and scoring goals and help out with supporting the defence and midfield as much as possible. The middle-three primarily focus on bossing the midfield, help out defence and support attack. Nothing new there, you’ll say: every team will work amongst similar lines. True, but for Arsenal this is still a shift away from what we have become used to and it seems to have helped us in becoming more focussed, and take on more responsibility, by those three ‘mini-teams’. Of course, a team functions best when all 11 positions are interlinked and work as one team. This will be the next step for Arsenal, and that’s one of the reasons I believe this team is only working to 70% of its full potential at the moment – not as a result of a lack of work-rate, but simply a lack of time of having been together/ getting used to each other as a team.
I love the way our regular front three: Gervinho, RvP, Theo work together to create scoring opportunities for each other, which, at the moment, are mainly taken by ‘Het Wonderkind – Boy Wonder’. They are becoming quite the package with a mixture of creativity, unpredictability, an all-round attacking skill-set, and an end-product to relish. It is great to see the way they take joy in helping each other to score, and the way those with the assists are celebrated just as much as the goal scorer himself.
I love the way the defence really wants clean sheets, and gets so annoyed when it is not achieved. With Szczesny and Vermaelen we have strong extravert leaders, and with Mertesacker, Sagna, Koz, and Santos we have truly focused professionals who’ll fight for the cause till the end. There is plenty of talented back-up as well.
The Wall of ARS
But I am most excited at the moment about our new midfield. Arteta, Ramsey and Song: ‘ARS’. They have become a three-dimensional wall; the fulcrum of the new Arsenal. Like any good midfield, their tasks are to shield the defence, to boss the midfield, and to support the attack with assists and goals. ARS does this fantastically well, and there is plenty of growth/improvement still to come. ARS is not yet scoring enough and should produce more assists, but it is getting better and that’s where the additional 30% for our midfield will come from eventually.
What I like most about ARS is the unpredictability of these players. Arteta, Ramsey and Song are multi-disciplined and multi-skilled. Each of them have a great engine, each can shield the defence like a traditional DM, each can do box-to-box, each can produce a killer-pass, and each can score goals. They are total (football) midfielders.
Admittedly, Song is the better DM, and Ramsey is the best option in the more advanced midfield position of the three, and Arteta is possibly the best finisher of them all, but we have the luxury of quality midfielders who can play anywhere, and can do anything. Add to that their ability to swap positions between them during a game and this is exactly what makes us unpredictable: just think about Song’s incredible assist for RvP opening goal against BD: who saw that one coming? It also makes us extremely adjustable: just think about Arteta’s recent goals and his ability to help us ‘play-out’ a game by keeping hold of the ball at the latter stages when we are winning the game. Ramsey is so young and yet so incredibly talented: he is perhaps the best example, or the purest – if you want, of a total midfielder, out of all three of them. This is some midfield we have now and it is likely to become stronger and stronger during the next few months.
So what will happen, now that Diaby appears to be fit again, and especially when Wilshire returns? We also witnessed during our CC game against Citeh that Coquelin and Frimpong are ready to play more first team football. What are we going to do with all these fine midfielders? Just imagine the dilemma Wenger would be facing now if he had not sold Fabregas and Nasri? How times can change!
My view is that we will not change our formation at all this season: Arsenal’s multi-functional midfield within the new 5-3-3 philosophy is here to stay. Diaby and Wilshire will have to compete with ARS to get themselves in there, and for Coquelin and Frimpong the challenge will be even bigger. Wenger likes his midfielders and he is not known for easily changing things that are not broken within the same season. And this, is what makes me believe we will not buy another midfielder like Goetze or Hazard during the next TW. Arsenal might be buying another winger, and/or a striker, especially if and when one or two players are asked/decide to move on, but unless Wenger would see in them a future winger (which I doubt), for Goetze and Hazard there is simply no space at the moment.
The system of 5-3-3 is working fantastically for Arsenal and the wall of ARS is an integral part of it: I just cannot see Wenger making any changes this season and this will suit us just fine.
Arsenal brought together an array of legends to help them celebrate the history that is Arsenal, 125 years of history to be precise, from the days of Dial Square, Plumstead common, Henry Norris getting us into Division one after WW1, the Chapman Era, the 70’s double, moving in more recent history with George Graham’s titles and cups, right upto Wenger’s invincible’s and some of the best football I have ever seen.
With the statues that were unveiled on Friday, the talk of the Pubs pre-match, there was a feel good buzz about the place. 3 pivotal legends had been immortalised and all rightly so, but everyone I spoke to, believed there was a place for a Bergkamp statue.
Anyway into the ground, the fans trundled to see who had come to say hello, many legends from the recent history memory banks had come to join in with the celebrations, as Tom Watt spoke with Thierry, a rendition of “Sign him up” rang around the ground.
To the game, Everton were the sideshow to the celebrations, but as I said pre-match, the most important thing today was 3 points, so after all the fanfare could the players perform and focus on the job in hand? Everton after all were not going to roll over, always a worthy opponent, they work hard and give little away.
The only other worrying thing to consider before kick off was that Fergie’s rent boy was the man in the middle. Arsenal needed to add to the recent haul of 19 points from 21 and couldn’t afford to let Webb ruin our day.
It was a slow start and Everton were defending by holding a highline and pressing Arsenal, but this highline was breached on numerous occasions throughout the first half, but we failed to capitalise, if indeed we managed to get passed the razor sharp reflexes of the assistant referee who had his flag waving around throughout the game, did no one tell him the celebrations were all pre-match…………
The first real chance came about 15minutes in when Arteta, played a lovely ball down the inside right channel for Walcott to run onto, Theo unselfishly, but perhaps he should be more often?, anyway his pass was just a little too square, and it got between Gervinho and Ramsey, Gervinho managed to get control eventually, but the easy chance had gone by then…..
A few minutes later and Gervinho managed to break through from inside left, and he released Robin, but he seemingly had just strayed offside, a tight call, had the linesman put his flag down yet, I wasn’t sure. Everton got forward occasionally, but they failed to test Woijech, who collected or cleared any ball that came near him, his distribution was spot on.
On 29 mins, Song puts Ramsey through, the gap narrowed to the right, so he swivelled and curled a shot just over the top left corner.
Arsenal certainly were on top and looked like the only team trying to score, but we lacked a sharpness in front of goal and Robin was having a quieter than normal game. It was starting to feel like the Fulham game again. Although we were solid and didn’t look like conceding, it looked like we had as much chance of scoring as Na$ri does of playing Champions League football this season……..
Arsenal continued to dominate and had a flurry of corners, but still no break through, 3 mins of injury time and Saha unleashed from distance, but it didn’t test our young pole. Half time 0-0 and the party feel good factor was a little flat now….
Second half the game continued in the same fashion, about 5 mins in and Cahill loses his boot whilst on the attack, Webb stops the game much to the annoyance of Everton as that was a good break. Even funnier when Cahill threw his boot down in the direction of Moyes, as he left the pitch to sort it, who didn’t look happy.
Walcott was having a good game and getting plenty of the ball, but he wasted a good opportunity to get a strike on goal on about 55mins. Moments later and he drives forward and manages to bustle his way passed a defender and unleash a ferocious drive that Howard saves well.
On 60 mins, Baines, delivers a peach of a cross right to the far side to Cahill who is holding back and coming in late, but Vermaelen has smelt the danger and managed to get in between and head the ball clear, Szczesny praised Thomas. Cahill would have scored there, brilliant work by our Belgian Gladiator.
Everton take off Saha and bring on Distin, a point looks a good point to Moyes, although Neville puts the ball just over the goal on a rare Everton attack. As Arsenal continue to toil Wenger readies Arshavin and Rosicky.
But just before they come on, Song delivers what I can only describe as a perfect pass, that had Xavi done that, the press would be creaming themselves. As the ball came over from a diagonal right footed pass, the ball perfectly weighted and with a deceptive curve on the flight path as the ball spun in the air, it was watched down intently by Van Persie who got round the back of his marker, Jagielka, and on the volley, with both feet in the air, he lashed it with a precision strike across the goal and into the bottom right corner off the post with a hapless Howard, left looking like another statue…….Quiet game by RVP standards, but the goal was top draw……..Rosicky and Arshavin sit down….70mins 1-0……
Rosicky came on for Gervinho who had a very quiet game and Miquel replaced Thomas Vermaelen who had taken a knock. Everton now started to push forward but really failed to test Woijech, Frimpong came on for Theo.
On 86 Gueye breaks free but shoots wide, nerves were starting to manifest. As we moved into injury time, McAleny a young 19yr old has a delightful volley from the left, and although Szczesny stretches long, it goes wide.
Game over and Szczesny kisses the left boot of Van Persie, as the day ends as it started smiles all round. Another moment in our 125 year history as Robin scores a truly sensational goal which will be up there with the best of Wright and Henry to name a few, I am sure they were impressed with that goal and its true beauty.
Ratings: –
Szczesny: 7.5 Calm and assured, his distribution is getting better and better. Not really tested, but did his basics well.
Djourou: 5. Indecisive and prone to too many errors. Did ok in patches, but he worries me.
BFG: 7. Thought he had an all round good game, but made a couple of errors that he got away with, even saw him jump a couple of times ` .
Koscienly: 8. Outstanding, strong and quick, reads danger well and snuffs it out, gets better every game. My MotM.
Vermaelen:8. Great game, played well at LB and gave Everton little space, his defensive header that kept out Cahill was amazing and kept it 0-0.
Song: 8. Strong and powerful, ran about breaking up attacks, continually looking to get players through and pick them out. His pass for Robins goal, was almost as good as the goal itself.
Ramsey: 8. Works and doesn’t hide, makes the odd mistake, but works hard to make up for that. Needs a goal and deserves a goal. I read on one website, Ramsey was deemed the worse player on the pitch, complete pony; he was very good and close to MotM for me. How anyone can berate him is completely beyond me…….
Arteta: 7. A quiet game today, but still looked the part, a few more than normal wasted passes, got confused perhaps with his old team mates.
Gervinho:6. Added little to the team today, woeful up front and loss the ball way too many times. Very frustrating at times.
Van Persie: 7.5. Was probably a 6, but that strike was amazing, simply sensational. You could argue giving him MotM for the goal, but equally Vermaelen stopped a goal been scored against us.
Walcott: 7.5. Involved throughout, made a few wrong decisions, great strike just after the break. Just needs to start scoring more regularly now.
Subs:
Rosicky: 6.0. Little time
Miquel: . 6.9. Little time
Frimpong:. Only on the pitch for 3 or 4 minutes.
Mr Wenger: 8. Has the team working hard for each other and showing real promise. Has his favourite line up, but it is hampered by his injured fullbacks. Subs at the right time.
Overall:
A hard fought contest, but we got three points, from a solid team performance. Which like many games this season, we all feel we would have probably lost last season? Wenger really has turned this team around and ok its top four till Chelsea play, but we are in there on merit…..
Not the most exciting game ever, agreed, but 3 points and the chant that is recognised around the world, 1 nil to the Arsenal, 1 nil to the Arsenal………is somewhat fitting on day of nostalgia…….
125 years! Hell of a long time, so long ago that Spurs title win was in the future and even Kelsey hadn’t been born :-).
And what a tradition our wonderful club has, what history, and always (apart from Mr. Norris) a club with honour and class. To those lucky enough to be going today the opportunity to share in the celebrations is one not to be missed. Get there early (and smuggle in a Peroni or two)
Would you trust this man? (Henry Norris)
Henry Norris is an interesting man. He appears to have been something of a Harry Redknapp type character. As Arsenal Chairman he was accused of bribing Charlie Buchan (the Messi of his day) to come to Arsenal, he was also known to use the club’s money for a private chauffeur and car. In 1929 an FA investigation found that he had sold the Arsenal team bus for £125 and pocketed the money. He sued the FA and lost, subsequently to be banned for life from football (according to Wikipedia). But he was the man who bought Highbury and the man who kept us in the First Division. Sadly, no statue of Henry nor of George Graham!
The choice of statues was in my opinion controversial; does Thierry Henry mean more to the history of the Arsenal than Frank McLintock? Or David Jack or Wee Alex James or Ted Drake? I could go on but I really think that due to our magnificent history there is a need to put more statues around the ground. Yes, TH is our top scorer and the best player I have seen in an Arsenal shirt, but Frank and his team are such an important part of our history. Still, today is not a day to be churlish, is it?
Onto today’s match, one we have to win to keep up our challenge and to enhance the festivities. The fallout of AW’s controversial decision to play first teamers in Athens is that we lack a left back, Vermaelen can play there but he is such a fantastic CB it is a waste of his talents, plus he lacks the game to be of assistance to Gervinho. We shall see how he fares as there is no obvious alternative.
My Team:
Big game for Arteta, who has been outstanding in recent games. He will want to impress his former colleagues.
Everton have selection problems with Rodwell out (thankfully) but expect a return for Saha. They are not in a good run of form, nor do Everton have a good record at THOF. Nonetheless, they are a decent team and as Fulham showed, any team that is well organised can cause us problems.
Today’s Gooner: It is fitting to go back into the mists of time and find one of the original fans. One of our earliest fans was a chemist who worked at the Woolwich Arsenal and was involved in the Dial Square team, his name – Frederick Augustus Abel (1827-1902). Frederick was football nuts but also found time to develop Cordite for which (amongst other inventions) he was rewarded with a Baronetcy. Top Man. Top Gooner.
Fred showing off his fine Facial Hair.
Like all fans of The Arsenal I am proud to be a Gooner, and proud that the club I support is By Far the Greatest Team the World Has Ever Seen.
Whilst browsing the comments on AA a few days ago I was quite taken by an exchange between FGG and GN5 about the importance of football. How important is football and in particular Arsenal to me I asked myself? Pondering the answer I could only come to one conclusion…. “ A hell of a lot”.
Ray Kennedy heads title winner against Tottenham in 1971
I suppose it all started in the early seventies when as a kid my old man used to take me to Highbury and I would sit on his shoulders. I quickly became intoxicated with the majesty of the stadium, the lush green turf and those glorious red and white shirts. This wasn’t a problem then, after all I was just a kid, and when we lost and I cried (it was the mid seventies and I used to cry a lot in them days), adults would afford me sympathy and a kind word.
My addiction to Arsenal probably bought its first problems when I hit secondary school. My school was mostly West Ham but there was a sprinkling of Arsenal and Tottenham. There was one kid in particular, ‘Andrew’, who was afflicted with the same passion as me, problem was he was Spurs. Needless to say I spent the next 3 years of my life arguing and fighting with this kid at every opportunity (despite the fact that he must have hit puberty aged six or something coz at age eleven he was about a foot taller than me and I swear he was sporting a beard). Subsequently my grades suffered and I was classed as an “under achiever”.
Did I learn any lessons from my fanaticism to Arsenal during my school days? Of course not. In my late teens and early twenties I took my madness to new levels. I discovered the joy of away games and the incredible buzz of going into “foreign territory”. At this time I was known to family and friends as an “Arsenal nut”, and my dad who started my addiction in the first place, would berate me at very opportunity, usually along the lines of “Do you think Arsenal will give you a living you f…..g idiot”. It was during this period that I would routinely miss things like weddings and christenings if they clashed with Arsenal games and am sure that to this day some people have still not forgiven me (I mean come on, who organises such an event knowing that Arsenal have Wolves away on the same day)
By the time I got married in my mid twenties I thought my addiction was over. I had a lovely wife, a good job, stopped going to away games, and if push came to shove would even miss the odd home again. Was I cured? No.
Looking back now I realise my addiction was still there but it was much more subtle. Every time Arsenal was playing, I still needed some form of contact, usually via the radio. I had to have my fix however inappropriate. This need manifested itself rather horribly on one occasion round my in laws, (who had several other guests around at the time), I had sneaked in a radio to listen to the 2nd leg of the semi against PSG in the ECWC and when we scored I suffered the inevitable tourettes moment “F…..g Kevin Campbell” To say that my wife or in laws were not best pleased, well that would be an understatement.
Yes , she divorced me a few years later, and upon receiving the papers from her solicitors (whilst I was examining the league table and upcoming fixtures to try and work out were we would be if we won our next few games), I was shocked to see that she cited “Arsenal Football Club” as one of the reasons.
All stories should have a happy ending folks and so does this one. I am very happy in my current relationship, have two wonderful daughters (who don’t like football) and a dad who still berates me at every opportunity. My current partner is very understanding of my “Affliction” and we tend to do things around the Arsenal timetable. (She’s an auditor so I would describe our relationship as very “Professional”, hahaha)
I suppose when you ask yourself “How important is Arsenal and Football”? to know the answer you should really ask “How has Arsenal and Football impacted my life”? In my case, probably too much, but what the hell “I love my Arsenal”.
Well that was pretty poor, wasn’t it? A performance we can happily stuff down the back of the sofa, and hope no-one notices. Of course, we can (and will) wheel out the line about it being a dead rubber, and say that we’d won the group already, so no worries. But let’s be honest, it was pretty rubbish.
There are plenty of negatives to take from the game, but chief amongst them is the nigh-on disastrous news that our fourth and final senior fullback is injured and will be out “for some time”. There are going to be some interesting questions about whether Vermaelen or Miquel plays in place of Santos and Gibbs.
Olympiakos wanted to win tonight and they dictated the pace virtually from the first moment to the last. We were out-thought and out-fought. It was just a shame their thoroughly deserved victory didn’t earn them a place in the knock-out phase. But then I also have a lot of time for Marseille.
Our first half performance this evening was dreadful, pretty much the worst we’ve seen since the cataclysmic August-September period. The defence was carved open time and again, and we gave up possession with our failure to deal with Olympiakos’s high energy pressing game. Our players failed to adapt and lacked the guile to look for the space that the multiple pressing players vacated when they were ganging up on the Arsenal defenders and defensive midfielders. It was that failure more than anything that handed the initiative to our opponents.
To make matters worse, there was no cohesion amongst the four defenders and they were nervous in their dealings with each of the keepers behind them. Djourou was woeful throughout the game, Squillaci only marginally better and both Santos and Vermaelen well below the standards we know they can play at. But above all else, their coordination was absent, they played like ships in the night.
Matters were hardly better higher on the pitch. Coquelin and Frimpong created nothing but more problems for the defenders with misplaced passes and sacrificed possession. And the attacking three were generally starved of the ball, with Oxlade-Chamberlain and to a tiny extent Arshavin providing only rare attacking force in the first half. Chamakh was once again dreadful, and in the first half Benayoun was ineffectual.
I have to admit, when Fabianski, who had looked decidedly nervy, was injured, I was a little bit pleased. The first goal wasn’t entirely his fault, a pass having ricocheted off the hapless Squillaci and Djourou before breaking perfectly for Rafik Djebbour, who finished from a tight angle with cool authority. But Fabianski seemed to have sold himself, and made it just little bit easier for the striker than it needed to have been. So, being something of a fan of Vito Mannone, I wasn’t too upset to see the Joaquin Phoenix lookalike come on in the 20th minute. But bloody hell, how wrong was I, to have such faith?
Olympiakos’s second goal was one of the most embarrassing goals I can remember Arsenal conceding, ever. Mannone bravely and sensibly came and headed a ball that had broken after Frimpong was caught in possession (again). But unbelievably, Mannone failed to do the simplest thing and catch David Fuster’s soft mis-hit shot that came back from his header. In his panic, Mannone tried to scissor-kick the ball away, it apparently not having computed that he was now back in his penalty area and could safely use his hands. His attempted kick failed and failed miserably. The ball gently bounced past him and into
the net. An aberration, and that’s being kind.
The second half was a shade better than the first, with the defence discovering some poise and cohesion, especially after Miquel came on for Santos. Mannone made one or two reasonable saves, and Vermaelen seemed to remember what it takes to be a defensive leader. But Djourou’s game continued to be of the lowest standard, and he was constantly caught out of position, was ponderous without the ball and consistently poor with it. Likewise, Frimpong and Coquelin continued to play badly. Benayoun started to offer something, and that culminated in the only bright moment of the evening, his lovely volley for our consolation goal when he was played in by Chamakh (who appeared to be more interested in diving to earn a penalty, so missed the Israeli’s lovely hit). But that goal was completely against the run of play, we didn’t deserve it.
That said, Olympiakos began to run out of puff after the 70th minute, and finally we had space in midfield while they dropped off instead of pressing us. Not a lot was produced by way of openings, though Rosicky and Chamakh did combine well at one point, and had the Little Mozart lofted the ball over the Greek keeper, we could have drawn level. However, justice was served when Olympiakos scored a decisive third in the closing minutes, following two free-kicks given away in quick succession near the by-line by the already booked Frimpong. Olaf Mellberg, well known to us as the scorer of the first competitive goal
at the Grove, rose higher than the four Arsenal players around him and headed the ball onto the post, past the sprawling Mannone. François Modesto was perfectly placed to pick up the pieces and he slotted the ball to make the result safe for the Greeks.
The fact we lost tonight is no cause for concern in itself. But the way that pretty much the same side that outplayed Man City last week was utterly off the pace tonight is disappointing, I for one expected more. And now, with Santos’s injury, we’ll have to see if we pay a higher price.
We have qualified top of the group. Well done, lads.
Is this a reason to play a B team tonight? You bet it is.
Olympiakos would like to win this fixture and thus have the chance to progress, Marseilles would like us to win and allow them to go into the knockout rounds. Should we care? How would we feel in Marseilles place if AFC play a team that has no chance of winning?
My guess is that the fans of the other 3 teams in the group will look at our travellers and think “this is wrong – no van Persie, no Walcott, no Worlds No 1”, but ….. and this is a huge but ….. our B team are more than capable of beating Olympiakos in Athens (unlike BD) and I fully expect them to do so.
Almost all of our side are Internationals or have future stars stamped across their foreheads. Rosicky is likely to play some part and he is his Nation’s Captain, as is Bennie, and TV, and so is Arshavin. Fabianski is an International, so are Park and Chamakh, so too are Squillaci and JD – this is not a sub-standard side, it is a team of top quality players who will be desperate to impress on the International stage.
I am surprised to see Santos travel with the squad – he is surely in “the red.” I know we are short at LB but Miquel did well against the Oil Slickers so why not give him another go?
My team:
Almost the same team that started in the CC but Olympiakos are no Man City.
One bad omen. Two years ago we lost to MC in the Carling and a week later travelled to Olympiakos where a young Arsenal team which included Tom Cruise, Merida, Vela, a 17 y.o. JW, and Kyle Bartley lost 1-0.
An inventor from Athens? How about Archimedes. For some reason I can find no photos of the great man so we will have to make do with the technology of the time which shows the lad to sport a top beard and moustache. Well played Archie!
The visit of the sky blues of Abu Dhabi to The Home of Football and the subsequent infiltration of this very blog the day after got me thinking….
It is often stated that the top clubs are set to align themselves with various sponsors (whether related or otherwise) to ensure that they do not get caught by the FFP regulations. That this can be achieved within the regulations is yet to be seen.
Additionally there is another issue that has not been settled. The FFP regulations will prevent those that fall foul of the regulations from competing in the UEFA Champions League, the first measurement period is 2011-2013, from then on it will be three year rolling aggregates. The first competitions clubs can be excluded from are the 2013-14 Champions and Europa League. Here comes the rub….the current agreement between UEFA and ECA (the European Club Association) expires at the end of 2014. Therefore in order to keep Europe’s biggest clubs under their banner UEFA may be forced to tread very softly over FFP enforcement or risk the big guns taking their toys away.
So this moment in time that us Arsenal fans are waiting for and the Board promises us is going to level the playing field is already here, and does anyone see it really working yet? If it is being taken seriously by the top clubs it should really be hurting those teams who are spending the owners money.
So this is the problem, what is the solution? An extension of the homegrown rule could actually help us, and could in light of the above be a more gentle approach by UEFA to addressing concerns of financial doping whilst also forcing the clubs to work for the good of the game.
Currently the Homegrown rule in the Premier League states that 8 of the 25 man squad (over 21) have to have been registered for three years domestically at a club in England or Wales. What if this was extended? What if not only did they have to be registered in England or Wales but actually registered at the club for which they now play and that the maximum number of non home grown was lowered to 13 and of the remaining half had to be home grown at the club.
Surely the clubs have a duty to the game to put emphasis on developing young talent that will succeed.
Ok I admit my suggestions are biased to the current Arsenal setup. Of the current squad Walcott, Djourou, Song, Szczesny, Wilshere, Frimpong, Coquelin, Gibbs, Miquel, Oxlade-Chamberlain (will be three years by the time he is 21) would all be Club homegrown. Then Rambo as homegrown under old rules.
I know Arsène isn’t a fan of the homegrown rules but I think he has overseen the development of a Youth Academy that could flourish under a stricter regime.
So what’s it for you, FFP or a Europe wide Homegrown Rule that will level the playing field?
That Locomotive called Arsenal was back on track today charging once again towards the top of the table. After frustratingly slowing down at Fulham last weekend it was full steam ahead up north to Wigan to pick up what turned out to be an easy three points.
The players exuded superiority from the moment they stepped onto the pitch. The play was purposeful and decisive, Arsenal were cutting their way through at will with some classy inter play but it was Wigan who were presented with the first serious goal scoring opportunity, watching in the Twelve Pins pub in Finsbury Park they showed the replay three times and I still do not understand how Gomez managed to miss from eight yards out, Match of the Day will clear it up but right now it remains a mystery.
It is obviously wrong to say that if you scratch the surface of Arsenal you will find a fragility lurking just below but it is also wrong to say that the early season fear has completely disappeared, Arsenal were taken aback by that scare and it took a while to regroup and push on forward but forward they went and as quick as doubts started appearing in the mind as to whether this week was going to be our week they were dispelled by Arteta’s determined run and a pile driver of a shot past the out stretched Wigan goal keeper to make it one nil and take the pressure right off.
The gulf in class began to show and it wasn’t long before we doubled our lead: van Persie sent over a corner that cleared the first man (now there is a sentence I haven’t written in a while) passing everyone except for the Lion of Flanders; Vermaelen soared above his marker to powerfully direct a header just inside the post, it really was quite an incredible goal. As he celebrated I remembered how a certain section of Arsenal supporters criticised Wenger for buying him, complaining, before he had even played a game mind you, that at 5’11” he was too short. As this is a headline post I am going with: shame on them but on another day my language would be more agricultural lets say.
The game may now have been over as a competition but there were still a few more thrills to be had. The second half started in the same way as the first with Wigan trying to play football, you have got to admire the refusal of Martinez to turn them into Orcs but unless they adopt that style they will be relegated. Wigan’s attempt at getting back on terms was short lived; the rousing half time team talk that Martinez not doubt gave them evaporated when Gervinho was in the right place at the right time to knock the ball in to make it three. Gervinho’s joy was plain to see and that was no act, he was genuinely elated at getting himself on the score sheet.
The more observant would have noticed that earlier he had missed what some may describe as yet another golden opportunity with a one on one only the goal keeper to beat. To those I say you really have to be in the right place at the right time to get those opportunities and by the shear fact that these situations are starting to stick in the mind they act as evidence that he is getting himself in the right place at the right time. There is no doubt in my mind that many more goals will follow.
What would a big score day be without our captain getting in on the act, I bet there were a few journalists thinking that if van Persie doesn’t score how are they going to try and undermine Arsenal in the future; I mean, if they can’t accuse us of being a one player team what are they going to say? Worry over, van Persie duly obliged and scored his ninety fifth goal of the season, (I don’t know how many it is now) and by doing so the media can continue to call us a one man team.
Four-nil, cue substitutions, we all wanted to see the Ox but Arsene is making us wait a bit longer, nevertheless, I like Benayoun’s energy, I like to see the ever maturing Coquelin and I just laughed when Arshavin made a last man slide tackle to snuff out a Wigan attack down the left wing when Santos had gone AWOL in the Wigan half.
I feel a bit of a fraud writing this report, it is a bit like you guys have worked your hearts out for ninety minutes and in extra time we are awarded a penalty and up I step to knock in this simple match report, still as the saying goes you can only write about the opposition that is put in front of you lol.
Player ratings.
Szczesny: some one has had a word in his ear and told him to stop joking about, gone were the silly attempts at dummying the on rushing opposing forward before clearing the ball, today’s performance was controlled, determined which brings me to the adjective I have been waiting to use…….immaculate. 10
Koscielny: did he do anything wrong? Not that I can remember, he is not as threatening in the final third as Jenkinson and he is not as good a defender at right back as Sagna but hey onwards and upwards for our Kozzer. 8
Mertesacker: when the BFG cocked up against Norwich I wrote to him angrily saying that we all know that if he had been wearing the German national shirt he would not have done that, I suggested that wearing one under his Arsenal shirt might help, he wrote back saying he would, the results were there for all to see today, I thought that was the best performance he has put in to date, calmness personified. 8
Vermaelen: The Lion of Flanders, I suspect many won’t know this but cycling is the national sport of Belgium, in that sport the Italians, as you would imagine, are flamboyant the French are like the English and Wimbledon, cycling is their sport but they never win it; but, in Belgium, especially in Flanders they breed the real tough men of cycling and Vermaelen is straight out of that mould, hard as nails, no one is going to ever push him around. My man of the match. 9.5
Santos: all over the park we have our first choice player and we have his back up, in some positions it is unbalanced such as Van Persie and Chamakh but the combination of Santos and Gibbs seems prefect to me. By Santos playing, Gibbs is not going to feel that he will never get his chance and when Gibbs plays I doubt that Santos will feel aggrieved. In truth he faded today, and had Gibbs been fit I would have expected him to have come on but Santos little by little is getting up to speed with the EPL. I am a big fan but today was not his best. 7
Song: we need competition for his position, I mean real competition, Frimpong and Coquelin are snapping at his heels but they are not there yet. Today we didn’t have Songinho but we did have a solid shield for our defence. 7
Arteta: if you can’t play for your national team then the Champions League has got to be the next best thing; he clearly loves wearing the glorious red and white and long may it continue. Great goal. 8
Walcott: some sterling work down the wing again, I don’t care what anyone says he has been a different player since the Ox arrived on the scene. 7
Van Persie: The Dogs. 8
Gervinho: before today our Ivorian friend gave me the impression that he wasn’t sure if he belonged that’s to say he looked nervous as to whether he had been accepted as one of the team……look closely at his celebrations after his goal and you will learn all you need to know about this player. 8
Something rather remarkable happened on Tuesday night. Did you spot it?
No, I don’t mean the FFB (Fat French Benchwarmer) peeing his sky blue pants (size XL) at the very sight of Emmanuel Frimpong.
Nor do I mean two rookie Arsenal midfielders with the amusing acronym of “CoqPong” completely dominating the expensively acquired internationals in the Abu Dhabi City line-up.
Nor even the deafening silence of the Man City supporters (I’ve heard more noise during mime night at a Trappist Monks’ monastic retreat).
I refer instead to the fact that, after our highly creditable defeat at the hands of the Death Star of modern football, the Arsenal faithful were not all grinding their teeth, shaking their fists and muttering “Grrr… Squillaci…. Grrr…”
Sebastien Squillaci – the most maligned member of the current First Team defensive squad (I’m not counting goalkeepers!) – had a pretty decent night.
I read several match reports on different Arsenal blogs and, while no-one was exactly wanting to have his babies, there was a grudging acceptance that the Squid had done pretty well.
I remember writing a post early last season, when we were in great form and looking as if we were on for a real run at the silverware, along the lines of “who needs Vermaelen?”
It was after some excellent performances by our newbies Squillaci and Koscielny, both of whom seemed to settle into the team very quickly (once the Verminator’s Achilles heel developed bubonic plague and dengue fever).
With hindsight it was probably not one of my most prescient posts. It wouldn’t be long before we were praying to The Good Lord Dennis for TV5 to miraculously recover and begging Arsene to buy a burly British CB in the January transfer window.
And poor Sabastien underwent an extraordinary change of phylum, class and order to turn from a squid (loligo vulgaris)into a goat (capra aegagrus hircus). A scapegoat to be precise.
Now, there is no doubt that Squillaci had some poor performances for us last season, and that he and Koscielny did not really shine as a CB pairing.
But I wonder if the experienced Frenchman has copped more flak for our bad season than he ought to have done.
Let’s face it, when things went pear shaped (aka Na$ri shaped) it was the whole team that was at fault, from the captain on down.
With the exception of Prince Robin our strikers and midfielders stopped scoring and they also stopped defending, which left our defenders with a double-edged problem: one, they knew that if we conceded a goal or two our forwards were unlikely to redress the balance at the other end and, two, they weren’t getting the defensive support they should have received from the rest of the team so were shipping more goals.
Along with everyone else, Squillaci cannot have helped being tainted by the lack of confidence and uncertainty that affected even the so-called stars of the team during the final third of the season.
But he just can’t be as a bad a player as he is being painted in some quarters. You don’t get to play hundreds of games at the top level for clubs like Lyon, Monaco and Sevilla unless you’ve got something about you.
And a quick scan through some of the match reports and player analyses from last year shows that he played well in many games for us (and was observed to do so by the AA correspondents writing the reports). Unfortunately those performances were forgotten in the frustration and anger of the late-season collapse and the many mistakes he made during that period.
But this is a different Arsenal now – New Arsenal. Confidence is higher and so is team spirit, so it’s no surprise that he was able to come in and play very well against world class attackers on Tuesday night.
You get the feeling that someone like Vermaelen can impose himself on a game regardless of how his team mates are performing, but not many players have that presence, so in the dismal run-in Squillaci joined in the general dismalness.
But I for one am glad that he had a good run out and played well this week and I am happy to have him in the squad. Of course he’s behind Vermaelen, Mertesacker and Koscielny in the pecking order. He may even be fifth choice behind Djourou. But how many teams can point to a fourth or fifth choice CB with the experience and ability of the Squid?
Let’s support him because there may come a time this year when we need him.
He received too much criticism last year and I hope he takes his revenge in the most effective way that any footballer can: by silencing his critics on the field of play.
Arsenal fans at King’s Cross to catch the special trains to Huddersfield for the FA Cup semi final against Grimbsy, 21st March 1936. Arsenal won 1-0
Posted by dandan 
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 