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Roma wasn't built in a day

Wednesday, 25 February 09, 01:04 AM

I'm writing this on my iphone so please excuse the typos.... What a match! What a performance! What a difference diaby makes! Eboue got a standing ovation when he came off and he deserved it. I've been his biggest critic this season but it's been through pure frustration but I will never complain about him again if we get rid of bendtner who surpassed his previous levels of incompetence at every opportunity At least eboue can control a ball with feet that arent like pinball flippers. Warming up before the match bendtner was practising his shooting and managed to miss five out of five at an empty net. At least he is consistent. What I couldn't understand is why wenger played him on the left with vela on the bench. Let's get this straight, it was his touch and his finishing which were beyond diabolical, nothing to do with position. As usual the ball bounced of him left right centre and backwards. He is beyond a joke and is now just embarrassing. But there was so much good that it would be wrong to waste words on a player who shouldn't even be in the premier league with ANY team. Nasri was inspired running for 90 minutes solidly. Diaby organized the midfield in a fashion not seen since cesc was injured. It was even more in evidence when he limped off and was replaced by song and it all started to go a bit pete tong. 3-0 wouldn't have flattered us and while Roma produced a few great saves from almunia they didnt deserve anything. When the second have started we should have anihilated them but our finishing let us down. This was the best I have seen us play probably since the Chelsea match which raises the question of can we only get up for the big games, but one I'll leave for another day when I have a pc.... Comically toure got booked for entering the field of play without permission when the second half started, even tho he hadn't realized it had started with only nine arsenal men on the pitch and ran straight off when he realized. To say the ref was fussy would be like saying bendtner is only a wee bit crap. We passed fast, we had runners, and we defended as a team. If this result doesn't give us confidence for the league then nothing will. Short and sweet and no doubt I'll return to the match when I get back home to do tomorrows blog but in the meantime we can smile and know that with cesc, theo, eduardo, rosicky all on their way back (who knows how long diaby will be out for) we are nowhere near as crap as recent performances have suggested. A thouroughly enjoyable nite and you can thank my pc-less for the fact this blog isn't 5000 words long....til tomorrow...

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All roads lead to Roma

Tuesday, 24 February 09, 01:00 AM

As you read this I should hopefully be in London. Should any huge stories have broken overnight, such as Eboué being struck down by leprosy or the like, I'll have missed them due to the fact my flight was at 6.30am and minutes at that time in the morning are better spent sleeping rather than searching.

Some 'good' news is that Diaby will be fit to play but I doubt very much that he'll get a start. Leave Eboué to start on the bench two games in a row? Not likely. Vela should start, there should be no debate about this, and, indeed, there is no debate. He just doesn't start. Will that change tonight?

Our central midfield will be Song and Denilson. Merida, who, let's face it, couldn't do worse, could bring the much needed creativity in the middle of the park. And he's a solid lad too so he'd offer something of substance as well. Wenger won't put Nasri into the middle until well in to the second half anyway, around about the time he could take off Merida to put on Eboué for whatever reason that could be. Or Ramsey, a full bloody international, who, as my Man U supporting mate said, would have got a decent run in the Utd team with all their injuries this season and last, and would already be a Premiership and Champions League winner.

But this is all just fantasy football. We know what the team will be.

Wenger is turning into Benitez, wanting not to lose more than wanting to win...and I think, until Wenger reveals that Eboue is his secret lovechild, that we are just going to have to place his continued selection in with the Bermuda Triangle and Sp*rs endless supply of money in the category of 'things with no rational explanation'.

Champions League Benitez isn't such a bad thing, but in the Premiership it is suicide as Liverpool are finding out. Man U are romping away with the title, not because they are so good, simply because the rest of us are so average. I guess we'll find out just what Man U are made of in the San Siro later.

As I said yesterday, and Wenger agrees with me so I don't know if that's a good or bad thing at this point, Roma won't play for a draw. Apart from it being against their nature, they know the value of an away goal. That should open the game up, but do we have the players to exploit that? Can Song and Denilson ensure enough possession to let Van Persie, Nasri, and, hopefully, Vela, do their stuff? Will Gallas and Toure hold strong? We'll know at around 9.30 this evening I guess.

Tomorrow's blog may or may not be here, I'll be in London overnight for the match and don't know if I'll be able/have time to get near a PC...but there's a cartoon scheduled to keep you occupied until my return just in case :)

Come on you goooooooooooooooooooners!!!

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Posted by LadyArse | Comments (15)