This will be a short entry as my computer has decided it cannot continue living. So for brevity's sake, let me just hit some highlights:
As we saw today, Chelsea are not invincible and they will drop points. We can only do our part and cheer as the lads do their job of picking up as many points as possible.
So a week of crisis ends with Arsenal 3rd on the table and having a relatively meaningless game against Olympiakos in the Champions League midweek. Then there's the big clash with another club in a perennial state of "Holy WTF, Batman!" -- Liverpool.
]]>There are some who will question the wisdom of the "sticking with the kids" policy in this situation given the demand there is for a trophy from many Arsenal supporters and the shadow that the 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Chelsea cast over our season. But let me argue against that:
Now let me say: I'm not happy to lose. And yesterday continues to display our two big issues -- defending and creating open play chances. Silvestre was maddeningly all over the place; defending well in some moments and laying off and letting attackers have chances to take. There were times when both he and Song were caught out of position and could have been sent off. Song picked up a 5th yellow card and will now miss a game.
Then again, they shut that multi-million pound forward line for all of the first half and it took two rather impressive shots from Tevez and Wright-Phillips to put them ahead. Not to mention that Adebayor spent all game looking for something that never happened. It's funny to see him trying so hard against us when he can't be arsed against other clubs. Maybe City ought to buy a ton of Arsenal replica kits and ask all other clubs to wear them. That ought to get him motivated enough to be worth all the money they spent.
Meanwhile Merida, Vela, Wilshere and Ramsey struggled to generate shots on goal; ending with only three for the entire game. That included one rather impressive shot from Merida that was denied by the woodwork and a poor shot from Ramsey that was on the end of a good run of passes. On the positive side, the useless crossing that so got to me after the Chelsea game was absent. Good. No sense in doing it when we're not going to have the numerical or height advantage in the box.
So while the result may be identical to Sunday's, the facts surrounding each game are not. And the sting after each are not. More importantly, we need to put them behind us and focus on Stoke. A good result there will go further in getting us back on track.
]]>Part one has been to admit there are issues within the team. You've had a number of players like Arshavin and Denilson coming out and admitting that they are not playing at their best level. Meanwhile you've also had others come out and say they cannot allow the last two poor results to turn into the tailspin that undoes our season.
Meanwhile Arsene Wenger's come out and stated that he's looking towards buying a striker in January. For a manager as reserved as Arsene to say this is a clear sign that he's looking at Robin van Persie's absence as the problem that it is. Obviously supporters are hopeful he will add some more muscle to the rest of the squad -- particularly along the spine -- but he's not said he'll go further for the moment.
Of course, part two starts tonight with the next game. If you fall off the bike, you gotta get back on it. That's what we'll do tonight as we travel, once again, to Eastlands to take on a desperate Manchester City team in the Carling Cup. They've gone their last 7 games in the league without a loss, but without a win. And Mark Hughes, needing a win to keep the rumor hounds at bay, is going to put his first team squad out there to face our kids. I want to win this one. And I hope they want to win this one too. Not for the Carling Cup per se, but because nothing gets the stink of losing out of the room like a win.
So in the space of 4 days, Arsenal will face another C U Next Tuesday that used to wear the Red and White but traded it for lots of cash and a shade of blue.
Come on you Gunners!
]]>And let there be no doubt: today was not a good day.
We looked at times like we wanted to run off with the game, confident that our passing skills would eventually find an opening through the steel blue wall of Chelsea. But there was no opening. So we'd move the ball out wide and look to cross it over the wall. Only to find that Chelsea would have both the height advantage and the defensive discipline to not let anything get past them to Petr Cech.
We had possession of the ball for almost 60% of the first half and registered NO shots on goal. Let that sink in.
Meanwhile Chelsea's first attacks ended in goals -- both crossed from the left side by none other than THAT C U Next Tuesday, Ashley Cole. The first one found Didier Drogba as he split Gallas and Vermaelen right down the middle to put a shot just where Manuel Almunia couldn't get it and the post could be his friend. The second one was similar in nature, only this time poor Tomas Vermaelen's knee got there before Drogba could. It was like the Spurs' game -- only this time it was Arsenal conceding two crushing goals before the half after a good effort at taking the game.
The second half started off with the team determined to get back in the game and, for a few seconds, we did with a good goal by Arshavin that was crushingly called back by referee Andre Marriner. He thought that Cech had been impeded by an Arsenal player, when in reality, it had been one of his own defenders who got in Cech's way. Arsene's blasted the decision after the game since it was our one big chance of the game. With that goal, we may have worked ourselves back into the game. Without out it, Chelsea retained their defensive wall and kept denying any real chance for Arsenal to get back into the game. Drogba's second goal only served to punctuate our inability to challenge their defense.
Of course, the post-match vultures are out and about already. We are no good. We are still lacking. Same old Arsenal. Men vs boys. No Plan B. It's another year without a trophy. Blah dee blah dee freakin' blah.
Ignore them, but do not ignore some of the questions that need to be asked of our team.
Is the roster small? Without Bendtner and RVP, yes. This used to not be a problem in years past, with the muscle of Vieira and Adams and Campbell to shield the talented, small guys from taking a beating. We don't have that anymore. Besides, in world football, today's game is commanded by the small, skilled players -- Messis and Robinhos and Agueros of the world. No surprise that they're all wanting to play in Spain, where the skilled talent is protected and not clobbered.
Were there injuries to our side? No doubt. We are after all without Van Persie, Bendtner and Clichy. But when have we had a recent side that was injury free? Injuries have to be expected given the course of the season and the brittle nature of some of our players. That may mean making a purchase (the dreaded January buy talk starts!!!) to complement all the competitions we are engaged in.
Why are we crossing the ball? This one just kept getting to me. We don't have the height or muscle to beat Chelsea to the ball and the crossing skills of some of our guys leave much to be desired. And yet when the middle is congested, our guys move the ball out wide and they cross it right back in. Until we can beat the other team to the ball for a shot on goal, we should refrain from doing something that does no good for us.
Were is the toughness? There will be bad days at the office. It's almost impossible to avoid them. And with the two-goal punch before the half, it was obvious that the team was reeling. But the team still appears unable to dust themselves off and go right at their opponents. At no point did an Arsenal player seem to act with the kind of anger and determination that implies "I'm taking you on. And you can't stop me." It's that mentality that separates the great from the very good -- the Michael Jordans and Tiger Woods and Thierry Henrys from mortals. Who has it in this current squad?
Were there problems yesterday? Obviously. You don't go 90 minutes with the kind of team we have and generate only 2 shots on goal in total and expect to win. The bigger question is: was it just one game or is it endemic to the set-up? The hard thing is that the answer won't be obtained after games against the likes of Stoke or West Ham (no offense). We need to be able to face the biggest and best teams in the world and stand toe-to-toe with them.
Yesterday showed this grand experiment is not yet complete.
]]>- Great game by Cesc. Once again he shows why he's one of the 5 best midfielders in the world. Today he harried and took a good shot that the Alkmaar keeper let get past him and then he took a thunderous shot that Stretch Armstrong couldn't have stopped. Great game and my man of the match.
- Equally brilliant game by Andrei Arshavin. He may be getting a bit preoccupied with his lack of goals, but he was stunning setting up the first three goals. All came from a deft move and solid passing on his part. His goals will come but I'm glad he's able to be part of the fluid six-man attack.
- I wanted us to keep the clean sheet but everyone got caught napping and AZ put one past Almunia. Since September we've only had one clean sheet. So far that hasn't been an issue since we're scoring for fun BUT, at some point during the season, the goals will be tougher to come by and the defense and goalkeeping will be paramount. With Gallas, Vermaelen, Sagna and Clichy/Gibbs doing so well, there's no reason not to.
- With this win, Arsenal are up to the magic 10 points that usually signal being through to the knockout stages. Mathematically that can't be said right now, given Olympiakos and Standard have enough points to still push ahead. Unless we cave in though, that's unlikely. A draw in the next game (against Standard) will put us officially through. That's a far better position to be than Liverpool's.
- We now have two away Premier League games against Wolves and Sunderland before a big, key three-match stretch that involves a Champions League game against Standard, a Premier League clash against Chelsea and the Carling Cup semi-final against Manchester City.
So no rest for the weary and no time to rest on our laurels. Come on you Gunners!
]]>Yeah, that was going to work....
On a day where Arsenal were missing Tomas Rosicky, Denilson, Theo Walcott, Carlos Vela and Johan Djourou, a day where Samir Nasri and Eduardo were on the bench after returning from injury and a day that saw Nicklas Bendtner leave early with a knock, Arsenal didn't change their style or their expectations. That's depth. That's strength. That's what separates a title challenger like Arsenal from a pretender like Tottenham.
Now, for much of the first half, the Spurs' gameplan worked well for them. They harried and hurried the Arsenal attack. They denied the last pass or move that'd result in a goal. You can tell that Arshavin, Van Persie and Bendtner were getting frustrated with their lack of opportunities. Outside of Cesc's one great chance twenty minutes in that Gomes got to, there was nothing in the way of scoring chances.
But the team kept trying and trying and the goal eventually happened. From a throw in, Bakary Sagna crossed the ball into the box to a streaking RVP, who beat both Ledley King to the ball and Gomes to the back of the net. And while we were all celebrating and the TV stations were still replaying it, Spurs decided to restart the game -- only they gave the ball to Cesc, who slalomed through their defense before putting a great shot past Gomes. 2-0 and folks were going crazy.
Let's be honest, this game that ended 3-0 (after another Sagna cross found RVP thanks to more Spurs' defensive miscues) should have ended 4-0 or even 5 or 6 to 0. Between poor finishing on our part and Gomes saving some one-on-ones, the score ended as it did. But without a doubt, it was total control on Arsenal's part.
So Spurs get to go home and lick their wounds. Arsenal, meanwhile, are now clearly one of the three Premier League title contenders -- with Chelsea and Manchester United. So far, no team has kept Arsenal from scoring. Robin Van Persie appears finally comfortable in his central striker role. There's true depth all around us.
And Manuel Almunia came back to the GK role (contrary to what I expected) and played a solid game where he denied Spurs, even when they had some good chances. I hope he finds his groove back and proves himself a true #1 GK. We need him to.
]]>A few thoughts ahead of the big North London derby:
1. I'm expecting Vito Mannone to start ahead of Manuel Almunia. And if he does, this'd be the end of the road for Manuel with Arsenal. It's a sign that the manager has lost confidence in his abilities -- and confidence is paramount for a keeper. I'd hope this would mean Arsene will go into the transfer market and target a #1 GK because, between Mannone's youth and Fabianski's injury woes, we cannot expect to contend for silverware with this present situation.
2. Given their goal and form from midweek, I'd hope to see Fran Merida (piss off Atletico) and Aaron Ramsey in the bench and ready to contribute if called upon.
3. 'Arry Redknapp says Arsenal can't win the title. Someone tell him to worry about his side first please.
4. Andrey Arshavin faces Tottenham for the first time. To think he could be playing for Spurs and not Arsenal scares me. I hope he has a hell of a game.
5. Robbie Keane says their bench is on par with ours. Too bad key cogs of their Starting XI is injured or suspended and they'll be using their bench to patch up the holes. No Defoe, no Lennon and no Modric mean David Bentley may start for them.
6. Adebayor said something to someone about something or other. No one at Emirates gave a crap. No one at Eastlands paid it mind. Go away.
7. Hope to have Samir Nasri and Eduardo back on the bench and I'd hope that Nicklas Bendtner gets a place up front ahead of Eboue out wide right.
More on the game afterwards. COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!
]]>We entered this game with major health issues at key positions; none more than goalkeeper where a virus kept Manuel Almunia on English soil. It has been speculated that Almunia’s virus was one of those unofficial reprimands for poor performances. Uh-huh. Anyone want to keep believing that bit of nonsense? Arsene Wenger is many things, but a fool he is not. Only a fool would keep his first-choice goalkeeper thousands of miles away while starting an untested, 21-year old in a Champions League match.
All things considered, Vito Mannone handled himself quite well. And when I say all things considered, I mean that the rest of the team let him down at game’s start. That first goal was a result of an idiotic mistake from Eduardo and the absence of Gael Clichy which freed up Mangala to strike and get one past Mannone. Why Eduardo backheeled the ball I don’t think even he knows. As for Clichy, I raised my concerns before, but it’s now to the point of being obvious to others. I don’t know what’s in his head, but his game has fallen off. Is he being tasked with doing too much? Is it just a poor run of form like all footballers have? I don’t know. I wish he snapped out of it though.
The second goal, meanwhile, came from a tough penalty call when Gallas tackled Liege’s Jovanovic just two minutes after the opening goal. Was there contact? Yes. Was there the kind of contact that the fall implied? No. Was it in the box? I’m doubtful about that. And that should be an example of why UEFA came to its senses and rescinded Eduardo’s ban. Because to one set of eyes (the referee’s), the correct call was a penalty. To another’s (mine’s), at best, the call was for a free kick outside of the box. And others are no doubt screaming that Jovanovic exaggerated the contact to deceive the referee and get a call. Who is wrong?
So, down 2-0 in the first four minutes, away from home, in a place that was rocking with the excitement. Sounds like curtains right?
We should be grateful then that we had 86 more minutes with which to claw back with and we should be specially thankful that, after those first 4 minutes, Standard Liege stopped attacking our end. I don’t know what possesses a manager, up 2-0 against a bigger team at home, to call off the troops, but that he did. Liege seemed quite content with letting Arsenal have the ball and most of the pitch with which to work. And for most of the first half, Liege’s tactics seemed to be working. We passed and passed and looked for a way to break them, but found none.
We did help them with a godawful performance, it has to be said. You can excuse Mannone, who was making only his second senior team start and his first one on European competition. And Tomas Rosicky was starting his first game since Brutus stabbed Caesar. But what of the other lads? This isn’t their first rodeo. They are, by now, old hands at traveling to hostile continental grounds and getting good results. Were they still worn out from the interlull or just carrying the bad stigma of the last two games with them? Whatever it is, they better break out of this funk they’re in. Or they’ll dig themselves a big enough hole to swallow all this season’s aspirations.
Luckily, we caught a break when Abou Diaby sublimely passed the ball to Nicklas Bendtner, who beat Liege’s Bolat between his bolats right before the halftime whistle. One can’t underestimate the value of that goal. Down 2-0 and with nothing to show for all the effort might have sapped the desire out of the team. Down 2-1? Heh, we’ve been here before! We got this!
And outside of an early second half start, Leige continued to batten down the hatches and pray for a break from the deluge. Again, we passed and passed and looked for a way to break them open. Perhaps in a day when we were off our game, it was two broken plays that gave us the win.
The first one was offside and caused by a handball. And yet the ref and his assistant saw nothing except Tomas Vermaelen putting the ball behind the keeper. That’s two for our newest CB. And a fine addition he has been to this side. The second one was the kind of lucky bounce that only a poacher like Eduardo can get. Off the corner kick and headed backwards by a leaping Liege defender, anyone else would have been struck in the chest or the arm or anywhere that’d had resulted with the play blown dead or the keeper safely collecting it. Not Eduardo. It hits him right on the kneecap and it shoots comfortably past Bolat for the winner. Unfair? Hey, this is football. When has it ever been fair!
Three points we perhaps shouldn’t have and top of our CL group. Given the awfulness of our performance out there, I’ll take it.
But between now and this weekend’s outing against Wigan Athletic, I gotta pray that the coaching staff find out just what the hell is this hoodoo beguiling the team and wake them from it. They are not now in a position to fall further off the pace. Because we have seen teams heat up after the new year and come close to winning it all (Liverpool for example last year) that don’t because of poor starts or poor runs before winter set in.
Time to get it together boys! You will rue the missed opportunities…just like Standard Liege is today!
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