SM

Italian pride rests on Romans

2008-03-21 12:57:23

The "resurgence" of Italian football (or whatever you call it) has been fairly meek in the Champions League in the last two years. Granted, AC Milan won it last year, but they were struggling horribly in the league and this year they surrendered quite easily to an Arsenal side not at their best. Inter fizzled out without much of a spark over two legs with Liverpool, although they were punished in both games by harsh, early red cards.

The only remaining Italian side this year is Roma. The giallorossi are paired up in the quarter-finals against Manchester United, whom they lost to at this exact stage last year - 8-3 on aggregate.

They've also already played United twice in the group stage, drawing 1-1 and losing 1-0, so Alex Ferguson's boys will present tried and tested opposition.

The pride at stake will be tremendous, and considering that it's a bigger issue for Romans than most, Roma will be really fired up for next week's ties. The added spice in this tie is that Roma are the only Italian club remaining, and that means that for once they will have the media behind them, as well as the more "neutral" supporters.

As ever, Francesco Totti will be key, but the most important aspect to combating Man United will be the defence, and the addition of Brazil international Juan last summer was very shrewd. Calm and collecte, Juan is easily one of the world's best and most underrated centre-halves. Along with Mexes and assistance from Panucci and De Rossi, he will have to mark and harry Cristiano Ronaldo, Tevez and Rooney out of the game.

Unfortunately 'keeper Doni remains as suspect as ever - clearly capable of brilliant shot-stopping, he amazes time and time again with his ability for pure, unbridled sloppiness.

2-0 in the San Siro, 0-0 in the JJB: Boro next

2008-03-14 18:18:51

Arsenal fell flat on their tummies last Sunday, flat as flat can be.

OK, it was one of the worst pitches that they've played on in centuries, and it was impossible for their Gunners to play their slick passing game, but we knew about this already. Chris Kirkland kindly informed us about a week ago that their pitch was utter shite, saying something along the lines of - "They've got skillful world class players, but goodness knows how they are going to pass the ball on our pitch". Steve Bruce said something along those lines a few days ago, and really everybody knew that trying to pass a football at the JJB was going to be something akin to passing gas on a first date with the girl of your dreams... i.e. this was not the place for it.

Arsene actually seemed to have the right idea up front - big boys Ade and Bendtner starting together for the first time should have provided an aerial threat. However, what seemed like a ploy to play more "direct" football was in reality just the fact that we only had two fit strikers in the squad.

And the great irony in this game was that we consistently refused to try the long ball apart from a short spell in the first half, opting instead to try our quick, short passing game on a pitch that had "DON'T PLAY A QUICK. SHORT PASSING GAME ON ME" written all over it. Or something like that.

From the sublime to the ridiculous, utterly outplaying Milan one night, and utterly dismaying on another

Well, Arsenal are back at the Emirates briefly (Chelsea up next week, so at least that's still in London). Boro are the visiting side, and Arsenal will be wanting to put this one right - they have lost just one game this season in the league, away to Middlesborough, and it was an embarrassing, excuse-less night for the Arsenal, they were poor.

The big news for this game is that Robin Van Persie might start - it's a welcome bit of news given that he needs match fitness for the run-in, and Middlesborough are a decent side that try to play football, and (hopefully) won't try to break anyone's legs.

Theo Walcott is back in the frame, and that's another (albeit unreliable) goalscoring option to help relieve the burden on the somewhat exhausted, stretched Emmanuel Adebayor, who has performed well above expectations this season.

Predictions?

Arsenal and Arsenal fans imperious in the San Siro

2008-03-05 23:12:28

The story was basically this.

Arsenal played 4 halves of football against AC Milan, over two legs, over two weeks. They dominated each one of those, and in the 4th half, they scored 2 goals. Think of it as superiority paying off.

"We're on our way, we're on our way,
We're going to Moscow, we're on our way,
How we get there we don't know!
How we get there we don't care!
All we know is that we're on our way!"

It was a cold night at the San Siro, and with near 5,000 of us packed high up into the away end at the San Siro, we needed to be in good voice and good spirits to keep warm. The atmosphere of the San Siro was eventually slightly overrated, the Milan fans made a bit of noise pre-kickoff, unleashed a whole bunch of glitter and cheers as the game started, had a few bouts of whistling, and went absolutely crazy for about 3 or 4 seconds right at the start when Kaka did a trick. Otherwise, they were mostly a passive bunch, and got quieter and quieter as the saw Arsenal take control. The euphoria for us of Cesc's goal was met by a steady flow of Milan fans making way for the exits.

The Arsenal dominated Milan on the pitch, and the Arsenal fans dominated Milan fans in the stands, and you can't say that victory for either was undeserved.

There have been enough details about the game all across newspapers and the web for me to not bother too much with details, but the team was just outstanding. Manu Eboue was the only lacklustre performer, seeming more mentally uninvolved than anything else - wasting the ball, avoiding tackles, and running lazily. He dived, and was fortunate to not be severely punished when badly fouling Paolo Maldini. Even Abou Diaby, he of recently lazy form, stepped up his game to an acceptable level.

Milan were disappointing really - although Flamini had Kaka in his pocket (and Cesc made sure he put him back in there whenever he popped his head out), the Brazilian didn't really know what to do or where to go. As a result he tried to go it alone, and with young Pato confused, and Pippo Inzaghi having one of his more primadonna-esque games, he failed to have an impact.

They missed Seedorf, yes, but I'm not sure that Milan could have put out a better side with this squad that they have. It's far too aged and predictable, and they will really be doing some serious shopping this summer. They lack dynamism, and need a bit of freshness.

Pato will of course be a big plus for them, he was their best attacker on the night, and at 18 he already has the ability to compete, all he lacks is the experience.

For Arsenal, it will be a huge boost after a bad Novemeber. They are only a point clear at the top now, and will need to refocus now; the win in Milan will have given them the belief to do that.

Of course, the big challenge now is to go to Wigan and win on Sunday. On Tuesday, Arsenal outplayed and outfought a Milan side on a great pitch with great players who had to attack to win. On Sunday, Arsenal will have to play a Wigan side on a simply awful pitch, against some dodgy players who will be fighting to not lose. It will involve a fair amount of steel, patience, and tactical flexibility. Nicklas Bendtner might have a role to play, since Arsenal will need to seriously consider the direct route - through balls, and little one-two passes are going to be disrupted by the rough surface and the (possibly) rough tackling.

They can possibly lose just one more game this season, and draw two at the maximum, without losing the title - even those estimates are probably a bit generous.

Stage set for big game in the San Siro

2008-03-04 06:31:24

Arsenal are supposed to be going to Il Duomo this afternoon, so I'll be rushing there soon to see if I can catch them.

Arsenal fans have been out in the top tiers on the South End of the San Siro, and with my ticket in hand, I'm looking forward to game and the atmosphere.

The big team news is that Van Persie is in the squad, but obviously won't be close to starting fitness, expect to see him if we are in desperate need of a goal, an injury situation, a great counter-attacking situation, or if we are winning 6-0 and want to give him a bit of a run out. Hmmmm.

It would have been nice to have Rosicky back for this game, but he's injured (as usual).

Arsenal really need to do well here to give themselves a pick-me-up. They're still top of the league by a point, but the form has been badly patchy. It's like their November has come in February, and it's included the 0-0 from the first leg, 2-2 with Brum, 1-1 with Villa, 0-4 to Man United and the 1-5 Carling Cup debacle with Spurs. Wins are required now, and tonight is the perfect occasion for the boys to show what they're made of.

As for Milan, they have all their players fit, although there's a doubt over Clarence Seedorf. They will be more attacking tonight, giving Arsenal a bit more space perhaps, but also posing a lot more questions for the Gunners' defence, something which they almost entirely failed to do in the first leg.

So that's that then, more updates from after the game, and hopefully some pictures, but keep your fingers crossed!

More Eduardo Fallout: The Mentality of British Football

2008-02-24 20:38:37

I encourage people to read Pete Gill's piece on F365 (which is normally a bit anti-Arsenal):

He's really got a grasp of the issues at hand here.

OK, it's unfortunate that Eduardo got injured, and it's unfortunate that it was Martin Taylor, because I do believe he's a nice chap, and there's idiots like Roy Keane, Robbie Savage, Joey Barton, Steven Gerrard and so on that have gotten away with worse, more intentional tackles, but only because the other players avoided injury.

The issue here isn't about the individual making the tackle, it's about this ridiculous mentality in British football about "getting in their faces", and "letting 'em know we're there". It's about a coaching staff telling a non-aggressive guy like Martin Taylor to go and start kicking people as soon as they get the ball, and the idea of the tackle not being to "win the ball", but to "stop the man". And then injuries like this happen.

It's ridiculous to hear people defend the tackle. It's one thing to say "OK, he doesn't deserve more than a 5 or 7 match ban", it's another to say things like "the tackle was harmless, he was just unlucky", or "it looks worse than it is because he got injured". That logic is pathetic, and it's ridiculous, and as Gill says in his article - just how lawless is English football becoming, that people think it's OK to get away with this kind of thing? You have people like Stephen Kelly and Garth Crooks saying it shouldn't have been a booking, and Alex McLeish coming out and basically lying outright to the media (probably because he was the one who instructed his players to "get stuck in"), it is absolutely disgusting.

There was a time when the physical defensive play of English football was highly respected around the world - when guys like Adams, Keane, O'Leary, Vieira, Parker, Woodgate, Campbell... even Des Walker - they could slide into thumping challenges from 5 feet away and perfectly get the ball. Why did Rio Ferdinand cost 30 million pounds and why does he play for one of the world's top clubs? Not because he kicks people or injures them, it's because he is good at what he does.

Why have Everton and Aston Villa improved so much and become European contenders in recent years? It's because their midfields have become focussed on playing football with players like Petrov, Arteta, Young, Pienaar, Barry and so on, and their defences have players that can win the ball and use it properly - Laursen, Lescott, Yobo, Mellberg - their game isn't about just kicking opposition players up into the air, it's about playing football the right way. Teams might still be over-physical at times, but they aspire to be more than that.

The next time someone complains about foreigners ruining the English game, and how England doesn't produce any decent players... think twice about it. It's not because skilful English youngsters aren't getting a chance, it's because the manager's first reaction to a player or team of skill that they're facing is to try and kick or foul them, and this style of play becomes a blueprint for football. Even now in the lower leagues, some of the most sought after players are ones that are just big lumps who kick the opposition. There is an absolute paranoia against people that try to play football the right way, and managers respond not by trying to outplay them, but by trying to kick the sh*t out of them.

Joe Cole twice broke his leg as a youngster, but managed to survive to the top level, probably because of being in a good football environment at West Ham. Others haven't been so lucky. Former Arsenal youngster Ryan Smith was one of the club's and England's best youth prospects - a dazzling left winger. One day against an Ipswich reserve team, after another dazzling display of skill, he was taken out by a 16 year old Ipswich player who made no attempt to win the ball, and just wanted to stop the player. Smith's knee ligaments were destroyed, and his career was never the same. He came back scared, without confidence, and his progress was ruined.

So the next time someone asks why England doesn't produce any skilful or creative players, tell them it's because of the sh*t mentality of the game at the moment. Unless they're at a big club like Everton, Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool (where they're well protected), they are either going to suffer many injuries at a young age, or stop trying to play the way they can to avoid getting kicked. Of course some might get through, but the fact is that is very rarely happening.

You can appreciate the English mentality of wanting to always win, but this has to be done the right way. The problem is right now that the administrators of the game seem to think it's OK to tackle and foul people just for the sake of it, and so managers are pushing this to the extreme. They send their players out to kick the opposition first, and play football second, and the FA just seems to allow this. I'm not suggesting that we become like Italy, with the game stopping every 5 minutes, but that bad tackles and bad behaviour are properly punished. Managers should not think that it is an acceptable tactic to try and unfairly stop the opposition, and that violence is acceptable as long as it doesn't do any serious damage. This is what needs to change.

Arsenal dominate Milan, but fail to score

2008-02-20 23:03:39

Arsenal were buzzing tonight. Their movement and passing were as precise as they've ever been this season., and were it not for Emmanuel Adebayor having an off-day (and Eduardo not doing much better), they would and should have had a two goal advantage going into the second leg.

Against Blackburn, Ade had a shocker, but came up with a late goal. Today against Milan, Ade was slightly less shocking (only just), but failed to score, somehow putting a header against the crossbar from point blank range after a great cross from Theo Walcott. This was in the 93rd minute of the game, and it ensured that Arsenal would get no reward for there endeavour.

His other contribution (or lack thereof) was a simple square pass to Fabregas, who was unmarked and right in front of the 'keeper, which he overhit. The ball went frustratingly away from Cesc's run, and deprived us of what would very likely have been a goal.

And what endeavour it was! Flamini was bossy and tidy, Hleb ran and dribbled all over the pitch, and Cesc produced some pinpoint balls. The interplay between the three was especially magical to watch, and they were complemented well by the overlapping Sagna and Clichy.

The defence was excellent overall, perhaps not as impressive as Milan's, but enough to keep Kaka, Pato and Seedorf completely quiet. Toure had to go off early injured, but Senderos came on and had a stormer.

Theo had a nice cameo, running at the tired Milan defence, and Bendtner caused some troubles with his height and touch.

Milan's lack of ambition was surprising. Arsenal outplayed them, no questions asked, but apart from Pato's attempts, there was very little else. Kaka was largely anonymous, apart from a few threatening crosses, and Seedorf was very, very deep the entire game. They should have been playing for an away goal, and Arsenal will be kicking themselves at having dominated a defensive team, but not having scored.

Well, I suppose this all makes it more exciting for yours truly! I've got my hands on an away ticket to the San Siro, so it's going to be a tense encounter there!

Sexy football to get Cescier, as Fabregas talks about his contract

2008-02-14 22:28:09

It's great to hear Cesc Fabregas talk about his commitment to the Arsenal, and how he wants to stay, but it's a little weird to hear him talk about a contract extension, when he signed an 8 year deal just two years ago.

Fabregas's excellent performances during the run to the Champions League final, and the promise of his fellow youngsters had led to him penning an 8 year deal, until 2014. This was designed to ward off interest from other clubs, as well as show that Arsenal were keeping their top players and building a consistent base for future success.

Transfer speculation of course continued, primarily because football clubs and newspapers in Spain would probably crumple up and die if they didn't produce copious amounts of transfer bullshit everyday, but Fabregas kept reaffirming his commitment.

Well today, he has come up with these quotes in an interview with Cadena Ser:

"I have a contract in force until 2014, I have six years remaining and I am talking with my club, who are interested in renegotiating it. I want to succeed at Arsenal and that the club wants me is fundamental for me."

It would be interesting to know what kind of terms this extension would be on. Still, Arsenal being Arsenal, we'll never find out anything other than "on a long-term deal, for an undisclosed fee". I'm sure his wages were already quite good, but they'll be bumped up a fair bit now.

Excellent news though. Arsenal have been playing some fantastic stuff, and Cesc is always at the heart of it, and will be influential to the future of it as well. Cescy football.

Ramon gets Romantic as Casillas, Raul and Guti sign on

2008-02-14 22:08:55

Behold this ridiculous quote from Real Madrid chief Ramon Calderon that accompanied the news of Iker Casillas and Raul signing contract extensions to stay for life.

"Iker Casillas and Raul have both agreed to stay with the club for the rest of their sporting lives.

On this day, which is Valentine's day, Iker, Raul and Real can say they love each other, they need each other, and complement each other and will commit for life."

Well, fantastic stuff really. You don't hear things that candid anymore from official sources, nevermind unofficial ones.

And I lied a bit in the title, Guti hasn't yet signed, but is scheduled to do so soon. Calderon said - "Next week, it will be the same with Guti, another symbolic player for the club. We haven't signed yet because he is a little lazier, but it will be with the same conditions."

Well how nice.

26 year old Casillas has signed a massive extension until the summer of 2017.

30 year old Raul has signed a 1 year extension to his deal, until the summer of 2011.

31 year old Guti has done the same, and his deal now goes until 2011 too. I am also shocked that Guti is 31... seems like he got very old very fast.

Gallas versatility is key to title challenge: Arsenal 2-0 Blackburn

2008-02-11 22:04:02

Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the table to 5 points today, which a 2-0 win over Blackburn in London. Senderos set them on their way quite early, heading home an Eduardo corner in the 7th minute, after some awful marking from Blackburn. Arsenal then dominated the next 20 minutes or so, without scoring, and that allowed Blackburn to come back into it. Rovers couldn't really fashion any chances though, and the Arsenal defence was excellent. Then late on, Alexander Hleb (who had been very good) found space on the right and squared the ball to Adebayor (who had been very shit), and the Togo-stick took either a really brilliant or awful first touch with his left, and thumped the ball home with his right. Game set and match.

Hleb excepted, the best players on show were the defensive ones. Adebayor can't be expected to be amazing in every match, but he was really crap today, although much improved in the second half. Flamini had a very strong game and was really influential. Cesc was craft, if subdued, and Gilberto and Eduardo were erratic but OK. Gilberto doesn't seem like he will be here next season.

The defence though was excellent. Lehmann was calm and solid, Sagna was his usual supercharged, all-action self, and Clichy was solid and alert. Senderos continues to grow in confidence with every game, and his goal was the icing on the cake in this performance. Gallas however was exquisite. Every tackle and interception was excellent, he read the play flawlessly, and made a few drives upfield trying to spur on and support the attack. He was especially important when the team kept conceding possession and gave Blackburn the advantage - he popped up time and time again to win back the ball, and allowed the team to keep its head.

For the first time in a long while, the main Arsenal centreback has the ability to play on either side of central defence. Gallas normally plays on the left when Kolo Toure is in the side, but has been equally adept and impressive on the right side, something which has allowed the defence to stay sharp and settled.

There were previously always problems on this front. Tony Adams preferred the left side of central defence as well, and this worked fine with Steve Bould or Martin Keown complementing him. Adams was accomplished enough to not let playing on the other side be an issue, but his preference was well known. Sol Campbell then arrived, and he too preferred Adams' part of the defence. However, they overlapped for only 1 season, most of which Adams was injured for. Campbell was truly god awful when played on the right-side of central defence, but luckily this was not a problem, as Kolo complemented him perfectly. Senderos too, like Campbell and Adams before him, prefers the left-side, and as a result the Campbell-Senderos partnership was one of the worst seen in recent years.

So after the hiccups and injury problems of 2006/07, the Arsenal central defence finally looks like a top notch unit. Toure and Gallas were hailed as a potential "dream patnership" when the latter signed, and although it took a season to realise that dream, it has happened. Gallas is imperious at the back, and the club finally have a range of good options in central defence. Because of his versatility, Kolo-Senderos, Kolo-Gallas, and Gallas-Senderos are all viable options.

And don't forget about Johan Djourou. He played on the left-side in Arsenal's win at Old Trafford last season, but plays on the right for club and country when paired with Swiss teammate Senderos. His return from injury will be much appreciated methinks.

Sad day for Songs, as Egypt retain the African Cup of Nations

2008-02-11 05:33:21

Champions Egypt retained the African Cup of Nations, defeating Cameroon 1-0 in the final. It was a match of two heavyweights, and they had emerged from a final four that had the tournament favourites Ivory Coast (despatched 4-1 by Egypt) and hosts Ghana (beaten 1-0 by Cameroon).

It was a sad day for two players in particular, Alexandre Song, and his uncle Rigobert Song. 19 year old Arsenal midfielder/defender Alex Song had been Cameroon's (and arguably the tournament's) best player since being substituted into their first game with half an hour to go. He had been injured during the semi-final, and was touch-and-go to play the final. However, he did start the game, wearing a massive knee brace, but sadly could not play for very long, and midway through the first half Cameroon lost Alex Song, and their creative inspiration.

Uncle Rigobert however will feel bad for different reasons. One of the most experienced and rugged defenders ever to come out of Africa, he had, according to Coach Otto Pfister, restored his status as "the best defender in Africa" at this tournament. Indeed he had been immense in Cameroon's March to the final, rarely putting a foot wrong, and dominating his area of the pitch.

However, late in the second half, he made a complete hash of a clearance, which ended up going behind him. He then recovered the ball, but dallied on it with Egyptian striker Mohamed Zidan in hot pursuit. The two tangled, and Zidan manage to scrap for the ball while on the ground, and recovered his poise to square a pass to the onrushing Mohamed Abou Tarika, who drilled it past Carlos Kameni, scoring the only goal of the game.

So 1-0 it was to Egypt, and they probably did deserve it. It was a very tight affair, and the tournament's two best keepers were on show here. Carlos Idriss Kameni had debut shakily for Cameroon at the age of 16, and played his first ACN at 19, and now at 23 he has bags of experiences to ally to his tremendous talent. He was a key figure in Cameroon's solidity, and their defensive prowess.

As for Egypt, Essam El-Hadary is a bit of an elder statesman at 35. Deceptively baby-faced, he rolled back the years at this tournament, pulling off some fantastic point blank saves, especially against the Ivory Coast. Although not the most commanding presence, his shot-stopping was probably the difference in many of Egypt's games, and he fully deserved his celebrations and trademark dance at the end of the game.

Mohamed Abou Tarika, the goalscorer, and chief playmaker, was possibly the man of the match. This is in addition to him being the man whose name is never spelt the same way twice - I say Abou Tarika, as I first saw it when watching him at the Club World Cup in 2006, but i've also seen Aboutrika, Abou Tarika, Abootreika, and countless other variants. He's almost 30 now, but one hopes that he will get a chance to showcase his talent at a higher level. A silky attacker/playmaker, blessed with "proper" technique, vision and touch, his lack of physicality and fight meant that he wouldn't really get a chance in Europe and "modern football". However, he's changed over the years, become less of a striker, dropping deep and pulling the strings. A few years in Spain would be nice.

Overall, well done to Egypt, especially for scoring so many goals, and giving us so many zany celebrations.