League Cup

Man City Preview: Diaby prepares for his latest comeback

Posted on November 29, 2011 by GilbertoSilver Posted in 2011-12 Season, League Cup, Match Previews | 19 Guns

A draw against opposition of Man City’s calibre in the Quarter-Finals of the Carling Cup presented Arsene with something of a selection dilemma. Arsene may have been toying with the idea of including some of the first-team in tonight’s tie. A somewhat lacklustre display against Fulham at the weekend will have banished that thought from his mind. He’ll want to give the regulars a rest, so it’ll be a combination of reserves and youngsters on display tonight.

At his press conference yesterday, Arsene said:

“I believe that some players are on the fringe of being really limited. I will rest some players but I still want to play a team that has a chance to win the game. For example, players like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Emmanuel Frimpong will play but I consider them to be first-team players. I have 90% decided. There is still 10% flexibility.”

Those two are likely to be joined by fellow Young Guns Francis Coquelin and Ignasi Miquel. Experience will come from the likes of Lukasz Fabianski, Johan Djourou, Sebastien Squillaci, and Park Chu-Young.

Yossi Benayoun will also be afforded a rare start, and the manager has moved to praise a player whose opportunities have been limited by competition:

“He has been absolutely fantastic but we have so much choice in midfield and we play with three strikers.

The chances for the midfielders are not so big and that’s why he has not played as much as he deserves.”

Benayoun’s versatility and work ethic make him a really useful option both from the bench and when Arsene sees fit to rotate. His age and pay packet mean he’s unlikely to be offered a permanent deal at the end of this season, but that only makes his professionalism in the mean-time all the more commendable.

Abou Diaby will also play, making his first start of the season. We’ve been here so many times before that it’s difficult to get too excited about his latest comeback. One feels that a good performance would only signal another false dawn before his problematic ankle returns to plague him. I think we just have to accept that his will be a career dogged by injuries, and enjoy the fleeting glimpses we do see of a player who is undeniably talented. If we use him sparingly he could be an excellent option over the winter months, and allow the likes of Arteta and Ramsey a well-deserved rest.

UPDATE: I’m being told Diaby is in fact already injured again. So more his latest setback than latest comeback. Dear dear.

City will rest players too, but their absurdly bloated squad will mean that they’ll have plenty of talent at their disposal. The likes of Kolo Toure, Nigel De Jong, Adam Johnson and Edin Dzeko were all on the bench on Sunday and should start tonight.

In other matters, Matt Law of The Express says Arsenal were scouting Lukas Podolski at the weekend. Podolski’s versatility makes him an intriguing option, and he’d provide more prolific back-up for Robin van Persie than either Chamakh or Park. However, Raphael Hongistein swiftly pointed out that confirmed Arsenal target Marco Reus was also playing in the game, so perhaps he was the main object of our attention.

Finally, thanks to Charlton Athletic (featuring Ian Wright’s son, Bradley) for beating Huddersfield last night and thus ending their unbeaten run at 43 games. Our 49-game streak remains intact, and the Invincibles remain immortal.

Right. Very little would be funnier than seeing our Reserves beat moneybags Man City. So Come On You Gunners.

Bolton Report: Arshavin takes centre-stage

Posted on October 26, 2011 by GilbertoSilver Posted in 2011-12 Season, League Cup, Match Reports | 61 Guns

Park celebrates bending home the winner against Bolton

Arsenal 2 – 1 Bolton

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

Arsenal went through to the Quarter-Finals of the Carling Cup for the ninth successive season with a 2-1 victory over Bolton. It wasn’t televised anywhere in the world, so the 56,628 or so lucky enough to be in the statdium are, thus far, the sole witnesses to another encouraging victory. If you haven’t seen the game at all, you might have an interest in this audio report I put together in the match’s immediate aftermath.

The team was the expected mix of youth and experience. The headline inclusion was Thomas Vermaelen, though it passed almost without notice that his partner on the night, Sebastien Squillaci, was making his first appearance of the season. Lukasz Fabianski kept goal, with youngsters Ignasi Miquel and Nico Yennaris (a debutant) at full-back. Coquelin and Frimpong patrolled the midfield, with Benayoun, Arshavin and Chamberlain pulling the strings behind Ju-Young Park.

Arshavin had not originally been intended to play, with Tomas Rosicky pencilled for inclusion. However, a slight injury to the Czech midfielder saw the far from slight Arshavin handed his central playmaking role. It would prove to be the game’s crucial factor.

The first half was a relatively quiet affair. Yossi Benayoun flashed one effort over, and on a couple of occasions Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain seemed to try and do too much when released on the right. It wasn’t a poor performance from the young winger, but it was his certainly his least eye-catching in an Arsenal shirt. Perhaps he is feeling the pressure of expectation.

The second half started ominously, with former Gunner Fabrice Muamba side-footing in to the roof of the net to give Bolton the lead. It was at this point, however, that Arsenal’s experienced players began to seize control of the game. Arshavin was the key figure. First he picked up the ball on the right, skipped infield, and fired a fizzing shot in off the far post.

Within three minutes, he’d created the winner, scooting inside from the left before playing in Park in the space that had been created. The Korean’s finish was exquisite, opening his body and bending a first-time shot around the goalkeeper and in to the far corner. Thierry Henry would have been proud.

Afterwards, the manager spoke in glowing terms about Park’s performance:

“He had a very, very good game. His movement was exceptional and his finishing is absolutely fantastic.

He is ready to play in league games.”

Park battled well against two experienced Premier League centre-backs in Gary Cahill and Zat Knight, and considering Marouane Chamakh’s terrible form in front of goal, is bound to get his chance sooner or later.

Arshavin, however, was the undoubted man of the match. There were still errors in his game, but in the final third it’s hard to question his efficacy. However, listening to Arsene post-match, we’re unlikely to see him in his favoured position again anytime soon:

“You cannot play with two wingers and two offensive players like that, you are too short in midfield. He is normally a wide player but he wants to grow in a role behind the striker.”

Whether or not that growth takes place at Arsenal or elsewhere remains to be seen.

Thomas Vermaelen departed with a solid 85 minutes behind him and whispers of a calf strain, but the man himself has taken to Twitter to dispel those fears and confirm his availability for Saturday’s game with Chelsea. With so little match practise behind him, I don’t expect him to start, but simply having him around the squad is a positive boost at the moment.

Tonight I fly to Spain for a week of exile from, among other things, the internet. If I happen to stumble in to a WIFI-furnished cafe I will update while I am there – if not, you’ll have to cope without me for a week. Chins up.

Shrews tamed by the Ox

Posted on September 21, 2011 by GilbertoSilver Posted in 2011-12 Season, League Cup, Match Reports | 74 Guns

Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

You can hear my thoughts as I left the ground by clicking either of the links below, depending on which one actually works in your browser.

If neither work, try this.

In the end, it was an enjoyable night out – apart from the fact I managed to tumble down about three rows of seating when trying to make a quick escape by hopping over the man in front. If you saw a tall man in a blue hoodie go tumbling with kind of pirouettes and spins more commonly associated with a fouled Cristiano Ronaldo, then I confess that was me.

The spins and flicks from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were far more impressive. After a quiet first 45, he came to life in the second half, thumping home a crucial goal from range as well as terrorising the opposition full-back with some searing sprints to the byline. The difference between Chamberlain and Walcott could not be more clear: the newer addition is much more prepared to drift inside and get involved with build-up play, spraying thirty and forty yard passes effortlessly across the pitch. He’s far less reliant on pace, and possesses far greater technique. Undoubtedly, a huge prospect.

And yet, his Man of the Match award was possibly a little generous: across he ninety minutes, the performance of Francis Coquelin probably warranted recognition. Since arriving in 2008, the holding midfielder has always looked a neat tackler with tidy ball-skills. Yesterday, in a 4-4-2 formation alongside Emmanuel Frimpong, he demonstrated that some time playing at full-back and a spell on loan in Ligue 1 have seen him add power and energy to his game. Yesterday he charged from box-to-box, winning the ball back and using it simply and efficiently. It seems the Old Trafford mauling has not scarred him.

Honourable mentions also go to Kieran Gibbs and Yossi Benayoun, who grabbed their first Arsenal goals, and Ignasi Miquel, who looked far more assured than his experienced defensive partner, Johan Djourou. Lukasz Fabianski, too, won’t have worried compatriot Wojciech Szczesny with an unconvincing display.

Ryo Miyaichi got twenty minutes but didn’t have time to make a notable impression, whilst the game may well once be remembered for the Arsenal debut of the giant Chuks Aneke. Chuks is, in every sense, a huge star at U-18 and now Reserve level, with that exciting combination of technique and tallness that draws inevitable comparisons with Patrick Vieira. He’s more of an attacking player than the Frenchman, and an enormous prospect. He only got a few minutes in stoppage time last night, but it wouldn’t surprise me if we see him again before long.

Right, must dash. Tata for now.

Up for the cup: Chamberlain, Miyaichi & Park

Posted on September 20, 2011 by GilbertoSilver Posted in 2011-12 Season, League Cup, Match Previews | 47 Guns

Given our disastrous league form, some see the advent of a Carling Cup campaign as an ill-timed and unnecessary distraction. To me, it comes as a great relief, and a chance to see some fresh talent at a time when the first-team appears to be stagnating.

Tonight there will be a mix of relatively experienced talent, and new faces. Lukasz Fabianski ought to make his first appearance of the season in goal, with Johan Djourou and Carl Jenkinson making their first starts since the Old Trafford debacle. Alongside Djourou, the ball-playing centre-half Ignasi Miquel will continue his development, whilst Kieran Gibbs could well be recalled after sitting out the game at Ewood Park.

In midfield I expect Coquelin and Frimpong to form a no-nonsense pairing, with the intriguing flair of Ryo Miyaichi, Park Chu-Young and Alex Chamberlain, all making their full debuts, behind target man Marouane Chamakh.

It is the trio of debutants who fire the imagination most. After signing just before deadline day and instantly collecting a flurry of international goals, we’re yet to catch a glimpse of Park. Tonight he’ll most likely play just off Chamakh, and it’s this versatility that Arsene thinks will make him particularly useful as the season progresses:

“Park is good in every area. He is good in the air, good technically, he is mobile and that’s why he is an adaptable striker who can play up front behind the striker.

That’s why we went for him. What I like with him is that he is very mobile and that’s the basis of our game.”

If I’m not mistaken, it’ll be the first time an Asian player takes to the field for Arsenal since the days of Junichi Inamoto. And there’ll be two of them. Left-winger Ryo Miyaichi will finally make his much-anticipated Arsenal debut. Ryo trialled with the club only last season, only to break his leg, delaying any move till January. Unable to get a work permit, he then moved on loan to Feyenoord, where he impressed enormously, before joining up with the first-team squad this summer. He’s made a huge impression in training and Arsene is convinced he will make the breakthrough to the full team before long. In the meantime, the Carling Cup is a perfect opportunity to adapt to the English game:

“We have to give him time and not put too much pressure on him but he is a fantastic player. We want to do things properly with him and not to rush him too much.

He has pace, attitude, efficiency in what he is doing and complete commitment.”

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain already has one appearance under his belt: an ill-fated cameo at Old Trafford. On his first start for the club, he’ll be keen to erase that memory and make a positive impression on the supporters.

It’s easy to forget that Chamberlain was our most expensive buy this summer, with a fee that could rise as high as £15m. He’s clearly incredibly highly-rated, and as a quick wideman bought from Southampton, has drawn comparisons with Theo Walcott – comparisons which Arsene has been quick to dispell.

What’s clear from the little bits of Chamberlain I’ve seen playing for Southampton and for England U-21s is that he’s a far more accomplished technical player than Walcott. I’d liken him more to a Samir Nasri type: a stocky, powerful dribbler who can create and score goals by coming from deep.

I’m excited to see all three talents, and hope they can contribute to creating a positive atmosphere a ground which, with any luck, we can carry in to Saturday’s game with Bolton. If you wish to dwell on the gloom of our affairs in the league, then you can read Arsene Wenger and Ivan Gazidis telling us lots of things we already know.

I won’t profess to know too much about our opponents, Shrewsbury, but they’re in decent form and currently occupy the third automatic promotion spot in League Two. Arsenal.com has a neatly prepared scouting report on them – it seems the main threat will be provided by left-winger Lionel Ainsworth.

I expect this inexperienced Arsenal team to get the win, and hopefully provide some mouthwatering glimpses of potential. Some of you will be cynical about a tomorrow that never comes, but let’s not allow the travails of the first-team to impact upon the promise of these youngsters. They need and deserve out support tonight, and beyond.