Archive for September, 2004
September 20th, 2004
Because, if I’m honest, there isn’t much to say.
We didn’t play very well.
We relied too much on the counter-attack, and didn’t have many periods of good, sustained possession.
Reyes, Pires, and Ljungberg had very average games.
Thierry scored a brilliant goal, but was largely peripheral.
Cygan had an excellent first half, and a dire second.
Bolton scored from two set-pieces. That’s no disaster. Disappointing, but not disastrous. The return of Sol Campbell will give us someone who can attack the ball and provide some organisation at the back.
Bolton are a decent side who most teams will struggle to beat.
And that’s about it.
That’s why yesterday, I only really wanted to talk about the bright future of Gael Clichy.
Today, I only want to talk about the bright future of Liverpool FC.
I hate those scouse bastards as much as anybody else, but having watched them play few times this season, I think they’re really going places.
In fact, I think that tonight’s game against Manchester United might be a showcase of just how far this Liverpool side can go. If I’m honest, they won’t win the title this year. But they could win something. And I think that under a very, very good manager in Rafa Benitez, they will continue to grow.
Their defence has been steadied by switching Jamie Carragher to centre-half and bringing in the excellent Josemi at full-back. In midfield, Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso are two superbly talented players, with their best years ahead of them. Harry Kewell is another extremely gifted individual, who is yet to fulfill his potential.
But it is upfront where there is the greatest difference. Liverpool have lost Owen and Heskey, perhaps the two most pivotal members of the “Hoofier” regime and tactics. They now play with two from the trio of Baros, Cissé, and Garcia.
In Baros and Cissé they have two electric goalscorers who are perfect for the Premiership: fast, direct, and unlike £24m Didier Drogba, capable of controlling a ball in less than three touches.
And in Luis Garcia, they have a real gem of a player. With Jose Reyes arguably set to become the most successful Spanish import in Premiership history, this none-too-dissimiliar fleet-footed forward could be close behind.
This array of attacking talent has forced Liverpool to change the way they play. No longer can Gerrard launch it at Heskey’s head or Owen’s spinning runs – the ball comes short into the feet of Garcia, or wide to the outstanding overlapping fullback, John Arne Riise.
I know I’ve talked far too long about a team that will probably flatter to decieve, but Liverpool have played the second best football I’ve seen this season.
Behind us, obviously.
Chelsea don’t play great stuff, but grind out results. Tottenham will do the same, as evidenced by their gritty draw yesterday.
Mourinho’s team have already played Man U and Tottenham. They’ve also gone to Villa Park. They’re difficult games, and they’ve come through unbeaten.
The title race has already started.
And Liverpool might be the surprise runner.
September 19th, 2004
I think so.
He’s bloody brilliant.
If you think about the fact that last season he was at the age that Cesc is now (17/18), and the way in which he performed in top level encounters, it’s truly phenomenal.
His pace is explosive, his technique outstanding, and his instincts second-to-none. When you watch the guy on a football pitch, he’s so natural – no part of you doubts that he knows exactly what he is doing.
When he came on for 10 minutes yesterday, he looked far more at ease than even some of our regulars.
I think he must be the unluckiest young player in England, because he’s got Ashley Cole there, blocking him off. Still, I think some people are quick to say that van Persie or Reyes will eventually replace Pires. I’d like to see Gael given some games there. He’s a very exciting talent who can only get better.
So next time you rave about Cesc or Bentley or Quincy, don’t forget the slightly less spectacular but equally gifted Gael Clichy.
Because he’s lovely.
There’ll be a proper report on the match tomorrow. It’ll be like a big bumper special.
The page has had a bit of a makeover. It’s been like Changing Rooms in here, honest.
Be merry.
September 17th, 2004
Arsenal fans worldwide rejoiced yesterday as Cesc Fabregas put pen to paper on a new long-term contract with the Gunners. The little man himself had this to say on the subject:
“Iâ??m delighted to be pledging my long-term future to Arsenal. My first year here has been like a dream, I never thought I would have the opportunity to play in the first team so early on. But Iâ??ve worked hard and will continue to do so, learning from the best players around – Iâ??m very excited about my future here.”
Isn’t he the cutest?
The diminuitive genius also found time to come second in the Arsenal.com Player of the Month poll. The winner of that award was, somewhat unsurprisingly, Jose Reyes. However, having been handed both the Premiership and Arsenal Player of the Month awards, his list of honours has not stopped expanding.
Oh no.
Jose Reyes is the lucky, lucky, lucky winner of the first ever Gunner-Blog “Man of the Moment” Award.
“Why not Man of the Month?“, I hear you cry.
Well, you miseducated fools, by making it “Moment” I get to update it as and when I want. It also means that I can implement it now, right in the middle of the month.
Oh the joys of editorial freedom.
September 16th, 2004
Oh. Really?
I thought it was because you were shit.
In other news, we’re really poor. Mihir Bose, a prize wanker if ever I saw one, says in The Telegraph that
“The football business lost £6 million on an operating level after buying and selling players, while in the 2002-03 season it made a small profit of £700,000.”
Care yet?
“Wages made up around 45 per cent of income last season compared to nearly 52 per cent two years ago. But this incorporates some nifty accounting footwork with income from property being added to football income.”
Remotely fussed? Anybody?
“Ten years ago, Arsenal led the way in England with merchandise sales, but last season the income from retail was £6.9m, nearly £2m down on the year before.”
Nike’s fault.
“There is an exceptional write-off of £6.3m reflecting “the impairment of certain players’ registrations and reduces the carrying value of those registrations to their expected recoverable amount”. What this means is that signings such as Francis Jeffers were not worth what Wenger paid.”
Jeffers, you jug-eared cunt.
Some people.
UPDATE (17:51) : Cesc Fabregas has committed his long-term future to Arsenal football club by signing an extension to his current deal. Great news. More tomorrow.
September 15th, 2004
Last night saw Arsenal beat PSV Eindhoven 1-0 in a rather dire match. The lack of entertainment was largely due to PSV’s reserved style of play – steadfastly refusing to make any effort to actually win the match, even when behind to an Alex own goal.
The main team news was that Freddie Ljungberg had lost his race for fitness, meaning Jose Reyes came into the team, and Pires moved out to the right. Pascal Cygan continued to deputise for the injured Sol Campbell, and Robin van Persie made the bench against his fellow countrymen.
The first half was an Arsenal-dominated affair. Henry, Reyes, and Pires all came close to scoring before the deadlock was eventually broken. Henry collected the ball on the left-hand-side of the penalty area, and drove to the by-line, before cutting the ball back towards the on-rushing Patrick Vieira. The Chelsea-owned Brazilian defender Alex intervened, however, skillfully managing to strike the ball with both legs, forcing it to career off-course and into the back of the net.
In the second half, Arsenal appeared weary and lacking in ideas as PSV came back into the game. Vennegoor of Hesselink should have done better with a volleyed chance; driving the ball wide of the far post with just 15 minutes to spare. A late flurry from PSV panicked the Arsenal defence somewhat, but the anchored axis of Vieira and Gilberto enabled them to hold fast.
We won.
That ought to be the be-all and end-all. However, for some fans, not even winning is enough. The expectations on this team have now risen to ridiculous levels, and it’s important that we try to remember that they had played 4 games in very quick succession, and that the physical demands of our style of football are very high. We can’t expect to sweep away sides such as PSV with the same ease as we do someone like, with the greatest respect, Norwich. It’s unrealistic. A win was a great start, and we’ll grow from here.
Player Review:
Jens Lehmann
Solid and commanding. The Standard said he had a “quiet game“. That’s always a good thing for a goalkeeper, I’d imagine. He’s becoming ever-more reliable. (Warning: This of course means that on Saturday he’ll mis-hit a goal-kick into his own net. Obviously.)
7
Lauren:
Fairly anomynous. Was often exposed by Pires, who didn’t seem to feel like defending very much at all.
5
Kolo Toure
Not his best game – he seemed to resort to just kicking the ball really really far. Needless to say, it didn’t work.
6
Pascal Cygan
I’ve seen him berated for his performance in various forums and the like, but I have to say, being there, he seemed ok. His distribution was much better than Kolo’s, and he seemed to hold the line well. He did have one erratic moment where he let Vennegoor get free, but apart from that he wasn’t too worrying. Still, I can’t really justify giving him more than a
6
Ashley Cole
I have no recollection of Ashley in the match whatsoever. For fairness’ sake, I’ll say
6
Robert Pires
In the first half, he was very average. In the second, he improved a little. However, defensively, he was pretty shoddy. He’s much much better coming from the left, and he didn’t seem at all happy out on the right last night.
6
Gilberto
Man of the Match. Yes, that’s right: Gilberto was Man of the Match. So many blocks and tackles, such good passing, and a few wonderful spins and tricks that we haven’t really seen before. I think being the main man during Paddy and Edu’s absence may have improved his confidence ten-fold.
9
Patrick Vieira
A very solid performance. Defensively he was excellent, and even got forward and into the box a few times, as evidenced in the goal. Needs to learn to shoot more often though. He’s really scored some crackers in the past, and often let’s good oppurtunities drift by.
8
Jose Reyes
Tried his best, as ever, but it didn’t quite come off for him tonight. He and Henry inter-changed fairly well up the left-hand-side, and Jose nearly got himself a goal early on, but for whatever reason, he didn’t quite click into gear tonight. He’s still a massive threat who looks dangerous every time he gets the ball, though. Was replaced by Edu, who did do very well. Central midfield now has a lot of competition for places.
7
Dennis Bergkamp
Not his best game. Linked up fairly well, but nothing really came off for him. Not really his fault – they sat Cocu on him and gave him very little space to work in.
5
Thierry Henry
Really gave his all, and nearly scored a couple of blinders cutting in from the left. Still the main man.
8
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In other news, I went for a long-sleeved home shirt with Premiership badges and Bergkamp 10 on the back. Standard.
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