Archive for March, 2006
March 7th, 2006
Highbury is bracing itself for one more star-studded spectacle tomorrow night, as Arsenal aim to finish off the wounded Real Madrid.
But if there’s one thing we know about wounded animals, it’s that they’re liable to retaliate, viciously. And when you rile men like Ronaldo, Beckham, Raul, and Zidane, you find yourself right in the firing line of some of the biggest talents in world football.
Speculation suggests that Ronaldo could be dropped. Personally, I think he’ll return to the side. No-one has forgotten the way in which he destroyed Manchester United on these shores a couple of years back. He’s single-handedly capable of winning Madrid this tie, probably without breaking into a run.
Arsenal’s side will be much the same as the one that triumphed 1-0 in Madrid. We need to play our own game, keep it tight, and not concede. But against Madrid, that’s incredibly touch. A couple of away goals for them, and we’re in big trouble. A frightening thought.
The fact that we even have a chance of beating them with a central midfielder at left-back and a clutch of teenagers throughout the side is testament to the way in which the younger players have performed this season. It is fitting that Ashley Cole and Sol Campbell have failed to make the squad. Tomorrow night is about the youngsters who’ve mucked in all season long. This is their chance for greatness.
I’m sure they won’t disappoint.
March 6th, 2006
Former Arsenal full-back Moritz Volz was torn apart on Saturday, as we grabbed four goals from our once unstoppable left-hand-side, which had been rejuvenated by a stunning performance from Fredrik Ljungberg.
First Abou Diaby, starting with Cesc Fabregas given a rest on the bench, played in Thierry Henry. One touch knocked the ball past Volz, and a second blasted it left-footed into the near top corner. A fantastic goal.
Then Ljungberg set off on one of many foraging runs, allowing Adebayor space to creep in behind poor Volzy and clip home our second.
Things didn’t get any better for Volzy in the second half. He started it off by fighting with his own team-mate, Zat Knight, and before long had been beaten again for Henry to grab a second.
His misery was far from complete. A now near-tearful Volz was beaten for pace by the hardly lightning-quick Mathieu Flamini, who cut-back for sub Cesc to make it four.
An excellent performance ahead of Madrid on Wednesday.
The moral of the story?
Don’t leave Arsenal.
March 4th, 2006
Teenage midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who made an impressive debut for Spain midweek, has been targeted by Real Madrid. Spanish Sports Paper Marca claimed that he was the top target of new Real chief Fernando Martin.
The recent win in Madrid and Cesc’s subsequent international debut have raised his profile massively, and Real’s interest does not come as a surprise. However, Real forget that at his heart, Cesc is a Barca boy. If he were ever to leave Arsenal, it would be for the Catalan club.
He himself says, “all that matters at the moment is Arsenal”, whilst Arsene Wenger is in no mood to sell, adding, “They can offer him nothing at the moment because they are not much more sure than we are to be in the Champions League.”
Today, Arsenal play away at Fulham. Robert Pires is out with the flu, and Jens Lehmann‘s deputy Manuel Almunia has a hand problem. Freddie Ljungberg and Dennis Bergkamp return, but Ashley Cole, Sol Campbell (both ankle), Robin van Persie (toe) Pascal Cygan (hamstring), Theo Walcott (rested), Kerrea Gilbert (back) Lauren (knee) and Clichy (foot) are all still out. Hilarious.
We’re playing away from home, so the chances are we’ll lose.
Let’s see.
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