Archive for December, 2006
December 11th, 2006
With many fans expecting the worst, Arsenal produced a battling display to draw 1-1 with Chelsea in what was surely the game of the season so far. Indeed, but for an absolute screamer from Michael Essien, it could’ve been an unlikely victory.
Arsenal set up with a 4-5-1, with Mathieu Flamini filling Tomas Rosicky’s midfield role. I for one was disappointed to see him start, having hoped we might go with a more attacking option, but I was to be proven wrong late on.
The first half was a tense affair, with both sides taking it in turns to have their fair share of posession. The second half was a tad spicier, but it took until the 78th minute for it to really liven up: Mathieu Flamini played the ball wide to the excellent Alex Hleb, who tucked it back to the Frenchman to fire into the far corner. Against all the odds, it was once more one nil to the Arsenal.
Chelsea’s 84th-minute equaliser was the sort of goal you can do nothing about, and from then on it was mayhem, with Michael Essien and Frank Lampard both conspiring to hit the woodwork (for the second time in Lampard’s case) when scoring seemed easier.
Some felt that Chelsea’s goal should never have stood due to a foul by Cashley Cole in the build-up: personally, I hate it when fans moan about tiny decisions like this – the decisions do even themselves out in the end. Yes, perhaps the ref should’ve blown up, but overally he dealt with a difficult game extremely well, particularly in the case of a rather silly confrontation between Didier Drogba and Jens Lehmann. The two giants both pushed each other, taking it in turns to roll around like they’d been shot. Pathetic.
Jens didn’t have the best of games, looking dodgy on a couple of crosses and almost costing us the game by spilling a shot near the end. There is a school of thought that believes that with the World Cup now gone, his motivation may have dropped. One to watch out for.
It was an extremely young back four, with an average age of 21, and some did better than others. The youngest, Johan Djourou, kept Andriy Shevchenko as quiet as usual, whilst Gael Clichy had arguably his finest game of the season. However, Emmanuel Eboue and Philippe Senderos both looked shakey. Eboue’s tendency to over-play, as well as his steadfast refusal to mark Arjen Robben after he came on, could’ve proved extremely costly. Senderos, meanwhile, again came off worse in his duel with Drogba: at times, you felt sorry for the lad. I’m sure he’ll go on to be a great centre-half, but yesterday he wasn’t remotely comfortable. One a day when so many others with a point to prove succeeded, he lagged behind.
Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor both continued their evolution into top class forwards with a couple of good performances, with Adebayor particularly excelling. He really is immensely powerful, and if his new-found confidence brings with it some more composed finishing, he could be a real player for us. He certainly gave John Terry his toughest game for a while.
Our outstanding performer, though, was Gilberto Silva. After a year and a bit of Henry with the armband, it’s fantastic to see a real captain’s performance. One interception the Brazilian made defied belief: he was everywhere, and he also knew when to have a word with his team-mates to watch their positioning or cut the theatrics. A fantastic ambassador and on his day, a brilliant player. If he continues like this there will be calls for him to take up the captaincy on a permanent basis, but that’s a whole other article…
When you concede a late equaliser, it can sometimes feel like a defeat. But overall, we should be proud of what we achieved. When you look at the names we were missing, and the average age of the outfield players (23) compared to Chelsea’s (29), it was a stalwart performance with guts and desire.
We might not win the title, but with good results against the top sides we can certainly instill the squad with the belief they’ll require to launch a proper challenge next season.
ps. Congrats Theo and Niklas, one top award and another top performance.
December 10th, 2006
Today, we face Chelsea without Thierry Henry, Tomas Rosicky, William Gallas, and Kolo Toure. Henry is our talismanic skipper and star player, Rosicky our new midfield dynamo, and Gallas and Kolo the centre-back pairing so impressive against the likes of Liverpool. For most people, this is cause for concern. I’m lying. For everyone, it’s a cause for conern. However, for some it’s a sign of impending doom, and it needn’t be. The absence of these four players simply opens the door for others, who have arguably more to prove.
Henry will again be replaced by Emmanuel Adebayor, who is making a name for himself as a big-name player. He’ll be dreaming of emulating his hero Kanu’s hat-rick at Stamford Bridge, but one goal would be enough to ensure he’ll be fondly remembered by Arsenal fans everywhere.
Rosicky will most likely be replaced by Mathieu Flamini, though if we have a more attacking shape, Freddie Ljungberg or Julio Baptista might have a chance of starting. Flamini is fighting for his Arsenal future ahead of the return of Abou Diaby and the emergence of Denilson; Ljungberg is facing off against critics and the influence of age; and Baptista is desperate to get regular first-team football and a long-term contract.
Finally, Gallas and Toure will be replaced by Johan Djourou and Philippe Senderos, two players who are usually in direct competition with each other for a place in the first-sixteen. Djourou will be hoping to continue his impressive evolution into a top-class centre-back, but Senderos has a very particular bone to pick with Chelsea’s Ivorian striker, Didier Drogba.
All these individuals have something to prove. Indeed, the entire team needs to show that they are a serious Premiership and Champions League contender. And that could work in our favour – perhaps that added bit of a desire could prove the difference. Let’s hope so.
December 9th, 2006
As you will know, the Club consistently sells out its allocation for away matches and the support from the fans has been tremendous both domestically and across Europe. Your commitment to Arsenal Football Club is very much appreciated by the players and everyone associated with the Club.
Those of you attending the above match on Sunday will know there are a number of actions planned against individuals at Chelsea by a small minority of Arsenal fans. Frankly, this isn’t good enough. “A small minority”? You should all be planning action against that Judas, even if it’s as simple as yelling out, “Wanker”. The Club would like all supporters to be aware that anyone not found to be bringing in inflatable mobile phones or fake bank notes will probably be either refused entry or ejected from the ground. Arsenal Football Club would like to stress that it does not normally tolerate any foul or abusive behaviour, but this is a special case. We are working closely with both Chelsea Football Club and the relevant authorities to ensure that Sunday’s match will be played in a safe and positive environment for everybody (except Cole. Wanker).
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Of course, that’s just the Unofficial Club Statement. The Official Club Statement is here, and if you don’t want to get arrested or banned or whatever, it’s probably better to follow their advice rather than mine. It’s also Arsene’s advice, and he seems to be gunning for some kind of award in stating the obvious:
“Recently in Paris we had a dead guy in a game and that is not what we want in football. It is not made for that.”
Team news: Djourou is fit, Gallas is not. Philippe Senderos will start against his old adversary, Drogba. Julio Baptista is itching for a game:
“It would be a dream to be picked to face Chelsea on Sunday. I don’t know if the coach will start me at Stamford Bridge, but what I do know is that every player wants to be involved in these games and I am no different.”
…but he probably won’t get one.
Young Guns: Roy Keane wants to sign Anthony Stokes, and Theo Walcott might win the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.
There’s a possibility I’ll be amongst the Chelsea fans for the game on Sunday, which would be a) hilarious if we won, or b) terrible if we lost. Just terrible.
But we’ll win, surely?
Ps. Great Some minds think alike.
December 8th, 2006
As some of you may know, over the past few months I have really struggled for regular internet access. The main people to blame are the Internet Service Provider I foolishly signed up to upon moving into my new flat. Let’s give them and imaginary name. Let’s call them, say, “SpeakSpeak”.
Well, after complaining to the CEO of “SpeakSpeak”, I finally have the internet that I started paying for some months ago. Obviously, I’m delighted. But you should all be pleased too. In my absence the site has fallen down ever-so-slightly: less articles, less exclusives, and less translations from dodgy foreign press reports about players we’re “set to sign”. But now, I’m back online. And that also leaves me in a much better position to police the comments section on a daily basis.
A win for Arsenal against Chelsea would have much the same effect as me getting the internet will have on this website: reinvigoration, and a fresh start. Gilberto, for one, believes that we’re in the process of “saving our season”.
The Brazilian might have to fill in at centre-back if Johan Djourou and William Gallas don’t recover, though it looks like Djourou will make it. Either way, Philippe Senderos looks set to start, and Jens Lehmann think he may finally get over his phobia of Didier Drogba:
“Philippe will be OK against [Didier] Drogba – he’s intelligent. It’s not a problem. He has played some great games this year so we will see how he will cope on Sunday.”
It’d be a shame for Gallas to miss the game, as his appearance would add a lot spice. Should he not play, Emmanuel Adebayor says “We will all be playing for William on Sunday”, and talks of being ready for “war” with Chelsea: it may well feel like war with the presence of Ashley Cole. Lehmann says of the traitor:
“Of course Ashley should expect criticism from supporters on Sunday. He should get criticism. f he didn’t it would have meant that he wasn’t an important player, but he was. So obviously he should expect some negative emotions when he plays against Arsenal. I do not understand why young players write books. I do not know why a player at 25 wants to tell me all about their big experiences. When I consider the age I am now, I would have a lot to tell people. But it seems to be an English habit to come out with books that nobody needs.”
If any opposition fans wonder why Jens Lehmann is so popular at Arsenal, they need only look at the honest and forthright views displayed in those quotes.
Expect more team news and build-up as we hurtle towards Sunday’s showdown…
December 7th, 2006
If you missed this game, there is nothing you need to know. It was terrible. The last twenty minutes were almost embarrassing as the two teams just passed the ball around until the clock ran down. The whole thing was so entirely pointless.
Apart from one point. The point that meant we topped the group and secured qualification. Boring though it was, we can’t really complain: we did the job that was required of us.
The one downside (apart from having to sit through the thing) was a hamstring injury to Johan Djourou which could keep him out of Sunday’s clash with Chelsea. With William Gallas only having a 20% chance of playing, we could be looking at Gilberto, Justin Hoyte, or (dun dun dun) Alex Song at centre-back. Start panicking.
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