PSV 1 – 0 Arsenal: Flat as a pancake
126 comments February 21st, 2007
Arsenal’s Pancake Day performance was unfortunately about as flat as the tasty snack, and there was a lot more lemon than sugar.
The first half was played at friendly pace. PSV were obviously desperate to keep a clean sheet, and yet it looked like there were goals there for the taking – Tomas Rosicky had an effort cleared off the line, and you felt that if we stepped up a gear in the second-half we could get two or three.
But we didn’t. Having been lulled into a false sense of security by the slow pace of the Dutch side, it was no surprise when the sucker punch came – a long-range strike from Edison Mendez. We had all talked about it in the build up to the game – Arsene, Senderos, and RvP – but they still managed to pull off their one-card trick.Â
And still we showed no sign of picking things up. There’s no point cross-examining individuals when the entire team played awfully. There was no sharpness, no movement, and no cohesion. The pitch was like a snooker table – we made it look like a bog. Our guys were falling over, miscontrolling – it was like we were wading through three feet of poo, not playing on what was for the time of year a fantastic surface.
The defeat means that a PSV goal at the Emirates would leave us needing three. It’s worth noting that they did defend very well, and it certainly leaves us with a tough task in the second leg.
It’s slightly concerning after the sub-standard Blackburn performance, but I think perhaps the midfield are just somewhat jaded. Based on their performances in Carling and FA Cups, it might be worth giving the likes of Denilson and Diaby a go to freshen it up somewhat.
Oh, and here’s some boring financial stuff. Technically, we’re in a better financial position than Chelsea.
Technically.
