Steaua 0 – 1 Arsenal: An exemplary European win
Add comment October 3rd, 2007
Nine consecutive wins. Eleven wins and a draw from twelve games this season. And no goals conceded in our last five outings. Stopping Arsenal is going to be a hell of a task, and last night Steaua Bucharest simply weren’t up to it.
Myles Palmer called it “a flat night, a dull encounter”, but perhaps he was watching Manchester United by mistake. I thought our performance was pretty much everything you’d hope for in a tricky Champions League game away from home – for one twenty minute spell in the first-half we looked head and shoulders above the opposition. Granted, it was hardly a thrashing, but we were still recovering from a physical encounter with West Ham and missing the injured Gallas, Rosicky, Diaby, Eduardo, and Lehmann. When you look at our previous record in Eastern Europe, the result becomes all the more impressive.
When we finally broke the deadlock, it was Robin van Persie who scored his fifth goal of the season. Emmanuel Adebayor’s pace took him beyond the back-line on the left, and his cut-back missed Fabregas but was swept into the top corner by Van Persie. A stunning finish. I don’t have a video to hand right now but I’m sure the excellent 101greatgoals will have one soon enough.
A quick mention for Mathieu Flamini who I thought was outstanding again and is earning the praise of opposition managers and players alike. Hopefully it’ll be enough to earn him a new contract.
We’re now effectively half way to qualification for the next round. Our next two European games pit us against Slavia Prague – win those, and we’re through. Not bad, eh?
And now onto the latest press bombardment from Red & White, who have craftily shifted David Dein out of the limelight and allowed the Russian’s to talk for themselves. Usmanov says:
“I am grateful that David decided to sell his shares to me and not someone else, but we don’t want his relationship with the board to affect in any way my relationship with the board. I want to establish my own personal relationship. From the outside we will try to convince David to be less hostile to the board. And we will make an effort to pacify the board in their conflict with him.”
You have to laugh at Dein. Having sold his shares to Usmanov in an attempt to launch a takeover of the club, he’s now being pushed aside as Usmanov realises the board will never welcome The Orange One’s presence anywhere near the club.
The Times call these recent developments a ‘Peace Deal’. I think it’s more to do with Usmanov trying to buy time. He’s seen how resolute the board are, and having realised a takeover is nigh-impossible in the short-term, he wants to smooth things out to facilitate his long-term plans. And that, he’s quickly realising, means ditching Dein.
Top of our tables at home and in Europe. I’m smiling more than Gilles Sunu.
