Archive for August, 2008
August 31st, 2008
Arsenal 3 – 0 Newcastle (Van Persie 19Â (pen), 40, Denilson 59)
Highlights (courtesy of 101 greatgoals); Manager reaction
The above scoreline is becoming pleasingly predictable. I haven’t checked (it’s Sunday – too much effort), but I think yesterday’s result means we’ve had the same scoreline on the last three occasions this fixture has been played.
Since the defeat at Fulham, the team has responded in terrific fashion, scoring seven times and keeping two clean sheets. Although we were facing an under-strength Newcastle side, in aesthetic terms our performance yesterday was as good as anything we produced last season. The only criticism is an equally familiar refrain: we could and should have scored many, many more.
We weren’t helped by a referee who failed to give an absolute stick-on penalty in the first ten minutes, when Coloccini brought down Van Persie. No matter – the Dutchman would get another opportunity later on. William Gallas also conspired to miss an absolute sitter at the far post, before an Emmanuel Adebayor cross was handled by N’Zogbia, and the referee belatedly pointed to the spot. Van Persie made no mistake, thrashing his spot-kick low into the corner.
The front-two were running riot, and our second goal came when Adebayor broke down the right and crossed for Eboue. The Ivorian, who put in his best performance for some months, had the ball stuck under his feet, but managed to backheel into the path of the onrushing Van Persie, who right-footedly (I know, I was amazed too) smashed it into the top of the net.
Our third was also a thing of beauty. Nasri and Adebayor dallied in the penalty area, until the Togolese slipped a perfect pass through to Denilson, who slid in his first Premier League goal.
In and around those strikes were bad misses from Adebayor and Walcott, good Given saves to deny Toure (twice) and Nasri, and an RVP effort from a quite unbelievable angle that struck the crossbar. It really could have been anything. We looked occasionally vulnerable at the back, but the return of Cesc has reinvigorated our midfield. Eboue was very productive on the right, whilst Samir Nasri continues on his path towards hero status – after Joey Barton tackled him particularly aggressively, Nasri got up, stared him out, then earned himself a booking with a sneaky trip five minutes later. I enjoyed.
Denilson’s defensive game was improved, but sadly his passing is very wayward at the moment. It’s almost as if he has a limited number of ‘skill points’, and in order to improve his tackling, he had to sacrifice a few points off the ole’ passing. That analogy will only make sense to people who’ve spent too much time playing RPGs. If you don’t know what an RPG is, then you needn’t worry: you’re probably just cool. The point is: a central midfielder is still required.
Upfront, Adebayor and Van Persie were excellent, and Carlos Vela made an impressive debut from the bench. The only down-side from the game was that Van Persie, having seemingly hit form, departed with an ankle injury. Of course. Early signs are positive, but even so, his constant vulnerability is a perrennial worry. Every time he is tackled the stadium is silent and the other players rush over to him. I am genuinely concerned that if these injuries continue, he’ll never fulfill his extraordinary potential.
It was an excellent win, but we’re still a midfielder light, and there is just a day and a half to go. Stick with us here on Gunnerblog as we bring you the latest as we hear it.
(That’s the Royal ‘we’. It’ll only be me.)
August 30th, 2008
The past couple of days have seen the Champions League and League Cup draws made. In Europe we face FC Porto, Fenerbahce, and Dynamo Kiev. There is not really such a thing as an easy Champions League group, but at the same time there is nothing that suggests to me we will struggle to qualify. Arsene, typically, was disappointed at the travel involved but the draw has been kind to us in that we face European opposition at home before the vital clashes with Chelsea and Man U in November.
In the League Cup we’re at home to familiar opponents Sheffield United – a home draw always helps our kids on their first forays into the first-team, and I think we’ll have a very good chance of progressing there.
Patrick Vieira has obviously been watching our games this season:
“This season they need to sign a midfield player, a big leader in the middle. Arsene has made good signings over the years and I hope he will find somebody right for the club.”
Yes, Patrick. Someone like you, really. Well, it seems there is plenty of money to spend. This one is obviously going to go right to the wire…
This evening we face in-form Newcastle. The squad will be exactly the same as the one that faced Twente, but the likes of Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor could be brought back in to the side. With the International break coming up, it’d be great to get the three points and not fall too far off the pace.
That’s all from me. If you want more, listen to yesterday’s arsecast. Tata.
August 28th, 2008
I’m sure FC Twente were better in the first leg. Perhaps, as arseblogger remarked to me this morning whilst recording the arsecast, they are simply getting exponentially worse the longer Steve McClaren is at the reigns. Nevertheless, last night was just what we needed. A win, a clean sheet, and plenty of goals.
The team was stronger than I had anticipated, and it was certainly the right decision. Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor were left out, replaced by Johan Djourou and Nicklas Bendtner, but other than that it was our strongest XI. That meant that Cesc Fabregas made his first appearance of the season, and the dominant nature of our victory is indicative of the positive influence he exerts on the side.
The Twente left-back was somewhat clueless, and the sprightly Theo Walcott tormented him all night long. It was his cross that allowed Robin van Persie to touch the ball back for Samir Nasri, whose dummy took out three men before Nasri’s deflected left-foot strike rolled in to give us the lead. That’s two in two home games for Nasri, and I really like the look of him. If he keeps up that scoring record, then by December he’ll have scored more goals than Hleb did in his entire Arsenal career…
Walcott squared again for Van Persie, who somehow missed the open goal from about eight yards. One has to hope that a) once RVP gets one his shooting boots will be firmly back on, and b) that he doesn’t get injured before that has a chance to happen. However, after half-time, arguably our best goal-poacher (centre-half William Gallas) tapped in the second after the keeper had kept out a Bendtner shot.
The third goal is the one that caught the headlines – Bendtner miscontrolled, but Theo Walcott zoomed onto the ball before curling it round the goalie with such style that his number 14 shirt seemed to fit him snugger than ever. More of that will be expected of him this season.
Bendtner’s miscontrol was typical of a night in which little seemed to go for the young Dane. However, late on, a lovely move ended with a delicious Denilson backheel into Bedntner’s path, and this time he simply couldn’t miss.
So we’re into today’s Champions League draw, which is all that really matters. Goals here and Arsene’s reaction here. If you’re in the UK you can watch the whole game on BBC iPlayer.
Transfer News
August 27th, 2008
If you ask me, this tie is already won. Even playing as badly as we did against Fulham, I can’t see us going out of the Champions League tonight. I’m sure Arsene agrees, and that’s why I believe he’ll field a weakened side tonight.
Imagine a weakened version of the side that played at Fulham. I have, and it’s made me quietly glad I won’t be at the Emirates tonight.
Cesc Fabregas is fit again, but I’d be a little surprised to see him start. Arsene will presumably pick two random names out of the hat full of terrible players that comprise his midfield collection, whilst promising pair Nicklas Bendtner and Carlos Vela could play upfront. Alex Song might start his first game of the season, and there may even be a debut for teenage tyro Jack Wilshere.
Although it might not be our best XI, anything less than a win and frustrations from Saturday’s defeat will become very apparent very quickly.
Philippe Senderos had a medical at Milan today, and his move should be rubber-stamped in the morning. If you listen to Arsene you’ll get the impression that Phil might well be back from Milan, but in reality I think that’s unlikely – the fact that he’s essentially telling the Swiss that he is sixth choice in his position is pretty indicative of Arsene’s assessment of Senderos’ capabilities.
To anyone who is going to the game tonight – get behind the team. They need it.
August 26th, 2008
Philippe Senderos will today sign for AC Milan on a season-long loan deal with a view to a permanent move. Whilst I’ll be interested to see if Arsenal.com mention the possibility of a permanent move, it’s clear this isn’t a Havard Nordveit-style loan move for development’s sake – Philippe is being allowed to move on because Arsene considers him dispensible.
That in itself is somewhat of a watershed. Senderos is rare in that he’s one of the first of Wenger’s ‘projects’ to be abandoned. After years of investing time and money in the Swiss defender’s potential, he has now decided to let him go, seemingly preferring to rely on new signing Mikael Silvestre. For the first time in years, Arsene has chosen a veteran over a youngster. And that might not be such a bad thing. Firstly because it might suggest he recognises that his youth experiment has its limits, but secondly because Senderos could never have become the player we needed him to be at a club as lacking in experienced defensive experts as Arsenal.
Arsene Wenger is many things, but he is not a defensive coach. His interest is primarily in attacking or creative players. The great centre-backs he’s had (Adams, Keown, Campbell) have all been either bought or inherited. Kolo Toure is an astonishing athlete and outstanding footballer, but not a born defender. Senderos is. Like John Terry or Nemanja Vidic, it’s inconcievable that Senderos could play in any other position on the field. Wenger does not understand these creatures. They are foreign to him and to his way of thinking. And one has the impression that most of the coaching staff feel the same.
Defending is seen as a secondary art at Arsenal. Arsene was lucky to inherit the world’s best back four, and then to have a defensive phenomenon like Sol Campbell to carry him through the early part of the decade. But since Sol’s departure, the deficiencies in our coaching have become clear – we don’t have a cohesive defensive unit, and are clueless when it comes to set pieces.
For a time, it seemed like Senderos would be the solution to that problem. When Campbell was out injured in both 2005 and 2006, he came in and was outstanding, particularly in our record-breaking run to the Champions League final. Toure and Senderos was a defensive partnership that had a towering stopper and a quick recovering defender – it is the formula that made Adams/Keown and Campbell/Toure such successful pairings. What’s more, the proof was there – it worked, keeping out the likes of Juventus and Real Madrid.
But then Arsene bought William Gallas. And more than the arrival of Silvestre, more than the Champions League exit at Anfield, more than his travails against Didier Drogba, that is what did for Senderos’ Arsenal career. It tells you something about the esteem in which he was held at that point that many assumed Gallas had been bought to play at left-back and replace Ashley Cole.
Gallas is a good defender, and one can understand why Arsene wanted to bring in what he considered proven quality, but he’s hardly been an unequivocal success, has he? One can’t help but wonder what might have happened if Arsene had stuck with Senderos and Toure – not only might we have had a central defensive pairing that functioned, but we might have had a leader and organiser to boot. As it was, Senderos’ confidence was shattered by Wenger’s continually wavering faith, and he became the nervous wreck fans grew to doubt.
But I can’t help but feel that Senderos did not fail us. We failed him, by failing to have a structure in place that was able to his exploit his undoubted potential – just think back to his remarkable European debut at home to Bayern Munich. He is right to move. I now firmly believe he’ll go on to have a good career, starting with an immediate improvement in the slower-paced, defensively astute Italian league. We at Arsenal won’t benefit from that – if he does well, he’ll be staying there permanently, and if he doesn’t then we’ll get back a faltering player who knows the manager no longer values him. Senderos’ Arsenal career is over, whatever the nature of today’s transfer.
The loan apparently brings with it a £1.5m fee. More money into the ‘Save Our Midfield’ fund. Less than a week now, Arsene. We’re waiting.
UPDATE: This story says Gokhan Inler has extended his contract with Udinese. Translation available here. Not only is time running out, but options too.
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