Adebayor Cameo Wins The Day
1 comment October 27th, 2008
West Ham 0 – 2 Arsenal (Faubert 75 (og), Adebayor 90) – Highlights here
On a ground where we have won only once in past eight years, this has to be considered an excellent result. For much of the game it looked as if Robert Green’s heroics would deny us the three points, but a twenty-minute cameo from Emmanuel Adebayor secured the victory and kept us just four points off table-topping Liverpool.
With a very tough series of fixtures approaching, Arsene decided to make use of his squad. Adebayor, Sagna, and Toure were left on the bench, whilst Denilson was not even in the eighteen. That meant that Silvestre and Gallas were partnered at centre-half, with Song playing alongside Cesc and Bendtner and RVP (neither of whom started in Turkey) up top.
In the first half, we moved the ball well enough but Arsene was clearly somewhat frustrated by our reduced tempo. Diaby, Denilson and Adebayor all move the ball faster than their replacements did yesterday, and it occasionally showed. When we did play with tempo, chances came: one Walcott burst ended with him thumping an effort against the bar, whilst another saw him reach a Van Persie flick only to be denied by an extraordinary save from Green. Green also did well to turn a Bendter effort round the post after the Dane had cut in from the left. At the other end, the in-form Manuel Almunia did well to flick a Craig Bellamy effort over the bar with his outstretched boot.
In the second half, you began to fear it might be one of ‘those’ days. You know, ‘those’ days: the ones that make you want to sit on the floor and cry into your lukewarm porridge. It came as no surprise when Wenger decided to introduce Diaby and Adebayor. However, I was pretty shocked by his decision to withdraw Walcott (as well as Nasri), who had been our greatest attacking threat.
Nevertheless, the improvement was immediate. Van Persie moved out to the right, and Adebayor set about terrorising a West Ham defence that hasn’t kept a clean sheet since around 1912. However, it was the Dutchman’s turn to come close to scoring, firing a stunning free-kick against the up-right with Green well-beaten.
Robin was relishing the space afforded him on the right, and he cut in to play a part in the opening goal, slipping in Adebayor, who skipped past two challenges before firing across goal - Julien Faubert, panicked by the lurking presence of Bendtner, stabbed the ball past Green. It was no less than we deserved.
We then switched to a 4-5-1, with Bendtner dropping wide left. In the dying moments, this formation switch helped us grab a second. After the ball was cleared from our penalty area, Bendtner found himself in a bit of space well inside his own half. Showing off his playmaking credentials, he sprayed a fifty yard pass into the path of Adebayor, who rounded Green and finished coolly for his eighth of the season.
As I suggested: an excellent result on a ground where we haven’t always thrived. And as a cherry on this particular cake, what a lovely away kit we have this season.
Although Adebayor’s intervention was required to win the game, there were impressive showings from several ‘squad players’. Bendtner and Adebayor’s spat last season has left both players so eager to make up for previous wrongs that the two actually combine very well, and what with Spurs keeper Gomes’ vulnerability on crosses, I’d be tempted to see them both start on Wednesday. In midfield and defence, Alex Song and Mikael Silvestre both played excellent foils to their more talented partners. Song had his best game of the season, and his positional discipline granted freedom and space to the more illustrious Cesc Fabregas. Alongside Silvestre, meanwhile, Gallas had the best game I can remember his having in an Arsenal shirt.
Perhaps the reason is less to do with personnel and more to do with positioning. Gallas played on the right-side of the centre-backs: the position he operated in during his best years at Chelsea alongside John Terry. As with Terry, Gallas dropped off, allowing the taller Silvestre to challenge for high-balls whilst he mopped up behind.
As much as I love Kolo Toure, I can see Silvestre staying in the side for the game against Spurs, and possibly beyond if his partnership with Gallas proves to be effective.
With Harry Redknapp now in charge of the previously faltering Tottenham, Wednesday feels like a much tougher prospect. Nevertheless, with Adebayor rested and with his goal record against Tottenham, we have plenty of reason to be confident. More tomorrow.
