Archive for October, 2008
October 20th, 2008
Arsenal 3 – 1 Everton (Osman 9, Nasri 48, Van Persie 70, Walcott 90) Highlights
At half-time, this wasn’t looking good. It would be easy to blame the selection: Alex Song at right-back was the most bizarre of Arsene’s choices. But the performance from every single player on the pitch had not been good enough. An early Everton goal, coming when Denilson had failed to track Osman’s run, had evaporated our currently fragile confidence.
Fortunately, Everton’s confidence is slightly more fragile than ours, and when we came flying out of the blocks at the start of the second half, their blue heads noticably dropped. Their despair was compunded by a Samir Nasri strike from the edge of the box after a corner was cleared. Nasri had been quiet in the first-half, but was instrumental in the second-half turnaround. He is a really gutsy player, and has an almost typically-English spikiness. Does anyone miss Hleb?
*waits*
Anyone?
*waits. tumbleweed passes*
Ok, good.
There were chances for more goals, with Robin van Persie converting (in the rugby sense, not the goal sense) a marvellous opportunity when substitute Walcott squared from the right. The Dutchman eventually got the goal, however – Emmanuel Adebayor twisted in the penalty box in a manner that was reminiscent of his dances with Thierry Henry, before squaring for Cesc’s shot to be parried into the patch of Van Persie, who nodded home.
The third arrived in injury time when Walcott played a one-two with the returning Abou Diaby to fire a shot somewhat fortunately through Tim Howard’s legs. Undoubtedly Theo made an impact, but as Arsene intimates in this article, it’s not as simple as his introduction sparking the turnaround. We were terrible (as a team) in the first-half, and significantly improved (as a team) in the second.
The side are obviously a bit low on confidence, particularly the two strikers, and hopefully this win will go some way towards gettings us back on track. There are some big fixtures on the horizon that could well define our season.
Mikael Silvestre made his debut at centre-back and I have to say I thought he did very well. He was up against Yakubu, who is a hell of a handful, but showed good composure to help us regain control in the second half. Whilst he may no longer be good enough to play regularly, his ability in the air and left-foot add a balance to our defence that lacks when Toure and Gallas start.
Tomorrow night in Turkey, we’ll have to do without both our regular centre-backs after Toure picked up a shoulder injury in the game against Everton. Fortunately, Johan Djourou is back to partner Silvestre in what will be another make-shift backline.
With Gallas and Toure absent, Manuel Almunia will presumably wear the captain’s armband, just as he did against Everton.
Why? Almunia is a lovely bloke and a decent keeper, but why are we seemingly consciously preventing a man who consistently denies stories of disloyalty to the club and shows more committment and heart on the pitch than perhaps any other player from inheriting the captaincy? Cesc as captain is an inevitability, so why not give him a bit of practise as third choice now?
Nothing would please me more than to see Cesc walk out with the armband tomorrow night. Other, perhaps, than a stonking Arsenal win. Preview tomorrow.
October 16th, 2008
There is nothing worse than watching a game on television when one of the commentators clearly has an axe to grind, or a grudge to bear. Watching England take on Belarus on Setanta Sport, I was subjected to the exhausting rants of a certain Chris Waddle.
Waddle made a fool of himself last week when he suggested dropping England’s hatrick hero of Zagreb, Theo Walcott. The former England winger was widely mocked across a variety of phone-ins and other football media, and is obviously feeling bitter about it. During the game this evening, every touch Walcott had was scrutinised, and even when the sprightly winger embarked on a couple of impressive runs, his final ball and shots were criticised, despite being of more than acceptable quality.
Before half-time, with England all-square at 1-1, Waddle suggested he would replace Walcott with Wright-Phillips at half-time. What a surprise. But why? I like Wrighty’s son, but what would he offer that Theo couldn’t?
Eventually, a fading Walcott was withdrawn for Wright-Phillips. At this point, Waddle’s lunacy reached its nadir. He claimed that Walcott didn’t deserve a starting spot, and as a backup for his argument pointed out that goals aside, Wayne Rooney had been the better player in Zagreb.
So what? Did he have a bet on Rooney to be voted man of the match in that game, or something? What’s more, a huge part of the reason Rooney looked so good in that game was because he had Walcott’s runs to find from deep – I’m sure the United man would admit that himself.
Walcott will have games where he doesn’t impress. He will over-run the ball, miscue crosses, and miss chances. But he is also the quickest English player I have ever seen, with occasionally exceptional timing of his runs. On those occasions, he provides a cutting edge that a more consistent player like Wright-Phillips is incapable of offering. Fabio Capello has proven himself to be no fool. He knows he has plenty of solid footsoldiers in the midfield. He picks Walcott because when he gets it right, he can be the difference.
Most of the country accept that Walcott cannot score a hatrick in every game. They recognise that he is the best option for the right-wing in the build-up to 2010, and are prepared to give him the neccessary time to find the consistency required. Meanwhile, Walcott’s presence is hardly damaging England’s results, is it?
I don’t know what Waddle’s got such a bee in his bonnet about. Maybe it’s the fact that in one game in Zagreb, Theo scored half as many goals as Waddle managed in more than sixty caps.
Time to get over yourself Chris. As Walcott improves, you’re only going to look sillier.
October 15th, 2008
Earlier this season, Arsene Wenger made a comment in a press conference that until now has escaped much media attention. After being asked to discuss Theo Walcott’s process for the umpteenth time, Wenger caually inserted the fact that Walcott was not alone in undergoing a transformative process – in fact, Arsene suggested that Aaron Ramsey’s improvement in training was just as dramatic.
Last night, as Wales and England squared off at U21 level, that assertion began to bear fruit. Playing just off the striker, Ramsey scored one absolute belter and set up another (highlights here). Even England coach Stuart Pearce was moved to comment on the excellence of Ramsey’s performance. With another chance to impress in the Carling Cup on the horizon, it surely won’t be long until the Welshman is challenging Denilson for a first-team place.
Jason Banton, who had already once defected to Tottenham Hotspur, has left to join Blackburn. Frankly, we should never have let him come back from Spurs. Sod all that prodigal son nonsense. Once a traitor, always a traitor.Â
Finally today, Emmanuel Adebayor has been nominated for the African Player of the Year. It’s a prestigious award, and judging by his 30 goals last season, he’s got to be in with a shout. With Drogba and Eto’o having such poor seasons last year, this is probably his best ever chance to pick up the top individual prize in African football.
Walcott-watch tonight. Apparently Hleb won’t be playing, which is a shame, because I’d love to see his weird wonky face as Theo zooms past him.
October 13th, 2008
It’s like the Gods of league football have pressed pause, and in this horriffic, purgatorial interim we are being forced to swallow the banale mediocrity of International competition.
Some of our players have been playing for their countries. Most of them, it appears, have got injured, with Bacary Sagna reportedly joining Djourou, Gallas, and Robin van Persie on the casualties list.
At least Theo Walcott‘s presence, combined with the not-neccessarily-‘on’ yet ultimately hilarious booing of Ashley Cole, gives Arsenal fans a reason to take interest in England’s peformances once more.
Still, the quicker this all of over the better. Hopefully we might have eleven players left able to stand by the time Saturday rolls around.
October 6th, 2008
Sunderland 1 – 1 Arsenal (Leadbitter 85, Fabregas 90+2); Highlights courtesy of 101greatgoals
Look at that picture. Cesc Fabregas beating four Sunderland men to the ball to power in a last gasp equaliser. Proof, if it were ever required, that aerial challenges are as much about ‘wanting it’ as height, heading ability, or experience. Given how frequently we concede or fail to score from set-pieces, there’s plenty we could learn from young Cesc’s example.
The side are obviously lacking confidence. Otherwise you wouldn’t go to Sunderland with one up top having put four past Porto in midweek. As arseblogger astutely points out, we just don’t have the personnel for the 4-5-1 system we employed. Without Flamini or Gilberto, we lack a natural holding midfielder. Many have touted Song for the role, but on Saturday he played in a more advanced role than Denilson. It was a bizarre set-up, compounded by the fact that it forced Cesc to play in a more advanced ‘number 10’ role. This immediately limits his ability to dictate the pace of the game. Spain occasionally get away with playing him there, but behind him they have the playmaking skills of Xavi to rely on. We have Song. That’s no disrespect to Song, but we really are missing Flamini. The Frenchman is currently playing second fiddle to Rino Gattuso at Milan. Despite that, I still suspect we miss him far more than he misses us – the money probably eases his pain.
Out wide, Robin van Persie is a disaster. I have seen him play well as a left-winger only once – in an away game against Reading. He has a real lack of pace, which renders him unable to go outside his man. His quality is undoubted – his whipped corner produced our goal – but he is by no means a wide-man. On the left flank, I’d rather see Eboue start than Van Persie. Indeed, just why Samir Nasri returned to the bench is beyond me.
That said, a draw is not a disastrous result. And however late our equaliser came, it wasn’t a lucky escape. Losing would have represented the most extraordinary bad luck, especially after suffering defeat at the hands of two wonder goals just a week earlier. And as for us being ‘in’ or ‘out’ of the title race at this insanely early stage… well, it’s just nonsense. The BBC’s live-text service exemplifies just how jerky and knee-orientated these reactions are:
1644: GOAL Sunderland 1-0 Arsenal
Title over for Arsenal and it’s another unbelievable hit they’ve gone down to.
1650: “This probably wont be posted for obvious reasons. ‘Title over for Arsenal’? Are you for real? After seven games… get a grip.”
Sean, London, via text on 81111
Three defeats in seven games, to Fulham, Hull and Sunderland? Yeah, it’s title over mate. Sorry.
1651: GOAL Sunderland 1-1 Arsenal
OK, so maybe they are still in the title race.
Idiotic, really. At this stage it’s still very much ‘a game at a time’.
For anyone who is starting to worry about the health of the squad:
Fear not. The Messiah is here.
ps. The site just died. I don’t know why. Hmmmm.
Next Posts
Previous Posts
