Archive for February, 2009
February 23rd, 2009
Arsenal 0 – 0 Sunderland
Highlights here; Arsene’s reaction here
One a weekend when Aston Villa suffered a potentially morale-sapping defeat to Chelsea, we had the perfect opportunity to seize some initiative and close the gap to just four points. All we had to do was beat Sunderland at home – and with the greatest of respect to the Mackems, it’s not the toughest task for a club that would claim to be part of the league’s elite. But as you all now know, we failed.
There are many reasons we failed to win. They are linked to the reasons we failed to beat West Ham and Tottenham. Three consecutive 0-0 draws in the league is almost unheard of under Arsene, and is a damning indictment of the failings of this Arsenal side.
To me it was clear that the real problem on Saturday lay in central midfield. Denilson and Song were afforded plenty of space by Sunderland, partly because the opposition quickly realised that neither player had the technique nor the vision to make anything of the possession they were granted. I went onto The Guardian’s chalkboard facility and made a diagram of Denilson’s passing patterns: there was only one pass into the final third, and it was unsuccessful. The rest of the passes were shown by short etched marks across the pitch – short, often little more than five yards, and always, without fail, sideways.
I was going to post it here. But then I remembered an image I’ve been meaning to use for a while – it’s a poll from Arsenal.com. Enjoy:
Zero percent of Arsenal fans want to see the pairing of Song and Denilson starting games. And yet they are, on a regular basis. Granted, that’s down to Cesc’s injury, but we knew about that before the January Transfer Window opened. And even with Cesc, I am absolutely convinced that neither of those players represent genuine long-term options. Unless of course, we’re happy with the UEFA Cup – or possibly worse.
And if things continue at this rate, that is where we will end up. We are not only relying on Villa or Chelsea to have a poor run of results, but on ourselves finding form that looks a million miles away at the moment. People will point to the forthcoming return of the likes of Fabregas, but I can’t help but feel that by then it may be too late. Three points from the last nine is a fairly pitiful return at the time of the season when every game represents an opportunity to close in on that vital Champions League spot. We ought to be throwing caution to the wind. Instead, we’re throwing the advantage to Villa.
The one positive was the debut of Andrey Arshavin, who (whilst clearly lacking in fitness) fired off a couple of cracking shots and delivered one excellent cross for Nicklas Bendtner. He played from the right, but often swapped positions with both Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie. Perhaps the most encouraging thing about his debut was the experience he displayed: after moves broke down, he would talk to the likes of Van Persie and Bendtner about the runs he wanted them to make; similarly, when Manuel Almunia picked up the ball, Arshavin would point to where he thought the ball ought to be distributed. He has a bit of personality about him – something we really lack. All of that said, he is absolutely tiny – I genuinely thought he was the mascot when he waddled out of the tunnel.
That’s it from me today. It’s Roma tomorrow, and that is starting to look like a very daunting tie. Preview tomorrow morning.
February 22nd, 2009
But I’m at work, and will be getting up horribly early. For that reason, I’m writing a little midnight note to you all.
The underlying sentiment is: don’t panic. We will qualify for the Champions League, Robin will sign his new deal, Cesc will convince half of his national team to come and join us, and we’ll all live happily after. Keep repeating that, and it should guarantee you a restful end to your weekend.
If, however, you wish to hear The Truth, come back on Monday. I warn you: it won’t be pretty.
February 21st, 2009
I think we’re all used to Arsene Wenger being somewhat conservative about his new signings, insisting that they will require six months to adapt and urging fans to show patience. Patience, after all, seems to be the defining feature of the latest incarnation of Wenger’s management philosophy – so much so that he’s calling 25-year old Emmanuel Eboue “a young player”.
It is a little surprising, therefore, to see him comparing Andrey Arshavin (if only in terms of height) to none other than Diego Maradona and Pele. But then, we oughn’t be surprised about the level of hype surrounding this player. In my time as an Arsenal fan, I’ve never witnessed (or been part of, I suppose I ought to say) such hysteria around a transfer. As the Russian finally prepares for his maiden voyage out onto the Emirates turf today, I find myself trying to recall the last debut that was so hotly anticipated. I suppose it was that of Theo Walcott, but he was so young at that time that the expectations were nothing compared to what Arshavin will face.
Arsene, however, seems confident that he will handle the pressure:
“He has personality and a strong character. The handicap he has at the moment is that he is not completely fit physically, but all the rest should be quite quick. I have not yet decided if he will start, I will decide that tomorrow morning. But he is in the squad for tomorrow and we will see. You have to give everybody who comes in time to adapt, to adjust. However, I know his vision, his passing ability, his quick brain and they are very important things in the modern game.”
My gut feeling is that he will start, and I think that comes from the fact that of late, Arsene has been a little more cavalier in his selections: Arshavin and Eduardo were on the bench against Spurs, and then Eduardo played from the start against Cardiff. If the Russian does play, it’ll be wide in midfield, with Samir Nasri on the flank. If he doesn’t, I pray that it’s Carlos Vela who gets the nod ahead of the aforementioned Eboue. It would be a travesty for the Ivorian to walk back into the side after the comparison between his capitulation at Spurs and Vela’s vibrancy against Cardiff.
Upfront Nicklas Bendtner will partner Robin van Persie, whilst Johan Djourou ought to be available again to challenge Kolo Toure and William Gallas. I’d pick Djourou to counter the aerial power of Kenwyne Jones – probably alongside the in-form Gallas.
Sunderland aren’t doing too badly, but (as I seem to have said a million times this season), this is the sort of game we simply must be winning if we’re to peg back the top four.
Good luck, Andrey. You deserve time to adapt. Unfortunately, time is something we are very short of.
Come on you Reds.
February 20th, 2009
Yesterday brought the news that Eduardo da Silva will be out for two weeks after tweaking his hamstring during his comeback match against Cardiff. Arsene Wenger said:
“Eduardo is out for two weeks. He picked up a hamstring injury two minutes before I took him off. What a nightmare. Nobody knows how it happened but I knew straight away after the game it would be a two-week job. It is nothing like he had before but I do know that little set-backs like this are part of being nine months out. After that long out, nobody plays six months on the trot. It is impossible. But at the same time it is a blow because, of course, he can score goals. He had shown that on Monday night.”
Arsene calls it a “nightmare”, but I wouldn’t be surprised if tomorrow’s ArsenalTV footage reveals that being said with a smile, or even a gallic chuckle. Eduardo’s return was closer to a dream – a goal within twenty minutes, and another from the spot before departing to a standing ovation and high-fives from elated team-mates. It was a fairy tale.
But fairy tales, as Robbie Keane found out to his cost after joining his boyhood club, just don’t happen. There’s no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow; a house made out of gingerbead would never withstand the elements; three bears will maim and eat you whether or not you happen to have sampled their porridge – and footballers, as Arsene points out, don’t just walk immediately back into form and fitness after suffering a leg with more breaks in it than ITV’s FA Cup coverage.
No matter though, as Arsene will be wheeling out our next auditionee for the role of Messiah: Andrey Arshavin. I don’t expect the Russian to start – Arsene is more likely to drop a suggestive one-liner to Geoff Shreeves in his post-match interview than he is to drop Eboue. That said, he may feel inclined to give Carlos Vela his first league start after the Mexican’s electric display on Monday.
Whilst Arshavin might not yet be entirely ready, his missus, Yulia, is making every preparation possible. The latest reports suggest she is prepared to fly in a stylist from St. Petersburg to manage Andrey’s moppish hairdo. The Russian press reports:
“Yulia superstitiously distrusts hairdressers in London and insisted that her husband paid for his personal stylist’s trips to London for his hair cuts.”
The suspicion of English hairdressers is a fundamental part of Russian culture, and one of their many anti-anglo superstitions. They also consider Yorkshire pudding to be deeply unlucky, whilst many believe Stephen Fry to be The Anti-Christ. One only hopes that Yulia has similar disregard for the skills of Catalan hairdressers.
Enough of this joyful nonsense. Sunderland preview tomorrow, complete with predictions so dreadful they will make Mark Lawrenson look like Nostradamus (which, frankly, is far less plausible now he’s lost the ‘tache).
February 18th, 2009
Until about twenty-four hours ago, I doubt that many Arsenal fans knew who Tony Colbert was. However, since Eduardo commemorated the second goal of his comeback by running over to the touchline to embrace him, Colbert has assumed cult status.
I don’t think it’ll be long until The Armoury is stocking commemorative plates depicting the hug, with the shelves lined with the brand new ‘Tony Colbert Action Figure – with neat hugging action!’ And frankly, I’m all for it. The man deserves almost as much praise as Eduardo for seeing the Crozilian through the rehabilitation process. The striker himself has been quick to offer his thanks in a less physically intimate manner, saying:
“The first goal was for me, my family, but for the second one, I went to Tony Colbert. We worked hard and he was like my second father. We spent a lot of time together every day and I think this goal was special for him and for all the staff.”
Eduardo hobbled down the tunnel with a slight hamstring injury, and may not be available for the weekend. Such niggles are to be expected in the early stages of his comeback, but the signs are nonetheless extremely good.
Arsene Wenger, however, does not expect the striker to be part of a late push for the title:
“We’re very consistent and on a very strong run. We missed scoring the goals that we’re capable of recently, but are very consistent and promised ourselves that we’ll give everything until the end of the season. Manchester United look untouchable because they’re 12 points ahead and have a game tomorrow against Fulham they’ll certainly win. Their results are very consistent.
They win 1–0 and you think during the game that they may drop a point or maybe more, but they always manage to find somewhere the resources to win the game. If they win their game in hand they’re 15 points in front, which means they need to lose five games. Say they lose one against us, then they still need to lose another four games. They haven’t lost four games all season yet, but we’ll try. I believe our basic target is to get into the Champions League.”
It’s high praise for United from the manager, and as close as you’ll come to an admition that the title is well and truly beyond us. I think what has changed his public stance is the inescapable fact that our place in the Champions League in serious jeapardy. As long as he felt that was fairly secure, it was fine to talk about the title. Now, however, our focus must remain defined and absolute: anything less than fourth place simply won’t do.
In the past couple of days, Alisher Usmanov’s investment vehicle ‘Red & White’ have increased their stake in Arsenal to 25%. It’s a tiny increase from their previous shareholding, but a significant one as apparently it enables them to block board decisions. Football consultant Alex Fynn has astutely pointed out the precarious nature of the club’s ownership structure, and it’s clearer than ever now that what happens to Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith’s shares will have a major impact on the club’s future.Â
I shouldn’t need to state how much I am opposed to the prospect of Usmanov assuming control of Arsenal. I would imagine the global financial crisis will prevent anyone mounting a takeover bid for some time, but the spectre of Red & White looms ever more menacingly on the horizon. I do, however, have faith in the current board’s determination not to relinquish their hold on the club. In April the lockdown agreement expires, and I really hope it will be renewed. If not, whilst a takeover might remain unrealistic, the speculation will become extremely unsettling.
For your information, The Arsenal Supporters Trust released the following statement on the matter:
 “This announcement (of 25%) is merely a confirmation of their stated policy. We welcome Red and White reiterating that they will not make a hostile bid for the club, something the Trust is opposed to. The interesting part of the announcement is Red and White’s claim that they are ‘committed long term investors and supporters’ of the club.
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“Now that Red and White have reached 25%, the time has come for them to turn their attention to setting out in more detail what this position means and if they have any practical ways that this support can be expressed. The AST seeks a dialogue with all major shareholders in the club. If Red and White have constructive proposals that fit with our rigorous demands for on-going custodianship at Arsenal, and the need to work with the current Board, we will give them a hearing.
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“The Trust also welcomes the recent statement by Arsenal’s new chief executive Ivan Gazidis that he intends to forge a relationship with Red and White. The AST has consistently called on all of the major shareholders to work together for the benefit of Arsenal”.
As much as the board may be loathe to work with Red & White, perhaps it may soon be their safest move. Thanks as ever to The Trust for communicating so directly with the fans.  It is always appreciated.
Interesting times ahead, it seems. Till tomorrow.
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