A strange day: Arsenal win a trophy & Gervinho scores
455 comments July 14th, 2012
Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup
ARSENAL 1 – 0 ANDERLECHT
Video highlights: Henri Lansbury ’34
ARSENAL 1 – 1 SOUTHAMPTON
Video highlights: Jay Rodriguez ’31; Gervinho ’35
I suspect in your head, when you pictured the next man to raise a cup aloft and end our trophy drought, you never for a moment believed that man would be Johan Djourou. Â However, Arsenal are Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup Champions. Â Perhaps we should take that, and our Emirates Cup victories of 2007, 2009 and 2010 and use it to plug the gaping void after ‘FA Cup 2005’ in the roll-call of silverware that lines the interior of the Emirates Stadium.
Obviously, in real terms, our victory in a friendly competition where we didn’t even play a full ninety minutes against a single opponent doesn’t mean all that much. Â But if winning is a habit, then this could one day prove to be a helpful step in the right direction for the many kids involved yesterday.
The side that took to the field in the first 45 against Anderlecht was:
Martinez – Jenkinson Boateng Miquel Gibbs (c) – Yennaris Eastmond Lansbury – Eisfeld Chamakh Watt
Arsenal won the game thanks to a solitary goal, which showed off the qualities of both Carl Jenkinson and Henri Lansbury. Â Jenkinson showed good tenacity to drive to the byline, and then demonstrated why I’ve long insisted he’s the best crosser at the club with a devilish ball which Lansbury arrived to thump home. Â Whenever he’s played for the first team, Henri has shown a knack for arriving in the box at the crucial point, and this was no different. Â Personally, I hope he gets a long overdue chance in the first-team this season. Â His loan spell at West Ham was something of a disappoint, but a player with his style was never going to be the first name on the teamsheet in a Sam Allardyce side. Â We could do a lot worse than to keep him involved in 2012/13.
In the second game we had a more experienced side on the field:
Mannone – Eastmond Djourou (c) Bartley Meade – Coquelin Lansbury Ebicilio – Santos Gervinho Aneke
Arsenal fell behind as Jay Rodriguez made himself an instant hero with the Saints fans by nodding home on his first appearance at St. Mary’s. Â It was a good cross but new assistant Steve Bould won’t be happy about how easily Rodriguez rose between our two centre-backs. Â With the games lasting only 45 minutes, there wasn’t much time to level, but Gervinho managed it with a corker. Â He sprinted to the byline and cut back inside before firing past the keeper. Â The confidence with which he took his goal was almost as surreal a sight as Djourou raising a trophy. Â Gervinho has duped us with these pre-season antics before, netting twice on his first appearance in a friendly last season, but hopefully this is an early sign that he may have a more successful second season than his first. Â A quick glance at the video reveals that our supposed left-back, Andre Santos, was in the six yard box. Â A poacher’s instinct from the tubby Brazilian.
The game went to penalties, and Southampton emerged victorious, but it didn’t matter: the trophy was already ours.
So, Arsenal are back. Â Next week the remainder of the squad will return to training before we fly to Malaysia in around a week’s time. Â Something tells me the coming days will tell us a lot about the make-up of our squad for next season.