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Arsenal vs West Ham – Premier League
=============Almunia=============
Sagna====Senderos====Toure====Clichy
Hleb====Fabregas====Flamini====Diaby
=======Adebayor====Van Persie=======
Arsenal vs Newcastle United – Carling Cup
============Fabianski============
Hoyte====Senderos====Song====Traore
Eboue====Diarra===Denilson===Walcott
=======Bendtner====Eduardo========
(Players in bold are normally part of the first team on a regular basis)
I was at the game midweek against Newcastle and went home wondering who, from our talented crop of youngsters, would make it at Arsenal. Add to the team against West Ham the remaining older first team members – Lehmann, Gilberto, Gallas, Rosicky, and Eduardo – and you have the main players Wenger will play this season. Many of these are not that old, only Almunia, Lehmann, Gallas and Gilberto are 30+ years old. Therefore there isn’t room for everyone. I will look at the players from midweek and anyone who has played for the first team and give me views on them:
Lukasz Fabianski – Arsenal’s future number 1. His handling was very good and his shot stopping very promising. Wenger has said he’s a future world class keeper and he will be here for years to come.
Justin Hoyte – Having signed a new 4 year contract Justin Hoyte must have been a little confused by the signing of Sagna. However Eboue has moved to midfield and Hoyte can have a part to play at Arsenal – for now.
Alexandre Song – This is an interesting one. Song doest look like he can make it as a midfielder for Arsenal, there is simply too many ahead of him already. However centre backs we are short on, especially when you look ahead to January when Kolo will leave for the African Cup of Nations. Song showed he could convert to a centre and this is worth a try. If Wenger doesn’t feel it is working I feel Song will be moved on.
Johan Djourou – He is out on loan right now but will come back in January to replace Toure in the squad. Djourou has really impressed when he has played for the Gunners and the time out on loan will help him. He has the ability to succeed here as long as he works hard. If he wants to move to midfield I would feel he won’t get that chance at Arsenal. At centre back however he could be a future rock for Arsenal. He is above Song in Wenger’s thinking I think.
Armand Traore – Traore is a future world class defender. He is blessed with blistering pace and good natural ball skills. His defending is improving and he is only 18. He will soon be pressurising Clichy for the left back slot and will be here for a while.
Gavin Hoyte – Like his brother he is an Arsenal fan and has been at Arsenal since a young age. Rumours from the club is that he is better than his brother and when he has more experience and is older he could force his own brother out of the club!
Lassana Diarra – Arsenal already had a wealth of central midfielders when Wenger signed Diarra and I for one wasn’t so sure this was a good move. However when I witnessed how Diarra ran the midfield in midweek I changed my mind. He is different to nay midfielder we have. Similar to Makalele in his work but has the strength and power of a young Vieira. He can play across the back four aswell and will be part of Arsene’s squad in years to come.
Denilson – Like Diarra Denilson is very different to other Arsenal midfielders. He has the passing of Cesc and is most similar to him than anyone. He is seen as a second ‘Volante’ back in Brazil. This is similar to Gilberto, sitting back and affecting the play with interceptions and simple passing. This isn’t normally good for the premiership and someone like Diarra would do better in a holding role. I will risk a wrath here by saying I feel Denilson could not make it at Arsenal. There are too many young midfielders at Arsenal already. Diarra is most likely to be the man to sit in front of the defence. Flamini will still be there if he continues this form. Diaby is more likely to come in and replace Cesc at times and does this leave space? We will wait and see.
Fran Merida – Another very young midfielder to add to the collection. Like Cesc in his play, he is far younger and will be peaking later than the other central midfield players mentioned, maybe when some others have moved on. Wenger made efforts to get him from Barca and what people have seen has been very promising.
Nacer Barazite – I feel he will go quite soon. He is similar to Rosicky in play but can play wider but I feel he might not quite have the quality. It would be good to give him a chance though.
Kieran Gibbs – The performance given by Gibbs against Inter Milan was very god and he will be a very good winger. We don’t have much width right now and maybe he can be the answer. He just signed pro terms and Wenger clearly thinks he is worth a shot after picking him in a big game such as one against the Italian side
Theo Walcott – The boy has the talent and I’s sure it will come to fruit soon. We’ve seen glimpses during his career at Arsenal and will be a future star at the club; we just need to be patient with Theo.
Nicklas Bendtner – Strength, pace and natural finishing. All attributes of a great striker and Bendtner has these, he can be a world class striker and Wenger knows this and will keep Bendtner.
There are plenty more youngsters and I will put my self out here and tell you all to watch out for:
Jay Emmanuel Thomas
Carlos Vela
Henri Lansbury
Havrd Nordtveit
Rui Fonte
Rhys Murphy
Let me make a comparison first and foremost:
Sunday 5th November 2006 – West Ham 1-0 Arsenal
Saturday 29th September 2007 – West Ham 0-1 Arsenal
On the face of it the only difference seems to be that the scores were reversed. However it was far more than that. Last season we dominated the game away at Upton Park yet ended up the losing side. We were wasteful that day and allowed West Ham to outmuscle us towards the end and snatch the points. Today however it was a very different story. We started slowly but showed the new added edge to Arsenal this season. We didn’t allow West Ham to get on top of us and came back strongly to take the lead through a Robin Van Persie header. Adebayor was sent clear and held the ball up well until Hleb arrived to deliver an inviting cross for Van Persie to attack. He rose well and headed it down to Green’s right and watched it beat the goalkeeper and give us the lead and eventually the 3 points.
Victories by 1 goal to nil are sometimes the best. Although they are nerve-racking and always on a knife edge, they normally mean that the winning side has dug out a victory. That was what happened today. Don’t get me wrong, Arsenal kept the ball well today and had the better chances. However there was only one real one on one for Green to deal with. The players in the new white away kit –worn for the first time in the League – resorted to long shots, many from Mathieu Flamini. Robert Green was very good in the Hammers goal, denying Flamini, Clichy, Adebayor and Van Persie with stretching saves. We were a threat going forward and it was a shame we couldn’t kill off the game.
However it was the display from the back 4 which was most encouraging. Last season, silly mistakes cost us dear but today we were fantastic in defence. Sagna again showed why Wenger brought him to Arsenal, stamping his mark on the game with a crunching tackle on Arsenal legend Freddie Ljungberg. Dean Ashton had a relatively quiet first half, firing over his one and only chance. Second half on the other hand, Ashton was a far superior threat to our centre backs. The striker has great strength and control and Toure and Senderos had to be alert; and they were. Almunia had no real saves of note to make but Van Persie cleared an Ashton header off the line. While the lead was only at one goal, there was always a worry West Ham could score. Last season I think they may well have but this team is more mature and attentive throughout games.
Cesc Fabregas looked threatening at the start, with some clever passing but he seemed to fade as the game wore on. West Ham knew he was the main threat and had him closed down at every possible moment. That however gave Mathieu Flamini and Abou Diaby key roles and both had excellent games. Flamini did the ‘dirty’ work in front of the defence. He stopped balls into Ashton and covered so much ground while harrying the West Ham midfield. Diaby had a different job to do, but was just as effective. He carried the ball with seeming ease and always looked to go forward or at worst play a square ball. Diaby has clearly gained some confidence after his performance against Derby County and looks much more of a threat than he did before playing on the left. Hleb had started well until his injury. His touch was excellent as usual and his passing was so accurate, he really can play the ball through the eye of a needle. Unfortunately for Hleb he has suffered another injury and as Wenger said: “He cannot walk properly right now.” He is out of Wednesday’s game and hopefully not for too much longer.
The injury itself was sustained after a horrendous challenge from Mark Noble. He was late to the ball and launched into a two footed challenge, off the ground and clattered into Hleb with a scissor motion. This could have broken Hleb’s leg and a yellow card was the least he deserved. I have to put an opinion across here as it seems the right moment. Time and time again I see Arsenal players pulled up and booked for small, harmless fouls and see far worse challenges on Arsenal players get the same punishment. Teams get away with tackles that if carried out by an Arsenal player would be pulled up and probably penalised with a card. Last season Arsenal committed the least amount of fouls but had the smallest amount of fouls to each yellow card. Arsenal are not a dirty team and pundits claim we need to be tougher, therefore how can these facts add up? Simply, they don’t!
Arsenal hadn’t won at Upton Park for seven years and today we stopped this poor record. We won ‘ugly’ and showed once again that this team has changed this season and they have a real hunger. The players fight for every ball, the attitude is one similar to “All for One and One for All” and I for one am looking forward to every match right now. The performance wasn’t as good as last Saturday buy my word it was just as satisfying. We go into Tuesday night’s game full of confidence but with some injuries. I would like certain fringe players to get a game as it is a long and tiring trip in midweek and certain players need to keep fresh. I would expect 3 points from this game whatever team Wenger puts out on Tuesday evening.
Newcastle at home was arguably the hardest tie for anyone in the Carling Cup 3rd round. Newcastle wanted to have a run in this cup and Wenger was sure to play the reserves. This was clear as only Senderos, Walcott and Eduardo started from Saturday. The bench included 4 players who had not appeared for the first team as yet. There was no Fabregas, Adebayor, Van Persie or Toure in sight. The kids did us proud! Newcastle put out a very good team and it was going to be a real test. In a week where we announced record economic figures, the youngsters carried on out terrific form and unbeaten home start to the season in all competitions. Wenger talked about money being second fiddle to team success and boy did the players back that up tonight.
Lassana Diarra made his debut and was stunning alongside Denilson. He ran the show in midfield with accurate passing, great strength and unbelievable composure. Nothing fazed him on his full debut in front of another full stadium. He was keen to impress his new fans and he really warmed to them as they sung chants of:
“Diarra, oah oah oah, Diarra, oah oah oah
He left the Chelsea scum, ‘cos Ashley wants his bum
Diarra, oah oah oah, Diarra, oah oah oah”
Definitely the chant of the night and due to his stunning man of the match performance it was sung many, many times. It seems the Arsenal faithful don’t need any invitation to sing anti-Ashley Cole songs and tonight was no exception. People have raved about Gael Clichy as a better player than Ashley Cole but another left back impressed tonight. Armand Traore possesses blistering pace and tonight was not afraid to show it. He gave Newcastle a warning with a great cross that Bendtner didn’t quite connect with. However it was the same combination that gave Arsenal a well deserved lead. A stunning cross was whipped into the box and a bullet header from Bendtner sent the home fans wild. It was nothing less than Arsenal deserved. They had attacked Newcastle with no fear despite them having the far superior experience.
Alongside Traore, Song and Senderos may have worried arsenal fans as a pairing in the centre but they equipped themselves very well. They had a few slip ups but overall were pretty solid. Senderos made one critical clearance off the line that kept the score at 1-0. Martins rounded the keeper and under hit his shot and allowed Senderos to get back to clear. Such commitment from the skipper of this match showed once more the dedication this team has right now. Behind them Fabianski also did well on his full debut. One stunning save from Martins early on kept us in the game; an early goal conceded could have killed us. Hoyte did very well too, linking well with Eboue and getting forward whenever possible. Competition for places is there in every position which is nothing but good for the club. In midfield this is very clear. Eboue began on the right and was a threat throughout and only denied a goal by Given in the Newcastle goal. He looked lively on his comeback and impressed despite one theatrical fall I didn’t like too much. Walcott did better on the left and his pace was a threat. He clearly lacks confidence and needs a goal desperately. In the middle Denilson was alongside Diarra and like his partner was so confident on the ball and capped his night with a stunning strike. Collecting Diaby’s pass he rifled a shot into the very top corner passed a stationary Given who just watched the net ripple. What an end to a great night.
Bendtner took his goal well but was quite frustrating up till then. He worked hard but definitely is a rough diamond. He could have had more goals but linked well with Eduardo. Eduardo also worked hard to get things going and was denied a headed goal by a man on the line. He works very hard and Arsenal fans appreciate it. Goals will come soon and if he just keeps working hard his career at Arsenal could be very prosperous. One stunning piece of combination play with Bendtner nearly led to a goal but it also showed he certainly can play football the ‘Arsenal way’, the ‘Wenger way’.
Wenger has £70million to spend in the January window but on this performance he should not need it. Diarra in particular showed what Chelsea will miss and the whole team gave Wenger a nudge he will have to deal with, but it is healthy to have a selection dilemma, it shows his whole squad is playing well and working hard. Wenger is the man to keep these players hungry and prepared to come in at any time, as was shouted tonight
“Wenger’s the Special One, Wenger’s the Special One”
The stadium once again was full with a great atmosphere in lots of the ground. With such loyal fans the club can only go from strength to strength and long may it continue, just to repeat once more
The future’s bright, the future’s red and white!
When I glanced at my programme this afternoon and saw the headline read “Cesc’s Six Appeal”. This related to his “six goals and six assists” in 8 games, rather than being a sly pun on the handsomeness some people see in out little Spaniard. I was shocked to see this, even though I knew it was true so why was I so shocked? I really don’t know why to be honest. It is simply a perfect example of how good a season Cesc is having. He seems to be able to do no wrong. Everything he does seems to come off a treat. Once again Fabregas was the focal point of a win that sees us go 4 points clear of the chasing pack.
Wenger went with the same back four as midweek and once again Bakary Sagna was very impressive at right back. He really has added solidity to our defence which conceded too many sloppy goals last season. With great ability both in the air and on the deck and great timing in the tackle Sagna looks to be one of the signings of the season already. In reality Sagna wasn’t called into much defensive action today but did what he did well. Due to this lack of pressure on our goal Sagna had a chance to show what he can do going forward and once more he did not disappoint, delivering some inviting crosses and involving himself in some brilliant link play On the other flank Clichy was once again very solid. Senderos was very tidy and Toure his usual busy self. He got forward many times and should have done better with a header late on.
Early goals are becoming a real feature of our season and once more Arsenal fans were treated to a stunning opener. It was all Diaby’s own work. He picked up the ball and avoided several challenges before drilling in a rasping drive into the very top corner with the keeper well beaten. The Emirates went wild as the players all went to the bench to celebrate; showing once more the unity and determination in this squad. Diaby nearly repeated the trick very soon after but Bywater kept out Diaby’s effort and Walcott missed the rebound. Diaby clearly gained confidence from his stunning goal. He strolled all around the pitch, spraying passes around midfield. Derby decided not to press too hard and this suited the Frenchman.
After a small period of Arsenal passing and small threats to break through once more, Fabregas came to the fore. He picked up the ball just inside his half and played an inch perfect through ball over the top to Adebayor who sublimely took it down to round the keeper and finish with ease. Adebayor did his part very well but it was the pass to him that really was brilliant. Nothing seemed on and suddenly Cesc had turned this situation into a goal for his team mate. Arsenal could have scored a few times before half time but luckily for Derby only went in 2-0 ahead. One person who was extremely unlucky to not be on the score sheet at the break was Eduardo. His bullet header from a corner was kept out with brilliant reflexes from Bywater. Eduardo got his first start at home in the Premiership and looked lively. His movement caused problems for the derby defence seriously lacking any pace. He linked well with Adebayor and Walcott at times. It seemed Wenger had told Eduardo and Walcott to keep switching roles. At times Eduardo found himself out on the right wing with Theo down the middle. He did very well out there actually, cutting in to really put the opposition goal under pressure.
It was Eduardo who won the penalty Adebayor converted for his second and Arsenal’s third. He had got himself in a dangerous position – something he did throughout – and was tugged back and the penalty was a formality for Adebayor. The movement of Eduardo and Theo caused more problems and Walcott went on a mazy run that deserved much better. However, once again, it was Cesc Fabregas who had a say on this game. The fans had shouted shoot many times during the game, this time he obliged. Picking up Eduardo’s pass Fabregas hit a great strike across the keeper into the top corner. At this rate Arsenal will have half the contenders for goal of the month. This took his stats to 7 goals and 7 assists in 9 games, is there any better player in world football right now? At this rate Arsenal will have half the contenders for goal of the month.
Talk now was whether Adebayor could get his first hat trick for Arsenal and on 80 minutes he did. A long ball was taken down brilliantly and Adebayor took his time to pick his spot. He really deserved this goal with all the work he put in today, aswell as the last few games too. As the final whistle came the Arsenal fans sung Adebayor name and all seems good right now at the Emirates, top of the league with a small gap opening. We move to the Carling Cup where we will see a few youngsters and squad players. The next league game is West Ham and on current form that should be a great match.
What similarity was there between today and Saturday? One main one, once again Cesc Fabregas scored one (he claimed it and i'm happy to call it his 5th goal in as many games) and made 2. His goal tonight was also from long range, this time however there was a massive slice of luck involved. The shot was going wide but unfortunately for Julien Escude, his attempted block gave Palop no chance as the ball hit the back of the net. Before the goal Cesc had gone about his business quite quietly but more importantly effectively. He sprayed passes all over the pitch, one inch perfect switch from right to left. Arsenal started well and in a similar way to our Little Spaniard. The passing was slick on the slippy surface and as we have done all season, the players gave the opposition a real lesson in passing football. Sevilla did have chances but nothing too threatening.
One nil at half time and chants mocking our neighbours down the road throughout the half had all Gooners in a happy mood. The defence has looked quite solid with Senderos playing very well at the back. He has always played well in Europe where his lack of pace isn’t such a worry. He reads the game very well and won every single header he went up for. He shirked off an injury, caused by Almunia! Unfazed he went about his business with minimal fuss and worked very well alongside the ever present Toure. The only criticism I would have of Phil is that he needs to send the ball down the pitch sometimes. Too many times he didn’t get the ball far enough away. That's nothing too big to worry about right now though! Sagna has really added extra solidity to our defence and I am much more confident that we wont concede this season than last.
In centre midfield Flamini and Cesc have a real understanding. They aren’t afraid to get forward and always cover for each other. Hleb was good again, his passing immaculate throughout. Rosicky was good until his injury, AGAIN!!! Adebayor continued from Saturday with hard work and showed why he is a real handful for any defender. He just needed a goal to top of a quality night for him personally. However, as we know this season Arsenal FC is about one word – Team. It doesn’t matter who scores, just that the team wins.
Back to Fabregas again now Arsenal won a free kick on our left and Cesc whipped in a teasing cross that just needed a touch and Van Persie duly obliged. A goal for him was fantastic as he’s clearly been lacking in confidence since his penalty miss. Eduardo finished off the tie with a third, very soon after coming on. The way he ran to the bench just shows the unity in this squad and the joy that Wenger stayed on. As I said Hleb’s passing is normally so accurate and it was him who played in Cesc to lay it to Eduardo. Fabregas however simply is the main man of our team. He’s in outstanding form and can’t seem to stop scoring. Once again he ran the show tonight and I personally can’t wait for the next few games. As all Arsenal fans shouted throughout; “We are top of the League” and long may it continue.
First thing’s first - an Arsenal player scored the goal of the season at White Hart Lane yesterday. No, not Cesc’s 30 yard piledriver, but Adebayor’s moment of absolute genius. The touch to shift the ball from right to left and the volley executed in the same motion were a true master class in wonderful goals. There is no doubt that it is already a major contender for strike of the season but it is unlikely it will win. This is not because it wasn’t good enough, but because Adebayor is not on the books of Manchester United, Chelsea or Liverpool. Last season Wayne Rooney won the award with a counter attack goal. Such goals were scored for fun by Arsenal in previous seasons and they didn’t even win goal of the month. Van Persie scored a goal Superman would have been proud last season but he did not win. I bet you now that Adebayor will not win Goal of the Season.
Back to the match, 3-1 victory at the Lane looks on the face of it a fantastic result. And it was, no doubt. We were 1-0 down and showed once more the grit and determination to come back and win the game. However there are some issues that do need to be addressed. Just because we won the game it does not mean the performance was perfect. There were some worrying moments yesterday. First of all we must realise that we could have so easily lost yesterday. We got to half time and we were still in the game and it looked like we would score (everyone does against the Spuds). However as the second half begun it seemed Tottenham would score aswell. Berbatov raced through and Almunia was caught in no mans land; relying on indecision from the striker and a last ditch tackle from Touré (who played him onside) to bail him out. Had they gone 2-0 up the game could have been so different!
Wenger had to go into the game with only one natural centre back but Gilberto’s positioning was lacking at times and hopefully once Gallas and Senderos are back this will improve. If not more work must be done at London Colney. Berbatov missed another great chance later in the game. From a corner he was unmarked and managed to pick out the forehead of Clichy on the line, and then sent the rebound over. It was such a let off for Arsenal but the issue of why he had a free header must be addressed. Arsenal have often been punished from corners and hopefully the issue has been addressed and this was one lapse that we will not see again.
We scored 3, but it could have been many more aswell. The final score should probably have been about 6-3 if im being honest. At 1-0 down we were very wasteful. Diaby hit the bar when he had the whole goal to aim for. Whether this was a lack of composure I do not know but nobody should be missing from the situation he was in. Hleb had a good chance to punish Robinson for bad positioning but didn’t really have much conviction behind his shot. However another glaring miss was to come, strangely the source of such a miss was our match winner. Adebayor has repeatedly worried Arsenal fans by his finishing. You would not think it should be in question after his wonder strike. However he did miss an almost open goal from all of 6 yards. After great work from Bakary Sagna, Adebayor managed to plant his shot into row Z when it seemed harder to miss than score. It is these moments that confuse Arsenal fans. Maybe Adebayor is a scorer of great goals rather than a scorer of many goals. But he does need to improve his finishing under pressure, however good his 2nd goal was.
You may say I am looking for negatives amongst a hard working performance. My point is that this attitude cannot pull us through all the time, at some point wastefulness and sloppy defending will cost us, probably when it most matters. Don’t get me wrong, we scored two beautiful goals, 1 set piece, played some exquisite football at times. However there will be countless match reports concentrating on positives but not many opening their eyes so much to a few negatives. Both sides should be looked at the same. The performance was good but certain things do need analysing and I’m sure Wenger will do so.
Let me describe to you my typical match day experience: I arrive at either Arsenal or Highbury and Islington tube and walk down to the Emirates Stadium. As I arrive I pick up my programme and enter the stadium where I meet my mates. We find our seats normally 30 minutes before kick off and wait for 3pm to arrive. At this point of my story I interrupt to address some issues I would like to address. As people slowly file into their seats they are met with current “hits” that blare out from the speakers. The songs chosen are not based upon their link to football but selected sue to their radio play. I don’t mean to offend anyone here but the Scissor Sisters doesn’t really get a crowd going before a football match. At least 15 minutes before songs such as “Right Here Right Now” (Fatboy Slim) and “Breathe” (the Prodigy) should be played. They get the blood racing and fans ready for the kick off. Previously Kasabian has been played as the players walk out of the tunnel; this is a good idea and must occur more. In certain games this season an Elvis song has been played and either the man in charge of the sound system is a massive Elvis fan or this is the new anthem people have discussed; if it is what is going on? It is not a football anthem!
As for the anthem, I am supportive of it; I know some are not and I understand some reasons why. However if the right song is chosen it could become brilliant. 60,000 fans belting out a song with meaning would frighten any club. Just look at Anfield and see what can be created. My favourite would be the Impossible Dream by Andy Williams. Lines such as the ones below are appropriate to any team and especially the togetherness and fighting attitude the squad seems to have.
“To run where the brave dare not go.”
“To be willing to marchInto hell for a heavenly cause.”
While I am addressing the sound issue there is one thing I must bring to light. I am pretty sure unless one sits right next to a speaker, it is impossible to hear Arsene Wenger’s pre match talk on the screens. It doesn’t take a genius to turn the volume up but no one ever realises this. The man I would expect to notice this is the same man who makes an attempt to get the fans going. As he shouts the first names of the starting eleven, fans merrily shout it back. If this gets full backing from the fans it can work, yet if the reaction is half hearted it sounds terrible. However at least it is an attempt to improve the atmosphere at the start.
The game kicks off and the atmosphere is normally ok to start with as the general excitement of a football match kicks in. Gradually however this dies out. Fans start to get comfortable and singing begins to stop. I know from personal experience how frustrating this is. My friends and I try to start chants but get given funny looks. Funny looks for trying to support our team! Surely we should be the ones frowning upon them? There is the RedSection in the ground where the atmosphere looks amazing pretty much throughout the game. Chants normally begin here and are carried around the other sections of the Emirates. I am totally in favour of such an area but I wonder if another one could be created elsewhere. Stadiums can become fortresses, although it’s mainly down to the football played, the crowd can play a part. The atmosphere is improving as the new ground feels more like home, but there is room for improvement.
Half time arrives and half the fans have left their seats to fill their stomachs. Unfortunately they have left 5 minutes before the half comes to an end. How do you try and keep bums in seats. If they need to use the toilet then I am not planning to try and stop them. However I would consider closing the bars until the first half whistle ends. This keeps people watching, as there is no advantage to be got going early. When fans queue up, if they want beer only there should be more than one “Beer Only” line. There should also be vendors walking around with their beer backpacks. This is a brilliant idea; it shortens queuing time and gets people the same product. This frees up tills to just sell food and gets people their food quicker. With half the stadium in the concourse I hear “3 minutes till kick off” and people do not rush to get back. There should be a bell hear to really put the point across. This can then be followed by another bell with 1 minute to go; this is then last orders at the food desks. Selling is wrapped up and people get back to their seats. At least by doing this we get as many fans as possible in their seats as the second half kicks off. I would love to address the issue of Club Level but that is out of any of our hands.
The second half is drawing to an end and there is about 13 minutes left to go when fans start to file out. They are wasting nearly a 1/5 of their ticket by leaving. The tubes don’t take that long now the transport system around the ground is better. There is no reason to leave unless your wife has gone into labour, and there is no way that many females go into labour in this small period of time! I would promote the idea that the gates are not opened till at the earliest 5 minutes before the final whistle. If a fan can prove there is a life or death situation then they can be let out secretly but otherwise fans should stay till the end. Whether the club would do this, I do not know but something must be done, the players notice it and after all they are who we are supporting.
The game comes to and end and hopefully Arsenal have won. Any fans left at the end leave chanting a few songs and finding there way back to the tube. I am part of these crowds but the problems I have noted are regularly in my head.
3 days to go and I already have the fever inside me, only present when a North London Derby is around the corner. This is our first proper big game of the season so far. Manchester City were top of the table when we played them but – no disrespect to them – they are not yet a big club. Tottenham are not yet a big club either but the fact they are our most fierce rival makes this a massive tie, whatever the situation. Spurs are languishing in 14th place right now and the optimistic 4th place finish once again looks unlikely. Meanwhile Arsenal are joint top of the Premier League only dropping two points along the way. The football has been good and what Arsenal seemed to lack last season is slowly revealing itself.
Many of us will remember predictions in the summer that read something like “Spurs to break into the top four in place of bitter rivals Arsenal”. Many people simply looked at the money spent by those across North London but not whether they were astute buys. The major signing had to be Darren Bent, if only because of the fee. The former Charlton striker demanded the exact same fee that Arsenal received for Thierry Henry. This was ridiculous for so many reasons but this is not what I am going to write about. The key factor in this transfer was the fact that Tottenham did not need to sign him. In Dimitar Berbatov they had one of the best new signings last season. Without him there is no doubt they would not have got as high in the league as they did. Robbie Keane worked brilliantly with him and he had a very good season. On the bench they had Jermain Defoe. Defoe is a very able deputy to these two but it seems he has been shoved further down the pecking order after the arrival of Bent. Defoe scores goals and there was simply no need for Bent to arrive. The money would have been better spent in midfield.
The centre of midfield is based only on their work rate. Jermaine Jenas is very over-rated and doesn’t add much to the team. Zokora simply runs around like a headless chicken. No one in their midfield has a creative spark in the centre. On the wing they have Aaron Lennon who is a brilliant player and one of the three Spurs players I would want at Arsenal (Berbatov and King the other 2). His pace is blistering and on his day any full back would struggle. On the other side they have Malbranque who is very much like Rosicky in the way he will play from the left. However they do not have any other solutions. They have used Gareth Bale out wide but he is primarily a left back. Martin Jol (or Comolie if you believe what you read) would surely have been better buying someone to supply 3 very suitable strikers with chances rather than buying a fourth striker who is not required. The money spent doesn’t exactly mean the required quality was brought in.
At the back they signed Gareth Bale and this was an interesting buy. Bale is definitely a talent and could solve their problem at left full back. He has played left midfield but I think he is better than Lee Yong Pyo back in the defence. They bought in a centre back that was needed but he got injured so they look threadbare here. This I don’t blame them for so much.
In contrast Arsene Wenger didn’t spend that much money but analysed what he had. He knew his defence needed tightening up and Bakary Sagna looks like he has improved this. He is a good defender who can attack. He is not a superstar but will improve the team so that’s what matters. Eduardo looks like the natural finisher we didn’t have. Unlike Spurs we didn’t sign a striker we didn’t need.
Arsenal go into this game with a large amount of confidence but also some selection dilemmas. Philippe Senderos is suspended and William Gallas is doubtful. He may be forced to play for France tonight but this will surely anger Mr Wenger as there is a huge risk attached to this. IF Gallas comes through it I would bet our skipper will start on Saturday. Gallas will want to play this game; he is a winner who loves the big occasion. Should Gallas not make it Gilberto will deputise at centre back, a role he did very well in the last 40 minutes against Fulham. If not required in the back 4 I would be surprised if he is not deployed back in central midfield to provide the shield and cover for Fabregas. Should Sagna not regain fitness Flamini will probably get another game at right back after he did so well against Portsmouth. However I would still prefer a natural right back in this position. Hoyte is fit and raring to play so I would give him a game. He knows what a North London derby entails, being a fan himself.
Hleb and Rosicky will get the nod on the right and left respectively. Rosicky has scored 2 goals in 2 games and has looked in good form. He loves to run with the ball and create chances for others. He takes pressure off Fabregas and gives the opposition a lot to think about. Hleb is similar in the way he can pick the perfect pass. He is frustrating sometimes but can be brilliant. Fabregas is in scintillating form and I just hope it will continue on Saturday afternoon.
Wenger has a decision to make about the front two. It is certainly not one I would like to make. Adebayor and Van Persie started against Pompey and I would say Wenger will go with this. It is the safe bet. Adebayor will be a nuisance to their defence, working hard trying to open space for Van Persie and midfield runners. Van Persie needs a goal, his confidence seems a bit knocked in front of goal. There is also the option to play Eduardo. His brace in midweek for Croatia was fantastic and it is surely not long before Wenger gives him another start. He could drop Van Persie but I doubt he will do this because he can get a goal at any time and is our main man now Henry has left.
Arsenal need to go at Spurs and put them under pressure early. In past games at the Lane we have started badly and let them into an early lead. If we get the lead we can kill them off and shove them further down the league and continue our excellent form into the Sevilla match.
Providing there are no new injuries I would go with this
============Almunia============
Flamini====Toure====Gallas====Clichy
Hleb===Gilberto===Fabregas===Rosicky
======Adebayor===Van Persie=======
Subs: Fabianski, Hoyte, Diaby, Denilson, Eduardo
Ok so Arsene Wenger has signed a three year contract. This article is not about the positives of this, we already know them; we keep the most successful manager of our team, the man who has transformed us from “Boring Boring Arsenal” into the best footballing side in England and the man who has unearthed such Arsenal legends as Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry. However I have decided to look 3 years into the future. Wenger will be 60 by the time his new contract will be near its end and the usual questions will come up: will he go or will he stay. There are many different possibilities for Arsenal FC in the coming years. There is no doubt the papers will show headline that read somewhere along the lines of “Wenger to Real Madrid? But Barca want him too” and Arsenal fans may well be worried. However as Le Prof said today, “My heart is tied to this football club” and we can be pretty sure Wenger will see out his new contract extension, he is a man of his word. Therefore it would be wise to ignore these reports, just be ready for them!
The next option is that Wenger signs on for another period of time. This is dependant on a few things. He said today that now we need to win trophies. If Arsenal push on and fulfill their potential and end up winning trophies I feel Wenger will call it a day; he will have built a winning side on a shoestring budget and that is where our ‘project’ is nearly at right now. Should 2011 come along and Arsenal still hasn’t won anything major I feel Wenger will want to stay on to prove his footballing teaching is successful. Wenger will only be 60 and as Alex Ferguson proved managers can carry on further than this at the right club and as Wenger said, “I love the Club. I love the job I have at Arsenal Football Club.” Arsenal is Wenger’s club, he IS the club whether people like it or not. He has made the team the way it is, transformed our club and taken English football a step further. Without him it is fair to say Arsenal would not be where it is today.
The third option is the one I want to concentrate on and it may be the one that needs the most thought and the one that may worry some Arsenal fans. If Wenger had left now it would have been premature, but in 3 years his era might be up. Wenger might decide he has done all he can in Football whether it is the case or not. Then what does Arsenal FC do? Well the key is to keep certain players at the club first and foremost. Cesc Fabregas’s the focal point of our team and in 3 years that will not have changed. He will still have 4 years on his contract and Im sure the vultures will have been circling for the years before. Cesc has always said his future is linked to Arsene. Therefore if Arsene leaves, it is possible Fabregas will make the move back to La Liga all Arsenal fans are dreading. This will be a massive blow to Arsenal as he is already becoming the complete midfielder. Others may well have the same dilemma as to whether to stay or go but again this isn’t the only worry. The main thing is who is to replace the longest serving and best manager Arsenal FC has ever had.
Hopefully Wenger will have a say in who comes in if he is to move on. This will help the board find the man who he feels can step into what would be the Football world’s largest shoes. The reason I say this is key is that Wenger will make sure the new manager can come in and ensure the standards of football remains the same. It may well be someone within the club, the reserves play football just aswell under Steve Bould, is he Wenger’s apprentice? While everyone was looking at Tony Adams, was his underrated partner in crime Steve Bould the one Wenger saw as the man most likely to become a future coach of Arsenal. He seems to have taken to the role of manager of the youth team very well and seems to have the respect of the players. The amount of potential candidates there are out there I am not one to speculate. The main problem is whether anyone can replace Wegner. His way of teaching football is different from any others. Everything is done down to a fine art and there is a slight possibility he is irreplaceable. This word is used lightly in football these days but the one time it may seem appropriate is with Arsene Wenger.
The board must do their best to get in the next best thing. Whoever the board members are it is likely Arsenal will be an even bigger team in the future, whether it is due to investment or due to natural revenue of the stadium. This should enable us to bring in a top manager, whoever it may be at the time. They will have money to spend and there’s no doubt they will have no chance of pulling off such amazing deals as our current boss did. We just have to make sure we get the right man in who can pick the right players as it is unlikely anyone can have such shrewdness in the transfer market.
The main point of this is for all Gooners to maybe look ahead and see what they think might happen in later years. Once Wenger leaves – yes it must happen sometime – how will our club change? Can the football remain at the same level and can we be as successful. The answer is yes but it does depends what happens in the 2010/11 season with Wenger and if he has a say on his replacement – if we need one!
However just to remind us – we have 3 more years of the master himself – Arsene Wenger – there is only one.
3-1, down to ten men for 40 minutes, flared tempers and some exhilarating football made today’s match against Pompey one of the games of the season so far. The game was made an open one once Adebayor converted a penalty. The hunger of Van Persie to chase down the ball showed the new found determination of this Arsenal side. This commitment was ever present throughout the whole team and it was hard to pick out a man of the match. One thing I personally have been calling for is a blistering start from our boys in red and today we got it. Our tempo was high, passing slick and there was directness to it aswell. Lo and behold we got our goal within the first ten minutes. The question now was whether we could get another goal and finish off Pompey. The good football continued and there were some moments of absolute genius. One particular move between Rosicky and Adebayor reminded me so much of the football of the invincibles. More and more the free flowing football is coming back to its top level and I for one am so glad. The team of the 03/04 season has moved on, but Arsene is still here and his football education is finally coming to fruit once again.
Even better today, we scored from a corner and we rarely do this! Other teams are expectant when they get a corner, yet Arsenal fans never really anticipate a goal coming from such a situation. However a cleverly worked near post flick-on gave Fabregas the chance to spin and plant his shot into the bottom corner. That was Cesc’s 4th goal of the season in only 6 games. It took him 49 starts to reach this number last season. Hopefully it is a sign of things to come from our little magician. Therefore with Fabregas’s 35 minute goal Arsenal went into the break looking comfortable. Was it game over? Many certainly thought so and it probably was until the events of the 49th minute. Kanu was clean through and Senderos brought him down. The incident was very controversial in itself. The key factors were as follows: was Kanu offside and was there that much contact as Kanu fell to the ground? If both of these received the answer yes then we have further questions. Was it deliberate from Senderos and was he last man? It looked to me like it was a foul by Senderos but that he may not have been last man. As a spectator at the Emirates I only got first views on the incident (the ground cannot show controversial incidents on the replays) so excuse me if my judgement is a little off. I thought that both Clichy and Toure were level with Senderos at least and would have recovered had Kanu escaped Senderos’s attentions. I believe the ref made a rash decision and didn’t even consult his linesman by the look of it. The resulting free kick was very nearly converted but for a great save from Almunia and a rash shot my Matt Taylor with the goal gaping. Had this gone in the game would have been very different.
Wenger moved Rosicky and Hleb more central to accommodate Gilberto at centre-back. Rosicky in particular was fantastic. He, along with Fabregas covered so much ground and put in some brilliant challenges. When Rosicky is on top if his game he can be an important player for us. He has vision on the football pitch and has a great ability on the ball and his passing is very accurate. He takes pressure off Cesc as the chief playmaker. Teams have to stem two sources of midfield directness and along with Hleb’s eye for a pass the current midfield has the ability to open teams up at will. Today Hleb was clearly still suffering from his illness but threatened in the first half. Rosicky was rewarded for his performance with a very clever goal. Fabregas noticed that the Pompey defence were asleep at a free kick. From the left flank he slipped in Rosicky who drove his shot through three Pompey players into the far corner. The celebrations showed what it meant to him and the players. If Rosicky can get more goals aswell then we will have goals from all over the park. This is necessary if a team is to challenge on all fronts. At 3-0 the game seemed as good as over. Yet it was made nerve-racking once again 1 minute later. Kanu inadvertently converted the lively Utaka’s cross and the home crowd was silenced for a moment. Out of respect Kanu didn’t celebrate and that was a nice touch, even if it was expected.
As Hleb became weary Wenger brought on Denilson with an eye to keep the ball and see out the game after Pompey pulled one back. Arsenal knocked the ball about well but Portsmouth were always able to use the extra man. They aimed to get the ball wide to Taylor and Utaka. Taylor delivered countless wasteful crosses but Utaka was a real handful. He turned Clichy inside out a few times but a mixture of slack finishing, brilliant defending and solid goalkeeping kept the away team at bay.
Diaby replaced Van Persie with 20 minutes to go and was guilty of one of the misses of Arsenal’s campaign so far. An absolutely outstanding move ended up with an inch perfect Clichy cross finding Diaby who headed wide from about 5 yards out. The fans inside the Emirates Stadium couldn’t believe the net had not rippled. It seemed it was easier to score than miss. Arsenal seemed to want to do things the hard way! Very soon after, Almunia showed us once again that not only his hair colour has changed. His ability has a goalkeeper has really come on. He made a fantastic save to deny Glen Johnson a goal on his first start since moving permanently from Chelsea. His general shot stopping was calm and assured and he looked safe at corners.
In the end Arsenal came home easily, stroking the ball about until the ref completed the formalities. Today showed that this team really can produce some brilliant football; the defence looks tighter than it was last year. We drew with Portsmouth last year and once more we are seeing a different Arsenal from last season: midfield goals, direct football and a more solid defence. As I have already said I cannot pick a man of the match from this. I would go for anyone of Almunia, Flamini, Toure, Gilberto, Rosicky and Fabregas.
Joint top of the table with Liverpool with a game in hand on Man Utd and Chelsea. Roll on White Hart Lane
Arsenal vs West Ham – Premier League
