The Gooner Eye

Chelsea 2 Arsenal 1 - Title Race Is Over...

2008-04-07T22:01:00.002+01:00

After 60 minutes it seemed to be going so well and to plan. I really thought we might have a chance to take Chelsea's unbeaten record at home away from them. The truth of the matter is that Sagna's goal over papered over the cracks that are growing larger by the match. The title has gone for us now; we have no chance of beating Manchester United the way we are playing and a trophyless season seems far more likely.

Our game has got to change if we are going to have any chance of beating Liverpool over two legs. Right now this team plays the ball nicely at times but looks lacking in attacking threat. It is graceful but very far from clinical. The defence is looking a shambles and the squad is looking depleted at exactly the wrong time.

The football being produced is all very pleasing on the eye but the fact of the matter is that a substantial amount of chances are not being created. It has been coming ever since November but only now has the grit that got us so many victories dried up. Today I only remember two real chances that we created from open play. Even those were tame shots that Cudicini stopped easily.

Just take a look at the two men leading the attacks today. Drogba was a class above Adebayor this afternoon and vastly overshadowed his counterpart. Drogba was strong, tricky, clever and deadly. Adebayor was weak, lacklustre, frustrating and blunt. Where Drogba got into Toure and Gallas, Adebayor seemed to refuse to put Terry and Carvalho under pressure that would cause real problems.

Adebayor has looked out of sorts recently. Whether it is the braids that brought him his goals or not, he needs to look at himself right now. He has had a brilliant season but the best players keep going and show quality till the very end. In the other game today, Cristiano was largely ineffective but still came up with a crucial goal when it mattered. If Adebayor wants to be considered as world class, performances like the one today are not going to cut it.

The one player everyone wanted back asap was Van Persie but I had my mind on another player's return. The problem is I do not know when it will be. We are missing Tomas Rosicky so much. His will to make things happen and drive from midfield is lacking right now. He has the creative mind as well and gives that balance. We need him back soon but I am very worried over his injury troubles.

The squad may well need a real shake up this summer. Eboue is not good enough to start for us. He wastes possession far too often and seems to have no brain. First of all what idiot charges a free kick way before the player has started his run up. He was walking a tight rope for 85 minutes and was lucky to stay on the pitch. He got away with a deliberate handball as the ref had the wrong angle. I am not saying he should go as he is a good utility player for us. We do need a proper winger to stretch teams as Hleb is good when he moves inside but at the end we made the game too narrow to open up Chelsea.

I also believe Wenger has made an incorrect decision at a crucial time. While Toure was away Senderos and Gallas formed a partnership that had balance to it. They had an understanding that combined aerial strength with cover on the ground. The lack of pace from Senderos was not such a problem. As soon as Toure came back it all started to go wrong.

Against Boro we were caught flat by a simple ball over the top. This type of long ball was causing us little problem with Senderos there to dominate the aerial ball. With Senderos benched, we have two defenders that are too similar in their game. They both like to take up similar positions and act as the covering defender. They can both play with Senderos as they are a perfect foil to him.

Today was a classic example of why a Toure-Gallas partnership is not as good as it seems on paper. They both have pace, are strong in the tackle and good at getting back at attackers when they are played in. The problem is that neither of them are prepared to attack the ball, get tight to their man and take charge in the defensive area. When Toure and Gallas play together and are up against a quality striker they are often shown up. The striker is able to get the ball down and make things happen.

Berbatov did the same at the Emirates and today Drogba made them look amateur. Toure was looking good on the cover with some good blocks and last ditch tackles. The problem was the fact he had to do this so often. In the first half Drogba played off Gallas and got some joy but Toure was always there. In the second Toure had the job of marking Drogba and here it fell apart. Toure failed to get tight to him and twice allowed him the space to fire Chelsea into the lead.

Senderos may have struggled against Drogba in the past but today could have been the chance to change it. If Wenger had stuck by him against Villa - he had every reason to - and given him the chance to shine alongside Gallas once again he may well have taken it. He could not have done much more wrong than what Toure and Gallas did when trying to mark Drogba. Both the goals lacked someone like Senderos in their build up:

1-1 - The ball comes over and offside or not (more of that later) Drogba bought it down. The problem was Gallas who lost his head as his desire to get the ball in front of Drogba cost him his position between Drogba and the ball. he lacked power and having missed the ball left Drogba the chance to smash the ball past Almunia.

2-1 - With the defence asleep the ball was swung over and once again Gallas was beaten in the air, this time by Anelka. As the ball came towards Drogba, Toure attempted some sort of kung-fu clearance and got himself in a muddle. This was awful defending and showed once again that the defending lacked conviction.

Another thing that was apparent to me today was the importance of Sagna to the side. Along with Flamini I feel he has been a massive influence on this side and the changes made to our game. Not only did he have the desire to get on the end of the corner but we seemed more solid at the back. As soon as he was forced off we did not have the cover he brings. Eboue was always a suspect defender and did not show us any different in his 20 minutes there. The main thing however was the lack of time we got to settle without him there. It can take time to settle with a change like that, Chelsea did not grant us any.

The injury was followed by another mistake from Wenger, well in my eyes anyway. With the game dragging on and the scores at 1-, it was set up perfectly for a counter attacking set up. He had Eboue at right midfield before he was forced to right back. The obvious change was Walcott. He had the pace to attack Cole and break on the counter. Yet Wenger went with Diaby who is not all that comfortable on the left and was not really going to pose much of a threat. He may have shown some neat passing and skill but we needed penetration.

Once Walcott was readied, it was far too late and he rarely got the ball. It took 10 minutes or so to get him on the ball and whenever he made dangerous runs in behind Cole the opportunity to set him free was passed up too often. Then Bendtner came on but we did not see our forward players working together well enough. It summed up our failures in front of goal.

Do not get me wrong. Te build up play was still there at times. In the first half we kept it well and looked relatively threatening on the ball. We lacked the firepower up front which ultimately cost us there. We were poor at the back and Almunia bailed us out a few times. The midfield however did use the ball well and Hleb nearly got Van Persie in with one very cute pass. We were just as entitled to a lead as Chelsea were but once out defence crumbled we were never going to get anything.

As well as being blunt in the final third recently, we have been dealt some bad refereeing calls. Aliadiere was offside for his goal at the Emirates. I do not care if he is considered inactive, 2nd phase bla bla bollocks. He gained an advantage by being ahead of the play. Today however it was far more clear but. Drogba was on his way back from an offside position but never made it back before the ball was played long towards him. He was offside as the ball came to him and the goal should have been ruled out.

That decision came at the worst time and changed the game firmly in Chelsea's favour. It was their first meaningful shot on target and swung the momentum firmly towards them. As we settled into a new defence the goal rocked us. Had it been ruled out we may have been able to hold out for longer and see it out. How decisions like that can be made baffles me. The linesman are paid to do their job; surely it is not hard to get in line with the back 4 and spot that Drogba was not in line.

The issue of video replays once again comes to the fore. It would not be hard to continue the play until the ball was in the net. After that the Arsenal captain should be able to request a deferral to the fourth official. The ref should also ask to see it again if he is unsure. Therefore the right decision is made and if the play leads to nothing, there is no need to stop play.

All in all it has been a pretty bad day. Liverpool put up a pathetic showing at Old Trafford, something I doubt we will see in Europe. Chelsea knocked us out of the title race as I do not see us winning all 7 remaining games in the League. The Champions League is still a possibility but we must improve in front of goal.

Chelsea vs Arsenal - "Squeaky Bum Time" part 1

2008-04-07T21:59:00.000+01:00

Grand Slam Sunday round 2 is nearly upon us. In the blue corner we have the Chelsea and in the red corner we have Arsenal. The referee is in place, the coaches are by the ring with their men and it is just a matter of ringing the bell to start this battle that may well lead to one team being knocked out.

So far this may seem like I am talking about some sort of charity boxing match between volunteers from Arsenal and Chelsea. This Sunday however, we are not watching Sport Relief; we are watching a match that could change the title race in so many different ways. This match will be a battle and Wenger must have his troops ready to fight to the end.

So far this season we have been involved in a few crucial games outside the League and they have gone very differently:

Spurs 5 Arsenal 1
Manchester United 4 Arsenal 0
AC Milan 0 Arsenal 2

All of the games mentioned there were knockout games where one team would be out for the count in said competition. We may have lost two of those games but most importantly the Milan game is a clear sign of what this team can do in the big games. Against Spurs we came up against a full strength home side determined to beat a weakened eleven put out by their main rivals. It had a Tottenham victory written all over it.

Then there was Man Utd in the FA Cup, away at Old Trafford on an awful pitch. We were missing players who had been crucial in our recent form. We lacked our main goal threat of Adebayor and lacked the grit Flamini provides the midfield. Again, it was another game I did not expect to win and United were simply far more up for it and deserved the win.

We then went to the San Siro on the back of these cup performances and many doubted we had a shot. Most people had written off Arsenal after the wasted opportunity to beat the reigning champions at the Emirates. To be honest, this took all the pressure off and gave us the chance to go out and enjoy the night. The players thrived on the big occasion and we came away with a brilliant victory against the odds.

Why does that night in Milan stick out as the most relevant to the game on Sunday? We went to the San Siro looking to be the first English team to win there. This was another reason people saw Milan as favourites but that feat was achieved. We go to Chelsea looking to be the first side to win there in the League for 70 odd games. Both sides held a very good record at home, we have broken one, can we beat the other?

Milan look to play the same way as we have come to expect from Chelsea. They play a very effective and powerful game, mainly on the counter attack. Their defence looks to suck the life out of the opponents attack before their forward players attack at pace. They use Joe Cole very much the same way Milan use Kaka. He is the heartbeat of the team and the creative brain in the side.

In the San Siro we saw these tactics come into play as Milan seemed happy to let us have the ball and try and break with Kaka and Pato. That night it would have been easy to become frustrated and panicky in front of goal. The pleasing thing was how much the team continued to patiently chisel away at the wall in front of them until the goal finally came.

If you cast your minds back to last season's match at Stamford Bridge, the game was similar. Although our very inexperienced defence (Djourou and Senderos) was heavily tested that day and lucky not to concede, the possession football deployed by Arsenal was similar to that in the San Siro. Hleb, Fabregas and Flamini kept the ball for long periods and toiled away until something opened up. Eventually the goal opened up and Flamini took the chance when it came. Only a fantastic strike out of the blue from Essien gave the Chelsea the draw.

There is no doubt that the way we played football that night in the San Siro surpassed anything from that day at Stamford Bridge but if we can produce the same type of performance we may well see a similar result. In both the cup games we lost it happened that we could not string two passes together. If we can get the ball down and prevent Chelsea from overpowering us it will go a long way to getting the 3 points we need.

As well as keeping the ball for substantial periods of the game, Wenger has other things to decide. I am sure he will encourage the defence to try and hit the ball long towards Adebayor. John Terry has often been a dominant force in the air but recently has looked suspect, against Kenwyne Jones and Dimitar Berbatov in particular. He does not seem to attack the ball in quite the same way as he used to. Adebayor is the man to exploit this and Wenger will look for a big game from him.

The other big dilemma for Wenger is his team selection. Each area of the pitch takes careful consideration in the mind of a manager when these games approach. At the back Wenger has reverted back to the partnership of Toure and Gallas. Many wondered why Toure was able to walk straight into the side after such good performances from Senderos. I think Wenger was thinking ahead of the Boro game and already had the Chelsea game in his thinking.

We all know the problems that Drogba has caused for Senderos over the years and Dorgba himself knows he has a hold over Phil. Toure and Gallas may not have the aerial ability Senderos has but they are big game players and will have no doubts in dealing with Drogba. Wenger brought Toure back into the side last weekend so that Toure and Gallas could play together before this game.

Wenger went with 4-5-1 in the San Siro and may well want to do the same against Chelsea's three pronged midfield. The trio of Cesc, Flamini and Hleb worked so well against Milan and I am sure Wenger will want to deploy the same thing again. It will enable us to keep the ball better and try and prise open some space for Adebayor. Having three in midfield will also allow extra space for Fabregas to try and dictate play while leaving Flamini to do a holding job on Lampard.

Out wide Wenger is likely to go with Eboue but I fear his battle with Ashley Cole might become a bit of a joke. Cole likes to get right into his players as we saw on Wednesday and Eboue will look to make the most of any challenges. I also worry that Eboue might go missing under the heat of the contest. Walcott must be ready as an option off the bench. I feel his pace would give Cole a problem, especially if he is on a yellow card as I believe he will be.

On the other side it will probably be Van Persie. He played there at the Bridge last season and will look to get at the Chelsea right back. That position is still their weak link and Van Persie is clever enough to get the better of his man. If Adebayor looks to come out to the left Robin will not hesitate to drift inside and we may well see Van Persie popping up in the box. He is the man to take a chance should it come. His crosses from that side will also provide a good supply for Adebayor to feed off as well as his excellent set pieces.

With Van Persie on the pitch Wenger always has the option to put pressure on Chelsea's defence in a 4-4-2. Tottenham caused them major problems with a great attacking pair; Adebayor and Van Persie can do exactly the same thing. Van Persie has that ability to score out of nothing and may play a big part on Sunday. Hleb can also play out wide and get at the full back also. We may see an interchange between the two on different occasions in the game.

Whatever set up Wenger chooses, I hope we try and attack Chelsea in the same manner as we did Milan. If Adebayor becomes isolated we can always change the way we play and I hope Wenger takes such a gamble before its too late. The width will be there from the full backs so moving Hleb out wide may lose the natural balance from Van Persie on the left but Clichy will look to get into a 2 vs 1 situation on the left.

=============Almunia=============
Sagna====Toure=====Gallas=====Clichy
Eboue===Fabregas===Flamini===Van Persie
=======Hleb=========================
=============Adebayor=========

Subs: Lehmann, Senderos, Gilberto, Walcott, Bendtner

This game is a must win in my opinion. Even if Liverpool force Man Utd to drop points, the 3 points are a must. If Man Utd lose we go back level on points and take momentum on but with a tough run of games we must be in touching distance. Being behind them with a visit to Old Trafford coming up is a scary place to be in. If Man Utd win against Liverpool, dropping points rules us out of the running for good this season.

All that's left to do now is wait for the two sides to come to blows. Hopefully it is Chelsea that is laid out flat at the end of the bout.

F-Off Inter - let's get tough...oh and Eboue

2008-03-20T15:56:00.002Z

This tapping up business has got to stop. Granted, we do not know the ins and outs of the apparent tapping up of Alex Hleb by Inter Milan. That said however, if it is true, I am starting to get fed up. Arsene Wenger must start to get tough on this matter and take Inter to court. We did it over the Ashley Cole affair but have generally let things lie when it has happened since.

It may not be considered "tapping up" but some of the comments that have emerged from the Nou Camp and Santiago Bernabeu over the last few years are surely the exact same thing? The obvious thing that comes to mind when I think about these clubs and their antics is the comments regarding their desire to sign Cesc Fabregas. I encourage you though to cast your minds back further.

You may well remember the days when Patrick Vieira was at the height of his Arsenal career. As the turn of the century arrived he firmly established himself as one of the best midfield players in the World. What did that mean for the fans of Arsenal Football Club? It meant that we had to read constant statements from the Madrid side about their desire to sign Vieira.

For countless summers, the question was "will he stay or will he go?" It even got to a point during one summer break that Arsenal fans had already accepted he had gone. It seemed that everything was signed and Wenger would need to find a replacement. In the end Paddy stayed for one more year and claimed that he had that special bond with the club. Many believed the money was a huge factor as his wages went sky high. It is not for me to speculate here but it does raise another issue on this tentative subject.

It is extremely hard to work out exactly when the rumours of potential interest in a player come from the agents or a true source. We are currently in a world where agents will do anything to raise the amount they receive via their percentage. Agents are only looking out for one thing in this game, number one. They do not care what problems are caused when they talk up interest from other clubs.

There is a clear difference when the club itself comes out with statements like the ones we have heard from Real Madrid. It is ridiculous how these clubs think they can say whatever the hell they like and get away with it. This season alone I have heard Roman Calderon mention Kaka being destined for Madrid, this after two years of constant declarations that he will sign Cesc Fabregas.

We have heard Barcelona declare their interest to bring Cesc back there at some point. I do not blame them for wanting such a player at their club, the only problem is that he is not their player, he is Arsenal’s and they cannot talk up such a move. That is tapping up in my opinion. The problem does however lie with Mr Wenger. He must take a hard line here but he never does.

Look at Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo in particular. This is one area where I admire Alex Ferguson. He takes no shit from anyone, especially not Real Madrid or Barcelona. Throughout this season and last they have declared their desire to sign Ronaldo but these outbursts have died away, but why? Alex Ferguson has put them to bed.

When it seemed like Cristiano might leave this summer, Alex Ferguson told him he was going nowhere, told Madrid to go away in no uncertain terms and look how well he’s playing now. I just wish Wenger would release a statement declaring his refusal to sell these players. As soon as a report comes out over a potential move for Fabregas, he should quash immediately to avoid any unnecessary confusion. The silence does nothing but suggest Wenger is not sure over how his player feels.

Even if he believes his player might go, he must get tough and show how ambitious he is to keep his best players. If any club decides they want a player from Arsenal and make it public, it should be considered illegal and a valuable reason for Arsene Wenger to take this club to the Football courts. Whether he would have any chance of winning such a case I do not know; what he would show from it could be what makes it so important. This strong stance would warn any clubs that they should think twice before doing anything similar.

Hopefully Wenger will do this should the Hleb claims be found true. According to one paper Wenger will take Inter Milan to the courts over their tapping up of Hleb. If true, it seems Wenger has finally had enough and has begun to get tough with these clubs. It is about time he protected his squad and prevented these unsettling comments from clubs. It is out of order and I hope it starts to stop now.

If the worst comes to the worst, let’s release statements claiming Iker Casillas and Samuel Eto’o are destined to be at Arsenal for next season!

In other news, Tomas Rosicky seems to be far more unlikely to kick a ball for the first team in the near future. Reports claim he has not even started to join in training with a football. Tomas was expected back before Van Persie but injuries are never straight forward where Ro-"sicky" is concerned. The club thought he was over his injury troubles after he had a special insole inserted into his boot but then this happens. Week by week the fear he will end up as the new Freddie Ljungberg (in his latter years at Arsenal) increases.

Rosicky is definitely important to the side as he offers a directness from midfield. Hleb and Fabregas look for the killer ball and this often causes the game to slow down. That enables teams to close us down more easily than when someone like Rosicky is in the side. He gives us that balance in midfield as he draws players out with his desire to make things happen quickly, invariably they do.

Rumours are circulating that Emmanuel Eboue is up for sale in the summer. When Bakary Sagna came in this summer he was clearly brought in as the new first choice right back. He has not let Wenger down in his first season but Eboue has not settled to his new role on the right side of midfield as he might have wanted.

There have been times when Eboue has shown potential in this position. There have been others when he has looked like a lost soul out there. There are three things to consider this summer:
1. Is Eboue good enough?
As I said, he has shown promise at times but is it worth giving him another season to adapt to the role further?
2. Squad players
Every squad needs players who are prepared to be used more sparingly. A squad cannot survive if everyone wants to play every game. A manager needs players who are prepared to work hard in training and put up with a place on the bench for most of the season. Eboue is not part of our best 11 in my opinion but can be a decent player if called upon.
3. The price
If Wenger can get a decent price for Eboue he might cash in now and lose any risk of him flopping here. While interest is high and clubs are probably more likely to pay more than they might be one season on after no improvement.

I say that if the price is above £10million then I would probably sell. If it was anything less than that I would keep Eboue as a squad player and hope he cuts out the antics and continues to learn his trade as a right winger. It is hard to tell, he might become a very good midfielder given time.

First Half Laziness slowly creeping back in?

2008-03-20T15:50:00.001Z

During our first season at the Emirates season, there was theme embedded within most of our home matches; first half laziness. On many occasions, the fans had to endure a lacklustre first 45 minutes, followed by a vastly improved second in which the team was generally chasing the game. As the current season got going it seemed as though things had changed. The problem recently is that the problem is creeping back in.

Look at these games from last season.

Arsenal 1 Aston Villa 1

Olof Mellberg put Villa ahead in the second half but having battered at the door Gilberto scored late on to level the scores.

Arsenal 1 Middlesborough 1

James Morrison scored on the counter attack in the first half before Henry equalised from the spot.

Arsenal 1 Everton 1

Tim Cahill scored early on from a corner but Van Persie rescued a point with a late free kick.

Arsenal 1 Newcastle 1

Kieron Dyer nicked a quickfire goal in the first half but Henry made it 1-1 with a great free kick.

Arsenal 2 Portsmouth 2

Portsmouth went two ahead with goals from Pamarot and Taylor. Adebayor and Gilberto made the scores level in the second half.

Arsenal 6 Blackburn 2

An early Nonda penalty was cancelled out by goals from Gilberto, Adebayor and Hleb. When it became 3-2 Van Persie scored twice and Flamini added the 6th

Arsenal 2 Wigan 1

Landzaat scored a stunner after half an hour but an own goal followed by a Rosicky header finally broke Wigan’s resistance.

Arsenal 1 Bolton 1 (Fa Cup)

Kevin Nolan stole the lead early in the second half but Kolo Toure bundled the ball in for 1-1.

The common factor in all of these games is that Arsenal went behind to a goal against the run of play, only to fight back to get a point. These goals normally came late on as Arsenal battered away against deep lying defences. Teams normally came to the Emirates with a defensive set up and once they had stolen the lead in the first half, or early in the second, this game plan was only strengthened.

I say above the goal was "against the run of play". What I should say is that the goal came against the run of possession. We came out in the first half, passed the ball from side to side, backwards a bit but rarely with much pace going forward. The team obviously took time to settle into games and were happy to wait for a chance to come rather than go all out to make things happen.

With away teams set up in the custom 4-5-1 formation, they were happy for Arsenal to play in front of them. They were able to deal with any balls pumped long and with Arsenal’s lack of width, the middle area was congested and we were forced to play wide. As the half gradually drew on, Arsenal pushed more men forward, leaving us a bit more open at the back. This was not a problem as the opposition seemed unlikely to pose a threat. Suddenly however, the away team sensed an opportunity to break and unlike the home side, created that perfect opportunity and clinically took the lead.

From then on, we were forced the chase the game. As the away side held the lead, they knew they did not have to do anything more than try and soak up all our attacking pressure. It was only once the first goal had gone in that the lads began to try and force the issue as they realised a goal was needed fast. Wenger obviously rallied the troops at half time but by then it was too late. The problem was that we did not have an answer till very late on in those games and were able to take victory against Wigan and Blackburn.

At the start of this season it looked like same old story as Fulham scored the first goal at the Emirates. Inspired goalkeeping (a common occurrence against Arsenal it seems), desperate defending and wasteful finishing meant it took 82 minutes for us to break Fulham down as Toure won the penalty which Van Persie smashed home.

Up until this moment it seemed like we were never going to score and the most we could hope for was 1 point. We had battled away and I for one thought that we had used up all our luck to get that one goal; a second would never come. I willed that second goal to go in but it seemed like the second was beyond us.

Then…in the last minute, what had been our downfall last season was seemingly put behind us. During the 2006/07 season, our downfall at home was our inability to turn up to, and kill games early on. These games took their toll on the players but this season there seemed to be a turning point. As Cesc Fabregas played the ball over the top to Alex Hleb, I knew that elusive goal was going to come.

That goal took on huge importance as it showed this team was different to the one from the previous season. On the face of it, the goal got us off to a winning start in the Premiership, but it took on added importance. With all the media doubt surrounding the new season, it was important that this team went out to show that we had moved on from Thierry Henry and we were going to fight all the way for the title.

From this game on Arsenal had a bit of a swagger about them and teams were blown away as our run of form gathered pace. Unlike the season before we started went at teams early on with the throttle pushed down hard. Teams were blitzed by the speed and ruthlessness of our Football. With the partnership of Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin Van Persie up front, the days of early mistakes and desperate late equalisers seemed to be a thing of the past.

Then we hit December. Having played such brilliant football up until the Villa game on December 1st it was not unusual to see us go in at the break 2-1 up after a master class in attacking football. As soon as Alex Hleb went off however, the life was drained out of us and as if a switch had been flicked, we lost all impetus. From that moment on the goals were not free flowing like before and our play was void of speed and movement as we had become so used to.

The middle stint of the season saw us grind out results. From December 16th to January 1st we took 13 points from a possible 15 in the league. During this period we beat Chelsea, Tottenham, Everton and West Ham; in my opinion without playing to our best. Although we beat Everton by 4 goals to 1, we did not reach our usual standard of play and resorted to the long ball game.

Over this short period of time, the media was beginning to believe Arsenal had the stomach for the fight and were getting victories without playing well; a true sign of Champions. The problem was that this could not last forever. Sooner or later we had to find our early season form. This came towards the end of January as we went to Fulham and Manchester City and welcomed Newcastle and Blackburn to the Emirates. During these games we scored 11 goals and conceded only 1. It looked as though we were finding our feet again as the goals were flowing and we looked solid at the back.

At this point we were 5 points clear of Manchester United. Now we find ourselves level on points with United but they have a game in hand. I expect them to have beaten Bolton by the time this goes out and then we will be 3 points behind. If Chelsea win at Tottenham on the same evening we will have allowed them to close down our advantage as we will be level on points with them. We visit Stamford Bridge on Sunday also.

So what went wrong? Many will point to the defeat at the hands of Manchester United in the FA Cup. I do not buy that. To me, when a game goes that badly, all that the players want to do is move on as soon as possible. It is dwelled upon for a few hours the next Monday morning but from then the next game is the important thing. One must also take into account that only Gallas, Fabregas, Eboue, Hleb and Eduardo had played in the previous match and were likely to start the next one.

That next game was AC Milan and Arsene Wenger got a fantastic performance out of his players that night; the only thing missing was a goal. The flickering flame of the Manchester United game was extinguished there and then and we were ready to push on in the League once again. Next came a trip to St Andrews.

It was here that I believe the season changed. It is likely the players were on a high going into the game and wanted to get the chase for the Premier League title back on track. Before the game even got started, it was soured by Martin Taylor. I am being careful not to accuse him of anything deliberate but the fact of the matter is that the game was overshadowed by his horrific tackle on Eduardo.

The Arsenal players were clearly in a state of shock for the whole first half after what happened. When you see one of your best mates lying there in so much pain, there is no way you can concentrate on a football match right there and then. To add insult to injury (excuse the pun) we went into the break 1-0 down after a dodgy refereeing decision.

That 15 minute break has never been more needed by Arsene Wenger. He got the troops in and once they had re-grouped and focused on winning that game for Eduardo, they turned the game on its head. They showed great character to come from one goal behind and take the lead. Winning that game 2-1 could have been a major boost after what happened but it was cruelly taken away by the ref. There is no way Gael Clichy fouled Parnaby yet the ref pointed to the spot. The manner in which we drew that game made the day even more awful than it already was.

From here it was always going to be tough to focus the minds back to the title race. Although players came out and declared a desire to win the trophy for Eduardo, I knew it would take a bit of Football to get firmly back on track. There was one slight hitch. Aston Villa were never going to lie down in during their pursuit for Europe. Like they had done the previous season, they stole a lucky goal and were content to keep us at arms length.

The fans endured a lacklustre first half performance reminiscent of the season before. This was understandable after the events of the previous game but what was not good was our similar showing in the second. We were unable to create anything through the middle, failed to get round the Villa defence and only succeeded when we went long occasionally. There was a stubborn refusal to use this tactic more often and this was a mistake. The only time we caused problems was when we aimed long towards Bendtner and Adebayor, 6/5" and 6/4" respectively. Who wouldn’t cause problems with these two up front. Our goal came from one lung punt into the box and we had rescued a point.

There was me, walking out of the stadium, happy to have gained a point. Taking stock, it was not a bad point and I was confident we would push on. I knew we had Milan next and any sort of good performance would put us in good stead for the months ahead. What we got was in fact one of the best Arsenal performances in my lifetime. The way we kept the ball and moved Milan around at will was something I had not seen in recent months. After this I expected our troubles were behind us.

The simple truth was that Europe suits us more. In the League teams look to frustrate us and whereas at the start of the season we blew teams away without a care in the world, we were suddenly letting it affect us. With our most natural goalscorer Eduardo out we started to waste chance after chance. Wigan were up next and despite the appalling quality of the pitch, we should have taken three points but were wasteful in front of goal. A poor away performance yes, but still a point and ‘Boro at home’ the team that lost 2-0 to Cardiff the next day, surely 3 points here?

Well no actually, once again, only 1. Like Villa, they nicked a goal on the counter after Arsenal started at a canter. Suddenly we seemed a bit more alert but never had the speed and cunning to open ‘Boro up. We deserved a point at least and it should have been very different had this ref not dropped a clanger in the 4th minute. Once again we were hard done by an official.

What has got to change then?

The first thing is out mentality in the first half. Wenger rambles on and on about mental strength and character. Show this in the bloody first half then please! They did it at the start of the season but now have reverted back to their old ways. We have scored more goals than any side in the last 15 minutes; this can be recreated early on in games.

Maybe pre match preparation is not getting the players ready as it should. I see away teams doing passing drills against each other before games and taking shots at their keeper. All i see Arsenal doing is doing a few running exercises and passing the ball leisurely between themselves. These slightly competitive warm ups get the juices flowing and this may give teams an edge early on. Rarely do I see us practicing shots beforehand either. It is no wonder the players seem reluctant to have a go and often take time to find their range. Maybe we need to get all this done before the game starts so we can go out and kill teams early on?

Is complacency a factor? The times we have dropped points unnecessarily have been against so called lesser sides. When the season begun, everyone wrote Arsenal off and a no pressure situation was created. The players went into every game ready to prove people wrong, whoever the opposition was. Now that people have taken note of our position, weaknesses are showing. Gallas said the players were up for the Milan game, it is the type of game players thrive on. It must be this whether we visit the San Siro or the JJB.

The last factor I want to consider is the lack of options. I have often highlighted the need for a winger; someone to stretch teams and create gaps in the centre. With Hleb cutting inside and Eboue looking lost on the right we rarely get around the sides of teams. We lack someone who will get the ball and go at teams. We do not have a C.Ronaldo type player. Rosicky does add drive to our attack and we have missed him. We need to be able to shake it up once in a while and bringing Diaby on at left midfield is not it.

We play Chelsea, Bolton, Liverpool and Manchester United in the league now and these pathetic first half showings have got to stop. We may have only been 1 behind against Villa and ‘Boro but the other big three will punish this further. Hopefully the occasion spurs the players on but when we get back to the nitty gritty games, the players must show respect to the opposition, whoever it is, and play as if their lives depended on it.

The Wigan game, squad depth, Champions League tactics and so on

2008-03-20T15:47:00.000Z

It does seem like the logical place to start this entry is Sunday’s game. For me it could have swung the title race firmly into the path of Man Utd. Many Arsenal fans would have been delighted to see Portsmouth win at Old Trafford but for me it is not so great. Obviously it shows people that teams can win there and it gives referees the confidence now that the correct decisions can be made. However, in terms of our personal benefit, here is why I am not so happy.

Man Utd are arguably the best team at coming back from set backs like this. Arsenal fans only need to cast their minds back a few weeks and they will remember the drubbing we received at the hands of our rivals. Having dropped two points at White Hart Lane, they followed this up with a 2-1 home defeat to neighbours Man City. What happens next? They thrash one of their two title rivals. I fear this defeat might spur them on to a good run of form.

Couple this factor with the fact they are only 2 points behind and have a game in hand and it all looks a it bleak. The only thing to cling onto is the fact this title race has taken so many twists and turns already that it is very hard to judge what might happen.

One thing to watch out for is that we must not assume it is a two horse race and there is a strong likelihood we could go onto finish 3rd. Should we lose at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge we may well find ourselves pushed down the table by the Chavs. Hopefully Chelsea will come up short in some of their tricky games that remain this season and it becomes solely between two teams.

What does worry me is that we do not seem up for the fight of late. Against Birmingham I have no complaints on this front considering how well the lads did to come back after Eduardo’s horrific injury, only to be robbed of 2 points. The games against Villa and now Wigan have scared me though. We looked lacklustre against O’Neill’s well drilled side and against Wigan we failed to be ruthless. The chances were there but the players seemed to have a refusal to put the bad pitch behind them. That worries me a little.

In that game we looked awfully short on ideas, but also depth in the squad. After the Milan game Hleb looked knackered and in need of a rest. The problem was that we did not have enough players to give him that recovery time. Rosicky has disappeared once again, Eboue is only just back from suspension but is that a real advantage to the side? Gilberto looks lost in this team but has to play as Walcott and Diaby are getting injured left, right and centre. If Wenger seriously wants to challenge for the title this season, these players must get sorted before its too late. We are going to need everyone.

The Portsmouth game disappointed me for another reason. That was the performance of Lassana Diarra. Ever since his move to the South Coast he has been playing brilliantly. He showed glimpses of this with us but Wenger decided to let him go over Gilberto. Had Wenger taken a gamble and got rid of the ageing Brazilian, he could have had room for a younger guy who is hard in the tackle, strong on the ball and dominant in the centre. These are all things Gilberto is not right now and I wonder if Wenger regrets this move. He may have been impatient at Arsenal but I am sure most people would be if Gilberto got preferential treatment despite such poor form.

Hopefully Alex Song is going to be the one to push Gilberto out and Wenger does not see Gil in his long term plans. Flamini will hopefully sign up (get it done now!) and then we will have Song and him fighting for the place alongside Cesc.

Another blow is the continued absence of Tomas Rosicky but, it is starting to become some sort of joke now. How much time does this guy need to recover? It is likely that he will play 5 games in a row before some part of his body malfunctions. It is becoming more serious by the injury and I hope he does not go the same way as Freddie Ljungberg did.

The effect he has on the team is substantial in my eyes and if you look at our performances since he has been out, they lack pace and decisiveness. These are two things Rosicky brought to the side from the left side of midfield. Hleb and Fabregas like to build play slowly and Tomas added that balance with his willingness to drive at players and make things happen. Diaby cannot do this from the left, Eboue certainly cannot from the right and although they are great players, Hleb and Fabregas do not play this way. We are certainly easier to play against without the drive of Rosicky.

Up front we are also lacking in firepower. Adebayor has done brilliantly this season but we cannot rely on one man. Nicklas Bendtner looked good against Wigan but I do not sense he will score many goals at this stage of his career. Bendtner and Ade are too similar to play together and somehow the partnership will never reach the results needed to win a trophy.

That is why I was so happy to see Robin Van Persie back on the pitch yesterday and I just pray that he has put his injury problems behind him and is back for the final push. In the League this season, we played our most fruitful football with the combination of Adebayor and Van Persie and the goals did dry up when RVP was laid out through injury. We were scraping victories by the odd goal as we relied on Adebayor for the majority of our goals. Hopefully now these two can form a partnership again and the goals will come back.

With Van Persie back now and Rosicky soon I hope we should be back at full strength for the League and I cannot wait for this. It has been a while but it could make all the difference. Think of Man Utd without Rooney and Tevez and you see how I see Arsenal without these two. I see them as being this important.

The interesting thing to see from Arsene Wenger now is how he sets out his troops in the Champions League. I mentioned above how Fabregas and Hleb like to play the slower game and wait for things to happen. In the league teams will stifle this more but as we saw in Milan, this can work to great effect in Europe. The 4-5-1 formation helps us keep the ball and means we have support for Adebayor in midfield runners. In the Premiership the play is far more rushed and the same formation means Ade becomes isolated. So what does Wenger do now Van Persie is back?

I think the draw will play a massive part in how he sets up. Should we meet an English team - something I do not want at all - then I feel he will go with 2 up front in Van Persie (if fit) dropping just behind Adebayor, at least in the home leg. This season we have gone with the one striker against Liverpool, Man Utd and Chelsea and in each game looked lacking in attack. Van Persie gives us that element of surprise and constant attacking threat. He can drop off into the midfield area if we need to but I would prefer us to go for it if we meet an English side.

Should we be pitted against a European side I think we will see a similar set up to that in Milan. The question remains as to who is picked. I am pre-empting that Rosicky and Van Persie will stay fit and Hleb, Fabregas and Flamini remain injury free (touch wood!). I am sure our 6 attacking players will be Flamini, Fabregas, Hleb, Rosicky, Van Persie and Adebayor. How does he arrange them? If you think back to last season, Wenger used Van Persie out on the left side with Rosicky inside him, Hleb on the right. We could see a similar thing with slight changes:

Rosicky====Flamini====Hleb====Fabregas===VanPersie

==================Adebayor==================

Hleb performed so well in the withdrawn strikers role and as he did with Eduardo, he may use a left footed striker out wide to add balance to the side. Against most European sides, possession is key and this set up allows for this. Although many do not see Van Persie as anything other than a striker, Wenger may well see it differently as he has done in the past.

He could try something similar to the way Holland play with Van Persie in the side. That means RVP starting on the right of an attacking trio with Robben on the left. Obviously we would have Rosicky out there but the idea is that we have Van Persie cutting in on his left side where is so strong. He does this very well for Holland and could re-create this for us. That is just another option.

Wigan vs Arsenal - San Siro To The JJB - A Similar Result Is Necessary

2008-03-20T15:41:00.000Z

After our performance in the San Siro we must push on, both on a European and a domestic front. That starts this Sunday with the Premier League match at Wigan Athletic. The pitch up there will be awful and I doubt they will want to sort it out before we visit the JJB! On a brand new pitch we dominated Milan with our slick passing game. It will be difficult to carry out the same possession Football on such a ripped apart pitch.

If we want to win the Premier League we need to win these types of game. This game and the one at Bolton are the types of game that has caused us problems in recent seasons. To win the title we must prove that is behind us. We can go 4 points clear again and put the pressure firmly back on United to win their game in hand. It is tough always playing catch up and we cannot afford to give them any advantage.

Although we played 4-5-1 in the San Siro, I would like us to revert back to 4-4-2 against Wigan. Wigan should pose a far smaller threat in midfield and their defence is susceptible. We need to start scoring more frequently and having two up front makes a difference. One other reason for this is that the midfield area will become very congested on such a terrible pitch. Packing that area could have an adverse affect here.

Injuries will also dictate how and who we play. Walcott is out injured after a meaningless behind doors friendly against Colorado Rapids. The match may have been to help Van Persie in his return but what baffles me is why Theo was even playing? He is close to the first-team and his performances have looked promising of late but now he is out after such a stupid match. With the players available to Wenger it means Bendtner will get a chance up front. That will enable us to bypass the congested and bogged down midfield as we will inevitably try and hit long balls towards the two big front men.

Adebayor and Bendtner clearly do not get on well but neither did Sheringham and Cole during Man Utd’s treble winning season. They are both similar in their styles and as they are both outspoken it was always a risk something like this would break out. On Sunday they must show that they are professional and put it behind them for the good of the team. I would hope Ade did not pass to Bendtner at Birmingham because he felt he could score rather than disliking him. They linked well for the equaliser against Villa and more of the same will do nicely.

Diaby is also injured for this game after injuring his calf against Milan. What is it with Arsenal players and picking up so many injuries? Diaby did not seem to be struggling during the game and even played the full 90 minutes. The question of whether Wenger sends them to the treatment table after the smallest of niggles arises in my mind. I rarely see an Arsenal player playing in the side with a slight injury. I envy it when I see clubs like Liverpool who have the likes of Gerrard prepared to play through small problems without side effects. I doubt Wenger would ever let his players do the same.

With Eboue still suspended it is likely Hleb will play on the left with the right side filled by Fabregas or Denilson. I would prefer Wenger to stick with the same central midfield duo as in the San Siro as they will want to carry on what they did that night. These two are the mainstay of our midfield and right now part of the spine that will hopefully take us to the end of the season. Gilberto seems to have lost the ability to keep the ball and that will be crucial in this game, we must not allow Wigan to dominate us. That means we have Denilson to fill in on the right side.

Again the problem of squad depth arises and people will question Wenger’s judgement in not entering the transfer market. Again I will say there was no need for serious changes as we do have so many players to return very soon (I hope!). Maybe a winger would have been a good addition but with Walcott blossoming and Van Persie ready to free Hleb from his forward role our squad could have become too full.

One option Wenger has is to play either Clichy or Traore out wide on the left. Both can cross the ball and we would be secure down the sides. That is the area from which Wigan will want to attack and this gives us added protection down the wings. Saying that though i think Wenger will prefer to have natural midfield players in the side and it is a good game for Denilson to learn from.

The width will again have to come from the full backs with our midfield likely to be so narrow. Against Milan they were always prepared to get forward and their job will be to do the same and deliver crosses to the two big men up top. We have a huge threat with Bendtner and Adebayor and we must use this to its full extent. If it needs to be whipped in or kicked long lets just do it!

It is too early for Van Persie to start but he should be on the bench alongside Toure. Once again, these two will only be used if they are needed. We may well be short of numbers on the bench this Sunday and it will be down to those on the pitch to ensure the bench is not called upon. Toure was thought to be ready to come back in for Senderos.

In my eyes that would be extremely harsh on Big Phil who has improved massively over the last few weeks. The Villa game aside he has looked far more assured at the back alongside Gallas. With these two in central defence we look far more solid in the air and with Heskey Wigan’s main threat, this solidity could be very useful. Toure needs to work for his place.

On the face of it this game is not such a big one but in my view it is massive. After two draws we need to get back winning on a domestic basis. The must use the Milan game to provide confidence and make sure complacency does not creep in to their minds at all. Winning this game will send out a message that Arsenal are well and truly back on track.

AC Milan 0 Arsenal 2 - Cesc Fabregas you genius, Arsenal XI I salute you!

2008-03-06T21:58:00.001Z

I decided to write this match report as the game goes on. From the comfort of my bedroom I can watch the game and type this out at the same time. I have never done it before and it may contain the odd rant, highs and lows as the game goes on. Here goes:

Before the game I notice the team sheet and I think Wenger has bottled it. Theo Walcott has been dropped to the bench and replaced by Emmanuel Eboue. After two very encouraging performances the decision to bench Theo is irrational in my eyes. Emmanuel Eboue seems to have a divine right to waltz right back into the side and for me that is ridiculous. Eboue has been poor in this side and giving him this luxury will never make him learn.

As for Abou Diaby, well the guy is not a winger and maybe Theo should even be on the left. I guess Milan like to play a narrow game and Wenger will want to boss the centre. There will be hopes for Diaby to add muscle to the middle and link up well, he must wake up though as possession is key. The width must come from our full backs as Diaby will look to come inside.

Milan hae set up with an attacking trio of Inzaghi, Pato and Kaka. This scares me, it should scare everyone. Inzaghi is lethal and our defence must stick tight at all times. Senderos needs a better performance and Gallas must show why he is a leader. This is going to be tough but I am both excited and nervous. Is tonight the night? We play on a new pitch which will suit both teams really. To the game…

The game is on. Good start there, Hleb gets among the players and we counter well. More of that please lads. From here I will only comment on key things.

7 mins - That is ridiculous from the defence there. Awful defending to allow a free ball to come all the way in to the goal line before Cesc dealt with it. Milan will take heart from that and I hope we learn that we must attack the ball at the first opportunity.

12 mins - Brilliant tackle Cesc, great play by Adebayor, he can cause them problems here with his pace. So close from Diaby, very encouraging. Diaby must get forward to support him as Ade seemed isolated in that but if he can do the same thing we could be in business. We just must keep alert as very soon after Clichy misjudges for Inzaghi to hit the target - saved my Almunia.

18 mins - So so so so lucky there. Commentators say we have seen nothing from Kaka and Pato and lo and behold Kaka runs past 3 players and sets up Pato who strangely hits the ball with little power in probably and attempted lob. The defenders must not dive in as on this pitch he will find it so easy to cover the ground. Worrying.

32 mins - sorry guys, too nervous and into it to report but that is a disgrace. Nesta takes out Hleb, edge of the box and a dive is given with a yellow for Hleb is ridiculous. That could cost us I feel but we are keeping it well and taking it to Milan - FABREGAS, HITS THE BAR. It is just not falling for us right now but hopefully we keep plugging away.

HALF TIME

"Arsenal have done everything but score" Spot on ITV commentators but we really need to score. The half was summed up by three brilliant tackles, first by Flamini on Kaka - not for the first time - secondly on Ambrosini by Diaby and lastly by Hleb on Nesta I think it was. We have kept the ball brilliantly at times and have given Milan no time on the ball whatsoever. Wenger just needs to tell them to keep it up as Milan will come out better in the 2nd half. This tie is still intriguingly poised.

47 mins - Senderos fluffs our best chance. Corner in and he hits it at keeper, anywhere else he scores. There are the chances we must take. Milan already look more in this game and pose a threat at all times. Jesus my heart is racing and my fingers are shaking I am finding it hard to write.

50 - Forget Senderos - Eboue has just missed the best chance of the game. Pirlo plays in Ade who puts him in perfectly but Eboue misses the target as he has done many many times this season. He has come back in and been given a chance by Wenger, probably undeserved and he must do more to prove he deserves it.

Just wanted to say now - whatever the result here this performance must give us confidence for the rest of the season. Well saved Manu (53 mins).

I just feel it now, waste the chances and they will nick it last minute.

YEEEESSSSSSSS - GOAL GOAL Cesc Fabregas you genius! I thought that hit the back netting but no; what a goal!

Sorry for the delay - had problems with dominoes pizza but that is nothing now. The report during the game is interesting to note but I will sum up later as usual.

Full Time - Get in there Lads - We’ve got Cesc Fabregas, We’ve got Cesc Fabregas and Adebayor, Adebayor-oooorrr, give him the ball and he will score.

Now I leave that log from my mind on a brilliant night, I will add the post match later
Now i have calmed down and the house is not vibrating with noise lets reflect. There is not much to be said really. Almunia was solid, Sagna and Clichy brilliant and got forward as required. The defence was colossal, especially Gallas who showed why he is the captain. Senderos had his moments but won pretty much everything.

Fabregas and Flamini were outstanding and that adjective does not do them justice. Fabregas conducted this orchestra with ease and was clear man of the match, he just had fun out there. They gave Kaka and Pirlo no time and Pirlo looked so average. Diaby was very good also but Eboue did not cut it. Theo from the off now Wenger, the guy made a difference AGAIN.

Up front Hleb was awesome again with passing 84% complete. He linked well with Fabregas and together they ripped Milan apart. One ball from Hleb to Walcott was amazing, the technique and accuracy showed Hleb at his best. Lastly, but by no means the least, Emmanuel Adebayor I salute you! He led the line amazingly and was always there. His form was off lately but tonight he shone and got his first goal in the Champions League, lets now have more from Ade.

There is not much more to say right now. All I will do is praise our players through the roof but you do not need to hear that, all the papers will do it tomorrow. I am sure Fabregas the King will go into more detail later but I just wanted to show my thought during the game. They make interesting reading late on.

For me, this night resembled the one in the Bernabeu two seasons ago when Thierry Henry’s moment of brilliance took us through. That night we were the first English side to win in the Bernabeu, now we are the first team to win in the San Siro. Credit to all the lads, many teams have failed to keep Kaka quiet, look at Man Utd last year. Well done lads and spot on Wenger.

Arsenal vs AC Milan - All to play for...bring it on!

2008-03-06T21:53:00.002Z

Arsenal vs AC Milan in the San Siro, scores level at 0-0 after the first leg and one of the hardest and most important games so far this season. No British team has won in the San Siro and right now our form is shaky. Lets be realistic, Milan are favourites to go through to the quarter finals but it will not be a full gone conclusion.

Cast your minds back to two seasons ago when Arsene Wenger’s side visited the Bernabeu. Until 2006, no English team had beaten Real Madrid on their own turf. Our league form was shaky then too and no one gave us a chance that night. In the end, it took one moment of brilliance but we came away with a 1-0 victory that, combined with a 0-0 scoreline at home, took us through. A repeat would do nicely.

In my opinion it may take something similar to the goal Thierry Henry scored back then to take Arsenal through. That night we created chances and wasted them in the same fashion as at the Emirates two weeks ago. Milan are disciplined at the back and we may need someone to stand up and make that difference.

Although the odds are against us, there is no reason why we cannot win this game. The tie is intrigingly poised and while that is the case, both sides still have a choice. This game could have a huge bearing on our season. Winning this game will give us a massive boost for the rest of the season. If we lose it will either provide the basis for a collapse. Hopefully though, if we have to go out, a loss will show us where our priorities lie and make sure the League is firmly on the mind.

Both sides come into it with key players out injured. It was believed Kaka would miss this tie through injury but, as in the first leg, he is fit and ready to take to the field. He may not be at his best and Flamini and Fabregas showed us that they can stifle his threat. Clarence Seedorf is out and this is a blow to Milan. The Dutchman might be into his 30s but he is intelligent and still has that quality.

We saw in the first leg that if we go at Milan with pace they will find it hard to cope. Playing against an ageing side suits Arsenal when they move the ball quickly, use their clever moment and give the opposition no time to settle. We closed them down early in the home leg and Milan failed to get their passing game going. We need the exact same tomorrow evening.

Being at home will push Milan to open up a bit more than at the Emirates. They were hapy to soak up the pressure and try and hit us on the counter attack. They showed all those watching why Italian teams can be so hard to break down, even when the attack is not firing. In the San Siro, Milan will pose a far superior attacking threat but may leave themselves open. I think Wenger will look to hit Milan on the counter and try and get at the ageing defence when they have fewer numbers providing the protection.

It is imperative that the Arsenal players close down the Milan players when they look to get the ball down. If we give them any time on the ball they have the ability to punish us at any moment. The players will take heart from the first leg in that Milan rarely troubled on the same level to which Arsenal did. We also must take the chances when they arrive and I believe they WILL arrive.

Arsene Wenger has some decisions to make regarding team selection but I do feel we will set up in a 4-4-1-1 in the same way we did in the home tie. Adebayor will lead the line with Hleb in behind. It will resemble the start of the second half on Saturday. The worry on Saturday was that we did not create any chances with Hleb in behind Adebayor. With Walcott up front we stretched Villa’s defence more often and when Bendtner came on we gave them extra problems. This will come into Wenger’s mind but with a counter attacking set up likely the extra man in midfield is likely.

At the back Almunia will probably keep his place after a very good performance on Saturday. He keot us in the game at 1-0 and inevitably gave us the chance to draw level. It is harsh on Lehmann who played well in his run in the side. One advantage Manu has over Jens is his quick thinking when we try and spring counter attacks.

At the back Toure has not made the squad which is a blow. Pace could be key in this game and Senderos looked dodgy against Villa. Hopefully his confidence has not been knocked and he looks back to his excellent outings against Milan and Blackburn to how he can play. We will be pushed back into our box and his positioning and aerial strength could be of great value. William Gallas knows how big this game is and he has a lot to prove after his antics at Birmingham.

The full backs will need to be disciplined but Wenger will urge them to attack if possible. Milan do not attack down the wings as much as other teams but Sagna and Clichy can provide extra cover in the centre. They will be crucial on the counter also as we look to spring from the back. Their pace will cause Milan’s fullbacks problems. We rarely took advantage of the 2 on 1 situations out wide with Milan not having wingers. We must do that tomorrow.

On the wings Wenger can go with Walcott and Diaby once again but I feel we may see Eboue back in the side. For me, allowing Eboue an easy route back into the team would be wrong. The guy has become complacent and that has allowed his performances to drop. He is a frustrating player but a man who can have a big impact off the bench.

Theo Walcott cannot be dropped after two impressive performances. That leaves Diaby, who I feel could do ok in this game. He likes to cut inside which can give us extra men in the centre. He can add strength but he must be more dynamic. If he selects Eboue it could see Theo on the left. If Wenger feels he can be adventurous we may see Hleb on the left with Eboue right. That would mean playing Theo alongside Ade. It would be a risk for Wenger but his pace could be lethal. I doubt that will happen though.

Flamini and Fabregas need to play exactly the same way as they did against Milan last time around. They must not produce the same crap from the match against Villa. Flamini did not close down and put pressure on the opponents, Fabregas slowed the game down and was not his usual self. He lost the ball far more often than normal and often withdrew impetus from our play. He will be urged to move the ball quickly and get the Milan team chasing the ball.

Is this the game Adebayor breaks his mini scoring drought? I bloody hope so! He has not scored in four games; his last goal coming against Blackburn. After his miss in the last leg he owes us a goal. I still do not know how he missed but now he knows he must get his first European goal for Arsenal. If he does it could be a huge step towards the next round. Ade will need to make sure the midfield links up with him otherwise he will become isolated. He can dominate in the air if we get our players wide and the full backs overlap.

Lastly we have the subject of Robin Van Persie. According to Wenger:

"He has not played for five months really but he can play a part in the game, he is not ready to start but medically it is not a risk. Maybe to start in the game and play above his normal pace, that would be a risk."

Therefore, as there seems to be no risk of a recurrence it should be ok to use him, if we need him. If the game is lost or won by the 70th minute I doubt we will see him come on. If we need a goal there is no doubt RVP will be on. Wenger knows he can produce a moment of brilliance at any moment, especially against a defence thay will tire late on. He also provides a quality corner and is our best free kick taker. These situations could be crucial. We have looked a bit short of goals lately and goals are something Van Persie delivers.

============Almunia=============

Sagna====Senderos===Gallas====Clichy

Walcott===Fabregas===Flamini===Diaby

==========Hleb=====================

================Adebayor===========

Subs: Lehmann, Hoyte, Eboue, Gilberto, Denilson, Bendtner, Van Persie

I am already excited about this game, wherever you are watching it, all Gooners will be together for this match. Let’s win this trophy for Eduardo and bring back the confidence to the whole of Arsenal.

Arsenal 1 Aston Villa 1 - Season changing result? Mistakes made in January?

2008-03-06T21:49:00.001Z

As we moved into the New Year I looked at the fixtures that I believed might have the biggest influence on the title race. Arsenal vs Aston Villa was one of the ones I picked out. I was worried that their organisation, hard work and pace on the counter might cause us problems. That is exactly what happened yesterday afternoon. Wenger is right that scoring in the last minute could be a confidence boost but I do feel the advantage has swung Man Utd’s way.

The performance yesterday was on par with those we produced at ‘Boro, Newcastle and Pompey. We lacked creativity and potency. The problem seems to be that we are not playing at the same pace we showed at the start of the season. We are slowing the play down far too much and this enables the opposition to form a solid barrier. The reason we had so much success at the start of the season was that we went at teams with pace from the start, moved defenders around and were clinical in front of goal.

There is no doubt that we are missing three crucial players in the set up that provided this type of play. Kolo Toure often brought the ball out from the back and drew players too him, thus creating space for midfield runners. Tomas Rosicky gives the team that spark, that drive that we are missing. He looks to get the ball and make things happen. Robin Van Persie had that aura about him, that feel that he could score at any moment. I am positive that some of the chances we created against Milan, Birmingham and Villa would have been taken by Robin.

We are currently struglling due to this injury crisis. It begs the question as to whether Wenger should have bought in January. The money was available to him but he decided to keep his money in his pocket, with Luke Freeman the exception. Lets look at the two sides of the story:

Yes Wenger should have entered the transfer market:

Right now we lack creativity in midfield and more importantly we have no one who can score from these positions. We were relying on Eduardo and Adebayor for goals and this was not enough. With Rosicky, Diaby, Denilson, Song and RVP also out Wenger was relying on Eboue (0 goals), Hleb (4 goals), Theo (3 goals prior to Birmingham), Flamini (3 goals) and Fabregas (11 goals).

Fabregas has only scored once since November 3rd so therefore our midfield was lacking goals going into 2008. Rosicky only had 7 goals also; it was clear we could have done with a goalscoring midfielder. We also had two strikers scoring goals, but Bendtner has rarely scored when he has played. With Van Persie out we were one injury away from becoming blunt up front. Lo and behold, the horrific injury to Eduardo, and we are in the shit.

No, Wenger shouldn’t have entered the transfer market:

If Wenger had bought in the window, our squad would have been too big once players return. Buying another midfielder would leave us the same problem we had with Lassana Diarra. Had we brought in another striker, we would have 6 and surely one would have to go. This squad is developing how Wenger wants and he would have to make certain changes that he maybe would not want to make.

Wenger cannot foresee the future and who would have expected Eduardo to have his leg broken in a horrific challenge? A manager cannot simply buy players because we MIGHT get injuries. Granted, we had players out already but they are to come back and Wenger knows the problems having a huge squad can cause.

As Wenger said in his programme notes, "We have built a squad that has been thought through and Carlos Vela is part of that. We will assess the situation during the summer." The squad we have is part of a plan in Wenger’s mind and I do feel this squad is ahead of schedule, to be where we are now is fantastic and as Wenger said, the changes we need will be made in the summer, these players need a chance first.

Answer: I feel he could not buy unless he wanted to sell a few more players (that is a whole different debate)

Credit to Manuel Almunia for his performance yesterday. He was the main reason we were not dead and buried before Bendtner popped up. He made a string of quality saves to keep the score at 1-0. He has been put under pressure by Lehmann recently but once again has proved to be very solid.

Philippe Senderos has played well up to the Villa game but yesterday he had a bit of a shocker really. In the first half he had a major influence on the game; it was not a good influence for Arsenal. First of all he fluffed his lines with Carson on the floor at a corner and then scored a ridiculous own goal. It was clear Agbonlahor was going to cross the ball to Carew yet Senderos never got set, lost his footing and managed to divert it into the net. Senderos also tried to emulate Toure’s driving runs forward but got in a muddle most of the time. Senderos is all about aerial power but his lack of ability on the ground was shown up yesterday.

Alongside him I thought Gallas had good moments and bad moments, I guess that sums up the whole of the back four yesterday. Gallas was often caught sleeping as both Agbonlahor and later Harewood got through on goal. Clichy and Sagna were kept busy by Young and Maloney and our attacking threat from full back was stifled.

In midfield it was a shambles really. Flamini did not put in the tackles where he gets the ball and within seconds provides a springboard for attacks. Cesc Fabregas seemed to give the ball away so much when in good positions. He really does look jaded and in need of a rest but do we have the midfielders to cope with his absence, I doubt it.

Alex Hleb disappointed me the most in this game. He gave the ball away almost every time he had it and did not show the usual skill he does. Whenever he got past someone he always wanted to turn back and slow the game down. Hleb is at his best when he runs at people and causes them problems with his quick feet. Yesterday this was all missing. His shooting was also very poor but at least he had some attempts on goal.

Is it me or does Abou Diaby looks like he is on sedatives whenever he plays? The guy seems so lethargic and this is emphasised by the slowness with which he releases the ball to his team mates. He lacks the energy that encouraged Arsenal fans when he first arrived. I cannot help but think his drive would come back if he was moved into the centre. He is not the type of player suited to the left despite the agility he has shown on occasions. He is certainly one player whose future should be looked at in the summer in my eyes.

Up front Adebayor needs to find his Mojo once again. When he is not scoring Arsenal look lifeless up front and we will need him against Milan. The problem is that he is off form. He was kept out of the game against Villa and seems less willing to work an opening. Things are not falling for him but the players must hit him early. On many occasions he peeled away but the pass did not come as we continued to move it from side to side.

One bright light from the game was Theo Walcott. From the 1st minute he looked lively and often looked to come short. He always wanted to link up with Adebayor and was unlucky not to get a goal. He tested Carson a few times and created our only real chances. He finally used his pace to good effect rather than simply running around like a loose cannon. He looked more comfortable up front than on the wing but he could be a useful weapon on Tuesday. We must not get carried away though. His performance was not brilliant but the will for him to succeed often makes us overreact to good performances and over-criticise bad ones.

Arsenal vs Aston Villa - Win it for Eddy!

2008-03-06T21:47:00.000Z

After the horrific events of last Saturday, having a full week until their next game was a blessing for the players. Arsene Wenger is said to have given the players an extra day off to get over what happened to their team mate and ultimately their good friend Eduardo. This much needed rest time could be crucial with the title race hotting up.

This week has seen various reports on the health of Eduardo, the feelings of Martin Taylor and the heroics of Gary Lewin. Most people are probably sick to death of such reports but there are two things I would like to focus on quickly. We all (21,500 emails!!!) obviously wish Eddy a speedy recovery and it is reported Taylor himself visited the striker in hospital and had his apologies accepted. Why then, was this said in an interview with our no.9?

Did Martin Taylor visit you or called you to apologize?

- As far as I remember, he didn’t stop by.

Would you accept his apology for such a brutal tackle?

- Of course I would, that’s life, I don’t blame him. These things happen in football.

Was it the idea of Birmingham City to put out such a claim? Maybe they hoped to lay to bed certain claims for Taylor to be punished; leaving him to move on from the incident. There is no reason to say Eddy would not have accepted an apology had it come. The fear he might blame Taylor should they meet face to face was non existent. Could it just have been Eduardo was so drugged up on morphine he doesn’t remember anything about this meeting and it did happen? I guess for now we will not know the real events.

Lastly I want to salute Gary Lewin. This guy has been with Arsenal for 20 years or so and is still as dedicated as ever. Reports have shown he may have saved Eduardo’s career and for that the fans owe him, the club owes him but most importantly Eduardo owes him. In a way, what Lewin did was out of his normal job description; his job is to analyse strains and knocks on the pitch, not deal with horrific injuries such as this.

This is not the first time he has done such a brilliant job for a professional footballer. Many will remember the events of the Carling Cup Final when John Terry was knocked out cold by Abou Diaby. Lo and behold it was Gary Lewin who was first on the scene. He sensed there was a real problem and putting club rivalry behind him he simply rushed to help a fellow human being. He may well have saved John Terry that day; not just his career but his life. Gary is arguably the best in the business and at times it is people like him behind the scenes that need recognition.

Hopefully the players have put the horrible images out of their minds and are now focused on the pursuit of the title. If they were not already determined to win the Premier League, the injury to Eduardo surely provides an added incentive. It reminds me of the season Robert Pires was cruelly laid out as he was lighting up the Premiership. Hopefully we see Eduardo lifting the trophy, reminiscent of the day Pires did the same.

Following the injury, it was thought that Wenger might have Van Persie on the bench this Saturday as the squad becomes extremely limited in numbers. It seems however that Wenger will wait a bit longer before bringing him back. It may be taking a while but if the timing is right and we get Van Persie back in prime condition, it could be a massive boost come the final months of the season. Tomas Rosicky is also still out and I feel Wenger realises the importance of having these two back, but back in top notch.

One player that is back is Abou Diaby but I think he will only make the bench. Otherwise I feel it will be the team that ended the match against Birmingham that starts this match. The back four picks itself and Almunia will get another chance in goal to stake his claim for the return leg against Milan.
Theo Walcott impressed me massively and his performance was understandably overshadowed.

The two goals will give him confidence and it is a weight off his shoulders to get his first league goals. With the injuries we currently have he also knows he has a chance to get a run in the side, he needs to take it. We need to start winning games now and hopefully Wenger will not mess with the midfield trio of Hleb, Cesc and Flamini. They have been the mainstay of this side and we need our best players to get through a tricky period like this.

On the subject of Flamini, I am starting to get worried with his lack of commitment to this club and a new contract. He has been one of the reasons our performances have turned around this season and hopefully he signs up. He was not wanted by Wenger at the start of the summer but having forced his way into the side it would be a real shame to throw it all away. Arsenal is a side going places and Juventus are a side struggling to close the gap in Serie A, I do not understand why he would want to leave. It seems like his agent is trying to bump up his pay deal by a few grand.

Wenger has the option of playing Theo up front with Adebayor but for now I feel he will give Bendtner his chance to shine. He has improved this season and now is the time to show if he is ready to make the final step up. He has not made a huge impression in the League and with Van Persie back soon, the pressure is on him to perform. Ade just needs to start scoring again, simple as that. I guess one could say the relationship between the two strikers must improve, I hope it was just his striker’s instinct that made him go for goal rather than square it to Nick.

============Almunia============

Sagna====Senderos===Gallas===Clichy

Walcott===Fabregas===Flamini===Hleb

========Adebayor===Bendtner=====

Subs: Lehmann, Gilberto, Denilson, Diaby, Hoyte

It is a pity we are playing Villa after this small dip in results combined with such a horrific turn of events last weekend. They play on the counter with pace and the full backs will have a tough job on their hands. Gallas will need to stay tight to Agbonlahor and we will rely on Phil to stifle the aerial threat of Carew. We have seen they are dangerous from set pieces, an area in which we are particularly weak. It is a big game but if we take our chances and are disciplined at the back we should get the points. Saying that, it will be far from easy.

Birmingham vs Arsenal - Back To The League

2008-03-06T21:44:00.000Z

After a near perfect performance against Milan, the Manchester United game should be banished from the minds of the squad. Now we return to the business of the Premier League and it is time to get back into the swing of things. The only thing we failed to do against AC this week was put the ball in the back of the net, Saturday is a perfect chance to put that right.

Had we killed Birmingham off at home rather than let complacency creep in we would be 7 points clear. Things happen in football and to be honest you cannot look back and say "what of at this stage". That game was in the past and every club has had certain things go wrong unexpectedly. I am only reminding everyone of this because the same cannot happen. We need to keep the 5 point gap alive and extend it if possible before we travel to Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge.

Against Birmingham at the Emirates we really should have finished with 3 points, especially having taken the lead. In the past we had often gone behind only to gain a point late on but we got past that this season. This time however we allowed a team to steal a point with a cheap goal from their first set piece; tomorrow, if we take the lead, we must kill the game off as quickly as possible.

We are less likely to concede a similar goal with someone like Senderos in the side. His form has been excellent and if he can continue this then we should have a solid enough base to build on. One thing Phil adds to the side when he is in the team is height and power from set pieces, at both ends. All we lacked in the corresponding fixture was for someone to take charge and head the ball clear.

On the injury front we have Almunia back in the squad but after two good performances from Lehmann that is no great boost; it is nice to have him back but with one ‘keeper in good form it can never improve the squad hugely. It would be harsh on Lehmann should Almunia come straight back in, but I guess having established himself as the Premiership keeper this season, Wenger may opt for Manuel and keep Jens for the second leg against AC.

Van Persie, it seems, will return for the run-in but Wenger wants to have him fully fit and raring to go before he returns, he could be a massive player for us in the coming months. Tomas Rosicky is also close to a return but it is too soon for him also.

We only have one player back but we have two players out. Kolo’s injury is not as bad as first feared and in my eyes, it was wrong to start him ahead of Senderos on Wednesday night. Senderos was in the middle of a good run of form and Toure returned to the side after an injury-hit African Cup of Nations; only to be part of the 4-0 drubbing. Phil gets another chance to cement his place and his form eases the loss of Toure.

Emmanuel Eboue is also out with a fresh injury. His looks as serious as first feared with his lay-off likely to be around one month. For me, we have not lost anything special here as Eboue has been very poor all season. No goals from the right wing, from a player who has started a lot of games, is not good enough. He has not looked to beat his full back enough and now Theo Walcott gets a shot. Eboue played through the injury which may have caused further damage. To me that is bad for the team on his part, as soon as he felt any niggle he should have come off and allowed a raring to go Theo more time on the pitch.

It is hard to make this statement with Theo only having five minutes on the field of play, but, when he came on he seemed to have more urgency and positivity in him than Eboue had for most of his 89 minutes. Wenger made the substitution too late against Milan but Walcott now should get at least 70 minutes to show his worth to the side. He has looked a far better player as an impact sub, can he have an influence from the start?

Clichy and Sagna showed how important they are to the team with brilliant displays in midweek. I mentioned it after that game and want to mention again how much respect I have for Sagna right now. He has just lost a brother but has come back to put this team high in his priorities. Even though football is basically his life and for many players it is the best way to put things behind you, coming back so soon takes bottle and for this I salute him. Clichy has played in every league game this season which is a remarkable feat and along with Sagna has established himself as a key member of the side.

Despite playing behind the striker in the Champions League, Hleb will revert to the left as Eduardo partners Adebayor once again. In the League there is less emphasis on keeping the ball in the centre and if we can get it wide to Hleb he can cause problems out there. He will be key should we adopt a counter attacking strategy and his eye for a pass could split Birmingham apart.

All I need to say regarding both Flamini and Fabregas is "same again please". These two were awesome in the game against Milan and together meant we won the midfield battle. We gave their players no time to settle and with Birmingham likely to mix it up, they will have a hard task. Hopefully Cesc can get on the ball and maybe even get back on the scoresheet. One thing I wish to say to Flamini only, "sign up now, please!"

Eduardo plied his trade on the left of midfield and worked away admirably in a position he is not suited to. Wenger clearly is attempting to re-create a similar set up to the one that took us to the final two seasons ago, with a left footed player in Reyes out on the left. In the league however, I am sure Eddy will revert to his preferred role as a striker. That is where he is dangerous and a 4-4-2 is generally more suited to the Premier League as the game is faster and more direct with more goals scored on average than in the Champions League.

Should we take the lead Wenger may move Eduardo to the left to help us in possession and give us a stronger base for a counter attack. I would prefer for him to leave it as it is so we constantly have a threat going forward. Having two strikers will always increase the possibility to score and kill the game off.

When Adebayor headed the ball against the crossbar when it seemed easier to score it summed up his evening; nothing seemed to go right for him. Overall he did not have the best of games as his touch let him down frequently and he seemed lost up front on his own. Ade has 19 goals in 23(+1) appearances this season and will look to continue this form. Since his move from Monaco he has fired blanks in Europe but in the league has found goals easier to come by, hopefully he exemplifies that at St Andrews tomorrow.
Likely Arsenal team vs Birmingham

============Lehmann===========

Sagna===Senderos===Gallas====Clichy

Walcott===Flamini===Fabregas===Hleb

=======Adebayor===Eduardo=======

Subs: Almunia, Hoyte, Gilberto, Denilson, Bendtner

We will see two ex-Arsenal players in Larsson and Muamba, the latter posing the main threat to our midfield. If we can bypass the tough -tackling midfielder then we can dominate midfield. Larsson will provide a good supply of crosses which the defence will have to deal with. It is likely that we will have to deal with a direct style similar to the one Birmingham produced at the Emirates.

We need to get back to winning ways after a defeat and a draw and this away game is another character testing game for the lads. I am confident we can win if we keep the ball and take our chances.

Arsenal 0 Milan 0 - Still all to play for...

2008-03-04T22:41:00.000Z

We go to the San Siro with a 0-0 draw. On the face of it, that is a good result, a clean sheet at home and any away goal puts us in a strong position. That’s the realistic view but any fan that watched that game must be disappointed. The atmosphere was amazing on the first big European night at the Emirates.

We dominated the game and out played Milan. The work rate was fantastic all night as every player played his heart out. Kaka, Pirlo and Seedorf were shackled by Fabregas and Flamini who were brilliant throughout. Clichy and Sagna provided width over and over and Hleb linked everything together.

It was the perfect response to Saturday; we just could not score tonight. Like Liverpool did last night we closed them down at every opportunity and they had no time to settle. We went into every challenge determined to win the ball and most of the time we did exactly that. The fight and commitment was certainly there tonight.

The game could have been so different though after only 5 minutes. With Toure off the pitch we lost concentration and I could see Maldini run across our penalty box to meet the early corner. Once more Lehmann showed why Wenger kept him on, he still is a good goalkeeper. His save was top quality and it took me back to our run to the final 2 years ago. To then catch the cross and release the mightiest of throws was awesome, it was the Jens Lehmann show once again; Pato certainly knew he was there as Lehmann approached with his usual anger. He must improve his kicking though, it was awful.

Toure’s injury was a wierd one and no one at the Emirates was sure what happened but he has a calf injury. From personal experience I know they can be really annoying if such an injury persists but he shouldn’t be out for too long. Right now though, I wouldn’t want anyone ahead of Senderos at the back.

Tonight, Phil was a rock. Many - including me - were worried his lack of pace might be exposed by Pato and Kaka but he has clearly been improving his game as he read the game so well to make up for it. Tony Adams was not fast but he was always one step ahead, Senderos was the same tonight. He made countless challenges when Milan moved into dangerous positions, one in particular was brilliant as Kaka moved in on goal.

Gallas called for fight and passion and tonight he certainly played his part. Along with Senderos he kept Pato so quiet and I just hope he can produce the same in the San Siro. Senderos and Gallas have struck up a great partnership and have conceded very few goals. They will be key in the San Siro, as will Sagna and Clichy.

Special praise for Sagna who has just lost his brother. To come back so quickly and play the way he did, what a soldier! For footballers, playing this game is their lives and such a game is probably the way Sagna wanted to remember his brother and for that I salute you Baka!

Clichy just continued the way he has performed all season and was solid at the back when put under pressure but got forward all the time and put in some dangerous crosses; there was just no one on the end of it. The pace he has really helps on the cover when someone does run over the top. He has boundless energy and has been one of our best, and most importantly, most consistent players this season.

Eboue proved once again why he is the most frustrating player in our squad. He started well as Sagna and Eboue doubled up on Maldini and he made some good in roads from the right side. However, after 10 minutes he went missing again. In the second half he had our best chance of the game up until that point and emphasised why is goal tally this season is at the mighty number of zero.

Theo should have been on the pitch much much earlier. Giving him six minutes was a mistake with Eboue playing so badly. Granted Eboue could have had a penalty but once that went against him it was time to inject some fresh pace. Within 3 minutes he had created our best chance all night, simply because he was positive and went at his man. Eboue constantly slows the play down but Milan’s ageing defence did not want someone running at them.

Eduardo played on the left but I am still not sure if 4-5-1 is the best way. Away at the San Siro maybe it will be best but at home we should have gone with two up top. Eduardo did play well out there though and showed some good moments and brilliant work rate. He is a massive threat up front and we did take that away. The logic was that having Hleb as the extra man to link midfield to attack would be the way to open Milan up. This did not happen though I felt. Hleb was caught too far back and Ade became isolated.

In the middle Flamini had Kaka in his pocket all night. Kaka found space like always but Flamini stuck to him like a bad smell. One moment summed up his season as we saw a battle of the titans between Gattuso and Flamini. Both went in hard and although neither really came out on top, it was brilliant to see. Flamini has made a massive difference to our side this season and if he can produce the same in Milan it could be key.

Alongside Fabregas finally showed his best football. He has been out of sorts but the big stage brought the best out of him. His passing was spot on, his skill and taclking were all spot on. His link up play with Hleb is wonderful to watch but when it got him through on ball his shooting let him down. Twice he did not test the keeper as much as he should have; symptomatic of Arsenal this evening.

When I mentioned the 4-5-1, I pointed out that Ade got a bit isolated tonight but he did not help himself. In my eyes his performance was poor. His hold up play was not what it normally is and his shooting boots were left at home. How he did not score at the end, I still do not know. Missing such an importance chance is pretty unforgivable in my opinion. Hopefully he makes up for it in the San Siro and breaks his European duck then.

I know we should have won the game but before the game many would take a 0-0 draw. One goal in the San Siro puts us thoroughly in the driving seat with the away goals rule and we know now we can play Kaka out of the game. Milan will be a bigger threat at home but in a way this might help us as they come out of their shells a bit more. The counter attack is still a huge weapon for this Arsenal side. By then we might have the likes of Rosicky and Van Persie back and that could help us hugely.

Either way we need to put this behind us but still take heart from it. The League is up now and the return leg is in two weeks. Once Brum and Villa are out of the way then we can look at the 2nd leg. More of the same will do from now until then.

Arsenal vs Milan - How Will The Lads React?

2008-03-04T22:38:00.002Z

The title says it all really? After the 4-0 drubbing it is key Wenger motivates the squad ahead of a massive game, potentially a season defining one. If we mess this up I believe it will take something special to make sure it does not happen in the league.

After we lost 5-1 to Spurs we went and won 4 consecutive games, scoring 11 goals in the process, conceding only one. How I would love to see something similar. Even though the team that started Saturday’s game is unlikely to start Wednesday’s game, losing to a rival so heavily hurts the squad as a whole and they need to prove they really have the "mental strength" and "hunger" Arsene Wenger has mentioned on so many occasions this season.

The last time we played an Italian team in this competition we faced Juventus at home and produced one of our best performances of the season to ruin Patrick Vieira’s return to Highbury. Another 2-0 win would do very nicely. I do not see Milan being as open at the back as Juventus were that night. What they will have is a far older side than the one from Turin and with our youthful energy we have the opportunity to carve them open.

We must play to our strengths: quick passing, clever movement and midfield dominance. The defence of Milan can be beaten as most of them are getting on. The movement of our strikers and midfield runners will be the key to this.

Milan are extremely strong in the midfield area and this will be the key battle. Like Flamini does for us they will have Gattuso to try and stifle and attacks with his constant running, harrying and strong tackling. The battles between Gattuso and Fabregas, and Kaka and Flamini could be the decisive factor. Milan will probably line up as so:

=============Fiori==============

Oddo===Nesta===Kaladze===Jankulovski

=====Gattuso===Pirlo===Ambrosini====

=======Kaka===Seedorf============

=========Inzaghi============

Pirlo will be more advanced than Gattuso and Ambrosini and will look to link the defensive six to the attacking 3. Kaka will be the main threat as always and Flamini will have to get close to him as much as possible. The wily old head that is Clarence Seedorf will still be one we have to watch. He must be closed down as his shot is as lethal as anyone’s in Europe.

I remember the Champions League final of last year and their second goal summed them up perfectly. With Mascherano off the pitch, Kaka was finally given space and with one fantastic defence splitting pass he released Inzaghi. The chance was not an easy one but he showed a cool head and made it look easy. They can burst into action at any time and will invariably take their chances. We must stay alert at all times or we could be punished.

That is enough of the Milan team but what about the Arsenal side. Almunia is likely to still be out but Lehmann was the only one who performed with any crediility on Saturday and he will want to show the manager once again he can do the business on the big stage. We cannot afford one slip up from Jens however and I hope he improves his goal kicks!

The partnership of Toure and Gallas failed horribly on Saturday and with Senderos looking good right now I hope we see Senderos back in the side. Gallas and Senderos have played well together recently and it seems wrong to fix something that is not broken. Clichy was carrying the injury that has the largest chance of keeping him out and Sagna is away grieving the loss of his brother.
All of us at insidearsenal wish Baka and his family our best wishes.

We must not push Sagna to return however much we need him right now. He may decide the best thing to do is get straight back on the pitch and try and win this game for his club, he may feel his brother would have wished as much. He also might feel it is too early and that is fully understandable. Whatever he decides he must have the full support of the squad and the fans.

Should both full backs be unavailable to return, Hoyte and Traore could be drafted in again. However, after such a horrid performance from the two of them against Man Utd I would prefer to see somethng different. They are likely to be low on confidence and we need to be as solid as possible for this game. Wenger could go with Hoyte alongside Toure, Senderos and Gallas; the latter at left back. I would like to see the same set up if only Sagna returns. If Clichy is fit to return but Sagna chooses to take more time with his family then I would like to see Toure moved out to right full back as he did against PSV last season.

To stifle Milan’s midfield Wenger could go with 4-5-1 but it would take away a significant part of our attack. Adebayor and Eduardo have developed a brilliant partnership and been scoring regularly when they play together in a front two. Whenever Eduardo is moved to the left he looks lost and has a reluctance to track back. He is wasted out wide so I hope to see him up front on Wednesday.

Wenger could put Eduardo on the bench and go with Gilberto in the midfield with Flamini and Fabregas. As the home side I feel we have to go for it and try and take a lead to the San Siro. Playing two midfielders who are defensive minded is a risky stategy, especially with the form Fabregas is in right now. He rarely ventures into the opposition box like he did at the start of the season and has not had the same spark lately.

Hleb and Eboue will be in the side also but I hope we don’t see a similar set up to the one from Saturday. When we had Hleb and Eduardo in the same team, I could not understand playing the striker in midfield and the midfielder up front. Wenger hoped Hleb could link the midfield to the attack but he did nothing of the sort. Hleb should play on the left where he can get at the full back with his clever dribbling and good passing. Eboue needs to do the same and show us a performance that warrants his place in the side.

EDITED 19th February

It turns out that Sagna and Clichy will be back which is massive news. It also gives Wenger a decision to make over who partners Gallas. Wenger said that Flamini and Gilberto will play but did not specify if it was from the start. In my view Flamini will definitely start the game but I can see Gilberto partnering him in centre midfield with Cesc out on the right ala Blackburn at home.

==================Lehmann=================

Sagna=====Toure/Senderos======Gallas=====Clichy

Eboue/Fabregas===Flamini===Gilberto/Fabregas===Hleb

==========Adebayor=========Eduardo==========

We need a massive improvement from Saturday and I feel that the addition of certain players that missed out on Saturday could be the key. Milan will fear the pace our team possesses and we must use this. We blew Juventus off the park two years ago with similar tactics and if we do the same we could be in luck.

It is the first big European night at the Emirates and we must make the atmosphere electric. Everyone, bring your scarves!

Defensive Options - Toure And Gallas? Gallas And Senderos? Toure And Senderos?

2008-03-04T22:36:00.000Z

Having watched our defence get torn apart by Manchester United, I felt the defence was an issue that needed to be discussed. First of all I have some stats for you all:

We began the season with a centre back pairing of Kolo Toure and William Gallas. That however changed when Gallas became injured once again. When Senderos returned from his own injury he got a run in the side alongside Kolo. During this time they kept 6 clean sheets in a row when they were both on the pitch, during a spell of 7 games.

Played: 7 Won: 7Conceded: 2 (1 with Senderos off the field of play) (0.3 goals per game)

After this, William Gallas was welcomed back into the side for the visit of Bolton and remained in the side from then until January alongside Toure. During this time we:

Played: 14 (excl. Carling Cup) Won: 9 Drew: 4 lost: 1Conceded: 10 (0.7 goals per game)

When Toure left for the ACON, Wenger had little choice but to go with a Senderos/Gallas partnership. During this period we:

Played: 6 Won: 5 Drew: 1Conceded: 2 (0.3 goals per game)

Therefore, despite many fans’ criticism towards Phil, when he has been in the side we have conceded far less goals per game than when Toure and Gallas were together. Granted, they have played a larger amount of games together than any of the other combinations, but overall Senderos has played just as many with one of the other centre backs. The games have been just as difficult with him in the side also.

It seems that when given a run in the side Senderos improves game by game and has a brilliant record in the side. Is he a better natural centre back than the other two? Well…it is hard to answer that question as they are all so different. However, a combination of Senderos and one out of Toure and Gallas seems to work best.

Toure and Gallas are very fast players who are good in the tackle and like to defend on the ground. They often use their pace to cut out through balls and balls in behind. However, they both lack one vital thing, something Senderos has and that is ability in the air. Most of the goals Arsenal conceded with Toure and Gallas at centre back came from crosses and set pieces. We saw on Saturday that we are weak in this area without someone like Big Phil to dominate the area. Three of the goals Man Utd scored were from crosses and a lack of marking and dominance of the aerial ball.

The way we play when they play together however is more suited to our game. We play a very high line and look to put pressure on the opposition from the back forward. We can afford to do this with the recovery pace they both possess. However, as said, if we are pushed back into our own area, as we were on Saturday, we often find ourselves in trouble when someone like Senderos is not in the side.

The high line we play is risky with Senderos in the team as we rely on Toure or Gallas to make the recovery. On a few occasions it has been Senderos who tries to play the offside trap and is the last man out of the defence. When this happens, it is almost impossible for the other centre back to get back as his movement is away from his goal. The main advantage comes from the dominance when we are put under substantial pressure. Each one has its pros and cons.

I touched on what Toure and Gallas do not have but mentioned what they do have. Senderos is not blessed with pace, we all know that, and he can be caught out by clever forward play where acceleration is used. I ask you though, was Tony Adams that fast? No he was not but he read the game so well. You can see in Senderos’ game that he is exactly this and with time and time on the pitch, this will develop. Many defences have a blend of pace and height. Look at Manchester United, although Ferdinand is decent in the air, it is Vidic who generally will look to win the aerial battle, with Rio there to sweep up anything with his speed.

William Gallas did this alongside John Terry when he was at Chelsea and looks comfortable doing the same when he plays with Senderos. Cast your minds back to the Champions League run that took us to the final. At the heart of the defence were Toure and Senderos. During that time we kept 10 clean sheets in a row and we saw the perfect blend of height and pace. Toure was always there to clean up anything Senderos failed to win with the first challenge and we were solid when anything came long.

Toure has the tendency to be drawn out of position and this can leave gaping holes at the back. When this happens it is unlikely Senderos has the pace to cover him. The goals conceded during this partnership often came from defending of this kind. When Toure is disciplined, they have been our most reliable partnership

It seems to me therefore that a, if you like, little and large combination works best. However, their are times when this is not the case. When a team has two quick strikers and do not look to get the ball into the box so much, pace is often the key. Toure and Gallas are not always required to attack the ball in the air. Saying that, most teams are aware that Arsenal are weak in this area and look to take advantage of this. Below are three matches where we have been exploited in this area:

Aston Villa 1 Arsenal 2 - Although we won the game, John Carew was an absolute nightmare as balls came in constantly.Arsenal 2 Tottenham 1 - Berbatov controlled the game in the final third as he was given so much time to pluck the ball out of the air unchallenged.Manchester United 4 Arsenal 0 - A clear example here as 3/4 goals came from balls whipped in.

Had we had a dominant figure like Senderos in these games, I am sure we would have been far more assured as a back line. There are still doubts over Senderos, he really needs to play brilliantly against one man to prove to himself really he can do the business at the highest level. That man is Didier Drogba. On countless occasions he has been a thorn in Senderos’ side with a mixture of power and strength.

The key for Senderos is to get a run in the side. It takes him time to settle and I am never confident of seeing the best of him when he is thrust into a game on the back of no playing time. Wenger has to make a decision but I feel the Man Utd game may have been a wake up call that we have looked more assured with a tall guy to dominate at the back.

With the centre backs dealt with I will move onto the full back options we have. Unlike the three centre backs we currently have, I am in no doubt that Sagna and Clichy are our 1st choice full backs; in fact I am sure every Arsenal fan is sure of this. This season they have been outstanding both defensively and going forward. Teams find it hard to get round us and hate it when the two of them get forward with an end product on many occasions.

What I want to look at is who we have in reserve and what Wenger could do if these players prove they are not yet good enough. We have seen that Wenger sees Hoyte and Traore as the natural back-ups to Sagna and Clichy respectively. As we saw on Saturday however, they still have a lot to learn. Hoyte is further along in his education and must learn fast if he is to have a future here. Traore is very much a rough diamond. His main problem is his positioning and Man Utd were quick to make the most of it with countless balls in behind him. He has the pace and attacking skills to be a good full back. His defending however must improve.

Hoyte has played well at times this season but Wenger’s decision to play him at centre back against Spurs backfired horribly has he was taken to pieces by Keane and Berbatov. It clearly knocked his confidence and on Saturday he seemed afraid to tackle or get forward. If he can get his confidence back he can be a good player for us when called upon.

However, it is clear that Traore is not yet ready to come in should Clichy need a rest or be injured. With three more than capable centre backs vying for two positions it is useful to have two that can play at full back. Gallas, as we have seen in an Arsenal shirt can play at left back, Toure on the right also. If Clichy is out I would like to see Gallas play there with Toure and Senderos playing in the centre. I just do not think Traore is ready quite yet.

With both full backs doubtful for Wednesday night Wenger has a big choice to make. Should Sagna make it but Clichy remain on the sidelines then I would like to see Gallas moved to left back and Toure and Senderos in the middle:
Sagna===Toure===Senderos===Gallas
This would give us far more security against a good attacking side.If Clichy is available but Sagna cannot make it then I would like to see something similar but with Toure moved to full back instead of Gallas:
Toure===Senderos===Gallas===Clichy
You might remember the Champions League match at home to PSV last season when Toure played at right back. He got forward just as an Arsenal right back should. I guess one could argue that Toure is low on confidence after some shaky performances of late but the big occasions brings out the best in Kolo, normally!
There is always Eboue at right back if needed.

To sum up - Although many see Toure and Gallas as our main partnership, it is hard to say for definite that this is correct. Their are many advantages to having Senderos in the side, the stats do not lie after all. I guess it is good to have many different options.

Arsenal 0 Milan 0 - Still all to play for...

2008-02-21T19:22:00.001Z

Manchester United 4 Arsenal 0 - no passion, no pride, no quality

2008-02-17T20:30:00.002Z

The team that walked out against Manchester United may not have been the same as the one that walked out at the Lane in the Carling Cup, but both teams produced a very similar performance. They gave us one with no passion, no commitment, no pride, no bottle and ultimately a lack of quality. Like that night at the Lane, Arsenal failed to string more than 2 passes together before giving it straight to United. Man Utd were not THAT good, Arsenal were just that bad.

Before the game I said a win for Man Utd would not provide much of a psychological boost but losing by such a large margin will. I know the two teams will be very different come April but this must have some influence on proceedings. To the game anyway.

From the back to the front we were piss poor, only Jens Lehmann came away from Old Trafford with any credit. Lehmann prevented this game from becoming a hockey score. He came out of his area at least 3 times to deny Rooney and Nani unchallenged efforts on goal. On each of those occasions it was an Arsenal player, yes an Arsenal player that started the move from which they raced clear.

Each goal had an Arsenal error firmly at the heart of it. This is not an excuse but a simple fact that Arsenal gifted them each of the four goals and did all they could to gift them even more. One by one lets look at the goals.

1-0 Poor defending led to Arsenal conceding a corner kick. The ball was half cleared and a weak challenge from Fabregas let Anderson head the ball into back into the danger. If that was not enough, Justin Hoyte failed to get goal side of Rooney, leaving him with the simple task of putting the ball past Lehmann

2-0 Fabregas lost the ball in his own half with a ridiculous pass across his own back four. From here Nani ran clear and managed to put in a cross. Darren Fletcher lost Fabregas (again!) who managed to beat Gallas who did not do enough in the air to clear the ball.

3-0 Possesion was lost once again to Michael Carrick who noticed Nani creeping in behind Traore for the countless time and Nani was left clear to slot home. This was not the only time Traore had played a United player onside as he failed to push up with his fellow defenders. It was not to be the last however.

4-0 Justin Hoyte again now. Up against Nani out wide near the touchline, he let Nani push him back into the Arsenal box without any sort of challenge. From here Nani twisted and turned Hoyte once more and once more Fletcher lost his man, Flamini this time, and headed home. To be fair to Flamini he had only just come on.

There is no question that Man Utd were better than Arsenal today, the stats are conclusive but it did seem to me that the players did not care about this game, and neither did Wenger. Granted we could only field a team of 11 fit players and those on the bench were carrying injuries but this performance was not good enough. In both the domestic cup competitions we have gone to our rivals and capitulated to an astonoshing effect.

Wenger showed he was out to make this a difficult game for United, but not one to trouble their defence. He has persisted with Eduardo as a left sided midfield player but it does not work. He looks lost out there and fails to help the full back Traore who was left open throughout. Hleb played as a support to Bendtner but did not get close to him. As soon as Eduardo moved up front we looked more dangerous. Hleb looked more comfortable back on the left and Eduardo started to link the midfield and attack. United were given license to attack as they knew we were never going to threaten.

At the back Toure and Gallas looked like they have never played together before and need to get the understanding back. It did not help that Hoyte and Traore looked hapless and were constantly left marking space as United’s wingers were left free to roam. They made Nani and Park look like world beaters. As skipper Gallas should have led by example but he and Toure were left bamboozled by Rooney way too often.

Gilberto was supposed to offer protection to the back four but once more he was off the pace, sloppy in possession and weak in the tackle. Ironically, with Flamini out, the sort of player we needed was preparing for an FA Cup game with Preston tomorrow. Diarra should still be at Arsenal with a real chance of playing right now, not Gilberto who has no future here past the summer. As soon as Flamini was on he pressured United in possession and got stuck in; he was also slightly injured.

Fabregas seemed knackered to me and I am sure that he would have been rested if we did not have so many players injured. He has not looked himself recently and we all hope he sorts this come Wednesday. Hleb offered no support to the front man as I said and his passing was not what we expect from him. His usual calmness was lost and where one expects him to link up well with Cesc, we saw nothing of the sort.

On the wing Eboue was non existent. Not once did he try and get at Evra and I only noticed him as he was shown the red card. Now seems like the perfect time to rant about the ref. Like a few years ago when the Neville brothers kicked lumps out of Reyes unpunished, Alan Wiley let some United players get in some terrible fouls without seeing yellow. As soon as an Arsenal player made one foul, he was duly booked. Emmanuel Eboue went up for the header with his eyes on the ball all the time. I know his foot was high but he did not kick out and he merely landed on Evra.

Another rant now and that lies with the BBC. John Motson and Mark Lawrenson were so far up United’s arse it was unbelievable. I have never heard so many jibes towards Arsenal in one game and anyone would think Wayne Rooney had achieved world piece the way they went on. It was not only these two individuals who had jumped on the Man U bandwagon. You may all remember a goal disallowed for an offside. To me it was a very dubious decision yet we never once saw a replay. Anytime a United player was offside they showed it from 3 different angles. Earlier in the game Eduardo was clearly tripped on the edge of the box but nothing was given. Once more, no replays. What is going on BBC??

I have sent a quick comment to the BBC asking for an explanation and hope they have the kindness to explain themselves. I doubt I’ll hear anything anytime soon though.

Eduardo and Bendtner were a bit unlucky, in my eyes anyway. Eddy was out of position for most of the game but tried hard to make something of the game whenever he got it. Bendtner worked hard whenever the ball was lumped up to him but he simply had no support. When Ade came on we looked a little more potent but his dive was disgraceful and I hope we see no more of such antics.

These stats below sum it up really. United were up for it, Arsenal were not. Hopefully they had one eye on the Milan game and we see a performance completely different from the one they produced today.

Corners:
Man Utd 6 Arsenal 0
Goal Attempts:
Man Utd 21 Arsenal 4
On Target:
Man Utd 12 Arsenal 1

There is not much more to say really. We all saw it, we all know how poor it was. Hopefully Wednesday will be a very different story.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd - Squad Depth analysed - will it be as expected?

2008-02-14T21:01:00.002Z

With the FA Cup 5th round tie against Manchester United well on the horizon and the run in as tight as ever, I thought about looking at the two squads, plus Chelsea! With all three clubs competing in at least 3 competitions, a good squad can be crucial, with strength in depth a massive factor. Chelsea have spent lots and many might expect them to have a big advantage here but United have spent a lot recently too and Wenger has built foundations.

The match on Saturday will not really compare the best teams of Arsenal and Man United with the sheer amount of injuries Wenger has right now coupled with the desire to rest certain players. Therefore it will be a key time to look at the squads of both. I believe Ferguson will select a near full strength side to try and banish memories of the derby defeat last Saturday.

Goalkeepers: (in order of current hierarchy)

Arsenal: Manuel Almunia, Jens Lehmann, Lukasz Fabianski
Man Utd: Edwin Van Der Saar, Tomas Kuszack, Ben Foster
Chelsea: Petr Cech, Carlo Cudicini, Hilario

At the start of the season, I doubt any Arsenal fans would have predicted Almunia would have established himself as the current Arsenal no.1. With a very dodgy start to the season, Lehmann lost his place to the Spaniard who has just kept improving. There are still doubters over his long term future as Wenger's no.1. That is not the case for Chelsea who definitely have one of the best around in Cech. He has made more mistakes recently but is still a rock for Chelsea between the sticks. Ferguson had an easy decision to make due to Foster's long term absence. Had he been fit it is likely he would have challenged Van Der Saar for the keeper's jersey. Van Der Saar has looked shaky at times this season as his probable last season at United comes to and end.

Advantage: Chelsea

Defence:

Arsenal: Sagna, Gallas, Toure. Clichy. Hoyte, Senderos, Djourou, Traore, Song
Man Utd: Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Neville, O'Shea, Gibson
Chelsea: Beletti, Terry, Carvalho, A.Cole, Ferreira, Alex, Ivanovic, Ben Haim, Bridge

It is hard to make a judgement based on the first choice defences of all three clubs but I am going to put something out there. I believe that when each team plays its strongest defence, it is not Chelsea who have the best like many believe but Man Utd and Arsenal. In the centre back department, Man Utd are probably the strongest as they have the perfect partnership in Vidic and Ferdinand. They just edge out Gallas and Toure due to their lack of height and dominance in the air. Don't get me wrong, Chelsea's defence is still strong but I feel they have a lack of pace in the centre.

United have a brilliant player in Evra but he can be exploited defensively. Wes Brown is not a right back for me and United lose any attacking potency with him at full back. It is at right and left back that Arsenal are the strongest of the three. Sagna and Clichy are the best full back pairing in the league, both attacking wise and defensively. Chelsea do have attacking full backs but I do not feel we see the best of them going forward.

In reserve it is clear Chelsea are way ahead. They have an international defender in Alex who has done well this season. The new defender Ivanovic comes with a hefty price tag and Grant has high hopes for him. They are just two of the three reserve centre backs. Ben Haim may well be on his way come the summer. United are quite thread bare once you take out a few of their defenders. They have very little in reserve and an injury to Vidic for example could be a massive blow. Arsenal have Senderos as the main back up to Gallas and Toure. He has shown that with a run in the side he can be a good defender. However, as a sub or replacement for one game, it often takes him too long to settle. We have Djourou who still has a lot to learn but Alex Song could be a real find at centre back. If he can show the form he did at Blackburn this season, he can be a brilliant replacement centre half.

Again, Chelsea have a far better reserve in full backs. Ferreira and Bridge are both internationals and Bridge especially is pushing Cole for his place. Arsenal have Justin Hoyte who has improved massively recently. On the left however, we only have Traore to fill in for Clichy and his education is only just underway. He is improving but can be exploited by a half decent winger. Wenger could move Gallas or Flamini there to do a job but he would lose something else from the team. United have Neville to come back but it is a big question as to whether he can be the same player after such a long lay off.

Advantage Man Utd (just...)

Midfield

Arsenal: Hleb, Fabregas, Flamini, Rosicky, Eboue, Gilberto, Denilson, Diaby, Song, Walcott
Man Utd: Ronaldo, Hargreaves, Scholes, Giggs, Nani, Anderson, Carrick, Park Ji-Sung
Chelsea: Wright Phillips, Ballack, Essien, Lampard, J Cole, Malouda, Mikel, Makelele, Sidwell

The first thing I want to say here is that I have put the midfield in order of which players are first choice. I still am not sure which pairing suits Man Utd best as it is a hard decision to make. Last season Scholes and Carrick were brilliant but this season has seen the introduction of Hargreaves and the emergence of Anderson earlier than expected. With Scholes out injured for most of the season, Anderson has come in and done a fantastic job; yet you cannot leave Scholes out, he still has it. Hargreaves has added an extra bit of fight to the midfield but Carrick is a better passer of the ball. Arsenal's centre midfield pairing is now set in stone with Flamini and Fabregas working so well together this season. In the centre, Chelsea's best three players are Essien, Lampard and Ballack. If these three cannot work well together they do have more than adept players to come in.

Mikel has shown some patches of good form this season with Ballack out and he would get into most sides. Makelele has been one of the best defensive midfielders in the world in recent seasons and can still come in and show off this talent when called upon. In Sidwell they have a workhorse who would be in most other teams below the top four. I have mentioned Man Utd's strength in depth but not yet looked at Arsenal. Gilberto's performances have gone down hill this season compared to a brilliant previous campaign. He seems way off the pace and gives the ball away way too often. In Song and Denilson we have two players with great potential. With Diarra gone it gives Song a chance to make his mark in midfield as well as at the back. Denilson is similar to Cesc but understandably is not quite at his level, not many are at such a young age.

On the wings Manchester United have Cristiano Ronaldo and Giggs. Even as an Arsenal fan I have to admit the blend of exciting youth and clever experience works fantastically. To have 25 goals in one season is amazing for anyone, but Ronaldo has reached that amount by February. He is granted a free role admittedly but it still is absolutely amazing. Chelsea also have talented wingers with SWP coming on this season and Joe Cole always threatening. Arsenal do not use orthodox wingers but in Hleb and Rosicky have two great attacking midfield players. They do need to get more goals however but contribute massively to the team as an attacking force.

In reserve Arsenal have Eboue and Diaby who many fans wish did not play out wide. Eboue can be very frustrating but has shown glimpses of brilliance. As an impact player he could be a big asset for Wenger to have. Diaby is naturally a central minded player and seems to dribble far too much on the left. Like Senderos, he needs a few games to settle into the side. Wenger is still clearly unsure over Theo Walcott but he can be a good impact player off the bench with his pace and attacking instinct. United have Nani who is a raw talent, who, under the right guidance could be a top player. Park has not had great luck with injuries but is a manager's dream. He will give 100% whenever he is picked and seems like the kind of guy that will not throw his toys out of the pram.

Again, Chelsea have an abundance of players in this position and every player possesses quality. Man United are particularly strong in the centre but compared to Chelsea they do not have as much quality in those wide players on the bench. Arsenal are weakest it seems out wide with no natural wingers. In reserve they have some impact players but no one who you can see pushing for many starts out wide. In the centre Arsenal have a few players with potential but again the Flamini and Fabregas are pretty much assured of a place when they are fit.

Advantage: Chelsea

Attack:

Arsenal: Adebayor, Eduardo, Van Persie, Bendtner, Walcott
Man Utd: Rooney, Tevez, Saha
Chelsea: Drogba, Anelka, Kalou, Shevchenko, Pizarro

It is pretty clear that there is little between the strike pairings of all three clubs. Rooney & Tevez have formed a partnership many doubted would work. Man Utd rarely play the ball in the air so these two are rarely isolated. They take turns to drop off and seem to have a brilliant reading of each others' games. Emmanuel Adebayor has been brilliant this season as we all know and recently Eduardo has become a perfect partner. It took him time to settle, hence why Wenger went with 4-5-1 for a while, but now his partnership with Adebayor is working brilliantly. Avram Grant has gone with 1 striker during his reign but surely having Drogba and Anelka will force him into a change to 4-4-2? Having these two in the side could lead to goals a plenty. There is a risk that their egos could clash but having to choose between one or the other could lead to problems off the pitch. Drogba may be off this summer anyway.

In reserve Arsenal are probably better off. If Van Persie can get fit Wenger will have a big decision on his hands. Van Persie is a fantastic player who can produce a goal at any moment. He is technically gifted and has reminded many people of Dennis Bergkamp with his skill and passing but he also possesses a lethal shot. He provides the team with quality set pieces for the team, especially the likes of Nicklas Bendtner who has impresses this season with his development. He has been aided with Van Persie's absence but has linked play well and scored some good goals. He is going to become a top class player and has already pushed Wenger to give him more games this season. In Theo Walcott Wenger has another rough diamond on his hands.

It is no coincidence that United have lost four games this season and all have been when Wayne Rooney has been absent. He makes United tick and works so well with Ronaldo and Tevez. In reserve they only have Louis Saha who is always injured it seems. It seems obvious that they are one striker short and I am surprised Ferguson didn't make a move for another forward. They have the option of playing Ronaldo through the middle but they lose something when he leaves his role out wide.

Chelsea have 5 strikers that have all played a part this season but I can see at least Pizarro leaving this summer and probably Shevchenko if the right offer comes and Abramovich is prepared to let his mate go. Kalou has a few goals this season but does not offer what Drogba or Anelka does. He could well play alongside one of them but I do not see him as a lone striker. It has been clear this season that when Drogba was out Chelsea looked short of goals and that forced them to sign Anelka. Those strikers available to Grant had not impressed and have never looked like scoring regularly.

Advantage: Arsenal

Overall, we know that each club has a strong side but each team seems to have an advantage in different departments with Arsenal one apiece and Chelsea with 2. Obviously injuries play a major part in squad involvement but with so many competitions to be sorted still, these squads will no doubt be involved, Saturday being a clear example.

Arsenal 2 Blackburn 0 - 5 points clear at the top

2008-02-12T13:52:00.000Z

On the face of it a 2-0 victory seems like a comfortable one, however last night was not pretty and although we were not exactly troubled by Blackburn, at 1-0, we were still walking on a tight rope. It was a perfect example of why matches that remain at 1-0 for so long, can be an absolute nightmare for any fan. I think it definitely showed as some fans started to get on the players' backs whenever a pass went astray or a chance to shoot from 30 yards was not taken.

The players did seem to get caught up in the sloppiness that was ever-present last night. All over the pitch, players from both sides were panicking on the ball and all calmness went out of the window. During the first half we let Blackburn come into the game. Having gone one up after a rare headed goal at a corner by Senderos, we should have taken the initiative and pushed for a quick and decisive second. However, Blackburn came into it much more.

We failed to close them down and with Tugay in the middle they had a clever passer of the ball. Bentley and Emerton were given far too much room to get early crosses in but something really alarmed me when they did come in. Senderos seemed not to want to jump and attack the incoming ball. Blackburn's best chance fell to McCarthy who did not connect with a cross properly. However, any better contact and the score was level. In hindsight its easy to say it doesn't matter Phil did not try and head this ball away but it baffles me that he did not try and get his head to the ball when it was easily reachable.

Senderos is fighting for his place now Toure has returned. Up until last night he had looked solid but last night I think he looked suspect. When pace was used cleverly against him he did not look completely assured. In the air he was not his usual self and seemed to lack conviction throughout last night's game. I feel that if he plays next Saturday he could be left exposed by the pace of United's attack. Wenger has a big decision to make however.

Jens Lehmann looked a lot more comfortable from crosses and I must praise his professionalism with us. He may have complained a lot which I did not like, but he has come in and done a job with little fuss when called upon. One moment scared me and I am still not sure exactly what happened. The ball ran through to him and he slid towards the byline. He put the ball on the pitch and let it go as he went off the pitch. Whether he was aware that Santa Cruz was coming or not I do not know but the striker very nearly was granted with a glorious chance. Nothing is simple with Mad Jens I guess.

Gilberto's performance was an interesting one. He did some things well; in particular some nice passes and bits of skill. However, he still looks well off the pace and I do not think he is adapting his game as he gets older. If he could make changes like Bergkamp did then he could still be a big player but I just do not see him having a future here beyond this summer. He slows the game down in midfield and gave the ball away too many times (as he has done whenever he has played this season). When Cesc moved inside more during the second half, we moved the ball faster and looked far more threatening.

I had discussed last week the idea of Cesc playing on the right if it was necessary and last night that came to pass. With Walcott strangely unavailable, Fabregas was asked to do a job on the right. I had mentioned he can dominate games with more space out there and whenever he got the ball he did just this. He linked very well with Sagna who was awesome down that flank. I lost count of how many times he burst down that flank to get crosses in.

On the other wing Hleb gave his full back a horrid time and was so unlucky not to get a goal. When his shot beat Friedel he was denied by the post and he was the one player who deserved a goal. He was always looking for a killer pass and fans will be pleased he started shooting more. Clichy was stifled by Bentley well and did not have the best of games. Saying that, it was not a bad game by any means, he has simply been playing at such a high level this season that we expect a lot. His battle with Ronaldo will be brilliant come Saturday, same with Sagna should he switch wings.

I said Hleb deserved a goal but Adebayor came close on so many occasions last night before finally getting an absolutely brilliant one. It was reminiscent to the one he got at White Hart Lane. The touch to get him away from the defender was class and the finish indicative of a man in the form of his life. That is 12 goals in his last 9, long may it continue. His general performance last night was not what it has been however. As the main striker his role is so important to us.

He holds the ball up and waits for support and runners. Last night Ade seemed a bit sluggish in this role and did seem a bit reluctant to come short and link the play as much. It did not help that Wenger moved Eduardo to the left for a period of the game to acommodate those players we had on the pitch. One thing did really annoy me regarding Adebayor last night. A pass was played to him as he made a curving run in behind. The ball hit the back of his heel which is pretty unlucky. However, once something like that happens a striker should fight to win it back. Normally Ade would but he just stood there and flung his arms in the air towards the fans. I would have wanted to see him get back and pressure the ball and then the fans would sympathise with him. Small thing, rant over!

Just as Arsenal did not play to their optimum level, I have not looked at everyone's performances like I have done in the past. I will just sum up and say that Wenger said the focus was there but the performance not quite where we can get to. There will be times during the nervous run in that we do not play to our best. When our level drops, we must keep getting results.

Arsenal vs Blackburn - down to the bare bones

2008-02-09T16:37:00.000Z

So, we go into Monday's game with 11 players either out injured or doubtful. The list reads as follows:

Emmanuel Eboue and Kolo Toure and Alex Song (international duty)
Johan Djourou (groin)
Philippe Senderos (knee)
Robin van Persie (thigh)
Abou Diaby (calf)
Mathieu Flamini (hamstring)
Manuel Almunia (sick)
Denilson (hamstring)
Tomas Rosicky (hamstring)

What really annoys me is that two of those (Flamini and Senderos) got injured in meaningless friendlies. It would have been wrong to deny Senderos the chance to captain his country at Wembley, however when such a game takes place in the middle of a busy period of the season. Flamini turned out for France 'B' and that takes the biscuit. He should be in the 'A' squad, not the second team that only exists so players can be looked at without disrupting the set of players in the current squad.

International friendlies are disruptive enough but when you start adding in 'B' fixtures it starts to go too far. Managers release their players with great fear over injuries. With the luck Arsenal have had during these periods I am sure Wenger follows all of the games with great anxiety. We have lost one of our best players this season as Domenech did not have the bottle to call him up into the main squad.

I have a proposal but I doubt we will ever see it come into place. Over Christmas/New Year there should be a period where the national sides play all of their mid season fixtures, whether it be qualifiers or friendlies. I have heard Capello complain that he will not be able to get his players together often enough to improve tactics and set up. Having all the fixtures together would provide managers with a few weeks to do this and get some continuity with a set period of International football. It could also coincide with the African Cup of Nations so as to avoid problems for clubs every two years in January.

Back to the game now. It seems like Wenger does not really have much of a choice over the team he puts out. Senderos could still make the game and if he does the back five will be unchanged from the Man City game. Should Phil miss out Justin Hoyte will come in, probably at centre back. After the Spurs game I would be worried about this and would rather see Sagna move inside. Hoyte is a natural right back and Wenger has said in the past Sagna can play all across the defence.

Diaby picked up an injury during the City game and was only released to France to be with the squad. He was not another to fall foul of the International break. This gives a chance to Theo Walcott who will be given a chance on the right. His goal for England U21s was a quality strike but for most of the game it seemed he was trying to hard and things didn't seem to go his way. He needs to relax and run at the man when it's appropriate and play it simple when its necessary. The crowd must not get on his back though. Hleb will move to the left where he has often been more effective this season.

Gilberto will get a chance to prove himself. He has spoken out about his disappointment at a lack of playing time so far this season but he knows Flamini has done brilliantly. He will be brought in and will want to show Wenger why he should still be in his thinking. He does need to up his game and add more fluidity to it. His presence will be useful at set pieces. Fabregas will partner him as he starts to get back to his best.

Wenger cannot break up what is currently one of the best strike partnerships in Europe. Adebayor and Eduardo are on fire and combined to great effect at City. Eduardo finish was fantastic but the link up with Ade showed how well they are developing together. These two will need to keep delivering the goods if we want to win anything this season.

I think Wenger will use Toure and Eboue but only have them on the bench as an option should he really need them. If the game goes well I doubt they will be used, especially Toure considering he had an injury so recently. I wonder if Wenger would have any luck in persuading the Ivory Coast to release Kolo before the 3rd/4th place play-off?

=============Lehmann============
Hoyte======Sagna=====Gallas===Clichy
Walcott===Fabregas===Gilberto===Hleb
=========Adebayor===Eduardo=======

Subs: Fabianski, Toure, Traore, Eboue, Bendtner (all we have really)

This game could be a potential banana skin. Blackburn will look to frustrate us but are missing Pedersen, Samba and Dunn, three big players for Mark Hughes' side. The first goal will be key and if it goes our way Blackburn will have to come out and attack. They will look to whip the ball in from wide areas with Bentley. Santa Cruz will be the main threat for Blackburn and whoever plays at centre back will have to be alert throughout.

Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea… some tricky ties for them to face

2008-02-04T20:34:00.000Z

If this weekend showed us anything, it told us that no games are easy and there is likely to be many twists and turns left this season. It seems anyone can beat anyone, United losing to Bolton, Arsenal losing to Boro and Chelsea to Villa.

Here I am looking at games that could well have an influence on the title race. I know no game is a cert win but these stand out as ones where a shock could be in store.

Chelsea vs Liverpool (Feb 10th)

Liverpool are out of the title race but will be playing for pride. The likes of Gerrard and Torres will have something to prove and will want to have some influence on where the title goes, even if they won’t have any chance of winning it this season. They will also use it as a build up to their Champions League match with Inter Milan. Chelsea may have Lampard and Mikel available to strengthen the midfield. With such a good home record, I cannot see Chelsea losing this game, a draw is possible though.

Newcastle vs Man Utd (Feb 23rd)

The second coming of Kevin Keegan has not exactly begun the way many Geordies had expected. The Toon Army will never forget the arguments between Keegan and Ferguson during Newcastle’s remarkable title challenge. It would mean so much to Keegan and the fans to kick start the new regime with a victory over United. That said, it seems Man Utd will have too much for Newcastle, especially if they continue to defend the way they do. If they raise their game to the level they reached against us at St James’ Park, we could see at least a draw here.

Arsenal vs Aston VIlla (Mar 1st)

At Villa Park earlier this season Arsenal came through a tricky tie but were lucky to do so. Despite dominating proceedings in the first half, Villa put immense pressure on us in the second. They constantly attacked with pace and power, hitting the bar in the process. Arsenal held on but that game showed that Villa can pose a real threat. They are experts at set pieces; Arsenal’s Achilles heel and this could be crucial.

West Ham vs Chelsea (Mar 1st)

West Ham will host their main rivals with very little pressure on their shoulders. They have already beaten Liverpool and Man Utd at home this season and they will look to inflict the same outcome on Chelsea. Chelsea will have to deal with a robust and dogged approach that will get the Hammers’ fans going. Chelsea have the quality to win this game but, as United found out, they will need to show something extra to get 3 points here.

Man Utd vs Liverpool (Mar 23rd)

Man Utd were victorious at Anfield earlier this season as they won 1-0 from a Carlos Tevez goal. I have no doubt they would take the same result now. Liverpool will want to beat their rivals and any loss to Man Utd would hurt anyone involved with Liverpool FC. Pride is the main thing at stake for Liverpool and with the Champions League still a possibility, they will want to keep their season on track.

Chelsea vs Arsenal (Mar 23rd)

In the second game of Super Sunday Arsenal will want to get a similar result to the one they got at the Emirates in December. Last season we got a draw at the Bridge after Chelsea battered us for 90 minutes solid. Flamini nicked a goal only for Essien to salvage their home record. I am sure another draw would do Wenger nicely. Chelsea will need to win this game and it will be interesting to see how both teams set up.

Bolton vs Arsenal (Mar 29th)

After Arsenal knocked Bolton out of the FA Cup last season, many claimed Arsenal had wiped clear the hoodoo Bolton held over us. Have we really shrugged off Bolton as our bogey team? Remember, we did not beat Bolton in normal time and showed them that we are still vulnerable from crosses into the box. We threw away the game in normal time and could have paid for it. This game will determine if we can really put recent results at the Reebok behind us.

Man Utd vs Aston Villa (Mar 30th)

Villa have drawn at Stamford Bridge (4-4) and Anfield (2-2) already this season and will feel they are capable of doing the same at Old Trafford. In the League United thrashed Villa 4-1 but in the cup only just managed to scrape through with two late goals. This game could turn out either way. I feel it will either be a very comfortable victory for United, or Villa will push them all the way. It depends how O’Neill arranges his troops and if they can use Young and Agbonlahor to their best potential.

Arsenal vs Liverpool (Apr 5th)

As said earlier, Liverpool are plying for pride in these big games. They may still have the Champions League to play for and they will want to keep confidence high during these games. Benitez may well rotate his squad a little if they get through the Inter tie. Arsenal should have won at Anfield but somehow only managed a draw having squandered two open goals. They will want to put that result right at the Emirates but it will be up to us to open up Liverpool and take our chances when they come. Gerrard and Torres will be a threat as always.

Middlesborough vs Man Utd (Apr 5th)

Middlesborough have beaten Arsenal at home but also lost to Chelsea at the Riverside. In these games we saw two very different performances from Gareth Southgate’s sides and this game will depend on which Boro side come out of that tunnel. Against us they worked extremely hard, pressured the ball and created chances. Against Chelsea they looked blunt and were easily brushed aside. Many big teams have lost at the Riverside in recent season; if we see a committed performance from Southgate’s team, we may see a similar outcome.

Man Utd vs Arsenal (Apr 12th)

This could well be the most crucial, and potentially the most exciting game of the season. Arsenal are currently two points ahead of United and if the difference between the two sides is of a similar size, it could be a real six pointer if ever there was one. United will want to use home advantage and take 3 points whereas I am sure Arsenal would take a draw. That would correspond to the result from the Emirates. Such a result would be better for Arsenal than United, with Chelsea the main beneficiary. Arsenal will probably look to hit United on the counter but will have a real job on their hands if Rooney, Tevez and Ronaldo are on song.

Everton vs Chelsea (Apr 19th)

Everton will want to avenge the Carling Cup defeat inflicted on them by Chelsea and they will also be pushing for a European place. Everton are a clever, strong and mobile side who can play good football and score goals. Chelsea will look to get a similar result to the 1-0 victory in the semi-final and will need to work hard for such a win. It is yet another tricky away tie for the Blues but they should have a full squad together by then to cope.

Blackburn vs Man Utd (Apr 19th)

Ewood Park has long been a very tough place to go to. Blackburn pressure the ball and give their opponents little time on the ball. This frustrates the opposition and in Bentley, Santa Cruz and Benni McCarthy they have goals within the sides. They have performed well this season with a generally solid defence. Man Utd will need to win this game and Blackburn will have to defend well for large periods of the game. Ferguson will hope Mark Hughes will not dent his old side’s title hopes. I wonder if Hughes will use this opportunity to rest a few players?

Chelsea vs Man Utd (Apr 26th)

This game could have a massive bearing on the title race. Whoever wins the game will be buoyed massively in their pursuit of the title, the loser will be gutted. They may not be out of the race for good, but it would be a huge blow. Chelsea have an extraodinary record at home and I can see them extending this, whether that be with a draw or a victory I do not know. It is likely both sides will be involved in the Champions League could this affect their chances coming into this game?

Arsenal vs Everton (May 3rd)

Arsenal may have won 4-1 at Goodison Park just after Christmas but the outcome did not really reflect the game. The result somewhat flattered Arsenal as Everton were the better team for the first half. We simply took our chances and punished any Everton mistakes. If we are still in with a chance of winning the League, there will be an awful lot of nerves around the side going into the game. The atmosphere would be electric and Everton would make it a really good game.

Man City 1 Arsenal 3 - great weekend all round but still a long way to go…

2008-02-04T20:33:00.001Z

So, we did become the first team this season to come away from the City of Manchester Stadium with 3 points; a thoroughly deserved 3 points to boot. What topped it off was the fact Manchester United and Chelsea drew; leaving us 2 points clear at the top. The mistake from Clichy aside, Arsenal were in complete control throughout and could have scored more than we did.

Before the game Arsene Wenger entered a war of mind games with Alex Ferguson and the subject of Emmanuel Adebayor and Cristiano Ronaldo was the main focus of attention. Previously Wenger has announced he was close to signing many world class players, Samuel Eto’o, Ronaldinho and Petr Cech are just some of them. Add to that list the Portuguese winger lighting up the Premiership. I am not quite sure what the point of explaining this is. Think about it…

Wenger might be saying he has spotted the same talent Manchester United did but we all know Wenger is the best at spotting talent, no question. Therefore, why bring up this particular story. Before, it was problems with work permits that denied us the signing of Ronaldinho and Cech. Yet for both Eto’o and Ronaldo it was that they went to another club or Wenger was not sure whether to sign the player. In a way, admitting he had the chance to sign these players means that he was wrong in his judgement. Both have become world class players and gone on to great things and could have brilliant in an Arsenal shirt. He did not take up the chance to sign Eto’o and therefore there is not really any need to bring up the subject. It was in the past and bringing it up only frustrates the fans when they feel we could have such a player at the club.

The Ronaldo story is still very much a mysterious one. Wenger says he will tell more about it in the future and “we will be surprised” when all is revealed. It perplexed me when I saw this revealed. It was used in mind games between Wenger and Ferguson but when I heard it I was disappointed, not proud Wenger knew about the player’s potential. All it told me was that Manchester United are a bigger club in the way they can guarantee such a signing when the player had trained with their rivals. Revenue and fan base wise they are a bigger club but Arsenal are catching fast, comments like this only fuel an ego that does not need to get any bigger. This is my view on the matter, other people’s might be different.

Back to the game and all hail Emmanuel Adebayor. The man is on fire and I am so relieved Togo failed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations; Adebayor is venting his anger on Premiership defences. Both goals were tidy finishes but what was so pleasing was that he was in the positions when the ball was around. Throughout he managed to find space from two very good defenders in Dunne and Richards and he took his goals well. He was a real handful and is soon becoming a world class striker.

Credit to Eduardo as well though. His goal was brilliantly taken and showed once more what a natural finisher he is. The composure to chest the ball in such a tight area will not be seen a lot in this league but Eddy is just so cool in front of goal. His link up play is ever improving and he is healing the loss of Van Persie, the man many believed would lead our title challenge this season.

The midfield worked well, I know Fabregas the King will be looking into details of the game soon so I won’t go into too much detail but Cesc is coming back to form with Hleb looking so dangerous on the ball once again. The determination they showed in the 88th minute to get the third goal for Adebayor was awesome.

Philippe Senderos and William Gallas are looking like a good centre back pairing right now and Toure will find it hard to get straight back into the team. Senderos dominated in the air and Gallas looked comfortable on the ground. It is good we have these two performing well with Toure fearing a burnout. Once more he has mentioned playing the ACON in the summer and I am for that. There are so many reasons why, everyone knows them and there is not really any reason to go into them now.

Is there a better set of full backs in the league than Gael Clichy and Bakary Sagna. Both can defend (despite Clichy’s rare moment of madness) and both can most definitely get forward. Clichy has improved his crossing massively (Beckham’s influence maybe?) and this added with his desire to get forward will bear fruit as the season rumbles on. Sagna we know can cross but yesterday he showed great hunger to get to the by-line for Ade’s first goal. With our midfield quite narrow, these two provide most of the width and they seem to have so much energy to get forward constantly. Sagna had a massive task on his hands with Petrov, but the City man didn’t have a sniff.

It is weekends like this that show why the title race is so open. Many thought United would run away with it after they clawed us back in the New Year. Now we are two points clear. It will change a lot as time goes on and results like this can happen at any time. No game is easy and the fact United lost at City and drew at the Lane shows how things can change. We won both of these games but drew at home to Birmingham whereas United won the equivalent match. This title race is hotting up and all we can do is keep winning every game. The biggest games will come but every game is important from here on in.

For now we are top of the League and long may it continue. Blackburn is next and as I said, we need to win this and then worry about United and Chelsea.

Man City vs Arsenal - Time To Be The First Victors At Eastland This Season

2008-02-04T20:30:00.001Z

Manchester City away was a far trickier tie towards the start of the season, but come Saturday Arsenal will still have a hell of a game on their hands. As Manchester United found out, the City of Manchester Stadium has been a bit of a fortress for the blue half of Manchester. City are unbeaten at home in the Premier League this season and they have played United and Liverpool there so far.

Sven has done brilliantly with his side and he knew home form would determine what they achieved this season. At the start they won 9 games in a row on their own turf but since then, Blackburn, Liverpool and West Ham have drawn there. In the first two of those games, City were lucky to win and we are playing them at the best time. Their form has dipped an awful lot and the draw at Derby this week highlighted this.

The form of Elano has fallen and they are relying on the quality of Martin Petrov to get goals. Michael Johnson, although so young, has been a big influence on the side and his absence has coincided with the first real hiccup for “Mr Blue Eyes”. City have looked a bit more shaky at the back and Micah Richards and Dunne have looked vulnerable at times. Joe Hart has played extremely well between the posts and has become a real player for the future.

After back to back victories and a slow rise back to form, we have a good opportunity to inflict City’s first defeat at home in the League. The squad is unchanged from Tuesday night and I think it could be the same starting line up. Why change it if its not broken? As long as we see none of the silly passing from Senderos, similar to the last 10 minutes in midweek, we should be ok at the back. Daniel Sturridge will be a pest but I feel Gallas’ experience will prevail here.

The best battle will be Martin Petrov vs Bakary Sagna. These two have definitely been two of the best signings this season and it will be a great tussle as they come head to head. Sagna has made our defence a far tighter and secure unit this season, but crucially he has provided a great attacking outlet, fitting right into out style of play. Martin Petrov has been brilliant this season for City, he has pace, skill and one of the best left foots in the business. His crosses are accurate more often than not and his set pieces could trouble us.

Flamini will be confident of doing a job on Elano as he is the other main attacking threat to us. Otherwise we should be able to cope with City and try and dominate the game. If we play the way we did against Newcastle we really should win this game. We have Adebayor in brilliant form and he will want to score for the 8th game running. We are making chances and when you do that, you score goals and I feel it may take more than one to take the three points on Saturday

Wenger could go with Theo for this game in place of Diaby. This would mean Hleb moving to left midfield where he plays better than the right in my opinion. However, Diaby looked better on Tuesday; he passed the ball earlier and used his strength in ways we expect from him. It may take patience and retention of the ball for this game; Theo really can be a loose cannon. Yet his pace could cause trouble to Ball/Garrido.

=============Almunia============
Sagna===Senderos===Gallas===Clichy
Hleb====Fabregas====Flamini===Diaby
========Adebayor===Eduardo=======

We have come through some difficult away ties this season and this will be another one. We are against a team that are good at home as mentioned and we need to keep our focus and the eye on the prize: the Premier League trophy. From here on in, every game counts!

Arsenal 3 Newcastle 0 - back to the top after a pretty easy game

2008-01-29T22:20:00.000Z

Same opposition, same result and it was nice to see our form improving once again. The Tottenham result seems to have helped us a bit and we are finally playing the football we played at the start of the season. We are dominating games again and have our ruthless streak back. It is perfect timing with Man Utd and Milan coming up soon and the run in starts now.

Once more one man stood out. Whereas Adebayor was the main man on Saturday, tonight Mathieu Flamini was awesome. We associate Flamini's game with hard tackling and platforms for the more attacking players to do their thing. Tonight Flamini combined both of these aspects of midfield play to great effect. Sign him up now!

Even before his galloping run through the Newcastle ranks, he had been getting into the box and into dangerous positions. However, his drive and positivity to get beyond the defence of Newcastle to create the first goal was fantastic to see; something Theo could learn! He added skill with power and delivered the perfect cross for any striker. It left Ade two yards out with the easy job of just connecting with the ball. He did not have to generate any power on the ball and could not miss. There was a reason Fabregas went straight to Flamini rather than Adebayor, the scorer had been given a present.

Flamini basically outshone Fabregas and Hleb in the midfield but they both linked up well. Cesc pushed on further as many fans have wanted him to and came so close to opening Newcastle up with some delightful passes. It was nice to see him on the scoresheet again, the first time since the Man Utd game on November 3rd. Hleb showed some great skill and passing but he does need to shoot sometimes, especially when it's teed up on a plate 12 yards out.

Hleb started on the right as expected but what I picked out was how well Fabregas played from the right. He had the same role towards the end on Saturday and had plenty more freedom to dictate play in a less congested area. Today he did the same and got into two great scoring opportunities within minutes of moving out there. I remember his early first team career and in a lot of those games similar things happened. With injuries to Rosicky and maybe Diaby, it is a thought for Wenger if he wants to start Gilberto (god forbid!) but towards the end of games when we need control it could be an interesting tactic.

Diaby is getting better as he gets games. He passed the ball far quicker today and used his strength to great effect. He is due to sign a new contract according to arsenal.com and I would like to see him infield at some point, maybe with Cesc on the right? Would be a change worth looking at in my opinion.

The back four were largely untroubled, a few dodgy and unnecessary moments aside, Newcastle posed little threat until the last 5 minutes and Senderos again had a dominant game. The full backs were especially good. Given the freedom to get forward, they did not disappoint and put in some tasty crosses, especially Sagna. Almunia was untested for most of the game but held on well when Ameobi finally tested him. His positioning for the freekick on the edge of the box bemused me a bit, he was so far across towards his left post, any lower and the ball was in. No matter, the game was won I guess.

Although he did not light up the game like Saturday, Adebayor still led the line brilliantly and was a menace throughout. He has now scored in 7 games in a row and long may it continue. Eduardo was not on his best form but showed glimpses of his best play. It will be interesting when Van Persie returns (2-3 weeks apparently - that means 2 months probably). Nicklas Bendtner also did well when he came on, setting up Cesc perfectly for the goal and winning the ball in the air a few times. It seems Adebayor and Bendtner have made up; head butts were not the order of service at the Emirates.

We are back to the top of the league for 24 hours at least but we have to keep trying to close down the goal difference. Roll on City on Saturday and nice to see the team playing well again

Man Utd - FA Cup (a) and Milan (h) - two key games (Newcastle Preview)

2008-01-28T16:45:00.000Z

The FA Cup draw has been completed and we have been dealt the worst possible draw. Before the game I thought we would get either Manchester United or Chelsea, however I had a feeling it would be at the Emirates. It is just our luck we would draw the team playing brilliant football in their own backyard. We have had rotten draws this season with AC Milan in the Champions League and having to play Spurs at home in the first leg (I still feel that was a major disadvantage).

Man Utd have only lost once at home this season and that was against Coventry in the Carling Cup. Apart from that game they have been pretty lethal at home and having to go up there so close to the Milan game is a real disappointment. I tell you now; bringing them back to the Emirates with a draw could be a fantastic result.
Many will look to March and April as our most important months of the season; however I want to point out something else to you.

First of all, here are the most important fixtures during March and April:

Tuesday, 04 March 2008
UEFA Champions League
AC Milan v Arsenal, R1, L2, 19:45

Sunday, 23 March 2008
Barclays Premier League
Chelsea v Arsenal, 16:00

Saturday, 05 April 2008
Barclays Premier League
Arsenal v Liverpool, 15:00

Saturday, 12 April 2008
Barclays Premier League
Man Utd v Arsenal, 15:00

It is clear why this will be a critical period. It will determine our future in the Champions League and also give an obvious indication whether we can challenge for the Premier League and take the title race to the wire. It is perfectly understandable then that this period sticks out like a bad smell. However I point out to you these two fixtures, within one week of each other:

They are both cup games but the bearing they may have on the season as a whole is massive.

Saturday, 16 February 2008
The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
Man Utd v Arsenal, R5,

Wednesday, 20 February 2008
UEFA Champions League
Arsenal v AC Milan, R1, L1, 19:45

The Cup game could not have come at a worse time. Before the Milan game an easier tie would have made such a difference. Wenger would have had the opportunity to rotate his team slightly and prepare the team that was due to play in midweek. Now, Wenger will have to play his best available team for both if he is serious about winning these trophies. The players will have a gruelling trip up North with only 3 days until the next game. I am positive both clubs will fight for a Saturday kick-off seeing as both are in action on the Wednesday. A Sunday fixture will affect preparation for these massive games.

I have not really got to my main point yet and that is if we lose both of these games. We will be out of the FA Cup and likely to be heading out of Europe as well. This would leave one sole trophy to fight for and there is no assumption we can win that. Going out of both competitions could see the season derail completely. It has happened before to many teams and one would solely hope that this team could bounce back. They have done it before but it would knock confidence massively.

The games in March were key games but the two fixtures above play a massive part going into these. I guess you can turn the argument around and say that should we lose both of these, the focus would be on one sole piece of silverware and there would be no distractions when pursuing this trophy. Every game would be put towards winning the League and there would be no place for a lack of focus. It may not affect us as much as I fear.

Reading back over what I have just written, it does sound like I’ve admitted defeat and the ties are next month. That must show the enormity of these matches but also the confidence boost we could get from winning them both. If we win at Old Trafford it could prove to be a catalyst for a good run of results with confidence sky high. We would go into the Milan game fearing no team and we would go to the San Siro in March and back to Old Trafford in April with a massive psychological boost over Manchester United and Milan.

This just shows the balance Football can have. A victory here can change a season for the good, a defeat there can derail a team in their title pursuit.

We do however need to be in the running for the title come February and March. That means that every game counts from here on in and that starts tomorrow evening with the visit of Newcastle for the second game running. The 3-0 win on Saturday will no doubt give the players an advantage over Keegan's side but it could still be a tricky tie. Newcastle showed some good moments of play in the Cup and could have taken the lead on two occasions.

We did see however that when we attack them with pace and power we can brush them aside. The more we got our fast passing game going we looked a far more threatening side. Two of our goals were brilliantly taken by Adebayor but Eduardo played a big part in two of the three and is fast settling into the side. His partnership is developing well with Adebayor and they could be crucial in the coming months. He will start the game tomorrow night as opposed to being on the bench like Saturday.

Tomas Rosicky's injury is not serious according to Arsene Wenger. I would not rely on him being back soon as Wenger has often been wrong regarding injury lay offs. Hleb will come in for Rosicky and it depends if Theo keeps faith with Diaby or Walcott. Wenger has said he will play Theo on the wing if needed - a quick backtrack from last week's comments. He could play him on the right with Hleb left. Personally, Hleb is better on the left for me than the right but it depends if Diaby is going to play or not. He does struggle on the left but would be even worse on the right.

He has no left foot so cuts in more centrally when on the left. To cut inside from the right he would need a left foot so if Wenger refuses to play him in the centre, the left is the only option. I think Diaby will be the man to start tomorrow with Hleb on the right. Fabregas came into the game more in the second half as he pushed into more advanced and more dangerous positions. I would like him to do this from the off tomorrow.

Mathieu Flamini was brilliant in his role. He got in some crunching tackles and refused to let Newcastle get out of their half as the game drew on. I just hope he signs his new contract soon as it could be a massive blow to lose him in the summer.

Clichy, Senderos and Gallas will keep their place but Bakary Sagna will return replacing Justin Hoyte. Duff played well in the first half on Saturday and will be a threat. Sagna is a better defender than Hoyte and will added extra security to the back. The other three just need to play the way they did in the last game and we should be ok at the back. Philippe Senderos especially impressed me. We will also see Manuel Almunia returning to the side in place of Jens Lehmann.

==============Almunia=============
Sagna====Senderos====Gallas====Clichy
Hleb=====Fabregas====Flamini====Diaby
========Adebayor=====Eduardo=======

In other news: Robin Van Persie has returned to training. I am not that excited right now as he has done this three times already this season, only to be laid off again very soon afterwards. We will see soon if he has put his injury behind him. Right now though, he is third choice striker.

Luke Freeman made his debut for the reserves yesterday and the move has not received much media. I wonder if this is due to the media coverage when Walcott signed. Wenger will be keen to keep this on the down low so as not to over hype this young footballer.

Arsenal 3 Newcastle 0 - it was well and truly put right with an Ade brace

2008-01-27T03:37:00.000Z

Everyone knew the players needed to produce a performance far better than the one on Tuesday night. We also knew a win was necessary after such a drubbing. Anything but a victory could begin to set in doubts over a mini collapse and dip in results. We needed to put The Carling Cup firmly behind us and the opportunity to continue a different journey to Wembley was the perfect opportunity to do this. The away fans were happy to remind us of our defeat but it is Newcastle that have no chance of a Wembley final, any final at that matter.

Newcastle had been the first team to fall to the second string in the Carling Cup this season and having had that run abruptly halted, it seemed almost appropriate to start this one with the same team. With Kevin Keegan back the Geordies are aiming for a new start and Arsenal were aiming to kick start a string of victories to get the season moving again; once more a meeting that seemed appropriate at this time.

After rotating his squad for the Spurs game it was interesting to see how Wenger would set up. He could have left the team with similar personnel but after such a humiliation it was a risk with confidence definitely low. Lehmann was always going to start in goal. For me, after his comments he does not deserve to be guaranteed a starting place in such a big cup competition. Hoyte reverted to right back where he is more comfortable and Senderos took his place inside. We welcomed Clichy back into the side with Gallas once more leading the back four.

Jens Lehmann. After his outspoken views he really has something to prove and for me today he did not do anything near enough to show why he should play ahead of Almunia. His kicking was dreadful; aiming the ball towards our smallest player in Theo Walcott or kicking it straight back to Newcastle. His positioning was poor when Taylor was played in by Duff; the centre back had a difficult decision to make but having seen Lehmann come towards him the looping header was the right option. Had the header been accurate Lehmann would have been left embarrassed. His general dominance at set pieces was non-existent and that led to the odd goal mouth scramble.

Gael Clichy made a massive difference today; as our only natural width he got forward on countless occasions and defended very well. His crossing has improved greatly recently and the right footed cross for Adebayor was perfect, pace, accuracy and venom - a defender's nightmare. Justin Hoyte also had a good game; less adventurous going forward but very solid at the back and clearly more suitable to the right back slot as our second choice right full back behind Sagna.

Senderos knows this is his time to shine and in this he was solid and started to show his best form. He has never been that consistent in an Arsenal shirt, mainly due to the fact that any sort of time out of the team sets him back to square one. He won every header in the air and had Owen in his pocket all game. The only time I worry over him is when he is faced with raw pace and/or brute strength; these have been his weaknesses in the past but Owen posed no threat of this kind.

Mathieu Flamini showed us what we missed in midweek. He got stuck into challenges and won the ball an awful lot with some crunching tackles taking ball and man. He gave Newcastle no time on the ball and once more indicated that he has played a part in the team's title bid this season. Sign him up long term now Mr Wenger!

We all know Cesc Fabregas has not been in the best of form lately and in the first half seemed to continue this dip. He had one tame effort on goal that really tested Newcastle but in the second half it was a different Cesc. His passing game got better as he tried more intricate passing as well as producing some amazing long passes. He dictated play as he pushed further up the field to link with the attackers. For me he has dropped too deep recently but against Newcastle he took up far more dangerous positions.

Wenger kept faith with Diaby and Walcott even after poor performances against Spurs. Walcott looked lost once again down the middle but got a chance out wide with Rosicky's injury (more of that later) but just as he has done recently was not at the level we want/expect from Theo. He seemed to lack purpose and often refused to attack his man when one v one. He needs to be more positive and take players on. Second half he came out a different player as he made life difficult for the full back until he was taken off.

Diaby, like Walcott had something to prove but at the start seemed to be on sedatives. He grew into the game and looked threatening when he came inside. He showed once more he is lost when hogging the left touchline and often dribbled into dead ends. When he took up positions infield he was a threat and showed why Wenger should give him a go in the centre. He powered through the midfield on a few occasions and his lovely dipping shot brought a fine save from Given. The one thing Diaby must improve though is his speed of thought; he seems to react slowly to pressure on the ball and often gets caught delaying a pass or simply refusing to pass the ball to a team mate.

So back to Tomas Rosicky - this guy's injury problems are getting ridiculous and worrying. He is so injury prone and rarely gets a run of 5 games without some sort of lay off. He makes a difference to our team with his drive and creativity and that shone through against Fulham but either he did not warm up properly or a worse problem has arisen. I have heard it's just precaution which I hope is true. Our squad is short and we need all the players fit and ready to play.

Eduardo benefited from Rosicky's departure as he was brought on to partner Adebayor. His movement is so clever and although he is not the quickest, this sharp thinking gets him into positions clinical strikers know about. He was so unlucky not to score today with his curling shot in the lead up to Ade's goal, a volley saved by Given and a shot brilliantly blocked by Cacapa. He is coming along really well and we are starting to forget the absence of Van Persie. His partnership with Ade really is blossoming.

Emmanuel Adebayor - is there a better striker in the Premier League right now. He has 18 goals this season for Arsenal and if he can keep this form up he will hit 25+ by the end of all competitions this season. His finishing is awesome right now, his strength and skill on the ball has come on leaps and bounds and he is firmly established as a fan's favourite. His spat with Bendtner has not affected him and today he made the right headlines.

Arsenal vs Newcastle (FA Cup) - Time to put it right

2008-01-24T21:53:00.000Z

First and foremost, some great news. Having lost so badly to Spurs on Tuesday, the last thing we needed was for the FA to slap a ban on Adebayor after his "misunderstanding" with Bendtner. Adebayor has looked our main threat in goal recently and showed this with a goal within 10 minutes of coming on. If the FA saw enough to ban him it is likely it would be three games he would be unavailable for. This could have been a major hindrance at the current time.

Now to that little bust-up with Bendtner. I have to be honest and say I have not seen exactly what happened. It is clearly not serious enough for the FA to intervene but Wenger must act. The main culpret must be hit with a fine, not so much to affect their bank balance, but to show them it is unacceptable. Both players will have played a part I think and both should be hit with a fine of some sort, a day with the reserves even but what must happen is the fued must be sorted.

It is natural for two players competing for one position to dislike each other at times; the bottom line is that the other is aiming to dislodge his competition from the team sheet. This for me is healthy competition but when it flows onto the pitch as it did the other night, it has gone too far. Adebayor and Bendtner must get together with the manager and talk it through, air their feelings and try and get along. As I said, competition is good and as long as it goes no further ever again, it should be okay.

We all know Bendtner is a confident lad and will not back away from a fight. He believes he is good enough to start games more regularly. I like this confidence and arrogant swagger, it is something young Theo could develop; confidence plays a major part in Football and Bendtner has it in abundance. and it is Adebayor's job to show him why Wenger is not selecting him. However, as the more senior player, if Ade did provoke the squabble then he needs to have a real think. It was thoroughly unprofessional and to be frank, immature. He should know better and hopefully he shows the side of Adebayor we love this Saturday.

After losing 5-1 to Spurs (I know, it still sounds horrible) the lads need to get back to winning ways and put it behind us. The performance the other night was poor and although the team only contained 4 first teamers for the majority of the game, we are a united squad and as a whole we need to show that this defeat will not affect us. Newcastle will be up for this, FA Cup games can go any which way unless the better team is utterly professional. That is the exact performance we need this Saturday.

Considering that we are playing the Newcastle 3 days later in the League, the cup game could play a part for that game too. We need to keep the heat on United and anything less than a victory will give Newcastle a psycholigical advantage for that game. This game could show we can put a defeat behind us and play a part in the first part of our title run in.

Wenger will strengthen the team from Tuesday but I feel one or two of those who played will play again Saturday. Justin Hoyte may well play at right back to give Sagna a break after midweek. Lehmann will play in goal, Senderos at centre back and Clichy at left back. Wenger may go with Traore but with Milner the opponent he may fear a similar result as the one between Lennon and Traore.

Tomas Rosicky will play this Saturday having not featured in midweek. We missed someone with his drive and purpose against Tottenham and I am glad he will return. Flamini and Fabregas are likely to play in central midfield and Flamini will show drive and fight we also lacked on Tuesday. Fabregas did not have the effect Gooners hoped once he came on but to be fair he had little to work with until Adebayor and Eduardo came on.

Alex Hleb may well be rested which leaves a chance for Diaby should Wenger persist with him as a left sided midfield player. THIS DOES NOT WORK and must be scrapped. He is a central player and if Wenger wants to keep him, surely he must be given a chance inside at some point? I would much rather give Gibbs or Randall a game. Gibbs could play on the left with Rosicky right, or Randall can play on the right side of midfield, Rosicky on the left. I have mentioned these youngsters a lot but I feel it is about time Wenger bites the bullet and puts them in with a majority of the first choice line up.

Theo Walcott will not be going out on loan which dissappoints me. He is nowhere near ready for first team football at Arsenal yet but some experience could do him a world of good. He would get playing time as a striker and get regular games in the Premiership. Reports suggested Wenger was looking for a club to provide this; Wigan and Derby come straight to mind yet it seems a no go. He will not play this Saturday after a few pretty shocking performances. His confidence is very low and his technical level needs to rise.

Adebayor and Eduardo will probably start up front; we looked so far more potent with them on. Actually, we only looked like scoring when they were finally on the pitch. Eduardo has that ability to score at any moment and he linked the play with clever movement. Adebayor showed exactly what he is about with his goal, he has done it all season long. It is currently our best partnership with Van Persie seemingly made of glass. Wenger may punish Adebayor with a place on the bench with Bendtner starting with a partner who he can work with in Eduardo rather than a struggling Walcott.

I would not be surprised to see a staged hug whoever starts. Wenger will look to sub off Adebayor/Bendtner should we be in a comfortable position, with the other coming off the bench as the replacement. Wenger will want to put the incident to bed, even if he can only sort the public's view of the incident for now.

Before Tuesday's defeat I would have said we might see a similar team for Saturday but now it will be different I think. Wenger will not risk putting out a shattered team and whatever the club says, that defeat will have affected the players. He is likely to re-think and bring back some of those absent from the other night but it is quite hard to predict exactly who will be selected come Saturday afternoon. I will try and guess and go with this:

============Lehmann===========
Hoyte===Senderos===Gallas===Clichy
Randall==Flamini==Fabregas==Rosicky
======Adebayor===Eduardo=======

Spurs 5 Arsenal 1 (6-2) - embarrassing, lacklustre and downright horrible

2008-01-22T22:45:00.000Z

You will read many a match report and blog tonight and tomorrow morning regarding how bad we were tonight, how humiliating it is to lose to Spurs and maybe the mistake Wenger made before the game. To be honest there is nothing more to say and it is hard to take any pleasure from a brilliant goal from Adebayor.

First thing's first, we did not have our full team out as Poyet suggested. Glberto has been out of the team all season and only Gallas and Sagna started on Saturday. Cesc played 80 minutes yes but the others are not regulars. IF the game mattered more to us than Tottenham, Almunia, Adebayor and Rosicky would have been there; at least those 3. The worst part is not the losing in a semi-final but the scoreline against Spurs of all teams.

Were there mistakes from Wenger? In my opinion yes there were. Hoyte was all at sea at the back and when he was alone at the end Gilberto did well at the back. It was a gamble having Hoyte alongside Gallas and it seemed it did not work. He did not close down Jenas for the first, lost Keane for the second and lost his battles tonight. It was a risk playing a right-back at centre back and for me we went wrong here.

Playing Gilberto at centre back would have provided the opportunity to play Flamini. I think he could have changed the whole complexion of the game. We lacked a man who was going to hassle and close down. They won the midfield battle and there is no way Flamini would have let Jenas get in that shot.

What was Fabianski doing for the 3rd goal? Awful keeping and made it game over.

Walcott was a passenger in his 60 minutes and Eduardo should have started the game. Walcott has a long way to go before he is ready for the big time. He was not strong enough and failed to stretch the Tottenham defence. Bendtner and Theo could not link up and the understanding Bendtner and Eddy had, it was not seen between the two that started tonight.

At 3-0 I feel Wenger should have played his cards. It would have given Eduardo and Adebayor 40 minutes to try and change the game. We saw the difference they made as we looked far more potent. The task of scoring 3 goals in the time they had was far too difficult, even for a man in such good form like Adebayor. Juande Ramos changed his system when Wenger did and I wonder if he would have done the same at 3-0 had Wenger brought on the big Guns.

Alex Hleb did not want to pass the simple ball. So many times he could have laid the ball off to Sagna to get the ball into the box early. Hleb wanted to thread the ball through the eye of the needle and it was not going to happen with Theo lacklustre and Bendtner having to come deep. Hleb caused problems with his sharp movement but took too long when he got on it. Would Rosicky have been a better bet for tonight?

Abou Diaby was exactly the same. He seems allergic to passing the ball. He will dribble into countless dead ends and only when he has no other choice will he make a pass. When he did get his head up and play the early ball he played some fantastic passes. He moved more centrally and looked far more effective there. If Wenger wants to play Diaby then he must play him in the middle. If he will not play Theo out wide then Diaby surely is the exact same?

When Denilson went off I thought the game was about to change with Cesc coming on. However, Fabregas did nothing special. His passing was neat and tidy but lacked penetration. He played some awful passes and was not given enough time. I will mention Spurs now as it seems the best moment. They did not give us any time and played the game of their season tonight. King and Dawson were great for them and Keane, Berbatov and Lennon killed our shaky defence. It was always going to happen, losing to them that it, but tonight was awful and embarrassing. Tottenham did deserve it, no one can even think about denying that.

Having scored two goals from crosses at Fulham, one would think the ball might come into the box quite a lot tonight. We had Sagna and Traore getting forward in support and both can deliver a good centre. I do not recall any cross of note entering the box. We simply refused to get it out there and send it into the box. Getting wide would have stretched their defence, whenever Hleb and Diaby stuck wide, gaps opened. The Arsenal way is brilliant when it works but tonight it fell to pieces; we needed to change it but did not.

I guess there is a point where criticism becomes pointless and we have to move on. When more first teamers came on the game changed as we piled forward. Including Cesc who played pretty much the whole game, we had 3/11 that would play regularly for the first team side. Sagna, Gallas and Cesc are those players and I have heard pundits say it was not the reserves but it was basically that. It was the second string who had played throughout. I do feel the likes of Gibbs and Randall would have been worth a shot. It gives them a learning experience and if we are going to lose at least it is nothing like a normal side for Arsenal.

On Saturday it will be the first team and Wenger will look for a response. The players will be hurt, even if they did not play tonight. We are a whole squad together and Newcastle will fear a backlash. Adebayor will be back and this man looks lethal right now. His goal tonight was top quality and after Togo missed out on the ACON and now Arsenal lost the Carling Cup, he will want to put it right more than anyone.

You all saw the game, we lost 6-2 on aggregate; I guess that's 9 years of hurt all blown out in one game. Now to make it another 9 years till they beat us!

All I can say is smile when you see a Tottenham and humbly admit they were the better team and thoroughly deserved their win. Just tell the truth really. Then add in the odd
"You last won the League in black and white"
"Channel 5, Channel 5, Channel 5"

Spurs vs Arsenal - stakes are massive - Carling Cup Final place for the victor

2008-01-21T15:53:00.000Z

If you remember last season's Carling Cup Semi-Final, you will recall the tie was poised in pretty much the exact same way. With the score's level at 2-2, the return leg could have gone either way. There is no doubt that last year we had the psycholigical edge going into the second match having come from 2 goals down and drawn a game we could and should have won. This was at the Lane against their first team with the second leg at home, a further advantage. That year we managed to progress after extra time, I'll take the same this year.

Both teams have a few things in their favour this season. Like Arsenal did in the previous season, Tottenham take a draw back for the home tie, an obvious advantage as they did not lose the away leg and have a chance to knock us out with a win on their patch. Playing at home is always going to aid a team. It is the reverse from last season, something which went in our favour last time around.

However, one thing we do have over them is that mental edge as they should have beaten us at the Emirates but still failed to do so during Arsenal's worst performance of the season. They should have taken the victory by a couple of goals but in the end Theo managed to get the victory with a somewhat fortuitous goal. Another thing that I feel will help the team is that we have no pressure on us. The lads did not perform at the Emirates but to beat the Spurs first team away will be a real achievement for the second string. We also have the desire to get to the final and avenge last season's defeat with the opposition looking like it could well be Chelsea once again.

Last season we had two away goals going into the home leg and this year Spurs have one. To be honest, away goals do not count in the same way as they do in the Champions League. In Europe away goals are taken into account at the end of 90 minutes of the second tie. In the Carling Cup, they are only used after 210 minutes of football. We saw last year that despite scoring two away from home and conceding one at the Emirates, we still had to put ourselves through an added 30 minutes of Football with the aggregate score at 3-3. The fact we had scored two at White Hart Lane made no difference.

To the team now. Arsene Wenger has a massive list of injuries for tomorrow night, especially in defence. Kolo Toure, Alex Song and Emmanuel Eboue are all on African Cup of Nations Duty and can all play at the back. Add to that Johan Djourou - out for 2 weeks - and Philippe Senderos - out after injuring his nose at the weekend - and you have a minor defensive crisis. That has caused William Gallas to be drafted into the defence for tomorrow night. This will do the team no harm as his experience will help the team hugely on a massive night.

Alongside Gallas Wenger can either select Justin Hoyte or GIlberto. After his excellent showing in this position during the second half at the Emirates, I think Wenger will go for Justin alongside the skipper. This also enables him to bring in Bakary Sagna at right back, once more adding experience and solidarity to the defence. Armand Traore will continue at left back with Clichy on the bench I think. Fabianski will keep his place in goal.

It will be interesting to see whether Theo Walcott starts tomorrow night and if he does if it is on the wing or through the middle. He played out wide against Spurs two weeks ago and in the same role against Birmingham. In those games he was ominously poor despite his fluke of a goal. Wenger has since stated his worry about Theo's current level, I have to say I agree. However, Wenger will stick with him and has said he will not be used out wide from now on. Intrigued to see what happens tomorrow.

There are a few options available to Wenger. One is to play the same midfield as the home tie. This midfield was passed out of the game and looked lacklustre throughout. Gilberto was a passenger and gave away the ball with nearly every pass. Diaby refused to pass the ball until he had dribbed himself into dead end after dead end. Theo Walcott was running around like a headless chicken on speed. I felt quite sorry for Denilson however, who was always facing his own goal and Gilberto failed to provide a platform for the Brazilian.

You probably have guessed that I would rather we did not see the same combination of players start the game. I would prefer to see Randall and Gibbs start on the right and left. Gibbs will add natural width and provide crosses for the strikers. He will look to go at his man with pace and purpose and provide good cover for Traore against Lennon. I know from personal experience that when you step up to the first team early, you are determined to do your defensive work as well as attack, in order to impress the manager. Randall played well at Blackburn and linked the play very well. His passing and movement are very good and we will need to keep the ball tomorrow as Tottenham will want to harry and get at us for long periods. Walcott just cannot seem to hang onto it for more than 5 seconds. It was as if the ball was a hot potato.

Denilson is going to be our main creative outlet from midfield and will look to dictate play as we have seen Fabregas do so many times in the past. He will look to unlock the Spurs defence and try and free the wingers and full backs. Who to play alongside Denilson? He really only has two options. Gilberto or Diaby.

Neither really fills me with confidence right now. As I mentioned, in the last game they were very poor but both have their advantages. Gilberto, on his day (rare this season), can intercept and break up attacks with sensible and effective play. He likes to sit back and guard the back four, as well as being a big threat from corners. Last game he did none of the above and if Wenger keeps faith with him, he needs to do these to warrant Wenger's trust.

Diaby can add muscle and strong tackling to the side. At times this season he has produced some brilliant challenges and scored some good goals. He does like to get forward but I believe he can also do his fair share of tracking back, if given the chance alongside Denilson. He is lost on the left but has not been given much opportunity in the centre. If Denilson is prepared to control the game from deep it could free Diaby to get from box to box and try and burst into dangerous areas.

I would love to see this tried out but Wenger said the subs from Saturday will play, Gilberto was one and Diaby another. Therefore I am pretty sure Wenger will go with Diaby on the left and Gilberto in the centre, with Theo on the right. They all need big games but for me that is a risk taken by Wenger. Hopefully it pays off.

Le Prof made an error in my eyes in putting Eduardo on the bench in the first leg but I feel he will not make the same mistake twice. He can be lethal if given a sniff and this could be key tomorrow night. Chances may be scarce and we need someone we know can take these chances. Bendtner and him have developed a good understanding and can work together to break the Spurs back line.

Wenger will use some first teamers off the bench if the game needs changing. Like last year he will probably havethe likes of Fabregas, Clichy, Rosicky and Adebayor ready to come on. We do not want to be left short of options should we need to push for a goal or two. They were not there two weeks ago but I feel we will see them at the Lane.

=============Fabianski==============
Sagna=====Hoyte=====Gallas====Traore
Walcott===Gilberto===Denilson====Diaby
=========Bendtner===Eduardo=========

Subs: Mannone, Clichy, Fabregas, Rosicky, Adebayor

Berbatov will be the main threat once more and we must, I mean must not give him any room to play. In the last game he got too much space to bring the ball down. We must get tight as Spurs did to us in the home match and try and stop them playing. Berbatov is the main link man for them and will look to bring Lennon into the game on many occasions. Traore has a big job on his hands and a lot of the responsibility lies with Gallas to marshall the defence. We have the pace at the back to deal with the ball in behind, it is the long ball we must prevent as much as is possible.

All that's left to say is, Come on Arsenal, do us proud, let's get to the Final, once again at the expense of Spurs.

Fulham 0 Arsenal 3 - Job well done

2008-01-20T13:12:00.000Z

Before the game I called for a victory first and foremost. After the Birmingham it was important to pick up three points again and if we could produce a good performance to boot then that would be an added bonus. In the end, we got both and with the team Fulham had it was always going to go one way. They had no natural striker in the side, a leaky defence and a lack of confidence among those who took the field. If we played at all well, the game would be ours and it duly turned out this way.

We welcomed back the recovered Tomas Rosicky for the ineffective Theo Walcott. Wenger reported he is disappointed at the level Walcott is currently at but thinks he will make it at Arsenal. That is pretty much my view on the matter as I said earlier this week. However, the interesting thing in Wenger's interview was that he mentioned his belief Theo cannot play on the wing. It is true that he has been poor on the wing but it does leave us quite short here. If he becomes a 5th striker for us we currently only have two first team players playing on the right and left in Hleb and Rosicky.

Yesterday, Rosicky made a difference to the side. His link up play with Hleb and Fabregas made the team click. They seem to know exactly where they will be and can interchange position at any time. Both Hleb and Rosicky are comfortable on either side and are not afraid to move about the pitch. Rosicky, in my view offers a far more attacking threat from midfield. He gets into the box far more than the other two and had already hit the post before his clinical strike. All he needs to do now is net some goals on a far more regular basis and try and hit double figures this season.

A very pleasing sight in the last two games was the ability of Alex Hleb to cross the ball. We saw it at West Ham very early on in the season as he swung a cross right onto the head of Van Persie to score the winner. Last Saturday he whipped a great cross at wicked pace but Eduardo managed to fluff his lines. Finally, yesterday he produced a more measured cross perfectly into the path of Adebayor's clever run and Ade did the rest. It shows we can mix our game up and these great crosses have shown the service can be good.

With Theo unlikely to play much on the wing I hope we may get a chance to see another youngster lay his claim for a starting berth. If Theo deserves a place in the side at 18, then the same applies to the likes of Gibbs and Randall. They are at the same age and have shown the same, if not more potential than Walcott. They are at a high technical level and both have impressed most fans when they have played on the odd occasion this season. Gibbs is the only naturally left footed winger in our squad and there is no doubt we never replaced Reyes. I am not saying he was the best player in the world but he added natural balance to the side and was a different option. Gibbs can provide something different as well. At least while Eboue is away it might be worth giving him a shot in the cup games coming up.

And now to the big man up front. Adebayor has 15 goals in 20 league starts this season and that is a brilliant return. For a man who has played alone up front for a lot of the season, to have that many goals at this stage is brilliant. We need someone to break that 20 goal mark on a regular basis and hopefully he can achieve that this season. If he carries on his lethal form from yesterday, he will. Both his goals were of huge quality and both headers.

The power he generated for both goals led Niemi to stand still as Ade placed both headers perfectly. The excellent crosses from Clichy and Hleb both came in with little pace and Ade was able to climb and hang in the air as he put all the pace on the ball on each occasion to put us two up.

Eduardo also played well, especially in the second half. It was great to see him get past three defenders when he was tied to the touchline. Some lovely skill took him away and had Rosicky's shot been an inch the other side of the post, it would have been an assist to match Eddy's skill. Our third goal was actually quite interesting on Eduardo's part. He should have played the ball first time to Hleb as he broke into the box. He delayed the pass too long but some great acceleration meant he could find Rosicky's bursting run into the box. He did very well to recover the situation and it will please Wenger he was willing to run in behind and to see he has adapted even more recently. He needs another goal to kick start another run and then we could be in business.

Last year Senderos was sent off in this fixture and was given a horrid time by the Fulham forwards. Yesterday was the complete opposite. Gallas and Phil were untested and Almunia did not have to make one save of note. The full backs were given the freedom to get forward which gave us width and eventually led to the cross for the first goal after a fantastic overlapping run we are used to seeing from Clichy now.

As many of the papers have said, it was a professional performance but we were not tested by Fulham. The game could have been far more of a test but it still needed winning and three good goals did the job and we move onto the cups. It will be interesting to see the line ups for this week. In the Carling Cup the kids will start the game but Wenger has a choice to make regarding who is on the bench. I hope he puts a few of the first team on the bench, maybe Adebayor, Rosicky and Fabregas and then come Saturday has a largely full strength side out.

Newcastle were poor yesterday but the FA Cup always means a difficult, fast paced game. We will need to be on top form to win that and a victory for either side ill give that team a psychological edge going into the league match three days later. Wenger will use his whole squad over the next week and a half and he must be careful to get it right. I want to see Gibbs and Randall given a game in midweek and maybe Saturday if they impress.

We have been linked with a 15 year-old "prodigy" today in the NOTW. It is hard to sign players who are under-18 years of age from Brazil unless they really are special or have not started their footballing education. How this could/would work we would wait and see but many clubs have been linked. How true it is I do not know. We await news of Dimitriov but Arshavin will not sign according to Wenger.

Fulham vs Arsenal - Let's put the disappointment of last Saturday firmly behind us

2008-01-18T21:17:00.000Z

Cast your minds back to the 29th November of last year and an away trip to Craven Cottage. A game which Arsenal fans would expect to win went very pear shaped and we were 2-0 down after 20 minutes. We had been susceptible to crosses and both goals came from wide areas, one from a set piece, our Achilles heel. Apart from a brilliant Van Persie free-kick our performance was awful and Fulham even missed a penalty.

Up until then, Fulham had not beaten us for 40 years and recently Craven Cottage had been a stamping ground for Arsenal. The previous season we won 4-0 there and the season before that 3-1. Fulham are languishing in the relegation zone and in 19th place have a tough job on their hands to stay up. Personally I think they will be ok. At the helm they have Roy Hodgson and this guy has been around the block from Norway to Italy. He has managed at Inter Milan and has the right attributes to keep them up. His tactical know how and motivational skills will help the players in their fight for survival.

We all know about Antii Niemi after he had some brilliant games against us for Southampton. On his day he is one of the best keepers in the Premiership and a good goalkeeper is a great base to build on for Hodgson. They have signed a centre back this week and this is undoubtedly their weakest department having shipped 39 goals so far this season. They have only scored 23 goals in the same period but over two thirds have come at home. As the stats read, if matches were only 45 minutes long, Fulham would be in the Champions League places. IF they can start to get more goals and bring in defenders capable of keeping clean sheets then they will go a long way to staying up.

A deal to bring in Marlon King from Watford has been agreed and King is a player that will get goals if given the right supply. Bullard is back from injury which is a major plus. Last season he was their playmaker and he can form a great partnership alongside Danny Murphy. They have Bouazza out wide who is speedy character and he will supply King. They have the ingredients to score goals, it just needs Hodgson to get it out of them.

King may not be available for tomorrow's game which will suit us. King has pace and strength, a combination that has often tested Senderos in the past. Last season he was sent off in this fixture and he needs to have a big game in Toure's continuing absence. He has a real chance to show his worth with Toure away and Djourou injured. We definitely cannot afford another red card for Phil.

After such a poor performance against Birmingham, a strong showing is required tomorrow. Obviously the result comes first and the win is the most important thing. However, if we can couple that with a good performance then that will do the team a world of good. Since the 1st half of the Villa game I cannot recall a performance of a suitable level for title challengers. It is time we sorted that out if we really want to be considered as contenders. Disappointment

Van Persie is out AGAIN and for a few more weeks. We can never be sure it will be that short and it could well be a far longer lay off. This guy has missed more games than he has started and it is starting to get very worrying. He is a brilliant player but needs to sort his fitness out. It is the second season in a row now he has had serious injuries and we may have another Freddie (last 2 years) on our hands. Hopefully Eduardo can start knocking them in on a regular basis for us.

Rosicky, another who has had injury worries, was ill last Saturday and will be back tomorrow. I have hoped to have a midfield including Cesc, Flamini, Hleb and Rosicky in it for a while now and maybe tomorrow I will finally see it. The three attacking players here know each other's game so well and when it clicks, it really does click. Theo has not done enough to stay in the side and Diaby cannot play on the left. It is our best midfield currently and it would be nice to get it flowing once more.

As I mentioned, last season we conceded from a corner at the Cottage and tomorrow we must mark well, attack the ball and win every corner that comes in. We were asleep against Birmingham and it cost us the victory ultimately. We need to sort this area out and concentrate fully if Fulham should get a corner or free kick. If we can break from any of their attacks or set pieces we can punish their lack of pace at the back.

So, a victory is required as number 1, a good performance number 2. Hopefully we get both but I'll take number 1 alone with the League as tight as it is. We will come out of the dip in form and if we can keep results ticking over for now that's fine.

Diarra Off? Flamini To Stay Or Go? Centre Midfield Options…Left Winger In?

2008-01-17T22:52:00.000Z

Yesterday, for a brief part of coverage time, Sky Sports News broke some breaking news to fans. It disapeared soon after and I have not heard much since but it still disapointed me and it seems he is off. It stated that Arsenal and Portsmouth were in the middle of negotiations regarding the transfer of Lassana Diarra. I have stated many times my views that Diarra must remain an Arsenal player. The guy has shown excellent potential and has the opportunity to have a good career with us.

He is a very able back up to Flamini, who currently has a similar future, one that is up in the air. He can legally speak to any club in Europe and sign a pre contract agreement to join them in the coming summer for the great fee of £0. Flamini has revolutionised our midfield this season. His sudden rise in playing status surprised most Gooners but there is no doubt he has played a large part in Arsenal’s ability to fight it out with the toughest of teams.

Since Vieira left Gilberto has taken up the mantle as the midfield "invisible wall" but right now only the first word of this phrase applies. His form has dropped off alarmingly and right now he seems to breeze through games as he fails to really help the team in a meaningful way. He has given the ball away more times so far this season than he has in the previous two; he has hardly played. His passing accuracy last season was at a very high level but this season it is far closer to the other end of the scale. Until Flamini came into the side, teams found it easy to bully us in matches as our midfield lacked bite. Now we have it with two players but one is now off.

The fee is supposed to be around £5million which means at least a £3million profit. He cannot really be seen as a flop signing, he has simply not been here for long enough. Oh well, move on and get Flamini signed up pronto!
Our central midfield players currently are Fabregas, Flamini, Denilson, GIlberto and Diaby. I cannot see Gilberto being here past the end of the season. It may however mean a chance for Diaby to play inside in his favoured position. We know he can tackle hard and get up and down the pitch. He adds presence to the side and I can see him being a real success in the centre of the park. Many have compared him to Vieira but should we want him to fulfil this belief, then we must move him inside.

Diaby is not a left midfield player and Wenger must see asap that playing him there does not work. He does not have the drive and potency of a player like Rosicky or Hleb, who as attacking midfielders, can adapt to palying out wide rather than in the "Bergkamp role". Diaby can be a suitable deputy to Flamini should he need a rest or get injured. We need a real box to box player in our midfield and if Wenger sees potential in Diaby, he has to start using him in his rightful position.

Another experiment that has not exactly worked is the one where Eboue has been moved to right midfield. He has not set the world alight this season as many hoped after such a promising performance in the Emirates Cup against Inter Milan. His final ball has been largely poor and he has failed to hit the net this season. Our midfield players need to get goals. I have stressed the need to sign a winger in a previous article and a bit more news has developed, well rumours really.

The trialist Nikolai Dimitrov has apparently impressed and one user on an online forum assures fans he will sign within two weeks. That promise will hopefully come to fruit and a left winger will sign soon. Wenger has hopefully seen we lack a left sided player and is addressing this with a potential signing. Whether this guy is an automatic fix I don’t know, I doubt it really as he will need time to settle to the way we play.

Another player linked is Andrei Arsharvin, the Russian captain and playmaker. When I saw him against England in the two matches he was the best player on the Russian team and is similar to Rosicky and Hleb in playing style. If Wenger wanted a player similar to these two to come into the squad, it could be the perfect signing. Tomas and Alex will never get a huge amount of goals and there are questions over their fitness. The guy is a talent and I would be pro this signing should it happen.

Andre Ayew is currently away on international duty for Ghana but the papers believe we will sign him for a fee of around £5million. He would be a player for the future being only 18 but he is also a left winger. At this age we have two players that can play here in Gibbs and Vela. Wenger must be careful who he signs should he plump for a new left sided player. I would prefer someone older with experience before the players mentioned above are ready to get into the team on a regular basis.

I leave you with Newcastle about to kick off against Stoke to see who we meet in the Fa Cup 4th round. Newcastle have Keegan back but he will struggle to better his previous achievements in charge of the Geordies. We will wait to see if it was a wise decision to bring him back. It will mean a tougher match (or two) come the end of January, of that I am sure.

Theo - still got a lot to lean...Randall, Gibbs, Lansbury & Vela waiting in the wings

2008-01-16T21:55:00.001Z

Theo Walcott has started in the last two first team games and been very disapointing. He may have got the equaliser against Spurs but with the luck he got from this I think Francis Jeffers would have produced the same end result. His shot was off target and only the ricochet saw it roll over the line. Up until this point, Theo had been anonymous and gave the ball away cheaply whenever he did get it. This was the order of play come Saturday's game against Birmingham.

I give to you a few names now: Mark Randall, Henri Lansbury, Kieran Gibbs and Carlos Vela. You have all heard of them I am sure. Theo is far closer to the first team than these three but does he deserve to be? I want to look at these guys and look at what they have in front of them, the tasks facing them and their likely future. But quickly let me sum up that of Theo:

Theo Walcott

He came to us with a big reputation after his large transfer fee from Southampton and having taken part in no matches for our first team, went to the World Cup with the England squad. Wenger may have thought this would help his career and he would learn a lot from the experience. That may be so, he may have learnt a lot in training but it has had opposite consequences as well. Had he played at that level, maybe it would have been worth it. However he did not play and there is only a certain amount he can learn from being around a major competition.

The problem was that he came back with an even bigger reputation as the "next boy wonder" and "next Wayne Rooney". This was the worst thing for Theo and Arsenal. The lad only started playing Football at a serious level at around aged 10 or 11. It is clear to me that he is lacking the know-how that others around him will have developed in their earlier years. He has the pace which undoubtedly made him a promising talent for Wenger.
We know he can finish as we have seen on the odd occasion. Thats the problem, we have not seen it enough. I know he has not played many games on the trot but saying that, he has not impressed enough in those games he has been given a starting place in, to warrant a longer stay in the team. If Theo could show some more consistency, then Wenger might consider him as a first team regular. Right now it seems he still has an awful lot to learn.

Walcott seems to play with excitement and adrenalin rather than his brain. He scurries around at a great speed trying to use his pace to his advantage at every moment but this makes him predictable. Whenever I have seen him mix up his play; dribbling in and out, accelerating away from players and using clever passing, he has impressed. Most of the time though he hopes running straight with his burning pace will automatically get him past the man. It will not work the majority of the time and I think this is why he is learning on the wing. Henry did the same before Wenger could use his talent through the middle.

Don't get me wrong, Wenger has a talented player on his hands and one who is willing to learn. His career up till now has been rushed and we must wait with him. He went to the World Cup way too prematurely and the expectations started to run away with themselves. We must take a deep breath and accept that, like Henry, he needs to develop under Le Prof and then soon we may see the potential come to fruit. Maybe a loan move would be a good idea?

The fact Theo is English will mean the fans take to him more. People might deny this but it definitely means they want him to flourish far more at Arsenal. Diaby has been poor this season and many have been quick to criticise but he is being played out of position. It does not excuse his lack of quality but Theo has been equally poor but many fans will let him off, especially after the goal against Spurs, despite playing in a position he is more comfortable with. However, he does not have a divine right to suceed here and it will take some luck to fulfil the potential he has.

There are other players that deserve a chance right now. They have impressed regularly for the reserves and been very close to the first team squad already. Wenger believes in these guys and they will be involved next season but when other young first teamers are not performing well, I do not see why Wenger doesnt give them a shot.

Mark Randall

We saw what he can do when he stepped in for an ill Theo at Blackburn. He slotted right into the side and passed the ball as well as anyone else in the team. He can play on the right of midfield and the left too. His best position is in central midfield but right now we are full in this department. He is technically ahead of Theo but he needs to get stronger and faster before he is ready for a proper stint in the first team. That is what Wenger will work on over the summer.

He is one example of the work Wenger has done with the academy and finally players are coming through. Wenger mentioned this transformation as a goal of his and he took all the criticism thrown at him regarding the lack of English players in the squad. It seems that Wenger has proved them wrong as Randall is one the first of three to play for our first team this season.

Kieran Gibbs

Yet another reserve player to make the step up. Against Inter Milan he was brilliant on the left of midfield. For a young player to play your debut, in a match against Inter Milan is a big step up. He could have played against PSG the day before but it was an interesting choice from Wenger to put him in with the majority of first teamers in a tougher game. It gave him a closer look at Gibbs in a tough game at a high level. He came off to a standing ovation and was largely unfazed with everything. He passed the ball well, was assured on the ball and showed some great pace.

He showed he can do well at left back as he had a brilliant game at Sheffield United as he set up our second goal and was part of a back four that kept a clean sheet. This squad definitely lacks a left sided player and Gibbs could be the answer. Another English graduate and highly regarded by Liam Brady and Arsene Wenger. Definitely one for next season, at the latest.

Henri Lansbury

The third player to come through the academy around the same time as Gibbs and Randall. He has been likened to Gerrard in his play and I guess that is fair but again slghtly ahead of ourselves. He likes to get into the opposition box but is also prepared to get back and help out facing his own goal. He will find it hard to get into the team in his position but he is arguably the most gifted of the three Englishmen. If he is patient he will do very well at Arsenal and I look forward to seeing him play soon.

Carlos Vela

He does not fit the description of the other three I mentioned but is in a similar boat. He has had to go out on loan to get a work permit but in a way it has done him some good. He has been playing in La Liga which is a very technical type of football and this should help coming to a team like Arsenal. He has good skill on the ball, a good touch and he is quick. He can play on the wing and Wenger will probably use him here to start with, similar to Theo.

Many believe he will come back to us in the summer and go straight into the first team squad. He has the techncial ability but needs to toughen up a bit. He has benefited from a loan spell and I think Theo could get the same experience from a similar move.

My point overall is that we have a few young players coming through and right now they have as much right to a first team chance as young Theo. He has only impressed on odd occasions and needs to learn more before he is ready. He has not been helped by his career path and the media circus but he is under the best coach right now. Wenger will not rush into buying new players with these 3 or 4 players waiting in the wings. He knows he has talented players in his set up but knows he must get the timing right with their introduction to the first team.
We shall see soon enough why people are excited by Wenger's work off the pitch with the youth set up, I certainly cannot wait.

Get the chequebook out...winger needed urgently

2008-01-13T15:50:00.000Z

When Arsenal won the double in the 97/98 season we had Marc Overmars and Ray Parlour on the wing. Overmars was a "proper" winger who was always looking to get at his man and get to the byline. Parlour was maybe more suited to a central midfield role but he often did the same on the other side. When he came inside he often did with great effect as he popped up with many a great goal. Overmars scored 25 goals in around 100 appearances for the club, 1 goal every 4 games.

During the double winning season of 2001/02, and the unbeaten season of 2003/04 we had Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg and they were key members of the team .

For a midfield player to score 15+ goals in one season is fantastic and as you can see these two did this on many occasions. Together they were lethal and a key part of our successes after the millenium. There is no doubt we miss players similar to those Pires and Ljungberg were for us. Reyes came in but certain events determined his career with us was cut short. Right now we do not have a real natural winger in our side and it makes a key difference.

Wenger has moved Eboue to right midfied this season and for me it has not worked. He blows hot and cold and has not really put two good performances together in a row. He is very predictable and very often his final ball is very poor. He has been converted from a right back where he was not the most convincing defender. Sagna has come in and made our defence far more solid but Eboue has not had a similar effect on our attacking play. He has delivered some good crosses at times and linked up play well but there is one thing he is clearly lacking.

A winger needs to chip in with goals. I have shown the stats of Pires and Ljungberg and their contribution to the side. This season Eboue has started in 19 first team games and scored no goals whatsoever. He scored more goals for us from right back! He has had quite a few shots I can recall, most of which ended up high and wide. I can remember some good moments where he has contributed to our goals: against Newcastle he delivered a good ball to Adebayor who scored. He linked up well with Bendtner as the Dane made it 7 against Slavia Prague. That was against a team that made Theo Walcott look like a world beater!

Cristiano Ronaldo has 20 goals already this season. I know it is rare to find a player who will have this amount of goals by January, especially if they are a winger. It is a major part of any wide player's game and the ability to arrive into the box is key. Mikel Arteta has 12 goals in 87 league games and in a team at the level Everton were that is not bad. Arteta also makes things happen with his direct playing style. Arjen Robben got around 20 goals in 90 games for Chelsea which, on the face of it, is not amazing. However, whenever Robben was on the ball I was scared something was going to happen and often it did. We do not have a player who other teams fear when they are running at them. I can not imagine a full back being too scared when they see Eboue starting on the right.

We have Alex Hleb and Tomas Rosicky in the squad too and when they are both fit (how likely is that?!) they can make a lethal trio with Fabregas. They chip in with the odd goal and give Fabregas room to get forward to get goals as well. If you look yesterday at the performance you will notice we became awfully narrow in the second half and this is a real problem with naturally central players out wide. When teams come at us this works but when they sit deep I feel it causes us trouble. Look at the Pompey game, Spurs and Chelsea games where it was hard to break a team down when they packed the defence whenever we came forward. Many people will point to 16 shots in the game against Birmingham but look at them closely.

I have said so many times that although we may have lots of shots - how many of those were rushed half chances and from distance? If you look at it Bendtner had two speculative shots from outside the box, Cesc had 1, Sagna 1 and even Clichy had 2. They may have been shots on goal but they were often rushed with little space to work.Wingers stretch teams and give strikers space in the middle so these shots are far less pressured, in far less congested areas and someone like eduardo can do well with such. That is why we are far more lethal when teams come at us - because our strikers have more time and space in front of goal. Wingers play a part in dragging the full backs out. Yesterday Kelly and Quedrue/Parnaby were able to hold their positions in the box and therefore create a blockade to goal.

If you have a winger that likes to get chalk on his boots and get past the full backs then room is automatically created in the box. Players are drawn across to cover and the defence is moved about. It is these moments that cause misunderstanding in the defensive ranks and chances open up on a more regular basis. I hate to do it, but really one has to look at Manchester United right now. They have Ronaldo and Giggs on the wings with Nani able to play there also. They get wide and like to beat players. They open up gaps in the middle for Tevez and Rooney to exploit. As soon as a man is beaten it causes havoc. We simply do not have players who do this. Hleb can beat a man but he takes too long on the ball and regularly moves inside as he loses his man. Man Utd look to force and widen the play and did so to great effect as they beat Newcastle 6-0.

What I am saying is that we need a natural winger in the squad. We have not replaced Pires and Ljungberg. There is room for Hleb or Rosicky in the side on the left or right. However I feel it is a risk having them both in the side in a 4-4-2 formation when we are forcing the game against a team who has parked the bus. They both cut inside and we don't get that much width. In our best seasons under Wenger our wingers have got wide and stretched teams and left space for strikers like Henry and Bergkamp to flourish. Reyes was brought in to do this job. He did not get many goals but he did create many. Eboue has not done anything like this and Reyes had potential to do well for us. One goal in 5 was not brilliant but he did create room for others and liked to keep wide.

Tomas Rosicky has a pretty similar record goals wise but far less assists. A lot more has been expected from Rosicky and I hope he can get 10+ goals this season. 6 last season was poor. The problem with Rosicky is that he has never been a prolific goalscorer, his best being 6 goals in a season for both Arsenal and Dortmund. Another worry is his fitness. And what about Alex Hleb?

Hleb's goal tally for Arsenal is worse with a ratio of 1 in 10. That is not good enough at all. He has 5 goals this season but for a man playing behind the main striker, I would expect more. His assist levels are ok but does he have more in him? He has never scored more than 8 in a season but he gets into good positons for Arsenal and should have more.

It seems that neither of these two players are going to score an awful lot of goals for us and I think we need someone in the midfield who will. I have mentioned him before and Ronaldo has 20 + goals in the last two seasons, with this one only half way through. His overall record is one goal every 3 games which is exactly what we need. I know a player like Ronaldo only comes around once in a blue moon but there are players out there with similar ability and I feel we need to buy one.

Wenger has tried Diaby on the left but his is never going to work. He is a central midfield player and looks lost on the wing. I do not think Eboue can prosper on the wing and Walcott has lots to learn before he is ready. Hleb and Rosicky do not get enough goals right now to warrant a start together all the time. We relied on Fabregas an awful lot this season but now his goals have dried up we rely solely on our strikers. We need more.

Wenger must open up the chequebook said player needs to have pace and the desire to get wide and go at his man. He needs goals in him and Wenger will want someone that can fit into our play as well. Wenger has money to spend, we know that but is he willing to spend it. Is our own Kieran Gibbs the answer. It is a lot to expect of such a young guy so early in his career. Carlos Vela has impressed in this position while in Spain. I would like us to sign Arteta but I doubt this will happen.

Arsenal 1 Birmingham 1 - This result was coming

2008-01-12T17:46:00.000Z

I can only remember one really good half of Football this Arsenal team has played in the Premier League since we ran out in the second half against Villa. Let me look at the games we have played:

Arsenal vs Villa (2nd half) - we came out 2-1 up but after that held on throughout the half and never looked like scoring. Villa hit the bar and really should have got something from the game.
Arsenal vs Newcastle - after Adebayor scored early many thought a rout was on the cards but after that we sat back all game, failed to create anything of note and ended up holding on for a draw
Arsenal vs Middlesborough - we got exactly what we deserved for our worst performance of the season. We lacked potency and our effort levels were so low I couldn't believe how little the players were trying.
Arsenal vs Chelsea - the winning goal came from a set piece but before that we had not created much. Only in the last 20 minutes did we look dangerous - the period when Chelsea threw caution to the wind.
Arsenal vs Spurs - we were matched by Tottenham for most of the game and had Almunia not saved the penalty, the game could have been so different. We got our first goal from our only move of note all game and the winner from poor defending at a corner by Spurs.
Arsenal vs Portsmouth - again we lacked a cutting edge and did not deserve more than the point we got
Arsenal vs Everton - in the first half we were out fought and out passed. In the second we got the goals and played some better football.
Arsenal vs West Ham - we got the win after 20 minutes and maybe the players cannot be blamed for a lacklustre second half.

If you look at all these games, we may have won a lot of them but we did not play good Football. We won some tricky ties due to resilience and fight but today we got what was coming to us. A team can only win games with average performances up to a point. Today, we had a few chances but were not playing with the same fluidity as we are used to and failed to break Birmingham down.

Do not interpret this as a critiicism of the team during those games, only the Boro game was an awful result considering. We won some tricky games and came through the difficult month to lead in the title race and Wenger rightly won manager of the month. My point is simply that we had not been brilliant and soon enough something was going to give.

It has all really stemmed from the Sevilla game. Before that, we were playing some sublime passing football and beating all teams in our way. Wenger went with a mixture of first team and second string. If he wanted to win the game we should have gone all out and if not, he simply should have given the "reserves" more game time. We ended up losing our unbeaten record with a few first team members in it. There is no doubt the performance level dropped after this game.

In that game, Cesc Fabregas picked up an injury that kept him out of action until the Chelsea game and since then he has not been the same player he was before that. He has sat a lot deeper in games and not had such a big threat going forward. Today summed it up really for Cesc. So many times it was like he was playing the game with a blindfold on his face. He failed to get the ball to its intended target and his shooting was off. So many times he left his team mates short and one pass was just blasted at Flamini. Maybe he needs a game out of the team to reflect, I don't know but hopefully something changes soon.

Alex Hleb had also been out of the team for a while up till recently and today he came back. On the left he was a real threat but when he switched to the right and the game drew on he started to take far too long on the ball. He should have played the quicker, simpler ball at times but was waiting for the killer ball to open up and it was not going to happen with the game so narrow towards the end. Wenger saw how much Hleb was congesting the play and moved Flamini out wide and even more so once Diaby was on.

That substitution was very unnescessary. Sagna and Clichy were our only real width and some of their crosses were dangerous. Clichy was brilliant getting up and down and Sagna the same. To bring Diaby into such a tense game, so late on, was not a wise move in my eyes. After a very poor game in midweek, it was unlikely Diaby would be able to do anything and pretty unfair to expect him to. He should have kept Sagna on and sent Senderos or Gallas forward to aim crosses at. We had Bendtner and Adebayor already up there. I think this would have been a better option.

We should not have been in this position in the first place. If Arsenal were able to defend and attack at set pieces we would have won this game. Birmingham' goal was such poor defending from us and really a free header granted to O'Connor. Even then a lacklustre Cesc deflected it in as he seemed half asleep. This was not our only problem. We had countless corners that Birmingham were happy to give away. Why? Arsenal cannot score from corners. The only times we have this season, poor defending has provided an easy chance for us. Today, Birmingham were able to clear easily or Taylor had catching practice.

Fabregas needs to add some pace and whip to his corners. When he floats them in it gives defenders less chance to attack the ball with surprise movement and when they get there, they must generate their own power on the ball. This can only happen when the keeper decides not to come and collect an easy catch. It has been the same story for two seasons now and Fabregas must not take corners anymore in my view. We all know what Van Persie can do when he takes corners (when he's fit!!!) and Cesc should learn from him. Rosicky takes a better corner, I have even seen Flamini take them better than Fabregas. Something needs to be addressed.

While we have David Beckham with us during training, Wenger really should get him to teach our players how to improve their set pieces.

Theo Walcott had a terrible game today, not much different to Wednesday. Walcott plays with excitement rather than his brain and has a lot to learn about decision making; when to pass, when to dribble and when to shoot. He didnt start playing Football until he was 10 or 11 so he is a bit behind really and a real rough diamond. He has talent but really must learn his strengths and weaknesses. Right now it seems his touch is off and his passing is wayward.

Flamini showed the difference between his game and that of Gilberto. Flamini was in and around their midfield and biting into challenges. He gave them no time on the ball and was a springboard for Cesc and Hleb, something Glberto failed to provide for Denilson.

Other than from set pieces we looked quite solid at the back. Senderos impressed me with his aerial challenges and in particular some of his tackles on the ground. Hopefully he can keep this up until Toure returns. Almunia made one great save when called upon and apart from that was largely untested. He had no chance with the goal after it was deflected in.

Eduardo was not playing at the standard we had expected but to be honest he is only playing well when those around him are creating chances and today they did not. He did not get many one v ones with Taylor and his one chance from a cross he should have done better with. Ade worked hard to get the ball and make things happen but we were not stretching Birmingham enough. It was great to see him run all the way back to our goal to win the ball when a team mate lost it. Bendtner looked good regarding his hold up play but must learn that it is not always best to shoot. Some of his shots were way wide and not the best option. Some of his passing was more threatening than many of his team mates had produced before his introduction.

We did not lose but it is likely we will be 2nd by tonight. Man Utd host Newcaslte now and should they win will be level on points with Arsenal. They have a superior goal difference that will be extended should they win. The title race is hotting up.

Arsenal vs Birmingham - Welcome back Cesc, Tomas, Alex, William etc etc

2008-01-11T10:34:00.000Z

The first team has been fully rested, many of them have had a full week off having been left out of both the Fa Cup and Carling Cup ties. I had believed some of them would have made an appearance on the bench on Wednesday but it was not to be. One interesting fact is Wenger has said the players were a "bit jaded" from Sunday. It seems, if true, that Wenger under-estimated the toughenss of that tie and did not believe the players would come out of it tired. They were pushed hard for 90 minutes in one cup tie and it was always going to be the same against Spurs' first team. Was it too much?

I, however, do not believe this is the case for one second. The simple fact is that we were well and truly outplayed by Spurs on Wednesday. Granted it was their first choice team right now against our second string, but we had beaten Blackburn beforehand with some scintilating Football, the football we saw barely an incling of at the Emirates the other night. I have displayed my views on Gilberto and Diaby elsewhere and it was really a lacklustre midfield that led to our lack of potency. We could not get on the ball and when we did, we could not pass it. I doubt any of that midfield will start tomorrow against Birmingham

Hleb, Rosicky, Fabregas and Flamini will all return and finally we will see what I believe to be our best midfield. Eboue has been on the right for most of the season, either due to injuries to the squad or Wenger's choice of a 4-4-1-1 formation with Hleb in behind the striker. He has reverted back to 4-4-2 in recent weeks with Eduardo in such good form and I think that will mean Hleb takes up his position on the right. Eboue has been very poor for a lot of the season but now he has gone and the others are back. We know it is not a rigid set-up as Hleb and Rosicky like to roam and create chances for the strikers. With this threat all across the midfield I feel chances will come aplenty for a player like Eduardo who is so calm in front of goal.

Eduardo will start alongside Adebayor. There is not really any chance of it being any different with Van Persie coming down with flu and Bendtner having played in both games for 90 minutes. Van Persie played on Wednesday and it was clearly too early for him but I think he hoped he would show his best and he would not need Eduardo on a full game basis. He hoped to rest Eduardo for some of the game. So Eddy and Ade it is. They are both on form so hopefully goals will be the order of the day tomorrow.

At the back "Djourou is out" and Senderos is doubtful. Along with Toure and Song we have 4 defenders unavailable right now and we only have one choice really and that is Justin Hoyte partnering Gallas. He did very well there against Berbatov and I would like to see him given a shot here on Saturday. Wenger said he can use Sagna, Gilberto or Hoyte there so we will see but right now I do not trust Gilberto anywhere and Sagna is better at right back for me. Clichy will be back in and Sagna/Hoyte at right back depending on Wenger's decision over his centre backs.

Lassana Diarra was left out of both cup ties and for me it might have led to our lack of fight in the midfield. He had provided that steel for our young side and dominated this area. He HAD offered protection for the back four and a springboard for the likes of Denilson. He was "ill" according to Wenger and he does not want to sell him which is exactly my opinion too. I assumed his abesnce was likely to mean he was off but hopefully I was wrong. The guy is a massive talent and we must try and keep him. Surely Wednesday showed he must be kept over Gilberto as our 2nd DM. There is still a risk Flamini can go until his contract is signed.

Regarding Lehmann, we still have varying reports. It is said that he wants the right deal to go there. He wants first team football but he is clearly unsure over leaving the club when we are in the hunt for medals. The Dortmund fans are not so keen on Jens after his years at Schalke and it seems it is being talked up by the Dortmund board rather than being anything concrete right now.

There is no news on the Bulgarian winger Nikolai Dimitrov. Some reports suggest the trial went well and we will take him on. Whether he can make an impact this season I do not know but maybe another for the future. The squad has been lacking a naturally left sided player. Since Reyes left we do not have someone who can go past a man on the left hand side. We dont have someone who will get to the byline and deliever a good cross. We do not have a player like Robben or C.Ronaldo and maybe Wenger hopes this guy can do a similar thing? We shall see.

Arsenal 1 Spurs 1 - Still In It - We Probably Should Not Be!

2008-01-10T18:11:00.001Z

I asked my mate if he would take a 1-0 defeat with 22 minutes left. It seemed they were more likely to get a second than we were an equaliser. However, my friend summed it up perfectly:

"No way, we are not going to lose to the scum at home, we will pull off some lucky shit here"

He was spot on. I lost count of the chances Spurs missed in both the first and second half. Bendtner had one header well saved and that was the only chance of the game for Arsenal. However, one brilliant pass from sub Eduardo sent Theo clear. His shot was tame but it bounced up and went in off his head. There was the "lucky shit" my mate had talked about. Cue pandemonium, hugging the guy in the row in front, to the side etc. I got a few knocks to the head but who cares.

1-1 is a good result to take to White Hart Lane and when we really should have, we still have not lost to the Tottenham. The atmosphere was awesome with the whole lower tier standing, it was just a shame the club didnt sell the tickets as general sale with 7,000 empty seats in the upper tier. Oh well.

Wenger really surprised me with his team selection. Eduardo had 6 in 4 games yet only started on the bench. We were up against Tottenham’s first team and he had mentioned sticking with the team who got him to this semi final. So why was Van Persie selected ahead of Eddy. Van Persie is just back from injury and clearly not match fit. Eduardo is in lethal form and it showed as Van Persie was almost non existant.

I would have had Gallas in the squad to replace Song. I knew Djourou would start but I questioned this with Berbatov in good form. Again this proved a mistake as Djourou was poor. His positioning was slack and we were opened up so many times down his channel. If he wants to play at the back this month he must improve. Senderos did well at times but Berbatov really caused problems. He found space way too easily and Senderos failed to close him down at times. It was actually Justin Hoyte that impressed as Wenger switched him to the middle.

That was good management from Wenger. We were bad going forward but he knew suring up the defence would mean we would have a springboard to attack. Our defending became no-nonsense and we built from here. We did start to pump it long far too often and at times the long balls were not aimed to anyone. Sagna won more headers against Berbatov and we looked a lot more secure. As we pushed on we were open a bit at the back but on far less occasions than the 1st. We relied on poor finishing from Keane and Defoe to keep us in it.

Gilberto is past it. Simple as that. He was woeful. I would not be surprised if his passing accuracy was around 20% successful. Every ball seemed to go astray and we missed Diarra’s dominance and fight. He was left out which indicates he will be off soon. I heard Wenger has said noone else will leave in the window but it does seem on the cards. He did make one brilliant tackles on King one yard out but he has not shown this enough. Denilson was not given enough freedom due to the poorness of Gilberto. They did not link up and Denilson was having to track back too far. When Denilson got on the ball further forward he looked dangerous.

Walcott did well when he was able to get at his man but again his final ball was poor. He needs to improve this if he wants to start more games. He took too long in front of goal and then failed to pick out his fellow team mates. His goal even came from a miscue and a lucky rebound, but we will take it. Diaby was so worrying at times when he tried to dribble the ball out of dangerous areas and was caught a few times. When he got on with it and played the sensible ball when it was needed, his game improved. I would have liked to see his power in the middle.

He could have moved Sagna to left back, G.Hoyte to right back and push Traore on to left wing to use his pace. His crossing was very poor tonight and what he was doing when he blasted a free kick miles past anyone. He did do ok up against Lennon though; he stuck to his task throughout.

Eduardo should have started and showed his sharpness with the telling ball that keeps us in with a real chance in this tie. He threaded it between two defenders and that was the killer ball we lacked all evening. I felt sorry for Bendtner at times. The ball was lumped up to him and he was asked to try and hold it up or flick it on. No one got close enough to him and he had no runners off him. Van Persie looked short of fitness and only when we pushed forward did we profit from his work. At times he did lack hunger to get the ball and did not harry their players as they did to ours.

The ref was awful in my view. From the moment Dawson lunged in on Bendtner and walked away unpunished I saw what was coming. That tackle was worse than Mikel’s last night and had Bendtner not jumped could have caused serious injury. He bought Tottenham’s antics up everytime. They dropped like flies at the softest of touches and we got nothing from the ref after similar tackles.

We are still in though and in two weeks we have a real game on our hands. Wenger must play those in form next time though.

Player ratings

Fabianski - 6 - very dodgy at times but some good saves
J.Hoyte - 7 - made a difference when he moved inside
Djourou - 5 - poor against Berbatov and Keane - did not get tight enough
Senderos - 7 - made some good tackles and interceptions.
Traore - 6 - dId ok against Lennon but disapointed when he got forward
Walcott - 7 - got the goal and ran at his man with real purpose
Gilberto - 4 - showed why so many fans want him out for Diarra - awful passing
Denilson - 6 - showed gilmpses but couldnt get on the ball enough
Diaby - 4 - needs to learn when to just get rid and move the ball quicker
Bendtner - 6 - hard work at times but sloppy play at others
Van Persie - 5 - too much to ask after injury - lacking in match practice

Subs: Eduardo - 7, Sagna, 7, Randall (no time)

Gilberto and Diaby - what's going on? Defensive cover...

2008-01-10T17:55:00.000Z

Yes, Gilberto played a part in the goal but before that he was awful. He did not put in a performance like he has done in his career and in the end we lost the midfield battle. Diaby played some part in this and here I will look at both of them in a bit more detail.

Gilberto let Jenas run through the middle to score a tap in and if you see the highlights and replay from behind the goal you see Gilberto jogging back with his arm pathetically in the air asking for an offside against Robbie Keane when he went clean through. One of the basic rules in football is to play to the whistle and deal with it afterwards. Had Gilberto tracked Jenas we may not have been one goal down. Senderos did the same thing here but that was Phil's only real mistake in the game.

Every pass Gilberto seemed to make that was going more than 2 yards went astray. I lost count of the times the crowd were groaning when put a pass off target. He played the odd neat one-two with Denilson but to be honest they were not nescessary. When he tried to play a longer pass or more difficult pass, I cannot recall anything coming off until our goal.

He was muscled out easily and never really got close to Berbatov when he dropped into the space in front of the back 4. Gllberto's job last night was to protect the inexperienced defence but in the space between midfield and defence there was a gaping hole that Gilberto was not filling. He was too slow over the pitch and looked like a man with a zimmerframe, im afraid in a team full of kids, Gilberto looked like the ageing grandad..

You could see Wenger on the touchline. He had gambled on playing Gilberto with no real midfield experience on the bench. Countless times he turned his back in frustration and flung his arms in the air in disbelief. What has happened to Gilberto over the last few months? Last season many had him as their player of the season. Had Fabregas, Rosicky or Hleb been on the bench they would have been on. He gave no springboard to Denilson and no protection to the back four, he is not helping the team on either front as Diarra did in the last round.

The midfield needed a dominant force in there like Flamini and we did not get it at all. Diarra showed it at Blackburn and Flamini has all season, our team looks far stronger with a more imposing player in the centre of the park . Don't get me wrong, Djourou, Diaby had shockers too but to say Gilberto had a good game - as I have heard! - is not right. He had two good moments all game. If you are a striker and anonymous for 89 minutes but get a goal its not so bad, your job is to score after all.

IF youre a central midfield player and playing in a hard fought London Derby, in a semi final your passing has got to be good for almost all of the game, especially the easy passes, you have to battle hard and dominate the area around you. Gilberto had to help a young back four but left too much space Berbatov expolited over and over again. The rumours that Diarra will leave worry me as we are losing a massive talent in my eyes and keeping a man that will be sold in the summer surely.

I have stressed the importance of passing accuracy, especially in the midfield of a team like Arsenal. Diaby on the other hand does not seem to want to pass it. Wenger contiunes to use Diaby on the left as he cannot fit him into the centre. The problem is that he cannot play out on the left. Rosicky can do this job as he will go at players with pace, use his left foot and link play well with clever passing and movement. Diaby seems to just turn in circles while the ball does not once touch his left foot. Only when he finally realises he is going absolutely nowhere does he pass the ball and it is always back. A left sided player better with his right foot must be able to use his weaker foot, get to the byline at times and go at the full back.

If Wenger wants Diaby in the side he should have him alongside Denilson. These two had played in the other Carling Cup games, as had Kieran Gibbs. I would like to have seen Gibbs out on the left for some natural width, especially with the height of Bendtner in the middle. Wenger wanted to stick with the young players for the tie so why play Gilberto in the centre of midfield over someone who had played at Ewood Park in Diaby.

Lastly, Wenger revealed fresh injuries to Djourou, Van Persie and Senderos. Thank god Van Persie's was only flu though. He should not have started in place of Eduardo and had he picked up a knock it would have unbelievable. Djourou could be out for a few weeks and that leaves us with Gallas and Senderos as natural centre backs. Justin Hoyte played there last night and did well in my eyes but he is naturally a right back, same with Sagna and right now I wouldn't trust Gilberto in any position. With Senderos's tendancy to get a red card when given an extended run in the team and Gallas proneness to injury I am worried. We could have no real experience if the skipper is out.

So what can Wenger do. He can either bring in a real quality centre-back who will be here for years to come and fight Toure and Gallas for the centre back position. Many will point to Micah Richards as this man but it is an unlikely buy for this window. Any suggestions? Another option is to bring in a player on loan. This works for me. It means that when Toure and Song return, we do not have an influx of centre backs. We do not need someone who is eligible to play in Europe as Toure will be back before the AC Milan first leg. Again, any suggestions?

Arsenal vs Tottenham - the rematch...same again please

2008-01-08T20:02:00.000Z

This time last year Arsenal went to White Hart Lane in the semi-final of the Carling Cup. Wenger gambled with his youngsters and we went 2-0 down before half time. It seemed an uphill task for us to come back but nothing phases this young side and they fought brilliantly to come back to 2-2 and maybe could and should have won the game.

That result provided a springboard for the second leg and we brought them back to the Emirates with an advantage and a psychological advantage. We dominated the game but due to our wastefulness in front of goal Spurs took it to extra time. Wenger called on the experience on the bench and we were able to finish them off. This year, the youngsters are a year younger, many of them played in the final and will want to go one better and win the competition this year. The first step to this is winning this double header.

Last year the tie should have been finished in 90 minutes but we missed too many chances. This year however we have a man in lethal form. Eduardo has scored 6 goals in his last 4 games and his 4 goals in this season's Carling Cup has shown his pedigree. It is amazing to think he is one behind our top scorer Adebayor in all competitions and this is amazing after he has hardly played in the first team before January. Wenger's 6 month settling in period seems to have worked, again!

Spurs have conceded 11 goals in 5 games and this tells us something. Tomorrow we will be up against a leakiy defence and with someone like Eduardo in our team we can take real advantage of this. 5 of the goals came from set pieces which shows another key weakness. We saw in the Premier League games this season that they are susceptible from corners and free kicks. Our first goal in the 3-1 win came from a free kick which Adebayor headed home. Our winner at home came from some slack marking that gave Bendtner the room to head home the winner. We have Senderos, Djourou and Diaby to add height to our attack in this area and we have to make these count.

They may have conceded an awful lot of goals but they have scored 15 goals in their last 5 games, an average of 3 goals per game. This shows us that the defence has a key role to play tomorrow night. Spurs are a threat going forward as they showed at the Emirates a month ago and in particular Dimitar Berbatov who is going through a real purple patch. He has scored of the 15 goals and played a big part in an awful lot of the others. He will need to watched carefully throughout and we cannot afford to grant him space similar to that he got in the last game against Spurs.

In the Carling Cup so far it has been Senderos and Song at centre back but with Song at the African Cup of Nations I was interested to see what Wenger would do. He had two options: 1. Bring in Gallas to add experience to the back four or 2. Bring in Djourou now he is back from loan. Personally, I would have played Gallas as it would have been good to have an old head amongst a very young defence. It seems however Wenger has opted for Djourou:
"Johan Djourou and Phillippe Senderos will start" Arsene Wenger (arsenal.com)

Wenger has once again opted for the youngster over experience. Djourou has come back from regular first team football and Wenger will want to play him as well. Him and Senderos have played together at full international level and know each other's games. They will have to work together to keep Tottenham out and Djourou has shown promise before. Now is a massive chance to show it. Senderos is prone to the odd error and with Berbatov a player likely to punish this, Djourou will need to be concentrating 100%, same goes for Big Phil.

Justin Hoyte and Armand Traore will have a difficult job against Malbranque and Lennon. Lennon is one of the best wingers in the league and has tormented many a left back. Traore has shown real promise in this competition and put in some great performances. However, on Sunday he was awful, there is no other word for it. It will not encourage many gooners but I think the pitch did not help. Both full backs will need to try and force the wingers back towards their own goal.

Theo Walcott will probably start on the right - illness prevented him starting at Blackburn - and he needs to get at Lee. He is at his best when he is positive and tries to beat his man. He will need to track back and help Hoyte at times though. Full backs can often get isolated 2 vs 1 and our wide midfield players have a job defending our goal as well. Diaby did not do this on Sunday and left Traore against his man and the full back at times. Diaby needs to be told how important that job is, especially with Lennon up against Traore.

There will be a real battle in the centre of midfield with Jermaine Jenas and Zokora up against Diarra and Denilson. Diarra was awesome in the last round and hopefully he can repeat this level of performance. The Diarra situation is up in the air and if we want to keep him we must play him. I have stressed the importance of keeping him as he can be a real big player for us in the near future. He needs to get in and around Jenas to stifle the attacking threat and if he can dictate the tempo and win this battle it could be key. Denilson can hopefully be given freedom if Diarra plays well and he can be a real creative source.

I have touched on Edaurdo's lethal finishing and eye for goal. We have seen it at Everton, Blackburn and Burnley in which he has grabbed 5 goals. In all of these he has played with Bendtner and their partnership seems to be blossoming well. Edaurdo is important, we all know that, but the Dane has a big job tomorrow. Spurs have had big strikers cause them problems and Bendtner will need to dominate the aerial battle and create space for Eduardo to do his stuff. He has the ability to punish teams if given the chance and he is a massive threat at set pieces. He will need to improve his performance from Sunday but if he gets another goal (or two) I will be happy.

Van Persie is fit Wenger has revealed. About time, it's been so bloody long. He was a doubt around mid February and has been out for around a month. He will be on the bench it seems. The same goes for Rosicky and Fabregas who were rested completely for the Burnley game. Wenger will more than likely call on their experience at some point. Whether this is to change the game in our favour or close it out, that will depend on the job the team does up until they are called upon.

==================Fabianski===================
J.Hoyte======Djourou=======Senderos======Traore
Walcott======Diarra=========Denilson=======Diaby
============Bendtner=======Eduardo============
Subs: Mannone, Gilberto, Rosicky, Fabregas, Van Persie

Burnley 0 Arsenal 2 - job done - now the Carlng Cup

2008-01-06T17:09:00.000Z

After Oldham knocked out Everton, Coventry beat Blackburn and Huddersfield embarrased Birmingham, the game against Burnley always had the potential to be a banana skin tie. The pitch was awful, the conditions not much better and the atmosphere electric - maybe what one might call a traditional FA Cup tie. Wenger went with a second string similar to those sent out by Everton and Birmingham and to be honest we got away with it. However, this is the 3rd round of the cup, the tie was a tricky one and we got through it with a 2-0 victory, despite Burnley being the better side, they just couldn't break us down.

The difference between the two sides was quality in front of goal. This was exemplified after only 10 minutes. In the 2nd minute Lafferty hit the bar from a free header and within minutes Eduardo was sent clear by a fine pass from Toure, before almost walking the ball in. The guy is just so calm in front of goal, it seems he will score everytime he is put through on goal; when he missed later on he looked gobsmacked; that can only be a good thing. It says something that he is only one away from being the joint top scorer for us this season. This is what Burnley did not have in their side.

Their early chance came from some rather sloppy defending. Senderos was beaten to the ball from his lack of pace, Toure was caught on the wrong side of his man, leaving Sagna on the cover. The full back had lost his man and had Lafferty been slightly more accurate, the game would have been very different. From then on though the defence was fantastic. On many occasions this season we have shown grit and determination and today was no different.

I have been worried about this day for a while; the day Toure goes off to the African Cup of Nations. He showed today how much we will miss him with an awesome display; he led the back four brilliantly and made some crucial interventions. I was interested to see how Senderos would cope in a tricky tie such as this one and I have to say I was impressed. He dealt with everything in the air and his positioning countered his lack of pace; after his early lapse that is. The real question is whether he can show the same ability against Premiership strikers who will pose a far bigger threat than Burnley's attack. Tuesday will give us a clear indication of what to expect as Tottenham will have a full strength side out, a big performance will be needed from Big Phil.

Otherwise, Wenger may go for Djourou, who was on the bench today, alongside Gallas. He has good pace and is decent in the air; he is actually very similar to Toure. He has played in the Premiership for half a season and this may have come about due to Wenger's thoughts of using him in this period. Wenger could plunge him into the side on Tuesday but I reckon he will plump for the experience and leadership of Gallas now Song has gone for a month. Senderoes is always prone to the odd red card, Gallas the odd injury as shown in their Arsenal careers, Djourou will be ready to come in.

Whoever takes his place - Djourou, Senderos, even Sagna - at centre back will have a tough job to fill Kolo's boots. He showed today his importance at the back, but also his ability to bring the ball out from the back and start attacks. He made Edaurdo's goal with a sublime ball over the top and we have seen him do this throughout his role as a centre back in our defence. I hope Ivory Coast don't do too well n the next few weeks, although I know how much it means to the Ivory Coast players to win such games.

We play Birmingham (h), Fulham (a), Fa Cup 4th round (tba), Newcastle (h), Man City (a), Blackburn (h). That takes us up to the 11th of February, the day after the Final in Ghana. Wenger will want Toure back asap after this as we play Milan on the 20th. Hopefully the squad we have can get through these fixtures ok.

One player I will not miss this month is Emmanuel Eboue. He was awful today; his passing, shooting and movement were all not up to standard. From the moment he blasted a shot inches wide of row Z, I thought: "here we go again". He gave the ball away on countless occasions and failed to deliver a good cross of note all game. Hopefully Hleb or Walcott can come in and lay down their bid for his place in the team; that may cause him to buck up his ideas on his return.

I have to say, Traore also had a bit of a nightmare at left back. There is no doubt the guy is a fantastic talent but the pitch today called for sensible football, something we did not see from the frenchman. He was trying to be too clever on what was an awful pitch and when the ball needed to go long from our own area he tried to play his way out of trouble on far too many occasions. It is a good learning experience for him but a better performance will be required on Wednesday night. Diaby did not track back enough to help him but had some good moments going forward. He went past players a few times well but his passing was sloppy at times.

It was interesting to see the performances of Lehmann and Gilberto considering their positions at the club. Lehmann has been far more outspoken regarding his lack of playing time, but both have been out the side for an awful long time. Lehmann did what he had to do well, although he was rarely threatened with anything difficult after the early header. I feel he will be off soon if a good enough offer comes in, otherwise he will be here till the summer. Gilberto, as Wenger has said, is a model professional and will always give 100% when called upon. He has looked sluggish when he has come on at times this season but looked assured today. His passing was solid and he made some good interceptions. My only worry is how off the pace he has looked when called upon and the lack of drive and urgency in his game, something Flamini and Diarra have shown. He is definitely the Burnley fans' no.1 player right now!!

I mentioned Diarra but what's going on with him? Surely he would have been in the 16 man squad if Wenger wanted him to stay. He remains free to play in the FA Cup should he move on to an English side. Personally, I think we must keep him at Arsenal. He has done very well when he has started and in the Blackburn in particular he was amazing, dominating the midfield against a top Premier League side. Unless Wenger is considering using him a lot more in recent weeks I feel he might be off. He will play against Spurs but so will Traore, Senderoes, Eduardo etc. Due to his importance in the Carling Cup side, maybe Wenger wants him 100% ready, but for me there is something more to it. Hopefully he has been left out while his future is decided and Wenger can persuade him to stay.

I have mentioned Eduardo already and his calmness in front of goal but to expand it further, I call on people's reaction when he went clean through. I knew he would score the first and was so excited when Bendter played him in during the second half. That is the sureness in the Croation to hit the back of the net. I was as surpirsed as he was when he missed and that bodes well for the rest of the season. I bet many more fans felt the same??? He also showed his passing game has come on leaps and bounds. It took him time to settle into the side but today he was coming short to link play, no more effectively than when he cut the defence wide open for Bendtner to score. That partnership has come on very well which is pleasing. With Van Persie out, Adebayor a doubt, it is good these two are playing well together. In games together they have scored many goals:

Burnley 0 Arsenal 2 - Eduardo x1, Bendtner x1
Arsenal 4 Everton 1 - Eduardo x 2
Blackburn 3 Arsenal 2 - Eduardo x 2
Sheffield United 0 Arsenal 3 - Eduardo x2
Slavia Prague 0 Arsenal 0
Sevilla 3 Arsenal 1 - Eduardo x1
Arsenal 2 Newcastle 0 - Bendtner x1

They have started together in 7 games together and scored 10, 2 for Bendtner and 8 for Eduardo. I know Eduardo has scored far more but Bendtner has played a part in a lot of these goals and the partnership is blossoming well for us.

Today Bendtner was not brlliant, pretty poor actually, but he took his goal well and had a few good moments when he linked up with Edaurdo. In the first half he was anonymous; he came short a few times but lost the ball most of the time. He had one great effort; creating a chance from nothing with an acrobatic overhead kick. The second half was similar as he came short a few times only to lose the ball. He played Eduardo through after some neat build up play between the two but summed up his afternoon shortly after. The ball was laid off by Eboue and the ball ran to Bendtner. He swung, missed the ball and ended up with mud on his arse. The pitch did not help but the whole thing was a disaster. As I said though, he got a goal after a brilliant run in behind and if he can get a goal in the middle of a poor performance, that is a good thing surely.

This team will be almost identical to the one that lines up against the enemy on Wednesday with a few changes.
All that is left, is to say goodbye to Toure and Eboue - good luck, I guess... (Id rather they were back soon) but it would mean a lot for them to win. Winning the competition would boost their confidence further which can only help us. Kolo, we will miss you, Eboue, not so much. Good luck Song, your career is turning around and this will give you even more experience.

What’s your best match of 2007?

2008-01-04T21:39:00.000Z

2007 has been an indifferent year for Arsenal. We have won nothing but got to the Carling Cup Final. This season we are top of the table due to a fantastic end to 2007. We have seen some brilliant matches, both home and away. Here are a selection to vote for:

1. Arsenal 7 Slavia Prague 0 (Champions League 07/08) - This match saw us play some of the best Football I have watched live. Some brilliant attacking football led one commentator to say it was "Football from another planet". Two goals each from Theo Walcott and Cesc Fabregas, along with an own goal and one from Alex Hleb and Bendtner led to a thumping win in the group stages. We have won 7-0 on two other occasions in recent seasons but this was something special.

2. Arsenal 2 Manchester United 1 (Premier League 06/07) - This was one of the best turnarounds for a long time in a big game like this. Probably the first moment of real history in the new stadium and the first time the ground and the atmosphere felt like home. 1-0 down with 10 minutes go, Van Persie and Henry scored a goal each to raise the roof. "A great man (Henry), produces a great moment for Arsenal" was shouted from the commentary box.

3. Arsenal 3 Spurs 1 AET (Carling Cup 06/07) - After the youngsters drew 2-2 away at Spurs in the first leg with a brilliant comeback, the second string produced another great performance to see off a full strength Tottenham side. Arsenal had the chances to finish the game off in normal time but the away team levelled after Adebayor gave us the lead. With a few senior players thrown in, the tie was won in extra time and we were through to the final after Rosicky sealed the win.

4. Manchester United 0 Arsenal 1 (Premier League 06/07) - Man Utd were the clear favourites as Van Persie and Henry were ruled out. However, with a 5 man midfield, Arsenal kept the ball very well and had the better of the chances. After Gilberto missed a penalty Adebayor slid the ball into net after Fabregas’ fantastic pass. Cesc ran the midfield and was the clear man of the match. A brilliant team performance against the odds.

5. Blackburn 2 Arsenal 3 AET (Carling Cup 07/08) - The second team played Blackburn’s first team off the park in the first half and deservedly went 2-0 up through two great goals from Diaby and Eduardo; it could have been more! Blackburn were back in it just before half time with a dubious goal. They equalised soon in the second period but the youngsters held on and even though they were down to 10 men got to extra time. Many thought Blackburn had the legs and experience to win the tie but Eduardo’s second cool finish of the night put us through.

6. Reading 0 Arsenal 4 (Premier League 06/07) - Wenger agreed that it was one of the finest performance from an Arsenal side under him and it was nearly perfect. Some of the Football played was fantastic and 4-0 flattered Reading. Goals from Henry x2, Van Persie and Hleb gave us the victory but it was the football played throughout the 90 minutes that made this game so special.

7. Liverpool 3 Arsenal 6 (Carling Cup 06/07) - 3 days after beating Liverpool 3-1 in the FA Cup, the second team went there and were 4-1 up at half time. The game was end to end and took so many twists and turns. Baptista got 4 goals, something he never looked like doing in an Arsenal shirt and we ran them ragged. At 5-3 it looked like Liverpool might stage a comeback but that was short lived when Baptista killed the tie. Maybe the most crazy game of 2007?

8. Arsenal 6 Blackburn 2 (Premier League 06/07) - Having gone 1-0 down so many times that season before this game, it was brilliant to be 3-1 up at half time. Blackburn made it a game again at 3-2 before Van Persie killed the match with 2 quick goals. There was still time for Cesc to humiliate Savage - always fun - and the scoreline was emphatic.

9. Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2 (Carling Cup Final 06/07) - A wierd one to put in some might say due to the result. However, there is a reason the Arsenal fans were still singing after the final whistle. The young team had done us proud against the reigning Premier League Champions who were at full strength. We took the lead and really should have won the game, and would have, had Didier Drogba not been on the pitch.

10. Blackburn Rovers 0 Arsenal 2 (Premier League 06/07) - After some rather annoying antics from Robbie Savage, Gilberto was given his marching orders and the already difficult task was made harder. Toure gave us the lead with an awesome header which came from a gigantic leap. From then on, the team battled hard and the midfield in particular was brilliant. The victory was topped off by a real lesson in how to counter attack. Henry beat 4 men before combining with Fabregas to score a sublime goal.

These are just some of the games I could have put.

Please, Jens, make up your mind! Other dealings in the window? Update...

2008-01-04T19:32:00.000Z

What's going on with Jens Lehmann? The man has demanded first team football but has rightfully been kept on the bench due to the magnificent form of Manuel Almunia. In his reign as Arsenal's no.1 the Spainiard has been in fine form. I call it a reign due to the battle that Lehmann seems to have made out of the situation. Some of the things he has said are surely detrimental to the club and I would expect all players in the squad to support one another, Lehmann has done the exact opposite.

We have not heard Gilberto slagging off Flamini for taking his place in the team and all the squad seems to be behind one another. If someone has a problem with a lack of playing time then they take it up with the manager, not with their team mates. Lehmann, for me, has gone about it completely the wrong way and will soon be off. What surprises me though is his reluctance to leave for Borussia Dortmund who were rumoured to have called a press conference for this afternoon, to unveil the 'keeper. However, reports suggest he has turned down their contract offer of £15,000 below his current weekly wage. (I hope he did not swerve off the road when he heard the offer!) If he really wants first team football then why has he turned down the offer? He clearly does not care that much.

Maybe he wants to stay till the end of the season, just to wind up Wenger and Almunia that little bit more? I don't know, I have rarely understood the man! Surely he should not play on Sunday with his future up in the air?
Should Lehmann leave this window, Wenger has the decision to make regarding bringing in another keeper. Every team needs 3 goalies in the squad. Wenger has said he would prefer Lehmann to stay here, I feel this dilemna is a reason why. He would prefer time over the summer to make a decision on Almunia's future as no.1, or Fabianski's progress. He would rather have a prolonged period to decide whether to bring in a new 1st choice keeper or just a 3rd choice in the role similar to the one of Mart Poom last year. Should he have to make the decison now, would you go for a top class keeper to be 1st choice, or trust Almunia and Fabianski for this season at least? Fabianski is definitely the long term option and for now Almunia deserves to remain as no.1. The question lies over his future as our no.1. He could promote Mannone to 3rd choice. He has a few options to consider.

Another interesting story is that of a reported bid from Tottenham for Lassana Diarra. For me, Diarra should stay. He should be first choice to replace Flamini should he get injured or need a rest. Gilberto, in my view, is no longer needed by Wenger. Alongside Vieira, his simple game was very effective; he could intercept the ball and break attacks up easily as the Frenchman added fight to the midfield. When Paddy moved on and Cesc took his place the team lost strength and teams bullied Arsenal. Since Flamini came in to the team, this has changed and we have seen the difference this season. He gets in the faces of teams and gives them no time to settle on the ball. He helps the defence but aids our attacking play with the freedom granted to others like Fabregas.

Gilberto, I feel helps neither aspect of our game and should be first to go before Diarra. It would be a real shame to lose Diarra. We saw against Blackburn in the Carling Cup, the way he controlled the game in midfield. He pressured their players every time they got the ball and his passing was assured. He has done it in other games but in that match he really shone. He has a big future here if Wenger can persuade him to stay. He offers the same thing Flamini does in his fight and drive, if Gilberto has to go to make room for him then so be it.

Talking of Flamini - when is he going to sign that new contract? He can legally talk to other clubs now.

One thing I would like to draw people's attention to is the return of Kerrea Gilbert to Arsenal from his loan at Southend. This is either a move similar to the one made by Matthew Connolly in which he will very soon be sold on. However, one possibilty I thought of was the defensive cover in central defence. I remember Wenger mentioned Sagna's ability to play all across the back four, including central defence. With Kolo Toure and Alex Song both off to the African Cup of Nations, Wenger might be considering using Sagna, or even Justin Hoyte as a centre back this month. That would leave room for a 2nd choice RB in the squad for now and Gilbert could well be back to do this job. Something to keep your eyes on perhaps?

The January transfer window has opened but most teams have remained quiet so far. In past years Wenger has bought the odd player. Jose Reyes came in at this time, Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor and Abou Diaby were all brought in during one window. Will he open up the chequebook this time around an who would you guys want to come into the side? People have mentioned the need for defensive cover but once Toure and Song return, we would have too many players in this position. We could get someone on loan, but who? Do people still think we need a natural winger to boost this squad? Who would you want brought in? Also, what price do you realistically think we would have to spend on these players?

The team for Burnley in the FA Cup will consist of first teamers, due to the fact Wenger is resting his youngsters for the semi-final against Tottenham. Only Arsenal would do such a thing with these two cup-ties coming up in the next few days. Toure and Eboue will play their farewell games, for 6-8 weeks at least. Is it bad to wish for an early exit for the Ivory Coast? It is another chance for Diarra to show his worth, that before another chance on Wednesday. Denilson and Diaby are in the same positon and I hope they all come through unscathed. Fabregas the King has previewed the game in more detail but my team would be:

====================Fabianski===================
Sagna=========Senderos======Toure=========Traore
Eboue=========Diarra========Denilson=======Rosicky
=============Bendtner=======Eduardo=============

Hleb is injured again - I swear this guy's bones are the weakest I know. He played 10 minutes on new years day and he is ruled out. What's going on there? Hopefully it is just a precaution. Maybe David Beckham is hoping to play for us on th right and has injured Hleb now that he will take his place back on the right of midfield? Just a thought. One thing Beckham can do, is improve the set piece takers in our team; other than Van Persie.

Arsenal 2 West Ham 0 - Still top into the new year - now the Cups.

2008-01-02T10:35:00.000Z

You have all read what the goal was like and as I mentioned last time, it seems the flag stationed at one point in the Emirates: "I Arsene we trust" really must be adhered to. He said Eduardo would come good in the second half of the season and in this period already has 3 goals in 2 games and 3 brilliantly taken goals at that. It really does seem he needs only a sniff to get a goal.

Another aspect of the opening goal I want to draw your attention to was the link up of Rosicky and Fabregas. When Hleb and Cesc were both out, many relied on the Czech to be the creative man in midfield. He did struggle without these two in the side but it seems when there is a combination of these players in the team, they seem to find each other with such fluency. Against Tottenham, Rosicky picked out Fabregas' run through a packed midfield. Against West Ham he did the identical thing, giving the Spaniard time and space to pick out Eduardo.

Fabregas has had a bit of a dip in form recently but yesterday went some way to finding his best. His passing was much better and he got forward more. He seemed to be holding back too close to the back four for me and needed to bring Arsenal forward. In the 4-5-1 I felt he was almost forced back with Hleb in the space behind the striker but with two strikers he was freed up a little bit more. What pleased me though was to see Flamini bursting into the box early on and pushing on towards the opposition penalty area, while being disciplined in his covering of the defence.

The 4-4-2 formation leaves us a bit more open in the midfield and when teams line up as West Ham did, they do have the extra man in midfield. There will be times when the opposition have the ball and to be honest we have to deal with this. We should not be under immense pressure at the back if the defence is playing well. Toure and Gallas are good enough to stifle one striker and apart from a few sloppy errors from them, they were pretty effective in their work.

The benefits of a 4-4-2 are clear for me. With two strikers, in particular Eduardo who likes to push onto the last defender and get in behind the back line, we are much more potent. Adebayor came deep as Van Persie normally does. This gave him the opportunity to link play with everyone in the midfield, whether it be Eboue on the left side, Cesc in the middle or Rosicky on the left. He can come deep and we still have a dangerous front man in the box for an early cross or through ball. When we have played with the one striker, that man has been increasingly isolated and lots of possesion has failed to be turned into goals, now goals are coming back and with Eduardo and Ade in form I call on Wenger to keep faith with this in the next couple of weeks.

With Sagna rested I was interested to see how Justin Hoyte played. There has been much speculation over his future at Arsenal but after yesterday's game he has two more games to show what he can do; for me he will start the FA and Carling cup ties in the next week. He did ok at right back against West Ham without standing out. He stuck to his defensive duties well and got forward a few times. He must improve his crossing from yesterday but I think he was a bit rusty as his chances have been limited. He has a lot of work to do to dislodge Sagna who has been fantastic this season but he is a more than capable back up. He loves this club and is a valuable squad player to have. Plus he's English!!!!

Clichy was brilliant again and it was nice to see some marauding runs from Gallas. With Toure off the African Cup of Nations soon, Gallas will have the job of bringing the ball out of defence as Kolo has done for so long. We will miss Toure so much and as his departure bears ever closer I am getting even more worried. I am not sure over Senderos and Wenger has the decision to make as to whether to open up the chequebook this month.

Eboue had become the most frustrating player to watch over the last few matches; his predictable dribbling, poor passing and lack of effort were really starting to annoy fans but he played better against West Ham. With Wenger moving back to 4-4-2 he knows his place is under threat with Hleb having to move back to a wider position and he seems to have a hunger now to remain in the team. Yesterday. he went past players with ease and his crossing was much better. He did go down easily at times but overall was much stronger on the ball, linked well with his team mates and took up some dangerous positions, both out wide and through the middle. I did like his dance with Ade too!

The last player to look at is Adebayor. It is brilliant this guy will not be off to Africa after Togo failed to qualify. I hope people realise how good that is for this team. Bendtner showed against Everton that he is not ready to start yet and with Van Persie out it is so important he is here. His partnership with Eduardo is developing well and when Van Persie gets back, we have a very exciting trio of strikers who can all start the game and score goals. Yesterday Ade linked play and showed some sublime skill even his team mates failed to read at times, but his power, control and drbbling stood out. He is second in the Premier League scoring charts with 12, already more than last season I believe. How he got the ball in from the angle he was at I still do not know, I guess when you are playing well, those things go your way, keep it up Ade and lets see a first Champions League goal in an Arsenal shirt very soon!

I would like to finish off by extending Fabregas the King's request for a song for Eduardo by setting the challenge of finding chants for Eboue, Hleb, Clichy, Flamini and Sagna. These played are all first team players but none of them have chants at all, or ones that are sung/known by fans. We will get suggestions sent to RedAction and hopefully get them sing soon. The atmosphere was not brilliant but I will put that down to many a new year hangover, I heard many fans complaining of such, I may have been nursing a slight one too and was not up for a massive roar constantly in my ears. Against Tottenham next week we will see a proper atmosphere once again.

4-4-2 is better - Everton 1 Arsenal 4

2007-12-30T17:47:00.000Z

Fabregas the King and I both commented on the issue of formations before the game. My view was that 4-4-2 suits us far better than a 4-5-1, especially domestically. We had struggled against Chelsea, Spurs and Pompey with this set up but had managed to scrape 7 points from these games. However we had played some poor football. There was no doubt the team had to find its slick passing game again and we struggled to make chances in these games. We needed something to change. Yesterday seemed no different in the first half and maybe the formation was not the problem.

Everton played us off the park with some excellent football and we were lucky to be only 1 goal behind at half time. However, the second half did show why 2 strikers helps considerably. The midfield was run ragged but that happens at times in the Premier League. With the pace the home side played at, you cannot blame the midfielders and you cannot put a fifth player in there just to dominate midfield if it will not bear fruit further up the field. With the midfield area dominated by Everton the defence opted to pump it long and showed precisely the effect of a partnership up front.

Bendtner was up top wih Eduardo and the ball was aimed towards the Dane. He did not win the ball but he drew out a centre-back. The ball ran loose and Eduardo had time and space to do what he does best. Yet another calm finish from him. Had Bendtner been alone up front, the ball would have run on to the keeper. Had Eduardo been a lone striker there would have been no pressure on the man who jumped with Bendtner. Either way, it is unlikely a goal would have come from this long punt from Clichy.

Again, the second goal came from the same type of pass towards Bendtner and the same applies as to whether we would have scored and taken the lead. Rather than being surrounded by two defenders, Edaurdo had only one man to beat and he did it brilliantly, once more with great calm and composure. He did handle the ball but from the angle the ref had it was impossible to see and Jagielka - his marker - had no idea and was bamboozled by our no.9.

I hope yesterday showed Wenger that having two strikers gives us both an outlet and a constant threat. Whether we have to go long or have the time to build up play, the chances of scoring rise considerably. Yesterday, the midfield was finding it hard to get a foothold but in the end we were able to miss them out to win this game. We ground out a result but it may have been very different had we not just gone long.

The players showed great character to come back from 1 goal down, especially at Goodison Park, which, for me, is one of the hardest places to go. Everton were clearly up for it and for the first half we had no opportunities to get on the ball. We were sloppy in possesion but after half time the players changed tactics to suit the pattern of the game. With Everton looking to play football most envisage those in red playing, Arsenal were forced to play direct, something they only look to do on rare occasions. In the end, the first three goals were long passes to the tall man up top.

When we went down to ten men, we did not panic and kept to this tactic. I have to be honest and say the game was made a whole lot easier with the mistake that gifted Ade the easiest goal he’ll score. At 2-1 I was expecting a barrage of pressure but at 3-1 it was always going to be a bit much for Everton and the fourth goal was a bit of an insult to injury, however sweet Rosicky’s strike was. Now for him to chip in with a few more goals.

What did disappoint me was the ill discipline of Bendtner. If I had been knocking on the door for a few weeks and been granted a first team chance, I would not throw it away. Bendtner lacked maturity in his first booking having been too easliy wound up. His second tackle was a disgrace and he was lucky he was shown a second yellow before the red. He did have a part to play in both Edaurdo’s goal which is what I was calling for and in this he showed the talent he has but also showed he has a lot to learn regarding maturity and behaviour.

Many have questioned Eduardo as an Arsenal player - me included I admit - but Wenger always asked us to wait for the second half of the season. Ironically, maybe deliberately ( I wouldnt put anything passed Wenger ), Eduardo started in the first game, of the second half of the season and scored twice. Wenger played him where he plays best, not on the wing but right on the last defender. He showed great assurance in front of goal as he has done on a few occasions. There is no doubt the guy will get us goals if presented with chances. Yet, he must be played up front in a pair to do this.

Toure led the defence well and once more I was impressed with how they stood firm under great pressure. The Boro game aside, they have done well, away from home especially and we will miss Toure desperately when he leaves. Clichy seems to grow in every game and Sagna really has made us more solid at the back. Gallas too, has continued to lead the back four even when we go 1 goal down.

Once more we are top of the League, top at new year and that after a really tough run of fixtures in December. Now, if we can get a good run going and put pressure on those behind us to keep up, the run in could be fantastic. It starts with a home game against West Ham, a team buoyed by a 2-1 win over Man Utd (Get in!!). I think Rosicky will come back in for Diaby, Adebayor for Bendtner and maybe Eboue for Hleb. Hleb has played quite a lot of games now and Wenger may rest him. Adebayor will partner Eduardo who will want to get more goals to cement a place.

====================Almunia=====================
Sagna==========Toure=========Gallas=========Clichy
Eboue/Hleb======Flamini=======Fabregas=======Rosicky
==============Adebayor=======Eduardo=============

Come on Arsenal!

Scrap 4-4-1-1, bring back 4-4-2 (AFC vs Pompey)

2007-12-27T13:50:00.000Z

Once again Wenger went with 4-4-1-1 in the Premier League last night. He went with Hleb just behind Adebayor, as he did against Chelsea and Spurs. I know we won those two previous games but, to put it simply, we were not very good in those games. We did not create much and Adebayor was isolated on his own. We got goals to win it with our only real chances but last night we did not get away with it. We were very poor and failed to create anything of note until the final 5 minutes. If we want to win the League, that is not good enough.

We did have the ball in the net against Chelsea a few times towards the end and did look a bit more potent towards the end last night. Why was that? Wenger put on a second striker and suddenly the opposition defence had an awful lot more to think about. With the speed of the Football we play, two strikers make us so much more of an attacking force. Defenders are always marking and cannot step out to pressure the midfield runners. When Adebayor is on his own there is always at least one defender spare who can stifle any threat from him. It requires a moment of brilliance (1st goal vs Spurs) or a set piece (vs Chelsea and Spurs) to unlock defences. When we had two up front, we always looked like we could score, last night we did not.

Our biggest wins and highest scoring games came with 4-4-2: Slavia Prague (h) 7-0, Derby (h) 5-0, Blackburn (a) 3-2 (CC), Portsmouth (h) 3-1, Spurs (a) 3-1, Sunderland (h)3-2.

We scored far more goals with the two forward men.

Our best results with 4-4-1-1 are: Reading (a) 3-1, Spurs (h) 2-1, Villa (a) 2-1, Chelsea (h) 1-0.

We also lost against Boro with it and drew to Newcastle, Liverpool (no shame), Man Utd (no shame) and Newcastle.

The pattern it seems is we score far more goals with 1 up front and games are far closer.
Many might say that with Van Persie out, we have noone to come in and do a better job than a fifth midfielder. However, it is not about whether he is a better player, it is about the system. Look at Eduardo for example; whenever Wenger has played him up front recently he has scored (Sevilla away, Sheffield United away and Blackburn away x2). Yet on countless occasions, Wenger has insisted on trying out Eduardo on the left but it does not work. He is a goalscorer, that is it and by no means is this a bad thing. Just look at the way he took his only real chances of note against Blackburn and Sheffield United.

Also, Nicklas Bendtner has changed countless games recently. I have heard a lot of fans claim he is better than Adebayor, for this reason, but Ade has done well all season. In my opinion it is partly to do with the system. A lone striker has to bring players into the game and if you do not get runners from midfield, you will not make opportunities. Yesterday, when we finally went with two strikers (way too late), it changed as each striker had more space and could work together as well as creating space for the midfield. Bendtner and Adebayor can play together, if Wenger is still unsure over this then give Eduardo a shot. It is now the second half of the season and he has shown what he can do down the middle, but for christ's sake, do NOT PLAY HIM ON THE LEFT.

People might draw attention to the Villa match as one where the system worked and I see their point, we played some brilliant passing Football at times. Yet our goals came from simple crosses and a midfield runner gambling. We didnt make many amazing chances but simply passed Villa out of the first half. Flamini was playing the Cesc role but in one way went further forward than Cesc does. We have seen recently that he has dropped deep and for me he needs to get forward like Flamini did. Hleb plays a role in this.

Against Villa, Hleb played as a second striker coming deep. Recently he has played as a fifth midfielder getting forward in support. This difference is huge. As an extra midfield player, I believe he stifles Cesc when he tries to get forward. Whenever he plays much further up, closer to Adebayor, he is a major threat. The wide players looked good yesterday and when Rosicky cuts inside, there is no need for another player in the centre of the park. It is too congested. If one of the strikers come short to collect the ball then that is fine but we do not need an extra player in this area against teams who defend deep.

I call for Wenger to be bold against Everton - play Bendtner or Eduardo alongside Adebayor and re-think his midfield. He could drop Eboue who, despite a decent performance last night, has looked weak, predictable and still has no league goals to speak of. Hleb could re-take his place out on the right and from here he can dictate play without leaving his forward role in a 4-4-1-1.

Maybe the formation will work in Europe where the pace is far slower and against a Milan team whose midfield is the main threat.

As I touched on, there is not much to note about last night. The defence was solid enough and when they needed him Almunia did well. Rosicky was brilliant for me, the shining light. He got the ball and made things happen with some brilliant driving runs and skill. Eboue was decent on the flank but went missing in the second half. Fabregas was too deep to create much and really should have done better when put clean through by Ade. It is not like him to mess up his first touch but he did on this occasion. Flamini also impressed with some tough tackling and pressing. Ade got isolated and had to come deep and left the box void of Arsenal players. Hleb needs to get further forward in that role, if he can, goals will come again.

Gallas should have scored from 6 yards and Rosicky probably should have hit the target with the last shot of the game. That is it. If you only watched Match of the Day, you might think it was an exciting game but when you realise we were in the second half after only 2 minutes of highlights, it tells the whole story,

One last thing to question is: What is going on with Van Persie? Wenger claims he played him against Steaua as it was not a risk. Then he plays against Chelsea for 20 minutes and looks sharp but is suddenly ruled out for 3 games in a row (out of Everton game now!). The reason given was a thigh injury that was not being risked against Spurs. Is this another load of cobblers from the medical staff as I am worried if a precaution means players miss 3 games at a time. I guess it explains Rosicky's constant absence!

Arsenal 2 Spurs 1 - Not a classic by any means but a derby win nonetheless

2007-12-22T17:17:00.000Z

After what was a pretty dire first half in which Spurs had the better chances, the lads managed to go up a gear or two to just about finish Tottenham off. The first goal was a moment of beauty and from here there were a few inevitabilties. Arsenal have never lost a game when Emmanuel Adebayor scored and the players and the fans celebrated like we were on the way to three more points. However events swung the other way and having equalised, Berbatov won a penalty.

Robbie Keane is one of the best penalty takers in the League. He simply does not have a set method to his penalties and it is very hard to predict where he will put the penalty. Normally one would back him to score, this time it just seemed fate that he would miss. I just had this feeling he would be denied, and denied he was by Almunia. Praise must go to the Spaniard who has been brilliant recently and this topped it off. If this gut feeling was right, the next was nearly at the level of very wierd.

Rosicky tumbled in the box under what looked like an unfair challenge but Adebayor did well to win the corner with no support whatsoever. It was then that Arsene Wenger earned his money. He wanted to bring on Bendtner for the ineffective Eboue (more of this later) and he was desperate to get him on before the corner was taken. Spurs are susceptible from set pieces and from the moment he jogged into the box my mind was saying: "Go on Nicklas, head that ball home!". Guess what, he did and what a header it was. It was madness, how did I know it was going to happen? I don't know but it doesn't really matter. Once more the Emirates exploded and it was one of those hug the guy in the row in front moments.

From then on we held on a bit, as we had done really all match but once Berbatov got frustrated and almost gave up - the game was won. As I have said Tottenham were arguably the better side in the first half and had the better chances. The problem was the space granted to Berbatov. I lost count of the times he was allowed to bring the ball down unchallenged and was able to dictate play. Neither the centre backs nor Flamini got close to him. Clichy could not leave Lennon free and one of the three mentioned really should have taken it upon themselves to sort him out. Another inevitability was that Berbatov would have a say in this game and he very nearly won the game for Spurs. His goal was a great finish and had Keane scored the penalty won by Berbatov I would not have seen us coming back.

Almunia was solid with what he had to do and excelled with his penalty save. Sagna and Clichy were fantastic for me. Clichy was up against one of the best wide men in the League in my opinion and he rarely gave him a sniff. Lennon had one or two good moments which should have led to a goal for Keane but for most of it Clichy stuck to his task, as well as getting forward as much as possible. Sagna was brilliant going forward and seemed to be doing two jobs for a lot of the game. Why was this?

Emmanuel Eboue is the answer. He really is the most frustrating player in our team right now. His "injury" disappeared very quickly when it looked very serious and today he really did look off the pace with a lack of commitment. He rarely went past his man and his crossing was poor. He cut inside quite a lot and dallied on the ball too long. He had one moment of note and this was a shot Robinson did well with. He failed to track back with any urgency and left Sagna two on one on numerous occasions. One moment really summed Eboue up. He was going at Lee in the Spurs box, he stopped, then tried to accelerate on the outside, was easily shrugged off and he fell to ground way too easily. Sounds very familiar where Eboue is concerned. He was then substituted and the game changed.

We went from a 4-4-1-1 which for me does not give us nearly has much potency as a 4-4-2. Adebayor was isolated in the first half and there was not enough midfield runners to give that cutting edge. In the second the runners started to come but the goal was our only real chance. As soon as Hleb moved to the right and Bendtner partnered Ade, the Spurs defence had far more to deal with. Up till then, Adebayor was marked by two defenders and had to come wide to get the ball. Once we had a two pronged attack, he was left alone 1 v 1 and he caused far more problems. Hleb also looked good out on the right and was able to link with Cesc and Rosicky a lot more. The same happened when Van Persie came on against Chelsea and earlier in the season we scored more goals with two up front. I cant wait for Van Persie to start up front and we can bench Eboue and put Hleb back to the right where he does look more comfortable.

I have a feeling Wenger told Cesc to push on in the second half. In the opening 45 he was far too deep and we could not link midfield to attack but in the second period he gambled a bit more, vindicated with the perfect pass for the first goal. What a pass it was as well! What a sublime backheel to Ade, many would not have had the vision to see Ade and the skill to pull it off. That is why we missed Cesc so much.

Rosicky came into it more in the second half but I thought he was one of our better players. He was always trying to make things happen but also made sure he helped Clichy as much as possible. He drives the team forward and adds a perfect balance to Cesc and Hleb who like to be patient and wait for things to happen. He can carry the ball as well as joining in with the passing game. He always gives his all and if he can keep fit he will be a massive player this season.

I have mentioned Ade a little but feel he deserves further praise. Early on in his Arsenal career he may have missed the chance from which he opened the scoring. Now he seems confident he will score every time. He works so hard and when he can he holds the ball up so well and waits for support. He does look more comfortale with a strike partner but will always try if up on his own. Bendtner was the one to partner him in this game but will it be the Dane or RVP? Van Persie is such a threat when he plays and in that withdrawn role makes Arsenal tick but Bendtner has impressed so much of late. If he can add more goals in open play he really will give Wenger a selection headache.

The last thing to say about this game is: Please sell Gilberto. He came on to add security to the midfield but kept giving the ball away and could not get close to the Spurs midfield. Diarra was brilliant in midweek and surely it is only a matter of time before Diarra replaces him in the squad of 16? Maybe Wenger is putting Gilberto in the shop window? It is backfiring as teams are seeing his weaknesses, take the money and run.
Creidt must go to Spurs - however much I hate to say it - but we got the three points and that is all that matters in these derby matches.

Almunia - 8
Sagna - 8 — Gallas - 7 — Toure - 6 — Clichy - 7
Eboue - 5 (Bendtner - 7) — Cesc - 7 — Flamini - 6 — Rosicky - 7
Hleb - 6 (Gilberto - 5)
Adebayor - 7

Arsenal vs Tottenham - Expect some abuse!!

2007-12-20T18:28:00.000Z

It seems most appropriate that the abuse debate should come up this week, sandwiched in between games against two of our most bitter rivals in Tottenham and Chelsea. Last Sunday, I must admit, I was one of the many booing Ashley Cole, one of those maybe going a bit further than this. I guarantee you that certain people really do hate Ashley Cole. I do not mean when they enter the football stadiums, I mean that if they saw Cole on the street they would find it hard not to confront him. It is part of the rivalry. When it becomes violence I do not like it, but when it is abuse from the terraces towards an opponent, where is the harm?

I ask you, in what other way can fans express their views towards players? Footballers live in a whole other world to most of us, the only time we get a real link to them is on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Tottenham are our local rival and the tension over the years has grown and grown. If one of their players fouls one of ours, do the officials and players expect us to sit there in quiet and condemn the tackle in our minds? Of course they do not. Part of creating an intimidating atmosphere at home is the roars from the crowd when the game gets fiesty, it is part of the game.

If someone like Sol Campbell moves from Spurs to Arsenal, what does he expect on his return? There is no way he would ever get a good reception at White Hart Lane again and fair enough. He became a fan's favourite at Arsenal and a hated one at White Hart Lane. Many Gooners forgave his past after the humiliation he caused towards those in white. How could Tottenham fans let it lie? Come on Sol. The only way they could get at him was abuse from the stands. It is the same with Cole. Did he expect we would welcome him back? Of course we would not. His move to Chelsea was a disgrace, he knew it, we knew it, we were not going to let him off easily. The taunts addressed to him were simply an expression of our frustration.

It felt right to discuss the abuse with the Tottenham match approaching and the Carling Cup draw; and what a draw it was. Dare I say it, it looks to be the easiest draw of the lot. With their leaky defence I can see us getting goals against them. I would just have preferred the first leg to be away. It could well be a repeat of last season's final if we can overcome Spurs and Everton succumb to Chelsea - we have unifinished business from last season.

Enough of all this: to the match on Saturday. Spurs have won two on the trot now, including a, dare I say it, well fought and admirable performance away at City. It was City's first defeat at home and they played 80 minutes with 10 men. They will be full of confidence coming into Saturday but this might favour us. Many times they have believed they had the beating of us, only for us to knock them back to Earth. This happened earlier this season when we won 3-1. If we can get a similar result I would be delighted.

I have a feeling Wenger will finally go with what I believe is our best team at full strength:

==============Almunia=============
Sagna=====Toure=====Gallas=====Clichy
Hleb=====Flamini====Fabregas===Rosicky
=======Adebayor=====Van Persie======

With Eboue and Walcott out, the 4-4-1-1 formation with Hleb behind Adebayor seems an unlikely option. Now Van Persie is back I hope him and Adebayor can re-kindle the form they showed early in the season. When we went with two up front on Sunday, we looked far more of a threat in front of goal. Van Persie really is dangerous and showed this when he got into so many good positions in a 20 minute cameo. Hleb has been in brilliant form and he can continue this in his free role from the right. Hleb, Rosicky and Fabregas really work well together as they roam across the midfield linking the play together. Rosicky looked so much more comfortable with the two other back for the Chelsea game.

The game will be won tomorrow if every player wins his battle. As I did for the Chelsea game I will look at the big battles in what is a very big game.:

Almunia vs Robinson - Both keepers will be very busy and were both in great form in their last match. Almunia made some very good saves against Chelsea and Robinson did the same against City. Two of his saves were some of the best I have seen in a long time. If one keeper can perform better than his opposite number, the game could be decided here.

Toure vs Berbatov - Toure is Arsenal's rock but Berbatov seems to be back to form just in time. It will be a big test for Toure but if he can keep Berbatov marked tightly and keep him quiet Arsenal may be in business. Toure will look to bring the ball out of defence and start attacks. He may be given this space and hopefully he can exploit it.

Fabregas vs Jenas - These two are the creative players in the centre of the park. Fabregas had a slow return from injury and looked slightly off it last Sunday but by now he will be ready and primed. He has been in great goal scoring form and hopefully he can start this again. Jenas gets up and down the park and has a good shot, he will need to be closed down by Flamini who will give Cesc the freedom he needs.

Clichy vs Lennon - This could be the best battle of them all. Lennon will look to get at Clichy throughout and it will be a tough and interesting test for the Frenchman. Clcihy will look to get forward and I doubt Lennon will want to track him. This may give Clichy a lot of freedom down the flank but Flamini may need to act as cover.

Kaboul vs Adebayor - Adebayor came out on top earlier on this season and he will be confident of doing the same come Saturday, Adebayor will look to hold the ball up well and bring his team mates into play. If Kaboul can limit the supply to the big man he could stop a major part of the Arsenal attack. He will have to dominate at set pieces but he will be a threat when he comes up from the back.

Blackburn 2 Arsenal 3(Carling Cup Q.Final) - Young Guns march on...

2007-12-19T03:10:00.001Z

First and foremost - what a fantastic result. Many teams will go to Ewood Park and struggle. Many will be lucky to go there and get a victory. Even our first team only got a draw there this season. Ok, the victory came after extra time but considering our second string have knocked out another full strength Premier League side is magnificent. Last year it was Tottenham, this year it was Newcastle and now Blackburn. We rode our luck, but you must expect this with such an inexperienced side, but we also played some sublime football.

Each goal was a moment of beauty in itself. The first came after some neat build up play and Diaby put away Bendtner's inviting cross. Eduardo then finished off moves ending with two perfect through balls. I know Samba missed the ball through from Denilson, but the weight and direction was still perfectly into the striker's path. We did look shaky at the back after the break but when a team has a striker of Santa Cruz's quality, one has to expect a busy evening. He had looked quiet all night to be honest but still took his goals like a true finisher.

One problem I have from tonight is Wenger's persistence to try Eduardo out on the left wing. IT DOES NOT WORK. It has failed many times before and did so again. We started the game with two strikers and looked so dangerous. As Blackburn piled on the pressure we went with just the one, Bendtner became isolated and the outlet of our two strikers was lost. As soon as this became clear Wenger moved Eduardo back to his orignal position and we were a far larger threat once again. Eduardo finally showed what he can do as he caused the opposition problems all night alongside the magnificent Bendtner.

The tall Dane was fantastic all night. He held the ball up well, linked play as was required and showed some really neat touches. He also displayed real confidence when he tried to chip Friedel from a wide angle; it so nearly worked but for the crossbar. Bendtner has looked really good in recent matches and it does not seem too far away before he starts to bang in the goals. If he and Eduardo can perform as they did tonight, Wenger may have a major selection problem on his hands.

The midfield was excellent and one thing I must say now is that if Diarra can play like that regularly, PLEASE KEEP HIM. He was outstanding and rightfully given the Man of the Match award. He broke up play, resisted challenges, put his foot in and also showed he can play the Arsenal way. He played some brilliant diagonal balls which found their target with seeming ease. Like Flamini he added bite to the midfield, and the whole team infact, which in previous years has been bullied by teams like Blackburn. If someone like Gilberto has to be sacrificed to make room for Diarra, so be it. That is my view, it might be controversial, but I stick by it.

Abou Diaby is such an interesting player to watch. He is so tall and lanky and one might think he would be all about strength and drive. However, although he is unbelievably strong, he is technically gifted aswell. He keeps the ball so well in tight situations and combines this with his strength to go past players and hold off others. He has been fantastic in the last two games and for me is the most natural back up to Cesc we have. He has the vision and passing skills to take up this role. All night he picked out players and one ball was absolutely brilliant. It did not reach its target due to a fine interception but the pass was hit with reverse curl with the outside of his boot and was running perfectly into the path of Eduardo. It would have been one of the passes of the season had it come off and showed he can pick a pass aswell as anyone. He can get up and down the pitch like one Patrick Vieira did and seems to be scoring more aswell.

With a few youngsters coming up from the reserves, it was interesting to see which one would start. We knew one would get the nod due to Theo's "illness" (no wimpish accusations intented) and it was Mark Randall who was given his full competitive debut. There have been many good words coming out of the club about this lad and in pre season he got a few games under his belt. Tonight, he looked like he was a first team regular. He always wanted to get on the ball and fitted perfectly into the passing game we play. He showed neat touches and was heavily involved in the first goal with a great disguised pass to Bendtner. Randall is an example of the group of young ENGLISH players coming through and if they have the potential Randall showed, then we are in for exciting times.

Denilson played well but did not impress me as much as the other 3 midfielders. He linked play well but did not shine as the others did. That is not to say he played badly, to be honest no one did, but he did not do as much as the others to tell Wenger they are ready for more first team action. He made the second goal, granted, but other than that the only thing of note was to get sent off. Denilson really must learn how to tackle properly. On so many occasions he has tackled with similar technique he showed tonight. He cannot lunge like that and really must change this in his game. To be fair Savage probably made the ref show a straight red rather than a second yellow but there was no excuse for the challenge.

At the back Hoyte and Traore really impressed me. Many have struggled against the wingers of Blackburn, they are top quality players, but Hoyte and Traore did well. They were never going to stop every cross into the box but did very well to limit the supply. Hoyte really is developing into a good player and able back up to Sagna. Traore, as Wenger said, really has become a man recently. He was brilliant going forward and seems to have improved defensively. Derbyshire got in behind him for the goal but with the striker offside, it was harsh on Traore. Like Hoyte, he showed he is a more than capable back up to the first choice left back, Clichy.

One pairing I was keen to watch tonight was Song and Senderos. For a long time I have had my doubts over big Phil. I have been worried about his ability against stronger and faster players. Drogba wins the battle everytime against him and tonight Santa Cruz did the same. Players like this always seem to come out on top; Kanoute did the same recently. Senderos lost a lot of aerial battles and was caught off the pace at times tonight. He nearly cost us a goal when he did not step up with the rest of the defence and duly missed the interception to allow Santa Cruz in on goal, only for Fabianski and Song to bail him out. So why was I interested to watch these two?

Well, Kolo Toure leaves for the African Cup of Nations soon and Wenger must decide who will come in for him. If Song is not selected for Cameroon I would be tempted to bring him in. He had a tough start to his Arsenal career but since he moved to centre-back he has shone. He reads the game well, has decent pace and is very strong. He made some crucial blocks, interceptions and headers today and showed he could fill in for Toure if needed. One advantage he has after his time in midfield, is his ability to join in with play and start attacks from the back. He did it many times today and it was his sublime through ball that set up the winner. Song seems to have found his position now and could he push Senderos down the pecking order? I guess it all depends on the Cameroonian coach.

Another player I was interested to watch was Fabianski. With many fans worrying about Almunia as a long term option in goal, it was good to see Fabianski in goal and put under real pressure as he was tonight. I have to say that I was impressed. He looked a bit shaky at crosses but to be fair to him his own defence had dropped right onto his toes. He got the ball away when he needed to and made some crucial catches and punches when it mattered towards the end of extra time. He did not complain when the pressure put on him may have been a bit much and his shot stopping was excellent. He looks a real talent.

All of this just shows how good this performance was. The only disapointments were that Denilson got sent off and Barazite was stretchered off. I think he may have a dislocated shoulder, I hope it is no more serious than this. Other than these two incidents, we were brilliant. A dodgy offside call and suspect marking from one set piece made the game more interesting but we made the best chances and played by far the better football. On to the semi's, but who do we want?

Everton and Tottenham are already through and either Chelsea/Liverpool will make up the fourth team. For me there are two dream events I would want. The first is to play Tottenham in a replay of last year's semi final where our kids humiliated their first team. It would be brilliant to ruin their chances of getting to a rare domestic final. Then maybe we would get a re-match against Chelsea where we can avenge last year's travesty!

However, maybe a better one would be to play Tottenham in the final itself. This would mean a very tricky semi-final against sides who are solid at home where I would not be so confident. It would just be sweet if it was us trying to prevent their winning of a first piece of silverware in years.

Wenger's kids seem to thrive in this competition with yet another scalp tonight. The football played was reminiscent of the first team and the fight showed for 120 minutes was awesome - well done lads.

Blackburn vs Arsenal (Carling Cup) - a very tricky tie

2007-12-17T23:48:00.000Z

So, Blackburn away - never a nice trip to make. A 1-1 draw this season was far less than we deserved but also more than we have got there in recent visits. Last season we went out in the FA Cup to a late Benni McCarthy strike after, in my view, Wenger underestimated Blackburn. He went with an understrengthed side that seemed to lack a cutting edge and we were duly dumped out of the cup. Tomorrow a similarly understrengthed team will walk out in the freezing cold at Ewood Park.

As we have seen in previous years Wenger has gone with a reserve side in the Carling Cup. This team has had two brilliant results: a 2-0 victory against a strong Newcastle side and a comprehensive 3-0 win up North at Sheffield United. These results give me confidence that this side can give Blackburn a real tough game, but will it be enough? Mark Hughes will go with his first team and it will be a really hard game for the Young Guns to win. They have power up front mixed with creativity and fight in midfield. Like last year - I fear they could end our cup run. However, saying this, the pressure is off for the players Wenger puts out - they may just want to prove the bookies wrong and lay down a claim for a more regular place in the first team.

I think Wenger will go with the team below:

GK: Fabianski - When he has played he has looked very solid and he has a real chance of pushing for the no.1 jersey on a permanent basis very soon.
RB: Justin Hoyte - He will be up for the fight and if Wenger wants to keep him, these are the games he must play him in.
CB: Phillipe Senderos - After such a bad game against Sevilla he has a hard job in this game and has to prove himself with Toure's imminent departure.
CB: Alex Song - he has done well in this position in the Carling Cup - is this his natural position?
LB: Armand Traore - A real talent in the eyes of the coaches and fans - Bentley will test him and maybe this will develop his character and experience.
RM: Theo Walcott - His injury looks to have healed and all I would like Theo to do tomorrow is be positive and go at the defence time after time - and score!!.
CM: Gilberto/Lassana Diarra - Whoever plays has the job of protecting the back 4. Gilberto has a lot to prove and Diarra has to show why Wenger should keep him.
CM: Denilson - He has not been at his best this season but he has to be at his best in the creative role tomorrow.
LM: Abou Diaby - He had a great return from injury on Wednesday night and he has the ability to beat players with seeming ease - key player tomorrow.
ST: Nicklas Bendtner - Looking good recently with his hold up play and strength on the ball - can he get more goals?
ST: Van Persie - to start according to Sky Sports. Hopefully his apperance is preparation for Saturday and he comes through unscathed.

Our main creativity is going to come from Denilson and Diaby, maybe Walcott. They will have the job of turning defence into attack with their passing a pace. Denilson has great vision and if he can find Bendtner and Eduardo early they can get into good positions. Diaby will start on the left but by no means will he stay there. It is likely he will roam from here and try and get in and around the Blackburn defence. Van Persie will look to drop off the front man and his passing can give Bendtner lots of openings.

Santa Cruz will be the main threat to our defence. Blackburn were poor on the weekend but he nearly got them something from the game. Bentley will provide a constant supply from the right and the two centre backs must be alert all evening. Our wide players must track back to help the full backs aswell as their attacking duties.

This game is likely to be tough, there would be no shame to go out at in this tie but a win would be a big bonus. With a busy month coming up, I think Wenger won't risk any of the first team and will tell the players, as I have said, that the pressure is off.

Arsenal 1 Chelsea 0 - Ashley - what's the score??

2007-12-16T19:59:00.000Z

What an absolutely amazing game of Football; it had everything; fous, cards, end to end football, and a barrage of fans' abuse. How ironic it should be William Gallas who got the winner. How typical that the final act of the game was a bad tackle by Cesc Fabregas on none other than Ashley Cole, the same guy that said the Spaniard had no commitment and did not have enough experience. Yes, we were lucky Wright Phillips has not learnt the finishing ability of his father. However, today I was proud to be a Gooner. Chelsea normally like to bully their opponent, but today it was not to be. We stood up to all they threw at us and forced them to resort to tactics far passed the border of dirty.

The ref had no control of the match and countless times Mikel, Joe Cole and Lampard were diving into tackles, something closer to assault than anything near fair. The ref seemed to let this go on so many occasions with yellow cards very lenient for the constant fouls that were comitted. It simply was not the same in our case. Arsenal players were called up for fouls that did not come close to anything the Chelsea players carried out. Flamini was booked for constant fouling, why was Mikel not sent off for this, combined with some very dirty challenges? Arsenal players are said to be soft, yet when they give some back, they are accused to going too far.

Enough of the rant at the ref and those thugs from South London - we won after all. A 1-0 win is just so sweet, if not extremely nerveracking. The first half was not really a great example of Football, Arsenal kept the ball with little penetration but with little threat to our own goal from Chelsea. The goal came out of the blue a little and I have to say I was so surprised to see Cech misjudge what looked like a routine catch. It just had to be Gallas though, how he resisted the urge to run over to the Chelsea fans and celebrate right in front of them I don't know. Queue pandemonium in the stands, aswell as continuous replays of our goal from all angles at half time.
The game had been feisty and after Chelsea gave as good as they got, it was hard not to smile when John Terry was forced off after a tackle from Eboue of all people. It was probably the cowardice of Eboue not to commit to the challenge with a proper tackle that ended his afternoon. It was probably karma that resulted in Eboue's departure on a stretcher.

When the game settled and the football came through, it was end to end stuff. Arsenal relied on the counter attack and I am not sure I can complain with the disallowed goals, however much I did at the time. Maybe one could question the decision to penalise Adebayor after all the challenges that had gone before. We were holding on at the back but always looked dangerous on the break. How we did not score a second baffles me, still! The defence were required to hold strong with our poor finishing and they stood up to be counted. From the moment Gallas was determined to carry on after his injury, the defence were brilliant, what a soldier!

Clichy was the official man of the match I think but it could have gone to any of the back 5. Sagna and Clichy dealt with their wingers brilliantly, with one lapse allowing Wright-Phillips to show he will never be like his famous father in front of goal. Gallas and Toure did not have a lot to do when Shevchenko was up front but
Pizarro added a whole lot of other problems. They had to be strong in the air with the constant barrage of long balls and were sharp in the tackle when they needed to be. I really will miss Toure when he leaves in January.

Fabregas and Hleb were very busy at the start but did seem to fade. They did look like they lacked match fitness slightly and their passing was not always as sharp as it can be. Rosicky thrived with them back in the team and the link up play really started to come together. It was brilliant to see and Rosicky really shone in both his defensive duties and as a key member of the counter attack brigade!!! Flamini was also fantastic. He gave Lampard no time on the ball with the midfielder having one shot on goal all afternoon. Not many have done a similar job on Lampard this season, and many have failed in the same task during past seasons. Eboue managed to get at Cole and beat him a few times. He has not been in the best form at all but he did well today.

Adebayor had a hard job up front but was a real menace for the Chelsea defenders. He was unlucky to have a goal chalked off but showed what Chelsea missed with Drogba out. Hleb was slightly off his game today - as expected - and Ade really worked hard to link the play, holding the ball up till support arrived. All of these players I have mentioned were brilliant but massive praise must go to Almunia. He made many saves that kept the score at 1-0. He had one dodgy moment as he flapped at a long range Shevchenko shot but after that he excelled. Van Persie was a bit rusty and showed this with two skied efforts on goal - at least it didnt cost us!
The fans did well also - the Emirates was a cauldron at times and I think they got the right blend of hatred for Cole and support for the team. There was no way Wenger's call for "respect" for Cole would be adhered to, but it could have been far worse for old "Judas".

I called for everyone to win their battles today and we did. This was what we needed to do to win.

Almunia vs Cech - Cech's error cost them dear and Almunia saved us many times. Almunia
Terry vs Adebayor - Terry lost the battle, but mainly due to Eboue rather than Ade. Adebayor (eboue)
Flamini vs Lampard - Flamini shackled Lampard all day and gave him no room to play. Flamini
Toure vs Shevchenko - No contest. Toure

These personal battles may have been won but we won battles all over the pitch! Well done Arsenal and we are still top of the league, now bring on those from across North London!

Arsenal vs Chelsea - Grand Slam Sunday

2007-12-15T11:41:00.000Z

So, here we go, the big one. Lets be honest, ever since the Boro game, all Arsenal fans have been waiting for Sunday's game vs Chelsea. Even though the game in midweek took on some importance regarding our fate in the knockout stages, Sevilla's victory put the game back in its place, the very back of many Arsenal fans' minds. The only boost it had was: a first victory in three games and a return from injury for Robin Van Persie.
The Dutchman played brilliantly on Wednesday, setting up one goal and creating havoc in the Steaua defence all night. He linked well with Bendtner and dropped into the hole behind the striker, reminiscent of the way Dennis Bergkamp used to do. We have missed Van Persie over recent months; we have missed his calmness in front of goal, his passing range and even his delivery from set pieces. These will all be so important against Chelsea.

On the injury front it seems a possibility that Cesc Fabregas will return. He trained on Friday, along with Hleb and Flamini; if we can get all three back, we could be in business. We have missed this trio recently and the creative spark and defensive prtextion seemed to have been drained out of the team in the last two league games. Only Theo Walcott has been added to the injury list which is a blow for me personally. In my view he played well on Wednesday. Although he did not get a goal, he was a constant menace when he attacked the defence; they could not handle his pace and this could have been a real bonus, if only off the bench.

The Arsenal team sheet is hard to pick ahead of this game due to the injuries. But if Hleb, Flamini and Cesc are allf it, they WILL play, maybe with one or two off the bench. Should their be no risk - I would start them. It might be a gamble but a win in this game would surely be worth it. Should Flamini be out I would play Diarra in the holding role, his pace and tough tackling is the closest we will have to what Flamini has done so well this season. Should Cesc be ruled out once more, I would play Diaby in central midfield. He played well against Steaua; he has amazing ball skill for such a tall guy and he gets up and down the pitch well. He can also add much needed bite to the midfield. If Hleb is injured, Eboue will play unless Theo can get fit.

=============Almunia=================
Sagna=====Toure======Gallas=====Clichy
Hleb(Eboue)=Flamini(Diarra)=Cesc(Diaby)=Rosicky
========Adebayor======Van Persie========

For me, there are a few key battles where the game will be won on Sunday:

Manuel Almunia vs Petr Cech
Petr Cech will take some beating tomorrow and we will have to be clinical in front of goal. He is dominant from corners and the Chelsea defence is so much more confident with him between the sticks. Almunia has looked confident at set pieces but we all know he is prone to the odd error. He has not shown it recently but made a mistake in the Man Utd game. I just hope the pressure does not get to him.

John Terry vs Emmanuel Adebayor
This could well be the most key battle of all. Adebayor was poor against Boro but showed against Newcastle that he can produce the spectacular out of nothing. Ade was beaten in the air many times by Woodgate and the same may happen against Terry. However, on the ground, the Togo man might have the beating of Terry with his pace and dribbling skill, he just needs to take his chance when he gets it. Terry is dominant in the air and believes in no nonsense and robust defending. He will look to frustrate Ade but can his lack of pace be exposed?

Mathieu Flamini/Lassana Diarra vs Frank Lampard
With Drogba out, there is no doubt that Lampard is Chelsea's main threat to Arsenal's goal. Many may feel he is not the best footballer technically but his ability to arrive in the box late is second to none. He will need to tracked by whoever plays in the holding midfield role. Diarra/Flamini will look to get in and about him and get in some strong tackles to get on his back. If we can disrupt Lampard's game, we may be able to stop Chelsea's midfield.

Alex Hleb/Emmanuel Eboue vs Ashley Cole
There is no doubt the Arsenal fans will give Cole a real barracking on Sunday. Tempers will be flared and Cole is prone to rash challenges. If Hleb can get at Cole with his dribbling we may get some free kicks in good positions. If Eboue plays, he must quit the antics and try and go past Cole whenever he can. If we put Cole under pressure it could be an interesting battle. However, whoever lines up on the right must make sure they track Cole when he gets forward. Defending well is just as important tomorrow.

Kolo Toure vs Andriy Shevchenko
Thank god Didier Drogba is out! Without him Chelsea are far less potent BUT we still must be careful. Shevchenko has shown he can scrore goals and he has looked a bit sharper this season, but if Toure stays sharp and focused he can really deal with the Chelsea striker. Toure will also look to bring the ball out of defence, he may get this freedom now Drogba is injured.

All that is left to say is: Come on Arsenal, if you want to win the title, these are the games we MUST win.

And here's hoping for a Liverpool draw against Man Utd

Arsenal 2 Steaua 1 - Bring on the big Guns!

2007-12-13T10:37:00.000Z

From the moment Robin Van Persie split the Steaua defence to release Theo Walcott, we knew the dutchman was back. And at just the right time. In recent games we have missed the creativity of our no.11, even more so with Hleb and Fabregas out. His vision and skill surpasses most in our squad and with him in our team we are a far larger threat going forward. He peels off into the role just off a main striker and is brilliant at it. This was vindicated in his pass to Bendtner for the second goal. The way he showed for the ball and in a quick flurry of movement had played in his strike partner. It took time for him to recover but the fact he started last night is surely an indication he will be fit for Sunday - great news!

I was not able to get to the match last night but having watched the highlights a few things impressed me. I can only go on what they show but certain aspects were clear. First of all Abou Diaby played very well. He is a very direct and strong player with good technique for such a tall and lanky player. His finish was excellent an he seemed to cause problems when driving from midfield. The way he glided past players with seeming ease really encourages me that Diaby wants to push on and push for a regular place. He might be worth a role alongside Flamini (if fit) come Sunday afternoon.

The second thing I noticed almost immediately is that Theo Walcott showed the new toughness and positivity he has mentioned recently. He was much stronger on the ball than he has been and seems to have learnt how to use his brain more; that is when to beat players with pace, when to pass and when to use a bit of trickery. The only thing missing was the finish. His pace is electric and I would prefer him over Eboue for Sunday. He is comitted and never gives up, his defensive work was solid and he was a real menace when running at the opposition's goal.

Lastly - Nicklas Bendtner showed once again what a talent he is. His hold up play was excellent and the finish for his goal was so assured. He took his time, picked his spot and placed it with great accuracy. Many would have snatched at the chance; with two players around him he could have taken it early but waited for the perfect moment. It was his first chance of the night, that is the mark of a clinical striker. I know we all want Theo to succeed up front, but right now Bendtner is way out ahead of him. Walcott was good on the wing and for now should ply his trade there as he develops his game. Bendtner is playing very well and I am sure will be a first team regular before too long.

It was annoying to concede a goal, especially such an easy one. The defending wasnt the best throughout the second half, but with half the back four rested and progression already assured, it is understandable. The most important thing is that the fluidity going forward was back last night. Some of the passing was fantastic and everyone played their part. It will not be as easy to play the ball around against Chelsea, but if we can play to the levels these players can, with a bit of luck, maybe a player or two coming back into the side, there is no reason why we cannot win that game.

We will be drawn against either of these teams in the first knockout round:

Barcelona, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Real Madrid or Porto.

I had a gut feeling we would play Barca at some point in this year's Champion's league, it seems destiny it will be early on. All these games are going to be tough, but we did it on the run to the final two years ago. Many will say Porto is the best draw. Of course they are the least strong team here BUT look what happened last year with PSV. Many claimed we had the best tie out of the English sides - we were the only ones to go out. This team is confident and on our day can beat almost anyone, bring 'em on I say!!!

Arsenal vs Steaua - Also - some very good news

2007-12-11T20:04:00.000Z

Finally, at the end of a tough week that started with a draw away to Newcastle, some good news has arrived. Robin Van Persie returns to the first team squad for the visit of Steaua. He has returned after a layout that has seen him out since October. The "2-3 weeks out" envisaged by Mr Wenger was very wrong and it is great to have Van Persie back for this busy part of the season. Abou Diaby is also back to bolster the squad.

The other great news is Flamini looks likely to be offered a new 5-year contract after his brilliant start to this season. He has transformed our midfield and played in such a style that means Arsenal can no longer be bullied. In his two games out, Arsenal have been out fought and looked shaky in the centre of the park. There was a worry we could lose this "new" player come the end of the season, with him free to talk to other clubs come January. He is also likely to be fit for Sunday which could be crucial.

Some bad news is that Cesc Fabregas and Alex Hleb are no nearer to a return for Sunday. This is very bad news as they really are crucial to our team. We are getting back 2/4 of our players we really need, but all four really would be a boost for the team and for the fans before Sunday's crucial game. What does amaze me though is the length of time Arsenal players seem to take to recover. Last season, William Gallas was supposed to return after a short lay off - this soon became two months. Tomas Rosicky seemed to miss games all the time through injury.

This leads me to look at Arsenal's injury policy. It seems to me that Wenger will only let his players return if they are 100% fit. This is a fair enough decision with the level so high at the top level. Wenger, I think, trusts natural healing over aided recovery. However I would like to think certain players who were near enough to the top level, would be allowed to take some sort of injection to play in big games. I would only encourage this if the player was not at risk of worsening an injury by taking this injection. I have seen Gerrard and Terry take these without having any lasting problems. If Cesc and Hleb are ok to take one, I really think they should. It has become clear this week as to the importance of them to our team.

Another thing I must ask is why they are out for so long. I have racked my brains as to why Cesc has a fitness test for Villa, two weeks before the Chelsea game, yet he is now more than likely to miss out. Surely he has made the final steps to recovery within two weeks. Unless he got injured in the fitness test, now that would be unbelievable! The same happened with Alex Hleb. Having returned for Villa, he got a knock to his calf but had a fitness test ahead of the Newcastle game. Suddenly he was out of the Boro game with no chance of a comeback - now the Chelsea game looks a distant hope aswell. What's going on here? Either the medical staff are taking too long to get these players fit, or Wenger is wrapping them up in cotton wool so they are at their peak fitness levels.

I know its hard with the Chelsea game approaching, but lets look at tomorrow's match. My feeling is that whatever we do tomorrow, we will be coming 2nd in the group as Sevilla will beat Slavia more than likely For me it is destiny to meet Barca in the knockout rounds; this way it could happen very early on. 3 points would be a welcome boost for those likely to fill in on Sunday, and a perfect chance for certain players to gain fitness before Sunday. As I said Van Persie will return to play some part, Diaby the same and Jens Lehmann will play in goal.

It is such a long time since the mad German was in goal for us, this is mainly down to Almunia's brilliant form. I doubt Lehmann has a chance to play on Sunday, considering Almunia has not done much to be dropped. However it is a chance for him to show why he has been shooting his mouth off. He better take it. Wenger will rotate his squad again but certain players will get a chance tomorrow to try and get a place in Sunday's team.
Across the back four I would like Sagna and Clichy rested, along with Toure and/or Gallas. If all of them are rested it gives a chance for Hoyte, Senderos, Song and Traore to try and show Wenger why they might push for a place in the team more regularly. If Song is not chosen for Cameroon he can push Senderos for the slot alongside Gallas when Toure leaves for Africa. That is, unless Wenger buys a centre back as he has hinted (my wish)

Eboue needs to be benched; both tomorrow and for the Chelsea game. How he did not get sent off, ON TWO OCCASIONS on Sunday, baffled me. They guy is petulant and as I have said countless times, when our backs are against the wall, Eboue runs away. He gets lost in games and it infuraites me as he has talent but only shows this on rare occasions. Diarra has played well recently, Boro excluded and he has done ok in the Flamini role. He tackles hard, hassles players and breaks things up. Gilberto seems to have become a very average player over night. Last season he was brilliant; this season he has been very very poor. He gives the ball away far too often and does not seem to help either defence or attack. This season Wenger has played a hard tackling centre midfielder alongside a more attacking player. Gilberto no longer fits into this. He will play tomorrow though, I think, but please not against Chelsea. I would like to see Diaby or Denilson play in the middle with Diarra, with a re-think regarding Sunday once we know fitness levels.

Rosicky should also be rested as we need him for Sunday. He was the main creative spark, however faint, on Sunday and may have a big job at the weekend, especially if Hleb and Cesc are out. This leaves two spaces on the wings for tomorrow's game. I want Theo to start on the right with Kieran Gibbs on the left. He impressed in his two first team games and it is a perfect opportunity for him to make the step up once again. However I think Diaby will fill in on the left. Walcott has asked for more games, and claims to have a new found positive and "aggresive" approach, now let him show this.

If Van Persie starts then i would like to see him start alongside Bendtner. The Dane is similar to Adebayor (rested) and Van Persie works well with this type of player. Bendtner did ok on Sunday and has looked good this season when he has came on in games. Eduardo was very bad on Sunday, he did not link with Adebayor and his decision making was poor and slow. He does seem to have a lot more settling in to do and is not yet ready for big games yet. If RVP cannot start tomorrow then Eduardo may get another chance. If Van Persie is not fit for Sunday, or cant last 90 minutes, then, if Bendtner can set his stall out tomorrow, he is a good bet for Sunday.

The team I would like to see is this (along with definite starters).

============Lehmann===========
Hoyte====Senderos====Song====Traore
Walcott===Diarra====Denilson====Diaby
=====Bendtner====RVP(Eduardo)=====

We need to get our season back on track and we can start this tomorrow.

Boro 2 Arsenal 1 - Absolutely Awful Performance

2007-12-09T15:40:00.000Z

I write this match report before the game is over. Why is this? Ill tell you; as soon as the second Boro goal went in, the game was over. From the first minute we were awful. Almunia made a mistake coming to meet Aliadiere with Toure in close company. Toure did not need to make a challenge but may have been confused by the rashenss of the keeper. Downing swept home the penalty and we were on the back foot from then on. One would have thought this would kick us into action but it didnt. Just like midweek we failed to create any chances of note and Boro went and got the killer goal on 74 minutes.

So what is wrong all of a sudden? Is it the fact we are in December? The bogey month? Maybe. We have only played one half of real football in this month (away at Villa) and right now we look in trouble. The defence that has been so solid suddenly looks nervous and shaky. For some reason the defence has become stretched and mistakes seem to be happening all across the back 5. We lack creativity in midfield and decision making up front is poor. It reminds me of the period after we lost the 49-unbeaten run; we went and battered Villa senseless with our football and then after that struggled - ring a bell?

With Hleb, Cesc and Flamini out, the midfield has been very poor. Once again Eboue went missing and left Rosicky as the only creative spark in the whole team. He had a few good moments but nothing worked for him. Diarra worked hard but for me Gilberto has lost it. He strolls through games and is off the pace. He does nothing to aid the defence, nothing to help the attack. He gives away sloppy free-kicks and is not the same player. Flamini added bite to the team this year and when he has been out we have lacked something; teams are now able to bully us once again.

I interrupt here - we have scored, 2-1 but still all over as the final whistle goes. It had to be Rosicky - the only guy that looked like he could do something today.

Hleb and Fabregas are our main playmakers and the difference they make is now clearer than ever. As soon as Hleb went off away at Villa the downfall began. We did not concede but had nothing going forward. Then, as soon as Flamini was ruled out of first team action, goals and chances against us came a plenty. This is no coincidence, these players are simply so important. Add Cesc to these two and we are missing our three most crucial players this season. We need them back asap, next sunday is a must return for them.

I worry about Eduardo, I really do. He was played in his position today and was awful. His decisions were slow and his passing sloppy. It made no difference playing up front. He does not seem to fit into the system at all and needs plenty more adapting before he is ready to start big games. Even David Pleat - not the most enthralling of commentators - saw that Edaurdo and Adebayor were not working together. There was no cohesion and they were too far apart. I feel the Togo man does not like playing with the Croat. Adebayor worked hard and was off it today but we know what he can do, Eduardo I am still waiting on to answer some questions. Bendtner came on and seemed to make a slight difference in that I saw him on the ball. Even Theo showed more urgency. Something needs to change if our injured players are not back for Sunday.

Yes, credit does go to Boro, but we were shocking. They closed us down but we did not string passes together. I lost count of how many long punts forward either went out of play or straight to a red shirt. The leaders of this team need to get together with the manager and sort out what is going on. Our season is under threat right now in the next month, players need to stand up and be counted.

Eboue, Gilberto, Eduardo all need to be dropped NOW, even if Hleb, Cesc, Flamini and Van Persie are not back.

Aresnal vs Boro (away) preview

2007-12-08T16:16:00.000Z

Tomorrow we finish our 3 part Northern round trip that has taken us to Villa Park, St James' Park and now the Riverside. We won brilliantly away at Villa when many were hoping for a draw. We slipped up a little against a rejuvinated Newcastle side ut there was no shame in a 1-1 draw away there. If we can beat Boro tomorrow we will have 7 points from 9 in one week of 3 very tricky away games; all this without Fabregas and Van Persie for all 3, Hleb and Flamini for the other two.

We are without these players again and I envisage a line up similar if not exactly the same as in the last game. The back four and keeper will be the same and all we need from them is consistency once again. They defended brilliantly in the last two games, especially seeing as they were bombarded for 45 minutes and then for 70 minutes. Almunia was brilliant in both and he is showing why he has the no.1 jersey right now.

In midfield I feel Wenger will persist with Eboue on the right; this surely must be the final chance before he is moved to the bench. I have stated my opinion on Eboue many times and once again I will tell you that Eboue is a fantastic player when things are going well and we are playing good Football. Just look at the involvement he had during our last three goals; all 3 came from moves involving him whether it be a pinpoint cross or slick passing. However when the going gets tough and backs are against the wall, he goes missing far too many times. I didn't see him touch the ball in the second half against Newcastle and at least others made some sort of attempt to get on the ball.

Lassana Diarra impressed me hugely with his no nonsense tackling and work rate. His passing was decent at times but he is no playmaker. He needs a creative player alongside him. Gilberto is not this and right now doesn't seem to do a job in the side. He makes interceptions and keeps play simple but Diarra can do this aswell as adding a fighting edge to the midfield in Flamini's absence. I have called for Rosicky to be given the other central midfield role and it showed midweek we missed this creative edge through the middle. This would leave a space on the left for Walcott to show us what he can do. He was brilliant for the U21s and he had an interview where he mentioned a new direct, positive manner to his game - time to show it Theo!

Up front I am all for Eduardo being given another chance, but this time up front and NOT on the wing. The guy is still adapting to our play but playing him out wide will not help. His position is alongside Adebayor so let him play there. Wenger could go with Bendtner and either way I do not mind. We need goals from our forwards more than anyone with Cesc and Hleb out, chances might be more scarce and two strikers have more chance of scoring than just Ade up top.

My team would be:
==================Almunia=================
Sagna========Toure=========Gallas=======Clichy
Eboue========Diarra========Rosicky======Walcott
==========Adebayor========Eduardo===========

Subs: Lehmann, Song, Gilberto, Denilson, Bendtner

Once again Wenger has been blamed for the lack of English players, I have debated on this subject and right now am getting bored of this. I can't wait till Mourinho is named manager to show that foreigners simply are better all through football right now. The FA is the shambles and the acadamies run by it are even worse. Get Wenger in charge as a second job - I mean second - and we might see some improvement. Wait till Henri Lansbury, Mark Randall, Rhys Murphy, Jay Emmanuel Thomas are lighting up the Premiership and then we will see what Wenger IS doing for English football.

Back to tomorrow's match and good luck to the boys. Get the three points and we have done well for a week's work. Many are already looking to Chelsea at home but one game at a time for now.