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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.
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.
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.
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)
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?
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. 
