Evening,
Instead of typing up a preview this morning I decided to catch up on some sleep and instead type up a match report after the game. Luckily for you, its going to be another positive post. When I woke up today, there wasn't the usual nervous feeling in my gut. I was very confident. It wasn't the overly type confidence where your certain your team has won before the game has even kicked off but that feeling where your really optimistic over something and I had it.
Wigan came to the Emirates with more or less a full strenght squad bar Alcarez which meant the Caldwell brothers would partner each other at the heart of the defence. In midfield you had the threat of N'Zogbia who is a bit like Arshavin in the sense that you don't ever know what your going to get. Up front Rodallega was the lone striker and he is more than capable of causing any team problems. We were going to have to be on our toes for this one. It was always going to be a test of our character because Wigan are a side who are often underestimated. We've been complacent in far too many games this season, we couldn't afford to do it here. A win the least expected.
The usual gang returned to the fold for us. This is our strongest possible side bar Vermaelen in my opinion. When he comes back we'll take some beating. We're very hard to break down as it is but there's always room for improvement. Anyway back to the game and we began brightly as we always seem to do and Al Habsi was forced into action early on as Samir Nasri drew a smart save from him. Minutes after the keeper made an unbelievable save to deny Van Persie from close range. Nobody could believe we weren't a goal up already. The chances just kept on coming as Wigan fought with desperation. This time Walcott dazzled down the wing before showing brilliant vision to pull the ball back to Fabregas in space but his shot was blocked by Caldwell. The fact that we hadn't scored yet was a mystery but we didn't have to wait much longer. Just over twenty minutes in, Song set Van Persie through on goal with a delightful pass and the Dutchman finished with applause. 1-0 Arsenal and it was about damn time.
The barage of attempts on the Wigan goal continued. First Al Habsi was forced into action again by Fabregas before the Spaniard was denied an easy finish by Maynor Figueroa. Theo Walcott was the next player to waste a chance as he was put through one on one with the keeper but went for the unselfish option and squared for Fabregas who was tackled by Diame before the ball fell back to Theo whos shot was blocked by Caldwell. Samir Nasri had a shot from twenty yards out tipped over before Al Habsi denied Cesc yet again. At half-time there was feeling of sheer frustration. We should have been out of sight. Even if we were 3-0 up, we still would have felt unjustified. The worry now was that we'd lose our momentum and offer Wigan a way back into the game. We've been guilty of doing it before. We needed to make sure it wasn't going to happen today.
Ahead of the second half Wigan made two changes. Franco Di Santo and James McArthur replacing Diame and Stam. They weren't the kind of changes that made you shivver in your boots but it gave the away side fresh legs and they obviously had a plan. And so it did breath fresh air into the visitors perforamnce as they showed more of an urge to get forward. They still didn't look like they were going to score but we needed to be on our toes all the same.
Frustration began to grow around the Emirates as there was a hint that the players had taken their foot off the gas but thankfully they responded with immediate effect. Fabregas picked out Van Persie with a brilliant 30 yard pass who got the better of Caldwell before volleying past Al Habsi who had been brilliant all day. It was a huge relief as we looked to be getting a bit sloppy. It was now a case of remaining disciplined and seeing out the game which we had done very well in recent weeks.
Twenty minutes from time Van Persie was presented with the opportunity of getting his hat-trick from the penalty spot. Gary Caldwell had pulled Fabregas down in the box to deny him a chance of scoring so he recived his marching orders. Up stepped Van the man who was usually ever so clinical in front of goal but somehow blazed this one over the bar. Not long after his curling shot struck the post and it just didn't look like he was going to notch up his first hat-trick for Arsenal.
Did I speak too soon? You bet I did. Walcott held the ball up well in the box before teeing up Van Persie who fired home from a tight angle. His first of many hat-tricks for the club I hope and this was one he thoroughly deserved. He worked so hard to get back to his best after a long frustrating spell out of the game. It just makes you smile when you see him out there again and playing as well as he is at the moment.
That was that. We'd done our part. Unfortunately a hapless Birmingham side were crushed 5-0 at Old Trafford so we didn't make up any ground on them but Spurs could only manage a point at St James Park and City were beaten 1-0 by Aston Villa so its not been a pretty good weekend so far. Chelsea travel to Bolton on Monday night in what promises to be a very tough game for them.
Enough about our title rivals, here are the player ratings after today's game:
Szezesny: 6 - Had nothing to do which I don't mind.
Sagna: 7 - Typical whole-hearted performance.
Djourou: 7 - Solid as always.
Koscielny: 7 - Comfortable evening.
Clichy: 7 - Back to his best.
Song: 8 - Getting better every week.
Wilshere: 7 - Another dominant midfield display from the youngster.
Fabregas: 8 - Influential in every move. Brilliant as always.
Nasri: 7 - Always a threat.
Walcott: 7 - Got into some very good positions and his end product is improving.
Van Persie: 9 - My man of the match without a doubt despite penalty miss. His first hat-trick and no more than he deserves.
Subs:
Denilson: 6 - Did his job.
Chamakh: 6 - No time to impress.
Arshavin: 5 - Struggling for confidence.
Its great to see we've put that little hoodoo we had at the Emirates to bed and we can now go all out for silverware. I think we could do with a centre-back but we'll have to wait and see what the boss thinks. He's giving nothing away but I'll tell you if I hear anything.
Now onto the latest news on Eden Hazard's future. Our interest in the Beligan international is well documented and from what I've heard we have made some progression in our bid to bring him North London this summer. Many of you will already know that we have first refusal on the player and I now understand Arsene Wenger has already held talks with him. And yes it was with the permission of Lille. Those talks must have been very positive because the young man has his heart set on a move to the Emirates apparently. However, there is a twist. Lille value Hazard very highly and want something in the region of £30m while we're only willing to pay £14m. Our valuation is a long way off what they value him at so this is a big concern from our point of view. The worst case scenario now is that someone like Manchester City come in, offer well over £30m aswell as a high enough salary to turn Hazard's head. Let's hope not. I'm remaining optimistic about the chances of seeing him in an Arsenal shirt next summer.
That's it from me for now folks. I shall be back when I can gather enough information to write a blog on.
Till next time, take care.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Optimistic Days
Welcome all,
I know its been quite some time since I last posted, shortly before the Carling Cup first leg against Ipswich I think. As I mentioned in my last blog, I have been very busy lately and simply haven't found the time in the day to post a blog. Even as I begin to type this one I can feel my eyes closing. I know we take on Wigan tomorrow at the Emirates but I'll hopefully remember to post a detailed preview on that in the morning. For now though I want to concentrate on the latest ongoings at the club over the last few weeks.
We'll start with the horror show at Portman Road not so long ago. It was a game I went into fully sure that our boys would be pumped for and determined to kill it off in the first leg but then I remembered that's not the Arsenal way is it? We have to make everything seem like a challenge. Basically the game was crap. You would have heard pundits and football fans alike praise Ipswich for their "magnificent performance" and so on but the truth is, we were just awful and didn't deserve anything from the game. Obviously we didn't have our strongest side out but we shouldn't have needed to. Ipswich were on the back of a 7-0 mauling from Chelsea a few days before hand. The least I'd have expected would have been a scarppy 1-0 win but to lose and to do so by rarely threatening the opposition was not acceptable at all. Not only did we lack creativity but Ipswich looked like they could score everytime they hoofed the ball forward. Eboue looked more like an attacking winger than a right-back. He was caught out of position countless times. Koscielny clearly has difficulty dealing with balls over the top. He's an expert at beating his man to the ball but loop it over him and he's in trouble. Djourou put in another top notch display. This man has grown to be a fan favourite recently, amazing what hard work and determination can do for you. Anyways, this was not a good day for the Gunners and a response was a priority and I was sure we'd get one. We always do with this Arsenal side.
Usually going into a game against a team in the relegation zone at this stage of the season you'd be pretty nervous because you know your going to have to battle for the three points. Ahead of this game I was quietly confident. The players, I know would have been determined to make up for the defeat to Ipswich. My confidence was further boosted by the news that Scott Parker would miss the game. For me he has single handedly kept them afloat up to now and I knew his absence was a major blow for them, particularly because we are masters at over running teams in midfield.
It didn't take us long to come bursting out of the blocks. Thirteen minutes in Samir Nasri let a Theo Walcott cross run through his legs fooling defender and the ball fell to Van Persie who tucked it away beautifully with his right foot. You could tell by his early touches that he was regaining his sharpness but that just summed it up for me. It should have been 2-0 not long after. This time RVP set Theo through on goal, he chose to shoot with his left foot and just didn't catch hold of it at all leaving Green with an easy save.
West Ham were very nearly gifted an equaliser courtesy of a rare error from Johan Djourou. He made a balls of an attempted back pass to Szezesny but the Polish keeper saved his arse by spreading himself and pulling off a great save. Van Persie was presented with the opportunity to make it 2-0 just before half-time but his shot crashed against the post and came back out. We were now controlling the game, the second goal seemed inevitable. My only worry was that we would lose our momentum at half-time and the Hammers would come out fighting like they did in this fixture last season. Thankfully, that didn't look like being the case this year as Van Persie found himself in more space in the box, he cut the ball back to Walcott who fired home to make it 2-0. Wayne Bridge who was making his debut for the home side was being tortured by Theo down the wing.
In the second half we maintained our high energy performance. We didn't give West Ham time on the ball or give it away cheaply. I have to say I was very impressed because usually we'd switch off and offer the opposition routes back into the game. You could see how much the players wanted to see out this one. The Hammers did well to get a sniff on goal when Freddy Sears forced Szezesny into a fine save. There was to be no comeback this year though as with just over ten minutes to go Wayne Bridge topped off his awful evening by bringing down Walcott in the box. Up stepped Van Persie to cap off a great day for him and he did so with a fine finish. 3-0 and we were untouchable if that's not too strong a word to use. We got the job done and I have to say I'm delighted to see us keeping clean sheets these days. Let's hope we can keep it upand more importantly avoid injuries.
There was no time to dwell on this performance. It was brilliant, yes but we've been guilty of not being able to maintain these sort of displays. Do so against Leeds and the confidence would be brimming through the squad. There was a lot of talk before hand about the hostile atmosphere the home fans would provide. I wasn't worried, we've been there before and come out on top. The only thing I was worried about was that we'd turn up with the wrong attitude. The boss made some changes as expected. Plenty of players with points to prove came in. Denilson, Bendtner and Arshavin to name a few and Sagna returned from suspension.
Similarly to the West Ham game, we came out firing on all cylinders and took the lead after only five minutes when Nasri latched onto Arshavin's pass before cooly slotting home. Chamakh's header was somehow kept out by Schmeichel. Shortly after the same man made a darting run the right wing before sliding the ball across the box to Arshavin who once again made scoring look like an impossible task. Arshavin was presented with a second opportunity soon after and this time forced the keeper into a smart save.
It was left to Bacary Sagna to show the frontmen how its done as he drilled home from the edge of the area. It was a stunning goal which the keeper could only get fingertips to. Just as we thought we'd seen the goal of the night, up stepped Leeds left-back Johnson who blasted home from about 30 yards out. He couldn't have hit it any sweeter. It was always going to take something speical for Leeds to get back in the game and thats exactly what they got. The home fans now had something to cling onto going into the break.
We had to approach the second half in the exact same way we did in the West Ham game at the weekend. Give Leeds no time to breath on the ball and don't allow them to gain momentum. Again, we achieved that as the midfield worked their arses off in closing down every white shirt. Song's work rate in particular was so impressive. Arshavin's night was topped off when he blazed the ball so high over the bar it literally left the stadium. With just under twenty minutes left the boss decided to introduce Fabregas and Van Persie. Two players very much in form. Their impact was immediate as both got on the ball and made it even more difficult for Leeds to win back possession.
Shortly after their introduction we killed the game off. Bendtner who was iffy all night provided Van Persie with a beautiful cross and the Dutchman met it with some conviction as he powered home the header leaving the keeper with no chance. Job done again Arsenal. Brilliant men!
What is crucially important is that we put in these sort of performances every week. Its not impossible. Barcelona do it and Guardiola dosen't do much rotating so the only way I can see our season plumetting is if we get raped by injuries again. I've said quite a few times about how I felt we'd learned our lessons from complacency and I'd been proved wrong because it was only two weeks ago when we turned up at Ipswich with the completely the wrong attitude and were beaten. Have we learned our lesson now? Who knows? What I do know is that we are faced with another massive test tomorrow as we entertain Wigan at the Emirates. A win is a must. Another good performance would be nice too. I should be back tomorrow with a preview.
Till then.
I know its been quite some time since I last posted, shortly before the Carling Cup first leg against Ipswich I think. As I mentioned in my last blog, I have been very busy lately and simply haven't found the time in the day to post a blog. Even as I begin to type this one I can feel my eyes closing. I know we take on Wigan tomorrow at the Emirates but I'll hopefully remember to post a detailed preview on that in the morning. For now though I want to concentrate on the latest ongoings at the club over the last few weeks.
We'll start with the horror show at Portman Road not so long ago. It was a game I went into fully sure that our boys would be pumped for and determined to kill it off in the first leg but then I remembered that's not the Arsenal way is it? We have to make everything seem like a challenge. Basically the game was crap. You would have heard pundits and football fans alike praise Ipswich for their "magnificent performance" and so on but the truth is, we were just awful and didn't deserve anything from the game. Obviously we didn't have our strongest side out but we shouldn't have needed to. Ipswich were on the back of a 7-0 mauling from Chelsea a few days before hand. The least I'd have expected would have been a scarppy 1-0 win but to lose and to do so by rarely threatening the opposition was not acceptable at all. Not only did we lack creativity but Ipswich looked like they could score everytime they hoofed the ball forward. Eboue looked more like an attacking winger than a right-back. He was caught out of position countless times. Koscielny clearly has difficulty dealing with balls over the top. He's an expert at beating his man to the ball but loop it over him and he's in trouble. Djourou put in another top notch display. This man has grown to be a fan favourite recently, amazing what hard work and determination can do for you. Anyways, this was not a good day for the Gunners and a response was a priority and I was sure we'd get one. We always do with this Arsenal side.
Usually going into a game against a team in the relegation zone at this stage of the season you'd be pretty nervous because you know your going to have to battle for the three points. Ahead of this game I was quietly confident. The players, I know would have been determined to make up for the defeat to Ipswich. My confidence was further boosted by the news that Scott Parker would miss the game. For me he has single handedly kept them afloat up to now and I knew his absence was a major blow for them, particularly because we are masters at over running teams in midfield.
It didn't take us long to come bursting out of the blocks. Thirteen minutes in Samir Nasri let a Theo Walcott cross run through his legs fooling defender and the ball fell to Van Persie who tucked it away beautifully with his right foot. You could tell by his early touches that he was regaining his sharpness but that just summed it up for me. It should have been 2-0 not long after. This time RVP set Theo through on goal, he chose to shoot with his left foot and just didn't catch hold of it at all leaving Green with an easy save.
West Ham were very nearly gifted an equaliser courtesy of a rare error from Johan Djourou. He made a balls of an attempted back pass to Szezesny but the Polish keeper saved his arse by spreading himself and pulling off a great save. Van Persie was presented with the opportunity to make it 2-0 just before half-time but his shot crashed against the post and came back out. We were now controlling the game, the second goal seemed inevitable. My only worry was that we would lose our momentum at half-time and the Hammers would come out fighting like they did in this fixture last season. Thankfully, that didn't look like being the case this year as Van Persie found himself in more space in the box, he cut the ball back to Walcott who fired home to make it 2-0. Wayne Bridge who was making his debut for the home side was being tortured by Theo down the wing.
In the second half we maintained our high energy performance. We didn't give West Ham time on the ball or give it away cheaply. I have to say I was very impressed because usually we'd switch off and offer the opposition routes back into the game. You could see how much the players wanted to see out this one. The Hammers did well to get a sniff on goal when Freddy Sears forced Szezesny into a fine save. There was to be no comeback this year though as with just over ten minutes to go Wayne Bridge topped off his awful evening by bringing down Walcott in the box. Up stepped Van Persie to cap off a great day for him and he did so with a fine finish. 3-0 and we were untouchable if that's not too strong a word to use. We got the job done and I have to say I'm delighted to see us keeping clean sheets these days. Let's hope we can keep it upand more importantly avoid injuries.
There was no time to dwell on this performance. It was brilliant, yes but we've been guilty of not being able to maintain these sort of displays. Do so against Leeds and the confidence would be brimming through the squad. There was a lot of talk before hand about the hostile atmosphere the home fans would provide. I wasn't worried, we've been there before and come out on top. The only thing I was worried about was that we'd turn up with the wrong attitude. The boss made some changes as expected. Plenty of players with points to prove came in. Denilson, Bendtner and Arshavin to name a few and Sagna returned from suspension.
Similarly to the West Ham game, we came out firing on all cylinders and took the lead after only five minutes when Nasri latched onto Arshavin's pass before cooly slotting home. Chamakh's header was somehow kept out by Schmeichel. Shortly after the same man made a darting run the right wing before sliding the ball across the box to Arshavin who once again made scoring look like an impossible task. Arshavin was presented with a second opportunity soon after and this time forced the keeper into a smart save.
It was left to Bacary Sagna to show the frontmen how its done as he drilled home from the edge of the area. It was a stunning goal which the keeper could only get fingertips to. Just as we thought we'd seen the goal of the night, up stepped Leeds left-back Johnson who blasted home from about 30 yards out. He couldn't have hit it any sweeter. It was always going to take something speical for Leeds to get back in the game and thats exactly what they got. The home fans now had something to cling onto going into the break.
We had to approach the second half in the exact same way we did in the West Ham game at the weekend. Give Leeds no time to breath on the ball and don't allow them to gain momentum. Again, we achieved that as the midfield worked their arses off in closing down every white shirt. Song's work rate in particular was so impressive. Arshavin's night was topped off when he blazed the ball so high over the bar it literally left the stadium. With just under twenty minutes left the boss decided to introduce Fabregas and Van Persie. Two players very much in form. Their impact was immediate as both got on the ball and made it even more difficult for Leeds to win back possession.
Shortly after their introduction we killed the game off. Bendtner who was iffy all night provided Van Persie with a beautiful cross and the Dutchman met it with some conviction as he powered home the header leaving the keeper with no chance. Job done again Arsenal. Brilliant men!
What is crucially important is that we put in these sort of performances every week. Its not impossible. Barcelona do it and Guardiola dosen't do much rotating so the only way I can see our season plumetting is if we get raped by injuries again. I've said quite a few times about how I felt we'd learned our lessons from complacency and I'd been proved wrong because it was only two weeks ago when we turned up at Ipswich with the completely the wrong attitude and were beaten. Have we learned our lesson now? Who knows? What I do know is that we are faced with another massive test tomorrow as we entertain Wigan at the Emirates. A win is a must. Another good performance would be nice too. I should be back tomorrow with a preview.
Till then.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Mixed Week and Transfer News
Welcome back all,
Sorry I haven't posted in the last week. Been up to my eyeballs with other work and didn't have the time to do any blogging but I do now, albeit little time. I did make the odd tweet but I can bring you all up to date with the past week now.
Obviously my last post was a preview ahead of the City game which we drew 0-0. It panned out just as I predicted. We did all the pressing, created several opportunities, failed to take them, City eventually settled and put eleven men behind the ball for the rest of the game. We could and should have been at least 2-0 up inside the first twenty minutes. A barage of shots on the City goal left Joe Hart on his arse on numerous occasions. Wilshere, Nasri, Fabregas, Van Persie and Walcott all failed to find the net and even when they beat Joe Hart the post was there to deny them. At the time it felt the goal was coming, you were just preparing to roar and celebrate a well deserved goal like mad but it never came.
City gradually dropped deeper as the game went on and made themselves very difficult to break down. And as if slicing their defence open was proving to be a challenge, beating Joe Hart was another story. In the in second hald we continued to press but lacked the cutting edge we possessed in the opening twenty or so minutes. I honestly felt for our defenders. They must have been bored off their heads. City were showing no interest in scoring whatsoever. It was clear Mancini had one intention and that was to nick a 0-0 draw. It was the same story last year and I pity the neautrals. At this rate, Sky will stop showing City live on television and rightly so. It was so so boring. Still though, people saying he shouldn't be allowed do that did jump the gun a bit. Its his team so he's allowed do whatever the fuck he likes with it. I don't really care but I'm glad we're finished with City this season. At the end of the game you could sense the frustration around the Emirates but our players were the last ones to be blamed. What can you do when a team defends tirelessly for the whole 90 minutes? The major talking point in the second half came when Sagna and Zabaleta clashed off the ball. Song overhit a pass to the Frenchman which went out of play and he slipped. Zabaleta then came over and made an insulting remark to which he reacted furiously and pushed his head against the Argentine's. Both were sent off at the time but Zabaleta has had his over-turned since while we didn't bother appealing Sagna's. To be honest I felt the City player deserved his red. If you give abuse to the referee you get shown red don't you? Shouldn't the same apply when you talk shit to your opponents? I think so.
Anyway there was no time to reflect on a frustrating night of football. We had another big game on Saturday against Leeds United in the FA Cup. As expected, the Leeds supporters came in their thousands and created a magnificent atmosphere inside the Emirates which was great to see even if a lot of fans do despise of them. I'm not particularly fond of them either but I do feel they belong in the Premier League. They're a great club with a brilliant history and passionate fans who give this league the incredible reputation it currently has.
Arsene made a few changes for this one but there was plenty of quality on the bench incase of emergency. Surprisingly enough, Djourou played his third game in a row which is really encouraging because there have been quite a few people concerned about the durability of his knee. Koscielny got himself a well earned rest after a really busy Christmas period. We were all well aware of what Leeds achieved at this stage last season. They went to Old Trafford, nicked a goal against United and fought for that lead with every bit of energy they had in them and got themsleves a well earned spot in the 4th round at the time. It was vital we were fully focused going into this game.
We should have taken the lead early on as Rosicky set Arshavin through on goal with a brilliant pass which cut the Leeds defence wide open. Unfortunately, Arshavin did the hard thing and took the shot on with his left foot and fired it straight at Schmeichel. At the other end, Szczesny was out quickly to save at the feet of Leeds striker Luciano Becchio. Denilson had a 25-yard shoot pushed around the post as we looked for a crucial early lead. Chamakh was next to test the keeper as his header was straight at the Dane. Leeds were very much on the back foot and Bendtner was unlucky not to give us the lead but the keeper saved again.
At half-time, you just felt anxious to get that goal or else we would be punished in typical, poxy fashion. Ten minutes into the second half, that just happened. Max Gradel dribbled into the box before falling over Denilson's outstretched leg. It was a ridiculously stupid tackle from Denilson who should know better at this stage. It gave Leeds the chance to go 1-0 up and give us an uphill battle to fight our way back in the game. Snodgrass stepped up and fired the visitors into the lead and left the travelling supporters ecstatic. I feared we would now start rushing our play and begin to panic. We needed to be patient and the chances would inevitably come. Fabregas replaced Song with a half an hour remaining which gave the rest of the players a much needed rest. We so nearly went 2-0 down as Snodgrass' corner was met by the head of Becchio but Szezesny saved brilliantly to deny him. Soon afterwards Walcott was introduced for Chamakh and Bendtner moved into the centre as Theo and Arshavin operated down the wings. We were desperate at this stage. Offered me a draw and I would have bitten your hand off.
Walcott's first chance arose when he was set clean through but his effort was tame and easily gathered by the keeper much to everyone's frustration. It looked like we had been awarded soon after as Alex Bruce was adjudged to have tripped Walcott. The referee pointed to the spot but then decided to consult his linesman before changing his mind and awarding a free out. I cursed the shit out of him but not long after Walcott was fouled yet again and this time the referee had no option but to point to the spot and stick to his guns. Up stepped Cesc Fabregas and he put it away. 1-1 and there was an uproar of relief all round the Emirates. Four minutes of stoppage time meant there was still time to win the game. We should have done just that as Fabregas picked out Bendtner with an incredible long ball. The Dane only had the keeper to beat but his left shot was as wonky as Carlos Puyol's hair. That was all she wrote and it set up a tasty replay at Elland Road next week.
Here are the player ratings from that game:
Szezesny: 8 - Kept us in the game, owed big time.
Eboue: 7 - Lively thoughout but didn't get tight enough to the wingers.
Squillaci: 6 - Early mistake but not much to do otherwise.
Djourou: 8 - Dealt with everything, fantastic yet again.
Gibbs: 7 - Tested by Watt but was reasonably comfortable.
Song: 7 - Sharp passing and gave everything. All you can ask.
Denilson: 7 - Gave away a stupid penalty but played well otherwise and nearly won the game with a brilliant shot towards the end.
Rosicky: 7 - Full of ideas but not many worked out for him.
Arshavin: 4 - Dreadful is the only word if I'm honest. He tried but nothing would work. Really bad day at the office.
Bendtner: 6 - Worked his socks off but looked out of place on the wing.
Chamakh: 6 - Looked hungry for goals but nothing would fall for him.
Subs:
Fabregas: 8 - My man of the match. Completely changed the complexion of the game and netted a penalty.
Walcott: 7 - Another who made a huge impact when coming on. Tormented Leeds defence.
Vela: 5 - Pretty ineffective, didn't have time to do much.
I have to say we got off the hook on Saturday and I'm pretty grateful that we're still in the FA Cup. Going to Elland Road will be no easy feat but I suspect we'll see a stronger side for some reason. The winner will face Huddersfield in the 4th round. Don't know about you but I really fancy that at the Emirates. Let's make sure it happens. Benik Afobe says he won't play against us should it pan out that way. spaeking of Afobe, he has agreed to extend his loan at the Galpharm Stadium until the end of the season. Anyway we've got a big game tomorrow night to focus on, hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with a detailed preview of that. I'm hearing the reserve team captain Miquel is in the squad again.
Now for the latest on our transfer targets. Its obvious we're going to have to dip into the market this month for a centre-back. Squillaci suffered a hamstring injury against Leeds on Saturday and will be out for a minimum of two weeks. We all know the story with Vermaelen. He just can't seem to get on with his rehabilitation without suffering a setback. His achilles is meant to be fine but he has this pain which the medical staff can't seem to find the solution to. The boss says he's seeing the best consultants in the world anyway so hopefully the problem will be resolved sooner rather than later. We will have to be prepared for the worst case scenarion though and that being he might well be out for the remainder of the season.
Lots of possible recruitments have been mentioned so far. A lot of you appear keen on Gary Cahill. He has played well over the last two or so years for Bolton but we have to be cautious if we are interested in him. Bolton want upwards on something like £15m. That'a a lot of money to spend on a centre-back and I know for a fact that Arsene will get the blame if he flops. Remember everyone wanted Hangeland last year? We didn't get him and he's been very average this season so we do have to be very careful.
I do have a bit of interesting news on our search for a centre-back over the summer. Our number one target from the beginning was Phil Jagielka. We had a £6m bid rejected by Everton which is understandable because even I know he's worth more than that. They wanted in excess of £12m which we thought was over-priced. Our next target was Per Mertesacker. We had a £10.7m bid rejected and didn't continue our pursuit in him from there although I understand we are still interested in him. No contact has been made with Bremen since the summer though. Milan are also thought to be monitoring his situation. Towards the end of the summer we offered Blackburn £10m for their highly rated youngster Phil Jones. The offer was rebuffed though and we were forced to search elsewhere. We definately won't be going back in for this lad this month as he's out for the remainder of the season. Emir Spahic was another player who Arsenal were after in the summer and we were certainly talking to him. Talks broke down at a pretty early stage though. His form has since dropped and is currently serving a ban for smashing a guy across the face so its hard to see us rekindling our interest there.
Christopher Samba is a player who we could go for this month. We haven't singled our interest yet but he wants out of Blackburn and they would be willing to sell. Personally he's not my first choice but he wouldn't be a bad player to have as back up either. Its hard to see us going for Gary Cahill. We were definately interested in him before but since then we splashed £10m on Koscielny who is similar in age to the Bolton defender. Still wouldn't completely rule it out though. Sol Campbell is a name that has popped up in the last few days. He wants out of Newcastle and they're willing to let him go. I really wouldn't go there unless we were at the stage of panic buying to be honest. He's old and the legs are only getting slower. Not exactly the player you want to call upon when your desperate. There are also unconfirmed reports of a summer bid for AC Milan's Thiago Silva. Appraently if they signed Mertesacker we would look to take the Brazilian off the Italians. We also made a bid for Pepe Reina which Liverpool rejected. That has been a blessing in disguise if you ask me because we have seen Fabianski's true colours this season and of course Szezesny has the scent of the first team.
Its going to be a very interesting transfer market as far as we're concerned. Wenger will act fast in my opinion because of the injury situation and that fact that he generally likes to get the business out of the way as quick as he possibly can. That's all for now folks, may be back tomorrow with a preview of the Ipswich game. Take care.
Sorry I haven't posted in the last week. Been up to my eyeballs with other work and didn't have the time to do any blogging but I do now, albeit little time. I did make the odd tweet but I can bring you all up to date with the past week now.
Obviously my last post was a preview ahead of the City game which we drew 0-0. It panned out just as I predicted. We did all the pressing, created several opportunities, failed to take them, City eventually settled and put eleven men behind the ball for the rest of the game. We could and should have been at least 2-0 up inside the first twenty minutes. A barage of shots on the City goal left Joe Hart on his arse on numerous occasions. Wilshere, Nasri, Fabregas, Van Persie and Walcott all failed to find the net and even when they beat Joe Hart the post was there to deny them. At the time it felt the goal was coming, you were just preparing to roar and celebrate a well deserved goal like mad but it never came.
City gradually dropped deeper as the game went on and made themselves very difficult to break down. And as if slicing their defence open was proving to be a challenge, beating Joe Hart was another story. In the in second hald we continued to press but lacked the cutting edge we possessed in the opening twenty or so minutes. I honestly felt for our defenders. They must have been bored off their heads. City were showing no interest in scoring whatsoever. It was clear Mancini had one intention and that was to nick a 0-0 draw. It was the same story last year and I pity the neautrals. At this rate, Sky will stop showing City live on television and rightly so. It was so so boring. Still though, people saying he shouldn't be allowed do that did jump the gun a bit. Its his team so he's allowed do whatever the fuck he likes with it. I don't really care but I'm glad we're finished with City this season. At the end of the game you could sense the frustration around the Emirates but our players were the last ones to be blamed. What can you do when a team defends tirelessly for the whole 90 minutes? The major talking point in the second half came when Sagna and Zabaleta clashed off the ball. Song overhit a pass to the Frenchman which went out of play and he slipped. Zabaleta then came over and made an insulting remark to which he reacted furiously and pushed his head against the Argentine's. Both were sent off at the time but Zabaleta has had his over-turned since while we didn't bother appealing Sagna's. To be honest I felt the City player deserved his red. If you give abuse to the referee you get shown red don't you? Shouldn't the same apply when you talk shit to your opponents? I think so.
Anyway there was no time to reflect on a frustrating night of football. We had another big game on Saturday against Leeds United in the FA Cup. As expected, the Leeds supporters came in their thousands and created a magnificent atmosphere inside the Emirates which was great to see even if a lot of fans do despise of them. I'm not particularly fond of them either but I do feel they belong in the Premier League. They're a great club with a brilliant history and passionate fans who give this league the incredible reputation it currently has.
Arsene made a few changes for this one but there was plenty of quality on the bench incase of emergency. Surprisingly enough, Djourou played his third game in a row which is really encouraging because there have been quite a few people concerned about the durability of his knee. Koscielny got himself a well earned rest after a really busy Christmas period. We were all well aware of what Leeds achieved at this stage last season. They went to Old Trafford, nicked a goal against United and fought for that lead with every bit of energy they had in them and got themsleves a well earned spot in the 4th round at the time. It was vital we were fully focused going into this game.
We should have taken the lead early on as Rosicky set Arshavin through on goal with a brilliant pass which cut the Leeds defence wide open. Unfortunately, Arshavin did the hard thing and took the shot on with his left foot and fired it straight at Schmeichel. At the other end, Szczesny was out quickly to save at the feet of Leeds striker Luciano Becchio. Denilson had a 25-yard shoot pushed around the post as we looked for a crucial early lead. Chamakh was next to test the keeper as his header was straight at the Dane. Leeds were very much on the back foot and Bendtner was unlucky not to give us the lead but the keeper saved again.
At half-time, you just felt anxious to get that goal or else we would be punished in typical, poxy fashion. Ten minutes into the second half, that just happened. Max Gradel dribbled into the box before falling over Denilson's outstretched leg. It was a ridiculously stupid tackle from Denilson who should know better at this stage. It gave Leeds the chance to go 1-0 up and give us an uphill battle to fight our way back in the game. Snodgrass stepped up and fired the visitors into the lead and left the travelling supporters ecstatic. I feared we would now start rushing our play and begin to panic. We needed to be patient and the chances would inevitably come. Fabregas replaced Song with a half an hour remaining which gave the rest of the players a much needed rest. We so nearly went 2-0 down as Snodgrass' corner was met by the head of Becchio but Szezesny saved brilliantly to deny him. Soon afterwards Walcott was introduced for Chamakh and Bendtner moved into the centre as Theo and Arshavin operated down the wings. We were desperate at this stage. Offered me a draw and I would have bitten your hand off.
Walcott's first chance arose when he was set clean through but his effort was tame and easily gathered by the keeper much to everyone's frustration. It looked like we had been awarded soon after as Alex Bruce was adjudged to have tripped Walcott. The referee pointed to the spot but then decided to consult his linesman before changing his mind and awarding a free out. I cursed the shit out of him but not long after Walcott was fouled yet again and this time the referee had no option but to point to the spot and stick to his guns. Up stepped Cesc Fabregas and he put it away. 1-1 and there was an uproar of relief all round the Emirates. Four minutes of stoppage time meant there was still time to win the game. We should have done just that as Fabregas picked out Bendtner with an incredible long ball. The Dane only had the keeper to beat but his left shot was as wonky as Carlos Puyol's hair. That was all she wrote and it set up a tasty replay at Elland Road next week.
Here are the player ratings from that game:
Szezesny: 8 - Kept us in the game, owed big time.
Eboue: 7 - Lively thoughout but didn't get tight enough to the wingers.
Squillaci: 6 - Early mistake but not much to do otherwise.
Djourou: 8 - Dealt with everything, fantastic yet again.
Gibbs: 7 - Tested by Watt but was reasonably comfortable.
Song: 7 - Sharp passing and gave everything. All you can ask.
Denilson: 7 - Gave away a stupid penalty but played well otherwise and nearly won the game with a brilliant shot towards the end.
Rosicky: 7 - Full of ideas but not many worked out for him.
Arshavin: 4 - Dreadful is the only word if I'm honest. He tried but nothing would work. Really bad day at the office.
Bendtner: 6 - Worked his socks off but looked out of place on the wing.
Chamakh: 6 - Looked hungry for goals but nothing would fall for him.
Subs:
Fabregas: 8 - My man of the match. Completely changed the complexion of the game and netted a penalty.
Walcott: 7 - Another who made a huge impact when coming on. Tormented Leeds defence.
Vela: 5 - Pretty ineffective, didn't have time to do much.
I have to say we got off the hook on Saturday and I'm pretty grateful that we're still in the FA Cup. Going to Elland Road will be no easy feat but I suspect we'll see a stronger side for some reason. The winner will face Huddersfield in the 4th round. Don't know about you but I really fancy that at the Emirates. Let's make sure it happens. Benik Afobe says he won't play against us should it pan out that way. spaeking of Afobe, he has agreed to extend his loan at the Galpharm Stadium until the end of the season. Anyway we've got a big game tomorrow night to focus on, hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with a detailed preview of that. I'm hearing the reserve team captain Miquel is in the squad again.
Now for the latest on our transfer targets. Its obvious we're going to have to dip into the market this month for a centre-back. Squillaci suffered a hamstring injury against Leeds on Saturday and will be out for a minimum of two weeks. We all know the story with Vermaelen. He just can't seem to get on with his rehabilitation without suffering a setback. His achilles is meant to be fine but he has this pain which the medical staff can't seem to find the solution to. The boss says he's seeing the best consultants in the world anyway so hopefully the problem will be resolved sooner rather than later. We will have to be prepared for the worst case scenarion though and that being he might well be out for the remainder of the season.
Lots of possible recruitments have been mentioned so far. A lot of you appear keen on Gary Cahill. He has played well over the last two or so years for Bolton but we have to be cautious if we are interested in him. Bolton want upwards on something like £15m. That'a a lot of money to spend on a centre-back and I know for a fact that Arsene will get the blame if he flops. Remember everyone wanted Hangeland last year? We didn't get him and he's been very average this season so we do have to be very careful.
I do have a bit of interesting news on our search for a centre-back over the summer. Our number one target from the beginning was Phil Jagielka. We had a £6m bid rejected by Everton which is understandable because even I know he's worth more than that. They wanted in excess of £12m which we thought was over-priced. Our next target was Per Mertesacker. We had a £10.7m bid rejected and didn't continue our pursuit in him from there although I understand we are still interested in him. No contact has been made with Bremen since the summer though. Milan are also thought to be monitoring his situation. Towards the end of the summer we offered Blackburn £10m for their highly rated youngster Phil Jones. The offer was rebuffed though and we were forced to search elsewhere. We definately won't be going back in for this lad this month as he's out for the remainder of the season. Emir Spahic was another player who Arsenal were after in the summer and we were certainly talking to him. Talks broke down at a pretty early stage though. His form has since dropped and is currently serving a ban for smashing a guy across the face so its hard to see us rekindling our interest there.
Christopher Samba is a player who we could go for this month. We haven't singled our interest yet but he wants out of Blackburn and they would be willing to sell. Personally he's not my first choice but he wouldn't be a bad player to have as back up either. Its hard to see us going for Gary Cahill. We were definately interested in him before but since then we splashed £10m on Koscielny who is similar in age to the Bolton defender. Still wouldn't completely rule it out though. Sol Campbell is a name that has popped up in the last few days. He wants out of Newcastle and they're willing to let him go. I really wouldn't go there unless we were at the stage of panic buying to be honest. He's old and the legs are only getting slower. Not exactly the player you want to call upon when your desperate. There are also unconfirmed reports of a summer bid for AC Milan's Thiago Silva. Appraently if they signed Mertesacker we would look to take the Brazilian off the Italians. We also made a bid for Pepe Reina which Liverpool rejected. That has been a blessing in disguise if you ask me because we have seen Fabianski's true colours this season and of course Szezesny has the scent of the first team.
Its going to be a very interesting transfer market as far as we're concerned. Wenger will act fast in my opinion because of the injury situation and that fact that he generally likes to get the business out of the way as quick as he possibly can. That's all for now folks, may be back tomorrow with a preview of the Ipswich game. Take care.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
City Preview
Evening all,
Tonight's game is huge for us. It dosen't seem to be getting hyped up like our game with Chelsea was. Even some Arsenal fans seem to be taking it as just another game and reckon we should beat City with ease if we play like we did against Chelsea. But that's just the thing. Can we play like we did against Chelsea? Do the players know this game is just as big and City are equally if not more of a threat than Chelsea? I for one am very confident going into this game but I'm also wary.
City have done very well against the top sides since Mancini has taken over. I wouldn't say he's got his tactics spot on against the big teams but he certainly knows how to contain them. Last year he came to the Emirates looking for a 0-0 draw, he got it. This season they kept clean sheets against Chelsea and United at Eastlands by sitting back for the whole game and looking to hit them on the break. We have to be very careful. If we give them a sniff on goal, they will punish us. They have the quality in Johnson and Tevez to do so.
A lot of people are expecting City to come to the Emirates and make a game of it. I've seen predictions such as 3-2 and 5-3. I mean come on people. This is City we're talking about. Mancini is Italian. The Italian way is to first make sure your opponent dosen't score. Despite City being incredibly hard to break down, we're also very hard to contain as many teams have found out this season. Van Persie is finding his feet again, Nasri is on the form of his life, Fabregas appears to have overcome his injury problems and Walcott is eager to keep Arshavin out of the team. If the Arsenal team we all know show up, we could be in for a very pleasant game of football.
Here is how I expect the teams to line out beginning with ourselves of course:
Fabianski
Sagna - Djourou - Koscielny - Clichy
Fabregas - Song - Wilshere
Walcott - Van Persie - Nasri
Yes, its the same team that brushed aside Chelsea and Birmingham so I can see no reason as to why Arsene would make changes. My only worry is Djourou. That boss has, in the past voiced his concerns about the durability of his knee. We still have to be very cautious with him. Its not often he has played a game at the weekend and then again midweek but hopefully he will do this week because he has become a very important player during Vermaelen's absence. Apart from that, I'm quite confident we'll see all the others line out as listed above.
Now for the City side I assume we'll see:
Hart
Boateng - Toure - Kompany - Zabaleta
Milner - Toure - De Jong - Barry - Johnson
Tevez
Don't expect to see free flowing football from this side. Toure, Barry and De Jong will do all they can to frustrate us and that includes kicking lumps out of the likes of Cesc and Nasri. Those three will cap outside our box with Barry and Toure taking turns in aking the odd run forward to see if they can sneak a goal on the break. Some of you may be surprised to see I put Zabaleta at right back rather than Kolarov. Well anyone who watched City host Blackpool on Saturday will know why. Some average player tore gave Kolarov are a torrid time and he was hauled off before the hour mark. Defending clearly isn't his strong point and I can't see Mancini throwing him in there against Walcott tonight. Toure should return to partner Kompany despite his little bust up with Adebayor on the training ground during the week which I found highly amusing. As for the wingers, they do pose a threat but I'm pretty sure Mancini will be drilling it into them that they're first priority is to defend. Up front you have Tevez who we all know is one of the best finishers in the business but I can't see him getting much service tonight. Still, our defenders will need to be on they're toes.
Now I know a few of you have been going crazy about a tweet from Cesc yesterday when he told us not to be surprised if we saw a new player in the team. Well it was directed at Song who seems to have come up with a new funky hairstyle. As far as I know its red and looks crazy. We'll have to wait a couple of hours to see the full extent of the damage.
Aaron Ramsey is back at the club after his loan spell at Forest expired. He didn't get as many games under his belt as we would have liked due to postponements but he will continue his quest to get back to his best with us. A lot of people reckon he's going to come straight back into the squad and do miracles. Sadly, that's not the case, the boss even said today it could take him around two months before he's anywhere near his best and understandably so.
Finally, it looks as if Carlos Vela could be off to Bolton. There have been several rumours floating around regarding his future, including some saying he's set for a permanent move to Spain. Those rumours are complete nonsense. Wenger has high hopes for the Mexican and will only allow him to leave on a loan deal.
That's all for today folks. Back tomorrow with a positive match report I hope.
Till then.
Tonight's game is huge for us. It dosen't seem to be getting hyped up like our game with Chelsea was. Even some Arsenal fans seem to be taking it as just another game and reckon we should beat City with ease if we play like we did against Chelsea. But that's just the thing. Can we play like we did against Chelsea? Do the players know this game is just as big and City are equally if not more of a threat than Chelsea? I for one am very confident going into this game but I'm also wary.
City have done very well against the top sides since Mancini has taken over. I wouldn't say he's got his tactics spot on against the big teams but he certainly knows how to contain them. Last year he came to the Emirates looking for a 0-0 draw, he got it. This season they kept clean sheets against Chelsea and United at Eastlands by sitting back for the whole game and looking to hit them on the break. We have to be very careful. If we give them a sniff on goal, they will punish us. They have the quality in Johnson and Tevez to do so.
A lot of people are expecting City to come to the Emirates and make a game of it. I've seen predictions such as 3-2 and 5-3. I mean come on people. This is City we're talking about. Mancini is Italian. The Italian way is to first make sure your opponent dosen't score. Despite City being incredibly hard to break down, we're also very hard to contain as many teams have found out this season. Van Persie is finding his feet again, Nasri is on the form of his life, Fabregas appears to have overcome his injury problems and Walcott is eager to keep Arshavin out of the team. If the Arsenal team we all know show up, we could be in for a very pleasant game of football.
Here is how I expect the teams to line out beginning with ourselves of course:
Fabianski
Sagna - Djourou - Koscielny - Clichy
Fabregas - Song - Wilshere
Walcott - Van Persie - Nasri
Yes, its the same team that brushed aside Chelsea and Birmingham so I can see no reason as to why Arsene would make changes. My only worry is Djourou. That boss has, in the past voiced his concerns about the durability of his knee. We still have to be very cautious with him. Its not often he has played a game at the weekend and then again midweek but hopefully he will do this week because he has become a very important player during Vermaelen's absence. Apart from that, I'm quite confident we'll see all the others line out as listed above.
Now for the City side I assume we'll see:
Hart
Boateng - Toure - Kompany - Zabaleta
Milner - Toure - De Jong - Barry - Johnson
Tevez
Don't expect to see free flowing football from this side. Toure, Barry and De Jong will do all they can to frustrate us and that includes kicking lumps out of the likes of Cesc and Nasri. Those three will cap outside our box with Barry and Toure taking turns in aking the odd run forward to see if they can sneak a goal on the break. Some of you may be surprised to see I put Zabaleta at right back rather than Kolarov. Well anyone who watched City host Blackpool on Saturday will know why. Some average player tore gave Kolarov are a torrid time and he was hauled off before the hour mark. Defending clearly isn't his strong point and I can't see Mancini throwing him in there against Walcott tonight. Toure should return to partner Kompany despite his little bust up with Adebayor on the training ground during the week which I found highly amusing. As for the wingers, they do pose a threat but I'm pretty sure Mancini will be drilling it into them that they're first priority is to defend. Up front you have Tevez who we all know is one of the best finishers in the business but I can't see him getting much service tonight. Still, our defenders will need to be on they're toes.
Now I know a few of you have been going crazy about a tweet from Cesc yesterday when he told us not to be surprised if we saw a new player in the team. Well it was directed at Song who seems to have come up with a new funky hairstyle. As far as I know its red and looks crazy. We'll have to wait a couple of hours to see the full extent of the damage.
Aaron Ramsey is back at the club after his loan spell at Forest expired. He didn't get as many games under his belt as we would have liked due to postponements but he will continue his quest to get back to his best with us. A lot of people reckon he's going to come straight back into the squad and do miracles. Sadly, that's not the case, the boss even said today it could take him around two months before he's anywhere near his best and understandably so.
Finally, it looks as if Carlos Vela could be off to Bolton. There have been several rumours floating around regarding his future, including some saying he's set for a permanent move to Spain. Those rumours are complete nonsense. Wenger has high hopes for the Mexican and will only allow him to leave on a loan deal.
That's all for today folks. Back tomorrow with a positive match report I hope.
Till then.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Perfect Start To The New Year
Welcome all,
Well I don't think any of us could have asked for a better start to 2011? St Andrews is one of the hardest places to go and get three points but we made it look so so easy. Wenger has come in for critisism this week for resting several players against Wigan. We saw yesterday just why he did it. We were fresh and hungry for goals. Birmingham, who played the exact same eleven that took a point off United Tuesday night, looked tired and lacked ideas throughout the game. You'd be surprised what a good rest can do to the way your perform on the pitch. We have come very close to completing a perfect Christmas. The draw at Wigan was very disappointing but if you offered me seven points out of the last three games I would have bit your hand off.
Prior to the gameI stated that it was a must win obviously because we dropped two valuable points at the DW Stadium midweek. We began this one brightly, Walcott getting the better of Ridgwell before hitting the side net. Van Persie then tested Foster's resolve after being set up by Fabregas. Roger Johnson somehow escaped a red card after he went in to a challenge with Cesc with his studs up. Despite the commentator saying "he went for the ball" it was obvious he also wanted to make his presence known as he caught the Spaniard on the shin. Thankfully though he got up and carried on without making a fuss of the challenge. soon after Van Persie was fouled by Scott Dann outside the box. There didn't seem to be much contact and the Dutchman took the free-kick himself. His shot took a deflection off Lee Bowyer, sent Foster the wrong way and found its way into the back of the net. 1-0 Arsenal. As much as the Brum players were disgusted at the foul which led to the free, it was justice for Johnson's wreckless tackle on Cesc.
Birmingham nearly responded immediately. Fabregas conceded a cheap free-kick just outside the box. Up stepped our former player Sebastien Larsson and he forced a fantastic save from Fabianski. Shortly afterwards we should have made it two. Nasri went on one of his dazzling runs before slipping through Van Persie with a clever pass but he miscontrolled the pass and it rolled harmlessly to Foster. Birmingham were struggling to carve their way through us so they reverted to long balls as expected. We were dealing with them well but got off the hook on one occasion when RVP appeared to handle the ball in the area. Much to our relief the referee waved play away. The Dutchman was at the centre of attention again as he wasted another opportunity. He was set through one on one with Foster again but instead of doing the basic thing and putting his foot through the ball, he decided to try and chip the keeper but didn't get enough height on it and he saved with ease. You get the feeling a Van Persie at 100% would have put away all of these chances. We were very nearly made to pay as Roger Johnson got on the end of another long ball but he blazed over from about six yards. The replays showed he was offside but thankfully we weren't punished.
At half-time the majority of us were worried that we weren't taking our chances and if this continued it would have resulted in similar fashion to previous games at St Andrews. We needed to take our chances. Shortly after the game resumed for the second half Wilshere wasted a magnificent opportunity. Walcott's cross found Nasri who brought it down perfectly for the birthday buy but he blazed over. As my nerves grew and nails began to disappear we soon found the goal we all craved. Nasri and Cesc exchanged passes beautifully before the Frenchman finished past the helpless Foster. 2-0 and I was dreaming of a long awaited victory at St Andrews.
Eight minutes later we wrapped up the three points in somewhat bizarre fashion. Nasri picked the ball up in the box, he slid through Fabregas who shot from a narrow angle, Foster saved and the ball rebounded off Dann and then Johnson and somehow found its way into the net. It was quite hilarious and you did have to laugh as you celebrated at that massive cunt Johnson. In previous games you still felt nervous when we were 3-0 just because of our past. But now you get the feeling lessons have been learned and the boss has a good idea of what his X1 is. We could have had more if Fabregas, Walcott and Van Persie were a bit more clinical in front of goal but 3-0 was more than expected and capped off a truly magnificent display. Birmingham did all they could to try and stop us playing. The pitch was awful and I'm pretty sure instructions were given to the ground staff to have it that way. There were also several challenges from the opposition which should be reviewed and will be if the FA have any sense. Lee Bowyer took two swipes at Sagna yesterday. One was a stamp and would have definately been a straight red had the referee seen it. Cameron Jerome also tried to play Mr innocent as he trodded on Koscielny's ankle. These thugs will get their come uppings hopefully.
Let's not take the shine off what was a performance full of steel and resilliance. That was our first clean sheet in a long time and its not just coincidence that they come around when Djourou plays. I have to say now that the Squillaci - Koscielny partnership is one that should be avoided. they are both defenders I like but they're also both generally small for centre halves and lack Premier League experience. Djourou has all the aspects of a quality centre-back. I'm actually shocked at how much progress he has made in the last few years. I honestly looked upon him as just another Justin Hoyte who we would try and make money out of. Clearly this lad is determined to make it at the top level. Its a pity he stuggles to play two games back to back but I'm sure he'll be 100% soon.
Anyway here are the plater ratings from yesterday's game:
Fabianski: 7 - Wasnt too busy but made a brilliant save just after we scored.
Sagna: 7 - I said he's the best right-back in the Premier League and I've been proven right.
Djourou: 7 - Another solid display, improving with every game.
Koscielny: 7 - I thought he'd struggle against Birmingham's big players but he put in another sturdy display.
Clichy: 7 - Reasonably untroubled but solid throughout.
Song: 7 - Beginning to remember he's actually a holding midfielder again. Played well and broke up the play.
Wilshere: 7 - The birthday boy impressed once again but should have scored.
Fabregas: 8 - Looks to be finally over his injury worries. Brilliant and gets my man of the match.
Nasri: 8 - Another sublime display. Just behind Cesc for man of the match.
Walcott: 7 - Caused Ridgwell problems.
Van Persie: 7 - Scored but should have had a lot more.
Subs:
Denilson: 6 - Did his job.
Arshavin: 7 - Realises he's got a lot to do to get on the team. Nearly scored.
The big games just keep on coming now. We've got a huge game against City Wednesday night at the Grove and then we entertain Leeds in the FA Cup. Two games I'm confident we can win if and that's a big if, we play the way we have recently. Otherwise question marks will resurface about this team.
Arsene has been speaking about transfers again:
“I haven’t ruled out signings,” he said at Friday’s press conference. “If I have an outstanding opportunity, maybe I will take it.
“I do not want to sit here and say we won’t, then people can come back and say ‘but you said you wouldn’t sign anyone’.
“There’s still a big chance we won’t sign anyone because it’s difficult to find better players than what we have, but if there’s an exceptional opportunity, you never know.”
We shouldn't expect anything to be honest. In my opinion we've got great strenght in areas all over the pitch. Enough to cope if we're hit with a similar injury crisis to that we suffered last season. Its always nice to get a few fresh faces in though so if Arsene feels the need to open the wallet, I won't complain. Anyway I think I've blabbered enough for one day. Back soon.
Well I don't think any of us could have asked for a better start to 2011? St Andrews is one of the hardest places to go and get three points but we made it look so so easy. Wenger has come in for critisism this week for resting several players against Wigan. We saw yesterday just why he did it. We were fresh and hungry for goals. Birmingham, who played the exact same eleven that took a point off United Tuesday night, looked tired and lacked ideas throughout the game. You'd be surprised what a good rest can do to the way your perform on the pitch. We have come very close to completing a perfect Christmas. The draw at Wigan was very disappointing but if you offered me seven points out of the last three games I would have bit your hand off.
Prior to the gameI stated that it was a must win obviously because we dropped two valuable points at the DW Stadium midweek. We began this one brightly, Walcott getting the better of Ridgwell before hitting the side net. Van Persie then tested Foster's resolve after being set up by Fabregas. Roger Johnson somehow escaped a red card after he went in to a challenge with Cesc with his studs up. Despite the commentator saying "he went for the ball" it was obvious he also wanted to make his presence known as he caught the Spaniard on the shin. Thankfully though he got up and carried on without making a fuss of the challenge. soon after Van Persie was fouled by Scott Dann outside the box. There didn't seem to be much contact and the Dutchman took the free-kick himself. His shot took a deflection off Lee Bowyer, sent Foster the wrong way and found its way into the back of the net. 1-0 Arsenal. As much as the Brum players were disgusted at the foul which led to the free, it was justice for Johnson's wreckless tackle on Cesc.
Birmingham nearly responded immediately. Fabregas conceded a cheap free-kick just outside the box. Up stepped our former player Sebastien Larsson and he forced a fantastic save from Fabianski. Shortly afterwards we should have made it two. Nasri went on one of his dazzling runs before slipping through Van Persie with a clever pass but he miscontrolled the pass and it rolled harmlessly to Foster. Birmingham were struggling to carve their way through us so they reverted to long balls as expected. We were dealing with them well but got off the hook on one occasion when RVP appeared to handle the ball in the area. Much to our relief the referee waved play away. The Dutchman was at the centre of attention again as he wasted another opportunity. He was set through one on one with Foster again but instead of doing the basic thing and putting his foot through the ball, he decided to try and chip the keeper but didn't get enough height on it and he saved with ease. You get the feeling a Van Persie at 100% would have put away all of these chances. We were very nearly made to pay as Roger Johnson got on the end of another long ball but he blazed over from about six yards. The replays showed he was offside but thankfully we weren't punished.
At half-time the majority of us were worried that we weren't taking our chances and if this continued it would have resulted in similar fashion to previous games at St Andrews. We needed to take our chances. Shortly after the game resumed for the second half Wilshere wasted a magnificent opportunity. Walcott's cross found Nasri who brought it down perfectly for the birthday buy but he blazed over. As my nerves grew and nails began to disappear we soon found the goal we all craved. Nasri and Cesc exchanged passes beautifully before the Frenchman finished past the helpless Foster. 2-0 and I was dreaming of a long awaited victory at St Andrews.
Eight minutes later we wrapped up the three points in somewhat bizarre fashion. Nasri picked the ball up in the box, he slid through Fabregas who shot from a narrow angle, Foster saved and the ball rebounded off Dann and then Johnson and somehow found its way into the net. It was quite hilarious and you did have to laugh as you celebrated at that massive cunt Johnson. In previous games you still felt nervous when we were 3-0 just because of our past. But now you get the feeling lessons have been learned and the boss has a good idea of what his X1 is. We could have had more if Fabregas, Walcott and Van Persie were a bit more clinical in front of goal but 3-0 was more than expected and capped off a truly magnificent display. Birmingham did all they could to try and stop us playing. The pitch was awful and I'm pretty sure instructions were given to the ground staff to have it that way. There were also several challenges from the opposition which should be reviewed and will be if the FA have any sense. Lee Bowyer took two swipes at Sagna yesterday. One was a stamp and would have definately been a straight red had the referee seen it. Cameron Jerome also tried to play Mr innocent as he trodded on Koscielny's ankle. These thugs will get their come uppings hopefully.
Let's not take the shine off what was a performance full of steel and resilliance. That was our first clean sheet in a long time and its not just coincidence that they come around when Djourou plays. I have to say now that the Squillaci - Koscielny partnership is one that should be avoided. they are both defenders I like but they're also both generally small for centre halves and lack Premier League experience. Djourou has all the aspects of a quality centre-back. I'm actually shocked at how much progress he has made in the last few years. I honestly looked upon him as just another Justin Hoyte who we would try and make money out of. Clearly this lad is determined to make it at the top level. Its a pity he stuggles to play two games back to back but I'm sure he'll be 100% soon.
Anyway here are the plater ratings from yesterday's game:
Fabianski: 7 - Wasnt too busy but made a brilliant save just after we scored.
Sagna: 7 - I said he's the best right-back in the Premier League and I've been proven right.
Djourou: 7 - Another solid display, improving with every game.
Koscielny: 7 - I thought he'd struggle against Birmingham's big players but he put in another sturdy display.
Clichy: 7 - Reasonably untroubled but solid throughout.
Song: 7 - Beginning to remember he's actually a holding midfielder again. Played well and broke up the play.
Wilshere: 7 - The birthday boy impressed once again but should have scored.
Fabregas: 8 - Looks to be finally over his injury worries. Brilliant and gets my man of the match.
Nasri: 8 - Another sublime display. Just behind Cesc for man of the match.
Walcott: 7 - Caused Ridgwell problems.
Van Persie: 7 - Scored but should have had a lot more.
Subs:
Denilson: 6 - Did his job.
Arshavin: 7 - Realises he's got a lot to do to get on the team. Nearly scored.
The big games just keep on coming now. We've got a huge game against City Wednesday night at the Grove and then we entertain Leeds in the FA Cup. Two games I'm confident we can win if and that's a big if, we play the way we have recently. Otherwise question marks will resurface about this team.
Arsene has been speaking about transfers again:
“I haven’t ruled out signings,” he said at Friday’s press conference. “If I have an outstanding opportunity, maybe I will take it.
“I do not want to sit here and say we won’t, then people can come back and say ‘but you said you wouldn’t sign anyone’.
“There’s still a big chance we won’t sign anyone because it’s difficult to find better players than what we have, but if there’s an exceptional opportunity, you never know.”
We shouldn't expect anything to be honest. In my opinion we've got great strenght in areas all over the pitch. Enough to cope if we're hit with a similar injury crisis to that we suffered last season. Its always nice to get a few fresh faces in though so if Arsene feels the need to open the wallet, I won't complain. Anyway I think I've blabbered enough for one day. Back soon.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Birmingham Preview
Afternoon all,
Apologies for not blogging yesterday. I forgot it was new year's eve (silly me) and I ended up celebrating a little wildly if you will, to give 2010 a good send off. On that note I'd like to wish everyone a year full of happiness, health and of course success for the Arsenal. The celebrations are over now though and its back to reality. We take on Brum at St Andrews today in what promises to be a very difficult game. Last I checked they'd only lost once at home this season so we will need to be at our best.
We have dark memories of going down to their place. Two years ago obviously there was the horrific injury to Eduardo followed by Birmingham's late fightback to nick a point which resulted in Gallas crying on the pitch. Last season we were frustrated again as Kevin Phillips netted in the last minute thanks to another howler from Almunia. However, I'm slightly more confident going into this one. We're a far stronger team this season, we welcome back players who starred against Chelsea and of course we have a pretty good record away from home. I know we've beaten the Blues at home rather easily the past few seasons but I'd love to get one over them at their place. We haven't beaten them at St Andrews since 2006 I think when Henry scored and Adebayor made his debut.
With United snatching a poxy win this morning our game has basically become a must win. We cannot afford to carry on dropping points to smaller teams. This is a crucial month in the title race. United have another easy three points on Tuesday night when they host Stoke who we know will just go there and bend over. We entertain City which is another massive game that I'm confident we can win if we play like we did against Chelsea.
Anyway, we welcome back Cesc, Song and Van Persie today. Diaby of course is out for another couple of weeks which is really frustrating but all we can do is back him to get back to his best as soon as possible. Here's how I see us lining out:
Fabianski
Sagna - Djourou - Koscielny - Clichy
Fabregas - Song - Wilshere
Walcott - Van Persie - Nasri
When you look at that team, all you want to do is drule. We have quality in every position. I just hope that's the team Arsene opts for. The majority of them should be fresh and raring to go having been rested against Wigan midweek. If we can play our game and close Birmingham down then there should only be one winner unless Phillips comes on again and pounces on an absolute howler from Fabianski heh. Surely Djourou will start. He has been our most consistant centre-back this season, one of few players not to receive any critisism so far. The only problem with him is that he struggles to play games back to back which is a big problem when your a centre-back because its ideal to have a partnership. Its not exactly a position you like to rotate.
As for the Birmingham team:
Foster
Carr - Johnson - Dann - Ridgewell
Larsson - Gardner - Ferguson - Bowyer - Hleb
Jerome
I'm expecting the Blues to make it as hard as possible for us by packing the midfield. Bowyer, Ferguson and Gardner love a crunching tackle so we'll have to be quick and disciplined. By the way McLeish was talking during the week it seems he may give our old friend Hleb the nod. He'll be wanting to prove a point against us, as will Larsson. Up front you have Cameron Jerome who has been pretty ineffective for the Blues in recent weeks but I wouldn't be surprised if he ended his bad run of form against us. It would be typical wouldn't it? That defence is so hard to break down and then you have Foster in goal who has been magnificent for them this season. But its like I said, if we can play the way we know we're capable of, then we should run out comfortable winners.
A quick round up of other news now and I'll start by wishing our Jack Wilshere a happy birthday. He's 19 today, surprising I know considering how good he's been for us. Its easy to forget he's that young so hopefully we'll be seeing him wearing the Arsenal colours for years to come.
Elsewhere Wenger confirmed Emmanuel Eboue has signed a new contract. I'm hearing the deal runs until 2014 and its a big boost. He's a fantastic lad to have around, always optimistic and can do a job on the pitch. Apparently he actually signed the deal a few months ago but I'm not too sure about it. Strange if its true though. Wenger followed up this great news with more great news. He fully expects Pat rice to stay with us beyond the summer. Rumours were floating around that this would be his final year but clearly that dosen't appear to be the case. Pat has been a fantastic servant to this club and I'd be more than happy to have him around the place in the coming years. The good news dosen't end there. I'm hearing we are working on new deals for Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri. If we can tie both of them up to long term contracts, it would be a
very big boost indeed.
Small transfer round up now. Carlos Vela looks set to go out on loan. All the journalists saying he would join Espanyol or Valencia for £7m were talking thrash. He might even join a Premier League club for the remainder of the season which would be great. A club like West Brom who play attractive football would be best suited to him and based on today, they could do with a finisher. Vito Mannone has returned to the club because he's injured and Hull City have already signed Brad Guzan on loan. If Wenger decides against loaning Mannone out again you do wonder if that means the end for Almunia. I'm hearing a lot of rumours regarding his future so I won't comment on it until I have solid news. Finally when Arsene was asked about signing anyone in January he replied:
"There's a big chance we won't sign anyone because it's difficult to find better players than what we have, but if there's an exceptional opportunity, you never know."
That's it for today folks. I could be back later with a match report on the game. If not, we'll chat tomorrow.
Later.
Apologies for not blogging yesterday. I forgot it was new year's eve (silly me) and I ended up celebrating a little wildly if you will, to give 2010 a good send off. On that note I'd like to wish everyone a year full of happiness, health and of course success for the Arsenal. The celebrations are over now though and its back to reality. We take on Brum at St Andrews today in what promises to be a very difficult game. Last I checked they'd only lost once at home this season so we will need to be at our best.
We have dark memories of going down to their place. Two years ago obviously there was the horrific injury to Eduardo followed by Birmingham's late fightback to nick a point which resulted in Gallas crying on the pitch. Last season we were frustrated again as Kevin Phillips netted in the last minute thanks to another howler from Almunia. However, I'm slightly more confident going into this one. We're a far stronger team this season, we welcome back players who starred against Chelsea and of course we have a pretty good record away from home. I know we've beaten the Blues at home rather easily the past few seasons but I'd love to get one over them at their place. We haven't beaten them at St Andrews since 2006 I think when Henry scored and Adebayor made his debut.
With United snatching a poxy win this morning our game has basically become a must win. We cannot afford to carry on dropping points to smaller teams. This is a crucial month in the title race. United have another easy three points on Tuesday night when they host Stoke who we know will just go there and bend over. We entertain City which is another massive game that I'm confident we can win if we play like we did against Chelsea.
Anyway, we welcome back Cesc, Song and Van Persie today. Diaby of course is out for another couple of weeks which is really frustrating but all we can do is back him to get back to his best as soon as possible. Here's how I see us lining out:
Fabianski
Sagna - Djourou - Koscielny - Clichy
Fabregas - Song - Wilshere
Walcott - Van Persie - Nasri
When you look at that team, all you want to do is drule. We have quality in every position. I just hope that's the team Arsene opts for. The majority of them should be fresh and raring to go having been rested against Wigan midweek. If we can play our game and close Birmingham down then there should only be one winner unless Phillips comes on again and pounces on an absolute howler from Fabianski heh. Surely Djourou will start. He has been our most consistant centre-back this season, one of few players not to receive any critisism so far. The only problem with him is that he struggles to play games back to back which is a big problem when your a centre-back because its ideal to have a partnership. Its not exactly a position you like to rotate.
As for the Birmingham team:
Foster
Carr - Johnson - Dann - Ridgewell
Larsson - Gardner - Ferguson - Bowyer - Hleb
Jerome
I'm expecting the Blues to make it as hard as possible for us by packing the midfield. Bowyer, Ferguson and Gardner love a crunching tackle so we'll have to be quick and disciplined. By the way McLeish was talking during the week it seems he may give our old friend Hleb the nod. He'll be wanting to prove a point against us, as will Larsson. Up front you have Cameron Jerome who has been pretty ineffective for the Blues in recent weeks but I wouldn't be surprised if he ended his bad run of form against us. It would be typical wouldn't it? That defence is so hard to break down and then you have Foster in goal who has been magnificent for them this season. But its like I said, if we can play the way we know we're capable of, then we should run out comfortable winners.
A quick round up of other news now and I'll start by wishing our Jack Wilshere a happy birthday. He's 19 today, surprising I know considering how good he's been for us. Its easy to forget he's that young so hopefully we'll be seeing him wearing the Arsenal colours for years to come.
Elsewhere Wenger confirmed Emmanuel Eboue has signed a new contract. I'm hearing the deal runs until 2014 and its a big boost. He's a fantastic lad to have around, always optimistic and can do a job on the pitch. Apparently he actually signed the deal a few months ago but I'm not too sure about it. Strange if its true though. Wenger followed up this great news with more great news. He fully expects Pat rice to stay with us beyond the summer. Rumours were floating around that this would be his final year but clearly that dosen't appear to be the case. Pat has been a fantastic servant to this club and I'd be more than happy to have him around the place in the coming years. The good news dosen't end there. I'm hearing we are working on new deals for Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri. If we can tie both of them up to long term contracts, it would be a
very big boost indeed.
Small transfer round up now. Carlos Vela looks set to go out on loan. All the journalists saying he would join Espanyol or Valencia for £7m were talking thrash. He might even join a Premier League club for the remainder of the season which would be great. A club like West Brom who play attractive football would be best suited to him and based on today, they could do with a finisher. Vito Mannone has returned to the club because he's injured and Hull City have already signed Brad Guzan on loan. If Wenger decides against loaning Mannone out again you do wonder if that means the end for Almunia. I'm hearing a lot of rumours regarding his future so I won't comment on it until I have solid news. Finally when Arsene was asked about signing anyone in January he replied:
"There's a big chance we won't sign anyone because it's difficult to find better players than what we have, but if there's an exceptional opportunity, you never know."
That's it for today folks. I could be back later with a match report on the game. If not, we'll chat tomorrow.
Later.
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