Evening,
Last night we picked up what could be a crucial three points in the hunt for the title. We played nowhere near our best but the attitude was spot on and that's all that matters as far as I'm concerned. Stoke came with a plan to frustrate us which was clear from the start. That plan didn't pan out as they would have liked as they were 1-0 down less than ten minutes into the game. Bendtner did brilliantly to win a corner off Huth, Wilshere took it and found Bendtner who dinked it across the face of the goal for Squillaci to head in. A rare Premier League start and goal for the Frenchman.
It had been a flying start from our men. Squillaci's goal came just after Walcott had hit the post. Unfortunately there was bad news to follow. Only fifteen minutes into the game Cesc pulled up with a hamstring injury and was taken off. He wasn't limping but it is still thought to be serious. More on that later. Cesc's departure seemed to take the sting out of our attacking play. We no longer looked dangerous going forward, the play was flat and you just had to be grateful that we went 1-0 up before Cesc went off.
The loss of Cesc seemed to spurn Stoke on a bit and I mean only a bit because they had been pretty rubbish apart from their defence. John Carew took advantage of a loose ball and forced Szezesny into a brilliant save. Despite their mini revival we still looked comfortable at the back, any worries about Squillaci were quickly fading, the goal seemed to do him the world of good. A Samir Nasri free-kick was just about the only other moment that got the crowd slightly excited in a pretty dull half.
Even though the majority of us were fairly satisfied with the 1-0 lead, the lack of chances after Cesc's substitutions was rather worrying. We needed to rekindle that fire that had seen us destroy so many teams. The absence of our captain and Van Persie would not help our cause however. In the second half the Potters seemed intent on getting our faces and not enjoying as much possession as we did in the first half. They even had a rare goalscoring opportunity when Shawcross' header was blocked by the head of Johan Djourou. What a tragedy it would have been had that moron scored.
Robert Huth probably should have drawn the visitors level when he headed over from close range after another long Delap throw in. Infairness it was the first one we failed to clear, Djourou in particular was attacking every ball that came into the box. Theo Walcott perhaps should have eased our nerves when Arshavin superby flicked the ball past Shawcross and pulled it back to Theo but he sliced his effort well wide of goal. It wasn't the most entertaining of night and we were given a further blow when Walcott went down clutching his ankle. He looked in a lot of discomfort and was stretchered off with just over twenty minutes remaining. I'll come back to the latest on him and Cesc.
I expected to see Chamakh replace him but Arsene opted for Denilson instead, clearly taking no risks. Nicklas Bendtner had a chance to kill the game but he headed Jack Wilshere's corner well over the bar. Shortly afterwards he was replaced by Chamakh who is looking to recapture some of the early season form that saw plenty of praise heaped on him. The players kept the ball well for the remainder of the game despite a late scare when Jermaine Pennant when close with a free-kick but it hit the side netting which was about as good as it got for Stoke. We had to work for our three points but you have to give credit to the players for sticking at it for ninety minutes. In recent times we may have lost focus and dropped points under similar circumstances.
The player ratings are as follows:
Szezesny: 8 - Dealt with every throw in brilliantly and made a terrific save from Carew.
Sagna: 7 - As solid as ever and won some key battles in the air.
Squillaci: 8 - Best game for a long time and scored a crucial goal.
Djourou: 7 - Commanding in the air and never looked threatened.
Clichy: 7 - Quiet but solid game.
Song: 7 - Sat in front of the defence and did his job.
Wilshere: 8 - Ran the show once more. Such a good role model for any other young player out there.
Fabregas: 5 - Played only a quarter of the game before going off injured. Looked lively up until then.
Nasri: 7 - At the heart of nearly every attack but failed to create much due to resiliant defending.
Walcott: 6 - Unlucky not to score inside the first minutes. Stretchered off injured in the end unfortunately.
Bendtner: 7 - Worked his socks off and played a key role in the goal. Won corner and then set up Squillaci.
Subs:
Arshavin: 7 - Very lively and flashes of his old brilliance.
Denilson: 6 - Retained possession well.
Chamakh: 6 - Not much time to make an impact but some nice touches.
We've now moved to within a point of United. They have a game in hand which is Wigan at the DW Stadium this weekend in a game you'd think they should win but we also thought they would easily beat Wolves. Wigan are the most unpredictable side in the Premier League in my opinion and they could either frighten the life out of United or roll over and get hammered. We won't get our hopes up that's for sure.
Now as I've been writing this blog I've just learned of the news that Cesc Fabregas will miss Sunday's cup final. I can't explain how big a blow this is on so many levels. First of all for the player himself, he's been waiting for this moment for so long now and for it to be ruined by a stupid hamstring injury just about sums up his and our own luck over the past five or so years. I'm still think he will lift the trophy should we win it but this missing the game itself will be killing him even if he dosen't show it. Now think of the boost this will give the Birmingham City players. They would have been dreading the thought of a full strenght Arsenal team going at them but now that we're missing our most influential player they'll certainly fancy their chances of causing a major upset. Aswell as Cesc we'll be without Theo Walcott. Two massive players have just been taken out of this Arsenal team. Cesc has incredible vision and can split any team apart with his fantastic passing ability while Theo gives us width and can stretch any defence and out run any player. The next question is will they be out for the Barcelona game? The boss says Theo could be out for a few weeks so that obviously throws his involvement into serious doubt while nobody knows the exact extent of Cesc's injury but it is thought to be short-term. If I hear anything else I'll inform you via my Twitter account @ArsenesArmy.
On the bright side Van Persie, Koscielny and Diaby will all return. I doubt Diaby will start but its no harm having him in the squad. Van Persie and Koscielny are two massive players for us as I explained in yesterday's blog. When Van Persie is out we don't score as much, when Koscielny is out we concede a lot more, enough said. Anyway, I'm trying not to let recent injuries to key players dampen my mood going into Sunday's game. No doubt we won't be as confident as we were yesterday but that's football for you, just never know what is around the corner. We've still got a squad full of players more than capable of putting the Blues to the sword. More on the cup final in the coming todays, I think I've said for one day.
Till next time.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Stoke Rugby Club Preview
Afternon readers,
We're back in Premier League action tonight and I don't think a lot of people realize how big a game this is in our season. A lot of minds are at Wembley on Sunday, I just hope the players are fully focused on this game. If we win it will put massive pressure on Man.United not to drop any points as they play Wigan, Chelsea and Liverpool over the next few weeks. Its an exciting time for us because this is the part of the season where many of us saw Arsenal taking advantage of United's difficult run of fixtures. We have to do our part though, Stoke as much as we hate them are a good side on their day and if we allw them to score first then we could be in for a very difficult evening.
Of course past events make this game all the more interesting but its important the players keep focus and don't get carried away. There might well be some crunching tackles out there tonight. No doubt the home fans will attempt to jump at the chance to yell at every Stoke player. I have no problem with that. My only concern is that ur players get involved in the tustle. Perhaps its a good thing that Diaby is suspended for this game because we all know his fuse has been trimmed lately.
The team news isn't as promising as we would have liked. Robin Van Persie has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. The boss says its short term and he's in with a chance of starting Sunday's cup final. Laurent Koscielny has also been ruled out with a back injury but he too could make Sunday's game. Diaby is suspended but would have been out anyway due to a calf strain, I'm not too sure about the extent of his injury. The injuries to Van Persie and Koscielny are massive blows I must say. Both have recently been playing the best football of their careers in my opinion and against a stubborn side like Stoke, you really could do with having your best players at your disposal.
I do think we can manage. This is how I see us lining up tonight:
Szezesny
Sagna - Djourou - Squillaci - Clichy
Fabregas - Song - Wilshere
Walcott - Bendtner - Nasri
People who think Walcott should play in the middle need to take a look at who we're playing. Shawcross and Huth would bully him all day. This game is perfectly suited for Bendtner, I know he's been playing on the right a lot lately and has done a decent job but he can be equally if not more effective in the centre. In fact he scored a terrific header against Stoke last season at the Britannia which set us on our way to a remarkable victory given the circumstances. If it wasn't for Djourou recovering from his back injury we might well have been looking at a Song - Squillaci partnership which would make anyone go to town in their underwear. If I had to chose a partner for Squillaci out of Djourou and Koscielny it would definately be the Swiss man. Look back to the start of the season and they were pretty solid together keeping clean sheets against Manchester City, West Ham and Wolves. They've got a major task on their hands trying to keep out the big duo of Kenwyne Jones and John Carew but I think they can if both bring their A-game.
As for the Stoke line up, heres how I think it will pan out:
Begovic
Wilkinson - Shawcross - Huth - Collins
Pennant - Whitehead - Wilson - Delap
Jones - Carew
Etherington is a major doubt which will do us no harm because he has been having a decent season up till now. I don't see a whole pile of danger in that midfield. Pennant is fast but I think Clichy is more than equipped to handle him. The only reason Delap is still a professional footballer is because of his long throws it seems. Laugh all you want its still a pretty effective tactic and we have got to be prepared for it. This is where Bendtner could come in handy too should he start. Up front you have Jones and Carew. I've already mentioned the threat posed by their strenght and height. When the ball is on the ground they aren't the most lethal of strikers you'll ever come across. Song may need to do some extra covering tonight.
Another man who may have a part to play tonight is Andrey Arshavin. The Russian has been speaking about how criticism dented his confidence but is delighted to be back to his best now.
"I think it was a combination, my form and they [the media] chased me a little bit as well," said Arshavin.
"Normally everyone expects something more from me and that is good to hear, because only from good players does someone expects something."
As happy as I am to see him finding his feet again I still think he has a lot of work to do to force his way back into the first team. Walcott and Nasri occupy his preferred positions and those two have been sensational for us this season. It may take an injury (God forbid) for him to be given a good run in the team. Still, he can make a huge impact off the bench as we've seen against Everton and most notably Barcelona.
I think I'll leave it there for today. Its a night where patience may be required but we'll stay behind the players for the whole 90 minutes and boo Shawcross till he cries heh. Speaking of Shawcross, check out this video I came across earlier. For some reason I think you'll like it: http://twitvid.com/7VIBG .
Anyway, enjoy the game folks, back tomorrow with a positive match report I hope!
Till then.
We're back in Premier League action tonight and I don't think a lot of people realize how big a game this is in our season. A lot of minds are at Wembley on Sunday, I just hope the players are fully focused on this game. If we win it will put massive pressure on Man.United not to drop any points as they play Wigan, Chelsea and Liverpool over the next few weeks. Its an exciting time for us because this is the part of the season where many of us saw Arsenal taking advantage of United's difficult run of fixtures. We have to do our part though, Stoke as much as we hate them are a good side on their day and if we allw them to score first then we could be in for a very difficult evening.
Of course past events make this game all the more interesting but its important the players keep focus and don't get carried away. There might well be some crunching tackles out there tonight. No doubt the home fans will attempt to jump at the chance to yell at every Stoke player. I have no problem with that. My only concern is that ur players get involved in the tustle. Perhaps its a good thing that Diaby is suspended for this game because we all know his fuse has been trimmed lately.
The team news isn't as promising as we would have liked. Robin Van Persie has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. The boss says its short term and he's in with a chance of starting Sunday's cup final. Laurent Koscielny has also been ruled out with a back injury but he too could make Sunday's game. Diaby is suspended but would have been out anyway due to a calf strain, I'm not too sure about the extent of his injury. The injuries to Van Persie and Koscielny are massive blows I must say. Both have recently been playing the best football of their careers in my opinion and against a stubborn side like Stoke, you really could do with having your best players at your disposal.
I do think we can manage. This is how I see us lining up tonight:
Szezesny
Sagna - Djourou - Squillaci - Clichy
Fabregas - Song - Wilshere
Walcott - Bendtner - Nasri
People who think Walcott should play in the middle need to take a look at who we're playing. Shawcross and Huth would bully him all day. This game is perfectly suited for Bendtner, I know he's been playing on the right a lot lately and has done a decent job but he can be equally if not more effective in the centre. In fact he scored a terrific header against Stoke last season at the Britannia which set us on our way to a remarkable victory given the circumstances. If it wasn't for Djourou recovering from his back injury we might well have been looking at a Song - Squillaci partnership which would make anyone go to town in their underwear. If I had to chose a partner for Squillaci out of Djourou and Koscielny it would definately be the Swiss man. Look back to the start of the season and they were pretty solid together keeping clean sheets against Manchester City, West Ham and Wolves. They've got a major task on their hands trying to keep out the big duo of Kenwyne Jones and John Carew but I think they can if both bring their A-game.
As for the Stoke line up, heres how I think it will pan out:
Begovic
Wilkinson - Shawcross - Huth - Collins
Pennant - Whitehead - Wilson - Delap
Jones - Carew
Etherington is a major doubt which will do us no harm because he has been having a decent season up till now. I don't see a whole pile of danger in that midfield. Pennant is fast but I think Clichy is more than equipped to handle him. The only reason Delap is still a professional footballer is because of his long throws it seems. Laugh all you want its still a pretty effective tactic and we have got to be prepared for it. This is where Bendtner could come in handy too should he start. Up front you have Jones and Carew. I've already mentioned the threat posed by their strenght and height. When the ball is on the ground they aren't the most lethal of strikers you'll ever come across. Song may need to do some extra covering tonight.
Another man who may have a part to play tonight is Andrey Arshavin. The Russian has been speaking about how criticism dented his confidence but is delighted to be back to his best now.
"I think it was a combination, my form and they [the media] chased me a little bit as well," said Arshavin.
"Normally everyone expects something more from me and that is good to hear, because only from good players does someone expects something."
As happy as I am to see him finding his feet again I still think he has a lot of work to do to force his way back into the first team. Walcott and Nasri occupy his preferred positions and those two have been sensational for us this season. It may take an injury (God forbid) for him to be given a good run in the team. Still, he can make a huge impact off the bench as we've seen against Everton and most notably Barcelona.
I think I'll leave it there for today. Its a night where patience may be required but we'll stay behind the players for the whole 90 minutes and boo Shawcross till he cries heh. Speaking of Shawcross, check out this video I came across earlier. For some reason I think you'll like it: http://twitvid.com/7VIBG .
Anyway, enjoy the game folks, back tomorrow with a positive match report I hope!
Till then.
Monday, February 21, 2011
The Blogger Is Back!
Afternoon!
Well its been quite a bit since I last posted a blog so I said I'd get back into the thick of things today while I'm off work. Sincere apologies for that, I know it can be annoying not knowing when someone is going to post a blog but I'll try to get it going on a regular basis again now. I haven't stopped tweeting so if you follow me you'll already be familiar with my thought with the latest happenings in the club. My last post was just after the Wigan game and I'm not going to go over every single game in detail since then but I will give you a quick recap and of course my own opinion on those games.
So where were we? Ah yes, after Wigan came the massive game against Ipswich Town in the Carling Cup second leg. We were 1-0 down from the first leg after a terrible lacklustre display at Portman Road. I still recall the feeling of nervousness going into that game. They had made public their plan to "park the bus" and I was worried it was going to be one of those nights where their keeper has the game of his life and our entire team leave their shooting boots at home. Thankfully, this wasn't the case. At half-time I was on the verge of pissing blood but early in the second half Nicklas Bendtner calmed all the nerves with a terrific goal. Shortly afterwards an Andrey Arshavin corner was met by the head of Laurent Koscielny who's bullet header left the Ipswich keeper helpless. Yet still, there was no time to relax as one goal from the away side would have meant extra-time and if both sides failed to score then the Tractor Boys would have been marching on to Wembley. Strange rules I know but we needed another goal just to be assured. That goal came soon enough from none other than captain fantastic as he was set through by Arshavin and finished well. It was a tie we made hard work of but you just have to be happy we're in the final.
Next up was Huddersfield Town at the Emirates in the FA Cup in a game many would have expected to be a walk in the park but it didn't quite pan out that way. We did make a bright start as Nicklas Bendtner's deflected shot just over 20 minutes in gave us the lead. At that stage you felt it was a matter of going up a gear and finishing them off but as the game went on the lower league side grew in confidence and it ended up being quite a tasty cup affair. Squillaci was sent off not long before half-time which didn't help matters at all and its fair to say they took the game to us after that. With less than a half an hour to go they equalised and you couldn't say it wasn't coming after a long spell of pressure. We were very much in danger of being knocked out of the FA Cup but the introduction of Cesc Fabregas saved the day once again as he converted from the penalty spot. Relief all round.
A midweek game against Everton at the Emirates was next in line. The Blues were on a pretty poor run of form but have a habit of producing top displays against the bigger sides out of nowhere. The evening looked to be turning sour early on as Louis Saha's strike was somehow not ruled out for offside. The goal rightly had Arsenal players fuming at the referee and the linesman but they came to the laughable conclusion that Saha was perfectly onside. It was going to take massive character for the players to drag themselves back into this game and Everton are quite a resiliant side when it comes to defending leads but we showed our true colours as Andrey Arshavin pounced upon a mistimed header back to Tim Howard and minutes later Laurent Koscielny put us head to spark wild celabrations inside the Emirates. It was a massive win end of story. I could go on about David Moyes' bitching after the game about Cesc but I won't waste my time.
We then went into Saturday's game with Newcastle high on confidence and boy did we show that in the first half at St.James Park as we went 4-0 up. Goals from Walcott, Djourou and a brace from Van Persie looked to have killed the home side off but no one could have predicted what was to come. First of all Johan Djourou had to go off just minutes into the half with a knee injury. If that wasn't bad enough Abou Diaby then got sent off for doing what we'd all love to do to Joey Barton. He grabbed him by the neck and tossed him to the ground. Unfortunately Phil Dowd dosen't condone wrestling and off he went. I might want to re-examine that last statement. Newcastle were awarded a penalty after Koscielny supposedly tripped Leon Best in the box. Barton converted the penalty but what Kevin Nolan did after that was ridiculous. Szezesny, as you can understand was in no hurry to give the ball back so Nolan grabs him in and head lock and pushes him to the ground. It was far worse than what Diaby did yet Dowd trots over and dishes the yellow card in Szezesny's direction, laughable. Worse again, this would only be the beginning of a string of comical decisions from Dowd and his tits. A Leon Best goal 15 minutes from time had the crowd anticipating a comeback but I was still confident our players would see out the job. What I didn't take into consideration was that Phil Dowd was one of the Premier League's worst referees. He awarded another penalty for Newcastle basically because Williamson slipped in the box. After all the laughing had stopped, Barton converted and we were well and truly on the road to meltdown. It was complete minutes from time as Tiote's stunning volley earned the home side an incredible point. Man of the match for me was Dowd for the assists, team of the week stuff I tell ya. Look out for him in future.
Our next game was exactly seven days later. The players had been away on international duty during the week which may have cleared the heads a bit. We simply couldn't afford to slip up at home to Wolves. We'd been let off big time the previous weekend. United and Chelsea had been beaten so after all that camotion, we'd actually gained a point on United and were now only four points off the top. Crazy I know. Anyway, Wolves were the team that actually beat United the previous weekend (heh, invincibles my arse) so they would have gone into this game high on confidence. An early goal would have calmed any nerves after last weekend and perhaps opened the floodgates. That early goal was exactly what we got. A left footed cross from Fabregas and a delightful right footed shot from Van Persie. One weaker foot to another. After that the chances began to flow and we could have found ourselves 4-0 up at half-time, the visitors rarely threatened. The second half was more of the same, chances coming left, right and centre but nobody could convert. Leave it to Van the man to show them how its done. A fast flowing counter attack resulted in Walcott sliding in for the Dutch master who calmly slotted home past the helpless Hennessey. That was that as far as goals were concerened. Three points in the bag and a solid defensive display, what more could you ask?
We all know what was up next. It was the game we'd been anticipating for quite some time. Arsenal vs Barcelona. The kind of game that sent a mixture of andrenaline and nerves down you and made the neutrals literally cream their pants. This season there was more of a "we've got nothing to lose" type attitude. All the pundits had written us off, everyone. We had to go out there, play our game and show Barca that true Arsenal which we didn't show last season. We had made massive progress since last season in many people's eyes including my own. This would be a huge test just to see how much. Barca looked pretty much unstoppable throughout the season. The news we all wanted to hear before kick off was for the boss to confirm that Samir Nasri was starting. He did so and it gave us a much better chance of turning these big mouths on their heads. Barca were without their captain Carlos Puyol which was something of a boost but they had players of equal quality to step in. They dominated in possession for much of the half and the first major opportunity fell to Messi and he dinked the ball over Szezesny but it screened just wide of the post. It was a let off on our part but the Catalans would soon make up for the miss. Messi played Villa through and he finished neatly to give the Spanish giants a big advantage. A response was needed fast but not before we nearly fell two behind but thankfully, Messi's headed goal was ruled out for offside. At half-time you just had to be grateful that we were still in the game. In the second half we saw the Arsenal we all know. The passing was sharper, we closed them down, the defence was better as a unit and Koscielny stuck to Messi like glue. It was brilliant, all that was missing was a reward. That reward came somewhat unexpectedly. A beautiful ball from Gael Clichy put Van Persie into space inside the box and just as you thought he'd square the ball for Bendtner he went for the audacious shot in true RVP style and somehow pulled it off. Goal of a genius and we were right back in this one. The crowd were buzzing and roared the team on everytime they went forward. Barcelona tried to keep the ball to set the game at their pace but they couldn't and we set off on the counter attack again. This was brilliant, Bendtner gave it to Wilshere who played it first time to Cesc who set Nasri on his way to goal with a fantastic pass. Nasri cut back and slid the ball across the box to Arshavin who curled the ball into the back of the net and sent the Emirates crowd wild like I hadn't seen them in a long time. Truly wonderful scenes as the man who had taken so much critisizm over the past couple of months stepped up to the plate when we needed him most. There was still work to do as Szezesny was forced into a couple of saves and a few scrambles in the box but we held out for a famous victory. Wash your eyes all you want people, Arsenal 2-1 Barcelona. To this day I still celebrate when I see the goals going in.
From the buzzing Emirates to the small gloomy Matchroom Stadium. It was a big difference but Wenger had decided to rotate as you would expect. The players that had come in didn't do themselves justice in the previous rounds of the cup against teams like Leeds and Huddersfield. A big improvement was needed from the likes of Squillaci, Denilson and Chamakh, the latter of whom had been so impressive earlier in the season. The pitch wasn't great so it was clear we were going to have to get our hands dirty to come away with the win. Early on we enjoyed some possession but failing to pose any major threat to the home side. Chamakh having the best of very few opportunites. Arshavin again looked lively but not much was coming off for the Russian today, can't question his effort though. The second half was more of the same, were were knocking it around while Orient sat back satisfied with the lack of urgency we showed to get forward. However, shortly into the half we took the lead and it was Rosicky of all people. With the way things were going for the Czech, you'd have put money on Almunia to score before him. His first goal in a million minutes (or something like that). I was delighted for him to get the goal he'd been desperate for. Hopefully that boosts his confidence because his form hasn't been great lately. From there we controlled the game and perhaps should have killed it when Arshavin ran through on goal but his shot hit the post and went wide. Then out of nowhere Orient sub Tehoue somehow managed to dazzle past Gibbs and Miquel and then fired straight through Almunia. Much better to be expected from those three. A very disappointing way to end the game and we now have to play a replay. Many people are complaing of fixture congestion but look at it this way, the likes of Denilson, Chamakh, Squillaci and so on don't get much game time anyway, better have them get 90 minutes under their belt than watch the others play week in week out. That same eleven is more than good enough to kill off Orient back at the Grove. I also thought Miquel was very impressive on his debut for the first team. However, don't get too carried away. It was only a lower league side at the end of the day and stiffer competition awaits.
Anyway, so much for the small recap heh. I think I'll leave the round up there for today. Hopefully (you know you can't trust me) I'll be back tomrrow with a preview of our game with Stoke City Rugby Club.
Till then, enjoy the rest of your day.
Well its been quite a bit since I last posted a blog so I said I'd get back into the thick of things today while I'm off work. Sincere apologies for that, I know it can be annoying not knowing when someone is going to post a blog but I'll try to get it going on a regular basis again now. I haven't stopped tweeting so if you follow me you'll already be familiar with my thought with the latest happenings in the club. My last post was just after the Wigan game and I'm not going to go over every single game in detail since then but I will give you a quick recap and of course my own opinion on those games.
So where were we? Ah yes, after Wigan came the massive game against Ipswich Town in the Carling Cup second leg. We were 1-0 down from the first leg after a terrible lacklustre display at Portman Road. I still recall the feeling of nervousness going into that game. They had made public their plan to "park the bus" and I was worried it was going to be one of those nights where their keeper has the game of his life and our entire team leave their shooting boots at home. Thankfully, this wasn't the case. At half-time I was on the verge of pissing blood but early in the second half Nicklas Bendtner calmed all the nerves with a terrific goal. Shortly afterwards an Andrey Arshavin corner was met by the head of Laurent Koscielny who's bullet header left the Ipswich keeper helpless. Yet still, there was no time to relax as one goal from the away side would have meant extra-time and if both sides failed to score then the Tractor Boys would have been marching on to Wembley. Strange rules I know but we needed another goal just to be assured. That goal came soon enough from none other than captain fantastic as he was set through by Arshavin and finished well. It was a tie we made hard work of but you just have to be happy we're in the final.
Next up was Huddersfield Town at the Emirates in the FA Cup in a game many would have expected to be a walk in the park but it didn't quite pan out that way. We did make a bright start as Nicklas Bendtner's deflected shot just over 20 minutes in gave us the lead. At that stage you felt it was a matter of going up a gear and finishing them off but as the game went on the lower league side grew in confidence and it ended up being quite a tasty cup affair. Squillaci was sent off not long before half-time which didn't help matters at all and its fair to say they took the game to us after that. With less than a half an hour to go they equalised and you couldn't say it wasn't coming after a long spell of pressure. We were very much in danger of being knocked out of the FA Cup but the introduction of Cesc Fabregas saved the day once again as he converted from the penalty spot. Relief all round.
A midweek game against Everton at the Emirates was next in line. The Blues were on a pretty poor run of form but have a habit of producing top displays against the bigger sides out of nowhere. The evening looked to be turning sour early on as Louis Saha's strike was somehow not ruled out for offside. The goal rightly had Arsenal players fuming at the referee and the linesman but they came to the laughable conclusion that Saha was perfectly onside. It was going to take massive character for the players to drag themselves back into this game and Everton are quite a resiliant side when it comes to defending leads but we showed our true colours as Andrey Arshavin pounced upon a mistimed header back to Tim Howard and minutes later Laurent Koscielny put us head to spark wild celabrations inside the Emirates. It was a massive win end of story. I could go on about David Moyes' bitching after the game about Cesc but I won't waste my time.
We then went into Saturday's game with Newcastle high on confidence and boy did we show that in the first half at St.James Park as we went 4-0 up. Goals from Walcott, Djourou and a brace from Van Persie looked to have killed the home side off but no one could have predicted what was to come. First of all Johan Djourou had to go off just minutes into the half with a knee injury. If that wasn't bad enough Abou Diaby then got sent off for doing what we'd all love to do to Joey Barton. He grabbed him by the neck and tossed him to the ground. Unfortunately Phil Dowd dosen't condone wrestling and off he went. I might want to re-examine that last statement. Newcastle were awarded a penalty after Koscielny supposedly tripped Leon Best in the box. Barton converted the penalty but what Kevin Nolan did after that was ridiculous. Szezesny, as you can understand was in no hurry to give the ball back so Nolan grabs him in and head lock and pushes him to the ground. It was far worse than what Diaby did yet Dowd trots over and dishes the yellow card in Szezesny's direction, laughable. Worse again, this would only be the beginning of a string of comical decisions from Dowd and his tits. A Leon Best goal 15 minutes from time had the crowd anticipating a comeback but I was still confident our players would see out the job. What I didn't take into consideration was that Phil Dowd was one of the Premier League's worst referees. He awarded another penalty for Newcastle basically because Williamson slipped in the box. After all the laughing had stopped, Barton converted and we were well and truly on the road to meltdown. It was complete minutes from time as Tiote's stunning volley earned the home side an incredible point. Man of the match for me was Dowd for the assists, team of the week stuff I tell ya. Look out for him in future.
Our next game was exactly seven days later. The players had been away on international duty during the week which may have cleared the heads a bit. We simply couldn't afford to slip up at home to Wolves. We'd been let off big time the previous weekend. United and Chelsea had been beaten so after all that camotion, we'd actually gained a point on United and were now only four points off the top. Crazy I know. Anyway, Wolves were the team that actually beat United the previous weekend (heh, invincibles my arse) so they would have gone into this game high on confidence. An early goal would have calmed any nerves after last weekend and perhaps opened the floodgates. That early goal was exactly what we got. A left footed cross from Fabregas and a delightful right footed shot from Van Persie. One weaker foot to another. After that the chances began to flow and we could have found ourselves 4-0 up at half-time, the visitors rarely threatened. The second half was more of the same, chances coming left, right and centre but nobody could convert. Leave it to Van the man to show them how its done. A fast flowing counter attack resulted in Walcott sliding in for the Dutch master who calmly slotted home past the helpless Hennessey. That was that as far as goals were concerened. Three points in the bag and a solid defensive display, what more could you ask?
We all know what was up next. It was the game we'd been anticipating for quite some time. Arsenal vs Barcelona. The kind of game that sent a mixture of andrenaline and nerves down you and made the neutrals literally cream their pants. This season there was more of a "we've got nothing to lose" type attitude. All the pundits had written us off, everyone. We had to go out there, play our game and show Barca that true Arsenal which we didn't show last season. We had made massive progress since last season in many people's eyes including my own. This would be a huge test just to see how much. Barca looked pretty much unstoppable throughout the season. The news we all wanted to hear before kick off was for the boss to confirm that Samir Nasri was starting. He did so and it gave us a much better chance of turning these big mouths on their heads. Barca were without their captain Carlos Puyol which was something of a boost but they had players of equal quality to step in. They dominated in possession for much of the half and the first major opportunity fell to Messi and he dinked the ball over Szezesny but it screened just wide of the post. It was a let off on our part but the Catalans would soon make up for the miss. Messi played Villa through and he finished neatly to give the Spanish giants a big advantage. A response was needed fast but not before we nearly fell two behind but thankfully, Messi's headed goal was ruled out for offside. At half-time you just had to be grateful that we were still in the game. In the second half we saw the Arsenal we all know. The passing was sharper, we closed them down, the defence was better as a unit and Koscielny stuck to Messi like glue. It was brilliant, all that was missing was a reward. That reward came somewhat unexpectedly. A beautiful ball from Gael Clichy put Van Persie into space inside the box and just as you thought he'd square the ball for Bendtner he went for the audacious shot in true RVP style and somehow pulled it off. Goal of a genius and we were right back in this one. The crowd were buzzing and roared the team on everytime they went forward. Barcelona tried to keep the ball to set the game at their pace but they couldn't and we set off on the counter attack again. This was brilliant, Bendtner gave it to Wilshere who played it first time to Cesc who set Nasri on his way to goal with a fantastic pass. Nasri cut back and slid the ball across the box to Arshavin who curled the ball into the back of the net and sent the Emirates crowd wild like I hadn't seen them in a long time. Truly wonderful scenes as the man who had taken so much critisizm over the past couple of months stepped up to the plate when we needed him most. There was still work to do as Szezesny was forced into a couple of saves and a few scrambles in the box but we held out for a famous victory. Wash your eyes all you want people, Arsenal 2-1 Barcelona. To this day I still celebrate when I see the goals going in.
From the buzzing Emirates to the small gloomy Matchroom Stadium. It was a big difference but Wenger had decided to rotate as you would expect. The players that had come in didn't do themselves justice in the previous rounds of the cup against teams like Leeds and Huddersfield. A big improvement was needed from the likes of Squillaci, Denilson and Chamakh, the latter of whom had been so impressive earlier in the season. The pitch wasn't great so it was clear we were going to have to get our hands dirty to come away with the win. Early on we enjoyed some possession but failing to pose any major threat to the home side. Chamakh having the best of very few opportunites. Arshavin again looked lively but not much was coming off for the Russian today, can't question his effort though. The second half was more of the same, were were knocking it around while Orient sat back satisfied with the lack of urgency we showed to get forward. However, shortly into the half we took the lead and it was Rosicky of all people. With the way things were going for the Czech, you'd have put money on Almunia to score before him. His first goal in a million minutes (or something like that). I was delighted for him to get the goal he'd been desperate for. Hopefully that boosts his confidence because his form hasn't been great lately. From there we controlled the game and perhaps should have killed it when Arshavin ran through on goal but his shot hit the post and went wide. Then out of nowhere Orient sub Tehoue somehow managed to dazzle past Gibbs and Miquel and then fired straight through Almunia. Much better to be expected from those three. A very disappointing way to end the game and we now have to play a replay. Many people are complaing of fixture congestion but look at it this way, the likes of Denilson, Chamakh, Squillaci and so on don't get much game time anyway, better have them get 90 minutes under their belt than watch the others play week in week out. That same eleven is more than good enough to kill off Orient back at the Grove. I also thought Miquel was very impressive on his debut for the first team. However, don't get too carried away. It was only a lower league side at the end of the day and stiffer competition awaits.
Anyway, so much for the small recap heh. I think I'll leave the round up there for today. Hopefully (you know you can't trust me) I'll be back tomrrow with a preview of our game with Stoke City Rugby Club.
Till then, enjoy the rest of your day.
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