So my trains were; as usual, completely messed up. It took me two hours to arrive at the stadium and as I walked up the stairs past Avram Grant and his ridiculously young looking girlfriend, I witnessed a looping header fly over Don Mannone’s head.
Great… I didn’t even know the line up and we were one down an Nzonzi goal! I know people will point to Mannone being off his line for that goal, but I’m not sure I’d agree. I don’t think he was that badly positioned. I think his footwork was a bit off. He was only two yards off his line… if anything, he needed to be there for the cross.
The crowd were flat and there were loads of empty spaces around the stadium. I’d love to know the science behind the lack of voice at the ground. It’s embarrassing. Singing sections are a must for next year, take note Gazidis.
It didn’t take long for us to start playing. We had a line up capable of destroying any defence in the world. Cesc went close sending a looping header onto the bar. Bad luck Cesc!
Where was a goal going to come from. Yep, you guessed it. The hottest player in the team at the moment, the Verminator. He showed us today that he likes to shoot as well as head, he picked up the ball on the edge of the box from a Cesc lay off, looked up and fired off a rasping shot into the bottom right leaving the flailing hand of Tubby Robinson for dead. Chants of…
‘Even spurs think your shit’
… reverberated round the ground.
Arsenal continued to dominate attacking play but were having trouble dealing with the powerful running of David Dunn. He went on a mazy run from a counter attack, just as you thought he’d held on to it too long, he hit a shot at Gallas and received a giant dollop of lady luck dust with the ball ricocheting of the boot of Gallas into the net. Even when that happened, you didn’t feel it was going to be ‘one of those days’.
It didn’t take long for us to level up. Cesc played in Robin with a delightful pass, he looked up and drove the ball precisely into the bottom right hand corner.
The man is on fire. Three in three for a player who some say isn’t good enough in front of goal.
Arsenal were looking for the lead and with a carbon copy of the first goal, Cesc played in Arshavin who waited for the ball to run in front of him then he swept it first time past man beast Paul Robinson. Arsenal continued to probe for a further goal, Cesc found more space in the box and went close with a header and Robinson was forced into making a few smart saves.
Cesc had 3 assists to his name already!
Arsenal went in for half time and Thierry came out to say hello! It’s like a non-stop charm offensive from team Thierry. It’s not often a player still plying his trade receives that sort of love. After watching United fans boo their players off at half time at the weekend, it was nice to see that we do have great fans and we do respect our great players.
The second half started at a similar fashion to the first… pure domination from the most exciting footballing side in the league. Arshavin, Rosicky, Cesc, RvP are a frightening combination. Not many teams are going to get away with a clean sheet against those boys. Could Blackburn get their game in shape and stop the rot?
Vermaelen made a superb challenge on David Dunn inside the box, coming out with the ball. Sam Allardyce had something to moan about in his press conference now, which made a change. Clearly Blackburn were right in the mix today.
Mannone saved superbly from a Nzonzi pile driver. That save more than made up for the earlier goal.
The Fabregas show then moved to the next level. Rosicky played the ball toward Cesc… looping the ball back over his head. … Cesc let it bounce, then fired a half volley into he top corner. He ran over to the Thierry seating area kissing the badge and pointing at the fans. He was making a statement to Europe… he was ours and he likes the tight stitching of the new badge.
Arshavin then showed some direct running, dinked it to Cesc, who laid it onto Theo… who slotted the ball with precision into the bottom corner. He ran over to the Corner Theirry was sitting in, dedicated his celebration to Thierry by replicating his trademark knee slide!
Arsenal fans sang Thierry’s name and finished it with,
‘You’ll always be a gooner!’
That was pretty emotional stuff… that is why I love football and I love the Arsenal. A great moment for me at the Emirates! It felt like Arsenal had arrived and showed the King what their intent was this season.
Nik Bendtner came on and was frustrating. His runs were timed to perfection but his finishing was frustrating… something was going to have to drop for him… and sure enough it did. Nik picked the ball up outside the box, powered past two players and unleashed his early season frustration by launching an unbelievable shot at goal, which went in off this post.
Fan-bloody-tastic.
Ratings:
Mannone: Some dodgy back peddling \ lack of box dominance led to the first goal. Weak goalkeeping, or a complete fluke? I’m going with the latter – he is owed the benefit of doubt. He made some super saves in the second half and commanded his area a little better. He has great kick, anyone else noticed that? 7
Sagna: Being blamed for the second goal. He was very high up the pitch, but on closer inspection, he was closing down Diouf. At the end of the day, we had 3 players behind the ball when they scored… and it was a fluke. Overall I thought he had a solid game and the criticism levelled at him has been unfair. Sometimes I feel we’re too quick to hunt out a scape goat, something Wrighty7 pointed out the other week. Lets not rip a player to shreds just because their form is a little off. We know he is a good player, and he’ll get back to his best soon. 6.5
Clichy: I thought the wide men got in behind him a little too easily at times but I thought he was ok going forward. Both full backs could stick £5million on their value if they learned how to cross! 6.5
Vermaelen: Out jumped for the first goal, a rare sight that is! My club level neighbour pointed out (between scoffing prawn sadwiches) that Arsene has pulled a master stroke with TV. He’s shipped out a defender lacking in form, and brought in a replacement for £5million less… with 5 less years on the clock. A cracking piece of business. He’s the deadliest attacking defender we’ve ever had and he showed it again with a brilliant early strike! He dealt with Blackburns tactics pretty well and I think he 100% got the ball for the penalty claim. 8
Gallas: After finishing the business section of the telegraph early in the second half, my club level neighbour pointed out that Gallas looked fantastic this year and his play was a joy to watch. I totally agree. Great players need to play with great players if you want to see the best. He is comfortable on and off the pitch with his Belgian friend and his performances have been equal to his bar the goals. 8
Song: I thought he had some good moments going forward and he made some impressive interceptions. My only problem with him is that he’s often behind the play when the opposition attack and he is still gaff prone. He had an ok game today, but nothing more for me. 7
Arshavin: I thought he was very sloppy in the first half and a little greedy. When things aren’t going right for him he tries to force openings which is admirable, but sometimes not too beneficial to the team. He still managed to score an impressive first touch goal and he does play the direct game we’ve lacked at times. He improved in the second half and grew with the game. Delicious is the only word I can use to describe the play he creates when he’s on fire. 8
Rosicky: The slick passing, the quick turn of pace and the ability to create space is all still there. He’s looking fitter and stronger than ever before and dare I say it, his hair looks slightly shinier than pre injury. A good game, an assist and another game on the board for a world class player we’ve sorely missed. 8
Cesc: So I feel a bit bad… someone told Cesc what we wrote about him and he reacted by getting 4 assists and a goal. Sorry Cesc, we’ll never question your loyalty again… unless we think you look like your sulking or you drop your level again! An amazing performance from one of the most sought after talents in Europe. He really does up his game when he’s playing with the Arsenal big dogs. I think we now have optimum learning facilities in place for the genuine talent coming through the ranks… how can players like Wilshere, Rambo and Vela not learn from the dazzling array of superstars we have in the attacking department? 10
Robin: I have a lot of love for RvP. I’ve heard through the grapevine that he is one of the most professional players at the club and takes his fitness and training extremely seriously. He’s starting to turn into the player we’d all hoped he would. He’s disciplined, creative and now he’s starting to finish. Well worth his new contract in my eyes. All I’d like to see is a freekick drop in sometime soon! 8
Diaby: The player everyone loves to pick holes in at the moment. Give the lad a break people! He didn’t set the world alight today, but his passing was better and I definitely saw him win a few headers out there. His game will click, he needs more time… but he has the talent to make it happen. That’s why I feel there is a lot of animosity towards him… too much talent to go to waste. Lets keep the faith and see what happens! 7
Subs:
Rambo: Ran around well*.
Update *Brilltastic according to the Grovers! 6
Theo: Don’t you forget how much pace this boy has? He’s lightening! A great finish, some nice link up play and a fitting tribute to the greatest to pull on an Arsenal shirt! 7
Bendtner: Just as you thought he’d blown his chance to impress again, out comes a wonder strike that would leave any player proud! A great goal. It’s also worth noting he went round after the game and applauded the fans… he’s a good lad. I think he’ll become a legend. 7
Is it all peachy?
If I was to critique. I would say that David Dunn waltzed through the middle of the park too easily. We were very sloppy defensively at times. Song doesn’t have a lot of discipline in the middle of the park. In the same way we lacked a defender who had passion for defending last year, this year, I think we lack a holding player who is only interested in holding (recovery pace is key here). I also think our full backs leave us exposed. It’s a tough problem though, if you have a rigid defence, what do you lose in attack? There has to be a happy medium… finding it is the challenge. Like Lee Dixon said, we need to tighten things up if we are going to sustain a challenge.
Finish it on a high!
On the positive side of things, Arsenal didn’t just beat Blackburn, we destroyed them. Blackburn weren’t bad, Arsenal were unbelievable. 4-3-3 is delivering stylish, creative, clinical, frightening football… and 3.4 goals a game. If you can’t out defend a team, why not out score them? It’s football poetry at times and the type of poetry that deserves some silverware. I read the playboy fantasy channels are trying to takeover Arsenal TV, if that’s true… I’ll have no problem renewing my subscription this year. I’m confident we can challenge for trophies, we just need to find a little bit of defensive discipline and lose the naivety at the back.
Today was a stunning day… it felt like a new dawn, the beginning of a very exciting season.
See you in the comments!
P.S. Apologies for the spelling and grammar in yesterdays post. Blogging when you’re half cut should get you a suspended sentence and six points and your blog licence! I’ll update the widgets later… any help with the goals scored would be nice!
Posted by Geoff 
Pedro
Geoff
Le Grove is now smart phone compatible!
