I’m not sure if I’m lacking in enthusiasm or my stream was too poor… because I have nothing in the locker for this post.
The team laid out avoided most of the marmite temptations Wenger usually indulges in and I thought it looked like a side more than capable of dishing out a spanking.
How wrong was I?
The game was a cagey affair, with most of it spent in midfield. Sunderland did a brilliant job of nullifying the threat we posed, leaving long shots as the main goal threat. Arsenal never really got any fluency going with their passing and whilst no one had a particularly bad game, too many of our starting 11 stayed firmly in 2nd gear at about 2000rpm (Low revs is what I’m saying guys…).
I thought Song played pretty well, industrious and creative with his passing. He powered through the Sunderland midfield linking up nicely with Eduardo, who scooped wide. Some claimed Song should have finished it, I’d say the man is a holding midfielder and he was never going to finish.
Ramsey didn’t play particularly well. When he comes off the bench he looks like a terrier, when he starts, he sometimes fades into the back ground a little. I must confess, I wasn’t aware he was playing until about 20 minutes in.
Arsenal left themselves exposed on countless occasions and if it wasn’t for the poor finishing of Marlbranque, we could have been a couple down after the first half. Isn’t it odd how pleased we all are with Gallas-Vermaelen, yet we’ve shipped record goals this season?
Sunderland made it to half time and that was a worry.
The second half didn’t see much of an improvement from the Arsenal boys. The Black Cats created chances as did Arsenal, this was going to be decided by one goal and sadly it fell to Sunderland. A corner was whipped in, it fell to the back post where Frazier Campbell went unchallenged by Rosicky, he cut it back and who else was going to be there waiting to bundle it into the net? Darren fucking Bent… jeez…
A real sloppy goal for Arsenal to concede.
We kicked into 3rd gear after the goal but it was too little too late. Arshavin, Vela and Walcott tried to change the game, but they failed to make an impact.
Arsenal stumbled to defeat in the North in a flat, disappointing manner. Once again, the victims of the International Football curse.
I guess the only silver lining I can provide right now is we have an abundance of choice if changes are to be made in the next game. Arshavin, Theo and Vela will all be hungry to impress and if Wenger doesn’t fancy those three, well, we could always put Eboue and Denilson in there to strengthen things up!
I hope this is a lesson in focus. If you want to win the league, you have to be one your game, every game. The Premiership is too strong to take teams lightly. Wenger didn’t do anything wrong today, the players did. They need to dust themselves down, not let this affect them and concentrate on getting back on the victory path.
Keep the faith Grovers, we’ve got an important month come up, by the end, we’ll know what this team is made of.
Player Ratings:
Almunia: Made a couple of good saves and dealt well with the aerial threat. Had a bit of a clown moment towards the end of the half. Wasn’t to blame for the goal. 6
Sagna: Has become pivotal to our attack with his marauding runs. If he could cross it, the guy would be one of the most valuable players in the Premiership! I thought he defended well today, which is what he’s paid for. 7
Vermaelen: It’s a sorry situation when the player trying to get your attack going is your centre back. He tried the most outrageous volley from a most outrageous angle in the second half… what a goal that could have been! He reminds me of John Terry in an attacking sense. 7.5
Gallas: Booed with every touch today by the most retarded of supporters. Why do they care about the Irish? Had a solid game today, I was a bit worried about the hobble. It’s customary for Arsenal to have defensive crisis around this time of the year, so expect the worst. 7
Traore: I was so happy he was granted a start ahead of Silvestre. Too many people want to slate this lad down before he’s even had a chance. Today, I thought he played well. No hairy moments and great big dirty tackle at the end. I was impressed. 7
Song: I powerful performance in the middle of the park and nearly a goal. He doesn’t always come out with the ball, but he does enough to break up the play. His range of passing is improving by the game and his positional sense is gaining maturity. 7.5
Cesc: Plenty of long shots and creative thinking out there today, just a shame the rest of the team didn’t really work for him. 7
Rosicky: Showed some nice moves in the first half, but still a little rusty for my liking. It’s kind of how I remember him. A very good player, but rarely a game changer in my eyes. 6.5
Eduardo: Another of our new signings who failed to shine today. If he’s not scoring goals, generally he’s not doing much. We have to give him the chance to settle into the centralrole and I’m sure the goals will come… I’m just a bit worried about his overall team play. 6
Nasri: Workman like performance from a player we’re yet to see the best of. Hey, I know it might sound crazy, but I still don’t understand his role in the team… what does Nasri do that makes him a great player? I’d like to think we’ll have that answer at some point this season, but like Rosicky, he seems like he’s just there to link the play. I want more from my midfielders! 7
Rambo: Quieter than all the Spurs fans in my office at the moment. Didn’t really have much involvement in the first half bar a couple of duff shots. I rate this guy, but he didn’t do much to stake a claim today. 6
Subs:
Arshavin: Not enough time to influence the game. Actually scrap that, 30 minutes is plenty… he didn’t influence the game. 6
Vela: Came on, ran around a bit, was denied a nailed on penalty. I really hate that fat little referee… laughing an joking with the players like he’s their best mate. 6
Theo: Loves a scan this boy… Came on, didn’t hobble off. That’s a good performance in my eyes. 6
Have a great day Grovers! See you in the comments!
EG, totally agree with you, mate. We’re not out of title race & we don’t need to sign too. Chelsea & ManU will defo drop points. Chelsea are playing against us & Shitty next and if they lose both (a big if!!!), they will have lost 4 already before we’re half way in the season. This season is wide open and we’ve got as much chance of winning the league as Chelsea & ManU do.
Emperor, but will be out if we lose to Chelsea.
gutted
shit performance, and result, nasri and eduardo were awfull, chelsea is now a must win, and is our biggest league game for 2 years, for everyone who was so anti chamakh after watching him on youtube, i said he was needed at the start, and hopefully he will be in for jan, vela is not ready, and eduardo can only play in 442 like he did 2 years back when he looked at his best, wengers line up was good as were his subs, it was the players performances that fucked us
Emperor, some would say it’s a shameful excuse to cite an away game after international week.
Lets agree to disagree Ped.
I ain’t getting into the analysis of how some people lose all sense of perspective and start ranting like they’ve had 10 Stellas.
Calling each other c**ts and stating how much they’d like to punch another blogger in the face.
Good luck to ‘em all, honestly, I really do wish ‘em all the best !!!
Maciek…I was joking about Huntelaar.
Sharkey, I don’t like all that…
Did it all kick off last night?
pedro , it does sound like an excuse i agree with you.but the reality is that , this season’s more tight than any we’ve seen for quite a while and thus away games to teams like sunderland , villa , west ham ,fulham etc have only become tougher , especially considering the fact that refs jus refuse to show they have a pair and are succumbing to crowd pressure more and more.you think any ref would’ve waved play on after vela was clipped if this was at emirates.little things like these are only making it more tough.these teams might be losing to other smaller teams but when they’ll play any big team ,it’s gonna be very different.
infact this is the reason why we lost at OT too…and that’s why i find it unfair that , having only played 12 games , we’ve already faced everton , manure , shitty , fulham , west ham n sunderland away
I don’t think Wenger gave excuses yesterday, in fact i thought he was critical of the team than usual – he suggested the team weren’t up for it, needed to be more consistent, ruled out the international break as an excuse as he expected the team to perform regardlesss…
I guess we can all learn from this result, football result remains quite random. Playing all our favs Ramsey, Rosicky, Fabrega blah blah may look good on player but in practice a bit of Eboue, Diaby, Bendntner, Denilson and Song gives us something extra
Sharkey I dont think song was poor, I just for club like arsenal, with title ambitons home and abroad we need a more dominating player. Now a lotta people including Arsene felt YaYa was a good solution but if we couldnt get him Cana was fucking brilliant at 5mil.
Your all giving Fab, Nasri and Co. Stick but Cana didnt give them an Inch. As soon as we got the ball and He was in and won it back maintaining their pressure and frustrating our players.
Song was great he drove forward, he filled in at CB when Gallas a forced wide but he isnt that dominating in the middle of the pitch albeit one of our better players on the day
Despite all that has been said
I fell we can still win the title if Wenger makes the right buys in Jan.
Mr B. If we lose to cheslki we can forget about PL.
Its not all gloom and doom but Us gooners should get used to the idea of no silverware.
may look good on player = may look good on paper
Maciek it isnt over till its over but at the sametime I dont like to have the “I dont see the shortcommings of my team” glasses like wenger does.
Fuck man Arsenal loosing always fucks up my weekend. I need to stop careing.
Mr B I don’t think there are many more dominant players in midfield than Song atm, if at all any. Song is brilliant I’d stick with him if I were you
Ped – Zorro asked the same earlier, and I wondered why he didn’t just have a quick scan.
Alternatively do a Control F on ‘C**t, ‘small dick’ and ‘twat’, see how many of each one you can find.
Anyway its me vs mi boy on his new Bar Football game this arvo. Bollox to hi tech games and to you miserable lot
Well said Man. 15.59
Lineo f the inite was David’s denial of having a small dick…he even went on to have a quick brag if my memory serves me right.
Fucking priceless that was !!!
Anyway ….off til tomorrwo now
Right Man and Sharkey Song is more dominant than Essien, Cana, Mascherano etc?????? How come he isnt linked with anyone like Fab.
Now Id believe u sooner if u told me Fab is the best midfielder in the world.
My Dad told me something that has served me very well in life, He said.
“U can lie to the world but never lie to Yourself.”
Song is good. Still we do need another quality cdm. Sissoko from Toulouse will do. But hey, we are living in Arsene’s wonderland, so I’m sure he will fail once more in January.
SharkeySure Says:
November 22, 2009 at 14:27
Samir – don’t worry about apologising to me, cos I just found it as funny as I found it disappointing, but I appreciate the sentiment.
But David ACTUALLY DENYING he had a small cock was fucking priceless though !!!
=======================
Just cuz you have one dont mean i should have one Sharkey
I really dont understand why that is so “fucking priceless” mate.
Do you feel ashamed when you use the mens room in public?
SharkeySure Says:
November 22, 2009 at 16:02
Lineo f the inite was David’s denial of having a small dick…he even went on to have a quick brag if my memory serves me right.
Fucking priceless that was !!!
==========================
And you didnt have the balls to say anything but wait till the day after to make a claim about it when clearly I’m not here.
Shameful Cretin. What a truly sorry creature.
Of all the things I said its my penis you find most entertaining?
How………gay.
Mr B, your dad gave you sound advice there.
Apart from Essien am I correct in saying the players you mentioned all play for teams below Arsenal in the table?
Do you think we are quite an attacking team, as a result leave spaces?
I don’t hear rumours of clubs trying to sign Rooney, Essien, etc does that make them rubbish too?
David, rule please…
I think Sharkey’s point is he didn’t want to engage in the childish slanging.
Emperor Gooner Says:
November 22, 2009 at 14:59
i smell BS everytime i read any kind of analysis by any of the whiners and moaners here when we draw or lose
the simple fact is that we were unlucky to have an away fixture and that too a tough one after the break..did any other top 4 side play away??
=============================
Disagree completely.
The simple fact is that we arent good enough. Simple as that.
Rosicky/Nasri/Eduardo
Stella Cast on paper.
Absolute shyte performance in reality.
And Mozart shouldve buried his chance in the first half but i’ve noticed he has an uncanny ability to shoot towards the keeper.
Engage in the childish slanging but then the most entertaining part is not the fact that someone said i had a small penis but that i was denying it?
That is extremely weird. And Homosexual
Man Real are supposed to be signing rooney and essien just came back from an injury.
Im afraid we are a team of Jack’s of all trade’s and master of none…
No true Winger. No true CF. No true GK. No true Wing Backs. No true DM.
Its just Attacking Mids, and CB’s
I’d love to see more direct players in the team.
Watching Nasri yesterday reminded me exactly why we played crab football especially with Denilson on the team.
David, we embrace all sexualities, colours, nationalities and penis sizes… this is the blog of love, and slanging isn’t allowed.
Mr B, Liverpool fans aren’t too fond of Mascharano.
Cheers Ped.
You really do need to help David out with stuff like this.
I love it when he asks why its ‘priceless’. He just doesn’t get it does he. .??
And then his ‘piece de resistance’…he accuses me of having a small dick, and no doubt he’ll take my non-response as confirmation that I have
I told him to grow up some time ago….he clearly hasn’t.
Man just because those teams are below us doesnt mean the have worst DMs. Ur logic is similar to A’s
Mr B….the who else wants them is on a par with saying Arsene Knows.
Very weak.
Make your own case mate.
Anyway..reading but not posting for a while…..back later
“fucking priceless” – suggest a jest or a joke.
Where is the love in that?
We arent too fond of Ade either but we could have used him yesterday Peds.
Sharkey I didnt get what u were reffering to about who else and weak point please elaborate….
SharkeySure Says:
November 22, 2009 at 16:30
I told him to grow up some time ago….he clearly hasn’t.
——————–
And Pedro you dont call this Slanging?
Certainly when someone is goaded first off by mentioning your name in a public blog and indicating it was “fucking priceless” that I do or not have a small penis…and mentions it not once but twice in a row…and goes on to goad me that i should grow up?
Who the fuck are you fella?
Ok If a player is in demand it does show that he is one of the best in his position saying otherwise well Im sure u could explain that to urself
Mr B, Real in for Rooney????? Wow didn’t hear that before, I guess Ronaldo needs company
but seriously you should have sold that news to the tabloids, now they’ll just print that stuff without paying their dues
David,
Song is a true DM, I feel. I think Wenger’s plan has been to build a team of adaptable players for the past 4/5 years, close to what ‘total football’ should be. I don’t think this is problem tho, (except when it doesn’t work like yesterday,) but a big advantage is that players can fill in for each other especially when some are injured, without necessary disrupting the structure of the team.
David man the more u make a farcas the more people are going to believe u have a micro penis because generaly people dont take offence at statments they dont believe to be true.
Man it was already in the tabloids. Ronaldo went on record to say he wanted rooney to join him
And I’ve never seen the idiot say some insightful analysis about Arsenal. Or talk tactics. Or mention this player or that player.
SharkeySure Says:
November 22, 2009 at 14:22
Samir – So why didn’t you bother to analyse the game like that yesterday..?? Instead of just calling the manager a c**t and then starting fights with everyone.
The first thing the fucker did was to slang somebody.
So if David slangs someone. Leave David alone. thanks
Man it only matters if they can do a great job in every position atleast good enough to win trophies.
Its nothingg new Ajax cameup with total football u cannt recreat it by calling it true football.
Yea Man
How can you say Song is a true DM. When Wenger already said he’s a CB?
I reckon its Denilson that is being trained for the position.
Mr B.
I dont mind if a friend of mine tells me i have a small penis.
Put some idiot off the internet and then tries to have a fucking laugh about it?
Well fuck him. Honestly fighting over the net issnt going to get u anywhere especialy when someone is unreasonable.
What are u gonna do at the end of it all smash ur screen?
Spuds winning 6-1 against wigan
Only way round it david you and sharkey use your web cam and tape measure!! pedro will sort it mate!!
Defoe’s on his 5th so far.
Emperor Gooner Says:
November 22, 2009 at 15:47
especially considering the fact that refs jus refuse to show they have a pair and are succumbing to crowd pressure more and more.you think any ref would’ve waved play on after vela was clipped if this was at emirates.little things like these are only making it more tough.these teams might be losing to other smaller teams but when they’ll play any big team ,it’s gonna be very different.
—————————
I think its a very poor argument to blame the refs.
Should we have had a penalty shout. Maybe.
But we are way too one dimensional. Our only attacking threat was Sagna.
Every other dilly dally passing we did was snuffed out.
We didnt create chances. Not the refs fault imo
No sign of Geoff.
Later all. Fuck it if Wenger, the board and the players dont give a fuck why should we? We just there to fill their pockets.
Later All.
8-1 DEAR GOD!
Do You see Totts as top 4 material guys? And plese do not be rude( I know what do You think about them), it’s just a question and they do seem to be in good shape this season.
Fuckin weekend gets worse and worse!!
To answer your question Maciek, no. Spurs will finish 7th mate.
Yea reggie he’ll have to pay for that though!
Im not cheap!!!
Mr B, I agree with your 16.30 comment but I’m not quite sure I share the same logic as A.
The point I was making is that from last season, what we see is a development in our players, the older and more experienced they become but more importantly as Pedro pointed out these players may suffer poor form!
Of course total football is nothing new, I never suggested otherwise and to be frank I don’t think any team has played it in its true form since the Dutch team of the 70s (aided with some ‘supplements’)
As for Arsenal, I think apart from two matches this season we’ve played quite well thus far, wouldn’t you agree?
David,
I can say Song is a DM because he plays in that position and does so exceedingly but I agree he is also a CB. You may right that Denilson would eventually play the position in the long run, we’ll see
oh shitty shit
9-1….
Will the spuds go above us now?
they will next week
The spuds are looking good. Still they are spuds so they will probably f**k it up and end up outside the top 4. 9 goals is an impressive record, though.
I think its more down to the fact that Wigan are just shite.
The mancs scored 5 goals against them in 1 half.
One you score against them they go to gutter shite.
fuck what a shit week end, im off to beachy head to do a bit of hang gliding!!
I fu*king hate the Spuds!! But no more than the Chavs… or Lpool.
Don’t worry about Tottenham. They always flatter to deceive.
9-1? That a pro evolution score! Wigwam but be having the mother of off days. Who scored for the spuds?
5 defoe!
Defoe is a cunt too. Oddly he always seems to score goals but is never one of the top scorers at the end of the season.
spurs just popped a lil more pressure on next week-boy oh boy thats a biggun…our croazilian really needs to step up and show why we dont need to invest in jan
Why goonerwinsoon, whats happening next week.
1-0 stoke. Fuller
Just reading back a bit. Cant remember who but someone mentioned Paul Scharner as someone we should buy in January or the summer. Just wondering if they are serious? I sure hope they are joking.
spurs have two away games… so do the chavs.. and we have three home games now
Stu, he is still better than Silvestre.
But Silvestre never plays Maciek (thankfully). Actually spending money would be wasted on Scharner unless he was a starter or regular sub and i just dont think he is good enough. Anyway he is probably too old to even be considered by the club.
I did Stu, judging by today’s result it might seem a crazy idea but over the past 3/4 years Paul Scharner has been one of the best and most consistent players outside the top four teams in the league. Oh yeah remember, there were 11 players for Wigan not just Paul Scharner.
I still think he’d a good squad player, pretty decent in the air too!
Stu. I agree, but answer me this question. Are You happy with our back-up defensive duo( Silver and Sendy)? If not who would You like to get?
Under Martinez, Wigan have either been excellent or very poor – beat Chelsea one week lose to Spurs the other, I wouldn’t take this result too seriously
Useless cunts fancy conceding a goal at home to Wigan
Not happy with Silvestre at all but fairly content with Senderos. I wouldnt be annoyed if Senderos played a few games for us.
I dont know who i would buy but thats up to Wenger and the scouts.
And look on the bright side…Silvestres contract runs out this summer (unfortunately so does Gallas and Senderos’s/
Yes Man, but they( the spuds) have still got 9 goals at home. Have we ever win THAT high?
Our ladies lost to Sunderland as well
Well knowing Wenger he will sign some 18 years old kid from Burkina Faso and Norvedt will be back so do not be so excited Stu. Still I would love to see someone like Bruno Alves, Cetin from Galata, Sakho even if he is left footed and even Juhasz.
Maciek, don’t worry I can assure you we will finish above spurs this season, next season, the season after next, the one after that…
But can he buy 2 cd’s a cdm and a world class gk having 25 mil to spend. Even Kaszpirovski couldn’t have done it.LOL.
*wouldn’t
We can buy Lloris for 15m (worth it?) and sell a few to make money for other players.
Im sure Wenger will have money available to him in the summer (whether of not he will use it is another matter).
Of course Stu, Hugo is well worth it. Knowing Aulas he will demand 20 m at least. If not him, than Adler or Nouer, or Akinfeev as well. Still would love to see Fabiański making a long run in the team.
Havent seen the penalty claim yet. Was it a foul or what?
looked like a foul. even if he got the ball he got the man first. Thing is u cannt win a title by winning the odd penalty. U have to be dominant home and away.
We started well but once Cana settled in we were fucked.
But it will get better we need to figure out how to get behind teams esp on the counter, if we are playing with 3 upfront. someone has to make the run for the ball over the top. We have the guys Fab and co who can deliver that kind of ball.
Yeah Mr.B, had theo started on the wing he could have been the runner to get in behind. Nasri and Rosicky arent wingers so the chances of them doing it were slim at best.
Here’s a link to the MOTD highlights. If it doesnt work just copy and paste it onto google.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xb896i_sunderland-v-arsenal_sport#content
Mr B. Earlier I was responding to what you said about no one wanting to buy Song.
Thats just in case you’re still wondering…but not to worry about it now though….
I agree about getting in behind, someone mentioned that Nasri came short for everything, and apparently Arsene has implied the same post match.
Footballs a funny game though…cos for all the tactics etc…Rosicky and Eddies two chances were both far easier than the difficult one that RVP scores when we were struggling vs Fulham.
Thats why I really don’t get the yo-yo-ing of ‘perceptions’. In a game like yesterdays its all down to very small details, some go your way some don’t.
Bent has shit header oing well wide, Frazier’s shit control drops it right into Bent’s path. Luck or design..??
Im not so sure Wenger has money to spend.
All these contracts he’s dishing out to people who dont deserve it. Im not sure.
U know what they say sharkey fortune favours the brave. The frustrating thing is this happens alot to us. We are too one dimensional in attack and teams figure us out, we cannt get our game going and if they are lucky theyll nick a goal and win the game.
Just back from a Wayne Krantz concert… Brilliant!
There was also this great Polish band Rafal Gorzycki…
Really helped the healing process… Then i get home and find out Spuds scored 9!!
I see we’re still talking about the match… Agree with Mr B fortune favours the brave, we didn’t deserve to lose the game but we didn’t deserve to win either. With our quality we should have troubled them more.
The difference was we got worse after the break and they got better. You could blame that on the internationals… Could.
@
Vela or theo on the wing will be great. Even Arsh and Eddy arent bad. We need another CF though. Numchuks wont be a big improvement on Nikki b though and Wenger will have problems when they are all fit.
Again it comes down to a Back up Dm and CB, Otherwise one cannt have many complaints squadwise.
One dimensional Mr B..?? 50+ goals says differently.
I think we had a fair few players underperform for various reasons yesterday.
For me one of Arsene’s biggest weaknesses is his inability to generate the fight in his players on these ‘off’ days. Too many were going thru the motions yesterday, and Arsenedoesn;t seem to hasve a ‘hairdryer’ to sort it.
All in all its a single result and I’m not too despondent at the moment, but I deffo agree thatwe need to start ‘making our own luck’.
I just watched the MOTD highlights…not one of our players appeals for the pen, Nasri stood 3 yds away arms by his side, Arsh 4 more yards away…turns his back and walks away….shocking!!!
Barca had no real good cover for the front 3 last year but they still managed to do a clean sweep. Too bad we don’t have the same luck with injuries.
I’d say Eduardo is as good cover as you’ll find.
There’s no reason the team put out shouldn’t have won. The boys just let Wenger and us down.
Mayank…. was anyone actually talking about ‘the match’ yesterday then..??
Stu – 90% of the reason that weren’t a pen was cos no one appealed for it. Absolutely no-one !!!
Watch the vid from Truth’s link, scroll to the last 5% or so…
Ps. Cheers for the link Truth
second that, SS – we need someone who is capable of giving players good bollocking if they play shit: who is supposed to do this at Arse? Wenger or Rice? come on…
I’d say Keown would be brilliant as Wenger’s no.2 – chumps like Diaby would be shit scared to play poor pass
imagine facing this in the dressing room:
http://thesportboys.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/keown-ruud.jpg
Haha! No i wouldn’t say so SS, we were too busy telling each other that we don’t have a job and/or a dick!
I think u have to have a balance between Praise and A right spanking. when keane was manager at sunderland the players all hated him because he was giving them a hard time all the time.
Apart from that I agree Wenger is too soft to give his boys a kick in the Arse.
Evening all!
Wigan should hang their heads in shame, no premier league team should ship 9 goals, that is a fucking disgrace, and to spurs makes it even worse, I mean th mancs or chavs or at a stretch us, but those cunts!
My team for the chelsea game:
almunia
sagna,gallas,vermealen,gibbs
nasri-song-fabregas
walcott-vela-arshavin
Vela is really strong and can hold the ball well. I love him. Walcott is pure class. Arshavin , pure class!!! Also this is the quickest attack in the world. AGREE??
Passion man wheres the Passion. Theyre all acting like mercenaries.
I was astonished by some of ‘your’ posts for a bit. Then my favourite teenager Rohan (bless him) asks it here’s two Mayanks on LG. I thought he was being funny…
Turns out its true, the other one is all lower case. That was a relief for me, as I thought you’d gone over to the dark side !!
Agree Dutchman but Wenger prob wont want to hurt Eddys confidence and probably will play him. Whats wrong with Rosicky again maybe he would do better in Midfield.
Dutch, much as I hate to say this, I feel we really need Diaby instead of Nasri v the chavs, if only for a little more fight and height. Yes, I know he is not great in the air and is no Paddy, but he will give more than Nasri.
Dutch, sorry mate, cannot agree on Vela. He is a lightweight at the moment and can not play the middle man v the chavs!
Im off I have to study for some exams.
yes, I agree, it’s all about balance – good cop/bad cop routine, simple as…
in Wenger & Rice we have 2 good ol’ soft village constables unable to handle a proper villain – how do you impose authority on brilliant yet rebellious players?
We dont have anyone who can play the middle man CF vs the Chavs.
Not even VAn P.
Zorro…well said. Although at first I thought ‘at a stretch us’ was back to front, as we are waaaay more creative than the other two.
But on second thoughts, I’m not sure we’d keep going after the first 3 or 4. We tend not to be ruthless like that….(Everton aside of course)
Nice deal with Xmas coming up for us Gooners!
http://www.hotukdeals.com/item/535034/arsenal-legends-3-dvd-set-15-99-pla
Gan ba tte Mr B (Trnsl:Good luck and do your best!!)
I’m with you on that one Zorro. Funny how we have to play without some players to recognise their value to the team.
Song vs Wolves, Diaby yesterday. Lack of penetration and desire …and I wonder if Eboue would have offered something. Ok, his end product is very hit and miss but he really does drive forward with real purpose.
Denilson hat trick next weekend…??
Good luck Mr B!
SS,
I read ‘my’ posts too! Truly shocking how people feel that if you don’t berate the team etc. illogically after a match you don’t care enough…
In spite of yesterday’s colossal under-performance we are still on track to score 126 goals, concede 47 and gather 95 points (compared to results for the equivalent fixtures last year.)
You gotta laugh ain’t ya.
Just stumbled across this:
http://theitalianview.tumblr.com/
‘Liverpools new striker Meno 39′
Fucking disgraceful
From Arsenal Analysis;
Mariana Kovacevic has a big reputation for treating injured players with the placenta fluid shortening the recovery period quite substantially.
Contrary to what Wenger believes the evidence is quite staggering and they are to be found closer at home.
There are a few Liverpool players who were supposed to be out of action for lengthy spells but found themselves playing after a few days treatment in Belgrade.
The latest is Glen Johnson. The others are Aurelio, Benayoun and Riera who were out with heavy injuries but made remarkable recoveries. This is confirmed by Rafa Benitez himself.
“Benajun and Riera had serious injuries, but when they returned from Serbia, even the X-rays taken showed no trace of these problems. Perhaps we will in the future send all players that have similar injuries to Belgrade” said Benitez.
Serbian national team captain and van Persie’s former Feyenoord team-mate Danko Lazovic has admitted that he was the one who sent the Dutchman to Belgrade.
”Percy heard from someone about Marianne and called me asking about my experiences with the treatment. I told him how I was cured, after which he decided to come to Belgrade – said Lazovic for the Serbian Paper “Sports Journal” and added:
Having seen Kovacevic and had placenta fluid rubbed into the affected area Lazovic made a shock comeback in only one week.
“If I knew how it works, maybe I leave my job and begin to practice it myself. I only know that I was out only for three days even though the prediction was for six weeks of absence from the field”
Could van Persie start against Chelsea after all?
This Nilmar kid is the future of Brazilian football. Can’t stop scoring atm. 2 for Villareal today and scored in both of Brazil’s games during the break
My team for Liege…
…………………….Almunia…………………
Eboue……Senderos………..Vermy………Traore/Silvest
……………………Denilson……………………..
…..Cesc……………………………….Ramsey……..
…Theo………………..Arshavin……………….Vela…
I would use this game to test Arshy in the CF role….
Theo and Vela start to get sharp….
We can sub in Nasri, Rosicky/Merida and Eddy for Cesc, Theo/Vela and Arshy…..
This way these guys should be fresh for Chelsea…..
I really think that Nasri does not yet know how to play on the left wing…..so Wenger needs to play him in the midfield with Cesc….
My team for Chelsea…….
……………………….Almunia……………………
Sagna……….Gallas……………Vermy………….Gibbs
…………………….Song…………………………
…..Cesc………………………………Nasri/Diaby….
..Theo………………..Arshy/Eddy………..Ashy/Eddy….
Vela to come on and run at tired legs….
Rosicky to some on as well…
We must start 2 of Theo,Arshy, Vela… we need pace…
I did not watch the Sunderland game but from I heard there too much sideways passing and no penetration…
So we need to start with some pace up top…
I read yesterday that we are 2 points better off than we were this stage last season.
we all hailed that as a terrible start, we may be scoring a lot more but we dont really have the points to show for it.
Dreading next week, seriously think we could be on the end of a hammering.
Agree with your 19.41 comment, SharkeyS
Just watched the MotD highlights and the comment when Vela was brought down was pretty telling
“none of his team mates appealed…Arsenal are a beaten team.”
It’s so last season to have so many of the team under-perform at the same time. We need someone on the field who’s going to bully/cajole/whatever it takes to get better efforts from the team when they get like this.
AA23, I don’t agree. Like the blokes on MOTD said we are losing, but at least we’ve been the better team in all the games we’ve lost. City,United, Sunderland, West Ham could have been all wins. We HAVE to learn to finish these teams off.
AA23: compared to the comparable fixtures last year we are actually 7 points better off and on track to gather 95 for the season.
AA23, we wont get hammered next week! It’s only the shite games we struggle with application in!
Make you right about the points, a lot of people were crowing about winning the league last year as well…
I agree with Pat… last year we looked lost, this year we’re more of a team, just a shame about the boom or bust aspect of our game!
What dont yo agree with Pat? that we are only 2 points better off or that we could get a battering off of Chelsea?
Man ..The Denilson hat trick bit..??
Song’s continuous improvement really is amazing me at the moment, and I’v ebeen a big fan if his even whne he was struggling cos he’d shown me ‘something’ on a few occasions. I feel the same about Diaby.
We’ve always known Eboue (the Somali Pirate??!!) had ability…but its his antics and theatrics that mainly let him down. He’s toned them down a bit, so know he just needs to work on consistency and end product.
I hope you are right Pedro, I said yesterday that we do tend to step up a few gears to play the so called big teams and I hope we do next weekend.
I just cant help thinking that when its a “must win” game our arsehole tends to go, the pressure gets too much and we can bottle it.
If it doesnt mean anything we can butcher anyone. I just worry about the importance of this game to our season and the effect that seems to have on our game.
Cheers for the correct figure Ray, 7 points is much better than 2, even a retard like me can see that.
Just hope the pressure of next weeks game isnt too much for us.
That was a stonewall penalty. Ridiculous
Ped – I play down at Millwall on a Friday night..its only 7 a-side winner stays on in 8 min matches,but I have no trouble with ‘application’.
I might not mind having poor players on my team, but any fucker starts coasting I start to lose it big time.
I’ve said previously I’d love to spend a week around these highly paid stars and see if I can pick out what makes someone like Tommy V so determined, and someone like say Arsh blow so hot and cold.
Say what you like about Song he NEVER goes missing in an Arsenal shirt. Even ‘your cousin’ acknowledges that Song’s a trier.
A good thing about the schedule is that even the players who play against Liege will have five days to rest/recover before Sunday’s match with the Chavs — in contrast to the two days the midweek players had this week.
So guys what do you think of my lineups?
Lineup for Liege
…………………….Almunia…………………
Eboue……Senderos………..Vermy………Traore/Silvest
……………………Denilson……………………..
…..Cesc……………………………….Ramsey……..
…Theo………………..Arshavin……………….Vela…
Lineup for Chelsea
……………………….Almunia……………………
Sagna……….Gallas……………Vermy………….Gibbs
…………………….Song…………………………
…..Cesc………………………………Nasri/Diaby….
..Theo………………..Arshy…………Eddy
I would use the Liege game to experiment with Arshy as CF..
I would give Arhsy the responsibilty of the CF role..Eddy canplay on the left…..
With RVP gone..its up to Cesc and Ashy to take up the mantle…..with Theo Vela…Nasri and Rosicky contributing as well.
If Diaby is fit I would start him against Chelsea
traore 7!? Wow, he looked miserable
Whenever Bendy comes back..he should take up the CF role until RVP comes back….thats what I would do….
I would use Theo/Rosicky/Nasri on the right…
especially the Denilson hatrick, SS
Dare I say Eboue has contributed more to Arsenal in the past 3 years than Theo and Rosicky (combined)
Surprisingly good commentary on MotD. In addition to the above comments, omeone said “Arsenal aren’t good enough at the moment to play badly and win.”
in 07/08 we had much more fighting spirit than we do now. I wish our players believed in themselves more and worked their ass off.
Look at United when they’re chasing a game. I don’t know about you, but I always think they’ll score and they do via deflection, penalty, wondergoal, something. They always get it
It might be worth getting Vela at Ivanovic or whoever is playing RB for them next week, but it is risky as I think he is too lightweight at present. Maybe he just needs a good performance in a big game to get him flying.
If not Edu, with Arsh in the mid and Rosicky or Theo right. Song, Fab and either Diaby or Eboue in the middle to give us a bit of strength and running at them. If we keep it down we have a chance against their back 4, in the air we have no hope, except maybe at set pieces.