Well I seem to be in the minority here in thinking that our performance against Marseille was unspectacular. There were flashes of excellence but in my opinion it was a competent victory at best. Ozil missed penalty aside (for the moment) I thought we were sloppy across the midfield and although stats seem to disagree with me, a few big timers from this year disappointed.
However, our opponents still made us look a bit 1970's Brazil in comparison with what they had to offer. It was a grey, drab and turgid display from the French side who genuinely showed up to get beaten. It made leaving their star players Valbuena and Thauvin (who seems a good prospect but a nasty fella) on the bench plain illogical; surely you either play them for a bit of pride or leave them at home to chill for a few hours? Anyway, they really were a poor advert for European football, in particular due to the fact that they come from one of UEFA's stronger nations.
We started badly. Ramsey gave the ball away from the kick off. Then we did better. We won it back, Sagna played one pass which cut through the Marseille back line, Wilshere picked up the ball and, well, scored. Yes Marseille made it kind of simple for him but the way he looked up, cut back and just lifted the ball beyond Steve Mandanda was Pires-esque. He made it all look ever so easy.
Then, in a manner fearfully reminiscent of the opening day of the season, we got cocky. Having established the status quo within the first minute, people started making silly errors. Ramsey should have buried a chance and instead shot at Mandanda, Ozil failed to control a wonderful scooped ball from the Welshman when through on goal and all our midfielders gifted possesion to Marseille. Had we been facing an opponent with better ball retention, we could easily have conceded. The only saving grace for me was our uber-solid defence. And the Marseille manager's ridiculous ski-wear themed attire. On the former, special mention to Nacho Monreal who despite well documented frustration at a lack of proper playing time, came in and did a first rate job down the left. I was mightily impressed. I still love Gibbo though.
When we won a penalty, it came almost as a relief. We were clearly the better side but were having difficulty finishing off moves. For the record, I think it was an incorrect decision. The foul on Ramsey came outside the box but the mistake was marginal and his little flick deserved something.
As Mesut Ozil stepped up to take it, he did not for one minute look as if he was about to score like a striker brimming with form and confidence may have. Perhaps it was those eyes. Actually it wasn't. It was the way he stuttered like Musharaf in his run up, leaving himself very little backlift with which to strike the ball. He proceded to pass it towards the goalmouth and Mandanda saved easily. It was an insipid spot kick and he looks short of something at the moment. Not that I'm heavily criticising; he's world class and that will shine through at some point.
In the second half we were improved. Ozil for example upped his game to an acceptable level. However we still lacked the second goal. There was a sense that the football Gods may punish our lack of ruthlessness with a skiddy own goal or something so when we did knock in a second, it was very soothing. Jack Wilshere tapped in after good approach play and it was just what we needed after Valbuena and Thauvin's respective introductions to the game had significantly improved Marseille going forward.
Although the second goal made things safe, it was nice to have the options of Cazorla and Walcott to bring on late from the bench. They both stretched Marseille and if the lead had remained at one goal or we'd suffered a freak sending off, this could have been invaluable as neither of them are or ever will be Nicklas Bendtner.
Overall, I found myself upset but not worried that we scored only two goals when so many more were possible. Although I like the 'play ok but still win' Arsenal of the last couple of games, it would be great if we could see some real form going into another sticky run of fixtures. And with Cardiff and Hull our next two fixtures, there's a high probability of that happening. We face the Redbirds/Robin Blue Breasts on Saturday in Wales. We'll speak again then. Farewell.
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Wednesday 27 November 2013
Monday 25 November 2013
I'd 6-0 be a Tottenham fan right now.
Apologies for my tenuous title but when you get punned into the dirt it is never forgotten. So any chance for redemption must be taken, even if it doesn't really make sense.
My underlying point is that Spurs were given a mighty whooping at the weekend which, despite being dealt at the hands of Man City's mercenaries, is a lovely sight to see once in a while. They carried on where Crystal Palace left off with regards to humourous defending and it cost them at least four goals by my reckoning. Admittedly City were downright spendiferous at times (Negredo in particular made Michael Dawson look a complete mug for his goal) but it's pleasant to see such a poor performance from our nearest rivals. The fact that they spent so heavily in the summer really is the cherry on top. And to my Hotspur mates, you may have made a profit in the market, but eight players collectively earn at least twice what Gareth Bale was on so your point is null and void.
Maybe it says a lot about me that I have focused so heavily on Tottenham's pain rather than our own success. Love thy Neighbour doesn't really apply in football though. Our performance was wonderful for me. Not how we played, no. In many ways, Southampton were the better side. But the fact that we never left second gear yet still ran out 2-0 winners. I love 2-0. 2-0 is the embodiment of professionalism. It's not a watery glass of squash 1-0. It's not an opulent hot chocolate complete with marshmallows and whipped cream 5-0. It is a lovely, warm glass of milk on a cold November evening and it couldn't have been more perfect. We once again displayed that classic champion's trait of not hitting the heights we can, yet still winning comfortably. Ah, milk.
Yes Younes Kaboul's gentlemanly behaviour towards a ball across his own six yard box was funny, but Artur Boruc wins slip-up of the week hands down. His attempt at a Cruyff turn was a good reminder of why goalkeepers are goalkeepers. He in fact managed to incorrectly execute three separate skill turns which is great. Anyway Giroud chased him down well and scored one of the two or three goals that such pursuits will earn a forward throughout his career.
Anyway I'm getting kind of bored now but we defended well and the passion Merty showed in winning that late penalty sent shivers down my spine.
We've got Marseille tomorrow at home, a game which will send us through to the next round of the Champions League should we better Dortmund's result against Napoli. I think.
Apologies for tailing off a bit here but it's getting late and we all know that short and sweet is better when things are going well. I may do a preview of the Marseille game. Sleep well Gooners.
My underlying point is that Spurs were given a mighty whooping at the weekend which, despite being dealt at the hands of Man City's mercenaries, is a lovely sight to see once in a while. They carried on where Crystal Palace left off with regards to humourous defending and it cost them at least four goals by my reckoning. Admittedly City were downright spendiferous at times (Negredo in particular made Michael Dawson look a complete mug for his goal) but it's pleasant to see such a poor performance from our nearest rivals. The fact that they spent so heavily in the summer really is the cherry on top. And to my Hotspur mates, you may have made a profit in the market, but eight players collectively earn at least twice what Gareth Bale was on so your point is null and void.
Maybe it says a lot about me that I have focused so heavily on Tottenham's pain rather than our own success. Love thy Neighbour doesn't really apply in football though. Our performance was wonderful for me. Not how we played, no. In many ways, Southampton were the better side. But the fact that we never left second gear yet still ran out 2-0 winners. I love 2-0. 2-0 is the embodiment of professionalism. It's not a watery glass of squash 1-0. It's not an opulent hot chocolate complete with marshmallows and whipped cream 5-0. It is a lovely, warm glass of milk on a cold November evening and it couldn't have been more perfect. We once again displayed that classic champion's trait of not hitting the heights we can, yet still winning comfortably. Ah, milk.
Yes Younes Kaboul's gentlemanly behaviour towards a ball across his own six yard box was funny, but Artur Boruc wins slip-up of the week hands down. His attempt at a Cruyff turn was a good reminder of why goalkeepers are goalkeepers. He in fact managed to incorrectly execute three separate skill turns which is great. Anyway Giroud chased him down well and scored one of the two or three goals that such pursuits will earn a forward throughout his career.
Anyway I'm getting kind of bored now but we defended well and the passion Merty showed in winning that late penalty sent shivers down my spine.
We've got Marseille tomorrow at home, a game which will send us through to the next round of the Champions League should we better Dortmund's result against Napoli. I think.
Apologies for tailing off a bit here but it's getting late and we all know that short and sweet is better when things are going well. I may do a preview of the Marseille game. Sleep well Gooners.
Saturday 23 November 2013
Southampton Game Preview
So we play Southampton in about an hour. The Saints of course are the surprise package of the current Premier League Season and should they pull off an unlikely win today, there's a possibility that they could end the weekend atop the table. But that shouldn't happen.
I spoke earlier in the week of how badly Arsenal players were doing internationally. Well luckily, their fortunes improved a little. Per Mertesacker kaboomed England to defeat, The French had a night to remember and Woj kept a clean sheet for Poland. The performance from Les Bleus, even if the Arsenal influence was minimal, was something particularly special and from the look of this video, our boys will be on a high for some time to come. Don't be surprised if Bacary Sagna hits his first career hat-trick today.
On the subject of today's game, the team has just been announced. There are no real surprises with a first choice back five and front man then Arteta, Ramsey, Wilshere, Ozil and Cazorla in the middle of the park. It's a strong side which, despite the risk that Southampton pose, should win the game. I was at this fixture last year when we totally un-beatified our opponents. I was sure that day that Southampton would go down. They were simply inept in every position and our scoring of six goals was deserved.
So they deserve a lot of credit for working their way into the position they stand today. Third in the table above the billionaires of Chelsea and Man City is a real achievement considering the season is well under way by now. They've got some real quality players including Adam Lallana who I thought did himself no harm in his first two England appearances. However, I do think we will defeat them this time.
In some ways the international break came at a good time. Some say it would have been good to get the Man United game out of our system with a win but the extended break with no games to talk about means that everyone has been focusing on the bigger picture. And our picture is pretty. By taking time to look at how well we've played in general, I think momentum has been retained where it may not have been otherwise.
Anyway. I hope we win. And Theo is eased back in. And no-one gets injured. That's not too much to ask for, right?
I spoke earlier in the week of how badly Arsenal players were doing internationally. Well luckily, their fortunes improved a little. Per Mertesacker kaboomed England to defeat, The French had a night to remember and Woj kept a clean sheet for Poland. The performance from Les Bleus, even if the Arsenal influence was minimal, was something particularly special and from the look of this video, our boys will be on a high for some time to come. Don't be surprised if Bacary Sagna hits his first career hat-trick today.
On the subject of today's game, the team has just been announced. There are no real surprises with a first choice back five and front man then Arteta, Ramsey, Wilshere, Ozil and Cazorla in the middle of the park. It's a strong side which, despite the risk that Southampton pose, should win the game. I was at this fixture last year when we totally un-beatified our opponents. I was sure that day that Southampton would go down. They were simply inept in every position and our scoring of six goals was deserved.
So they deserve a lot of credit for working their way into the position they stand today. Third in the table above the billionaires of Chelsea and Man City is a real achievement considering the season is well under way by now. They've got some real quality players including Adam Lallana who I thought did himself no harm in his first two England appearances. However, I do think we will defeat them this time.
In some ways the international break came at a good time. Some say it would have been good to get the Man United game out of our system with a win but the extended break with no games to talk about means that everyone has been focusing on the bigger picture. And our picture is pretty. By taking time to look at how well we've played in general, I think momentum has been retained where it may not have been otherwise.
Anyway. I hope we win. And Theo is eased back in. And no-one gets injured. That's not too much to ask for, right?
Sunday 17 November 2013
We're still top of the League! Say we're still top of the League!
It feels like ages since I last wrote on here. In fact it's only eight days. I refrained from writing partially through being occupied and also because we lost to Man United. I find it hard to do anything when we lose a game whether it be read the match reports, write the match reports or even watch highlights occasionally. I can't tell if this makes me a good fan who can't stand to see his team lose or a plastic one who loses interest when the sun isn't shining. I sense probably the latter but I know that Jack Wilshere was born in Stevenage which in my mind qualifies me as a dedicated supporter.
Since we surrendered quite meekly to United, it's been quiet. And I mean really quiet. Even the tumbleweeds have headed on out of town. Arsenal players have been in action, but not in Arsenal shirts. I do try and follow how our players do for their national sides. I kind of get invested in them which means my interest goes beyond what they do when playing for Arsenal. I like it when Olivier Giroud scores for France or Santi Cazorla gets a run out for Spain. Granted it's because I want good form throughout the squad but I also still believe in the romance of international football. Well more than most people do. To me it's the pinnacle of a career and to have so many of our players playing at this pinnacle so often makes me proud to be an Arsenal fan.
That's not to say that there aren't problems. Alleged corruption at FIFA has been under the spotlight quite frequently in recent times and although I have no affiliation with Real Madrid (aside admiring their nickname which translates as 'The Meringues'), I still feel for the fans who have seen one of their star players suffer a potentially season ending injury in a friendly that is beyond meaningless. That's the nightmare scenario. It happens time and time again without anyone taking notice and when it happens to your own club, you feel like breaking a stick or crushing a grape, such is the fury it causes.
Arsenal players haven't had the best of times this week. The French trio of Laurent Koscielny, Olivier Giroud and Bacary Sagna saw their side go down 2-0 in Ukraine with the former sent off and the later sat on the bench. It will take something special from Les Bleus to qualify for the World Cup now which, despite their status as rivals of England, would be a shame considering the huge talent they have at their disposal. Jack Wilshere had a largely forgettable evening, save one sumptuous pass, for a disappointing England as they lost 2-0 at the hands of Chile. Ramsey missed the Wales game last night, Ozil played half an hour against Italy in Milan and Santi Cazorla may have scored but he was playing in Equitorial Guinea which was not, as I had genuinely believed, a joke.
They all go again on Tuesday when the second batch of friendlies and playoffs takes place. Cazorla and Monreal aside, all our players play fairly close to home with only Ozil and Metesacker away. They're convenietly playing at Wembley though so it's all good and Ozil is unlikely to feature at all anyway.
I'm going off on a tangent a bit here, but I have to say the England game was really underwhelming. I've said before that I try to support my home nation and although I wasn't expecting anything special against Chile, it was still a bit embarrassing. Yes the South American's had arguably the world's form player in Alexis Sanchez and yes our line up was 'experimental' (football lingo for not at full strength) but we still should have done better than we did. Leighton Baines was uncharacteristically poor for example and we showed none of the flair that the Chileans did going forward as they found holes in our backline that were at times wider than their entire country.
Despite the whole team failing to perform, there is one man who yet again proved to me why he is not cut out for this level. He's becoming a regular and his presence is representative of a real problem England have right now. He is of course Gary Cahill.
For a long time now I've watched Cahill in England games and thought to myself how ill-equipped we are at the back. He's somehow nailed down a spot as a starter at Centre Half and this makes me cry. Sometimes literally. He is just so out of his depth and I can't even describe how poor he is in my opinion. Regardless of how he performs for Chelsea, he is a liability for England and his mistake costing England the second goal had been a long time coming. If you watch carefully, you will see that he gives the ball away like that at least once a game for England and he is indicative of the problem that we have with producing players. He's made it because he's big, he heads well and he'll throw himself in front of the ball with regularity. These are good qualities but in other nations, that would not be enough.
Look at our own Per Mertesacker. He is phenomenally astute in possession and really knows what he's doing. I haven't always been his biggest fan and while he's not the World's best, he exemplifies that standard of international defenders. Every top nation has them and we don't. Cahill is nowhere near a Chiellini or a Pique or a Thiago Silva. They are Blue Sky and he's Chilli P (Breaking Bad reference alert!). I don't like either of them much but Terry and Ferdinand were leaps and bounds ahead of the current crop.
Rant over. In other news, Wojciech Szczesny has signed a new 'long term' deal. This is fantastic news but there's not a lot to say. I still believe 'long term' to mean five years and as long as he hasn't been given the 100k per week contract that some tabloids had suggested, it's solely positive as he's been almost flawless so far this season. Unfortunately another youngster seems to have suffered a setback. The Ox is set to remain sidelined until early 2014 at least. It's a huge shame for him as missing half of what was meant to be his real breakthrough season must be devastating. On the bright side, he'll be absolutely chomping at the bit when he does return and that sort of enthusiasm could be vital over the winter months. Luckily Theo Walcott looks set for a comeback against Southampton so it's not all bad news on the winger front.
I realise now that this week has been busier that I thought. Oh well. Till next time.
Since we surrendered quite meekly to United, it's been quiet. And I mean really quiet. Even the tumbleweeds have headed on out of town. Arsenal players have been in action, but not in Arsenal shirts. I do try and follow how our players do for their national sides. I kind of get invested in them which means my interest goes beyond what they do when playing for Arsenal. I like it when Olivier Giroud scores for France or Santi Cazorla gets a run out for Spain. Granted it's because I want good form throughout the squad but I also still believe in the romance of international football. Well more than most people do. To me it's the pinnacle of a career and to have so many of our players playing at this pinnacle so often makes me proud to be an Arsenal fan.
That's not to say that there aren't problems. Alleged corruption at FIFA has been under the spotlight quite frequently in recent times and although I have no affiliation with Real Madrid (aside admiring their nickname which translates as 'The Meringues'), I still feel for the fans who have seen one of their star players suffer a potentially season ending injury in a friendly that is beyond meaningless. That's the nightmare scenario. It happens time and time again without anyone taking notice and when it happens to your own club, you feel like breaking a stick or crushing a grape, such is the fury it causes.
Arsenal players haven't had the best of times this week. The French trio of Laurent Koscielny, Olivier Giroud and Bacary Sagna saw their side go down 2-0 in Ukraine with the former sent off and the later sat on the bench. It will take something special from Les Bleus to qualify for the World Cup now which, despite their status as rivals of England, would be a shame considering the huge talent they have at their disposal. Jack Wilshere had a largely forgettable evening, save one sumptuous pass, for a disappointing England as they lost 2-0 at the hands of Chile. Ramsey missed the Wales game last night, Ozil played half an hour against Italy in Milan and Santi Cazorla may have scored but he was playing in Equitorial Guinea which was not, as I had genuinely believed, a joke.
They all go again on Tuesday when the second batch of friendlies and playoffs takes place. Cazorla and Monreal aside, all our players play fairly close to home with only Ozil and Metesacker away. They're convenietly playing at Wembley though so it's all good and Ozil is unlikely to feature at all anyway.
I'm going off on a tangent a bit here, but I have to say the England game was really underwhelming. I've said before that I try to support my home nation and although I wasn't expecting anything special against Chile, it was still a bit embarrassing. Yes the South American's had arguably the world's form player in Alexis Sanchez and yes our line up was 'experimental' (football lingo for not at full strength) but we still should have done better than we did. Leighton Baines was uncharacteristically poor for example and we showed none of the flair that the Chileans did going forward as they found holes in our backline that were at times wider than their entire country.
Despite the whole team failing to perform, there is one man who yet again proved to me why he is not cut out for this level. He's becoming a regular and his presence is representative of a real problem England have right now. He is of course Gary Cahill.
For a long time now I've watched Cahill in England games and thought to myself how ill-equipped we are at the back. He's somehow nailed down a spot as a starter at Centre Half and this makes me cry. Sometimes literally. He is just so out of his depth and I can't even describe how poor he is in my opinion. Regardless of how he performs for Chelsea, he is a liability for England and his mistake costing England the second goal had been a long time coming. If you watch carefully, you will see that he gives the ball away like that at least once a game for England and he is indicative of the problem that we have with producing players. He's made it because he's big, he heads well and he'll throw himself in front of the ball with regularity. These are good qualities but in other nations, that would not be enough.
Look at our own Per Mertesacker. He is phenomenally astute in possession and really knows what he's doing. I haven't always been his biggest fan and while he's not the World's best, he exemplifies that standard of international defenders. Every top nation has them and we don't. Cahill is nowhere near a Chiellini or a Pique or a Thiago Silva. They are Blue Sky and he's Chilli P (Breaking Bad reference alert!). I don't like either of them much but Terry and Ferdinand were leaps and bounds ahead of the current crop.
Rant over. In other news, Wojciech Szczesny has signed a new 'long term' deal. This is fantastic news but there's not a lot to say. I still believe 'long term' to mean five years and as long as he hasn't been given the 100k per week contract that some tabloids had suggested, it's solely positive as he's been almost flawless so far this season. Unfortunately another youngster seems to have suffered a setback. The Ox is set to remain sidelined until early 2014 at least. It's a huge shame for him as missing half of what was meant to be his real breakthrough season must be devastating. On the bright side, he'll be absolutely chomping at the bit when he does return and that sort of enthusiasm could be vital over the winter months. Luckily Theo Walcott looks set for a comeback against Southampton so it's not all bad news on the winger front.
I realise now that this week has been busier that I thought. Oh well. Till next time.
Saturday 9 November 2013
Stick to Telecom and United Preview
I woke up this morning expecting a quite pleasant Saturday full of food and football yet lacking in the nervousness that accompanies watching my team play. But very soon, Saturday turned sour. Firstly, it was and still is raining where I live. That's not supposed to happen. Its title may suggest otherwise, but Sunday is the time for rain, at least in my eyes anyway. But the second and more upsetting reason for my Saturday blues comes with the news that BT Sport have acquired sole rights to broadcasting the Champions League. And that sucks.
It may not be perfect, but the current set up for watching European football is one I quite enjoy. I don't have Sky so I can only view one Champions League game per week. That sounds bad at first but it does mean that when Arsenal are on telly, it's quite an event. I'll plan my meals in advance so I can dine in front of the TV with minimum mess. Then when the third ad break in fifteen minutes of build up (I said it wasn't perfect) finally finishes and that song kicks in, I'm really rather excited. At half time I get to see all the goals from other games and it being the World's premier club competition, those goals are often rather good. All in all, it's enjoyable. And of course, I get to watch the Arsenal.
But now times are a'changing. BT have paid around a squillion pounds and from 2015 to 2018, they will have a complete monopoly on showing European football. And seeing as I, like many other, do not have BT Sport, I won't be able to see nearly as many of Europe's big games. If I want anything at all, I'll have to sign up for something I don't want or need and to see the games that count, I'll have to pay. Perhaps I'm being melodramatic but this seems like a dark day for football followers in this country, akin to the time when the Premier League disappeared from the BBC altogether in 2001.
Luckily it's only a three year deal and you'd hope that ITV will do everything possible to regain their rights to these games when the bidding process comes around again. But those three years are going to be so, so dull. Des Lynam he aint, but I'd sure as hell prefer ITV's Adrian Chiles to Tim Lovejoy of BT Sport when it comes to presenting the Champions League. And just because they were good players, it doesn't mean that Jamie Carragher or Michael Owen are particularly good pundits. And Jake. Oh Jake. I loved you on F1. Please come back.
But that's a while away. I'll review my opinions when the finer details of BT's coverage come to light. In other news, we play Man United away tomorrow. Whichever way you look at it, it's a big game. It may not have the grudge factor that existed in the Ferguson era but it's still a fixture that means a lot to everyone involved.
Team news is fairly positive. Mathieu Flamini will play, barring any last minute alien abductions or injury inducing sneezes. I started this sentence with that aim of saying 'He'll slot in in place of...' but we've been playing in such a way that no-one had singled themselves out as a candidate to be dropped. If anyone has been slacking in midfield recently, it'd be Mesut Ozil and yet he's played a part in our crucial last two goals. He may be a bit of a luxury player at times, but his defensive work is not to be sniffed at and he will not be dropped for such a big game. He's too good.
I think we're classed as favourites for this game but it's hard to accept that tag. Yes we're on a fantastic run, especially away from home, but United have been settling at last in the month just gone and are starting to look ever so slightly ominous. Like a small tsunami picking up speed. Even so I don't think they will ultimately pose any risk to the Japanese coast. They're not a fantastic side but going to Old Trafford will never be easy, whoever's in the dugout.
Speaking of United managers, it seems like Alex Ferguson's book is one great big wind up. He's rubbed just about everyone up the wrong way with his frankly ludicrous sense of self importance. Of course he was unrivaled in his success and I don't want to ignore United's trophy count during his reign but he was not the messiah. He built teams that won but could he claim to have ever claim to have created a truly brilliant side of the ilk of The Invincibles or Pep Guardiola's Barcelona? I'm not so sure. His teams never played great, great football like those two.
People he's criticised include his greatest captain Roy Keane, football's best known name David Beckham and our very own Aaron Ramsey who 'made the wrong choice' in turning down United. As Saj Chowdry of the BBC alluded to, a win would be all the more satisfying in light of those comments. Snippets from the book make it seem cringe worthy, so blindly arrogant Ferguson comes across.
In terms of how we line up tomorrow, I wouldn't expect major variation. Only Flamini returns and considering that he offers very little going forward, I think he may start from the bench. We'll be going out to win the game, as we have done on every occasion for nine months or so now and the fresh legs of Flamini at a later stage of the game, perhaps if we're holding a narrow lead, could be very useful.
Anyway, I do think we have a good chance. And gloriously, we can't be deposed from top spot even if we suffer a horrific six goal loss and have a man sent off. But that doesn't happen these days.
Here's to a win and the imminent retirement of Tim Lovejoy from the public eye. For now.
Wednesday 6 November 2013
Dortmund: A Point the Minimum Need
Well hello again.
It's been some time since I last wrote on here so naturally there are a few things to brush up on. I've missed a couple of games and a fair amount of news. And of course, we have a big game tonight which needs previewing.
But first the other games. Last time I wrote I gave a brief preview of Chelsea. It was a fixture which we afforded very little importance and somewhat predictably we came out on the wrong side of a defeat. Injuries to younger players (Eisfeld, Gnabry, Zelalem) forced us into an sticky situation. The complete lack of men dictated that we field a side not good enough to win, but still featuring enough first team players to make tiredness an issue for the next game. Realistically, with everyone fit, I think we would have thrown the game and thrust our inexperienced lambs to the slaughter against Juan Mata, Samuel Eto'o and the rest of Chelsea's 'second string'. However, we weren't able to do so and in the end we meekly surrendered, 2-0 the final score. I never enjoy losing a game but this really did have the feel of a distraction rather than a knock-out fixture.
So we moved on to Liverpool. We still lacked Mathieu Flamini but even so, I'm unwilling to call the team we fielded below full strength, such is the level of quality and competition in the side these days. We have had a decent record against Liverpool over the last few seasons but their good form coupled with a 2-0 home loss I witnessed a couple of seasons ago left me a little worried. The frustratingly well nicknamed SAS certainly have the ability to unlock any side.
As it turned out, SAS indirectly led to Liverpool's downfall. As well as failing to score a goal between them, their sheer quality forced Brendan 'Black Suit, Black Shirt and Black Tie' Rogers into compromising the defensive solidity of his side in order to accommodate the both of them. The back three/five formation had it's shortcomings flawlessly exploited by Olivier Giroud who put in a proper centre forward's shift.
He may not have scored a goal himself, but his intelligent movement drew all three centre backs at times, creating pools of space for our midfield players to exploit. I stressed before how reliant we are on a contribution to our goal tally from the midfield and Giroud makes that possible. He works hard as well to try and incorporate runners into attacks and the space Santi Cazorla was afforded for his goal is a credit to the work of the Frenchman. It didn't make Martin Skrtl's pivot on the spot defending any less funny though.
Anyhow, once we scored our first goal, we performed well to hold the lead. The way Aaaron Ramsey added a second was exquisite, even if Kolo Toure was ball watching a little. There were a few hairy moments though, Suarez's curling poke onto the post one of them, but overall it was a fantastic display. I still didn't like Szczesny's Manuel Almunia moment. He seemed to be copying the former Gunner directly as Almunia had his own similar, albeit worse, incident earlier in the day.
One player who had an exceptional game is Mikel Arteta. Many saw him as our MOTM and that would be a fair judgement. He played supremely, offering genuine protection to the back four (yes four Brendan).
This leads nicely on to a preview of our Dortmund game as I feel Mikel will once again be the key man. Our defeat last time out in this Competition has put us in the awkward position of really needing to avoid defeat in Germany and if anyone can help us achieve that, it will be Arteta. In the absence of Mathieu Flamini, he really will have to channel his inner darkness and act as an oh so visible wall. Dortmund could be seen as the world's best counter attacking side at the moment and while they won't have to rely on that side of their game so heavily at home, they will clearly carry a threat on the break.
The pressing style that Klopp advocates means that we could lose the ball at any time in places where our possession wouldn't necessarily come under threat against other teams.This means a few things. Firstly, we'll have to keep our shape at all times. Secondly, everyone, even Ballon D'Or nominees, will have to track back and lend a hand. But thirdly, and importantly, Arteta has to do his job.
Simply because we need some sort of result, I think we'll come out on the front foot. Yes Dortmund are a good side but we've shown in our last few fixtures that we have enough to score against them, even when facing the yellow wall. It should be a full strength team after my man Kieran Gibbs was passed fit. I think Thomas Rosicky may also start again. Reflecting on his performance at the weekend, my Dad and I agreed what a really good player he is for a number of reasons. I reckon he'll play so we can treat our hosts to a bit of their own high pressure medicine. Also, as we all know, he sets the tempo of most games which can be invaluable away from home. He did also used to play for Dortmund with current star man Marco Reus citing him as a boyhood hero. Mentally, having Rosicky in the side will probably have some effect. I can't work it it out now but it will.
Anyway. I can't say much else but I'll point out again that a draw at least is a requirement. If we face the same situation that we did late on last time, we'll definitely sit back and bring on three more defenders. Should we lose, we'll know that a victory in Naples is an absolute must and that's an uncomfortable prospect.
So here's to a victory then. Nothing personal though Jurgen. For now.
It's been some time since I last wrote on here so naturally there are a few things to brush up on. I've missed a couple of games and a fair amount of news. And of course, we have a big game tonight which needs previewing.
But first the other games. Last time I wrote I gave a brief preview of Chelsea. It was a fixture which we afforded very little importance and somewhat predictably we came out on the wrong side of a defeat. Injuries to younger players (Eisfeld, Gnabry, Zelalem) forced us into an sticky situation. The complete lack of men dictated that we field a side not good enough to win, but still featuring enough first team players to make tiredness an issue for the next game. Realistically, with everyone fit, I think we would have thrown the game and thrust our inexperienced lambs to the slaughter against Juan Mata, Samuel Eto'o and the rest of Chelsea's 'second string'. However, we weren't able to do so and in the end we meekly surrendered, 2-0 the final score. I never enjoy losing a game but this really did have the feel of a distraction rather than a knock-out fixture.
So we moved on to Liverpool. We still lacked Mathieu Flamini but even so, I'm unwilling to call the team we fielded below full strength, such is the level of quality and competition in the side these days. We have had a decent record against Liverpool over the last few seasons but their good form coupled with a 2-0 home loss I witnessed a couple of seasons ago left me a little worried. The frustratingly well nicknamed SAS certainly have the ability to unlock any side.
As it turned out, SAS indirectly led to Liverpool's downfall. As well as failing to score a goal between them, their sheer quality forced Brendan 'Black Suit, Black Shirt and Black Tie' Rogers into compromising the defensive solidity of his side in order to accommodate the both of them. The back three/five formation had it's shortcomings flawlessly exploited by Olivier Giroud who put in a proper centre forward's shift.
He may not have scored a goal himself, but his intelligent movement drew all three centre backs at times, creating pools of space for our midfield players to exploit. I stressed before how reliant we are on a contribution to our goal tally from the midfield and Giroud makes that possible. He works hard as well to try and incorporate runners into attacks and the space Santi Cazorla was afforded for his goal is a credit to the work of the Frenchman. It didn't make Martin Skrtl's pivot on the spot defending any less funny though.
Anyhow, once we scored our first goal, we performed well to hold the lead. The way Aaaron Ramsey added a second was exquisite, even if Kolo Toure was ball watching a little. There were a few hairy moments though, Suarez's curling poke onto the post one of them, but overall it was a fantastic display. I still didn't like Szczesny's Manuel Almunia moment. He seemed to be copying the former Gunner directly as Almunia had his own similar, albeit worse, incident earlier in the day.
One player who had an exceptional game is Mikel Arteta. Many saw him as our MOTM and that would be a fair judgement. He played supremely, offering genuine protection to the back four (yes four Brendan).
This leads nicely on to a preview of our Dortmund game as I feel Mikel will once again be the key man. Our defeat last time out in this Competition has put us in the awkward position of really needing to avoid defeat in Germany and if anyone can help us achieve that, it will be Arteta. In the absence of Mathieu Flamini, he really will have to channel his inner darkness and act as an oh so visible wall. Dortmund could be seen as the world's best counter attacking side at the moment and while they won't have to rely on that side of their game so heavily at home, they will clearly carry a threat on the break.
The pressing style that Klopp advocates means that we could lose the ball at any time in places where our possession wouldn't necessarily come under threat against other teams.This means a few things. Firstly, we'll have to keep our shape at all times. Secondly, everyone, even Ballon D'Or nominees, will have to track back and lend a hand. But thirdly, and importantly, Arteta has to do his job.
Simply because we need some sort of result, I think we'll come out on the front foot. Yes Dortmund are a good side but we've shown in our last few fixtures that we have enough to score against them, even when facing the yellow wall. It should be a full strength team after my man Kieran Gibbs was passed fit. I think Thomas Rosicky may also start again. Reflecting on his performance at the weekend, my Dad and I agreed what a really good player he is for a number of reasons. I reckon he'll play so we can treat our hosts to a bit of their own high pressure medicine. Also, as we all know, he sets the tempo of most games which can be invaluable away from home. He did also used to play for Dortmund with current star man Marco Reus citing him as a boyhood hero. Mentally, having Rosicky in the side will probably have some effect. I can't work it it out now but it will.
Anyway. I can't say much else but I'll point out again that a draw at least is a requirement. If we face the same situation that we did late on last time, we'll definitely sit back and bring on three more defenders. Should we lose, we'll know that a victory in Naples is an absolute must and that's an uncomfortable prospect.
So here's to a victory then. Nothing personal though Jurgen. For now.
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