We play Southampton and their Jester between the sticks later so I'll come on to that. Firstly though there was a story today which I found pretty important.
The drawing of Liverpool in the FA Cup opened several cans full of even more worms. I'm no expert on the inner workings of the club or even ticket pricing structures so the simplified way that I saw it, is as follows:
Arsenal recently announced that next season would see a 3 percent rise in season ticket prices, I think. This was supposed to be in line with inflation but the inflation of what was far from clear. Previously, having reached the knock-out rounds of the Champions League, the home tie with European Champions Bayern Munich was penciled in as one of seven designated Cup games included in the price of a season ticket. After that occurred, we beat Spurs in the FA Cup, earning a tie with League One Coventry and pushing back the game with European Champions Bayern Munich in the fixture order, leaving it as the seventh, and last, of these designated games.
That's when things got interesting. Unsurprisingly, we beat League One Coventry almost as comfortably as we'd beaten Spurs in the previous round. So, when we drew Liverpool and that fixture was added to the list, the bout against European Champions Bayern Munich was pushed back even further chronologically, to the extent that it now fell outside of the seven designated games. If season ticket holders wish to watch their club play the German side, they will have to pay for it with the cost of their ticket renewal next season.
That's caused a little bit of controversy. With respect to League One Coventry, it would be truthful to say that every single Gooner would prefer to watch European Champions Bayern Munich play at the Emirates than the Sky Blues. But because of the order of the games, many will not be able to and those who can will have to stump up for it, after watching the predictably uncompetitive FA Cup game for free.
The one bit of good to come from this centres around the aforementioned Liverpool game in the Cup. In response to pressure from some fans groups who were upset for various reasons, the match has been changed to a Category B fixture, reducing prices for everyone.
Yes they were forced into it a little but it's still nice to see a gesture like this from the club. I've had a feeling in the past that the fans loved the Arsenal but the Arsenal didn't really love the fans. This isn't exactly a unique opinion so many people will be pleased that the club have acted to assuage it.
Southampton. We beat them last time thanks to a penalty and and a howler from a gloved buffoon. It wasn't exactly a tricky fixture but it was hardly a nail-biter either, as far as I remember. This time round I expect a challenge but one we're perfectly capable of conquering, should we choose to accept it.
All the Southampton talk in the past few days has been about Luke Shaw and whether or not he'll be leaving. A United friend of mine was talking him up as if he had signed for them already, burbling about how he was far superior to Kieran Gibbs.
Let me set something straight. I like Luke Shaw. I think he will go to United or Chelsea and have a long and successful career. I have a minor 'I knew him before he was famous claim' which means I always route for him a little bit too and to be performing week in week out the way he does, at the age of eighteen, is very impressive.
But at the moment, Kieran Gibbs has a far, far greater claim to inherit the England Left Back role than his Southampton counterpart. He is one of the most underrated players on the books of a top four club and we have a right to really show him off. Not in the way we might have made statements like 'Denilson's one of the best midfielders in the League' in the past to hide the deficiencies of the player, but in a genuine way. He's quality and I fear he won't get as many England caps as he deserves because of the hysterical clamour that will inevitably surround Shaw's bid to replace Cole/Baines when the time comes. And £25m, one reported fee for Shaw in this window, is a joke.
The team for the game has just been announced and the only surprise for me is the continued inclusion of Gnabry on the right hand side. With players coming back to fitness we could feasibly have rejigged that three to include at least one of four players who aren't starting tonight. I love the depth. While I like Gnabry, I would have maybe routed for a Rosicky tonight in a very fluid three. But the boss knows best. I hope no-one gets the hump though. I'm thinking of Podolski especially, who I expect to feature at some point tonight.
Three more routine points please. For now.
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Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Tuesday, 21 January 2014
Post Fulham and the Yoots
The Fulham game didn't throw up too many surprises. They were a bit meh, we weren't at our best and the score ended up at a professional 2-0. Granted in the first half it looked like we might be heading towards having 'one of those days' but a couple of moments of quality from a a quality player sealed the deal and we relaxed from then onwards.
I was at the game and I have to say it was pretty low on atmosphere. Fulham are quite a nice club but lack ambition like you wouldn't believe. It was always relatively comfortable. Some people counted it as a derby win but even geographically that's pushing it a bit.
Anyway there's very little to discuss so I'll move on to the more interesting story of the day, the CIES Football Observatory study. I'll hold my hands up: I'd never heard of it before today. Does that I mean I can't exploit its data to prove how great Arsenal are? Absolutely not.
As a bit of a statto, this survey is a delight for me. It provides even the most trivial statistics (Who knew that the Bundesliga was Europe's tallest top league with an average height of 183.8cm?) along with the really interesting ones. From an Arsenal perspective, it's gratifying to hear that our senior squad contains the highest proportion of so called 'home grown' players of any team in the League. We all know that statistics can be misleading and in this case the results are somewhat skewed by player like Frimpong who, despite qualifying as squad member, have no input whatsoever into the games we actually play. Nevertheless, I think it's a reason to be proud considering some of our rivals are so hell bent on killing football, that they give little or no consideration to the production of genuine talent in their respective academies.
This League high proportion (a figure of 32.2%) is a good thing for more than one reason. Firstly, it really highlights how we truely believe in youth development. Throughout all of Ivan Gazidis' chest thumping about financial strength, ability to compete, ambition, etc. the message has still remained clear; Arsenal football club is committed to producing our own players with the ability to become valued squad members at some point in the future. The figure published today proves that those are more than just words.
There is also a link to another Arsenal nugget from this week. After Liam Brady announced last year that he was to step down as chief of the Arsenal Academy, the search began to find his replacement. Many names have been mooted in the time that has since passed, including a highly rated Croatian, but this week it was finally announced that the position would be filled by Dutchman Andries Jonker. Once again, I'll hold my hands up and say I've never heard of him. But those who are in the know seem to think that it is a very canny appointment indeed.
All I know is that he was schooled by Louis van Gaal. Based on that, I wonder if, and this is purely conjecture, we may see a less personal approach to youth development. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, in his recently published autobiography, expressed his distaste for van Gaal and his machine like style of coaching. Ibrahimovic says that van Gaal referred to players not by name but by numbers which corresponded to their roles within the team. I fear that if Jonker follows a similar approach, he could alienate mavericks like Ibrahimovic within the youth sides. But that is pure speculation and his role is not that of a coach. Honestly I'm just trying to put a spin on a story I know very little of.
But the link to today. It is known that our Academy is not running perfectly. Our under 18's for example sit miserably at the bottom of their youth League. However, the League high proportion shows we can't be doing too badly. Players are successfully making the jump. That gives the new man Jonker plenty to work with which can only be a good thing.
Anyway. That's it for tonight. We play Coventry in the Cup onSaturday afternoon at three o'clock Friday night at quarter to eight so I should be back before then. Expect a Zelalem debut. For now.
I was at the game and I have to say it was pretty low on atmosphere. Fulham are quite a nice club but lack ambition like you wouldn't believe. It was always relatively comfortable. Some people counted it as a derby win but even geographically that's pushing it a bit.
Anyway there's very little to discuss so I'll move on to the more interesting story of the day, the CIES Football Observatory study. I'll hold my hands up: I'd never heard of it before today. Does that I mean I can't exploit its data to prove how great Arsenal are? Absolutely not.
As a bit of a statto, this survey is a delight for me. It provides even the most trivial statistics (Who knew that the Bundesliga was Europe's tallest top league with an average height of 183.8cm?) along with the really interesting ones. From an Arsenal perspective, it's gratifying to hear that our senior squad contains the highest proportion of so called 'home grown' players of any team in the League. We all know that statistics can be misleading and in this case the results are somewhat skewed by player like Frimpong who, despite qualifying as squad member, have no input whatsoever into the games we actually play. Nevertheless, I think it's a reason to be proud considering some of our rivals are so hell bent on killing football, that they give little or no consideration to the production of genuine talent in their respective academies.
This League high proportion (a figure of 32.2%) is a good thing for more than one reason. Firstly, it really highlights how we truely believe in youth development. Throughout all of Ivan Gazidis' chest thumping about financial strength, ability to compete, ambition, etc. the message has still remained clear; Arsenal football club is committed to producing our own players with the ability to become valued squad members at some point in the future. The figure published today proves that those are more than just words.
There is also a link to another Arsenal nugget from this week. After Liam Brady announced last year that he was to step down as chief of the Arsenal Academy, the search began to find his replacement. Many names have been mooted in the time that has since passed, including a highly rated Croatian, but this week it was finally announced that the position would be filled by Dutchman Andries Jonker. Once again, I'll hold my hands up and say I've never heard of him. But those who are in the know seem to think that it is a very canny appointment indeed.
All I know is that he was schooled by Louis van Gaal. Based on that, I wonder if, and this is purely conjecture, we may see a less personal approach to youth development. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, in his recently published autobiography, expressed his distaste for van Gaal and his machine like style of coaching. Ibrahimovic says that van Gaal referred to players not by name but by numbers which corresponded to their roles within the team. I fear that if Jonker follows a similar approach, he could alienate mavericks like Ibrahimovic within the youth sides. But that is pure speculation and his role is not that of a coach. Honestly I'm just trying to put a spin on a story I know very little of.
But the link to today. It is known that our Academy is not running perfectly. Our under 18's for example sit miserably at the bottom of their youth League. However, the League high proportion shows we can't be doing too badly. Players are successfully making the jump. That gives the new man Jonker plenty to work with which can only be a good thing.
Anyway. That's it for tonight. We play Coventry in the Cup on
Saturday, 18 January 2014
Fulham Preview and the Death of Football
So I broke my wrist. Which is pretty unfortunate seeing as I now cannot write for a month. But on the upside it's not too painful.
Ok now you know what's going on in my world, let's move to football. Since last time we beat Spurs oh so convincingly, Theo Walcott received some devastating injury news and we then won against Aston Villa, picking up some further injuries along the way. We play Fulham at the Emirates today so I'll get onto that later.
The Spurs game, by nature, was a nervous affair. I was physically shivering until we got the second goal which is I think perfectly ok when bragging rights are up for grabs. But as it turned out we were in control from the moment Christian Eriksen fluffed his lines in the fourth minute. We excelled Spurs in just about every position (notably left back) and in return they gave us a few extra reasons to dislike them.* There was the obvious coin throwing, the chants of 'we hope you die' or words to that effect as Theo lay on the turf with what later turned out to be a season ending ACL injury and the attempted stamp from Nabil Bentaleb. The later is my personal favourite because, as the word 'attempted' implies, the Spurs academy graduate missed his target, stamping on the ground next to Nacho Monreal. It's nice to see they really drill in the club ethos of not being able to hit a cow's rear end with a banjo from an early age. Good of the senior players like Soldado to respect the tradition too.
Now I'm not a doctor but when I had a quick look at a diagram of the knee and found the part that Theo had ruptured, it occurred to me that his leg must kind of be in two pieces. I can understand why it would take so long to heal and why rushing him back for the World Cup is not only a ridiculous idea, but a dangerous one too. On a lighter note this picture is really indicative of the fantastic team spirit we seem to have at the moment and it's another reason for me to love Kieran Gibbs. If anyone can tell me why Theo is wearing some kind of Burkha that would be much appreciated by the way.
And team spirit seems to be pretty key at the moment. I'm cautious with my optimism so I'll whisper it but it feels like we've got something really good going on here. The squad is like a delicious omlette with no bad eggs to spoil the flavour. Even players like Nicklas Bendtner, who could at best be described as the seasoning to the omlette itself, are towing the line, putting shifts in, that sort of thing. Although I think Man City will win the League, we can be proud of having an excellent team made up of generally good people.
On the subject of Man City something was said this week that hit a nerve for me. Both Vincent Kompany and Manuel Pellegrini alluded to a Man City quadruple, that is to say total and complete dominance, being an inevitable outcome in future seasons, if not the current one. Kompany himself described it as being only 'a matter of time' before the World's richest club achieved it. I find those kind of statements staggering. Simply staggering.
Firstly I'll say that I don't hold any prejudices against either of them. Both Pellegrini and Kompany are likable and respectable guys and moreover they are fantastic at what they do. In fact it is for that reason that these brashly arrogant statements annoy me so much. Confidence is fine but this is disrespectful to the whole of the football community.What Kompany really means is that it's only a matter of time until the oil money injected into the club by wealthy Arabs dirties any notion of a level playing field to the extent that each and every competition is reduced to a mere procession with the inescapable outcome of complete Mancunian supremacy. And that's not ok.
Unfortunately, I think this notion gets to me because there is some truth to it. And I hate to admit that. There will come a point when a team is so saturated with money that they can afford to employ perhaps the world's eleven best players. With the best coaches, and physios and performance analysts and the best professionals in all other capacities, you have manufactured a team of incomparable quality and we come back to the notion of inevitable victory.
It's said that we enjoy the beautiful game because it's so unpredictable and cliche it may be but it's true. What City are trying to create will be the death of football, the point at which people stop watching because the results are pre-determined. A quadruple is meant to be the holy grail of of the game. Until around five years ago, it was thought impossible. Football being as irrational as it is, something, somewhere would stop a team from winning everything on offer. And that's why managing to win all four competitions was viewed with such awe.
So describe the attainment of this honour as only 'a matter of time' is obscene.
Anyway, Fulham. Injuries have been a feature over the last couple of months but it's the same for all clubs really. By my reckoning we have seventeen fit and selectable players which is fine. I don't think we'll need to leave second gear to beat Fulham today. Nevertheless, I'd like us too. Even with Brede Hangelaand, a poor man's Per Mertesacker, back in the side, Fulham will not offer much resistance and goal difference is becoming key. The primary flaw of Arsenal this year seems to be the tendency to not score as many goals as they could. Think Aston Villa this week or Marseille at home. So when facing a side with a historically poor away record and no player who could get into our team as I see it (yes, including Berbatov), the aim today should be to dish out a real tonking.
I have no idea who will play where, which, as I've previously mentioned, is a good sign of competition in the side. If I was Arsene I'd avoid risking Monreal and Rosicky but maybe there are unknown reasons why he can't do so. One thing is for sure; with Chelsea and City breathing down our necks, this is a game we must win.
Anyway, here's to a great big win that justifies my arrogance, a City defeat so horrific that the owners lose faith in the project and withdraw all financial backing and, on a serious note, the full recovery of Theo Walcott. For now.
*I am aware of the shocking comments made by some of an Arsenal persuasion on Twitter. They were unforgivable and I would encourage criminal proceedings to rid Arsenal, and football as a whole, of this minority of fools.
Ok now you know what's going on in my world, let's move to football. Since last time we beat Spurs oh so convincingly, Theo Walcott received some devastating injury news and we then won against Aston Villa, picking up some further injuries along the way. We play Fulham at the Emirates today so I'll get onto that later.
The Spurs game, by nature, was a nervous affair. I was physically shivering until we got the second goal which is I think perfectly ok when bragging rights are up for grabs. But as it turned out we were in control from the moment Christian Eriksen fluffed his lines in the fourth minute. We excelled Spurs in just about every position (notably left back) and in return they gave us a few extra reasons to dislike them.* There was the obvious coin throwing, the chants of 'we hope you die' or words to that effect as Theo lay on the turf with what later turned out to be a season ending ACL injury and the attempted stamp from Nabil Bentaleb. The later is my personal favourite because, as the word 'attempted' implies, the Spurs academy graduate missed his target, stamping on the ground next to Nacho Monreal. It's nice to see they really drill in the club ethos of not being able to hit a cow's rear end with a banjo from an early age. Good of the senior players like Soldado to respect the tradition too.
Now I'm not a doctor but when I had a quick look at a diagram of the knee and found the part that Theo had ruptured, it occurred to me that his leg must kind of be in two pieces. I can understand why it would take so long to heal and why rushing him back for the World Cup is not only a ridiculous idea, but a dangerous one too. On a lighter note this picture is really indicative of the fantastic team spirit we seem to have at the moment and it's another reason for me to love Kieran Gibbs. If anyone can tell me why Theo is wearing some kind of Burkha that would be much appreciated by the way.
And team spirit seems to be pretty key at the moment. I'm cautious with my optimism so I'll whisper it but it feels like we've got something really good going on here. The squad is like a delicious omlette with no bad eggs to spoil the flavour. Even players like Nicklas Bendtner, who could at best be described as the seasoning to the omlette itself, are towing the line, putting shifts in, that sort of thing. Although I think Man City will win the League, we can be proud of having an excellent team made up of generally good people.
On the subject of Man City something was said this week that hit a nerve for me. Both Vincent Kompany and Manuel Pellegrini alluded to a Man City quadruple, that is to say total and complete dominance, being an inevitable outcome in future seasons, if not the current one. Kompany himself described it as being only 'a matter of time' before the World's richest club achieved it. I find those kind of statements staggering. Simply staggering.
Firstly I'll say that I don't hold any prejudices against either of them. Both Pellegrini and Kompany are likable and respectable guys and moreover they are fantastic at what they do. In fact it is for that reason that these brashly arrogant statements annoy me so much. Confidence is fine but this is disrespectful to the whole of the football community.What Kompany really means is that it's only a matter of time until the oil money injected into the club by wealthy Arabs dirties any notion of a level playing field to the extent that each and every competition is reduced to a mere procession with the inescapable outcome of complete Mancunian supremacy. And that's not ok.
Unfortunately, I think this notion gets to me because there is some truth to it. And I hate to admit that. There will come a point when a team is so saturated with money that they can afford to employ perhaps the world's eleven best players. With the best coaches, and physios and performance analysts and the best professionals in all other capacities, you have manufactured a team of incomparable quality and we come back to the notion of inevitable victory.
It's said that we enjoy the beautiful game because it's so unpredictable and cliche it may be but it's true. What City are trying to create will be the death of football, the point at which people stop watching because the results are pre-determined. A quadruple is meant to be the holy grail of of the game. Until around five years ago, it was thought impossible. Football being as irrational as it is, something, somewhere would stop a team from winning everything on offer. And that's why managing to win all four competitions was viewed with such awe.
So describe the attainment of this honour as only 'a matter of time' is obscene.
Anyway, Fulham. Injuries have been a feature over the last couple of months but it's the same for all clubs really. By my reckoning we have seventeen fit and selectable players which is fine. I don't think we'll need to leave second gear to beat Fulham today. Nevertheless, I'd like us too. Even with Brede Hangelaand, a poor man's Per Mertesacker, back in the side, Fulham will not offer much resistance and goal difference is becoming key. The primary flaw of Arsenal this year seems to be the tendency to not score as many goals as they could. Think Aston Villa this week or Marseille at home. So when facing a side with a historically poor away record and no player who could get into our team as I see it (yes, including Berbatov), the aim today should be to dish out a real tonking.
I have no idea who will play where, which, as I've previously mentioned, is a good sign of competition in the side. If I was Arsene I'd avoid risking Monreal and Rosicky but maybe there are unknown reasons why he can't do so. One thing is for sure; with Chelsea and City breathing down our necks, this is a game we must win.
Anyway, here's to a great big win that justifies my arrogance, a City defeat so horrific that the owners lose faith in the project and withdraw all financial backing and, on a serious note, the full recovery of Theo Walcott. For now.
*I am aware of the shocking comments made by some of an Arsenal persuasion on Twitter. They were unforgivable and I would encourage criminal proceedings to rid Arsenal, and football as a whole, of this minority of fools.
Friday, 3 January 2014
'Tis the Season to Be Jolly
It's been too long since I wrote and due to the nature of this period, I've missed a lot of games. Some were good, other not so good but every single one of them crucial and overall I think we've done ok. We've played five games in the last couple of weeks (two of which I saw in person) and there's a big one coming up tomorrow so I'll just round up a bit and preview a little.
There are too many games for me to write about individually but a good starting point would be the 0-0 draw with Chelsea. That was one of the two that I attended but to be honest, I almost wish I hadn't. Of course it's always treat to go and see the Arsenal and a big London derby like this is no exception. However, the spectacle is not always fantastic and our encounter with Chelsea was a turgid game. I was more fascinated by the spectacular weather at the Emirates than the game being played which might have been true of some of the players as well (I'm looking at you Aaron Ramsey) (but in a playful way that acknowledges your achievements so far this season so as not to offend you). It was a really rotten night in North London, with heavy rain joining forces with howling wind to produce conditions that even the world's best may have struggled in. I got soaked high up in the stands so I can't imagine how the players might have felt.
Tactically, Mourinho set Chelsea up not to lose. Which is kind of fair enough but it did make for a dull 90 minutes. We were nowhere near our best and despite the denial of a clear penalty, a draw was just about fair. Nevertheless, it did feel like an opportunity missed. This Chelsea side may be the expensively assembled play thing of a Russian Sugar Daddy but I don't think that they are an excellent side at all. They get built up thanks to Mourinho's character and yes they may win the League but we're just as good a side and at home, we should have seized the opportunity to win.
Something I'm finding very annoying now is the Love-In between the so 'Happy One' and the Press. I think we all indulged in a little admiration first time round when he arrived with the continental swagger, accented one-liners and silvery hair but the effect wore off a long time ago for most people. Now he's damn right obnoxious. He's so boring and most of the things he says are blatant falsities. He can't open his mouth without uttering some ludicrously innacurate statement to defend his team. Penalty? 'It was a dive.' Red card? 'They cry too much.' Racism? Actually I'll avoid putting words into his mouth but you get the message.
I should add that our own manager is not adverse to protecting his players. The famous Wenger 'I didn't see the incident' is one such example. Yet despite this, I appreciate how Arsene tries to maintain a degree of honesty. Mourinho these days spouts such rubbish that he's almost inviting a response in the knowledge that he is the darling of the Press and they will never truly challenge him. It's easy to see where AVB got his odious personal traits from.
Rant over. We beat West Ham after coming from behind which I think was a notable result due to the identity of our saviour. Theo Walcott rarely scores goal that win games. Ok maybe not rarely but it's somewhat uncommon. So for him to pull the cat out of the bag, even against a poor West Ham, was nice to see and indicative of a bit of mental strength.
Anyway, we beat Newcastle then I went to the Cardiff game on Wednesday. It was another foul evening, with a little less wind than the previous Monday. Despite injuries to four automatic starters, the feeling was that we should capitalise on the Cardiff situation and record a victory. However the first half was an inert performance. Nothing really clicked (despite the best efforts of messers Cazorla and Wilshere) and Cardiff were already wasting time. It was clear that they were playing for a point and they were doing so quite effectively. In the second half we were a different team, a bit more zip added going forward. Jack Wilshere, playing in the No. 10 role that surely beckons for the future given the number on his shirt, stepped it up a gear. He was really running the show and pushing the whole team forward. The introduction of Rosicky and Bendtner for the ineffective Podolski lead to another level of improvement and we pepered Cardiff with shots.
Some people said that it was going to be one of those days but I was personally kind of confident. It's something about this side at the moment that radiates assurance. Even so, it was getting desperate in the end so when Bendtner finally broke the deadlock, the relief was tangible. The delightful chip from the unusually involved Walcott was the icing on the cake. Aside from Podolski, the whole team performed very well. It was a confidence building victory and it rounded off a generally jolly festive period. It also sets us up well for the Spurs game tomorrow.
Once again it's got late so I may have tailed off towards the end. I've a lot to do so there won't be a preview for the FA Cup game tomorrow. I'd expect a strong side though. Anyway. I'll see you later.
There are too many games for me to write about individually but a good starting point would be the 0-0 draw with Chelsea. That was one of the two that I attended but to be honest, I almost wish I hadn't. Of course it's always treat to go and see the Arsenal and a big London derby like this is no exception. However, the spectacle is not always fantastic and our encounter with Chelsea was a turgid game. I was more fascinated by the spectacular weather at the Emirates than the game being played which might have been true of some of the players as well (I'm looking at you Aaron Ramsey) (but in a playful way that acknowledges your achievements so far this season so as not to offend you). It was a really rotten night in North London, with heavy rain joining forces with howling wind to produce conditions that even the world's best may have struggled in. I got soaked high up in the stands so I can't imagine how the players might have felt.
Tactically, Mourinho set Chelsea up not to lose. Which is kind of fair enough but it did make for a dull 90 minutes. We were nowhere near our best and despite the denial of a clear penalty, a draw was just about fair. Nevertheless, it did feel like an opportunity missed. This Chelsea side may be the expensively assembled play thing of a Russian Sugar Daddy but I don't think that they are an excellent side at all. They get built up thanks to Mourinho's character and yes they may win the League but we're just as good a side and at home, we should have seized the opportunity to win.
Something I'm finding very annoying now is the Love-In between the so 'Happy One' and the Press. I think we all indulged in a little admiration first time round when he arrived with the continental swagger, accented one-liners and silvery hair but the effect wore off a long time ago for most people. Now he's damn right obnoxious. He's so boring and most of the things he says are blatant falsities. He can't open his mouth without uttering some ludicrously innacurate statement to defend his team. Penalty? 'It was a dive.' Red card? 'They cry too much.' Racism? Actually I'll avoid putting words into his mouth but you get the message.
I should add that our own manager is not adverse to protecting his players. The famous Wenger 'I didn't see the incident' is one such example. Yet despite this, I appreciate how Arsene tries to maintain a degree of honesty. Mourinho these days spouts such rubbish that he's almost inviting a response in the knowledge that he is the darling of the Press and they will never truly challenge him. It's easy to see where AVB got his odious personal traits from.
Rant over. We beat West Ham after coming from behind which I think was a notable result due to the identity of our saviour. Theo Walcott rarely scores goal that win games. Ok maybe not rarely but it's somewhat uncommon. So for him to pull the cat out of the bag, even against a poor West Ham, was nice to see and indicative of a bit of mental strength.
Anyway, we beat Newcastle then I went to the Cardiff game on Wednesday. It was another foul evening, with a little less wind than the previous Monday. Despite injuries to four automatic starters, the feeling was that we should capitalise on the Cardiff situation and record a victory. However the first half was an inert performance. Nothing really clicked (despite the best efforts of messers Cazorla and Wilshere) and Cardiff were already wasting time. It was clear that they were playing for a point and they were doing so quite effectively. In the second half we were a different team, a bit more zip added going forward. Jack Wilshere, playing in the No. 10 role that surely beckons for the future given the number on his shirt, stepped it up a gear. He was really running the show and pushing the whole team forward. The introduction of Rosicky and Bendtner for the ineffective Podolski lead to another level of improvement and we pepered Cardiff with shots.
Some people said that it was going to be one of those days but I was personally kind of confident. It's something about this side at the moment that radiates assurance. Even so, it was getting desperate in the end so when Bendtner finally broke the deadlock, the relief was tangible. The delightful chip from the unusually involved Walcott was the icing on the cake. Aside from Podolski, the whole team performed very well. It was a confidence building victory and it rounded off a generally jolly festive period. It also sets us up well for the Spurs game tomorrow.
Once again it's got late so I may have tailed off towards the end. I've a lot to do so there won't be a preview for the FA Cup game tomorrow. I'd expect a strong side though. Anyway. I'll see you later.
Friday, 20 December 2013
Clams, Birds and Elves: A Summary of the Week
Often when misfortune befalls someone and the consequences are pretty upsetting, there will be that guy who tries to muscle in and gain a bit of credit for their powers of prediction. Whether it's the friend who tells their food poisoned chum that the clams had always 'tasted a bit iffy' to him or the parent who claims their son is suffering from pneumonia because 'he didn't listen when I told him to wrap up warm', it's infuriating when anybody rubs salt in a wound with a little nugget of I-told-you-so-ness.
For that reason and the fact that almost a week has passed anyway, I won't try and claim that I saw the events of the Man City game coming. I did unfaithfully predict a loss, but I nor anyone else saw us shipping six goals. It was a total freak result, with all the games played and and injuries and Yaya Toures catching up with us at the same time.
And it's because of this that I stand by what I said in my preview; I'm not too worried even though we did lose by three goals. I don't think the squad will be too cut up either. Wenger made the correct and least North Korean call by allowing the team Christmas party to go ahead despite a loss in the same week and Woody, Mario, The Bananas in Pajamas et al seemed to be in good spirits, undeterred by the presence of an intruder. I can remember just one other 6-3 scoreline in any game of football which tells you just how unusual our game with Man City was. We were outplayed but I still wouldn't read as much into it as the 8-2 of 2011. For the record, the other 6-3 was the time Julio Baptista, the original and best beholder of the nickname 'The Beast', wrecked Liverpool, Arshavin-style.
In other news, Jack Wilshere got a two game ban for flipping the bird at Man City fans. My reaction to this is pretty meh. He did wrong, he got a ban. Two games is obviously the norm for this sort of incident now which leaves little room for complaints. I'd be more upset if it was a more experienced figure like Per Merte-Cap'n-Jack-er who'd lost their composure. We know by now that Jack (Wilshere) is a little hot-headed so if a ban teaches him a lesson he needs to learn, the player and the club may benefit in the long run.
Other than that, it's pretty quiet. Some transfer murmurs are doing the rounds with January looming. Diego Costa is the latest name to be linked but you'd imagine even someone with as little loyalty as that guy would see leaving his adopted nation, only three months after claiming that Spain gave him 'all that [he] has in [his] life', as a tad hypocritical. Also I don't want him because he's a nasty guy. Some good news is that Lukas Podolski will return to the squad for the Chelsea game. He'll start on the bench but it's nice to have a player of his quality to change the game. I really like him too. His crazy ways make him prime material for cult hero status some time in the future.
The big news in football today is the whole Cardiff situation. For those who don't know, Cardiff's wacky/sinister Malaysian owner has fallen out with the manager big time and has apparently decided to sack him. He sent an email to Malky Mackay on Monday confirming his intentions which has left the media in the unusual position of reporting the fallout over manager being sacked... before he's actually been sacked. It's all pretty hilarious unless you're associated with Cardiff City Football Club in any way other than owning it. You do feel for the fans though who have already had to sacrifice much of their club's identity in order to reach the Premier League. Additionally, it makes me wonder what the FA's Good and Proper Persons test consists of if a mad dictator like Vincent Tan was allowed to purchase a club. Does the test perhaps ask the single question 'Are you a fit and proper person?'. Who knows.
Finally have a look at Santi Claus. The sound of the little Spaniard saying 'Santi Claus' is like a tickle on the belly and for me it's the best yuletide football joke since Gary Lineker ended MOTD with '...and Santa scores a hat trick.' following this game.
Anyway. That's about all we've got time for folks. I'll try and do a preview of the Chelsea game but if not, then I'll see you when I see you. Merry Christmas.
For that reason and the fact that almost a week has passed anyway, I won't try and claim that I saw the events of the Man City game coming. I did unfaithfully predict a loss, but I nor anyone else saw us shipping six goals. It was a total freak result, with all the games played and and injuries and Yaya Toures catching up with us at the same time.
And it's because of this that I stand by what I said in my preview; I'm not too worried even though we did lose by three goals. I don't think the squad will be too cut up either. Wenger made the correct and least North Korean call by allowing the team Christmas party to go ahead despite a loss in the same week and Woody, Mario, The Bananas in Pajamas et al seemed to be in good spirits, undeterred by the presence of an intruder. I can remember just one other 6-3 scoreline in any game of football which tells you just how unusual our game with Man City was. We were outplayed but I still wouldn't read as much into it as the 8-2 of 2011. For the record, the other 6-3 was the time Julio Baptista, the original and best beholder of the nickname 'The Beast', wrecked Liverpool, Arshavin-style.
In other news, Jack Wilshere got a two game ban for flipping the bird at Man City fans. My reaction to this is pretty meh. He did wrong, he got a ban. Two games is obviously the norm for this sort of incident now which leaves little room for complaints. I'd be more upset if it was a more experienced figure like Per Merte-Cap'n-Jack-er who'd lost their composure. We know by now that Jack (Wilshere) is a little hot-headed so if a ban teaches him a lesson he needs to learn, the player and the club may benefit in the long run.
Other than that, it's pretty quiet. Some transfer murmurs are doing the rounds with January looming. Diego Costa is the latest name to be linked but you'd imagine even someone with as little loyalty as that guy would see leaving his adopted nation, only three months after claiming that Spain gave him 'all that [he] has in [his] life', as a tad hypocritical. Also I don't want him because he's a nasty guy. Some good news is that Lukas Podolski will return to the squad for the Chelsea game. He'll start on the bench but it's nice to have a player of his quality to change the game. I really like him too. His crazy ways make him prime material for cult hero status some time in the future.
The big news in football today is the whole Cardiff situation. For those who don't know, Cardiff's wacky/sinister Malaysian owner has fallen out with the manager big time and has apparently decided to sack him. He sent an email to Malky Mackay on Monday confirming his intentions which has left the media in the unusual position of reporting the fallout over manager being sacked... before he's actually been sacked. It's all pretty hilarious unless you're associated with Cardiff City Football Club in any way other than owning it. You do feel for the fans though who have already had to sacrifice much of their club's identity in order to reach the Premier League. Additionally, it makes me wonder what the FA's Good and Proper Persons test consists of if a mad dictator like Vincent Tan was allowed to purchase a club. Does the test perhaps ask the single question 'Are you a fit and proper person?'. Who knows.
Finally have a look at Santi Claus. The sound of the little Spaniard saying 'Santi Claus' is like a tickle on the belly and for me it's the best yuletide football joke since Gary Lineker ended MOTD with '...and Santa scores a hat trick.' following this game.
Anyway. That's about all we've got time for folks. I'll try and do a preview of the Chelsea game but if not, then I'll see you when I see you. Merry Christmas.
Saturday, 14 December 2013
Well we beat them 2-0: A Post Champions League City Preview
Ok so I haven't written anything in way too long and instead of spending ages catching up on all the matches I failed to report on, I'll summarise the results with a series of emoticons:
Cardiff - 3-0 - :D
Hull - 2-0 - :)
Everton - 1-1 - :/
Napoli - 0-2 - :o
Good. Now we've got that sorted, I'll move on to a preview of today's game. We play Man City away and with the Citizens racking up a Mourinho like record of invincibility at home, I must say I'm a little worried.
The odds are not exactly in our favour; We had a longer trip in the week, our recovery time has been 24 hours shorter than theirs and, crucially, they had the luxuary of being able to rest Aguero, Negredo, Kompany and Yaya Toure (arguably the best four players in their squad) in their annoying win over Bayern while we had to play a much stronger team than we would have wanted to. Add in the fact that we played a significant chunk of our midweek fixture with ten men and the fact we haven't won in a couple of games now, and things are looking far from ideal.
This may sound like a hugely negative way of thinking about things, but I almost expect a loss today. I'm comfortable saying that because I think every single team in the league, even those with form behind them and luck on their side, will struggle at the Etihad. Shaky away from home they may be, but the mercenaries just seem to click into gear when they're in their comfort zone, as we saw when they executed Spurs a couple of weeks back. We could lose 3-0 today and for me at least it wouldn't be a major cause for concern.
Obviously it would be nice if we put in a good performance and even taking a point would feel like a win. However, I still think the game we play against Chelsea in nine days is a much more relevant test when it comes to gauging the potential of our team this season.
Arsene Wenger has hinted that we may go all out for the win which is certainly a risky strategy. But maybe it isn't. If we sit back and play for the draw, there's a good chance we'll get broken down by the array of attacking talent City have at their disposal so really taking the game to them might work.
If we do try and hit them early, it suggests that the inclusion of Theo Walcott from the start is a possibility. He's played no real part this season due to injury but a couple of assists in cameo appearances recently indicates that he may be ready for a start. He certainly offers something wholly different to the other contenders for the right-sided spot in the attacking three of midfield. Considering that Gael Clichy at left-back is as close to a weak link that the City first XI has, a bit of Theo treatment would be a good way to try and break them down.
Another players who hasn't quite hit the heights of last season is Santi Cazorla. The arrival of Ozil has certainly eased the burden that he carried in his inaugural year as a Gunner but you could argue that the German has also overshadowed him. If he can rediscover the mercurial, devilish incandescence that made us fall in love the first time, we have a real chance of taking this winter period by storm. He's my one to watch for today.
In terms of team selection, things are less straightforward than they were a month ago. Nacho Monreal has been given the chance he was pining for and created a real selection dilemma by reminding the boss what a good player he is. It is true that he's more developed in an attacking sense than Kieran Gibbs but...Kieran Gibbs. What a guy. For that reason I would choose the England man today. And always. But I like Nacho man as well.
Neguero (just thought of that) are in stunning collective form so I wouldn't stray from the Arteta Flamini combination in front of the defense today, to try and halt the service from midfield. They offer superb protection as a unit so even if it means we use Jack Wilshere as a sub instead of from the start, I think it's necessary to play them. Although, when I've made team predictions on this blog so far, I've been wrong almost ever single time.
I like Martin Demichelis because of a few things. Number One: He's got one of those ironically bad throwback/throwforward fusion hair cuts. Think Chris Waddle mullet meets Andy Carroll ponytail meets Pep Guardiola fashionably receding. Number Two: He's clearly not good enough to play for a team like Man City. I don't know what he has done in the past but at the moment he's just bad. Anyway there are more reasons, but I hope we target him today (if he plays).
So there we go. I hope for a win but I don't expect one. Please defy me Arsenal. Please.
For now.
Cardiff - 3-0 - :D
Hull - 2-0 - :)
Everton - 1-1 - :/
Napoli - 0-2 - :o
Good. Now we've got that sorted, I'll move on to a preview of today's game. We play Man City away and with the Citizens racking up a Mourinho like record of invincibility at home, I must say I'm a little worried.
The odds are not exactly in our favour; We had a longer trip in the week, our recovery time has been 24 hours shorter than theirs and, crucially, they had the luxuary of being able to rest Aguero, Negredo, Kompany and Yaya Toure (arguably the best four players in their squad) in their annoying win over Bayern while we had to play a much stronger team than we would have wanted to. Add in the fact that we played a significant chunk of our midweek fixture with ten men and the fact we haven't won in a couple of games now, and things are looking far from ideal.
This may sound like a hugely negative way of thinking about things, but I almost expect a loss today. I'm comfortable saying that because I think every single team in the league, even those with form behind them and luck on their side, will struggle at the Etihad. Shaky away from home they may be, but the mercenaries just seem to click into gear when they're in their comfort zone, as we saw when they executed Spurs a couple of weeks back. We could lose 3-0 today and for me at least it wouldn't be a major cause for concern.
Obviously it would be nice if we put in a good performance and even taking a point would feel like a win. However, I still think the game we play against Chelsea in nine days is a much more relevant test when it comes to gauging the potential of our team this season.
Arsene Wenger has hinted that we may go all out for the win which is certainly a risky strategy. But maybe it isn't. If we sit back and play for the draw, there's a good chance we'll get broken down by the array of attacking talent City have at their disposal so really taking the game to them might work.
If we do try and hit them early, it suggests that the inclusion of Theo Walcott from the start is a possibility. He's played no real part this season due to injury but a couple of assists in cameo appearances recently indicates that he may be ready for a start. He certainly offers something wholly different to the other contenders for the right-sided spot in the attacking three of midfield. Considering that Gael Clichy at left-back is as close to a weak link that the City first XI has, a bit of Theo treatment would be a good way to try and break them down.
Another players who hasn't quite hit the heights of last season is Santi Cazorla. The arrival of Ozil has certainly eased the burden that he carried in his inaugural year as a Gunner but you could argue that the German has also overshadowed him. If he can rediscover the mercurial, devilish incandescence that made us fall in love the first time, we have a real chance of taking this winter period by storm. He's my one to watch for today.
In terms of team selection, things are less straightforward than they were a month ago. Nacho Monreal has been given the chance he was pining for and created a real selection dilemma by reminding the boss what a good player he is. It is true that he's more developed in an attacking sense than Kieran Gibbs but...Kieran Gibbs. What a guy. For that reason I would choose the England man today. And always. But I like Nacho man as well.
Neguero (just thought of that) are in stunning collective form so I wouldn't stray from the Arteta Flamini combination in front of the defense today, to try and halt the service from midfield. They offer superb protection as a unit so even if it means we use Jack Wilshere as a sub instead of from the start, I think it's necessary to play them. Although, when I've made team predictions on this blog so far, I've been wrong almost ever single time.
I like Martin Demichelis because of a few things. Number One: He's got one of those ironically bad throwback/throwforward fusion hair cuts. Think Chris Waddle mullet meets Andy Carroll ponytail meets Pep Guardiola fashionably receding. Number Two: He's clearly not good enough to play for a team like Man City. I don't know what he has done in the past but at the moment he's just bad. Anyway there are more reasons, but I hope we target him today (if he plays).
So there we go. I hope for a win but I don't expect one. Please defy me Arsenal. Please.
For now.
Wednesday, 27 November 2013
Marseille: Solid
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.
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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