Oct 30
Down 2-1 to Southampton with 5 minutes to go, it didn’t look good. R. van Persie gets the equaliser with about 20 seconds left.
Cesc was brought on at the 6-5 minute mark, score 0-0. Arsenal score two goals once he is on the pitch. Loyal readers have heard me say it before, I’ll say it again: Cesc = Goals. He is quickly making himself one of the most influential, important players on this team.
Arsenal missed a penalty and once again could have scored several goals late, but let the opportunities slip away.
24 Responses to “Arsenal 2 -2 Soton”
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October 30th, 2004 at 5:16 pm
Ummm… yes… Cesc was on the pitch for both goals… but he didn’t have a hand in creating them!
I could say the same for Pires… matter of fact, I will!!!!
I WOULD play Cesc over Edu, but not every game, he is only 17. I would play Gilberto over both of them 7 days a week… but thats just me!
I would be starting Pires EVERY MATCH. If you want to play Reyes, sit Bergy. If you want to play Bergy, sit Reyes… If you want to play VanPersie? who do you sit…?
frustrating to see us miss all those chances… see the lead evaporate on two headers…
We tied it! and should have won it in the extra time!!! Its back to nailbiting time for every match until we start finishing our chances… when we are doing that it would have been 2 or 3-0 and that match would have been over.
LOST OPPORTUNITY! thats the way I see it.
October 30th, 2004 at 5:18 pm
i have to agree with u there, i think whenever cesc plays we score more than 2 goals. i think edu should have been benched on the man u game, because i think cesc is such a cool player he would have definetly changed the game. we needed him today. i couldn’t believe henry missed a penalty, i think arsenal still has their demons from last sunday because it was such a long time since we lost a league game that it came as some sought of a shock. van persie, is someone i am impressed with too. i think that senderos should have played. even though him and kolo are still young. i think pascal and kolo do not have an understanding at all, and senderos looked solid on wednesday.
October 30th, 2004 at 5:22 pm
i think reyes needs a rest, he needs time to revitalise because he is quiet young.
and yes pires should have started. me personally bergy should play in every premiership match as long as his fit, because we need some of that bergy magic.
October 30th, 2004 at 5:30 pm
Cesc is more efficiency if we want to play attacking football. His main strength is his PASS, and he pass it QUICKLY and ACCURATELY. So he’s more suited when we are at home, or playing weaker opponents. But if we are playing stronger opponents, we need some one stronger and who would shield our back 4.
Henry’s miss [penalty] is down to sheer bad luck. The lads did try their best, apart from defending set-pieces… again.
van Persie’s goal is very important, not just the one point he saved, but also the psychological factor.
October 30th, 2004 at 5:35 pm
Cesc DEFINITELY had a part to play with the equaliser. The first was purely Bergkamp class and typical Henry finishing.But, our last two games, Robert Pires was on the bench, both of those games were very disappointing. I want like Wenger to put Reyes up front, take Bergkamp out,and put Robert back on the left wing.Let’s just see what happens.
October 30th, 2004 at 5:52 pm
i think the reason Reyes is on the left wing in place of Pires is because Reyes’ work rate and willingness to track back offers us more attacking/defensive balance on the team.
October 30th, 2004 at 6:25 pm
Cesc made the pass that set up Van Persie for the equalizer. Watch the highlights.
Bergkamp made the pass to Henry for the first goal and also made the brilliant pass to Van Persie that almost became the equalizer. Also, he is second in the league in assists. Anything that keeps him out of the lineup is a bad thing.
October 30th, 2004 at 6:28 pm
I think if Cesc had played against ManU, he would have received treatment similar to that received by Reyes. Of course, he is going to take that beating sooner or later, but I’d rather wait for later and let him develop.
October 30th, 2004 at 6:40 pm
Very disappointed to let Soton score two goals given that they had just about that many chances. Again defending against setpieces was the Gunner’s downfall. This brings me back to the Bolton game. Wenger said after that game that defending against setpieces should be easily rectified during training. Looks like the problem is still there. Panathinaikos spies in the stand would be taking copious notes of this weakness in preparation for the midweek game - one which the Gunners *have* to win if they want a shot to be top of the group.
I am delighted for van Persie who seems very hungry for more action and goals. Hopefully Campbell’s injury is not too serious as Arsenal needs him badly.
October 30th, 2004 at 6:58 pm
Chelsea is closing in and Chelsea is built to last, we aren’t. Campbell’s injury shows how thin we are. The youngsters are great, see what Van Persie did, but how will they show what they can do if they are never given a chance? That’s why I think we have to rotate more. Trotting out the same eleven game in game out makes us tired, stale and predictable. These youngsters can be a breath of fresh air.
A lost opportunity but in the big picture not that significant. Games like this happen every season, you drop points where you don’t expect. And Ports beat ManU 2-0. Who ever said there wasn’t a God? There three ill-gotten points from last week have been lost. And don’t they have Man City next week?
October 30th, 2004 at 7:52 pm
Agree Rick, the match reports never lie. Cesc is needed. Kind of a vertigo to be relying on a youngster like that, but he seems to be oblivious to the mental baggage as he is so young. Wenger is being cautious, and that’s wise, but mentally, we need goals to get goals.
And does anyone else feel like we’re rushing a bit? We seem to be in such a hurry to have a cushion to settle our nerves. I’m not talking about the break, but in regular open play. It took us a while to find our feet today and I just think that instead of always being off to the races, we could use a pace change from time to time to settle the mind and spread the field. Of course, that often means airing it into the box, which is…well…next to useless.
ManU getting shut out was proof for me that when they think they can play a team straight up without being filthy, they get stuffed.
Oh, and a big Italian salute to Fox Football Friday. Ferdinand’s toppling Freddie was a matter of two players going for the ball? Get bent, Cohen. I hope we stuff Chelsea like a turkey.
All in all, these games happen. We’re playing into a bit of a rut. We’ll find our way out. As for Van Persie…well done, lad.
October 30th, 2004 at 11:39 pm
I’m not sure this is appropriate to post…if not, Rick, I apologize, but I’m very curious to know what you folks across the pond have to say about these comments regarding ticket prices, Sky, and the subsequent, so-reported degradation of the beautiful game for long-time attendees, et.al.
Anyone?
http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9753,1340076,00.html
October 31st, 2004 at 12:47 am
There we go with the Chelsea non-sense.
Please, tell me when they have ever won ANYTHING. Built to last… ?? How about bought to win. Hardly built, a bunch of players bought and thrown together. We will see how they fare against us… until then… they’ve never won a damned thing.
October 31st, 2004 at 12:53 am
?
I watched the match, not the highlights. I have looked at the scoresheets, there is no assist given to Cesc. Are you saying he made the pass to someone, who made a pass to VanPersie?
I don’t think there was an assist given, because the goal was not “set up” by anyone. I like Cesc, he just didn’t factor in either goal.
October 31st, 2004 at 2:17 am
I expect this, “Who do we put on the pitch?” debate to last all season. We may be a bit thinner than Chelsea, but we still have more talent than can be fielded at any one time. Clearly Reyes works better on the left wing than he does in the center. The stats are crystal clear on that fact. The problem is that Pires is a very, very good footballer. Last year his accomplishments were overshadowed by Henry’s 30 in the league and the unbeaten run. All he did was score the most goals of his career - all of them from open play - and more than any other midfielder in the league. In addition, his work rate was *very* impressive. Not perhaps by Reyes’ standards, but easily the equal of anyone on the team. He also greatly improved his defensive game. I remember watching some of the games last year wondering if his heart was going to burst. Remember folks, he is truly an attacking midfielder. More than any other player last year, except Henry, Pires looked to run the ball upfield instead of unloading a pass in the first 1.2 seconds after he touched the ball. This is extremely valuable because defenders are trained far more intensely to block passing lanes than they are to steal the ball. Just witness all the clumsy tackles. He makes defenses work harder which is *always* a good thing.
So the problem is a very difficult one. I say Reyes plays that left wing and Bergkamp stays in the middle. But what do we do with Bobby? This isn’t easy folks, he’s just too good to ignore. I don’t have an answer, but I will say that one very positive benefit of the current situation is that both Pires and Reyes can stay fresher late in the year by platooning on the left.
I also see Van Persie being a valuable platooning option with Freddie on the right - but what is more likely is that Van Persie and Pennant will platoon the position when Freddie is injured - which is only a matter of time.
Center midfield? Well Viera wasn’t the guardian that was going to keep ManU from kicking us to death, was he? He’s still the closest thing we have to a true grinder though, so you stick with him. For most of the year he has been playing at about 85% of his ability - he works very hard but he’s not as sharp as he can be. It could be physical. With Viera a confirmed “shielder” of the back four, we don’t need more defensive oriented center midfielders. Outside of the Leeds game last year, in which Gilberto was sublime, his talents lean toward the defensive. Cesc adds a mix, with a leaning towards offensive that suits this team very well. Although his general bearing is unaffected by his youth, his body isn’t. Wenger is wize to use him carefully. He should have played alongside Viera at Old Trafford though, with an eye towards his Community Shield effort against the same team. I would platoon Cesc with Gilberto on a situational basis. With Gilberto injured, I would lean more heavily on Cesc than Edu. If Cesc could fill in for Viera in the early games of the year, he’s ready for a heavier dose - WHEN CALLED FOR.
Tossing aside the issue of a backup defender, I’m satisfied with our defensive players. We need *LOTS* of work on set pieces, or we will weap the tears of the damned.
October 31st, 2004 at 7:18 am
They seemd to be doing fine w/o Drogba. Would we do the same w/o Henry for a long period? They have far more deprth than we do. Arsenal is two or three bad injuries from having a bad season…
October 31st, 2004 at 8:02 am
Agree with what most of you say about Cesc: he can’t play every game - it would wreck him - but he’s undoubtedly a better attacking player than Edu because his passing is superb. Most of you won’t have seen the Carling Cup game but his pin-point accuracy - esp. for Danny charging down the left at full speed - was what got us the win.
In fact it was a really bright spot, that Carling Cup game, which I didn’t expect us to win. Cesc, Flamini, Lupoli, Danny were all excellent - and against an almost full-strength City. So were Senderos and Cygan. And van P’s goal was important in that it will have given him new confidence - I’m sure it helped when he came on on against Southampton on Sat. What worried me were the full-backs. In fairness to Larsson, left back is not his position, but Hoyte was a bit disappointing, so buying a right back in Jan is an absolute must, otherwise God help us if Lauren gets injured. I thought Senderos looked pretty much ready for the first team. Would like to see him given a chance on Tuesday in place of Cygan, whose marking, unless I missed something, was at fault for at least one of Southampton’s goals. Set pieces a very vulnerable spot. Why? They must work on these in training, surely? So what’s going on? Groan.
October 31st, 2004 at 9:15 am
Pretty Good dissection of the situation Ice…
although I believe Pires should start over Reyes. He has PROVEN his worth year in year out, and Reyes hasn’t done much in weeks.
Also, Gilberto and Paddy form a great tandem in the middle. They are so good at defensively shielding the back 4, that our offensive players can go wild up front… and wreak the havoc we all enjoy watching.
Back 4… well Wenger has said he would like to get another defender in the January transfer period… with Kolo Lauren Campbell and Cole all healthy, we are great… with Campbell out… or Kolo out… I think we are at risk against other super powers… or Soton!??!!
Set pieces! I think it now becomes psychological as well as physical. We are gonna be worried on EVERY one of them. Unfortunately, we should be.
October 31st, 2004 at 9:19 am
Miranda, I didn’t see the Carling Cup match, but I listened to it on radio (FiveLive). The announcer stated on more than one occasion, how disappointed he was with Cesc’s play in this match. He was hoping to see the Cesc he had heard was fantastic for a 17 yr. old… so he could NOT have played all that good from what I heard.
I believe Arsene said he wants to buy a defender in the January transfer window…. I would imagine he is no checking alot of video, for one that is very good on set pieces!!!!!!!!
October 31st, 2004 at 9:26 am
2 or 3 bad injuries from a long season? WHO ISN’T?
There is a very fine line between having alot of depth and having alot of players pissed off because they don’t get playing time. Chelsea also have players moaning… because they’d start almost anywhere else, and can’t get a kick on the pitch…
There is alot to be said for continuity of playing with the same players… knowing who will zig and who will zag and when they will. You don’t get that when your line-up is different every week… and players don’t get into “the zone” when they don’t play often…
My point on Chelsea…. is not that they aren’t talented or not good players… they simply haven’t won a damned thing. Its a marathon, not a sprint… and we’ll see how some star players like not playing for 1/2 a season… and if the ship takes on water at some point.
I don’t care what they do against Blackburn, I want to see them behind against us… or AC Milan… I want to see a bit of stress wear on them and see if they respond. Thats when winning something previously is a factor. Having “done it” counts for alot… experience is important.
October 31st, 2004 at 12:37 pm
I’ve noticed that most of the goals we give away on set pieces seem to come from these slashing runs and great\lucky deliveries. Any way we can sort of, I don’t know, form a wall that forces people to run over our players (foul us)? I suppose it’s just too much area to cover.
October 31st, 2004 at 12:45 pm
I’m really happy for Van Persie. This will help him mentally a lot. He’ll feel more at home now than if he played a full season of reserve matches. I can’t imagine a player wanting anything more than to contribute to his teams success. It’s like being unemployed and then getting a job. It makes you well again. I thought it was hilarious how he posted up on the right side of the six yard box and held his arms out like, “Give me the damn ball!!!”. He did that on two series. He was poorly marked, and I guarantee you that was because he wasn’t expected to get the ball, or if he did, do much with it. He punished that thinking beautifully.
October 31st, 2004 at 2:56 pm
My apologies… I watched the match again…
and Cesc did set up VanP… POINT GIVEN!
October 31st, 2004 at 3:35 pm
Stag, it’s true Cesc was a bit hesitant and uncertain in the first half, like a wilted plant - they all were a bit. But then Quincy came on and transformed them. How, I don’t know. The last time I saw him he was a fragile nervous-looking striker - he fluffed a penalty - who just might, given time, develop into a talent. Well, he has done. He was a midfield rocket, and the game came alive. True, that wasn’t Cesc’s doing but what was striking about him was his positional awareness and pinpoint accuracy - he seemed to see exactly the space Danny was going to run into and he managed to give him the ball within a centimetre of where it was needed. It was cool, in every sense; really composed.