Youth will be served.
At the end of the day, Arsenal won a point while Chelsea lost two points. Arsenal’s back line of kids bent but did not break. This was a stunning team effort that has to be catalyst for the rest of our season. They showed no fear and never backed down even when under tremendous pressure in the second half.
MOTM: Adebayor. He didn’t score but he worked so hard as the lone striker and was our only offensive presence.
Flamini, the goal scorer off a well worked play with Hleb woluld of been the man of the season if his goal had stood up. After that, Arsenal never looked like they would get another goal.
Lehmann, did not have a good game. He had two spills, one resulted in goal line clear from Fabregas and the second in injury time had the post save a Lampard shot at the open net. He never had a chance on the Essien 30 yard galaso. The nonsense with Drogba was Lehmann being Lehmann-simply stupid and unnecessary.
Wenger may be critical over Wiley’s no call decision on the foul that led to Essien’s goal. To be fair, Senderos could have been called for a PK on Drogba and was not.
The question for Arsenal going forward remains, where are the goals going to come from? Baptista has to be given starts in our upcoming matches against Wigan , Portsmouth and Blackburn.
31 Responses to “Chelsea 1 - 1 Arsenal”
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December 10th, 2006 at 8:48 pm
Youth is wasted on the young!
What was served was a battering on the Arsenal. They swarmed our youth with “TALENT”. We were lucky to get a point. I am THRILLED with the point, but once again, we COULD have won and didn’t.
We were lucky today. Its good to be lucky.
December 10th, 2006 at 9:29 pm
Your right ctpa, we need goal scoring outlets.
It ain’t complex, in football you godda score goals or the best you can get is 0-0 and 1 point.
At present we have a serious issue converting our chances, and as the season goes on it will continue to undermine our creativity and defence.
What to do?
For me Wenger’s only ‘current’ goal scoring options look to be Baptista and Walcott. Unfortunately they are both under-cooked (in different ways).
December 10th, 2006 at 11:19 pm
Hleb could have calmly slotted the ball into the open net after another great Ade run but instead he blasted it over the bar.
I am glad for the result beacuse it is more frustrating for Chelsea to drop two more points behind United rather than us not getting the full 3 points (would have been daylight robbery for us).
I saw Wenger’s interview and all he said of A.Cole’s foul on Hleb (leading to Essien’s goal) was that he thought it was a foul, and then went on to say that sometimes you have to applaud the fantastic goals and that’s part of football, and he won’t complain that the game was down to one decision no going our way.
Even Wenger must have thought we’re lucky to get away with 1 point, so no complaints from the Prof today.
We’ve now played the big 3 teams and came away with 7 points - now if we can just do the same with the “no so big” clubs then we’d have a solid challenge for 3rd, even 2nd if Chelsea continues to get held and drop enough points. The only way for United to lose the title is for Fergie to get complacent yet again and field weaker sides against small clubs and drop points.
December 11th, 2006 at 4:30 am
Man, I was saying we should bring off Flamini for Freddie like ten minutes before he scored. I’m glad we didn’t. Flamini did well to position himself to recieve that ball and have a go. When that net bulged after that shot, I was screaming. My two year old looked at me like I was crazy.
We should have brought off Hleb as he was done near the end. If that had been a fresh Walcott that had Hleb’s chance at the end and young Theo had scored, the crowd would have went buck wild. Wenger was scared to play him.
I’m very happy with the result. I was happy with the team selection, particularly with van Persie starting. It was a statement that we weren’t coming to defend the entire game. I thought our favored match-ups would be in the wide positions, and they were. Eboue and Hleb troubled Cole and had him on egg shells for most of the game after his booking. My only concern was Geremi on Clichy as I remember the Geremi that played for Real Madrid.
I’ve never liked Senderos for Arsenal. In fact, I liked Cygan more than I’ve ever liked Senderos. Regardless of your age, you can’t be a CB and be soft. Drogba punked poor “Cindy” in last year’s Charity Shield and she’s been Drogba’s biotch ever since. A CB can’t be nobody’s biotch.
I remember Cygan giving Cristiano Ronaldo a cynical foul near the end of the game at Old Trafford in January because he knew he’d outplayed Ronaldo. I remember him kicking Lee Bowyer in the throat, punking Yakubu and many other small victories against Premiership stars as a CB and LB just to let other players know; I aint no punk. Cygan had the sense to know when to get close and when to give someone space ensuring he didn’t give up that many silly fouls. Cygan wasn’t nobody’s **AYE CARUMBA**(censored). But little Cindy shows up to play wearing her high-heels and sometimes even tries to play wearing clown shoes.
And we gave Tony Adams’s old number to that f*cking yummie? Freakin’ disrespectful!
Other than that clown, I was happy with everyone else’s effort.
December 11th, 2006 at 8:13 am
It’s all about carrying the good work forward. Time and again, we have turned up for the big games to lose out on other ones. Can we rectify it this time?
The next 7 league games are - Wigan (A), Pompey (H), Blackburn (H), Watford (A), Sheffield (A), Charlton (H) and Blackburn (A).
Can we win atleast 4 and not lose more than 1? That will give us a minimum of 14 points from 7 games, well above our current average of 1.625 (26 points from 16 games).
December 11th, 2006 at 8:25 am
good synopsis but there was only one man of the match, gilberto. he was everywhere in the middle of the pitch, tipping passes, covering and then shifting the attack for us. he alone carried the flow of play and kept guard.
what we have witnessed yesterday is theresult from a lack of fear of a young driven team. however, we must realize that with youth comes inconsistency, which is why we can easily lose to Fulham and ‘boro. yet with 7 points from manure, the Kop crap & the special one’s angels, all is not lost. wins at Wigan and vs. Pompey this week would help…and will come!
December 11th, 2006 at 9:58 am
So back before the season started … if they told you that Arsenal will beat Manchester United away, Liverpool and Tottenham and get a draw at Chelsea (away) would you be thinking that Arsenal will be in the 6th place or (with possibilty) to go third if they beat Wigan. But wih more than 15 points difference than Man U or the table leader?
Me: No.
We got the max points needed from our Rivals or the big clubs, but again we slip against the likes of West Ham.
Arsenal is good enough then. But Arsenal need a good enough bigger squad. Need variety in the squad, more players that can dp something. AW need to have the balls to do the changes needed to transform the game … vs. Bolton or West Ham. Like Jose changes when Robben cam in, simply the Wings has made our fullbacks look clumsier …
I just want Arsenal to secure 3rd early part in the season and focus on the other trophies. Maybe the FA (if we beat Liverpool) and CL.
December 11th, 2006 at 10:57 am
And we gave Tony Adams’s old number to that f*cking yummie? Freakin’ disrespectful!
BRAVO BRAVO!!! Looks like a lost girl in an airport sometimes…
December 11th, 2006 at 11:07 am
Even now, there are some dip-sticks who would still rate Senderos above Djourou. Those people should be lined up and shot. Okay, maybe a tad harsh, but such lack of judgement should be be punished in some form.
December 11th, 2006 at 11:21 am
Couple of thoughts from yesterdays game: 1) Arsenal was in a postion to win and got a lot of luck at the end. 2) Chelsea got a bit of luck too - Cashley definitely fouled Hleb, which led directly to Essien’s goal which was amazing. Sometimes you get the call, sometimes you don’t. 3) Adebayor was awesome yesterday. His running, trickery and ability to hold the ball is something that is needed when a 4-5-1 formation is used. 4) The last 10 minutes was really nerve racking. 5) This team can play with anyone. I don’t know anyone who thought Arsenal was going to win without Henry, Toure, Gallas and Rosicky. And yet, there they were with 10 minutes to go in a position to win. And lastly, the little spat between Jens and Drogba was one of the more ridiculous things I’ve seen in a while. Credit to the ref though, I think he got it right.
December 11th, 2006 at 12:10 pm
I called Senderos a Cygan with hair. Your fond memories of Cygan give me pause.
It was Cashley who revealed that Senderos couldn’t be bothered with the advice Keown tried to give about playing the position with grit. It’s time to shop him.
December 11th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
You are right. In a later post under the Chelsa pre-match comments, I corrected that. He was magnificent.
December 11th, 2006 at 12:31 pm
Yes Stag we could’ve won..I agree… but considering that they swarmed our youth.. doesnt it say a lot about us managing to pick ourseleves up 4 the big games…?? Without the “proven” stars???? with a backline of under 21 … when everyone predicted 3-0 whitewashes???
December 11th, 2006 at 12:38 pm
Twas the same guy who took us to the final of the CL. Have some respect guys?? Sendy has never been a great starter…. he’s at his best when he’s played 3-4 continuous games. Yes 3-4 games is too much agreed…but he’s still 21 and he’ll learn. AW wouldnt give TOny Adams’s number to just about anyone…no way.
As for the grit… Sendy busted a nose and scored for Switzerland and played on.. if that isnt grit I dont know what is…he will be okay..Yes he looks a bit dicey coz he’s compared to Toure, Gallas n Djourou who are all much more comfortable on the ball…but he’s got a lot of guts… and for all people saying about him being Drogba’s bunny.. how much wrong did he do yesterday?? 1 yellow card and 1 misplaced pass… thats it…
I dont get it…
December 11th, 2006 at 12:44 pm
You mentioned 3-0 before the game.. and you also mentioned Flamini would gift Chelsea the game..you got it wrong on both counts.. as for Sendy … The reason Djourou looks better is because he has the pace… Sendy does not have it.. he is a positional player… and a slow starter.. he will make mistakes in 2-3 games…but after that he’ll always be rock solid…its always been that way…
I’m sorry… I’m not comparing…but theres no way Senderos is a Cygan part 2.. nor is Flamini .. who has not done much wrong in midfield whenever he’s played… nor is Adebayor…. or any1 in this team… except Song for a bit… and he hasnt played anything yet… so I think this team rocks.. and we need no one in January .. just Diaby fit n Baptista to get a few goals… n Freddie to get 1 or 2 to get his goal scoring confidence back…we’ll be fine..
December 11th, 2006 at 2:51 pm
It’s true that Senderos has had some good games for Arsenal, and I hoped he would eradicate some of the more unsavoury parts of his game - but this seems unlikely to happen. He’s not as bad as Cygan, although sometimes he comes close, but on Saturday it was clear that his future at Arsenal is clearly limited.
It’s not just to do with pace, although Senderos is clearly lacking in that area, you can shoot holes in many aspect of his game. The most obvious difference between Djourou and Senderos is that Djourou plays the ball and Senderos plays the man - needless to say that makes one of them a total liability, care to guess which? Djourou also has the advantage of being faster, calmer, better on the ball and he can play left or right of centre, Senderos can only play left of centre.
It should have been Drogba 1 Senderos 0 yet again on Sunday because for me it was clear penalty when Senderos rather foolishly and unncessarily hauled him down in the box. It was only Drogba’s reputation as a diver that saved Arsenal really.
The future of Arsenal in the next 5 years is Toure and Gallas in the middle with Djourou as back up, and don’t see any reason why Senderos should be anything other than a bit part player - so I can see him leaving eventually.
December 11th, 2006 at 4:31 pm
?and for all people saying about him being Drogba’s bunny.. how much wrong did he do yesterday?? 1 yellow card and 1 misplaced pass… thats it…?
LiveDon?tExist that?s how I saw it too.
There?s a lot of twaddle being written about Senderos by people who have obviously decided they don?t like him as a player. If they don?t like him fair enough?.that?s every fans right. But stop assuming everyone else has to agree with you. Your crystal balls have proven faulty on occasions before.
Comparing Senderos to Cygan is limited. Senderos is 21 and developing?..Cygan was an experienced pro and we knew his capacity. Interestingly with Cygan, whilst I groaned when I saw his name on the teamsheet I always felt sorry for the guy?..why did Wenger repeatedly play him out of position at LB?
December 11th, 2006 at 5:14 pm
How much wrong did he do? How much right more like. You must understand absolutely zero about football if you cannot see that Senderos had a total nightmare on Sunday - he got practically EVERYTHING wrong. Every time he came against Drogba he tried to wrestle him to the ground or shoulder barge him, his distribution from the back was laughable - just hoofing the ball 60ft in th air everytime it came near him, and his heading was abysmal, the amount of long balls Hilario punted up the field that Senderos totally misjudged and went over his head. His passing stunk too, he kept playing balls across his back four and twice they got intercepted, one leading to Lampard hitting the post. He really was utterly abysmal.
To be honest, I think he is often a little better than that, but if you add to the fact that he has no pace, he’s even more worrying against the “lesser” teams because he pushes up and gets done time and time again by pacy counter-attacking strikers - he’s a total liability.
Then you look at Djourou - it’s a no brainer who deserves to be in the team.
December 11th, 2006 at 6:07 pm
Funny, I saw little Cindy swing and miss horribly on about three or 4 simple clearances when no one was around him; maybe Drogba said “Boo”. I also saw Cindy try and suplex Drogba in the box with the game still at 0-0. Normally players get punished for those things. Maybe we watched different games. Perhaps I need to clean my crystal ball or maybe it’s that big-ass plasma sitting in my den that’s dirty.
I agree it was unfair to compare Senderos to Cygan as one is more experienced. Wenger had to choose one and went with youth and sold the other.
Senderos’ technique needs a significant improvement as he needs to learn to play the ball and not the man. And for crying out loud, if a defender can’t do anything he should be able to put his foot through the ball. We learned that in 2nd grade playing kick-ball. We were lucky; ask Man City what happens when you don’t clear a simple ball.
I do not apologize for saying he’s soft. Defenders are supposed to be hard like a jaw breaker and he’s more like a gummy bear or laffy-taffy. Drogba had him so shook he couldn’t make a simple clearance. He couldn’t even tackle Drogba without throwing in a head-lock, full-nelson, or a DDT. The guy lacks defensive technique, pace, leaping ability, passing ability, he can’t tackle (legally), and he has no heart. What qualities does he have that make him a top player?
How can you be a top defender with little talent and no heart? That boy better call the land of Oz and ask The Wizard to give him some heart. And for the record, I didn’t say Drogba made Cindy his bunny. I said Drogba made Cindy his **AYE CARUMBA**(censored).
December 11th, 2006 at 6:24 pm
I agree with you on this one, Danny. As much of a backer of Senderos as I have been in the past, it's obvious that Djourou is a much calmer player at the back, he's obviously quicker than Senderos & he doesn't make a lot of “panic passes” which for his age & position is pretty commendable.
Toure/Gallas & then long term Toure/Djourou
December 11th, 2006 at 6:25 pm
I agree with you as it’s an absolute insult to Cygan to call Senderos Cygan part 2. The only comparison is that they are both slow, and both bad passers. Senderos has no positional sense. He gets either too tight or gives up too much space. He’s a slow starter and a slow finisher. He’s got so much that he needs to improve that he hasn’t and I don’t think he will. He’s not any better than when he made his first major appearance for Arsenal.
Djourou, on the other hand, caught it from me early this season but has gone on to improve quite a bit since the pre-season. Djourou made his mistakes early but unlike Senderos, he has cleaned them up and is playing good football.
But, like I always say, time will tell. Time always tells the truth. I truly hope I’m wrong but I was saying the same thing last year about Senderos that I’m saying this year.
December 11th, 2006 at 7:05 pm
Senderos wasn?t anywhere near that bad.
He?s 21, he?s come back from injury, and he?s played 6 games all season. Not sufficient evidence in my books on which to condemn the guy.
Last season was a really hard one for the team, yet he played a key role in our promising second half, he was excellent in Europe.
He went to the WC and played really well for his country.
Save the personal insults.
December 11th, 2006 at 7:17 pm
Well, whatever, the fact is Djourou is miles better and so is Toure and so is Gallas - so Senderos days are numbered, unless he wants to sit on the bench for the next 5 years.
December 11th, 2006 at 7:22 pm
Senderos: 2 starts before the Chelsea game. 2 yellow cards for the same infraction in each game. Tackling from behind because he got beat like a rented mule. Fortunately, Chelsea have no speed in their attack. Alan Wiley could have easily given a PK for that suplex move in the box on Drogba. We are talking defending 101. His ‘credentials’ mean he should be doing better than what he’s shown this season.
December 11th, 2006 at 7:27 pm
That’s why he got 2 yellow cards in 2 games. He couldn’t catch a fly with dog s**t.
December 11th, 2006 at 7:29 pm
Is that with or without a blindfold? Will that be smoking or nonsmoking? Oops, smoking is bad for health.
December 11th, 2006 at 7:30 pm
No argument re Djourou, I?ve admired his performances all season.
Time will be the judge as to whether he and Senderos make it at Arsenal or not.
IMO you need 4 options at CB.
I?m really pleased with the current 4?.2 experienced & 2 young?nice blend of styles. I think we?re looking the strongest in that area that we have for a long time.
December 11th, 2006 at 7:32 pm
It’s agreed.
December 11th, 2006 at 7:41 pm
Because Wenger can be overly cautious at times. We all groan when he made Cygan the LB. It seemed he had no other choice with all the injuries we had at that time. He wanted a veteran for cover but Cygan just couldn’t do it. His lack of pace left the CB on that side exposed. There was no protection from Pires either. Flamini’s insertion was a stroke of genius because at least he had some pace.
December 11th, 2006 at 9:32 pm
have you seen this ….
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2006570282,00.html#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=TheSun:Supergoals
December 12th, 2006 at 1:52 am
It’s the only area in which we are well stocked.