Keane talked smack but Arsenal domination marches on.
The story of this match was manager substitutions. Wenger brings on Rosicky to replace a player on the “periphery” (-Andy Gray), Walcott. He immediately energizes the Arsenals attack, setting up Adebayor (77), then scoring the clincher (22 ET). That was the MOTM performance. Rosicky was that senior element Arsenal needed to drive the goals and win this game.
Jol on the other hand subbed out Gardner (yellow card) and brought on his shiny new CB Rocha. Rocha slipped with his clearance which allowed Aliadiere to pounce for a ripper (15 ET) to go up 2-1.Sp*rs only goal came after Denilson gave up a FK which allowed Mido to out-jump Toure for the header.
For approximately 110 it was boys (Arsenal) against men (Sp*rs) literally and figuratively. At one point, the possession was 72% to 28%. Can someone explain to me how needing a goal to win, playing with a full strength side, Sp*rs were packing their box against our kids? Says it all, doesn’t it?
Denilson is the real deal. Good touch, good passer, good quickness, good tackler, good strenght and most importantly, he SHOOTS. Don’t call him a DM, call him a CM, thank you very much. That’s why Song is gone and Muamba may follow.
Hossam Ghaly was holding a masterclass on how to own a LB (Traore). I hope Walcott was taking notes. Diaby is still a little short on match fitness but watch out when he gets there. He needed to help Traore more against Ghaly.
Where was Waldo (Lennon)?
Adebayor and Aliadiere ran their asses off. They were both rewarded with well deserved goals. Gilberto had an excellent game. The invisible wall was very visible if you knew where to look. He was like a glass of warm milk and cookies -comforting. Almunia had a good game. Still needs to sort out the communication with the CBs. Since Senderos left blood on the pitch, he gets an honorable mention. Malbranque did jack on the left and that’s down to Denilson and Hoyte.
Wenger now has a selection problem for Chelsea. We clearly needed more attacking thrust in the MF. This was supplied by Rosicky. Recognizing this, I would still go with the kiddie corps for the final. If we go a goal down or are tied at the half, then make the changes to win it in regulation.
45 Responses to “Arsenal 3 - 1 Sp*rs”
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January 31st, 2007 at 11:12 pm
Correction: Arsenal’s 3rd goal although instigated by Rosicky/Adebayor (flick-on )was an OG by Chimbonda. At least the linesman got it right (unlike Vidic’s goal against Portsmouth which was ‘cleared’ from inside the net).
January 31st, 2007 at 11:30 pm
after tonights performance, i think wenger was right in not buying anyone. we don’t need anyone, our squad is solid.
GK: Lehmann, Almunia
LB: Clichy, Traore
CB: Gallas, Senderos
CB: Toure, Djourou
RB: Eboue, Hoyte
LM: Rosicky, Ljungberg
DM: Gilberto, Flamini
CM: Fabregas, Denilson, Diaby
RM: Hleb, Walcott
CF: Henry, Adebayor, Aliadiere
CF: Van Persie, Baptista
February 1st, 2007 at 1:32 am
Quality quality performance by the kids. Apart from one little spell between 85 and 92 when Mido threatened to break Gunner hearts we were in complete control.
The talent on the pitch was so obvious that even a Spurs fan will concede that our kids are the best in the world. The defense was very very solid apart from a “set piece” conceded..damn. That apart .. I though Kolo n Sendy were excellent and Hoyte improving every game gives us that much needed stability at RB. Traore looked much more assured against Ghaly than he did against Lennon…(glad he didnt play) and Clichy looks as if he’s already a french international who’s won 50 caps..Who’s Ashley Cole???
Diaby plays and passes and runs so much like Viera that you would almost be forgiven in thinking its Viera playing…an assured performance at inside left left me licking my lips at how bright the future was.Gilberto was back to his invisible best … he’s got to be up there with one of the best DM’s with the least fouls. Theo looked better..more confident and some great pace as well. As his decision making improves and he learns how to pass the ball around soemtime instead of making runs all the time..he’ll be a super player.
Ali n Ade worked their socks off and its a credit to them specially Ade that the midfield was well protected with him coming back to tackle so often.What an engine!!!
Last but not least the performance of Denilson surely surely means he’s knocking on a place on the first team bench at least. The composure that he shows on and off the ball as well as his positional play is a delight to watch and whenever Cesc doesnt play he will easily fit in to the CM shoes and pull strings. MOTM for me.
Lastly I hope AW plays the kids again in the final … I just hope he does…a young squad and an experienced bench…theres nothing to lose apart from a damn cup :). No seriously…. go with the kids Arsene .. let them play in the final… and experience what it is and how high the standards are… it’ll hold them in good stead…I’m sure you will…
February 1st, 2007 at 1:37 am
According to Arsenal.com: “Aaron Lennon was surprisingly listed on the bench. It turned out the England winger had been taken ill just before the game.”
According to tottenhamhotspur.com: Martin explained, “He was in the starting line-up but he felt a bit sick after dinner. He went for his sleep, came back and said he felt fine, so I said I would play him. Just before we started, he said he still felt sick so we decided to pull him out and put him on the bench. We put him on the list for the referee but he then said he felt too sick to go on the bench and then we couldn’t replace him. Young-Pyo Lee was in the squad but it was too late to put him in the team.” Must have eaten the same lasagna as last Spring…
Also according to tottenhamhotspur.com: “To Dare Is To Do!”
According to me: “Get outshot 28(11) to 11(3), and you dare to get outplayed.”
February 1st, 2007 at 1:54 am
With regard to who AW will play in the final, he is quoted after the game as saying:
“I don’t like to promise what I cannot deliver because we play many games until the final, but we will stick to the players who were involved in the Carling Cup only. Those who have not played until now will not play the final.”
Current Gunners who have not played in the Carling Cup, but have played in other first team games are:
Gallas
van Persie
Ljungberg
Henry
Lehman
van Persie is injured anyway, and who knows when Gallas is coming back.
So, excepting Ljungberg, Henry, and Lehman, (all 3 great veterans) AW is leaving himself with a pretty open book.
February 1st, 2007 at 5:03 am
Who cares about the final. Just shove all the kids in and sit back and enjoy - we can’t lose really. I don’t want Henry playing or Rosicky, Hleb or Fabregas. I want Traore, Hoyte, Aliadiere, Denilson, Diaby, Walcott etc. to play. If we won with them lot against Chelsea’s billions it would be hilarious - if we lose, so what, it’s a rubbish trophy that means nothing to anyone anymore as silverware.
Denilson will be a terrific player, and for me he should be be replacing Flamini NOW. The kid can tackle and has a real footballing brain, he is also calm - after the booking there were many times I thought he was going to dive in, but he resisted and played like Gilberto. I reckon he could score goals too.
February 1st, 2007 at 5:59 am
i agree, we should just play the kids in the final. we got way to many games coming up to play our first team. I’d go with this team if everyone was fit.
—————–Almunia
Hoyte—–Djourou——-Senderos(c)–Traore
Flamini—Denilson——-Diaby——Walcott
———-Aliadiere—–Baptista
Subs: Poom, Eboue, Fabregas, Rosicky, Henry
February 1st, 2007 at 6:05 am
u are right that we have a complete squad…..
however i think ljunberg is too old and injury prone and needs to be replaced.
traore quite frankly isnt good enough yet. he was beat like a drum yesterday. the beating was so bad he had to pretend he was injured just to escape the punishment. lol. maybe next season he?ll be better.
February 1st, 2007 at 6:10 am
there is no way that rosicky and fabregas wont play in the final.
i agree though that denilson should be ahead of flamini. surely.
February 1st, 2007 at 6:15 am
- i think toure will surely play the final. afterall this is chelsea we are talking about. and he did play liverpool and spuds. so i see no reason why he wont play and captain the team.
- 2 of fabregas, gilberto and rosicky will almost surely start the final. with the other on the bench. even though its a worthless trophy its still made of silverware. and its against chelsea
- henry wont be in the team at all. wenger has said it already that the likes of lehmann and henry wont play.
- finally why do people keep naming traore in their teams??? did you watch yesterdays game. the guy was beaten SEVERELY, several times! and not even by lennon.
yeah, yeah i know he is just 17. but at that age is problem should be positioning ….not getting beat ONE ON ONE several times by somebody SLOWER than you (ghaly).
he should play the final.
February 1st, 2007 at 6:57 am
Yeah, and he was showboating in his own half. He probably has the most maturing to do out of everyone. Still think he should play though, the final should all be about beating Chelsea’s trillions with a bunch of babies. The kids will probably lose, but if they don’t Mourinho’s face will be a picture.
February 1st, 2007 at 7:40 am
Great performance from Denilson. Surely he must be looking at Flamini and thinking he’s Wenger’s lovechild or something. Flamini should not play for us again if Diaby or Denilson are fit.
From watching the game it’s fairly obvious that Denilson is more a fabregas than Gilberto in playing style. Which is good. We need someone who can come in keep the fluency going, although he needs to be a bit more mobile to get away from players. It’a pity that neither Denilson or Fabregas have geunine pace, although that is probably why they are so intelligent on the ball.
Our defence still concerns me. Of course, Traore is a disaster defensively as we’ve seen already, but what concerns me is Toure and Senderos. Toure is just plain rubbish at defending set-pieces. He doesn’t even jump for the ball. If anything he bends down low and looks up at the ball like it’s a piece of meteorite.
Also Senderos was just a joke again. It’s almost becoming repetitive and tedious to keep slating him but just when you think he has found a degree of calm he turns in a peformance like yesterday’s. Got underneath every high ball and looked like he was bricking it in extra-time whenever he got the ball. How he let Mido get that shot off was also unforgiveable. Need Gallas back pronto.
I really like Aliadiere. He has intelligence on the ball and should have been played in on numerous occasions if Adebayor wasn’t so greedy.
Adebayor irritated me last night. It was his fault Tottenham got their goal because as soon as he got the goal he switched off and kept getting caught offside, which allowed to Tottenham to attack us. He also cannot just play a quick pass without doing some stupid drag-back.
He and Henry cannot play together. Henry is not playing well. I think Aliadiere should start against Middlesbrough.
February 1st, 2007 at 8:55 am
That is way way too harsh. A 17 year old kid … okay a 17 year old kid .. playing in a semifinal against a decent team has to have a brilliant game and bomb in crosses and tackle back all the time else he’s ridiculously overrated. Give the kid a break .. will you?
Did Spurs score again? NO .. that means Sendy is doing fine.. yes he’s not the mmost elegant player on the ball… and hoofs a lot of pointless balls up into the stands.. but whenever there is Route 1 being played .. Sendy is very very good… that was good play by Mido creating space for himself to get the shot away…. no way he could put in a tackle that close to the dee.. Mido would’ve def gone down and it might’ve been a penalty and a win to Spurs…that wouldnt have been nice would it.
Out of 115 good moments that Ade had you choose to slate him for straying offside twice in 5 minutes and giving up posession…Toure is okay in the air..not the most commanding but is decent and makes up for it with all his other great qualities which I’m sure I dont need to list here.
I agree about Denilson though…looks loads better than the Flamster… as does Diaby….lets see what AW does…
Henry n he can play okay together….thing is though…Henry isn’t on top form and Ade is bound to be tired after so much football….so if we arent sharp Boro will punish us…
February 1st, 2007 at 9:18 am
I didn’t say anything about Traore being overrated. It’s just a fact he is hopeless defensively. I thought he attacked quite well but that had nothing to do with my point about our defensive performance.
So, just because Spurs didn’t score again it means Sendy is fine. Erm, hardly Omar Hitzfield level analysis there. So, if Mido shot’s had gone in off the post would Senderos have been terrible then? The only thing Mido could have done was do a nutmeg, and by hell did Senderos fall for it hook, line and sinker.
It was Adebayor’s attitude-that led to the offsides- which annoyed me. This stupid notion that the game was won and he could do more dancing with Henry pissed me off. That and his needless touches which consistently get him dispossed. You didn’t see Aliadiere doing that showboating nonsense. I like the player but you play for the full 90, not 85 minutes. We will get punished for that at some stage.
February 1st, 2007 at 9:49 am
Denilson & Diaby should be considered ahead of Flamini for first team bench as central midfielders on the basis of yesterday’s performance. After being told repeatedly on this website when I lamented Wenger’s use of Flamini that he is a “useful squad player,” I have taken heed and recognize Flamini’s virtues as a stand-in and jack of all trades. Denilson and Diabi, however, are not mere squad players. There is no reason to play Flamini ahead of them in the EPL, Champions League or any other tournament. On the other hand, based on last night’s performance, Flamini should feature ahead of Traore in the event there is a need for a substitute left back for Clichy.
February 1st, 2007 at 10:03 am
Funny how people have so many different opinions about the same game. What I will say is that Adebayor had a FAR better game than Aliadiere - he was constantly involved in the game from beginning to end, whilst Aliadiere was completely peripheral.
The difference is, Adebayor wants to get involved, Aliadere doesn’t, he just hangs around hoping to take advantage of bad defending - sometimes you get results from this type of play, but at the top level (ie. Premiership/Champions League) he would be non-existant in most games. If you monitored the amount of physical effort the two put in it would be incomparable. What Adebayor does is pressure defences into making mistakes, he does what other teams all too successfully do to Arsenal, his contribution is invaluable. Meanwhile, there’s hardly a striker in the entire Premiership (or Championship) who couldn’t do what Aliadiere does considering the quality of the players he plays alongside.
It’s true that Denilson and Diaby should mark the end of Flamini’s career at Arsenal, especially Denilson, he’s good enough to put in the Premiership NOW. His set pieces are excellent. He’s a cross between Fabregas and Gilberto in my opinion, I think he will be fantastic player - you can see his quality immediately.
Mazza is right, Traore has a long way to go - I wouldn’t say he was close to the first team yet. Senderos can stay as long as he’s 4th choice. I wouldn’t want him near the team when Djourou and Gallas are fit, but if he wants to stick around then, for all his faults I suppose you won’t find many better 4th choice defenders. Part of Senderos problem is mental, because he can’t play with his feet he has no self confidence. He’s a bit like Sol Campbell in this respect, but Campbell was much stronger and faster, and was more intelligent in using his strengths and negating his weaknesses. Towards the end, when his body was letting him down, Campbell was just like Senderos is now.
Toure is alarming at set pieces, he badly needs coaching in this area - 8 times out of 10 it’s his fault when a goal from a set piece is conceded.
February 1st, 2007 at 10:10 am
I didn’t see Aliadiere do anything, except score a half decent goal after some terrible defending. If he hadn’t of scored everyone would have said he is a waste of space AGAIN, except for his brain dead, newly adopted father, Stag.
You say Senderos is hopeless, irrespective of whether he concedes a goal, well the same goes for Aliadiere, irrespective of whether he scores his effectiveness is just as shabby as Senderos. At least Adebayor gets involved, his presence is tangible - he works tirelessly AND scores. Aliadiere runs around waiting for something to happen, and he only scores against the sh*t teams, that’s his record.
February 1st, 2007 at 10:19 am
you said it.
watch the same games… see different things.
you don’t see the value of Ali… others do!
February 1st, 2007 at 10:21 am
Are you flying over to the States in the Summer of 2008 to buy me that beer? or when? Aliadiere is going no where. He will keep scoring.
February 1st, 2007 at 11:07 am
By the way, I was a bit harsh on Adebayor. He played well and was more of a threat than Aliadiere. However, I like strikers that keep the ball and can pass with the midfielders. Aliadiere kept the ball very well last night. Think that will be very handy against Middlesbrough.
February 1st, 2007 at 11:31 am
Time will tell about these players. They are all still developing at their own pace, not at our desired pace.
This is Traore’s first season. Sure, he was beaten senseless by Ghaly and Lennon. If he has a good head on his shoulders, he will learn from the experience or fold up his tent. We need a pacy, attacking LB to back up Clichy and this baby is not going out with the dish water just yet.
Senderos reminds me of “Young Frankenstein” in the tap dancing routine. Maybe all Senderos needs is a pair of Vapors instead of Frankenstein boots. We know he’s 4th choice until Connelly/O’Cearuill show Wenger what they’ve got. We let Upson go and now he’s rated at 7.5 to 8mil. WTF? I watched a Villareal game recently with our good friend Cygan. Guess what, the guy is now the defensive stud for Villa. Spanish league football aside, he is playing well. Remember, Senderos came in and replaced Cygan. The problem for Senderos is he lacks pace and grace and he has to learn how to overcome those birth defects.
DENILSON. We can all have Wenger’s vision with this PLAYER. There is no one commenting about this player today who does not see that this player has IT/ gets IT/ and that IT just oozes from his every pore. Flamini, pleeease.
February 1st, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Adebayor could be out for Middlesborough; he received a knock on his knee during the game yesterday and is facing a “fitness test” according to the official Arsenal website (as is Eboue.) There may have been, however, a more serious injury in that game as Diaby twisted his knee and is having a scan later today. He is definitely out for Middlesborough as are Hleb, Ljunberg, Gallas and Baptista.
February 1st, 2007 at 12:25 pm
Aliadiere does have value - in the Carling Cup. Unfortunately for him, but fortunately for everybody except you, those games usually only comprise of between 5-10% of Arsenal’s season.
February 1st, 2007 at 3:11 pm
You may get your wish as Adebayor faces a fitness test on his knee. If Aliadiere does start with Henry, he will comforted to know you and stag133 are rooting for him. dannyT will be watching with his meat cleaver at the ready.
February 1st, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Will the plague of knocks, twists, pulls, strains, tears and fractures never end. For crying out loud, enough already. Maybe its an Arsenal genetic trait that follows even ex-players like Pires and Crashley.
February 1st, 2007 at 4:34 pm
I’m another person who agrees with Mazza and Stag that Aliadiere is a very good player– more importantly, Wenger, who is a much better judge of this than any of us (and who sees all of these players playing hours and hours against the top quality players that Arsenal fields in practice), agrees with us, and not you. There’s no need nor sense in you insulting people over your opinion… Aliadiere has pace, touch, control, good movement, a good motor (he was Johnny-on-the-spot, 110+ minutes in last night, to get that goal, against one of the biggest, most expensive English teams, that finished 5th in the Premiership last year, and will finish in the top half again this year); Ali will take defenders on, he makes lots of good runs, and he regularly, unselfishly sets up teammates in good positions for opportunities to score.
I agree that Adebayor is EXTREMELY valuable for the things he brings to the team. But your saying that Aliadiere is rubbish, over and over and over again, and that he only scores against rubbish teams in the Carling Cup (Liverpool, Tottenham), doesn’t make it so. He scores in the Carling Cup because that is where he gets the majority of his playing time. Others may be favored over him (which is why they get more playing time in the League games than he does), but that doesn’t make him rubbish. If he gets a run of starts in league games, due to injuries to Van Persie, Baptista, and (now) Adebayor, he will score against those same EPL teams that he scored against in the Carling Cup.
February 1st, 2007 at 4:36 pm
I’m another person who agrees with Mazza and Stag that Aliadiere is a very good player– more importantly, Wenger, who is a much better judge of this than any of us (and who sees all of these players playing hours and hours against the top quality players that Arsenal fields in practice), agrees with us, and not you. There’s no need nor sense in you insulting people over your opinion… Aliadiere has pace, touch, control, good movement, and a good motor (he was Johnny-on-the-spot, 110+ minutes in last night, to get that goal, against one of the biggest, most expensive English teams, that finished 5th in the Premiership last year, and will finish in the top half again this year); Ali will take defenders on, he makes lots of good runs, and he regularly, unselfishly sets up teammates in good positions for opportunities to score.
I agree that Adebayor is EXTREMELY valuable for the things he brings to the team. But your saying that Aliadiere is rubbish, over and over and over again, and that he only scores against rubbish teams in the Carling Cup (Liverpool, Tottenham), doesn’t make it so. He scores in the Carling Cup because that is where he gets the majority of his playing time. Others may be favored over him (which is why they get more playing time in the League games than he does), but that doesn’t make him rubbish. If he gets a run of starts in league games, due to injuries to Van Persie, Baptista, and (now) Adebayor, he will score against those same EPL teams that he scored against in the Carling Cup.
February 1st, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Since van Persie has been injured I’ve had to find someone new to rave about and it’s been Denilson. He looked really good in the first leg against Spurs and I thought he would shine a little bit brighter with Fabregas on the bench. Well, he shined a lot brighter and after such a dominant technical performance he has everyone convinced that he should be in the squad all the time. I spoke on it before the game yesterday as his performance was the main thing I was looking forward to; even more than whether we won or not. It’s good to have your cake and eat it too.
Danny T, I normally agree with most of your points as you generally have a valid, logical, and objective assessment in your posts, but I completely disagree with you on Aliadiere. He’s not a typical Premiership striker as they mostly score only when given really good chances. Ali proved yesterday that he can score on half chances. Not only that but he creates lots of chances for other players. The ability to create is a quality hardly typical of an average Premiership striker. But that quality is more proto-typical of an Arsenal striker, following the mold laid by the great Dennis Bergkamp. Players like Henry, Pires, Kanu, Wiltord, etc. all knew how to create as well as finish.
There were about a half-dozen chances created by Ali for Ade where I was like, if that were RvP or Henry on the end of that then it would have been a goal. Think, do you believe Baptista would score 4 goals in a single match beside Adebayor? Understand, I like Ade as he gives us a different dynamic. He did lots of running yesterday but so did Traore and he had a crap game. Aliadiere also gave us running in closing down the keeper forcing him to conceed throws or 50-50 balls that we were able to win most of. I would personally prefer someone who gives us a little more of a play-making threat to go with all that running. Also, if you’re honest, I’ll bet you can count on one hand how many times Aliadiere lost the ball over both legs, where Adebayor surely lost the ball more than twice as many times last night alone. You’ve got to respect his ability to keep the ball.
Also, you’ve got to respect the fact that Aliadiere’s goal was not typical but an outstanding strike. He hit it first time, with his back to goal, beatintg the keeper near post, and putting it over the defender on the ground. That was a classy finish.
February 1st, 2007 at 6:43 pm
i think aliadiere is a better finisher/all round striker than adebayor. infact to be honest apart from sheer hardwork, adebayor has probably the worst technique of our five strikers. think about it. its true! he cant shoot! he can ONLY place beside the keeper on a one on one. he CANT head the ball despite his height.
the reason he is very valuable to us is because he does what all our other strikers cant do. WORK HARD and cover ground. but hard work alone isnt going to win you games against the top teams (ie Man U, chelsea or the CL games). but its very useful against watford and boro! its the technique of henry, RvP, and the likes of Hleb and Rosicky that can win you those games.
in the CL where force gets you absolutely nothing ade wont be so useful.
February 1st, 2007 at 7:53 pm
I did say sometime back that it’s good to have an assortment of strikers.
Henry the gifted, RvP the talented, Ade the hard-worker and Baptista + Ali. Don’t forget Bendtner.
AW made a decision on Stokes and was willing to let go of Ali before injuries struck. Someone has got to give next summer (like Lauren did among right backs).
February 1st, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Just noticed that despite all the injuries, we went through Jan undefeated.
We are usually stronger in the second half of the season and I hope that continues.
February 1st, 2007 at 8:15 pm
I like your idea… it would be hilarious.
February 1st, 2007 at 8:18 pm
Yes, I’ve learned to hate Novembers, in football terms, over these last three years.
Don’t mind the cold grey sky and frigid winds though. A little less rain would be okay.
February 2nd, 2007 at 1:41 am
I’m still saying that he’s 17 .. Traore’s 17 years old… so a hopeless defensive performance can afford to be overlooked at this time. If he gives the same performance at 20 I’ll agree with you but not at 17. Even Clichy was hopeless defensively and kept running in front of the right winger to get the ball but look how much he’s improved defensively as well.Thats what games and experience do. So Traore will .. rather I hope he improves. So I stand by what I say.. too harsh…
As for Sendy .. its pretty simple 8 games out of 10 if your opponent cant score despite you putting in dreadful performances then its okay to be dreadful I say… if theres no one good enough to exploit your so called “weaknesses” then you can get away with being weak. Yes Sendy is weak…when the ball is on the ground but he’s got a load of other good qualities and in the EPL where 10 out of 20 teams play Route 1 he’s pretty useful.
Finally… if Gallas n Toure are fit.. obviously they are first choice n Sendy drops to the bench.. Djourou/Sendy will be 3rd choice depending on the side they play against. Overall I dont think he’s that bad n hopeless as you’re making him out to be..thats all.
The Adebayor attitude…hmm fair enough…but it’ll change with experience..he;s still only 22. These things come with time and I’m sure AW would have pointed it out to him.So point taken…but he’ll be okay..again..I hope like I hope that Eboue would stop diving someday.
February 2nd, 2007 at 5:21 am
I’m afraid you are all falling into the dreamworld of Stag. I have never said Aliadiere is rubbish, it’s an invention of your mind as you have simply been hyped up by Stag’s completely over-exaggerated defence of him.
All I have ever said is that Aliadiere is an average striker, who is too often on the periphery of games. He has never impressed me when he has played in the Premiership and I don’t believe he is a part of Wenger’s long term plans. Because I re-iterate that after nearly every game - save the Liverpool one - Stag has insisted that I have said he is sh*t - but that’s largely because he’s an idiot who is insecure about his opinions. So I really don’t think you should be like him and jump on that bandwagon.
I would like nothing more than for Aliadiere to be a success. If by some miracle he started smashing goals in left, right and centre in the Premiership or Champions League I would be happy to revise my opinion of him - all I care about is that Arsenal is successful, nothing else.
However, I feel that’s unlikely - I really don’t see much to rave about in his game - if he didn’t score the other night you would have all been back to saying he is not good enough, like you have said most times he has played. You tend to change your minds at the drop of a hat, whereas I always give a more considered, long term opinion.
Statistically, look at the FACTS. This is going back six years, where he has scored a few goals in the Carling Cup - 2 against WBA in a 7-2 aggregate thrashing, 1 at home to Rotherham, 2 at home to Wolves in a 5-1 thrashing. This season he scored 2 at home to WBA, 1 against Liverpool and 1 the other night against Tottenham - that’s been his record in the past 6 years. Look at the opposition, wouldn’t you expect any half-decent striker playing for Arsenal to score a few past the likes of Rotherham, WBA and Wolves? Against Liverpool he had a field day, but then he was up against 2 defenders no-one had ever heard of.
During the last six years he has also started 18 league games, with 25 sub appearances and scored a measly 3 goals.
So who so far has been right about Aliadiere. Is he a player likely to storm the Premiership and Champions League as Stag thinks, or is he an average bit-part player that is not really good enough for this club and will never make it, which is all I have ever said.
February 2nd, 2007 at 5:25 am
PS. The supposedly inferior Adebayor has scored 12 goals in less than 1 season. 1 more than Aliadiere has during his entire time at the club, and only 2 of those were in the Carling Cup.
February 2nd, 2007 at 9:10 am
Is Aliadiere not a young player who has spent most of the last 3 years injured? This is the first time in a while when he has been able to put together 6 months of training. For me, technically he’s good and his movement and work rate are excellent, but he is maybe just a little lightweight and lacks that cutting edge. While he’s always been good in the Worthless Cup, I don’t think he’s played very well whenever he’s appeared for us in the EPL, but maybe he’s turned a corner and his recent form will rebuild the confidence that constant injuries destroy. I really hope this is the case.
That said, there is no arguement about who should be in the team Adebayor or Aliadiere. If anyone thinks there is, just watch our game at Old Trafford or the Tottenham league game or any of the games Adebayor played last season. Van Persie is slowly learning, but Adebayor is the only forward we have who has been able to build an effective partnership with Henry.
February 2nd, 2007 at 9:30 am
dont get me wrong, am not saying aliadiere should ever start over adebayor……..becos for sure adebayor is more effective. am just saying that adebayor is surely the worst in technique out of ALL our strikers.
Henry, RvP and Baptista on form would trump him easily. and aliadiere has better technique…but better technique means nothing really sometimes against the cloggers that make the majority in our league.
hardwork - something no one else brings - is the sole reason he is very useful for us. but there are SO many times there have been gaping through ball opportunities that he fails to utilize. he cant head, he cant shoot from any far off distance. ofcourse these deficiencies dont matter since he can bulldoze his way through most of the league.
and i just saw the highlights again and say the way mido nutmegged senderos in injury time. DEAR LORD!!! that was atrocious. when on earth are gallas and djorou returning?
February 2nd, 2007 at 11:18 am
Continuing with Joshuad’s theme, 3 goals but how many assists/chances created.
February 2nd, 2007 at 11:29 am
Senderos is a complete friggin clown, yet there are so many thick Arsenal fans-namely the ones that frequent Arsenal Times- that seem oblivious to his crapness. Trying to make out he is gradually improving when in fact he was better in Feb 2005 than he is now.
Referring to Aliadiere’s record of goals and which clubs these goals were scored against is largely pointless because he is a far improved player than he was three or four years ago. I thought he was useless when he first broke into the team but he has bulked up, has a more penetrative aspect to his game in terms of dribbling and seems to have a sound technique which will hold up well in tight situations. I really am torn between him and Adebayor tomorrow. Although personally I would drop Henry and play both of them. i’m sick of Henry just standing in one spot the whole game.
February 2nd, 2007 at 12:05 pm
You can sugar coat it all you like DannyT…
but you HAVE said Ali is crap.
That he’ll never make it.
He’s not good enough.
But those are just the facts.
February 2nd, 2007 at 12:35 pm
I have consistently stated that I think Ali has excellent qualities, and could eventually come good for Arsenal– I have even written to Myles Palmer at ANR and Arseblogger at Arseblog to take issue with their statements (which agree virtually 100% with yours) that Ali is not good enough. I have posted contrary opinions to yours on this subject several times here in the past, including right after games where Ali was heavily criticized, including the one where Adebayor replaced Ali to great effect.
I have never wavered in my opinion that Ali is well worth keeping around. I don’t say he is going to be better than Van Persie (but then, as even Henry says, not many people are), and Ade and Baptista offer other, different qualities that are also valuable to Arsenal. But Ali has an important role to play at Arsenal, especially as we see now, when RVP, Ade, and the Beast are all injured. I expect Ali to keep improving his showings, game to game, as he gets ever more runouts in the first team. Of course Ade has scored more in the last year than Ali has in his entire career– Ade has started more games and played more in the last year than Ali has in his entire career… let’s compare apples to apples (and understand the value of both apples and oranges.)
February 2nd, 2007 at 1:29 pm
Hi guys i’m a new member and i have to say i agree with a couple of points made above. 1st sendy is crap especially when he’s nervous. the second is that Ade is a bit short on skills. did anyone notice how horrible his first touch was b-4 x-mas? I didn’t think you could make it in the premeirship if you could trap the ball!
February 2nd, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Yawn. We’ll see.
February 2nd, 2007 at 11:33 pm
mazza, if you watch a bit closer, you’ll notice that senderos is by far the best header in defence of the ball out of all the arsenal CBs.
If you look at the stats, you will notice that we have conceded loads less goals from set pieces and corners with senderos in the team. In fact we concede loads less goals with him in the team period.
I think he will mature into a very fine centre half, his reading of the game is very good.
One thing I will concede is that he manages to do one really daft thing per match, which a lot of the time would result in a goal. However arsenal never seem to pay the price. It has gone on so long that i think that he is just naturally lucky! I’m sure we will pay the price some day, but give the guy a break.