Which is your best Arsenal starting XI (provided everyone is fit)?! Here is mine:
I would opt for a 4-5-1 formation as I believe this is the formation which will suit Arsenal best today. A 4-4-2 you need the two strikers have a good understanding between them, and their playing style complement each other. Dennis and Titi were perfect, one with great vision and passing, one with pace. da Silva is an unknown. The rest, Adebayor, van Persie and Bendtner, no matter how you pair them together, it doesn’t seem to be a perfect partnership.
So I will have one lone striker up front. First choice - van Persie.
The defence picks for itself - Lehmann in goal. Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy across the back.
The 5 midfielders, I’d have Eboue on the right, Rosicky on the left. Hleb sits just behind the lone striker. Fabregas in the middle, with Gilberto cleaning up the mess behind them.
GK - Lehmann
D - Sagna / Toure / Gallas / Clichy
Anchor - Gilberto
M - Eboue, Fabregas, Hleb, Rosicky
F - van Persie
August 2nd, 2007 at 8:47 am
I like the thought of Hleb behind van Persie in Europe, but I think we will see Adebayor/Eduardo with van Persie up front in the Prem, leaving out Hleb or moving him to the wing where he obviously is not at his best.
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:12 am
While RVP did play the lone striker up front role against Inter I’m not so sure its a great tactic to use week in week out. If at all we do play 4-5-1 I think Ade is a much better player suited to that role. RVP is a player who can strike the ball beautifully so he needs to get into goalscoring positions much more than others. if we play a 4-5-1 it invariably means he’s going to have to drop off into midfield to help out and link up with the others. I doubt we’ll play 4-5-1 all the while. Maybe during the odd away game at Stamford Bridge or Old Trafford ..but at home and weak opposition away 4-5-1 is not the best IMO.
I guess thats why Eduardo is here, might not mean much but his number is 9 similar to Reyes which means its going to be a very flexible formation. Eduardo will get a free role IMO to roam around RVP or Ade when he plays.
I like the Hleb in the middle though for 2 reasons..firstly ti gives him space to go either way and second and more importantly he is closer to Rosicky and Fabregas. When all 3 are on form I dont care who is playing and whether you have the best 4 defenders in the world with you. These 3 can make you look stupid.
So really I dont know what formation AW will use but he’ll do the Hleb experiment IMO whenever he wants to give Fab4 a break or sub him off… not all the time. It’ll be a 4-4-2 most of the time with a RVP/Ade combo on top, Dudu coming in as a sub if he gets that damn permit with Hleb,Mozart,Eboue n Theo all sharing time.
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:13 am
oh and anyway when did Arsenal start playing according to formations??? everyone roams about everywhere anyway
and its such fun to watch.
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:35 am
actually i wrote this post was hoping to see which starting XI are u guys’ choice. by no mean suggesting the lineup i put up is the best, or we should play like that. it’s just my personal favourite.
how about putting u guys’ lineup here?!
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:43 am
Lehmann
Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy
Hleb, Cesc, Gilberto, Rosicky
RvP, Adebayor
And I don’t agree with you that Ade and van Persie don’t play well together. They are playing very well together, Ade opens up space for RvP and the latter finishes with ease :)))) Give them one full season together and they will be the perfect partnership you are looking for.
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:52 am
Lehmann
Clichy Gallas Toure Eboue
Rosicky Gilberto Cesc Hleb
RvP Eduardo
I firmly believe that Eduardo will displace Ade as RvP’s partner and am also confident that partnership will work well.
I have put Eboue in front of Sagna, only because I haven’t seen much of Sagna.
The good part of this team is that there are so many combinations possible.
I would love to put
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:56 am
Ade is missing from team for Amsterdam. Still injured?
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:12 am
Sheed, one reason i think Ade and RvP hasn’t played well together is they tended to stay too far away from each other. felt like isolated from each other.
both of them like to drift away from the central striking position. Ade tend to hug the left or right flank, while RvP also like to have freedom of movement rather than staying central.
so i think nipuna has a point there, if Eduardo is really an out and out striker, there may be a better partnership with him to pair up with either Adebayor or van Persie.
anyway, i haven’t seen him played yet, so can’t really tell. i do hope Adebayor and van Persie could finally work well together.
one thing nice about this current team is, we seem to have a lot of options, in terms of formation and personel in attack next season.
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:19 am
There’s 1 thing about this team and any team that plays together for a long time. It happened with Henry,Pires,Cole,Bergy,Freddie .. they could all run blind…by this I mean each one knew when the other was gonna run which way(bad grammar). Right now one reason we need Gilberto in there is coz Diaby,Desc n Denilson all go forward a lot and do not understand exactly when they should drop back to defend. As they play a long time together that understanding will come and then we’ll be able to thrash teams irrespective of what line up we play.
The point about Eduardo is valid if he’s an out and out striker which Slaven Bilic however says he’s not. But I think RVP n Ade can play their own games and understand when to drop wide as well n when to come in..they’ll learn. Man I cant wait for the season to start…..
Yeah Andez loads of options and different styles of attack…something we never had even with the great invincible team. Very very exciting indeed…
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:20 am
Lehmann
Eboue Toure Gallas Clichy
Hleb Gilberto Fabregas Rosicky
van Persie Adebayor
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:24 am
Dunno about Ade..must be injured. Eduardo’s there though…so maybe his appeal has gone well…??
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:50 am
Eduardo officially was granted his work permit
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:51 am
yeah ??? u got a link Sheed? It hasnt yet come up on arsenal.com or anywhere else.
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:56 am
sorry… its there ..my humble apologies
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:07 am
LDE, yeah Eduardo WP granted! saw it from SoccerNet.
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:08 am
Sorry, in the last post, I seem to have started to say something and then forgotten it.
Anyway, Eduardo has got his work permit. Hurrah!!! I think this guy will score a lot of goals. If RvP and he can stay fit, we just might be able to convert those numerous chances we create.
Of course, Ade and Bendtner also have a role to play. Those cold winter nights at Sheffield, Bolton, Blackburn and now Newcastle (thanks to Fat Sam) might suit these players.
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:13 am
Ah, remembered what I wanted to write -
I would love to put Walcott in the team. I think he will have a big season. Now we have Eboue to add competition to the right sided midfield. It should be fun.
I am still worried about left sided midfield. What if Rosicky is injured (which happens quite often)? Hleb can play there, but didn’t do very well last season. Walcott on the left is a bit of gamble. Traore? I still think he is too young. Eduardo?
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:19 am
btw, anyone heard of the “New Rooney” Man U has just signed? A 9-year-old kid named Rhain Davis… yeah, a NINE-YEAR-OLD!!!
Accordingly….
“He even made the front page of The Sun newspaper - who have immediately, and somewhat inevitably, dubbed him the new Wayne Rooney.
An unnamed ’source’ told the paper: “He has created a huge buzz and people are raving about him all over the world.” ”
I am sure this kid got some skills and talent, but…. the English media is killing the young talent i wonder do they ever realize it?
For the past decade or so, I have heard the hype started building up around players like Michael Owen (when he was merely 16, dubbed the next big thing)…. Joe Cole (Harry Redknapp told the press whenever Fergie met up with him, Fergie would ask “how’s they boy Cole”)….. and Wayne Rooney (some even compared him to Pele)…. and our own Theo Walcott.
make no mistake they are good players, but they are NEVER as good as people who made them up to. U just need to look at the difference between C.Ronaldo and Rooney.
when u start build the kid up since such a young age, not only u would put unnecessary pressure on the kids, how the kids are going to “focus” on developing their talent?
in some way, it’s so fortune that Fabregas weren’t English. Nobody mentioned him as the “New Hoddle” or something when he started making the grade. People knew he’s special, and he had earned his share of praise, but never did he enjoy as much media attention as the English players. It’s by no mean a bad thing for Cesc.
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:28 am
@ sheed: is the fantasy league thing closed??
it says its no longer accepting entries.
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:48 am
senderos as captain???? wtf?
in this “barca” jersey song is looking a bit like ronaldinho…LOL
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:50 am
bendtner 1 up. the guy is looking good.
August 2nd, 2007 at 12:20 pm
Funny while we were talking about strikers partnership, now da Silva and Bendtner do look pretty good playing together. Though without much end product, the awareness was there, quick simple one-two, and they seem to really looking for each other. That’s a good sign.
And Bendtner looks so cool and assure for his age in his finishing. Perhaps our goalscoring answer is already there - within our team!
and i m getting to like Traore more and more. this kid may be even better than Clichy in the future. And i love Clichy’s determination, man, who needs Cashley now!
the scoreline is 1-1, but i m feeling more and more positive towards this team.
August 2nd, 2007 at 12:29 pm
song is not bad either, making some good passes and tackling….hopefully some club bids 3million for him.
adding that to reyes` and ljunbergs money we should be easily afford a leftwinger….which i believe is still missing. as it is now our only winger is eboue.
August 2nd, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Who scored the goals?
August 2nd, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Oh, Eduardo scores a header. Go Dudu!!!
August 2nd, 2007 at 1:23 pm
unfortuantely they credited it as an og. but an pretty impressive display nonetheless. he looks small, but deceptively strong, and quick as well. technic also very solid.
the thing strikes me most is - apart from 45 min against PSG (1st half), we were always the team in CONTROL of the game. Lazio already had 8 preseasons game, so their fitness level was high, still they spent most of the match in backheels, and chasing the ball rather than dictiating the possession. And our starting XI today probably got only one STARTER in Fabregas. And so young that only 2 players aged 22 or above.
lastly, i can’t believe Hoyte missed that SITTER. open goal, damn.
August 2nd, 2007 at 1:30 pm
bendtner and eduardo are in a totally different galaxy from last seasons aliadiere and baptista! great!
what is our present fascination with 2-1 wins? in the league thats 3 points though so i would take 30 of that if possible. lol
we took our foot off the pedal in the second half so not that many chances.
lastly eduardo looks like he has fit in into our style almost immediately. thats good.
bring on august 12th and thos CL qualifiers.
August 2nd, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Lehmann
Clichy Gallas Toure Eboue
Hleb Gilberto Fabregas Rosicky
Adebayor van Persie
August 2nd, 2007 at 1:43 pm
“lastly eduardo looks like he has fit in into our style almost immediately.”
Yup Fred, I also feel the same way.
another thing : i feel Almunia should have come off his line a bit more often. Funny we got Mad Jens who rushed out all the time, Almunia is his opposite, clueing to his line.
The corner (which result to the goal we conceded) we conceded was totally unnecessary. Djourou and Hoyte already had the ball shielded, they been waiting for age for the ‘keeper to come out collecting it. Yet he didn’t. Djourou had little choice but to put it out the line. Can see the frustartion of Djourou on the ‘keeper.
on the 2nd half, i saw our central halfs no longer waited for Alumnia and cleared everything near the six yard box with their heads instead. Not a good sign, you need ur cental halfs have confidence in you as a ‘keeper, especially when dealing with high ball into the box.
August 2nd, 2007 at 2:19 pm
League:
Lehmann
Sagna - Toure - Gallas - Clichy
Hleb - Fabregas - Gilberto - Rosicky
Van Persie - Eduardo
Bench: Fabianski, Senderos, Eboue, Diaby, Adebayor.
Champions League:
Lehmann
Sagna - Toure - Gallas - Clichy
Gilberto
Eboue - Hleb - Fabregas - Rosicky
Van Persie
Bench: Fabianski, Senderos, Djorou, Diaby, Denilson, Walcott, Eduardo, Bendtner
League Cup:
Almunia
Hoyte - Senderos - Djorou - Traore
Walcott - Denilson - Diaby - Gibbs
Bendtner - Adebayor
Bench: Fabianski, Harvard, Randall, Merida, Barazite
FA Cup:
Fabianski
Eboue - Toure - Senderos - Clichy
Fabregas - Gilberto - Rosicky
Van Persie - Bendtner - Eduardo
Bench: Almunia, Hoyte, Diaby, Hleb, Adebayor
August 2nd, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Who would start with Eduardo ahead of Adebayor? Not me. Maybe away from home Adebayor would be a better option but certainly not at home.
Was again impressed by Bendtner and the movement up front - defensively it was pretty poor, although you would expect that with Hoyte, Senderos, Djourou, Traore and Flamini struggling to protect them. Fabregas is still well off the pace.
Hoyte was a joke today, again. Djourou and Senderos together looked awful. Senderos has already demonstrated he will not be any better than last year or the year before - positionally he is all over the place. Djourou impresses me less and less with every game - his clearances are terrible, whether intercepting or heading he gets about 5 yards on his clearances and the ball always falls to the other team. We desperately need a top class centre back, neither Senderos or Djourou are fit back up for a team expected to challenge for major trophies - Senderos should be sold and Djourou should go out on loan.
August 2nd, 2007 at 2:24 pm
Sorry meant to say I was so impressed with Eduardo he should be first option, especially at home.
August 2nd, 2007 at 2:30 pm
At the beginning of the season I see Wenger employing this line-up:
Lehmann
Hoyte Gallas Toure Clichy
Hleb Gilberto Fabregas Rosicky
Van Persie Adebayor
I think that Wenger will start with his most experienced players, those that have played in the Premier League, but I do believe that the combination of Van Persie and Eduardo is better than with Adebayor but that Adebayor is more EPL tested.
I think the best team and that that will most probably be the one that closes out the season could be:
Fabianski
Sagna Gallas Toure Clichy
Hleb Diaby Fabregas Rosicky
Van Persie Eduardo
I think that Fabianski will eventually nudge Lehmann out of the starting position simply because Lehmann is getting older, and now Wenger has someone who can take his place if his hysterics continue, which they probably will. Sagna looks to me the best true right back Arsenal have had since Dixon. Lauren was a midfielder who turned into a right back, Eboue has never been the best defender and Hoyte is simply not exceptional, defends well but cannot attack that well. I think he is good but not great. Sagna though is pacy, can attack well but also defends really well. Diaby will eventually succeed Gilberto or even Denilson and I think round the end of the term, this will happen.
August 2nd, 2007 at 2:40 pm
I agree with you Danny. I realize that it is not our first choice back line but they were terrible. Lazio should’ve had a few more goals with the amount of chances they created. Djourou and Senderos just don’t cut it as backups to either Gallas or Toure. I am not as worried about Hoyte because I think he is 3rd choice at right back. And I thought Traore had a pretty good game. I think he will give us a good options as both left back and midfield. He whipped in some excellent crosses. But we need a center back desperately. If Juventus want to buy Senderos, then we should sell him. I would take a box of donuts in return.
Don’t want to harp on the negative. Plenty of positives to take out of it as well. Bendtner and Eduardo are going to add a lot of variety to our attack. We sorely missed that last year. Although he started today, I think Walcott can be a game changing sub next year. Eboue looked lively on the flank again. Overall a fairly weak Arsenal side played pretty well against good competition. I am really excited about this team. I still think we are a year away from trophies. But they will be very entertaining this year and should take a solid step forward.
August 2nd, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Unfrotunately didn’t see the game due to this thing called “work.” Will catch highlights tonight.
I have a feeling AW will start with Ade/RvP as first choice and sub DaSilva in for Ade around 60th min, particularly if it’s 0-0 or down 1-0. DaSilva will get some starts as well but not until Oct/Nov………..Just my guess though.
I have also asserted for some time that I would love to see a strong CB, but I don’t think it’s gonna happen. Arsene is sticking with Senderos and Drogba/Crouch/ Davies/Faye will eat him up again……
So we had better not waste our goal scoring chances…..If we are wasteful, it could be very much like last season…………..nothing prophetic there.
Having said that, I am really looking forward to the new season.
August 2nd, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Danny, I don’t think the defence today is as bad as u made of. At least I don’t have an impression that the defence we put in last game (Vs Inter) were that much better than today’s back 4.
Surely, they made mistakes, but they did some good clearance as well. Particular these are the BACK UP defenders we were talking about, and they are at their early 20s, can only get better, instead of their late 30s.
“Experience” counts a lot for young players, and in particular defenders. Positional sense for example, how you going to develop it without experience?
Djourou and Senderos may not be the best central halfs around, but i look around the rest of big 4’s BACK UP central halfs, would i want to trade them for someone like Wes Brown? Nah…
As for a new star cental half? Who would be the odd man out then? Gallas? Toure? Yes, we can say if Gallas is not happy to be sitting on the bench, we can always sell him. But wait a minute, why are we talking about a new central half at the first place? Isn’t it to provide DEPTH and cover for our defence? If we sign a new central half, then lose either Toure or Gallas, then in the end our back up central half are still Djourou and Senderos. So what’s the point?
August 2nd, 2007 at 4:18 pm
I’d take Wes Brown over Senderos any day. Djourou still seems raw so I think he’d benefit from going out on loan. As for Senderos, pointless keeping him at the club really, he’s just not up to it. They may be back up, but Walcott is back up, Diaby is back up, Eduardo is back up, Denilson is back up - these are excellent players already, so why shouldn’t we have decent defensive back up as well? I don’t buy back up as having an excuse to field liabilities. If you want to win big trophies you need strength in depth all over the pitch, and I’m sorry to say that if either Toure or Gallas had a long term injury this team is f*cked and will win nothing with that clown Senderos at the back. Djourou still has potential, but I wouldn’t want him there either.
August 2nd, 2007 at 4:21 pm
ps. I don’t think we’ll win anything this year anyway, maybe next, but to compete would be nice. If Gallas broke his leg tomorrow then by Christmas Arsenal would be 15 pts behind the league leaders with that oaf Senderos at the back.
August 2nd, 2007 at 4:38 pm
Eduardo and Bendtner looked good but overall I thought we were pretty shit. Walcott looked no better than last year and Flamini and Senderos well and truly reminded us why they should have left the club by now. Same old rubbish from them every year but yet Wenger keeps sweeping it under the carpet and carries on with the self-delusion.
I was half-confident last weekend but this game and the general demeanour and attitude of the players has brought me straight back to reality.
I hope Myles Palmer is not talking out of his arse again when it comes to possible transfers. We need the next week to be frantic on the transfer front or we could finish sixth.
August 2nd, 2007 at 4:47 pm
“If you want to win big trophies you need strength in depth all over the pitch,”
That goes without saying. Everyone would love to have 33 top class players in their squad, so they got 3 quality players in each position.
Just… how would that POSSIBLE?
Didn’t part of the reasons Chelsea lose the title last season was due to John Terry’s injury and they had not enough cover?
When a club Chelsea can’t put together a squad of 33 top class players, what chance do we get?
Wes Brown over Senderos? No thanks. With Wes Brown, what u see is what u get. With Senderos, at least he’s still 22, u’ll never know.
BTW, if u think Senderos was a donkey last season, he can’t possibly suddenly turn into Paolo Maldini just after a summer. Improvement is step by step.
August 2nd, 2007 at 4:50 pm
“We need the next week to be frantic on the transfer front or we could finish sixth.”
A very much reserve side beat Lazio 2-1, and you believe we could finish sixth should we not buying anyone.
Had we the losing side, i bet u would predict we’ll see each other in the championship the season after then.
Can’t believe there are so many complain after a Preseason match… and after a preseason match we had actually WON?? Jesus, and u guys claim Stags being NEGATIVE?
August 2nd, 2007 at 5:01 pm
Yeah 6th is ridiculous, you’re forgetting who DIDN’T start the match, Lehmann, Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Gilberto, Rosicky, Hleb, Adebayor, Van Persie. Plus a few players are not quite match fit yet, like Fabregas. The team that played tonight was Carling Cup not Premiership, so you can’t base our final league position on that.
It was generally a good performance, but for the defence which was alarmingly bad. It’s not like they were really tested, Lazio did nothing much, Arsenal just kept shooting themselves in the foot. I’m not asking for the earth, just one, young top class centre-back who will come in and be prepared to play 15-20 games a season, maybe more as Toure will be off to ANC, and just get rid of Senderos. Maybe an early twenties player from Premiership who doesn’t have to adapt so much.
August 2nd, 2007 at 5:07 pm
So Andez, are we supposed to wait five years for Senderos to improve bit by bit? If you haven’t noticed he hasn’t improved one bit in the last three years, if anything he’s slowly going backwards. Sometimes we have to accept players are not good enough. It’s okay, it happens, and we move them on.
I couldn’t give a rats ass about the result. It means nothing. That’s the problem with Arsenal fans, and with Wenger, they see Arsenal win a game and then choose to ignore all the faults and talk about the usual “promising signs” and all that stuff and then act surprised when Arsenal cock-up an early season game. How many times do we have to see the danger signs? The jittery defence, the sloppy dispossession of our central midfielders outside of our box, and the handbrake mentality when we go a goal up.
Alot of this reserve side will play significant parts in our season and I think their performances our quite relevant to our future prospects.
August 2nd, 2007 at 5:13 pm
I know who wasn’t playing Danny but we still see the same weaknesses from whatever Arsenal team we put out. Gilberto will retreat too deep and get sloppy, like Flamini and Song. Toure and Gallas do not fill anyone with confidence.
Everyone is spunking over Van Persie but he still looks uncomfortable unless he is every high up the pitch. He can be nullified if the opposing defence pushes up.
Hleb is the one guy who really changes our flow and links it all together. Rosicky as well kind of. Lehmann and Almunia? No great difference there in my opinion.
Traore and Clichy look good though.
August 2nd, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Mazza, Danny and I were debating about senderos, but i think ur post which I replied is more than just about Senderos right?
August 2nd, 2007 at 5:35 pm
Not sure what you mean exactly, but yeah, I think so.
August 2nd, 2007 at 5:51 pm
I can’t believe all this negativety. Yes, neither of our centre-halves looked world-class today and it would be very difficult to send that back four out against a team like Liverpool or Sevilla. However, to take Djourou for example, he was playing beside Traore, Hoyte and Senderos. Wouldn’t he look a better player beside Sagna, Clichy and Toure. Same goes for the other members of the back four. But hang on a minute. Weren’t Lazio third in Serie A like the other two teams mentioned were third in theirs? We outplayed them apart from the first seven minutes.
I enjoyed the game today. I liked the look of our second team. Yes we could not live with all of our back four being injured. But who could? Imagine Neville, Ferdinand, Vidjic and Evra being injured. You would have Brown, O’Shea and what else? Heinze who doesn’t want to be there? Silvestre who is a crock? Maybe I have forgotten someone but they are forgettable!!!
Today we learned that the back-up players can do a job, but we also learned that you can’t throw all eleven of them into the one game. Not rocket science but I think that you could have played three or four of our back-ups on show today with the rest of our first team and beaten 15 of the 20 Premiership teams. Yes, we need our full first team for the big games and we will suffer if four or five of them are out when we play Champions League or top four teams. But generally speaking all of them, even Song and Senderos did enough today to suggest that they won’t be complete failures if brought in when required for short periods.
August 2nd, 2007 at 6:01 pm
I couldn’t really identify any potential backups at center back from Premierships sides. Although, I agree with Danny. There has to be a someone who is talented enough to be an upgrade from Senderos but won’t demand to be a first choice. I thought Sylvain Distin might be one until I realized he moved to Portsmouth on a free. Besides Walcott, when is the last time Wenger has bought someone from the Championship? I think there has to be a center back who could fit in as a back up behind Toure and Gallas and come relatively cheap. Players like Jolean Lescott and the whole back line at Reading have made the leap quite successfully in the past few seasons. And I am not suggesting Curtis Davies. But I realize this is all for not, because Wenger won’t buy from the Championship unless they are under 18.
August 2nd, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Fred, I don’t know about the Fantasy League, you should ask ryecatcher, he is the one who has created the league, I just tried to spread the information and get as much people as I can.
As for the game, I’m delighted that we won the game, especially that Dudu has scored, and we won almost with our 2nd team but also I’m glad because Goran Pandev scored the goal for Lazio. You must admit it was a well taken goal by him :))))))
August 2nd, 2007 at 6:19 pm
And Liverpool will start with Carragher and Agger leaving that kid our kids rang gings round last year as back-up with that ancient HGV Hyppia as back-up. OK Chelsea have Alex and Ben Haim as back-up, but they are the only club I would swap back-up centre-havles with.
Elsewhere, poor Frank Lampard has broken a toe. Chelsea’s midfield suddenly could be bare with Makelele getting older, Ballack without any form or confidence and Robben going to Real. Roll on the 12th of August.
August 2nd, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Edmundo was the real bright spark today, he will be a fantastic player mark my words. Class is class, friendly or no friendly. And the added bonus is his phenomenal work rate.
Bit harsh on Van Persie Mazza, I think he is a class act and can see him bagging at least 20 this season if he stays injury free. Sometimes he can drift out the game a little, so this needs to be kept in check, but what I also liked about Eduardo was that when he was not being given the ball he was coming to get it, dropping deeper, always wanted to be involved. He was even telling players who to mark at corners.
August 2nd, 2007 at 6:46 pm
Really like Eduardo. Very intelligent player with great ball control.
Van Persie is a class act of course, but I think he will disappoint a few this year. He is poetry is motion when he is given space but I still think he is too clumsy and a bit-one footed to get himself in good positions often enough. We need him get him the ball right at the end of moves so he can show off his technique. We can’t allow him to get bogged down in the midfield area too much, he hasn’t the agility to get away unscathed consistently. We’ll see though.
August 2nd, 2007 at 7:02 pm
Fred, try again, I see that the site has been redesigned and maybe that has been the reason. Try again, it might work.
August 2nd, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Yes Fred, I watched the game with 10 other Gooners from Macedonia and we were joking about Song looking like Ronnie in this shirt. Also I said this jersey was designed because of Cesc. You know, that way he will be more comfortable, he will “think” he plays for Barca and won’t ask for a transfer :)))))))))
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:53 pm
Lehmann
Sagna-Toure-Gallas-Clichy
Fabregas-Hleb-Rosicky-Gilberto
van Persie-Eduardo
Adebayor & Walcott off the bench in the late pinch.
Our D will be OK.
We will be a force to be reckoned with… watch out in Europe this year, I have a feeling that Woolwich will have a say in all things Champion!
Totties blow. Ciao.
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:03 pm
The only real negative is our defense. That’s nothing new. You know it. I know it. Even Wenger knows it. But he has chosen to do nothing. That is his call. We just have to live with it. With regular games, things might improve, but if we don’t win anything, it could be because of the defense.
As for Gallas breaking a leg, funnily I think we will be fine. Why? Because if given a decent run, Senderos/Djourou will do well as the rest of the team will adapt to them and their weaknesses. It’s when they come in and out of teams that they struggle.
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:47 pm
Saw the goals. Liked them both. Bendtner scoring from a rebound and Eduardo with a nice header. Good to see the strikers scoring in pre-season, except for Ade. Let it continue.
August 3rd, 2007 at 12:17 am
Lehmann
Sagna-Toure-Gallas-Clichy
Rosicky-Fabregas-Gilberto-Dudu
Ade-RVP
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:42 am
@ mazza: yeah, RvP will probably struggle against teams that put up a high backline….but guess what? ALL PL teams we play against (apart from Liverpool and Spurs away) defend DEEPLY! so dont worry about van persie or our attack. all four are quite good.
now if only the same could be said about our defense.
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:46 am
Caught the second half wen we were 1-1. The Dudu goal was simple one but there are some of our players who would have put the header out
so I’m glad he scored. He looks like a very quiet , unassuming player who helps the team out a lot. He was playing as a second striker yesterday…roaming all over the place…an excellent performance. Nicklas Bendtner isn’t as awful as some websites are making him out to be…infact he scores goals so guess what I’m happy. remember if a guy comes back from loan and fights for a first team slot under AW he MUST be good else he would be sold.
Alex Song from WHAT I SAW seond half was not promising. He gave the ball away far too many times and was easily muscled off and looked a bit off the pace even on counters where he kept square passing. Flamini wasn’t bad at all, a lot of energy and running about did nothing wrong really. Theo was quiet..Mozart n Eduardo linked well together which is promising. Any 1 noticed Kolo coming in and playing DM yesterday at the end?? Sign of an option to use maybe?? Hoyte was bad again..why doesnt he try to cut out crosses?? Lazio should have won yesterday ..atleast 3-2 IMO they missed a gaping fee header thnx to slack marking and a shot cannoned off that post. Still overall we won…but that performance will not win us too many games in the league…and I’m not a “half empty” guy :). But we won…period…a game which we might’ve lost and are scoring first as well :). All the players are getting a run out which is crucial and very good to get ur first team right.
Ajax tomorrow and if we can keep Sneijder quiet who scored another 25 yard cracker…how many of those has he scored so far?? we should win it….
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:54 am
sparta prague is a bit difficult….i hope they are not trickier than zagreb were last summer….cos we really, really, really need to get to the second round of CL at least.
the first match is away and i think we will play:
lehmann
sagna - toure - gallas - clichy
hleb - fabregas - denilson - rosicky
RvP - Eduardo
bench: almunia, senderos, eboue, diaby, walcott, bendtner, adebayor
this should be enough to score at least 2 away goals … and hopefully come out with a 2-1 or 3-1 victory. disaster will be a 1-0 loss!
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:54 am
@ sheed, it still doesnt work. can u send me the code number again, maybe i got it wrong.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:10 am
15843-5346
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:12 am
Good start for “Dudu” happy to see him off the mark… btw I checked the listings for Aug. 11th round 1 EPL season and the Arsenal v. Fulham match isnt going to be televised live or re-aired on any of the channels Setanta, or Fox Soccer, so it looks like we’re stuck with the exciting Sunderland v. Birmingham match or worse Spuds, wtf……………..
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:24 am
the code still doesnt work. maybe u cant add once in august. oh well.
August 3rd, 2007 at 8:33 am
Ade is out for Fulham..and maybe for Sparta Prague as well….
August 3rd, 2007 at 8:51 am
Sparta Prague is probably the toughest bar Spartak Moscow. Must score away from home.
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:30 am
Sheed, I also used the code and got the “league closed” message.
I’ll keep checking back…
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:44 am
Luckily I managed to sneak tickets for the Fulham game. I’m sure my infectious enthusiasm will transmit itself to the players. Ahem.
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Ditto all the favorable comments about Eduardo. Its amazing he got his head to 3 crosses… and the guy is only 5′8″. He links up well and has also delivered some very nice crosses in his few outings.
The one “kid” I am very impressed with is Traore. I think he’s younger than Walcott, but he clearly bulked up over the past few months (and now looks like he wont easily be muscled away) and his pace and penetration are unbelievable. Plus, he has a bag full of ball tricks and can get himself out of tight situations. I also saw him cut out a few crosses, which is a lot better than Hoyte (who has been simply awful… poor in attack, poor in defense). I know Walcott gets the press but if Walcott could dribble half as good as Traore he’d be scary.
Anyways, what do you all think of how this Traore kid is developing?
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:12 pm
To answer the original question:
Lehman
sagna, toure, gallas, clichy
eboue, cesc, gilberto, rosicky
eduardo, rvp
but arsenal will need to rotate things a lot to especially give ade, hleb, walcott lots of play time.
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:06 pm
@ coach_ed: yeah, traore is pretty much a far better runner/dribbler than walcott.
compare traore to hoyte!
the english sorry to say are pretty poor. and walcott is one of the promising ones!!!!
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Left Winger…. I agree we could use some width on the left.
Anyone think Eduardo can play on the wing? He is a tricky dribbler; links up well with teammates, and I’ve seen him deliver some very nice crosses when he drifts to the left. He can obviously get in the box and cause problems for defenders. I’d like to see Eduardo on the pitch with Ade and RvP and see how that works.
August 3rd, 2007 at 5:52 pm
Wenger found an instinctive fox in the box goal scorer in Dudu. That’s why he gets his head to the ball. It has little to do with height. I used to play, and at 5′10″, i realized that it was timing, reading the defense, and being sneaky. Good on him, he’s brilliant. Doesn’t even look like he lives in a house.
That said, we need A WIDE PLAYER, preferably on the left. We get one, and we’re looking at a side that wants to play together with every fiber of their being, and can compete for the title and definitely the CL. Havn’t had that since we went unbeaten.
On huge concern is our back four. For f*ckssake, wake up.
UTA, KTC, KTF.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:55 pm
I agree that the back four has been concerning, even with the Kolo-Gallas pairing. Things may well improve when our ‘invisible wall’ returns… He’s an emergency central defender Still, I’m truly disappointed in Gallas. He’s not the ’shut-down’ defender I enivisioned, at least so far. I’m looking forward to Gilberto helping this unit to jell.
August 3rd, 2007 at 11:14 pm
Hey lads… back from my five day roadtrip with the family.
Good to see Eduardo got approved to play and also to see the Great Dane scoring his second goal in as many matches…
I’ve removed the limit from the Arsenal America fantasy league so if you want in, better hurry… I’m going to leave it open until Friday the 10th.
August 4th, 2007 at 4:12 am
I agree with much of what you guys have said. The only thing I didn’t hear and was expecting to was how Almunia got beaten near post again. In fact, he was beaten twice in that game but the post saved him in the second half. You can’t keep making the same mistakes over and over for years and it be alright. Almunia continually getting beaten by shots to the near post is the wrong answer.
As far as left mid, I don’t think one is required. I was on another site and someone mentioned that the Brazilian guy that plays for Roma is available. Gosh, I can’t remember his name. He’s the guy that came in at RB when Cafu went to Milan and now he’s playing left midfield. He did like eight stepovers before spanking one in the near upper corner in a CL match back in February. You guys have got to remember that goal so you’ve got to know who I’m talking about.
August 4th, 2007 at 4:14 am
Mancini! Roberto Mancini! As soon as I pushed submit I remembered his name.
August 4th, 2007 at 4:29 am
I know this is unpopular topic, or atleast it was when I mentioned it a few years back but I always wondered how well El Hadj Diouf would do at Arsenal. He could definitely play anywhere in the front or midfield. He’s a reputation for being a bit of a livewire but so was Eto’o when he was younger. People grow up. There’s no question he’s a phenomenal talent. You can’t really argue about his time with Liverpool as Houlier is a freaking idiot.
Bottom line, the kid’s got skills, EPL experience, and is just as good or better than anyone else you guys have mentioned for a left-sided midfielder.
Like I said before, I don’t think we need a left winger but I just thought I’d throw two new names into the pot. I happen to believe their very good names.
August 4th, 2007 at 5:19 am
Josh, Roberto Mancini is Inter’s coach. lol
The Brazilian winger that plays for Roma is Mancini, but Amantino, not Roberto :))))
Anyway, he would be great, I agree. And the goal he scored was against Lyon.
August 4th, 2007 at 5:50 am
Thanks, Sheed. Like I said, I didn’t remember the name. I’m so bad with names. I remembered Mancini and Roberto just sounded like the right answer. lol.
August 4th, 2007 at 6:06 am
Do we have a similar Arsenal America league on iknowthescore.premierleague.com? I am registered there and could create one if people are interested. I find this easier than fantasy league. Less time consuming and quite enjoyable.
August 4th, 2007 at 6:13 am
nipuna, I think last year there was Arsenal America league on IKTS, but I don’t know for this season. I played it last year and was a bit boring so i don’t plan to play this year. Fantasy Premier League is far better and more interesting than that.
August 4th, 2007 at 8:46 am
Josh,
About Almunia: Getting beaten at the near post is always a GK mistake, I agree….The inter goal was somewhat lucky for them though. I have a feeling Almunia is going to slowly drift into the third keeper role with Fabianski rising (if he does well)….
About Left wingers: We have talked about who would slot in if Rosicky were unavailable, etc…..It would probably be Clichy vs. Traore, or Da Silva. This is an area where we are short, so Wenger may bring someone in…..don’t know.
Mancini is a great player though
About Diouf: His temperament/attitude is something that AW will not tolerate despite his experience and talent. I agree that people grow up and change but I don’t see it happening……remember RvP was sort of like that a couple of years ago with that unnecessary tackle against the Southampton player that got him his 2nd yellow (red) and ejection when we were struggling in the game. RvP got a talking to and has changed his ways since then.
I am still worried about our defense though this year and don’t know what to make of all this Lassana Diarra talk….Do we really need another DM/CM??? Probably not……Will AW transform someone like Denilson or Diaby to a winger with Diarra as their replacement? Will he play a lot of 4-5-1, and needs cover?
Is it a smoke screen?……….I guess we will find out
August 4th, 2007 at 10:31 am
Diarra is a very good player. He’s a defensive midfield player who’s job is not to beat people and create but to protect the defense and help maintain possession ala Gilberto/Makelele.
He would be direct competition with Gilberto, Denilson, and Flamini. If Wenger believes this guy can be better than those players then I believe we should bring him in. But Chelsea currently have injuries to Ballack, Essien, Lampard, and Makelele while Mikel is acting a fool right now. Diarra and Sidwell have a chance to prove themselves tomorrow and I’d be surprised to see Diarra sold to us or anyone else before atleast the others are fit again. Time will tell.
August 4th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
anyone got a clue why Cesc pulled out from today’s match? is he injuried?
August 4th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
why is flamini STILL taking time from diaby?? and even if diaby is unfit….shouldnt fabregas be playing as many games as possible to get him match fit? the few times he has played he has looked unfit.
August 4th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
As usual, Arsenal paying too much respect for the opposing teams centre backs. One of their centre backs failed to make the grade at Norwich last season for feck’s sake and we’re pussy-footing around him likes he’s Alessandro Nesta.
August 4th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
Andez Cesc was pulled from the Ajax match because he has a throat infection, and Diaby has a knock, thats on the up and up bro’!
August 4th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
anyone watching the game?
August 4th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLl……RVP. Clichy assist…
August 4th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
Yeah… watching it on Sopcast.
August 4th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
ow…RVP out..
August 4th, 2007 at 4:11 pm
so is it over?, please write any comments you have on the game, did RvP get injured?
August 4th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
The fantastic thing of these 4 preseason tournament matches is - the fantastic spirit of the team. They always went for the win, and never gave up! We won the Ajax Tournament in the same fashion as the Emirates Cup - by a late late goal. That sum it up the spirit in the team.
i hope they will substain the same kind of spirit throughout the coming season, when they do, we fear no body!
August 4th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
Clichy is massive. RvP specializes in late decisive goals! I like that!
A clean sheet is always very welcome! I really, really, really hope RvP`s injury which didnt look that serious isnt!
Second trophy of the season!!!
At least our defense looked much better, Gallas was still skinned alive at an header at around 82 minutes though.
When our two first choice CMs are back and in full gear I think we will be very difficult to stop.
Even though am not a big fan of Flamini, at least the guy has got fighting spirit. He is not as one of the 3 backup CMs.
August 4th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
Can’t see any cause for negativity - that was a tough friendly, no fu*king about from either team - 7 players got booked after all.
Nothing wrong with Van Persie - not injured. Eduardo is an animal - he’s going to be a legend. Stekelenburg had to make some brilliant saves in what was always going to be a tight match, but Arsenal had enough in the tank to win, whereas maybe last year we probably would have lost this 1-0.
I think we might have won more comfortably had Fabregas and Gilberto played instead of Denilson and Flamini, but they both did ok.
Again, very encouraging - great team desire and fight, but controlled.
By the way, Fabregas had a virus so he was pulled out, and Diaby had a minor knock so that’s why he didn’t play.
August 4th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
Is RVP ok? He was stretched out on the stretcher…Didnt see he fell/got tackled..
August 4th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
He’s fine, he came back out to pick his medal up.
August 4th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
RvP, the last goal was from a wonderful charge by Clichy, all the way from our back field to the opponent penalty box, before feeding van Persie to score. Remarkable persistence from Clichy.
Forget about Ashley Cole, I wouldn’t want to trade Clichy for Cole even Chelsea offers him back now. This guy Clichy is a big big heart fighter!
And that new boy da Silva, we can rest and assured despite the fact he’s a Brazilian, he’s not a sissy p*ssy alright. This guy is definitely not a Reyes who fears of physical challenge, in fact, he reminds me of Ian Wright in terms of his resisilence. A fighter who would fight for the losseball. Man i love it!
August 4th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
Thanks, the freaking Chinese channel didnt show that.
August 4th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
Agree very encouraging. Scoring of late winning goals is a show of the mentality of a team.
Last season we could have lost all our last 4 matches. The team is LEARNING how to win and how to scrap to do it.
That said we have played teams that dont concentrate on attacking constantly in the air … ala Bolton and co.
August 4th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
btw, anyone thinks ArsenalAmerica should just either show all the thread, or put the last comment on the front page instead of on the back? Or can we make the last comment on the front ourselves? How?
August 4th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Well done. Good pre-season gunners. Looking fwd for the new season yeah..
August 4th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
That tackle Eduardo did, he was like a wild animal. Henry wouldn’t have even gone there. I’m not saying Eduardo will be the genius Henry is, but it’s nice to see a striker who will fight like a dog and has the skill, technique, intelligence to be a major threat.
Clichy’s run in the 87th minute was incredible.
August 4th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
Fred, i also feel the team has a new sense of TOGETHERNESS since Henry is gone. For the first time in many years, the word TOGETHERNESS no longer seems like merely a “motto” for us. At last they showed it by ACTION, instead of words.
And it help that we no longer have any STAND OUT STAR that everyone needs to please him so that he will stay. They are really fighting for each other right now, so it’s a good thing to see.
August 4th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Yeah, Andez, I agree: I would prefer if the website reverted to showing all the comments on the same page.
August 4th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
Good performance from all involved. The way Fabregas has been playing the last few games he wasn’t much of a loss but if Hleb is gonna be a success playing the hole we need Fabs playing because the others do not have the passing ability or awareness to thread balls through to him.
Eboue still looks out of place on the wing and I don’t think we really can be thinking of him playing their permanently. He’s dangerous going forward but falls short in others areas such as positioning and decision-making.
Referee nearly ruined the game though along with those Ajax players. I despise Dutch teams. They bore you with their negative football and then try and sneak a goal.
In way though the roughhouse tactics employed by the Dutch will set us up nicely for the Bolton’s and Blacburn’s of this world. Thought we handled them well and I love Eduardo more and more. Heart of a lion.
August 4th, 2007 at 5:16 pm
The buildup to the goal is one big reason I love Arsenal. Ball in our end - we don’t hoof it out with a long ball to clear. NO - we make a possession out of it, then create a counter attack, and kill off Ajax. Simply beautiful.
And, thank god Eduardo’s work permit came through. I think he looks incredible - he sure plays bigger than his physical size.
August 4th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Ajax probably mistaken us as Feynoord tonight!
btw, Ajax Tournament are among one of the best preseason tournaments for years. but i believe The Emirates Cup will soon take over their place. We got full house in 2 days, the atmpsphere was amazing. And it’s great to see kids, who normally probably couldn’t afford to watch Arsenal, be able to attend the match to watch Arsenal live.
August 4th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
I love it! I told you guys that Clichy is going to be better than Cole. Do you believe me yet? He played nearly the entire game the other night and to make a run like that in the 87th minute of this game; are you freaking kidding me? That’s incredible!
You guys know by now how much I absolutely love van Persie. This kid is from the streets and has absolutely no fear and sublime technical ability. When I first saw him I knew he was special. Ryan Babel doesn’t even compare. Fred, you were spot-on with calling him a late goal specialist. I remember talking with someone last season, I believe it was you, about how RvP gripes about being subbed. We were laughing because he scores nearly all of his goals in the last 15 minutes of the game.
Just think; another late goal, game winner, and tournament decider with his weaker foot. All in seven days. That’s not bad work. I remember when Bergkamp left I was saying we needed to settle him before Barcelona comes in for him. I didn’t say another team but specifically said Barcelona. They’re going to want our guy.
August 4th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
Actually, I don’t think Clichy is anywhere near as good as Cole was in his prime - either defensively or going forward. Maybe that will change, hope so - he was ok tonight, but had it not been for his incredible run at the end then I think his performance was a bit average.
August 4th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
Clichy is like alot of Arsenal players. You always get the impression that they’re cruising 80% of the time and could do so much more if they really wanted to. Clichy, Rosicky and Hleb in particular are culpable of playing below their ability most of the time.
August 4th, 2007 at 5:51 pm
I called RvP the new Rivaldo, now I’m calling Denilson the new Makelele. He reminds me of Makelele at Madrid. They’re both similar in stature, good with the ball, and are much stronger than they look.
Eduardo is going to do very well and win many fans. He always knows what’s going on.
Did you guys see how much Hleb got kicked tonight? It’s good to see all of the haters have faded to the black. All the yap about someone needs to put a fire under his ass and he needs an attitude adjustment and all the other blah-blah seems to have gone. Ajax were scared to death of Aleks Hleb. I know they were thinking “I thought Cruyff was Dutch, not Belarusian”. With his effortless and quick change of direction, it’s hard not to compare. If I remember correctly, his jinking and close control in our box led to our break for the goal. I’m just glad he’s on our side.
August 4th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
I didn’t say Clichy was better than Cole but his time is coming. He’s still so young.
August 4th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
If I had to be honest, Cole is better than Clichy both in terms of attack and defend. But I think he joined the wrong team. At Arsenal, our full backs are encouraged to go forward and express themselves. This style of game suits Cashley perfectly. And no matter how he much he has improved on the defensive side of the game, his strength is still his attacking game as a full back.
Chelsea is a well-organized side which required lot of discipline at the back, don’t think he will ever enjoy as much freedom going forward.
On hindsight, now I start to think Wenger sold him at the right time. Cashley mentioned Chelsea has not seen his best yet as he spent lot of time injuried last term. But if we look back the final season with us, he was also out injuried for a major part of the season until came back in time for the CL final.
so i suspect this injury bug would not be leaving him any time soon.
btw josh, i also feel Denilson is looking more and more promising. He’s so tiny size at the moment, yet still be able to shield the ball so well. I imagine when he grow older and put on a few bulk, he’s gonna be hugh.
August 4th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
This competition is a step up, and closer to a real match… so all signs are good. But it is still a pre-season match. It does not mean a lot in the grand scheme of things. Clichy is going to be better than Cole, Denilson is the new Makelele, RVP is the new Rivaldo!!
Peeps. Let’s not get carried away over pre-season matches. Starting next week, its 0 - 0 - 0 with 0 points. Its a clean slate.
All positive vibes from the players and performances for the most part, I have to agree. There is a comraderie and spirit that is tangibly building, and that can certainly bode well for the season ahead. It will be the matches versus the lesser teams in the long cold winter in England that will tell the tale. If we can do better against the teams we should beat, and convert our possession and superiority on the pitch into WINS, then we can compete against the other 3 powers in the EPL.
August 4th, 2007 at 8:47 pm
Stag, I think getting excited by some of our players’ performance and feeling positive of their future does not necessary = getting carried away.
u watched some good performance, u priase… u watched some lousy display, u slam the players. IMO it’s very a natural things for fans to do. 99% of fans in the world doing the same thing anyway.
browising through all the post, i dont think u can read a single line suggesting “we are going to win the league” because of an impressive preseason. So how that can be said “getting carried away”?
like i said before, enjoy every victory as it comes, then we would be happier as fans. Really in the football world there is nothing for sure, we might go on and lose 9 games in the first 10 fixtures, and AW, Cesc all leave by the end of the season. Or we may suprise everyone to win the title.
nobody knows anything for sure. so why worry so much?
August 4th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
I would love for all the comments to be on the same page and the recent ones on top. We could do it with the old page and asked it right when things changed.
Didn’t see the game or the highlights, so will comment later. But it feels good to win, better to win by late goals and great to win the tournament. Wenger has always stressed on the pre-season and we have had a good one.
August 5th, 2007 at 12:13 am
Andez, there are ludicrous comparisons of players based on pre-season matches. That = getting carried away.
Nobody said we’re going to win the league because its highly unlikely it will occur, regardless of what we do in preseason.
For the most part, Arsenal included, there are players involved that might not be very much once the season starts… and players and tactics being used that are just trials and experimenting.
Winning is good regardless, it gives confidence.
August 5th, 2007 at 12:54 am
Watched the whole game: end to end. Here’s my thoughts:
Lehmann: Excellent as usual. He has the ability to be 100% focussed even in a dead game and make a brilliant save 89th minute when he hasnt done anything whole game but sit and watch.
Sagna: Suspect today…decent but suspect. Rommedahl cut inside once and there was another occasion when he underestimated the attacker’s first touch. Overall though you can see why AW has bought him. He’s very close to what Lauren was…defensively and offensively.
Toure: Very very good as usual…saved our ass on atleast 2 occasions. No1 name on the teamsheet everytime for me.
Gallas: Average..and I’m not being harsh. There’s no doubt about the mentality he brings to this young team and maybe he’s got loads of winning experience. but today was another day where he wasn’t the great Gallas at Chelsea ..he made some excellent challenges but gifted the ball back at times.
Clichy: didnt cut out as many crosses as usual…but going forward he IS a bigger threat than Cole. Of that I’m pretty clear. Defensively Cole would probably shave it…based on his number of off the line saves and positioning but otherwise you couldnt tell the two apart.
Rosicky: Quiet game.Noting wrong…but some stuff didnt seem to come off..ws trying a little more fancy stuff today…didnt really come off..was correctly subbed.
Denilson n the Flamster: Excellent per4mance by both. Denilson got kicked numerous times. How JOhnny Heitinga was still on the pitch and given a yellow card so late I dunno…he had 2 challenges on Hleb n 1o n RVP in the first 5 minutes..oh well.
Hleb: Not given enough space to move around but did excellently . In defence if you see a defender(in this case Hleb) dribble back from out wide into his own dee in front of his own goal with forwards all closing in and still pass the ball back successfully andkeep the move going you know he’s good. His ball control is next to exceptional…the ball sticks to him like a leech.Quieter than the Inter game but worked exceptionally hard as usual.
RVP: He’s getting there…slowly but surely. He always had talent…but today he showed us that he could channelise all that anger to solence teh opposition not by whacking them back but by scoring goals…the best way. I remember people used to be scared of winding Titi up …he would invariably score in the next 5 minutes. RVP is more of the same…but very very different…and he’s scoring late goals WHEN THE TEAM NEEDS IT….The way he controlled himself today was exceptional…I wondered if AW would take him off today after his yellow but I guess he wanted to see if RVP could take it…playing at Ajax away..arguably one of the most hostil environments “HE” would get…and he came out trumps…
Eduardo: Like what I see of him…I like to call him the “silent assasin”..he’ll glide around making space all the time..and get into great positions all the time…and score when you dont expect him to…look how deep he drops as well…typical AW player…total football…
Well tahts it…the signs are very good….2 trophies..good…meaningless yes…but good for building team spirit none the less. Lets see what happens against Fulham though…..A london derby is always a good way to start..
August 5th, 2007 at 1:02 am
hey.. one more thing… that t-shirt against lazio was looking really very good on our players..!!!
August 5th, 2007 at 3:13 am
LDE, I think AW didn’t take RvP off after his yellow may also have something to do with van Persie’s desire to play against Ajax.
RvP’s from Feyenrood, he said he was looking forward to play Ajax. And i believe that. The rivalry between Ajax and Feyenood were so intense that’s it’s quite amazing. From what I read, Feyenoord had this chant “Hamas, Jews to the gas”.. whenever they played Ajax (targeting on Ajax’s Jewish connection), quite unbelievable.
when RvP scored, my first thought was - it just had to be RvP, the former Feyenoord man who scored against Ajax!
i have a feeling Arsenal may not be invited back for the Ajax Tournament next year around!
August 5th, 2007 at 3:34 am
Stag, my comparisons are not based on these pre-season matches. I said Clich will be better than Cole last season and I called van Persie the new Rivaldo the year before that. My excitement is more down to the fact that these kids are still so young and we’ll get a chance to watch them develop weekly.
The talent is there for all to see. The opportunity to watch that talent fully develop and manifest itself in these kids while wearing an Arsenal jersey is the most exciting point of all. We’ve watched Vieira, Cole, Henry, Overmars, etc. do it now we’ll watch Fab, RvP, Hleb, Diaby, Clichy, etc. take that step towards superstardom while kissing our beloved crest.
No, I’m not getting carried away but FCUK yeah, I’m excited.
August 5th, 2007 at 5:22 am
stag, u wanna back off from your “arsenal would finish 8th” or “without henry we are doomed” mis-statements? or u still want to keep ‘em on record? LOL.
August 5th, 2007 at 6:02 am
Jews to the Gas???? Thats fcuking harsh…seriously bad….I dont want to get into the politics n all that shitty stuff…but Gas??…u got to believe it was inspired by something…sad fans if you ask me…
Yeah Andez he had to score didnt he? In the 81st minute I told my colleague..we will score a late goal and we did …and Twas RVP again to the rescue…hopefully Ade n Edu can chip in when they r fully tuned…