Sadly I have not been able to catch any of the games live due to a lack of TV coverage 
. Anyway things are going along fairly well for us so far with a lot of late goals.
Late goals are risky though, they take a lot out of you since you cannot mentally relax and have to keep going till the last minute. However there’s an old cliche which goes something like .. “When you’re winning you don’t feel tired” .. so hopefully RVP and Hleb especially must be feeling fit and fine.
On to Sparta now , that second goal by Hleb was so so crucial there, a two goal cushion is always welcome. When you’re playing at home in the return leg it matters even more because then you can try and control the game at your own pace. Anyway I hope Sagna and Sendy are fit so we have a fit and steady back four instead of having to fill in with the Flamster and Bert. I’m guessing AW will still go with the same 11 and change it around at about 60″ or so. Mozart needs to fire, maybe this is the game to do it..against his old club.
When Cesc/Hleb/Mozart are all on form we are unplayable at times no matter how physical the opposition is. RVP should be looking to atone for his penalty miss against City and will be looking to score against Sparta. I think Ade will still start and play the whole 90″ and Edu will come on for RVP at some stage. If we screw up and let in two somehow I’ll go mad though. Don’t think it’ll happen though as even the bench looks reasonably strong these days. Love to see Abou get a few minutes..he’s got so much to offer.
Thats about it though..nothing new to say.
Arsenal 2 - Sparta 0
87 Responses to “Arsenal - Sparta Prague”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:01 am
I hope tomorrow’s lineup looks like this:
Almunia
Sagna, Toure, Senderos, Clichy
Hleb, Fabregas, Silva, Rosicky
Adebayor, da Silva
I just thing RvP could do with the break while Ade and Dudu need the match time. Also, while I’ve been very pleased with Flamini’s performance to date this season, I think Gilberto needs a game in midfield and Senderos needs a game in defense.
Walcott needs some time as well, especially to atone for the Blackburn performance. At the end of the day, this tie is far from done. Sparta will throw everything, including the kitchen sink, at us tomorrow and we really need to be prepared and solid.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:10 am
Almunia
Sagna, Toure, Sendy, Clichy
Denilson, Flamini, Silva, Rosicky
Ade, da Silva
I would rest Cesc, RVP, and Hleb. These guys have been off the chart, and with two big games coming up……. they could use the rest.
August 28th, 2007 at 10:19 am
Sagna, Eboue, Gallas and Lehman are out.
I would love to see Da Silva, Walcott and Diaby get some time. But I am sure Wenger will start with what he feels is his strongest lineups and make adjustments if we add another goal.
I am already looking forward to playing Arsenal South this weekend. I hope the boys take care of business early on Wednesday and we can get ready to welcome some old friends on Sunday.
August 28th, 2007 at 11:13 am
Eduardo needs to play in this game. I would like to see:
Almunia
Sagna Toure Gilberto Clichy
Van Persie Denilson Fabregas Hleb
Adebaor Eduardo
Denilson needs games, Eduardo needs games - Gilberto needs to play at the back as much as possible in case Gallas gets injured while Toure is at ANC. I’d like to see Van Persie wide right, he can still be effective from there and is tigerish enough in the tackle - he plays there for Holland so why not Arsenal?
August 28th, 2007 at 11:38 am
Almunia
Flamini Toure Senderos Clichy
Walcott Gilberto Fabregas Rosicky
Adebayor Eduardo
Bench -> Fabianski, Hoyte, Traore, Denilson, Song, Hleb, RvP
August 28th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Everyone seems to favour an Ade + Eduardo partnership in this game!!
In truth I think it makes sense. One thing for sure is Sparta is gonna come out and attack, that’s the sceniro we LOVE most! Particularly @ Emirates. So it makes sense to have some quick forwards upfront, Ade and Eduardo fit the bill.
I like Nipuna’s lineup, add a Walcott down the wing he could use his pace. I think we will see a better Walcott in games like this, when we will have a chance to start some counter attack, instead of breaking a packed defence.
But Theo does need to put in more on his part of defensive duty.
August 28th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
BTW - Off topic. Henry on Barca bench untill 61st minute! He abandoned his ‘beloved’ club for this?
I think Wenger will put his strongest 11 for at least one more goal. If we score, he may make further adjustment.
Heres hoping for a 2-0 result.
Up the Arse!
August 28th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
Am I going to be able to see this match anywhere? or is it going to be pirated feeds via the internet yet again?
gah.
1-1 and Arsenal win on aggregate. I need a pint or something - today is hell.
August 28th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
What I would like is some game time for those on the fringes.
Almunia
Hoyte Toure Senderos Clichy
Walcott Gilberto Diaby Rosicky
Da Silva Bendtner
Subs: Fabianski, Hleb, Van Persie, Fabregas, Song, Traore, Adebayor
Hopefully two goals in the first hour would see Song for Toure (with Gilberto at centre-back), Traore for Clichy and Adebayor for one of the forwards.
More realistically, Wenger will put out his first team and only bring on subs with fifteen to go if the match is safe.
Haven’t seen exactly what Wenger said about transfers. Was it the usual speaking out of both sides of his mouth but with the tabloids picking up the obvious and missing the caveats?
August 28th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Bo…I’ve got a Mac and can’t even find the pirated feeds. But ManUre/Sp*rs is being rebroadcast on BOTH FSC and Setanta this afternoon?
August 28th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
i like nipuna’s side.
LDE, do you get the fox soccer channel? also, check out you tube. i was on holiday and missed the first match vs. sparta, but caught the highlights on you tube.
August 28th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
The game is being shown live on ArsenalTV. THe following is off of Arsenal.com:
Wednesday 29th August is crunch night at Emirates Stadium as Arsenal look to advance to the group stages of the UEFA Champions League.
Wenger’s men take a crucial two goal cushion into the second leg of their qualification tie against Sparta Prague and know they are just 90 minutes away from reaching the tournament proper.
It’s a vital evening and now you will be able to follow all the action from the comfort of your PC!
Arsenal TV Online has secured the rights to show a live video stream, with supporting Arsenal-centric commentary from our regular matchday team. Also if you miss the match we will also be providing in-depth match highlights an hour after the final whistle!
So make sure you subscribe to Arsenal TV Online before the match gets underway. Sign up for £3.99 a month or £45 a year - A subscription costs as little as 13p a day!
The game kicks-off at 8.05pm (UK time) and live coverage will commence 15 minutes before the start in the MATCH CENTRE channel.
August 28th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
The tabloids are right to pick out the obvious. After all, it’s plain to be seen Wenger is not buying anyone. We would have had to lose the first three games about 5-0 before Wenger even thought about bringing players in.
If it all goes wrong this season and we miss out on a champions league place, Wenger’s position needs to be seriously looked at. We’re allowing him to indulge in the knowledge there is no pressure from the board. That needs to be looked at as he appears complacent and sterile when given such carte blanche.
August 28th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
Bottom line (1) - If AW leaves, he will never be short of choices of clubs wanting his signature. Afterall, if he could do a good job with Arsenal under a tight budget every year, he could do a good job for ANY club, from Real Madrid to Reading.
Bottom line (2) - If Arsenal board gets rid of AW, sure with Arsenal FC’s reputation, they would be able to draw plenty of big name managers wanting to take over. But once they find out the club only have to the most 20 mil budget to spend every year, u believe the likes of Sven, Mourinho, Capello would still be interested?
And if they do, how well u think they be able to do a good job under a tigher budget?
Look, for those doubters who keep been moaning AW doesn’t spend, u gotta ask yourselves WHY?
You can either believe:
1. Because he wants to boost his own ego as the best raw talent spotter and developer. Yet risk the chance of winning anything.
OR
2. Because he adopts a more sensible tactic in the transfer market to wait for the RIGHT talent comes along with the RIGHT price. While at the meantime does not want to harm his current team’s chemistry.
As far as I am concerned, every manager wants to win TROPHIES. At the end of the day this is what they are remembered for. Only diffference is some believe the best way is to spend spend spend. Some believe in patiently building a team to challenge it.
Just because you do not agree with AW’s method, it does not mean AW being “complacent”.
August 28th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
I too like nipuna’s side…..AW will play Rosicky. I agree that Gilberto, Ade, and DaSilva need minutes.
I was hoping Sagna will be fit for tomorrw…
AW has clearly stated that we are done in the transfer market, much to my disappointment….and he refused taking Adriano on loan from Internazionale. Oh, how I am longing for a CB, and I still think we are not as deep as the other “top 3″ sides……
I am hoping that Arsene knows…..
August 28th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
Not that that’s a bad thing………not taking Adriano.
August 28th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
I would like to see some of the fringe players get some time, and rest RVP, Hleb, and Cesc, but I also want to make sure we qualify for the CL. I think AW will go with:
Almunia
Hoyte Toure Gilberto Clichy
Walcott Cesc Diaby Rosicky
Ade DaSilva
Doesn’t matter to me who plays, as long as we get the result we need.
August 28th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
Adriano wouldn’t look good in Arsenal gear, just don’t see him as a good fit. Especially chemistry wise.
August 28th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Andez, he doesn’t have to spend, spend, spend. It’s not always black and white when it comes to transfers. Arsenal need at least two players, that’s clear to see. Buying two players required to cover all eventualities does make someone a spending manager or a reckless manager. In this case it would make him a manager with foresight.
Also, we can’t keep going on about Wenger waitting for the right talent at the right price when you think of players like Theo Walcott, Alex Song etc. They look like wrong players at the right time so far. Wenger actually said today that Song can play centre back. If that ever happened then I would be lost for words.
August 28th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
Did ya’ll see about Peurta of Sevilla dying today. I knew he had collapsed during this weekends game, but evidently his organs shut down, and he died at age 22. Puts the game in perspective.
August 28th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
I hope Wenger was talking about Song’s uncle when he said that.
August 28th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
vibe4,
I was speculating…I haven’t found any feeds yet. I HOPE being a mac guy I can find something.
August 28th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
Mazza, u remember a while ago Grimandi revealed how ppl around AW started to concern of Wenger’s health? Because of that massive workload he has been taking on since the departure of Dein.
The bottom line is - from everywhere I read, AW was labelled as a “workholic”. He gives his all on his job.
Unlike Henry or anyone else, he doesn’t kiss the crest, he rarely came out and said how much he loves Arsenal. But he always fully committed to his job.
I can understand your concern of our need of a new signing, I just don’t like the way u put it - by suggesting he’s being “complacent”.
He does not deserve this.
August 28th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
why would we want fat adriano looking to regain his form?…. you know he is going to be overpriced..
lets roll the dice AW
Fabianski
Hoyte Kolo Sendy Clichy
Gilberto Diaby
Walcott Cesc
Eduardo
Bendter
August 28th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
really would like to rest RVP or Helb… and our players made of glass.. like Thomas and Ade… (if we can)
because once we go up… a team like Sparta is going to get dirtier and more physical… you saw Repka.. come on.. Repka .. RVP.. 2 hot heads like that and Sparta down and out… Repka is going to look to take it out on someone…
and that’s why we have a player like Song on the team… to take a beating..
August 28th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
Mazza beware you might get what you wish for.
We all agree, Wenger can be infuriating and at times irrational, but overall he’s a one-off. Having Wenger as manager is like having one of the greatest players of all time in your team. First you love him, then a degree of familiarity comes in, then you see some of his faults, then he’s not there and you wish for those times again.
After 10 years of Wenger surely it’s blatantly obvious he doesn’t want to buy ready-made.
Wenger has started something with AFC mark III and he needs to take it further. Let him do it.
Wenger will be gone soon enough and then we’ll be like everyone else, on the manager merry-go-round looking for that elusive winner.
August 28th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
Don’t be surprised to see Song at CB - remember Toure, Mr Utility playing CM and FB then morphed by Wenger into a CB.
I’d far rather see Wenger pay 15-20m on a world class CB but that’s not the Wenger way…….
August 28th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
“Having Wenger as manager is like having one of the greatest players of all time in your team. First you love him, then a degree of familiarity comes in, then you see some of his faults, then he’s not there and you wish for those times again.”
Brilliant put!
August 28th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
The stuffs AW said to the press I believe it’s mainly aiming for the players in the current squad - that I have faith in u lot, so i won’t buy.
Behind the scene though, I do believe AW has still been trying to buy someone.
but of course, sometimes just because u want to buy, doesn’t necessary mean u can definitely land ur man. The Pederson link for instance, regardless if it’s rumor or truth, Blackburn would not let him go.
At the end of the day, if he had come out and said he would go for who and who, and in the end, he fails to get the man by the time transfer window close. The next time when he comes out and tell the press he has faith on his current squad, don’t think any current Arsenal player would even be listening.
August 28th, 2007 at 6:24 pm
lets make things clear song is not toure. as a CB he is an utter and complete disaster.
as for transfers, i dont think anybody expects him to buy an expensive “star”….but the worry is about depth. am very sure wenger can find a cheap young winger and CB for under 10 million.
we are all resigned to the rebuilding….but he should AT LEAST complete the squad. numbers! that is why him loaning out djorou was/is a big time blunder.
August 28th, 2007 at 7:14 pm
Fred, quite honestly I haven’t seen Song play enough to come to any opinion about him. I drew the analogy to Toure to demonstrate Wengers penchant for converting players - he does it all the time. And Toure followed that very route.
Agreed, loaning Djourou was a significant risk. I think it was unnecessary.
The acid test is getting through to January and still being in contention for the EPL and CL.
If Wenger did buy again, I’d rather see him go for someone world class (highly unlikely) or a star nearing retirement - ala Henrik Larsson at ManU. We have enough of everything else.
August 28th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
‘lets make things clear song is not toure. as a CB he is an utter and complete disaster.’
Think u should have waited until he plays at least ONE game (competitive fixture) @ CB to make any accessment.
Before Toure played at CB, nobody thought he could neither. And don’t forget back then Kolo was very much a flinge player like Song does today.
Not saying Song will definitely cut it, at least give him a “chance” before calling him a disaster @ CB.
August 28th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
errr…he played 3 pre-season games at CB and was an utter disaster.
August 28th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
i can barely stomach Song being subbed for mop up duty…. your saying there is a chance i might have to watch him for a full 90….!!!!!!!! …. blasphemy
August 28th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
RIP — Peurta
Maza — “If all goes wrong…”
It seems to me that that your logic is somewhat perplexing and disjointed. I’ve read your complaining over the last weeks with somewhat of a shrug — now you’ve gone from saying that so far because all is working out for our team, it means that all will go wrong and if and when it does Wenger should be shot from a cannon off the pitch and out of the stadium. Kaboom.
I’m willing to let the season flow and see where it takes the lads - they seem to be working hard. I was pleased with the way they fought back with those cheating thugs from up north and we’ve lost no points to the number one team.
I hope and think will win against Sparta.
Go you red and white,
Go you Gunners.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
Sparta’s boss quotes
“Fulham showed how to play at Emirates,” he said. “They played an even game with Arsenal. They went into the lead in the first minute and Arsenal turned the score around with a lot of luck at the end.”
Please… please play like Fulham… only they won’t have Zach Znight saving 2 goals… and Tony warner going ape shit crazy stuffing almost everyshot…
August 28th, 2007 at 11:33 pm
We should stop paying to attention to what AW says to the media. In the past, I did the mistake of taking his comments seriously, only to realize that it doesn’t mean much. So relax, listen to what he says, but don’t lose sleep over it.
As for transfers, everyone is in agreement that we need more. Maybe Wenger is working behind scenes. We will know very soon as there are only two days left. If Wenger doesn’t sign anyone, it certainly won’t be the first time. But if he later complains about injuries, etc., it will be a little sad.
Let’s roll over Sparta. My main aim for tomorrow is to avoid more injuries. We know that Sparta will play rough and we are already down a few players.
August 28th, 2007 at 11:49 pm
Guys, found an excellent site, for the hardcore Gooners. A site that keeps u up to date with all the Arsenal reserves and youth teams news.
http://arsenalreserves.wordpress.com/
August 29th, 2007 at 12:51 am
Ah, this was the site that reported that we are tracking Urby Emmanuelson of Ajax.
August 29th, 2007 at 6:08 am
Lay off Song for god sake, he has NEVER played CB for Arsenal in a competitive match. He hasn’t looked THAT bad for Arsenal, except for one game last year at Fulham and did pretty well on loan at Charlton last season.
I understand certain people are frustrated that Wenger will not spend - but it’s not Song’s fault. Castigate someone like Senderos, who has played about 50 games for the club and has made catastrophic errors in all of them bar 5 or 6.
Diaby is fit now so Gilberto can play at the back if Wenger is too stingy to buy a centre-back. Senderos is back, Gallas will be back in a few weeks, Sagna can play along back four if required - I doubt Song will ever play there or anywhere when the majority are fit.
This could all be remedied if Wenger would buy a centre-back, why he doesn’t is anyone’s guess. Pure lunacy if you ask me.
August 29th, 2007 at 8:50 am
Danny,
Most likely the reason for not buying a CB is that he hasn’t found a good one at the right price that will fit our system….so we will have to grin and bear it (and pray or drink heavily) with Senderos for now
August 29th, 2007 at 9:33 am
i really think fabregas should rest. i dont see the point in playing him with a 2-0 lead because sparta and repka will be looking to kick him off the park. the last thing we need is fabregas to go down in a revenge tackle.
give denilson, diaby a run out.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:05 am
What system Biggun? Centre-backs just need to be good at their job, not passing in triangles, switching play or flying down the wing. We just need a good, reliable centre-back - one that’s better than Senderos, nearly every club in the Premiership has one, so shouldn’t be too hard to find.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:38 am
Agger looks the real deal, but he is at Liverpool now and it’s almost impossible to get him. He is the best young CB along with Kompany.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:43 am
Maybe Arsene is just waiting until CL qualification is secure before signing Thuram and Cannavaro to fight it out for a place on the bench…err, at least that’s what I’m hoping.
I think we should probably think about setting up a seperate message board for Senderos as every topic now seems to end up being about how terrible/inadequate Phil is.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:07 am
……and the poor lad Sendy has only played one match, not sure what he has done wrong???
August 29th, 2007 at 11:18 am
on one hand u have transfer stinginess from wenger…..and on the other end of the spectrum u have harry redknapp…who is willing to sell off david nugent just one month after buying him. hilarious! this must be a record if it comes thru.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:21 am
One would imagine Nugent’s attitude is not up to scratch - can’t be any other reason.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:25 am
Sure, Kolo was a utility player who could play multiple postitions but he was primarily a CB. He played CB for club and country before coming to Arsenal. When you’ve got Keown, Adams, Campbell, and Upson did we really need to see Kolo play CB?
Of course, after Upson left and a few months later when Adams retired not to mention an ageing Keown, it was time to see how well Kolo could really do at CB. But Song and Kolo are hardly cut from the same cloth. We’ll let time tell.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Nobody said Song would definitely cut it, just give him a chance. Petit originally was a CB/LB, Gilberto started as a CB, Michael Thomas started as full back, made their name as CM. u never know.
Anyway, I doubt Song will even get a game at CB before Gallas already return.
Nugent will not be able to beat Clive Allen’s record, Allen was sold in a exchange deal for Kenny Samson soon after Arsenal bought him, despite never even played a single match for the Gunners.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
Still think we need to get Bendy some more minutes. He could add a little strength up front. Think he would compliment RvP as well.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
You simply can’t afford to have a poor attitude with players like Benjani who work their socks off and have become cult figures because of their work rate.
Frankly, I believe Harry has decided this kid is simply not good enough. He had high hopes for the young Englishman but needs more quality in his attack and Nugent simply isn’t good enough to provide the movement and clinical finishing that a top striker can provide. Anelka can provide him with that quality but Harry needs to raise the money first. That’s easy math, boys.
August 29th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Interesting starting lineup. I like it though. Fab and Helb getting some rest. I was hoping AW would add RVP to that list. But it is what it is.
August 29th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Tomas… with the goal!!!!! was a great run inside… Theo looks like he’s been given the green light to burn anyone he wants to try..
August 29th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Wow! Rosicky Already!
August 29th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
Diaby is off to a strong start to..
August 29th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
The match is on if you download TVAnts. More details here: http://www.myp2p.eu/Matches/Match4.htm
August 29th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
For those who missed it the starting XI were:
Almunia
Hoyte-Toure-Senderos-Clichy
Walcott-Diaby-Silva-Rosicky
RVP-Eduardo
Good to see Fabregas get a rest though him coming on in the 2nd half a bit of a puzzle to me as we were up 3-0 on agg. Adebayor coming on for RVP made sense too. Surprised Rosicky wasn’t 2nd player off though with Flamini or Denilson coming in. Now if I can only get to see the match…
August 29th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
Great game (from an Arsenal standpoint). Great goals. It’s nice to see Eduardo on the scoresheet. Watched it on ArsenalTV. Hopefully the lads keep their heads down and continue with this workmanlike approach to games (and keep winning, of course). GO GUNNERS!
August 29th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
Despite all the “disaster” talks, and how thin our backline is, Arsenal first 5 games - 4 Wins 1 Draw. conceded 2 goals, both by ‘keeper mistake.
I know the critics will say - because our opponents are crap.
But hell, crap or not crap, I will take a 4 Wins 1 Draw start of the season anytime!
August 29th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Not much fun watching on this little box on my laptop, but it got exciting again at the end. Eduardo setting up Fab and then scoring himself (set up by Denilson). The latter goal was especially nice, as Dudu picked it out of the air, leg waist high and at full stretch.
Nice to see The Arsenal making easy work easy, for a change. On to the draw, my fellow Gooners.
August 29th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Good professional result in CL to finish the tie.
Fab & Rosicky goals providing the threat from midfield we need.
Diaby looked a bit loose. Loosing possession. Needs more game time in team to get in the flow.
The defence with Senderos and Hoyte did the job. Senderos does look more comfortable starting and his p’ship with Toure worked well today.
Eduardo took his goal well. I like the way he gets involved but doesn’t get clattered.
And Walcott had some good surging runs.
August 29th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
Danny,
By system I mean a CB who is technically excellent, one who can easily venture up the field with the ball comfortable at his feet (like Kolo did against Fulham).
As much as I love JT’s and Rio’ toughness, they are not very good runners with the ball………..
That’s the system I am speaking of………Any way
Well done lads….let’s rest tonight and think about Pompey tomorrow.
August 29th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
agree Andez. For those who will indentify the backline gaffes that Sparta didn’t capitalize on, please reference when so those like me can be enlightened. I know mistakes happen and none of the 4 are perfect, I just like to see other’s perspectives..
Great to see Rosicky and Eduardo score. Fabregas appears to have hit scoring form this year. in 2005-6, it looked like he tried to pass the ball into the net, in ‘06-07 I saw an injection of power to his shots though little results, so to see an excellent start to this year is encouraging and should give others better looks at well.
Didn’t see the game yet, but would be interested to read how Diaby played. I see some of Hleb’s dribbling skills in him and love his evasiveness. The belief is growing!!
August 29th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
Diaby was shit.
August 29th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Diaby started well but was very disappointing overall. Sure it was hard for Sparta to get the ball off him as he kept control in tight spots and rode tackles only to give it away with poor passing. Walcott played in spurts. Eduardo looked better alongside Adebayor for the last twenty than he did with Van Persie.
Sparta had quite a few half-chances but didn’t get anything on target and Almunia had a quiet night. Nevertheless we were very sloppy and lacked fluency, as in all our games so far. That gets the bad points out of the way.
Another clean sheet, two more goals from midfield. Eduardo opens his account. No real scare as we qualify easily for the group stages. Why worry about the bad points?
August 29th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
It was hard to gather anything of value from this match. We killed off the tie so quickly that both teams just went through the motions for most of the next 80 minutes. Glad to see Diaby back playing. Overall, he was very sloppy but he did have a few nice touches in his first competitive match this year. Also glad that lots of starters got some good rest today. I saw highlights of Portsmouth in the Carling Cup and they had a lot of the first team in for much of the match. So both teams should be on relatively equal footing come Sunday.
August 29th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Yes, our play lacks the cohesiveness we would like but it is only the 5th game of the season. I’m more than happy that we’re building momentum and getting the results.
After we scored the goal the game lost a bit of zing….effectively the tie was dead and the key thing for Arsenal was not to add to our irritating injury list.
I liked the way Ade came on…..he really looks like he belongs in this team now. He teamed up the Fab on a number of plays.
August 29th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
Interesting conclusion from tonights game is that Robin Van Persie should not be a shoe-in for the first team anymore. I’ve never been his biggest fan and he doesn’t seem to have really progressed as much as everyone makes out. He still plays far too much in fits and starts and when he plays Arsenal have too many players who peel wide. At least Adebayor and Bendtner stay central alot of the time and divert attention from our flank attackers. With RVP, Eduardo and Walcott/Hleb we have too many players who stay wide and thus we are easier to defend against. Eduardo looks better than RVP in every department at the moment.
You see the difference between Fabregas and Diaby when the young Catalan came on. Absolutely different class. Diaby has two gears; fifth gear and reverse. Same applies to Walcott.
August 29th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
“It was hard to gather anything of value from this match. We killed off the tie so quickly that both teams just went through the motions for most of the next 80 minutes.”
This is just where the ironic thing is - If we kills the game early, there is a suggesting that we can’t tell how good the team is as both team goes through mention since the early goal.
Yet we battle hard to win through a late goal. There is also suggesting that Arsenal is lucky, and cannot get that lucky everytime.
So I have a feeling we CAN’T JUDGE the team as long as they are WINNING. We can only judge them when they lose. Then this site would be flowing with all the info on where our team’s weaknesses are, and who and who and who are crap. And all those “I told you so” who and who are rubbish.
August 29th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
Mazza on RvP….
I know what your saying. Thing is, I think in Wenger’s mind RvP is the ‘new man’ and he will indulge him. The team will be forced to form around him.
“We can only judge them when they lose.”
Agreed Andez….but let’s hope we keep this run going for a while.
August 29th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
August 29th, 2007 at 5:29 pm
Mazza on RVP.
I know what you are saying but not sure your conclusion is right.
Adebayor and Van Persie have looked good when playing together (apart from last Saturday). Adebayor and Da Silva looked better than Van Persie and Da Silva tonight. We really haven’t seen Bendtner with any of them. The way I would put it is that Van Persie may be the best striker on an individual basis but may not always be part of the most effective partnership. Funnily, the same thing could often have been said about Henry.
However, because Bendtner and Da Silva are new, it is too early to judge the best partnership.
Andez, I know it is hard to judge the team because we killed off the game so early but I would have expected the likes of Diaby, Hoyte, Eduardo and Walcott to have gone out to prove that they are worthy of a first-team place. Almunia did all that was asked of him to keep up the pressure on Lehmann. The other back-ups can’t say they did that. That is the disappointing aspect of the game. I know it was the first full game for some of them but there was a big difference with the first two subs. Even Denilson looked to contribbute more than Walcott when he cam on.
August 29th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
Mazza, you’re sounding more like Stag with every passing day. You need to show some intelligence before criticising players like Diaby - who was injured for 7 months, played a handful of games towards the end of the season then missed all the opening games this season due to injury. What do you expect from him exactly? You want RoboVieira? Ridiculous.
The match itself was not a great spectacle, pretty horrible. I could tear into some players and team attitude, but it’s best to remember that there was a lot riding on this game and nobody wanted to screw up. When it became clear that the game was well and truly 100% in the bag, Arsenal pushed forward and banged a couple more in.
There were still areas of concern, mostly defence. The useless Hoyte, who for some reason keeps forgetting he is a right back and plays as a centre back leaving a space big enough for two double decker buses to get through. Senderos?? Had hardly anything to but still managed to fall over his feet with no-one within 15 yards of him and present the other team with a chance. Clichy? Keeps falling asleep defensively, did it three times tonight. Fortunately, the opposition was so bad that none of the errors were punished.
Van Persie doesn’t wholly convince me either to be honest, neither does Rosicky. But I would stick with Van Persie for a while. I know Rosicky scored but I would like to see Eduardo play left-side - I think he’s a class act - he came into life when the team pressed forward but was given no service when Diaby and Gilberto were on the pitch as neither as them bothered to get forward. Walcott was truly awful, brainless - the assist looked good but if you watch him he didn’t even look up when he crossed the ball, there’s no way he meant that inch perfect pass. Still, he’s just a baby too - I just hope he doesn’t have “English player syndrome” - loads of potential but no brain to match.
August 29th, 2007 at 5:36 pm
“The way I would put it is that Van Persie may be the best striker on an individual basis but may not always be part of the most effective partnership. Funnily, the same thing could often have been said about Henry.”
I agree. Though I think Henry can play well in a partnership, provided he likes his partner!
August 29th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
“I could tear into some players and team attitude, but it’s best to remember that there was a lot riding on this game and nobody wanted to screw up”
Classic Danny. After saying that you appear to do that very thing with Walcott and Senderos! ;^)
With Diaby, I still remember extremely vividly his shamblic performance against Tottenham at Highbury in 2006 when looked like he couldn’t give a rats ass. Just jogged around doing nothing. That was BEFORE his injury. You can disagree with me, but I think his injuries had feck all to with his performance tonight. It ties in very closely with what I’ve seen with him all along.
Lot’s of positives though. Eduardo can really play left-wing and not just “fill” in there, and Denilson looks good on the right working the line. Maybe Hleb can be the tip of diamond after all.
Rosicky not at his best but he is class in a glass. He can take a drink from it anytime and that’s why I would always leave him on.
Fabregas looks to have brushed off his early season malaise. Just in that 20 minutes he showed our other midfielders what they need to aspire too.
That Senderos gaffe made me laugh. I was just thinking he hadn’t made a complete tit of himself for at least three games and then he goes and does that. He also didn’t attack balls with any authority which is indicates his liability factor is still at “critical”.
August 29th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
What are you joy-germs going to say when we lose?
August 29th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
Andez, I guess what I was trying to say was that I was surprised that Sparta didn’t throw more men forward or play with more urgency even after the first goal. I realize that three at the Emirates is pretty much impossible for them. However, they seemed to take the attitude that they would rather the score stay as is and not get run off the pitch; rather than try to get one or two before half and make it interesting. This is obviously not Arsenal’s fault. But I think it sucked the air out of the match and Arsenal was not really tested other than the odd pass from Horvath, who was decent to watch. Therefore, it is a bit hard to judge the performance. But overall, the result is great, everyone stayed healthy (at least I think) and Da Silva got off the mark. So I am a happy fan and looking forward to the draw.
August 29th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Happy with the result. Got two more goals in the last ten minutes. Hopefully everyone who was naysaying Adebayor can see what he brings. He spreads defenses with his pace and wins nearly every high ball that’s played to him and is a good passer. With him spreading defenses vertically up the pitch, we don’t need width so much as there’s always going to be space between opposing defenders and their midfield. That’s just something I noticed tonight watching the game.
Now the bad stuff. In order to be a good midfielder you have to have good vision, be a good passer, release the ball quickly, break up opposition play, and make plays for team mates. Diaby absolutely does not excel at these things. Many fans have expectations that he’ll be the new Vieira but he only looks like Vieira and has ball skills similar to Vieira. But PV4, besides skills, also released the ball quickly, passed well, shut down passing lanes for opponents, tackled, showed, made intelligent runs, creates plays, and scores goals. The two are so not the same. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that every CM quality that Diaby does poorly, Denilson does well and it’s why I have always rated Denilson and never rated Diaby.
Some might say, “oh, he’s just come back from injury” or “he’s still so young” and all the other blah blah blah. Bottom line is I’ve seen enough of him and I believe all of his problems come down to one thing; poor field vision. It’s why he holds the ball so long. But he can improve his vision. If he does, I think his game will go through the roof (offensively and defensively). Cesc holds the ball sometimes but he’s shown he can release the ball quickly too, unlike Diaby. His goal tonight was a perfect example in he received the ball and got his shot away so quickly.
Understand, I don’t dislike Diaby or think he’s not good enough. In fact, I know he can be a great player for Arsenal. I just believe his vision is crap and must improve. We’ll see how Diaby develops.
August 29th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
lol….yeah mazza, ur comments would really get interesting when we finally lose.
as it is a 5-0 victory is pretty comprehensive….so not too much to complain about. at this stage of the season i am more concerned about the results cos i know for sure that wenger’s team will play very well eventually….but good results at the beginning give the team vital momentum.
nice to see fabregas on fine scoring form.
as for senderos, hoyte and walcott, there is no point complaining about them anymore……we all know they are a bit low in quality….as long as they did not cause any goals am happy.
by luck or whatever we have still not conceeded any goals directly from defensive ineptitude. so i hope that run continues as long as possible.
August 29th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
As u said it yourselves Josh, Ade played better the 2nd game (he played for Arsenal this season) than the first.
Likewise, it was Diaby’s FIRST game of the season.
Match sharpness is not something sitting on the bench can achieve.
One thing of all those flinge players like Diaby, Senderos, Flamini, Denilson, Walcott…… those players don’t usually get a run of first team games like other starters do. It’s difficult for them to get themselves to full match sharpness, let alone making any impact.
I know some of the folks here play sports yourselves, u ought to know the difference when u get to play regularly, than every now and then right?
August 29th, 2007 at 9:11 pm
“as for senderos, hoyte and walcott, there is no point complaining about them anymore……we all know they are a bit low in quality….as long as they did not cause any goals am happy.”
Well said Fred…..problem is that some have criticised them so loudly so often and for so long that they can no longer be impartial. They’d rather see one stumble than an overall decent performance.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
Andez, understand I haven’t just come up with this opinion of Diaby based on tonight’s performance. I think the deficiencies were merely magnified tonight because he’s not match fit.
Let’s put it into perspective. Think about CM players like Scholes, Zidane, Vieira, Riquelme, Kaka, Deco, Gerrard, Pirlo, Xavi, hell even Fabregas. Think of some of the legendary CM’s that you’ve seen. When you think of what qualities make all of these central midfielders great, how many of those qualities does Abou Diaby possess? Make an honest list and you might be surprised. Sure he’s exciting running with the ball but is that all it takes to be a great central midfielder?
Keep in mind, this is a “match-fit” Diaby and not the incredibly jaded guy we saw tonight. I’ve already told you what I believe. I’m looking forward to seeing your list or any one else’s.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
Didn’t watch the game. Any injuries that we should be worried about ?
August 29th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
Oh yeah, I really was hoping for Celtic to lose. Actually they really didn’t deserve to win tonight. It’s not that I dislike Celtic but more because I can’t stand Gordon Strachan. I think he’s an arrogant little prick. He’s inherited a good team and talks trash like he built the team and made them a winner. Assclown!
BTW, Spartak Moscow have some very good players. The RTE commentators were talking about it too. I generally don’t agree with those guys but they said many of the things that I was thinking tonight. But anyone that listens to them knows they’re a bunch of idiots that are normally way off the mark.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
tAi….no apparent injuries to report
August 30th, 2007 at 7:15 am
Joshuad - take a look at a tape of the Carling Cup final to get an idea of just how good Diaby is when ‘match fit’. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. To put it in perspective, Abou, at 21, has one career threatening injury (and a good few small ones as a result) under his belt and was already playing very well until Dan Smith took him out. I’m sure you’re well aware that match fitness takes more than one game to attain.