Abou Diaby and Robin van Persie both started and played extremely well (the former opening the scoring just eight minutes in, the latter setting up Nick Bendtner’s 40th minute winner), while Theo Walcott used the opportunity to show further glimpses into his potential as the Gunners cruised to a meaningless 2-1 win over Steau. The result was rendered moot by virtue of three second half goals by Sevilla over Slavia in Prague to give the Andalucians top spot in the group.
Finishing second means that we will have to play one of the group winners. Eliminating Sevilla and the English teams, we could be drawn against any of the following teams in the first knockout phase, which takes place in late February and early March:
Porto
Real Madrid
Barcelona
AC Milan
Inter Milan
Each one’s a tough challenge, to be sure. We’ll find out which of those teams we’ll be playing when the draw is held next Friday the 21st.
74 Responses to “Arsenal 2 - 1 Steaua Bucharest”
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December 12th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Nice to get a win going into a massive weekend. In addition to Diaby and Bendtner, I was impressed by Song’s improvement on the ball (aside from a few errant passes in the second half). Walcott was a lightning bolt as usual. He and Sagna overlapping one another down the right was pretty fun to watch.
As for the draw… well, we’d have had to see the giants sooner or later. Guess we’ll learn pretty quickly how we stack up.
December 12th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
Like Biggun posted in the last thread, I do feel that it might be Barca. Somehow it has to be. Although, each opponent will be tough as you point out Mike.
Also who knows what shape the opposing teams will be next year. Milan have had good results in Europe but they have struggled horribly in the league. Maybe they might sign some new players in Jan who could qualify for CL football? Inter look dangerous but they still have a tendency to make life difficult for themselves.
Real would be a tougher test than few years ago. And Porto appear to be the least of the worries but they are capable of causing havoc.
December 12th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
How did Lehmann look?
December 12th, 2007 at 6:42 pm
Lehmann looked OK… honestly, he didn’t have a lot to do. There was one moment where it looked like he had foolishly come out to play the ball, but some fancy footwork got him out of it. There wasn’t much he could do about the goal - high looping header into the top corner.
December 12th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
Bring anyone on, we have to beat any opponent at this stage or any other stage. Glad to see crazy Jens back.
December 12th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
Some really encouraging things about today’s result, even it it is ultimately meaningless in terms of CL.
a) Van Persie was instrumental in linking midfield and attack. Half a dozen times he sent a quick, accurately weighted throughball for Theo, Sagna et al. I’d forgotten how much that side of his game had come on this past year. He’s not superfit again yet, but he was much more connected than he was when he got injured. (Remember how he had begun to get invisible?)
b) Diaby is beginning to match his drive and industry with more productive link-up play. He didn’t run into so many blind alleys this time and he charged late into the box for the early goal.
c) Bendtner took his goal very coolly - even his celebrations were chilled out. If he could give some of that steady nerves to Theo, we’d be off to the races.
d) Theo - a better amped-up performance from him. He’s still missing that clinical end product. He crosses when he should cut back, and vice versa - and the finishing needs work. But he’s got that crucial bit of aggression into his game now (like a teenager with his first erection, he wants to show the world!)
Overall, the team were much more fluid, fast-paced and positive. They couldn’t have got much worse at Boro. With some key members back, we should be in shape to give a Drogba-free Chelsea a real game.
As for my Sendy Sweepstakes. He was 2 mins early. At 19m, he sidefooted out of the box straight into the path of the opposition!
December 12th, 2007 at 7:14 pm
look at it from this point: which of those 5 teams would like to be drawn against the arse in the first knockout stage?!!…..
thought so. but let’s wait and see, first thing is chelsea on sunday, massive weekend coming up, we could be 4 points clear again or 2 points down. if we play our game and liverpool play like they did yesterday, we’ll all be happy!
go gunners!
December 12th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Have we really got to wait until 21/12/07
for the draw to find who we play?
December 12th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
I only saw a little bit of the game…..how did Denilson go?
December 12th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
AW in the post match press conference about the injured players making it for Sunday.
On injuries ahead of Chelsea…
“He [Van Persie] is ready physically, yes. We have some other players who are injured, like Fabregas, like Hleb, Flamini, and we’ll have to assess the situation of these players in the next few days, though I will certainly have to take a gamble on one or two. Can I take a gamble on three or four? That would be a very risky so I’ll have to assess the situation in the next three or four days.”
I think there may be a little bit of brinkmanship here. I expect all four of these players to feature on Sunday.
December 12th, 2007 at 9:06 pm
Porto seems like they’d be the best opponent for us to play against, though I’m not really basing that off anything other than a gut feeling. I think Milan might be next due to the way their aging defense would match up aginst our (hopefully) swift passing, posession-based attack. We definetly have more pace than they do. Barca, Madrid, and Inter I don’t see much difference on. I guess the good thing about this is that if we do win our Round of 16 tie, it can’t get any harder in coming rounds… it could be as hard, but not harder, and the players’ confidence would be sky-high.
December 12th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
For those who didn’t watch the game:
Lehmann (6) Didn’t have much to do, had no chance with the goal conceded
Sagna (7) Didn’t look tired, rampaged up the flank all night
Gallas (6) Wasn’t tested much, lost the header that led to the goal
Senderos (7) Had the sort of game you should expect considering the opposition
Traore (5) Has a lot to learn, tried to dribble out of trouble too often and in the wrong areas of the pitch
Walcott (6) Caused Steaua loads of problems but decision making was poor.
Song (7) Nice and tidy, looked technically sound and hustled opposition well
Denilson (7) Looked good tonight, kept midfield flowing well with slick passing
Diaby (8) Was excellent in first half, great close control and attacking well
Van Persie (7) Linked midfield and attack well, yes, we’ve missed him
Bendtner (8) Cool finish, always wanted the ball - could have had a hatrick but players in great positions (Walcott) didn’t make the right choice
December 12th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
Didn’t see the match; thanks for the rundown.
Very good to see RVP back in the lineup. And yes, he was very much missed.
December 12th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Thanks for the summary, Danny. On the ATVO highlights, Bendtner looked utterly composed on his goal. He shows that imperious confidence of a top striker. Nick’s strike rate of 3 goals in 5 starts is comparable to RVP and Ade’s. I also like the way he recognizes passing chances and makes them quickly and accurately. He doesn’t have the speed to beat many defenders on the dribble, but his skills (finishing, physical power, good vision, cagey lay-offs) seem to perfectly complement Theo’s (basically, speed) . Once Theo starts actually locating him, they can be a top combo.
December 12th, 2007 at 11:12 pm
actually, it was traore who lost the header for the goal. the guy does have a lot to learn, his position is awful…….he kept on sticking to the centre and letting their right winger have a field day.
i wonder what happened to hoyte. is he injured or are his days numbered?
as for the game, it was pretty meaningless game….but it is very obvious that RvP has been very much missed. he didnt look like this was his first game in 2 months at all. he and bendtner look like ice-cold, no-nonsense finishers. i really hope bendtner doesnt get too impatient. RvP/Bendtner might be the future of this club, i think they complement themselves perfectly.
and as anybody noticed that Song is a very good passer of the ball. i counted a few times he tried some through the eye-of-a-needle passes which came off quite well. could Song actually be gilberto’s heir?? i think so.
plus when we wear our “barca” jersey he looks like ronaldinho from afar
i think the main improvement over our weekends performance was that denilson and song are a class over gilberto and diarra when it comes to passing - and hence could keep our passing game going fluidly. also they actually dont lose possession much.
to be honest, i was quite happy to see lehmann again……and i hope he starts against chelsea……with him in goal, i feel like i dont need to worry about one aspect of our team in the short term…….a feeling i never get when almunia is in there.
December 12th, 2007 at 11:14 pm
The van Persie-to-Bendtner goal was sublime. Would love to see Ade and Bendtner on the field at the same time, just for shits and giggles
December 12th, 2007 at 11:22 pm
as for the CL draw, i really dont care who we meet…….infact i would prefer if we didnt meet porto. porto is the EXACT kind of team that would knock us out by beating us 1-0 away and sneaking a draw at the emirates. give me inter or AC.
one thing is for sure though, any team that draws us will utter the 3 words “oh, f-ck no” among a series of other expletives.
Our real first team can take on absolutely anybody.
Ade/Bendtner - RvP
Rosicky - Cesc - Flamini/Diarra - Hleb
Clichy - Gallas - Toure - Sagna
Lehmann
December 12th, 2007 at 11:31 pm
finally, i think diaby is now in a perfect place and time to push for rosicky’s position.
he holds the ball, he runs with the ball, he is selfish and has a very good shot on him. and most importantly he demands the ball and tries to do his own thing with the ball even if it doesnt work. these are the exact things i want rosicky to be doing.
December 13th, 2007 at 2:41 am
yeah i agree. what seperated Porto and the other 4 is only their reputation, they finished top in a tough group, and have a decent record in CL. pair us against them, they would become underdog and we would be the favourite, yet in truth that may not be the case. This is the club which won CL(European Cup) twice.
i would rather for us to be the “underdogs” and take on the mighty names like Inter/Barca/Real/AC.
If we are going to go out of the tournament, better the early round than the final. Our final defeat to Barca hurt more than last season, at least to me.
Anyway, if we are going to win the big ear cup, we will have to beat anyone, regardless of how big a name they are anyway.
December 13th, 2007 at 4:06 am
Thanks for the rundown Danny.
I hope Denilson gets a start on Sunday unless Fabregas has recovered.
It’s good that RvP and Diaby have returned in good form from injury.
We need RvP’s ability and the option factor that Diaby brings.
December 13th, 2007 at 4:41 am
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rQDOHBT7VFM
Highlight..
December 13th, 2007 at 4:55 am
I missed the first half because I had a dinner function that ran rather long and I didn’t set the DVR. Truth be told, I wasn’t really interested in this game as it didn’t matter whether we won or lost. Wenger just said he hoped we won the group to give the team a reason to fight.
Bendtner is really coming up, boys. His movement on that goal was superb and the touch on the finish was sublime as well. Someone mentioned that both he and van Persie are ice cold in front of goal and I couldn’t agree more. Add to that, this kid is still so young and the future is really looking good.
The biggest difference for me between the last two games and this one is the tactics. Wenger didn’t try to play two defensive guys at CM at the same time. Wouldn’t you know it, Arsenal players had options other than the long ball as they had RvP and Denilson making themselves available. Suddenly, Arsenal didn’t look like a championship team any more. Imagine that.
Actually Fred, on their goal, it looked as if their goal scorer ghosted in behind Senderos. Traore recognized the danger and rotated off of his man to try and pressure the guy but it was too late. It looked a free header as Senderos got left for dead.
Intentionally, I haven’t said anything bad about Senderos this season. I admittedly led the “Cindy-Bashing” libel he endured last season but the kid is just too big a liability. We should try and send Senderos & Gilberto+cash to Juventus for Buffon. Maybe Senderos can find success in Italy like Cygan has found in Villareal. I also really believe Buffon wants to come to London.
December 13th, 2007 at 6:21 am
As I said it was Gallas who lot the header for their goal - he was marking the right man but didn’t jump very well, Senderos was not out of position.
December 13th, 2007 at 7:17 am
Fair play to u DannyT. Senderos had a horrible game Vs Sevilla, that can’t be defended. yet blaming Sendros for that Steaua goal is more like blaming him for the sake of it.
being able to keep a perspective even with a player we all knew it’s not ur favourite, I guess that’s why ur comments are earning more and more respect these days.
December 13th, 2007 at 9:49 am
Was a nice change in recent form.
Glad to see RVP back in the squad.
Sagna is our best signing of the year IMO.
I wish Theo would lift his head earlier and make better decisions
December 13th, 2007 at 9:52 am
Yeah nice to see some prespective for a change. And a win is always nice.
December 13th, 2007 at 10:50 am
For those of you that have been asking for a left winger
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_2966151,00.html
December 13th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Andez and DannyT, Joshuad’s description of their goal was perfect. It was Traore who was closest to the scorer. Gallas was not around.
Bendtner is looking very good. In fact, I would say that he looks a lot better than Walcott right now, even though the latter gets played a lot more.
One fact to remember is that, apart from being a meaningless game, this is a CL tie where the opposition will not hassle you the way Villa, Newcastle and Boro did. Our backup players have to show that they can handle that style of football.
December 13th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
This game told us little that we didn’t know already about this Arsenal team. The Chelsea game will tell us a LOT about Arsene, his tactics and the strength of the team. If some regulars are missing, the big questions would be
- Lehmann or Almunia?
- Gilberto or Diarra?
- Can Denilson do the CM role? I know he did well last night but he was largely anonymous in the Wigan game (despite being the only one not suffering from international fatigue)
- Will Rosicky deliver and will Diaby continue to be flashes of brilliance?
Since RvP is back, another big question is avoided - which striker will step up? I feel Bendtner is the best of the lot right now despite the other two getting more games.
Roll on Super Sunday. Let’s hope Liverpool don’t lose to ManU like last season.
December 13th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
Oh, Danny, you meant the header which led to the pass and the subsequent cross?
December 13th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
All I want for Xmas is a Bulgarian starlet.
December 13th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
I thought all around, other than the slow down in the second half by the whole team, everyone played well. Not sure Traore was to blame for the header. I was actually very impressed by his speed and play. Not sure if that is his natural position. Looks like he could be a attacking mid or even striker. His passing was so so. But his speed was fantastic. Good win over all. Let’s get some lads back for Chelski, and kick the sh#t out of them!
Come on you gunners!
All I want for x-mas is a on target shot from Diarra!
December 13th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
U guys been too nice to Santa! All I want for X’mas is two wins - Vs Chelsea and Spurs. Then I am sure we will all have a Merry X’mas indeed!
December 13th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
DannyT, I know what you said about the Steaua goal but I don’t know what you’re talking about with Gallas missing a header. I just watched that goal again just in case I missed something and I don’t have a clue as what you’re talking about.
As far as blaming Senderos, well it was the man he was marking that managed to get away from him and score a free header. It’s an old-school move where you fake the near post run and pull to the far post. As I stated earlier, I have avoided making negative comments about Senderos this season. I genuinely want to see him do well but when the guy you’re marking scores, without cheating, it’s hard for that to not be your fault. I called it a free header because despite Traore trying to rotate over from behind and influence the play, no one challenged his header.
December 13th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Who saw Karim Benzema’s goals against Rangers? Talk about an exciting, powerful, quick, young (only 19) forward…. I dont think Bendtner could ever make those over the top, blow past your defender type goals. Of course he will end up at Chelsea or ManU at 25million or something.
December 13th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
@ 35: benzema and bendtner are totally different types of forwards, so it doesnt make sense to compare them. bendtner is more in the drogba, shearer, vieiri mold of a striker. they do NOT make runs from the halfway line.
bendtner is confident, arrogant and cold-blooded in front of goal….attributes that cant be taught. and he has the technical gift as well…..his only drawback is speed…but then he is not any slower than shearer, drogba, etc.
you should compare benzema with walcott, messi, etc not bendtner.
December 13th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
if fabregas, flamini and hleb are not fit…….i want us to play:
lehmann
sagna, toure, gallas, clichy
eboue, denilson, diaby, rosicky
RvP, adebayor
with a bench of: almunia, song, diarra, walcott, bendtner
but i am quite sure ALL 3 will be fit and wenger is just playing some really weak mind games. all i want is that bendtner should at least be on the bench and gilberto shoud NOT be there at all.
December 14th, 2007 at 2:38 am
What do you guys think about us being linked with Luke Freeman? I watched this kid play about a month or so ago and even at fifteen years, he looks as if he’s going to be a superstar. He’s technically very good and is very confident in his abilities.
December 14th, 2007 at 2:46 am
More on Freeman:
http://arsenalreserves.wordpress.com/
well, at least he’s English, should help to shut ppl up a bit. let’s hope he’s a real deal than someone like Pennant who also joined us at 15, with great expectation.
December 14th, 2007 at 3:02 am
Freeman and Dimitrov - Arsene continues to scout youngsters all around the world. That’s good news in the long term.
In the short term (Jan and summer transfer windows), Arsenal’s requirements are quite simple - Gk, CB and LM. I hope Arsene is working on the same because we rarely hear anything on that front.
December 14th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Wenger says Cesc, Hleb, Flamini are all back in training and “signs look good”
http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?thisNav=News&article=485331&lid=NewsHeadline&Title=%27Signs+look+good%27+for+Flamini,+Fabregas+and+Hleb
Seems like those who said we were playing head games with the injuries might have been right
December 15th, 2007 at 9:26 am
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4FVeMcgJs-U
December 15th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
I assume there is something wrong with posting the articles as my article never got put up?
December 16th, 2007 at 12:46 am
Yeah Sachin something wrong for sure…even mine didnt come up…Come on Mike…not on an Arsenal-Chelsea weekend .. please
December 16th, 2007 at 8:40 am
Important to win today. No Drogba, Essien and Carvalho (I hear). Doing well in the top four mini league is key to a good season and we have already drawn the first two games. After this, it’s two away to ManU and Chelsea. I feel Wenger will gamble the players to try and win. Go for it!!!
December 16th, 2007 at 8:44 am
I’ll be happy if Ashley Cole plays. That way, the crowd will round up on him and will be louder than usual. It will help a lot.
December 16th, 2007 at 10:35 am
This is disappointing to hear about Diarra.
http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/7571244
December 16th, 2007 at 11:25 am
ManU have beaten Liverpool and laid down their title credentials. If Arsenal don’t beat Chelsea, ManU will be top of the table.
December 16th, 2007 at 11:29 am
Early team news is that all three - Flamini, Cesc and Hleb - are back, but RvP is on the bench. Eboue starts on the right.
December 16th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
A flat first half. Arsenal had lot of the ball but rarely inside their box. In fact, Almunia had to make more saves than Cech, before Cech made a mistake and Gallas sneaked in to score.
Yet again, it’s a test of whether Arsenal can hold the lead vs Chelsea. We failed three times last season, so hope we do better this time.
December 16th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Chelsea are bastards to break down, and experts at smothering us. So we pulled a George Graham and poached a goal from a corner. Cech misjudged it and Gallas headed home - sweet revenge for our captain, so far.
As for our returning midfield trio, they are looking a little rusty. The frustration has crept in a little. The good news is that John Terry had to go off with an injured foot, courtesy of Eboue leaving his leg a little on a tackle.
December 16th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
We held on. It wasn’t pretty and it did get a little ugly like the CC final. But we did it. If RvP was sharper, it could have been easier. I am delighted. If only Liverpool had done something at Anfield.
December 16th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
Job done - just! Awesome, we’re back on top, which have to be if we’re going have any chance against ManUre, who look horribly impregnable once again.
We actually had three or four fantastic chances to wrap it up - just as they had a glaring SWP miss. The grinding chessmatch of the first half gave way to real end to end stuff in the second. Chelsea are not pretty, so it was great that we could match them physically.
What a difference RVP made to the attack, coming on in the 2nd half. Can’t wait to see him back to full sharpness. Even Rosicky got involved in the 2nd half as things opened up.
Cesc was less than full sharpness, hence the frustration that led to his niggly side re-appearing, especially as he failed to bury a couple of great chances.
And of course the toxic subplot between him and Cole exploded at the end - no surprise, given Cole’s insulting remarks in his worst-selling book about Cesc being a lightweight who couldn’t replace Viera.
Cole shoved Cesc in throat after Cesc brought him down in the area, scrambling after Cesc’s goalward shot seemed to hit Cole’s hand. Look forward to the FA given Cole a summons for that one.
December 16th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
very pleased with the result. would have prefered if we had started with a 4-4-2 from the start……but thankfully it all worked out in the end. so yay!
fabregas and especially RvP missed a few glaring chances…..but i like the way RvP came on and started testing the keeper straight away - thereby creating loose balls in the box that could be attacked. this is something our midfield guys should attempt a bit more often.
gilberto played reasonably well (compared to the last few games anyway) BUT i seriously hate the way he continuously gives utterly stupid freekicks cheaply. u know those ones when he jumps on the floor and kicks wildly. he really must stop that.
gallas scored his “revenge” winning goal….and the only way that could have been more hilarious is if cole had been red-carded at the end - like he deserved.
but to be honest, chelsea no longer have the feel of a “big” team on them. i strongly suspect that if drogba and mourinho were involved today, the game would probably have been quite different. so thankfully for us they werent involved.
its looking more and more like a 2 horse race now….and to be honest i prefer a 4-horse race. makes it more difficult for a team (hint: Man U) to pull away. all the same, the view looks awesome from the top of the pile.
up next, meaningless match against blackburn for bendtner and the other big game against the spurs. adebayor must be licking his lips!
December 16th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
….what’s happened to the site?
Anyway the game.
I thought our performance showed our growing maturity. Admittedly Chelsea were without Drogba and Essien and then lost Terry. That’s pretty much what I call a spine. But……they do have deep resources particularly in central midfield and have spent a fortune on strikers, the sort of thing Wenger gets hammered for not doing. And, Chelsea themselves have been talking up their depth.
But no, from where I sat we deserved to win, and 2-0 would have been a more reflective score. If the 2-0 happened it may well have been 3-0.
Agree Macmac123, RvP’s infusion was mouth watering. Straight away he offered deadly passes, threatening runs and a desire to get into goal scoring positions. We simply looked a far more threatening team with his presence. He made all those around him look better and that is a sign of a good player.
Fab, Flam and Hleb did really well against Makalele, Mikel and Lampard.
I thought the goal might come from Gallas or Ade. I gave Gallas a bit of stick a while back and said he owed Arsenal given his lack of playing time and less than stella start. He has answered. Critical goals, a toughness and improved performances. He is demonstrating the leadership we have needed since Vieira left.
I noticed a lack of ‘usual player friendliness’ between Ade and Bendter when Ade was subbed….hmmm. Maybe nothin. But I wonder about Bendtner. His ‘confidence’ and some of his comments may alienate him from his team-mates.
December 16th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
Good game, could have played better but Hleb and Fabregas were clearly not match fit. I felt Chelsea really were there for the taking in the second half and that we might let them off the hook because our passing was sloppy and finishing erratic - but then so was Chelsea’s - Wright-Phillips should have scored and so should have Shevchenko with the header. But, at this level it’s all about taking your chances - and Gallas took his.
Almunia (7) Did well, no silly errors, which means he can cope with the pressure of a massive game.
Sagna (8) Solid as a rock, always supported attack.
Toure (7) Did ok, getting a bit hacked off with his continual hoofing to Adebayor though.
Gallas (8) Now you can see why Wenger made him captain.
Clichy (7) Handled Wright-Phillips well in the first half but let a few too many crosses get past him in the second.
Eboue (5) Reckless tackle on Terry, usual play acting - I don’t think he has made right midfield his own, and I hope he gets sold.
Flamini (9) Man of the match for me, lost count of the amount of last ditch tackles he made, work rate simply awesome.
Fabregas (7) Played ok, but got understandably tired towards the end so his passing got a bit shabby.
Rosicky (6) Worked very hard, better performance than we have previously seen but I think we need to bring someone in to push him.
Hleb (5) Didn’t look fit and was subsequently nowhere near as dangerous as usual - disappointed that he refuses to get into the box where he could create havoc.
Adebayor (7) Played well, control was better today and made good counter-attacking decisions.
———–
Gilberto (5) Didn’t do a lot, except give away a free-kick when he should know better
Bendtner (5) Only got one minute
Van Persie (7) Changed the game, made us a goal threat.
December 16th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
Lasagne Diarra’s getting a bit saucy. Not happy on the bench bla bla bla….
He should save his breathe. He’s actually getting reasonable playing time for a newby, just for some misguided reason he thinks he should displace Fab and Flam (more likely the latter). It’s not as though he came to us as an A-grade starter. He was a bit-part youngster at Chelsea mostly used as a stop-gap right back.
But from what I have seen Wenger is quite right to gradually introduce him into the Arsenal style. At this point in time his play isn’t a natural fit.
December 16th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
I believe he’s complaining because he was told he would be a first team regular, and he isn’t. It’s possible that he was told this before Wenger was surprised by Flamini’s excellent form. Therefore it’s not Wenger’s fault, but not Diarra’s either if he feels promises were broken. But I agree that he should be more patient, he is getting a reasonable amount of playing time - and with injuries anything can happen.
December 16th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Discussions happen during transfer negotiations, both club and player paint a rosy picture, but I feel in this case Diarra is reading more into what was said than was intended and is over-reacting. There were simply too many CM’s in the Arsenal squad for him to rationally think he would either be a starter or necessarily get more game time than he has.
But I like what I have seen of him. He has bite.
I hope he puts his head down and uses this season to tune into Arsenals style. He has 2 positions to aim for (CM & RB) and as you say anything can happen.
December 16th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
i very much doubt AW promised him anything. the deal was done in the last minutes before the deadline meaning that it was more of a last minute drop in price from chelsea more than anything else.
wenger probably only told him to look how gallas is doing well - and said he might become important like that. i mean AW didnt promise eduardo anything so why should he promise diarra.
in the end diarra was 6th choice CM at chelsea and that was before sidwell was bought. now he is about 3rd choice behind fabregas and flamini. in a TOP team. if he cant be patient he should fuck off.
he is an insignificant factor in our table-topping form.
December 16th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Very happy (of course) with the result.
An enjoyable match to watch.
The effort was tremendous, especially Gallas, Flamini, and Sagna.
Good to see RvP back - wow, did he provide some energy.
And, looked really on - not a moment of indecision or shakiness, and some pretty nice saves.
Yes, Chelsea’s side lacked some big players (and the air left their side for a while when Terry went off) and they are pretty average up front.
But, to win against them for the first time in several matches, and to do it on such a big weekend coming off a bit of a dry spell is satisfying.
I’m looking forward to seeing some of the squad play Tuesday - those complaining about playing time. Now, you get it. Make it worthwhile.
I just hope nobody gets hurt up north.
December 16th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
Diarra indicated that he was not unhappy with Wenger but the board - it seems as though Wenger did not speak to the player but the board conducted the negotiations on Wenger’s behalf.
Seeing as Dein is gone and Friar is supposedly conducting transfer dealings, it’s possible that not having Dein’s experience he made false assurances towards the player - at least that’s what the player is most likely claiming.
December 16th, 2007 at 8:15 pm
i very seriously doubt a board member will make a promise on team selection when it is very clear to us all that wenger alone is chief in that department.
most likely arsenal made a 2million take it or leave it bid some weeks before the deadline…..and chelsea shot it down as too low. then on deadline day, with no new offers coming in from him and with just one year left on his contract decided to belatedly accept arsenal’s offer and ship him off. i cant imagine he was ever a priority at all. wenger even called it “an interesting prospect” that was available at the right price. that does not sound like a guy that was promised first team action from the get go.
either way, there is no point arguing over it. he should however grow up and think clearly before mouthing off in the press. if he wants to go he should tell wenger quietly and bugger off in january where i can only imagine some lowly team would pick him up - seeing as no other team picked him up in the summer from chelsea anyway.
his alternative is to accept being 3rd choice CM at a TOP club for now and bid his time.
December 16th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
I’m leaning towards his version of events, because (A) I don’t just thoughtlessly back the club under every circumstance, and (B) His transfer seemed a little unusual considering the welter of players we already have in that position.
Diarra states he was “led to believe there would be healthy competition”, hardly a claim for a first team place - the fact is he can’t even make the bench unless half the midfield is injured or it’s a Carling Cup match.
Of course he should talk to Wenger privately about it rather than the papers, but I do feel a bit sorry for him - he has the makings of a top class player and it seems pointless leaving him out in favour of Gilberto who looks like he has one leg out the door. In fact Diarra has been twice as good as Gilberto in every game he has played so far.
December 16th, 2007 at 11:29 pm
What a difference RvP made to the side. He and Cesc missed two chances each, otherwise the score would have been a lot better. Of course, SWP missed too and there was Sheva’s header too. But on chances, we did better. Anyway, in a game like this, all that matters is the result.
I think Eboue is fast becoming a liability. His offensive effectiveness is declining. His defensive solidity is gone. He gives away needless free-kicks and ends up getting booked too often. Not to forget his cheating and diving side. Only good thing he did yesterday was knock off Terry.
About Diarra, how can anyone be given guarantees about first team action? Look no further than Lehmann and Gilberto. Diarra is small fish compared to them. When he joined, it was clear that Flamini was staying and that Arsenal had many CMs. If he can’t fight for his place like Flamini did, he can leave.
About Bendtner, I love that guy. He came on so late, but still managed to carve a nice opening for Cesc to score. I hope he gets more playing time.
December 16th, 2007 at 11:32 pm
Eboue Update: Looks like he will be out for a while with medial ligament injury.
December 16th, 2007 at 11:56 pm
danny, this has zero to do with “thoughtlessly defending the club”. i couldnt care less about doing. it just annoys me when small fry players moan about. like bendtner used to do…thankfully he has cut that out a bit.
if i were selecting the team i would probably start with fabregas and diarra most of the time. i rate him. however he is still small fry in the scheme of things and he can not expect to move from chelsea reserves to arsenal first team within 3 months and without a sufficient bedding in time.
at the end of the day, his last minute sale indicates he was not a vital part of chelseas plan and was not a major target of arsenal either. at the end of the day, arsenal was the biggest - or rather only club that came in for him. and that is why he came here. he is not too big to stay patient till the summer.
as for comparisons with gilberto i agree, he is way above him at this stage. but wenger continuously blunders with team selections.
December 17th, 2007 at 12:15 am
I felt that Gilberto gave away too many needless freekicks, most notably the one which Sheva struck sweetly but Almunia saved. It was becoming increasingly clear that if Chelsea scored it would be from a free kick or a cross or a long range shot. They weren’t getting into the box too much. In such circumstances, an experienced campaigner like Gilberto should know better than to give away free kicks in dangerous areas. Diarra is being stupid. If he waits long enough, he will displace Gilberto for sure and maybe Flamini too in the long term.
December 17th, 2007 at 1:27 am
I’ve always admired Bert without being a big fan of his game. A great pro, but a bit too passive for me for DCM. He was fine when he partnered the agressive marauding Vieira.
I’ve always felt Wenger somewhat needlessly butchered his relationship with Gilberto over the captaincy. This is total speculation but I think he just forgot to inform Bert. Then he didn’t have the good grace to smooth it out via the media. Just shows Wenger is human.
Now Berts head just doesn’t seem in balance. Maybe he is thinking of what club he will play at next. Outcome, a senior pro sitting on the bench who doesn’t play very wel when he is picked. All a bit unnecessary for me.
December 17th, 2007 at 2:13 am
Great analysis of the game folks. I think it is clear that it really is a two team race from here on out. If we can at least draw up in ManU then I really believe we the Young Guns can take the title. Really, who of you thought that Liverpool (kinda valient effort) or Chelsea even looked like challengers today? Our full squad (even slightly out of match fitness) dominated Chelsea for most of the game. Also I think Babel would have fit in perfectly at Arsenal. Don’t like his price tag but maybe we can pilfer him if there is a mass exodus in Liverpool.
Men of the match: Mozart and Almunia. Rosicky played his arse off today (so much hustle really makes me think he can be in it for the haul in at Arsenal) and Almunia really did save 2 actual goals. Not that other tenders couldn’t have done the same, but his shuffling left and saving right on the cracker by (was it SWR?) was nice. Also the Shevchenko shot was a great save.
Poor pull down out of frustration by Cesc but acole should have a 2 match ban for his wuss choke/punch.
Cheers from Baltimore
December 17th, 2007 at 4:18 am
There is one important point about this Chelsea win, more than just the 3 points gained IMO - it’s the team has shown their new found “mental strength” this season is not overrated.
Hand in chest - following the Boro defeat, doubt did occur on my mind that “will we be able to bounce striaght back? Or will we stumble like the Old Trafford defeat to see the end of our 49 unbeaten run?”
consider the next opponent following the Boro game was Chelsea, it’s a real test of how tough mentally this current Arsenal side is.
December 17th, 2007 at 6:07 am
It also shows how ridiculous people were in criticizing the team recently.
With Hleb, Van Persie, Fabregas and surely Flamini (after yesterday’s performance) out it’s obvious that the injuries had really hurt us and taken their toll- just like Drogba, Essien and Carvalho missing hurt Chelsea.
Now you can see the difference between them being there and not being there, the Villa game looks an excellent result, Newcastle a decent draw and Middlesbrough one step too far.
December 17th, 2007 at 7:31 am
we are a pathetic bunch, have to hidding under a Arsenal Vs Steaua thread talking about the Chelsea match! kinda funny come to think of it!
December 17th, 2007 at 8:18 am
ANR makes a good point that Diarra might have asked to leave after seeing Flamini being offered a 5 year contract.