A cracking win against Chelsea and a big pointer as far as I am concerned towards the growing maturity of this side. It wasn’t about the win really. When we headed in the first goal I was looking for just 1 thing in the second half. How would we react to that? Would we close shop and suck up pressure and let Chelsea hit us hard? Or would we play a pressing attacking game and not allow Chelsea to control the game at all like they did in last season’s dead clash in that 1-1 draw. Got my answer in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Chelsea did not dominate at all and I didn’t feel we would lose after that; just because of the style of play. I now fully comprehend what Mazza meant by “bottling” 
; not that it is always possible to do what we did yesterday but yes..we did not bottle it yesterday. Going literally.. Bottling = Putting a cap on something. And we didn’t do that yesterday. So I guess u can argue that Villa forced us to “bottle” it; but as I said if the same personnel had been there that day they mightn’t have. Still all in all a great win and I’m really happy. Once again WE WILL WIN the title this year.
Now on to tomorrow’s kickfest at Ewood Park. I’m guessing all the fringe players will get a go. And I’m guessing we will be very fresh and on a high and will go and beat Blackburn tomorrow. The usual suspects to watch out for Blackburn would be Bentley with his crosses ; can Traore handle him? Might be a key area. The trickery and long range shooting from Pedersen and Tugay and the finishing of McCarthy and Santacruz is a genuine threat and trust me.. Blackburn CAN play football. They are not like Bolton who ccannot play anything but route 1 .. if they go behind they have the players to come out and play and nick something. Its just that they choose not to do this against Arsenal; so hence an early goal might help in forcing them to try and play. I’m looking at a big re-shuffle in the squad and so far Arsene’s done a brilliant job trying to keep the squad fresh. Anyone else think he’s rotating much better now? And making better substitutions than before? Maybe the tactical side of coaches like Benitez and Mourinho has helped him improve in what has traditionally been his “Achilles heel”. Oh well here’s the team that will most probably play:
Fabianski
Hoyte Song Senderos Traore
Theo Diarra Denilson Diaby
RVP Bendtner
If Theo doesn’t start Bert might come in and Denilson get pushed wide right which I hope doesn’t happen. Then again what are the alternatives unless you go and play Hleb or Rosicky again which is pointless and not needed.
Anyway Blackburn will scrap and give all they get and I can’s see a clean sheet either side. Still Arsenal being on such a high gives them an edge ; even at EWood Park.
Blackburn - 1 Arsenal - 2
79 Responses to “Blackburn - Arsenal (CC)”
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December 17th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Interesting stats to chew on.
Bentley is no. 1 for delivering the most crosses in the Prem - 172.
What if he’d stayed and won the Eboue slot…
Meanwhile is an unsung hero - second for making and winning tackles.
Reo-Coker Aston Villa 84 75%
Clichy Arsenal 79 86%
December 17th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
Clichy had SWP for breakfast yesterday most of the time. If you have blind speed it doesn’t matter Clichy will just beat you for pace. If his mind’s on the job..Clichy is without a doubt one of the best LB’s in the world. How many times did Cole come forward? Not many — sad that I hate him so much now; used to love him back then. The Queen pound notes rocked though :).
And the tackles thing isn’t surprising really…the number of “interceptions in front of the player” that he does are huge. And once thats done they can’t catch him.
December 17th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
Talking about Clichy, it just make you feel even better of that “Cole for Gallas” deal.
Simply put - Never really heard much of how we “missed” Cole after he left. Yet still can hear some quarter of Chelsea faithful mumbering of the loss of Gallas.
While John Terry’s game seemed to be going downhill without Gallas by his side, Gael Clichy has made the Arsenal fans virtually forgotton about Cashley Hole.
Fair to say, when Cole first left, and Clichy first took over the LB role, Cole was still a better LB than Clichy. But today it is very “debateable” to say the least.
Funny enough, Ashley Cole has carried his injury bug over to Stamford Bridge, while Clichy, once in danger of seeing his career ended prematurely by injury, rarely missed a game since he took over the starting LB role last season.
All in all, BARGAIN of the decade, or at least one of them, that “Cole for Gallas” deal.
One last note: Cashley actually gave away a few possessions cheaply high up the pitch yesterday, unfortunately we couldn’t cash in with our counter attack. Otherwise, it would have really made my day!
December 17th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
I’m pretty sure Theo’s out, and I wonder if we’ll see RVP starting; maybe it will be Dudu, with RVP as an impact sub?
I think Wenger would want to have RVP in shape to start in a 4-4-2 on Saturday against Sp*rs, now that Eboue is out.
December 17th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
Agree Andez, the Gallas for Cole xfer is looking great business both on the pitch and economically. And there is even a silver lining in Clichy’s periodic signs of inexperience - it just shows there is still a lot of upside development in his game. He can still improve significantly.
Macmac123 I agree Wenger is likely to withhold RvP as a sub for Blackburn - that will protect him from the initial argy bargy but give him a bit more game time before Spurs.
December 17th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
I am looking forward to seeing Fabianski in goal tomorrow. I hope the time representing the Gunners will help him to be a primary backup.
December 17th, 2007 at 11:38 pm
clichy is no where near the “best LB in the world”. at least not yet. he still has some fundamental flaws that he needs to correct to get there. 1. inconsistency. 2. positioning. 3. being effective upfront.
that said i do agree the gallas for cole deal was great.
as for the blackburn game, i hope we rest everybody that will start against spurs. i really do not care if we lose out in this game. it would mean two less games in a very, very hectic january.
December 17th, 2007 at 11:40 pm
Eduardo will surely start. I don’t think Wenger will risk RvP. The next games - Spurs, Pompey and Everton - are far more important than that Carling Cup.
I do think Blackburn are going to win this one. Not because they will play dirty and rough football but because it matters a lot more to them. They are in a bit of a slump and Mark Hughes will see this game as a big chance for silverware this season. He will field his strongest side and will have them up for it. For us, we simply have bigger fish to fry.
I strongly feel that Bentley would do a better job than Eboue and should have stayed. He would have been a much better player with us.
December 17th, 2007 at 11:44 pm
read on arseblog that usmanov was invited to the game yesterday by abramovitch. LOL. just imagine if usmanov manages to get his hands on the club. that would mean, derbies will be a battle between the toys of two fraudulent cretins looking to win personal bragging rights (shivers).
its nice how quiet they all have been - with arsenal on top of the league and all.
its funny how almost every top team that plays us invites either dein or usmanov for some reason. ManU, spurs and now chelsea. so these two guys when they are in the oppositions executive box as their guest, do they “celebrate” when arsenal scores?? it would be interesting to find out.
December 18th, 2007 at 1:05 am
I understand where people are coming from re giving the League Cup a low priority.
But for me I’d be happy to go through and win it. Whilst it is the lowest ranked domestic prize, it is a prize. And this team needs a win. There is nothing like winning things. For the great champion teams (and I’m hopeful Wenger is building one) the first taste of a win leaves them wanting more. It will also build this squads confidence and get the monkey off their back.
December 18th, 2007 at 1:39 am
Blackburn has to be a massive favorite to win Tuesday. This is a competition that I think the Rovers can win, and they probably believe they can, and they will be playing to win big in any way they can against Arsenal. A win by the Gunners would be a BIG deal for the Carling squad.
Alas, my head, not my heart, says Blackburn 2-1 Arsenal. To bad for Fabianski and others to end their season so soon.
December 18th, 2007 at 5:35 am
Blackburn let Wigan score five goals on Saturday. Wigan, are you f*cking kidding me?
With that, Santa Cruz did have a hattrick so he’ll be very confident. You just never know which Blackburn will show up.
Wenger said he expected Walcott to be fit for this game but with the way Warnock bullied little Theo last time, that might not be a good thing. If no Walcott, who’s going to play wide right?
For some reason, Walcott plays better when van Persie’s on the pitch. They spent a lot of time together in the off-season trying to get fit again. I noticed in the pre-season that they seem to have a unique understanding of one another and it’s carried on into the season.
December 18th, 2007 at 9:07 am
God knows what will happen tonight, Blackburn are leaking goals all over the place. If Senderos is playing with Song and not Gallas or Toure, he’ll panic even more and get himself in an even bigger mess than usual.
I can’t see us conceding less than 2, but can see us scoring a couple as well. So 2-2 sounds a good prediction. Don’t really care what happens, but should be very entertaining.
December 18th, 2007 at 9:53 am
Funny, DannyT, I think there will be a lot of goals tonight as well. It’s like I said earlier, you never know which Blackburn will show up. We embarassed them pretty bad last season with that 6-2 beating at the Emirates as well as the 2-0 blanking at Ewood with only ten men.
After Wednesday, I’d like to see Song in midfield again. I’m sure he’ll play in the back with Senderos but he had what was probably his best game for Arsenal last week in midfield. Remember, this kid’s only just turned twenty years old.
I read that Flamini’s rejected a 40,000 GBP a week offer from Arsenal. That’s pretty bold considering he’s only a metatarsal injury away from being unemployed. While I certainly wouldn’t wish that injury on anyone, even John Terry, reality is that these things happen in football. Considering that Diarra looks fully capable of doing his job and could make us not miss the Flamster if he were injured, I think it’s a crazy decision; especially since he says he wants to stay at the club. He’s had a few good games and suddenly he thinks he deserves the right to demand Fabregas/Hleb-type money. I don’t know who’s craziest, he or Diarra.
December 18th, 2007 at 10:59 am
Only one player from Sunday (Bendtner - played 3 minutes) is even in the squad for this match. Glad AW is sticking with his youth policy. I think he played Toure and Cesc a few too many times last year in this competition. Should be fun. I think we win 2-1. Bendtner and Eduardo on headers.
December 18th, 2007 at 11:02 am
Here is tonight’s squad. This has all the makings of an end-to-end goalfest.
Sendy for captain!
2 Abou DIABY (Age 21)
6 Philippe SENDEROS (Age 22)
8 Lassana DIARRA (Age 22)
9 EDUARDO (Age 24)
15 DENILSON (Age 19)
17 Alex SONG (Age 20)
21 Lukasz FABIANSKI (GK) (Age 22)
26 Nicklas BENDTNER (Age 19)
30 Armand TRAORE (Age 18)
31 Justin HOYTE (Age 22)
34 Kieran GIBBS (Age 18)
36 Mark RANDALL (Age 18)
40 Vito MANNONE (GK) (Age 19)
41 Gavin HOYTE (Age 17)
42 Fran MERIDA (Age 17)
43 Nacer BARAZITE (Age 17)
December 18th, 2007 at 11:08 am
Meanwhile, this just in:
MANCHESTER United stars were reeling last night after a woman claimed she was raped at their Christmas party.
Detectives were called to the boutique hotel venue at 4.15am yesterday over reports that a 26-year-old had been the victim of a sex attack.
And the players were said to be “in a state of shock” as news of the bombshell allegations became known.
If the woman was 66 years old, then “grab a granny” Rooney would be chief suspect!
December 18th, 2007 at 11:08 am
I hope we line up as follows:
Fabianski
Hoyte Song Senderos Traore
Diaby Denilson Diarra Gibbs
Bendtner Eduardo
Another great glimpse at the future. I love this competition.
December 18th, 2007 at 11:09 am
if im honest i defo want to see diarra, diaby and merida and some of the really young guys. Denilson is a great player but if were honest he will never get into first team cause of fab. Same with Dudu - not a bad buy by wenger but because of hleb stepping up this season (as he has hes been phenominal) dudu wont get games. Plus theres the fact that Ade is really starting to shine.
December 18th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Wenger is notoriously stubborn when it comes to contracts and new deals. If Flamini rejects what is given to him, I think he will be on his way.
December 18th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
I’m disappointed to read on BBC that Diarra might not be selected to play today because he had wanted to leave the club due to lack of first-team appearances.
I hope he does play tonight, put in a convincing performance, and gain some patience with his situation. If a 2-time WC champion and current Brazil captain can’t get a start, that should say a lot about the quality of the our current midfield’s form.
I would hate to see Diarra go - he’s the sort of backup we need when our first choice CDM’s get injured/suspended.
December 18th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Nipuna, I think at Arsenal, it’s not within the manager’s power to negotiate players’ contract, be it new signing or extension.
That’s the club’s policy since the George Graham incident. AW could ask or suggest the board to give the players a pay rise, but I don’t think it’s within his control how much money a player will earn.
that’s why Ashley Cole’s parting shot at Arsenal aimed at almost everybody but Wenger. The amount of money he wanted wasn’t because Wenger refused to give him, more it’s down to the board’s decision.
December 18th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
I’m looking forward to seeing how the youngsters respond to this challenge. I read something on soccernet where Wenger said Fabio has impressive abilities, and that the other goalkeepers at Arsenal know it. I think todays game will be pretty high scoring, I am going to say Arsenal 3 Rovers 2.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
I don’t have a problem with any player holding out in other to get the best deal he can get. The problem is knowing when/where to draw the line…
Cole, in my opinion, is an example of not knowing where/when to draw the line and stupidly chasing the Queen’s picture all over the place…
If flamster’s plays his cards well and he gets a great deal then so be it… if he is stupid enuf to jump ship in chase of money then… so be it. No human being is really indispensable
December 18th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
The problem with Flamini holding out is:
1) 40,000 quid a week is an awesome deal for Flamini. It’s not like he’s Patrick Vieira. In fact, he’s not even a regular for France (like Diarra). Besides, who else is going to pay him that kind of money?
2) If he ruptures a cruciate ligament or achilles tendon before he signs the deal and Diarra plays well, then he’d be really screwed.
If he really wanted to hustle, he could sign for like three years instead of five. It’s just a silly gamble in my opinion.
@neova, I think we’ve only got one World Cup winner in the team (Gilberto) and he’s only won it once.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Time for Eduardo to step up. He’s no stranger to this type of weather and should not be affected.
Hughes felt that some Arsenal player tackles deserved red in the Chelsea game. Why comment on a game where your team was not even playing. Mr.Hughes: You’re playing your strongest line up against a reserve side. Your team’s defense has been a sieve. Your team has the “un-deserve” reputation of being a bully team while you claim they play ‘football’. You’re are desperately trying to influence the referee before the game. Your future England credentials will be tarnished if your team loses tonight.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
I would like to see both Hoytes playing, I think I have only seen Justin play.
December 18th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Good point Joshuad. I agree it looks ridiculous for him to demand that much but I guess he is thinking why not give a little more a shot
If that’s his thinking then good… otherwise i already feel sorry for him 
BTW, just checked score: 0-2 to the Arsenal… I sincerely hope they bottle it ala Aston Villa
December 18th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
arggh… i spoke too soon
December 18th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
That prick Savage has just stood in central midfield while Arsenal run rings round him.
December 18th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
we should probably have started this team against boro … lol.
December 18th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
The sense of layers of youngsters developing at Arsenal is something we may never see again.
I saw a vidoe of Vela playing against Real Madrid recently. Whilst he clearly needs to develop the end product to his game the problems he caused Real were unbelievable. Ramos had to foul him continually.
Vela is physically imposing and played on the left, reminded me a bit of ManU’s Ronaldo.
December 18th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
Senderos’ shite defense almost allowed an equalizer. Fortunately Song booted it away.
December 18th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Can anyone tell me if a red card suspension in a CC match is enforced in a BPL match? It appears as though Didier Zakora received one for Tottenham today.
Disappointed we are tied 2-2 right now, btw.
December 18th, 2007 at 5:51 pm
I gotta say, regardless of how the match ends (clock is at 89:30) right now, the arsenal kids have got to be proud of todays performance. after the last few so-so arsenal performances, this display has made me real happy.
December 18th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
A straight red card in the Carling Cup will mean 3 match suspension for all following domestic games.
Lads have fought well, but haven’t got a prayer now with Laurel & Hardy in central defence.
December 18th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
yup, 3 match suspension in all domestic games……so he is out till the new years game. but he was highly unlikely to feature anyway so no big loss.
December 18th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
EDUARDO SCORES IN THE 103rd!!!
December 18th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
3-2 to 10 man kiddie arsenal
December 18th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
Song’s pass to Eduardo was a wonderful thing to see. The possibility of facing Spurs in the next round is exciting considering what the Gunners have done with a reduced side.
December 18th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
You have to hand it to Song - he was losing the plot a bit but stepped up to create that goal. His engine is massive.
December 18th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
ronaldinho song…LOL.
he always comes good in the “barca” jersey.
December 18th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
determination won today….amazing performance by almost everyone in arsenal
December 18th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
It’s ALL OVER!
We are through with a 2-3 win. Amazing considering the circumstances.
Really proud of the boys (kids)!
Up the Arse! Kiss the Crest! Believe!
December 18th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
One of the most GUTSY performance I have seen from ANY Arsenal side.
10 men, away against Blackburn, with a virtually B side, only one player aged above 22. And we still managed to win!!! If I were Mark Hughes, I would have digged a hole on Ewood Park and hide my head in it!
December 18th, 2007 at 6:42 pm
blackburn should be utterly ashamed of themselves.
full squad against our kids of which eduardo and diaby were the oldest at 24 and 22 LOL. and then a man up for over 30 minutes. LOL.
but how do they get their defense torn directly thru the center???? i hardly ever see that happen in modern football. they should hang their heads in humiliation.
as for eduardo, its apparent he is best down the center solely as a poacher. and i suits him when the team plays around or for him i think.
anyway, great win. meaningless cup but awesome win. these exact boys must play the semis as well.
December 18th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
I only saw the first half and that was impressive. But how the 10 men (or boys) held out is amazing
Why do I have the feeling that Arsenal will meet Spurs in the semis?
What kids. Am I the only one who had not heard of Randall before tonight?
December 18th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
DAMN!!!!!
That was the most exciting Arsenal game I’ve seen this year. Perhaps it was because we had to be underdogs going to Blackburn and playing with the B-team. Give the boys some credit… some massive credit. Blackburn were crawling all over us to start the 2nd half, and the equalizer was inevitable, but somehow, after that goal the kids settled down and really dictated the game with slick passing and good possession. And they kicked it up another gear when Denilson got sent off. Who was playing with 10 men? You couldnt tell for most of the overtime.
Song was MOTM for me. Wenger may have found another gem here. He got outjumped for Santa Cruz’s header but thats par for the course for an Arsenal defender… otherwise, he mopped up everything back there… and i mean everything. He saved a goal earlier when Santa Cruz got through but managed to scramble back and clear the ball with an open goal. You have to give him credit for the way he can bring the ball out of the back with a midfielders control and drive. Blackburn had no idea they had to pick him up, and in overtime he was driving through Blackburn again and again from the back. He was like our 11th man in OT, and delivered the killer ball to release Eduardo.
Eduardo has been a disappointment in open play, but the boy can finish! Clinical two goals…. absolutely clinical.
December 18th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
I must say, now i think ppl really should leave AW alone on his buying policy. I started watching English football before the EU days, so do have a fond spot for English players.
but when u pair them alongside the foreign players, they just look so out of soft. I have been long looking forward to some homegrowth English players coming through, but they are just plain simple not good enough.
Particularly in terms of decision-making, passing and technic. Young Randall, in the 2nd half particular (when the pressure was mounting), started to become a liability because of his inability to keep possession. Justin Hoyte’s passing also not up to the same wavelength as his teammates.
Then we look at Blackburn. They are like a traditional English side - dangeours only with their crossing. Bentley is supposed to be the future England RM. If that is the case, you do really start worry about England’s future.
December 18th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
Like everyone, I’m immensely pleased for our youngsters. Again they show they have a maturing level of skill, competitiveness, self belief…….and bottle! When you consider this is’nt even our 2nd team it shows just how quickly the younger players are collectively maturing.
I want us to go on and win this cup.
December 18th, 2007 at 6:56 pm
This was a fantastic performance by the boys. I can safely say today they became men! We saw different aspects of their game today played exceptionally free flowing football in the first half and then had to defend strong in the second half and then had to play extra time with 10 men but still managed a goal! What else can you say. very entertaining game. Song was immense for me candidate for man of the match but maybe Diarra would nick it. Eduardo is a 100% pure striker…nothing more nothing less.
December 18th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
Song’s an interesting one. Everyone was bagging him big-time and questioning Wenger’s judgement in keeping him. Wenger started playing him at CB and it looked to me a replay of the path Toure took. From midfield/utility to mobile CB.
Coming to think of it, the Arsene Wenger prototype CB is incresingly looking about 6ft, mobile, with alround footballing ability.
December 18th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
Wow. I was only kidding earlier about Sendy for captain. Maybe that’s the solution to his nerves!
Who would have thought Song would be the rock at the heart of defence. Awesome stuff from the boys, especially when it was real backs-to-the-wall time. Particularly impressed again by Eduardo’s nerveless finishing. Give him a through ball and it’s job done.
The only blot was Denilson’s two-footed tackle - nasty and quite unnecessary. Actually, he was the probably our side’s only under-performer, getting caught on the ball a lot, and failing with many of his throughballs.
It’s got to be Sp*rs in the semis again surely.
December 18th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
I agree Song is like Toure… I dont think he’s as quick but he has better ball handling abilities than Toure. He seems tough and willing to throw his body around like Kolo. Perhaps he’ll mature into the defender we are looking for. I think Djourou better get his ass back here to fight for his place cuz Song may pass him on the pecking order.
Diarra definitely has a good engine and was all over the place but I still get frustrated by his propensity to give the ball away. I think for Arsenal, the first and foremost ability a central midfielder needs is the ability to maintain possession. Flamster isnt has dynamic on the tackle but he links up well and has been good at making the simple, easy pass. Of course, when you line up with Cesc and the rest of the first team it is easier to make the easy pass, but I just get the feel that Diarra is good to the ball, can dribble and turn in tight spaces, but then makes a foolish pass.
Merida had a few nice touches today, and I am eager to see how that kid progresses.
December 18th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
My man Eduardo STEPPED UP big time!
We have just found our CB cover when Toure departs: Song. We have to be impressed with the way he picked up head and his game after one or two slack moments. He started to make Toure like runs from the back and Blackburn never picked him up. He was trying to play one-twos on the edge of the box. He became immense at the back in extra-time. His slide rule pass to that ice cold killer Eduardo was reminiscent of a pass he made at Charlton that led to a goal as well. What a difference a loan spell has made with this player.
Fabianski is still a work in progress.
J. Hoyte made two blocks at the end that saved the game.
Bendtner suddenly forgot how to pass and dribbled into too many cul-de-sacs.
Arsenal’s first 45 min was simply brilliant football. Too many second halves have seen us struggling to hang on. Song was the player who today took the game by the scruff of the neck.
Diaby continues to impress.
Mark Randall who? Very clean one-two that set up our first goal.
Denilson had a solid game until that rush of blood tackle.
We were extremely lucky in the second half when Blackburn opted for “route one” football that we had a linesman who actually knows the offsides rule
December 18th, 2007 at 7:27 pm
Yes Denilson failed on his throughballs, the one for Eduardo’s first goal especially.
Those of you who were wondering what “bottle” meant saw plenty of it from the Arsenal kids tonight. Blackburn “bottled” it. They were a man up against Arsenal but they were afraid to put on extra attackers (McCarthy for Derbyshire when it should have been a midfielder/defender coming off). They lacked the guts to really take the game to Arsenal.
A very interesting game but the next three league games are more important. I wouldn’t be surprised to see us second come New Year’s Day given the pattern of games. By the end of January though we should be back on top.
December 18th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
Arsenal never cease to amaze me sometimes. Such is the complexity of our enigmatic mentality, the sending off of Denilson probably won us the game.
As strange as that may sound, it seemed to liberate us a bit and prompted us to play in vertical lines as opposed to playing nervous horizontals. Denilson had gotten to that stage where he was basically a waste of space; he couldn”t pick the right pass, he shielded the ball for too long, and showed naiviety in the tackle. He wasn’t the only one who made elementry errors but his absence certinaly lit a fire up Diarra’s arse for the remainder of the game.
Song was impressive. It doesn’t reflect to well on Senderos that Song has barely played centre back for four months and yet he looked like the experienced one out of the two. He really does read the game well from the centre back vantage point.
Special mention for Merida. He really looked the business from the moment he stepped on the pitch. Hopefully we will see more from him.
December 18th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
Kiwi (#32). I now watch all Osasuna games to check out Vela. He was ‘their’ best player in that Real game. His problem was the supporting cast is not good enough. He has worked his way into the starting lineup.
December 18th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
i dont mean to overrate or over-hype him, neither do i think he will become a messaih anything soon - however, i dont think diarra has done or can do anything alex song cant.
is it drive? nope.
control? nope. song loses the ball less.
tackling? nope. about the same.
heading? nope.
passing? song thrumps him definitely.
strength? nope.
plus song is much taller.
anyway, the point is diarra is not exactly indispensable.
December 18th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
I cannot stop raving about Song’s performance. To pick up on Mazza’s (#57) point about who was looking like the veteran CB today. How many times did Song have to cover for an out of position Senderos who at times looked clueless about where he should be. Senderos had to cover once for Song when his clear out deflected to Derbyshire in the box.
December 18th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
yeah, i think the sending off was our turning point. cos i was already resigning to losing.
December 18th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
Diarra was man of the match for me, Song was a close second. Diarra was an animal in midfield and looks a superb player. He can play right back or take either of the central midfield positions, which makes him extremely useful and the sort of player who should always be on the bench at the very least.
Goodbye Gilberto, goodbye Hoyte, goodbye Eboue - hopefully - this will eradicate the problem of having too many players in similar positions and will hopefully keep the likes of Diarra and Diaby happy.
December 18th, 2007 at 8:13 pm
ctpa #58. I haven’t followed Osasuna - only saw the RM game, but I was left with the same impression from just that game - that Vela didn’t have team-mates on the same level to maximise the chaos he caused.
Songs performance shows us again the stupidity in prematurely judging young players.
December 18th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
Amazing how Wenger acted quickly to address RB. Last year we looked weak in that area, Eboue was a headcase and Hoyte, a backup at best. In came Sagna and Diarra and we now look very strong in that area. And I still think a lot of our improvement overall defensively is due to Sagna bringing solidity to the right flank.
Toure no longer has to compensate for Eboue’s deficiencies, so he is free to concentrate more on his role. Add to that Gallas has settled, Alumnia doesn’t have Lehmann’s headcase tendencies at set pieces, and Clichy has a years more experience.
December 18th, 2007 at 8:25 pm
1st Blackburn goal is offside - no question.
December 18th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
http://arsenalgoalsclips.wordpress.com/2007/12/18/blackburn-rovers-vs-arsenal-carling-cup-quarter-finals/
ENJOY!
December 18th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
@64. Yes Kiwi, I think the addition of Sagna is one of the KEY reasons of our significant improvement as a team this season.
And very good point on the Toure part. Indeed he no longer has to cover the RB’s void when at the past Eboue pushed forward. Hoyte probably is a better defender than Eboue, but that is it, he’s a liability on the attacking end.
I think the presence of Eboue on RM is also vital as well. Take the Chelsea match, when he off injury, and we brought on van Persie. Despite the fact van Persie had made an instant impact offensively, Hleb, on the other hand, failed to offer as much cover for Sagna as Eboue did. And Chelsea started to bomb forward mainly at that flank, and caused us some problems.
Eboue is probably even more important in a 4-4-2 formation than 4-5-1. He’s playing more like a Ray Parlour role at the past in a 4-4-2 down the right - to give us some balance defensively.
If we play both Hleb and Rosicky down the flank in a 4-4-2, unless the oppositions are not strong offensively, or lack pace, otherwise we may have some problem defensively.
December 18th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
Amen to Fred son Song. I think fans often write off young players too quickly. I thinl every season there’s a player everyone loves to hate. In seasons past it was Hleb and Flamini, now we bemoan the situation when they are hurt. This season its Eboue and Senderoos. I mean Eboue is only the best crosser of the ball in our team, in addition to providing a defensive steel our right lane. I’m not saying some criticism is not in order, but put everything in persepective. There are some people on this board who have already written off Denilson and Song. I mean Denilson is only 19, with less than a full season for arsenal, I hope Song tonight will start getting a fair break.
December 18th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
amazing job by the young lads, we played a real cup thriller against a full strenght blackburn, away, and we pulled it off in extra time. the game, as a whole, was simply brilliant. everything you want to see in a football match, and a win to boot!
no question, song was the man of the match but everyone played well, i really have no complaints, except the denilson red card and i felt more sorry than angry. also felt very sorry with nacer’s injury, i was looking forward to watching this kid link up with bendtner and eduardo, let’s hope he is not badly injured
bring on the spuds!
December 18th, 2007 at 9:13 pm
Groovehouse #68, overall I’m with you man.
But Eboue’s theatrical behaviour, moaning and whining is quite simply horrid. Every time he picks himself off the turf there is this contorted facial expression to suggest he has been grieviously wronged. He crys wolf so often that when he went down from Joe Cole’s tackle my first thought was that he was playacting! (no-kidding)
If he cut out the stupidity I’d be happy to give him time to develop further in his right-sided midfield role.
On the playing front, yes he has made a number of delicious crosses into the box and some have resulted in goals. But as far as real end-product that is about all I’ve seen in his offensive repertoire - and in reality those crosses have been few. His runs normally end nowhere (although that may improve with time). So at this stage offensively he is a bit of a one-trick pony.
On defense from the midfield role, I must admit some surprise in that he hasn’t stood out to me as much as I expected. Although others like yourself and Andez above are impressed, so maybe I’m being too harsh.
But our sagely manager is very forebearing so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him suffer Eboue’s immaturity and maybe eventually turn his head around and back into alignment. If so, we may see him fulfill his undoubted potential.
December 18th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
sorry to see nacer go down too, but i was wondering why he came on instead of merida. nacer looked off the pace and lost the ball a number of times… he wasnt quick enough into the tackles defensively and he didnt do much on the offensive end. I guess Wenger figured with the game tied 2-0 he needed a little more direct attacking threat, as I believe Nacer plays forward for the reserves. Anyways, in the few touches that Merida got, you definitely saw some quality. He once got himself into the edge of the box, did a few nice cruyff turns to create some space and almost found eduardo at the far post with a decent cross. i’d like to see more of this kid.
diaby drifts in and out of the game, but when he’s in… he definitely has impact. i hope he continues to develop. there are going to be plenty of other teams benefitting from the arsenal “kids” that dont make it full time into the first team.
December 18th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Sweet, sweet, sweet…
and,
shocked, shocked, shocked.
December 18th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
i think diaby is best at the beginning of games for the first 30 minutes then in patches there after. so for the first team he would be good for the bench if we need a goal. he is greedy and a goal threat so he and bendtner have a vital jobs they can do from the bench.
all in all i agree, we have to get rid of eboue and gilberto as soon as possible to give diaby and diarra some breathing space. with the former two gone these two will be able to get time on the bench at the very least.
so its everton, spuds and us. with chelsea/pool.
its almost inevitable that we face spuds again.
December 18th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
Does anyone know where I can download a torrent of the game?
December 18th, 2007 at 11:57 pm
Brendan K-
This is the site I use… http://www.fbtz.com/forum/
but unfortunately no one has capped this game. Hopefully someone can pull it off ATVO… I think Carling Cup matches are ATVO. Please let me know if you find this game. I was lucky enough to see this streamed… and I would have to put the game up with this year’s best for sheer excitement.
December 19th, 2007 at 10:50 am
Thanks Coach_ed. I signed up at that site. I’ll keep an eye out for it. If you find a torrent, please let me know.
December 19th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
BrendanK-
A chinese low qual version has been posted…. better than nothing. Check out the site.
December 19th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Cheers man. I had been checking but I gave up too quickly. Much appreciated
December 20th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
brendan K -
http://www.fbtz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=91073
english version!!!! this is a game for the archives.