Jan 09
No one’s submitted a preview yet for this one, which is a bit surprising considering we’re playing Spuds. I’m not entirely sure what to make of that. Could it be that people consider this a cakewalk? Or, is it the other end of the spectrum that’s closer to the truth? Are people worried that Spuds will be so up for this after last year, (not to mention losing both league games this season) that they’ll prove the toughest test yet for this year’s youngsters?
I’m at work, so my time is limited, but I’d love to hear your thoughts. Have at it below!
91 Responses to “Arsenal v Spurs - Carling Cup Semi 1st Leg”
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January 9th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Anyone going to Dark Horse in Philly for the game this afternoon??
January 9th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
What’s the lineup, then?
Fabianski
Hoyte Senderos Djourou Traore
Walcott Gilberto Denilson Diaby
Eduardo Bendtner?
January 9th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Too jammed Mike…to submit a preview this time. SachinG also vanished all of a sudden
. Yep I’m with Nicosian on the lineup..that’s the exact lineup Arsene will play.
If things are tight Sagna will come on for Hoyte or Walcott to play on the RW and RVP on for Diaby. If we cruise then Randall and Lansbury might get a few minutes.
Overall I think we’ll still nick it 2-1
January 9th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
I think that team is strong enough to beat Spurs. But they will have to play exceptionally well because Spurs are going to be charged up for this game. Obviously Senderos and Djourou are a worrisome combo. This should also be a great challenge for Traore to go against Lennon. I think Traore is going to be an exceptional player. His performances have been uneven this year. But he has played against some class players and he is still only 18. Our defense looks like our weak spot but it is the same for Spurs. I only wish Diarra wasn’t so impatient, so he could slide in the middle with Denilson and put Gilberto at center back. I predict a 3-2 win for the Gunners.
January 9th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Diarra is in the squad.
January 9th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Thanks for posting Mike. I too thought about throwing something together while at work…
I agree with Fred’s lineup from the FA Cup thread. Sagna instead of Hoyte. Wenger must be avoiding having Lehmann on the bench for Carling Cup but why not Almunia? I think he would understand…
Diarra’s absence is telling. I only see 2 players on the bench that COULD see any significant time- the striker (RVP), and Justin Hoyte. It was good to watch the FA Cup and see that Traore is filling out some.
Go Gunners! Tough matchup but this close to the finals it is to be expected. Hopefully they have some tired legs!
January 9th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
DannyT, where are you seeing that Diarra is in the squad? That would be great news.
Also, I just read that Fat Sam is out at Newcastle. That club is a joke. I am certainly not a big fan of Allardyce, but his sacking is a bit ridiculous. However, it seemed as if Newcastle was one of the clubs most after Diarra. I wonder how this will affect things.
January 9th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
According to the Arsenal website Diarra is not in the squad. If he can’t even get into the squad for a CC game I assume that means he is probably as good as gone. It’s kind of a shame since he is obviously a good player, but if you look at his history he seems to have trouble sticking around at anywhere. I almost think they should loan him out for the rest of the season, particularly since there is the possibility that they could lose Flamini in the off season. Anyway, having Djourou and Senderos in D makes me a bit (really) nervous, especially since Berbatov is really on form at the moment. But the bottom line is that if we lose to Spurs, then it took their best squad to beat a bunch of kids, which doesn’t exactly say alot for their team.
January 9th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
I read it on several websites, but now two of them have retracted it. Unless Diarra is injured it looks like he’s on his way out, which would be ridiculous. I don’t care what Diarra moans about, the fact is he’s miles better the Flamini and it’s a total f*ck up in my book if Arsenal let him leave. You should play the best players for the benefit of Arsenal football club, and Diarra has never been given the chance a player of his calibre deserves.
January 9th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
I agree 100% about Diarra. Wenger would be foolish to let him go now after only half a season. Seatlegooners suggestion of a loan deal would be fantastic though. It would give Wenger a chance to see what Diarra can really do before making a permanent decision. I am convinced that he would be a far better player than Flamini if given the chance.
As for the game today I have to say I am not really optimistic about our chances considering their current form, our personnel and the law of averages. I have a feeling they could nick this one. I am especially concerned about our defense going against Berbatov Keane and Lennon (if Traore plays against him)
January 9th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Hey Mike, LDE, after I said so much about Spurs for the league game preview, I truly had no idea where to begin for this one
But looking forward to the game..
I thought away goals didn’t count at all but as per these rules, it seems that away goals do matter at the end of the 30 minute extra time if the two teams are still level after 2 legs: (unless I am reading this wrong)
In the Semi-Final ties, if the aggregate score is level at the end of the second game an extra half-hour shall be played &; If the aggregate scores are still level at the end of extra time the tie shall be decided by goals scored away from home counting twice.&; If the teams remain equal after this procedure the tie shall be determined by the taking of kicks from the penalty mark in accordance with the Laws of Association Football
Rules can be found here
January 9th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Firstly let’s wait and see if Diarra is going or whether Wenger is letting him get his bearings….it seems to me he needs to find them.
If he does go, and that’s if, I’m not sure exactly where Arsenal have f*cked up. Should Wenger have dropped Flamini a performing player for a player signed at the last minute with no integration whatsoever? And in any event the egotistical little numbscull has had game-time, but obviously not enough for his liking.
On the playing front where it counts, when he has played he has looked like a guy who needs more time to adjust to the Arsenal way. This backs up Wenger’s handling of him in giving him a gentle introduction to the first team (which is what almost everybody gets!).
No Wenger hasn’ t done a thing wrong, this is all about Diarra’s impatience and wanting to command a 1st team place before he has even proved he is currently playing better than the incumbent.
January 9th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
@ danny: what fucking calibre are u talking about??? he is 22 and has played at rightback mostly….for both france and chelsea. if HE cant be patient and fight for at least one year then he is an IDIOT.
stop OVERHYPING the guy.
or where u chanting for us to buy diarra in the summer??
January 9th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
i agree with fred.
i would hate to lose diarra because he shows some real tenacity, energy and he is very good with the ball in tight spaces. but the boy loses the ball a lot and it is far from clear how good he can really be. he was very good in the blackburn game but how the hell can anyone say he is miles ahead of flamster? i think he is a big question mark, along with guys like diaby, denilson and needs time to figure out if he can slot in long term.
so if he is a problem and a sulker, let him go because we dont need that on our team and we probably have 1 too many CMs at the moment. but lets cast him off somewhere far away. perhaps ukraine or something.
January 9th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
ridiculous to fault wenger for his approach to diarra. he’s been easing him in like he does with everyone, and if diarra can’t deal, tough.
January 9th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
looks like van persie’s getting the start over eduardo. interesting.
January 9th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
I would love to see Arsenal put in a bid for Steven Taylor of Newcastle. He only has a year and half on his contract and looks like he is going to continue to refuse offers of new terms from Newcastle. I think he would be an ideal 3rd choice center back. He is young, could be relatively cheap because of his contract situation, and talented. Plus Newcastle are in perpetual shambles. I know, I know….AW won’t do it. But I still think he would be an excellent fit.
January 9th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Actually happy to see Sagna on the bench- if we need some extra resolve at the back he is available.. Trying to rest Eduardo makes sense too- 20-25 minutes today will be fine for him.
Glad to read others come to the defense of Flamini- I liked him last year as a squad player but he has really stepped up and makes the team more dynamic and blasted my expectations of him. Diarra should follow his example and work through the summer to battle for the spot!
That said, I understand some of his concern- he plays RB for France yet is behind Sagna, a French RB. His preferred position is CM but plays behind Flamini, a French CM. If he stays here and doesn’t supplant Flamini, why would be continue as first choice for France?
January 9th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Saw last 15 of a replay of Aston Villa vs. Tottenham -hopefully O’Hara marks Bendtner for a corner kick!!
Brendan, re: Taylor perhaps he needs the right coaching but I have seen more than enough Senderos moments from Taylor to really be keen on him. Our 3rd choices are as good, in-house, and hopefully have more potential (Djourou at least..).
January 9th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
I’m sure Van Persie is starting because Spurs are so crap at set pieces. Not only can Van Persie deliver great crosses and corners but he can header a cross too.
January 9th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Is anyone else having trouble streaming this one on sopcast?
January 9th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Match delayed until 2000 (or 3 pm ET) - might be the problem…
January 9th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
You have to worry about Arsenal’s defence tonight. I am sure Toure usually plays with the kids in this competition, or even Gallas, but tonight neither. Hoyte, Djourou, Senderos, Traore against Bebatov and Keane who have scored over 47 goals in 50 appearances together. Will be fascinating.
January 9th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Thanks man.
As for Taylor, I watched him play with the U-21’s and thought he was a beast. I try not to judge anyone’s defending while they are Newcastle. But if its defensive coaching that he does need, I don’t know if Arsenal is the best place for it.
January 9th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Why is the kick-off 15 minutes late?
January 9th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Problems with trains.
January 9th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Unless there is a vast improvement Arsenal will go down 2-0/3-0.
January 9th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
It feels again like the midfield is letting us down.
January 9th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Yep, Gilberto has been a lazy cunt I’m afraid to say. He’s just not interested and hasn’t tracked his runners once.
January 9th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Diaby’s performance also leaves something to be desired.
January 9th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Tottenham have put in double the work rate. I think Arsenal boys have been reading too many Tottenham never beat Arsenal headlines. What pisses me off is that Diarra is at home twiddling his thumbs Wenger knows he’s going to sell Gilberto and Gilberto knows it, so why the hell is he playing a player who doesn’t care and has looked like it all season.
January 9th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
2 substitutions at half time, unprecedented.
January 9th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Gilberto has been rather average, we lost steam after a bright start. really need to pick it up for the second!
January 9th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
0-1 to Sp*rs and not a huge surprise so far.
I especially admired Sendy’s recovery pace trying to stop the goal. What a snail.
We have to come out fighting for second half. VanP’s looked smart but obviously not yet up to speed. But the Gilberto-Denilson-Diaby midfield has looked the least dynamic. Definitely agree Diarra should have been in instead of Gilberto, who looks a bit of crock, I hate to say.
January 9th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
why was vanP subbed, i wud take of gilberto if anyone!
January 9th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
doesnt seem to be enuf fire power on the bench this time!
January 9th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
disastrous defense and midfield - all 8 of them…….gilberto is the worst of the lot in my opinion.
walcott is terrible as well.
hilariously enough i think we MISS song!!! why? because, he is the only 2nd team player that has sufficient calm and poise to play a simple through pass!
only a miracle or a flash of unlikely magic will give us a goal.
i pray we can keep this to just a two goal deficit. i just cant see who will create a goal for us.
we can always bring the first team in for the second leg. lets just keep the score low here.
January 9th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
two legs, thank you higher being
January 9th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
wtf is wrong with the commentators…fuckin twats
January 9th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
gilberto is the definition of the word disaster in my view. his play is really pathetic….
January 9th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
this is painful watching the spurs walk all over us!
January 9th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
traore….wtf….cant take anymore of this….almost threw my keyboard through my monitor
January 9th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
walcott
January 9th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Bottlers!
January 9th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
YEAHHHHHH!!!!!!
January 9th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Oh ye of little faith - great pass from Gilberto then from Eduardo and great finish by the Englander!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 9th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
The Hand of Theo!!!!!!
January 9th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
If Arsenal played with 3 players Tottenham would still find a way to fuck it up.
January 9th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
whats that on defoes head ?
January 9th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
hahahah, walcott misshoots the ball to his hand LOL.
if spurs cant beat THIS arsenal team they need to just give up.
January 9th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Yeah great 3 yard pass from Gilberto to Eduardo, shame about the other 50 he passed to Tottenham.
January 9th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Worst match I’ve seen the youngsters have in a LOOOOOOOOOOONG time
January 9th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Did Theo’s shot really deflect off of his own hand? - couldn’t see it on my tiny lap screen
January 9th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
3yd pass? C’mon on….
January 9th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
No wonder Ramos told Defoe to fuck off with that haircut.
January 9th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Fucking hell Thompson, it was Eduardo’s pass that cut Tottenham in half. Why are you sticking up for a player who has been half asleep for 90 minutes?
January 9th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
I’m not sticking up for his play as a whole in this game or this season - all has been pretty crappy - I’m just simply saying that he made a very fine pass to get the scoring play going, and I’m very grateful he did. Full stop.
January 9th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Nothing like a Setanta promo in-game seconds before a corner kick.
January 9th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
LOL kbarham
January 9th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
whew….. L U C K Y
January 9th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
i’ll take a 1-1 after that shite performance - eduardo looks dangerous gentlemen
January 9th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
sometimes u feel that as if Spurs are cursed on conceding late goals. They did it again again, regardless of any competition.
no doubt the Spurs first team outplayed Arsenal second team today, it’s just unbelievable how they failed to kill off us. If only Defoe’s finishing touch was as cute as his haircut, they would have been the 2nd team beaten Arsenal at Emirates.
but hell, they are the Tottenham Bottlers. And the fact that they failed to finish off us may come back to haunt them in the 2nd leg.
January 9th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
spurs were up for this one
and arsenal werent, good play by eduardo again, walcott seemed good in spurts the rest varied from mediocre to rather pathetic (gilberto)
luck played a big role here!
berbatov is a top top player
spurs bottled it
January 9th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
gilberto has pretty much turned into a figure of “hate” for me right now. isnt it possible to release a player even if no team bids for him?
if gilberto had been our first choice in lieu of flamini then we would certainly have been struggling in 4th place by now. not only is he the ultimate possession gifter, he kills the team dynamic.
if wenger doesnt want to play diarra, fine. but play diaby and denilson in the middle and put maybe gibbs or randall on the left. gilberto is a dead-man walking and he must NEVER play for us again.
January 9th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
And Gilberto better gather himself up, the way he been playing, i m not sure Juve will still be interested.
i can understanding having not being a first team regular it may be tough to get going, and he may be a bit rusty, but there was no excuse for all those poor passing, at times it felt like he’s “winning” all the possession for Spurs.
January 9th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Fabianski (6) Dropped a cross, otherwise ok
Hoyte (6) Ok
Djourou (4) Pretty dreadful, he’s not going to be the answer - need a centre back
Senderos (5) Usual clown like errors
Traore (6) Put some good crosses in, contained Lennon, but more to do with Lennon playing like a retard
Walcott (3) Scored a goal, somehow - otherwise totally anonymous
Denilson (4) Short passing was ok, set pieces were fucking atrocious
Gilberto (2) Abysmal, utterly abysmal, should never play for Arsenal again
Diaby (5) Perked up in second half, first half was lazy and inept
Van Persie (6) Some classy touches in first half
Bendtner (5) Won his fair share of headers, worked hard but got no midfield support
Subs:
Sagna (6) Made a difference defensively
Eduardo (7) Beautiful pass to Walcott for goal
Ok, so the performance stunk like shit - but with a makeshift defence full of obvious chinks Arsenal were always going to be vulnerbale. What was disappointing was the midfield whose work rate was pretty appalling and gave the ball away all night long, led by our wonderful experienced Brazilian ex-captain Gilberto who mentally left Arsenal 6 months ago. If it’s not too late, Diarra should replace him NOW.
Arsenal were incredibly lucky to even score a goal, Tottenham naused it up again and should have won at a canter. Second leg will be hilarious if Spurs cock that up as well, but I doubt Wenger will play anything other than his reserves again.
January 9th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Fabianski needs to be a bit calmer
Traore much better than this weekend
Senderos a little shaky
Djourou shockingly bad. good sub.
Hoyte a little shaky
Gilberto shockingly bad. gave the ball away again and again.
Denilson decent game aside from his lousy set piece delivery. failed to pick up Jenas
Walcott lousy game. but luck prevailed in the end
Diaby needs a left foot bigtime
Bendtner ok. would have changed the game if he put away early header
RvP rusty… out of shape
Sagna totally different class from our other defenders. huge gap between first and 2nd team defense
Eduardo definitely improving his link up play. very encouraging.
overall we deserved to lose to a spurs team that was just better than us. berbatov is sheer class. i’m hoping bendtner can develop into a berbatov type player.
January 9th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Wenger’s excuse - we suffered physically at Burnley. Jesus. He’s nuts.
January 9th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
well is he going to come out and say “We were just shockingly bad today, and we got lucky”??? I guess a few managers would do that, but thats just not wengers style nver has been.
January 9th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Yeah, but you have to think of a better excuse than that, 60% of the team never played at Burnley.
January 9th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
though why the hell is wenger playing gilberto, when he clearly is somewhere else this season? why would be start him over diarra or even diaby?
You can see where this spurs side is headed with ramos, though they still have some of their old bottling mentality left over, luckily for us today. The key for them is to hold on to berbatov I guess
January 9th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Ditto Danny T’s report card.
I just couldn’t believe how lame Gilberto was tonight. He seemed to be missing even a scrap of professional pride. Traore’s freekick into the night air was a head-shaker. Theo’s bustling always seemed to lead him into a cluster of Sp*rs players = he’s got work on releasing a pass sooner.
Anyone notice VanP’s string of quick first-time passes in the the early build-up play. He’s mentally, if not physically yet, a step ahead of his second-string team-mates. I look forward to him trading wits with Hleb, Cesc and Mozart.
Sendy once again failed to convince me he has any more potential to be realized. He repeatedly got caught in no-man’s land on through balls, neither staying deep to head them clear or challenging the front man so hard he can’t lay it off and run for the return.
Literally his first touch was a clearance straight to the opposition.
Our attempts to play offside were noticeably erratic.
But we ceded this game in the midfield, getting out pockets picked endlessly, and failing to keep possession. We were smart enough or accurate to force Sp*rs to wear themselves out chasing the ball.
Eduardo’s pass was class and let’s generously assume Theo would have buried the chance without the helpful tackle and rebound. (Bill Gates generous, I know, but still.)
I’m not exactly looking forward to the second leg right now.
January 9th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
It amazes me how Denilson manages to escape the wrath of almost every Arsenal fan. Okay, Gilberto is the experienced one but Denilson is an absolute waste of space. At 19 consistency is supposed to be the problem but he’s been a complete non-entity in nearly every single game he’s played and has shown nothing more than average ability since day one.
He’ll be the same at 20, 21,22, and 23. Mr. Average.
January 9th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
This is why I am furious. I am not sticking up for Diarra when he says he is frustrated about not playing, but why the hell is he not playing at least ahead of Gilberto if not Flamini? What the fuck did Wenger buy Diarra for? He knew Gilberto was leaving that’s why, so why does he still play Gilberto instead of getting Diarra in there, especially when Gilberto’s performances have been appalling. If you were Diarra you would see all this and be hopping mad too.
January 9th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
yes that is true half of this side didnt play at burnley. wenger just doesnt publicly criticize his players.
The sagna sub was important and the eduardo one turned out to be as well. Walcott still frustrates, fades from games, lacks guts and killer instinct not to mention a good football brain. He has the potential but its been slow going so far for him.
jens gone apparently
January 9th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Mazza, I am not over-impressed with Denilson, but he is just 19 years old. Maybe he will not be good enough, but he was nowhere near the pile of crap Gilberto was tonight.
January 9th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Indian: Wenger denied post-match that Lehmann is going anywhere, he says no deal has been struck with Dortmund by Lehmann or Arsenal.
January 9th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
@mazza, I would reserve judgement on that. some of the long range passing denilson has demonstrated has been decent, he also had a very good game against new castle at the start of the carling cup run, capped with an excellent goal. true for the most part he has looked average, but he is brazil u-19 (i think, could have been the u-20’s) captain, and far better judges than you and I have been embarrassed by wenger and his judgement of a player!
January 9th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
oh didnt get to watch the post match, though goal.com said so, which is one of the more reliable of the internet sources.
January 9th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Well, Wenger is probably more reliable than Goal.com.
January 9th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
maybe the only reason diarra isnt playing, is that wenger wants to teach him a lesson (which would not be totally un-precendented, would it?). Though it would seem a risky thing to do, given gilbertos poor showing.
January 9th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
I wouldn’t reserve judgement on that. I’ve said it since day one and i’m saying it now. His long passing is mediocre. Not one tonight reached its intended target. More like hopeful hoofs.
January 9th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
January 9th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
@Mazza yes you wouldnt, thats rather obvious. Time will tell who’s rite wenger or you, somehow if i were a betting man I would go with wenger :).
Whoever nominated Taylor from newcastle, got it spot on,he would be good, sometimes prone to giving away penalties but he is a good young honest centre back, who would be better than both Djorou (who i had high hopes for) and Sendy. But wenger hardly buys from the EPL, when was the last time he did that?
January 9th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
I am not sure about Denilson to be honest, he is 19 - maybe he won’t be a top class player until 23 or 24. Can you see him playing in Carling Cup for 5 years? I think a decision will have to be made at some point, by Wenger or Denilson himself. At the moment I don’t mind him playing, I think his rate of improvement is fairly slow - but 19 for christ sake - not all players can be Fabregas from the off.
January 9th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
@indian_gooner
Gallas would be the last person to come in from another EPL team, and before that it was Walcott (I think).
January 9th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
bang on danny. at the moment he’s average, but he’s just 19, there’s a while yet
January 9th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Whoops, forgot Diarra this year.
January 9th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
yeah diarra this year, gallas deal was ofcourse an anomaly, but i was just wondering if wenger seemed averse to inducting players from within the EPL, and if there is a reason to that? (I think the saints were in div 1 when walcott was bought)
January 9th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Nice to see we got out of jail again - nice trait we’re developing. Sure beats playing the socks off the opposition and going down 1-0.
Let’s not forget that it was Spurs A v Arsenal B.
It would be irrational to expect this young Arsenal side to deliver everytime - it’s the nature of their age and stage of development to have ups and downs.
The question is can we beat Spurs at WHL? The answer is yes, of course we can.
I can only think Wenger is keeping Bert in the shop window. I said from the start Wenger tripped up with his handling of this guy. He didn’t show him enough respect. If there are folk falling over themselves to show Diarra grace then what does the (sometimes) captain of Brazil who has served this club well deserve? Shame that Bert’s career is going this way.
Djourou - might be a bit punch drunk after his less than glamorous time at a flailing Birmingham. Wenger couldn’t have predicted how Birmingham would fare this season but sometimes such loans aren’t terribly beneficial to a young player, particularly a defender.
January 9th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Some day Sp**s will beat us. Today should have been that day.
DannyT and coach_ed will get no arguments from me with their assessments.
We expected better and and we did not get it from players who have had their praises sung since the day is long. Sp**s were not afraid and they took it to us and many of our players faults were exposed.
Fabianski, the new no.2 (Lehmann apparently is going to Dortmund) shows real promise but is a work in progress. I like where he is at right now.
Traore had no major lapses.
Playing a high line is suicide with Senderos and he was our “anchor” today. That is just f**k**g scary.
Some of us who followed Djourou at BC were not surprised by today’s performance. We should appreciate Wenger making decisive changes on the half instead of at 70min. Our dilemma is where are we going to get a CB better than our deadly Swiss duo who knows he’s on the bench when Toure comes back and at what price. What I found most alarming about this pairing was not the poor clearance from Djourou which got his ass benched but the early communication problems between the Swiss teammates. WTF? is up with that.
How many times, how many games do we have to watch Diaby trying to beat 3 players and losing the ball. How many times do we have to watch Diaby spurned good passing options? How many times did we have to watch Chimbonda take the ball off his feet and he then does not try to win it back. He’s no threat to Rosicky.
Gilberto is just a tragic player in rapid decline. Believe me, Wenger’s Prozone numbers and his naked eyeballs can see that Gilberto is done. But putting him in the shop window is a double edge sword for our chances to go through to the final.
Denilson, Walcott, Diaby and Gilberto were over run in the MF by the likes of O’Hara (an Arsenal reject), Jenas (who scored), Malbranque (who missed two chances) and Lennon. They supplied nothing going forward and were not very interested in coming back. Pathetic.
Our best MF was Eduardo who made an excellent pass through for Walcott to fumble into for a goal.
J. Hoyte was decent at RB and gave nothing away at CB. You don’t win a starting place on my Arsenal just being okay.
If you told me that YP Lee would contain Walcott in this game, I would not have believed it. If you told me that the Arsenal MF would not and could not find him all by his lonesome, I would not have believed it. That is what happened. He had one run in the first half where he put the ball behind RVP which sums up his play in the final third. Then he goes off injured, Again!
I would rather see the “terrier” Diarra than see Denilson just marking time in the MF with square balls. But Diarra is now clearly in the Wenger doghouse where Henry once dwelled. He left the doghouse and left Arsenal as well. Team before players, Mr. Diarra.
We were lucky today. RVP was not match fit. 4-4-2 and Bendtner may as well been on a desert island. The MF was horrendous without Diarra. Diaby was an island unto himself. Gilberto should have been abandoned on an island. Senderos and Djourou played liked they were lost on Gilligan’s Island. Enough already.