Spurs 5 – 1 Arsenal (6-2 agg)

January 22, 2008

Posted by mikek | Filed Under Match Report

Comments

152 Responses to “Spurs 5 – 1 Arsenal (6-2 agg)”

Sachin Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:11 pm
I don’t know what offends me more. This picture or the loss? I will go with the picture.
SToneD_emirate_hooker Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Well I’ll be a fried bacon raped butterfly chop served up with some mushy Spud’s. Ouch that hurt to the bone!

The lads looked like… well mikek’s post image says it all and it just about sums up how I feel to.

It was as though Spuds had an extra three players on the pitch the Arsenal just could move with two opponents being on them and as for defense… what defense.

If your going to have a stinker of a game it might as well be in the Carling Cup and now but to Spuds make it really hurt.
SToneD_emirate_hooker Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:17 pm
corrections:

… the Arsenal just couldn’t move without two opponets….

… Carling Cup and now but to loose to Spuds….
Kiwi Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:23 pm
It does hurt more to lose in the final.

Although I am disappointed that Wenger didn’t play a stronger line-up (it’s the broken record again!) I really thought winning the CC would have been a significant milestone in this teams development (if not the clubs history).

Ade’s goal was a beauty. His progression since arriving at Arsenal has been excellent, in fact unusually linear. He has got better and better over time, not in huge leaps, more bit by bit. If he scores 25 goals this season it will do seriously good things for his head – it’s like a rite of passage, joining a club. Score that many goals and your credibility sky rockets. Everyone starts talking about you as the real deal. And strikers need the confidence that comes from that kind of respect.
irishgunner Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Hard to say much after that. Don’t fancy work tomorrow. Too many Spurs fans.

Maybe tomorrow I will think of a positive.
Andez Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:25 pm
God. Yeah it’s a poor defeat. But is it necessary to go with a post image like this? That’s very low man.
ChicagoGooner Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Well, the image may be crude, but sometimes a picture can be worth a thousand words, and that picture says it all.
naaman Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:50 pm
It’s obvious what went wrong. This team was without it’s captain. The Senderos injury alone lost us this final. LONG LIVE THE DONKEY!
thompson gunner Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:57 pm
To defend those shrugging off this defeat based on their view of this as a second-rate cup, and defending AW’s approach to this competition, win or lose, here is a brief history of the League Cup courtesy of Wikipeida…

During the late 1950s, the majority of senior English clubs equipped their grounds with floodlights. This opened up the opportunity to exploit weekday evenings throughout the winter. The League Cup was introduced in the 1960–61 season specifically as a mid-week floodlit tournament. In the early years of the competition, many of the top teams declined to take part. It was only when automatic entry to the UEFA Cup was promised to the winners that the full League membership took part.

In the last 10 years, following restructuring of European football, and the introduction of the restructured format of the UEFA Champions League, the League Cup was threatened with losing its UEFA Cup slot for its winners. It has retained it thus far however, and along with France is the only nation to offer a UEFA cup slot to its second cup competition winners. Therefore it retains enough importance and popularity, especially with fans of clubs for whom the League Cup offers a realistic chance of qualifying for Europe.
Mazza Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:58 pm
I couldn’t of cared a less if we would have won or lost tonight, but 5-1 is a bit much to take. And when you see Gallas and Bendtner arguing, you fear these players might be taking it more to heart than us fans. That’s not good news, no matter how you dress it up. We would have lost to Chelsea in the final anyway and the mental scars inflicted by that defeat might have had serious implications for the season. As it is, we have a week and a half to gather our thoughts -couldn’t give a shit about the F.A Cup either, history or not, rather finish second in league- and then prepare for Man City.

However, what these last two games have shown-and the Seville, Boro, Sparta games- as that my complete lack of faith in these youngsters have been vindicated. Traore, Walcott, Denilson and Diaby are completely average and there is nothing special about them at all. Wouldn’t even get a game at Sunderland. We place far too much stock in meaningless crappy Carling Cup games against Sheffield United, and teams like Blackburn who couldn’t give a shit for half the match. When we get through, people like Fred use the progression to illustrate how great and talented they are. Seville and Sparta away, Boro away, and both Tottenham games have shown where these players really stand at this point.

Send them out on loan Wenger, do anything. Just keep them away from the first team.
Mazza Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Non Arsenal related but Heath Ledger found dead. Fuck me, that’s a shocker.
kbarham Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Lehmann turned down a transfer that would have made money for the club. Now he’s saying he might retire at the end of this season?

Does anyone doubt that he is doing this deliberately to f* the club over? If not, why would he continuously do things like this?
Sachin Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Mazza when you said that, I thought you meant something regarding the picture above. But damn, that is shocking. Well I am sure people will look at his Joker role in the new Batman film differently.
DannyT Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Players arguing is no big deal, it shows they care. When you are getting thrashed you want players to get angry about it. Tomorrow they will kiss and make up, you can be sure.
Mazza Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Lol Sachin. Mike must have coincidently changed the picture just as I typed it. Unless he ‘sees dead people’…..
Mazza Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Think it was Adebayor and Bendtner while Gallas was mediating. People have remarked before how there has been tension between Ade and Nick. Agreed though, that stuff goes on all the time in dressing rooms.
csang Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 8:06 pm
the only thing that really bothers me about loosing today is the team we lost to.
But they were bound to win one sooner or later and I guess that its better that it happened in the CC than the league or the FA Cup.
gunner4life Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Didn’t expect to go thru but also didn’t expect to lose by such a large margin. Hopefully this is not the start of a ‘domino’ effect on our FA cup and CL chances. Gilberto has clearly lost his pace and is no longer able to protect the central defence. Won’t be surprised if he is let go in the summer. Walcott looked lost in his preferred position. Maybe a loan spell with first team football will do him a power of good. Traore needs to improve his focus. Too often gave the ball away cheaply in our half. Great goal from Adebayor though.

Looking forward to a win against Newcastle to wipe away the stench of this defeat.
Wayne Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Probably for the first time ever…i said that i had a really bad feeling about the match when Wenger said he was going to play a few first teamers in this game …and 5-1 is as bad as it gets

I knew it would be difficult to get past Spurs with a relatively weakened side..but playing first teamers was only going to affect the overall chemistry of the team….i only hope that this defeat doesn’t affect the first team in the rest of the competitions.

Wenger said more or less the same thing in his post match interview
“‘The only regret I have is to have played the players who should not have played. I’d rather have had a completely young side, but it was good for us to see.”

And for those who believe that this defeat marks the end of the season etc etc ..Here’s what Wenger has to say
“You have to take it on board. It’s how you respond to disappointments and it’s about how you deal with it.’I expect them not all to be ready. We live in a world where the last game is always a ‘definite conclusion’.'It’s not always as simple as that, particularly with young players.’

And as always…i believe this is a one off …..we can watch the team come back strongly this weekend.

Cheers,

Wayne
irakli Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Gilberto let Lennon run right past him…didn’t even speed up to cover his run that led to the goal. Then he half-heartedly puts in a challenge on Jenas…leads to another goal.

He was always one of my favorites, but has lost his motivation since being dropped.

Diaby will never make it at Arsenal with such a selfish mentality…he needs to learn how to pass the ball for the better option.

Walcott…was he even playing?

Nick…great header…textbook…wrong goal. It was unfortunate and it killed the spirit in a lot of the youngsters.

Hoyte…average…should never play left back or center defense.

Hleb + Fabregas…did not show up today. What is up with Fabreclass?

Shocking defeat but I hope it serves as a wake up call for Mr. Wenger and the rest of the squad. The battle for Arsenal is on…now they must prove that early season success was not a fluke…starting with the second half at Villa, they have barely done anything to prove this point wrong.
GunningSteve Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:21 pm
@12. I doubt it. It was 90% likely this 1-year contract was his last when he renewed. He expected to play this year but didn’t we all expect him to as well? Wenger wanted him to stay but allowed him to consider what he wanted to do in January. This is Fabianski’s transition year. He’d probably do fine but I feel much better with Lehmann in case of injury or a loss of form for Almunia.

As for the game. didn’t watch it and glad. Taking off of work in the afternoon to see us beat up would have been horrible.

Wenger sensed a challenge and tried to draft in players for a response. It didn’t work. Very unfortunate.

Still- even on points at top of table, plenty of time to right the ship before CL resumes and still in the FA Cup. Just please no repeat of last year?!

Hopefully this is the dose of humility the team needs to focus and work harder. Man U will outclass most teams so we need the best of us to beat them.
villagegunner Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Although he must have found it very ugly to watch, it is pretty certain based on his post-game comments that, even after this game, Wenger does not believe his young players are average. Namely, Wenger said that “[w]e live in a world where the last game is always a definitive conclusion. The world is not as simple as that. To educate young players great patience is needed as well as a comprehensive attitude and tolerance. That is my problem not yours.” At most, Wenger believes some of these players are just not ready yet. I guess we’ll see in the next year or two whether this belief by Wenger in these young players means he’s lost his mind. I tend to think not.
Kiwi Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:42 pm
The reaction by the press and Spurs fans to this will be like punters panic when the stock market dips. Absolutely OTT.

Spurs will have trashed us, pulled our game apart, turned the corner, they will be on the way up. Arsenals young guns will now be suspect, cracks will be appearing in our season…..

I read an article by Henry Winter, normally a good reporter, but even he seemed to get caught up by the moment in a smug irrational way, eulogising the Spurs performance whilst conveniently forgetting the truths that surround it – an Arsenal B team in the 4th ranked competition. And aren’t we still 27 points ahead of them where it counts – but hey, lets not let facts cloud the euphoria of the neighbourhood dross.
Mazza Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Okay, one game might not always be conclusive, but Sparta away, Seville away, Boro away, both Tottenham games, and general crapness in other games. That’s conclusive enough for me. I knew they weren’t good enough last season anyway. That’s why I am more scathing than most. Other people are only starting to doubt them now, whereas I was very skeptical from almost day one.

They are undoubtedly decent, nice, amiable young lads, but they have no business playing in the Arsenal first team. I don’t see why he doesn’t send them loan for a bit. It’s pure stubborness from Wenger.
Mazza Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Winter is more concerned with getting marks for style than substance. All staccato imagery nonsense from him half the time.

It’s hilarious. Spurs fans on forums are calling it the best day in their life.
Kiwi Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Mazza it is hilarious…..the only similarity between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur is our location – North London. There it ends.

We are quite simply a mega-club with a rich recent and long-standing history of success and ALL the infrastructure in place to challenge the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, Juventus, ManU, & Bayren Munich. Spurs understandably wet themselves at the first whiff of success.

I guess if you swap places for a moment it must be galling to be a Spurs fan and to have watched Arsenal grow in such a purposeful way for the last 20 years – almost non-stop success on the field together with superb off-field management. And it isn’t like we look like falling over, or the bubble bursting, it has been so darn purposeful.
ctpa Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Based on the first leg performance, this lost just confirms the bad feeling I had about this game. The Sp***s dominated in both legs of this semi-final and got the win they deserved. They played attractive football and absolutely gutted us on the break.

We wanted to win, we expected to win and we fell woefully short. What I’m most bothered by is not the lost (it happens) but how we failed to be competitive once again. Wenger please do not offer up any excuses for some of the displays today.

Let’s have an inquest:
The back line was an unmitigated f**king disaster. Injury riddled, played a game on Saturday, I know but so did the Sp**s and they came out smoking. Did Gallas even show up today. He was getting beat like a ‘rented mule’. Hoyte and Traore, bad and more bad. If this was a fight, the trainer would have looked into his fighter’s eyes at the half and would have thrown in the towel then.

Can Walcott be less than zero right now? He came up really small today. Too bad. He needs to go back to the reserves to find whatever he was suppose to have.

Adebayor is a stud.

Diaby kept coming inside and getting nowhere. He holds the ball too long and doesn’t make any plays. We can see that. Wenger can see that. My blind dead grandmother can ‘see’ that.

Fabianski should have had that Robbie Keane goal. Otherwise he was totally defenseless.

Bendtner is responsible for another set piece goal. Did you notice how he wanted no part of Dawson on the next Sp**s FK into the box and Dawson got a free header. Bendtner was ‘hiding’ in plain sight and defending no one. Arguing with the captain when he should be trying to make up for his error by getting his mind ready for the FK. Studs up tackle that should have been a straight red card. We judge players by the on field performance and behavior. Many supporters don’t like Eboue because he has to whine about every physical contact and he likes to simulate. I have nothing against Eboue despite those foibles. I liked Bendtner better when he was at Birmingham. He obviously needs to grow up alot. He’s no longer his mother’s favorite who could do no wrong.

Mr. Gilberto, tear down your wall. The ‘invisible wall’ has become a pile of rubble. Gilberto turned Jenas into Ronaldo by failing to track/defend him as he scores a total of 3 goals over two legs. The usual assortment of missed passes, useless back passes, useless square balls. He is so bad that I am not even going to finish this paragra……..

Big game. Your rested. You warm up. You stretch out. How the f**k do you pull a hamstring jogging? Same thing with Fabregas. No matter. It buys Denilson a reprieve.
Kiwi Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:34 pm
There does seem to be a little bit of an Adebayor/Bendtner thing happening. Like you say Mazza it happens in dressing rooms all the time. I first noticed it a while ago when they didn’t acknowledge eachother at a substitution. No big deal there, but it stuck out as being unusual at the time.

It’s actualy wholly predictable and probably a thing that will simmer for some time to come. Bendtner has a big head and at the start of the season probably felt that he would quickly usurp Adebayor. Adebayor strikes me as a big personality and he has successfully grabbed the senior striking role this season post-Henry. They are clearly competing for the same role in this emerging team. For me, Adebayor is the real thing at present and Bendtner is very much a work-in-progress.

All good stuff, they’re both robust enough characters to take it. I’m guessing that Adebayor gives Bendtner a blood nose to put him in his place (either figurative or disfigurative!). I wouldn’t mess with Ade.
ComeonUGunners Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Irakli, you’re right mate. Fabregas has lost his form for quite a few games. In my book he’s top class so I hold him by a different set of standards. I was very disappointed by his poor and sloppy performance. It’s as if he symbolized the Arsenal’s lack of quality today. I hope this was a wake up call for all the lads.

I know this match is meaningless but I hate to lose to the f*cking Sp*ds!!! I would hate to lose to those bastards even if chose to play a friendly charity match against them in the middle of August! I think Mazza summarized exactly why I hate to lose to the Spuds: they behave as if they’ve won the treble and expect to be appointed the club of the century for one stinking victory against us!!!! They are so pathetic!!!!
jjaloysius Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:21 pm
Yeah – Heath Ledger – freaky deaky. Oh what – Carling – Come on Everton!
northlondon11 Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:29 pm
had a hard time watching this game. in fact, i left the pub at half-time (i also had to go back to work)…now I’m glad I missed the 2nd half. whatever, though. it’s all about the premiership, anyway.
Fred Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:26 am
@ mazza 10: why mention just boro, prague, et al and not mention newcastle, blackburn away as well???

u say all our youngsters are useless….i say that is utterly retarded, they are not useless.

adebayor and flamini were as “useless” (according to you) as this a year ago…yet they did break thru. shows up your retarded logic. that is the thing about players in their early 20s or younger…..they can break thru suddenly at any time.

left to you, you would have sold off adebayor a long time ago. go ahead, lets sell off all our reserves and fill the bench spots with diarras!
Fred Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:26 am
i think the posted picture is utterly ridiculous! WTF? spurs fans trolling about will have a field day with it.
ChicagoGooner Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:41 am
Yeah, Mazza, gimme a break. It’s impossible to judge a player when he’s not even 20 yet. Sure, there’s players like Messi who before they were 20 could make world headlines, but just becuase a kid isn’t that good yet doesn’t mean he’ll never be. Walcott is ONLY 18… give him five years and then we’ll talk.
Fred Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:42 am
i wish we could just drive gilberto to the forest and abandon him there.

he has been involved in every single one of our worst performances this season….and in each and EVERY one of them, he served as an additional player to the opposing team.

i just hate it when experienced players fail to take responsibility. u will see hleb dribble 3 players clinically, get into the box, has the space to shoot, yet PASSES. typical!
nipuna Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:46 am
The loss is not disappointing but 5-1 is. Especially with Gallas, Sagna, Gilberto, Cesc and Hleb on the pitch. I hope Wenger has learnt a bit about some of his players from this game.

Time to move on. What kind of team will Wenger put in the FA Cup?
kbarham Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:47 am
The original image posted was much more representative of things. The performance of the team was a steaming pile of shite. That’s what it was. Spending time picking individual players apart is ignoring the fact that they failed as a unit.

To show a guy knocked out and bleeding implies some dominant performance. Full credit to Spuds, they played well, but it wasn’t some kind of alleyway beating.

Original image:
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/9576/turdbn9.png
greg Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 1:27 am
I think we set ourselves up for disaster. Spurs fielded their strongest possible side, and they were committed. We didn’t and we weren’t. It’s a bit harsh to criticize young second string players that struggle to get games, but that’s the only way they get better. For me Hoyte Gilberto Diaby and Walcott were all disappointing, but for different reasons.

Hoyte was tentative and he was lost as far as positioning esp. the first and fourth goals.

Gilberto, hard to watch these days because we remember what he used to give us; he might be convertible to a center back, but not for arsenal – he’ll have the same problems as Sendy and Cygan.

Diaby, kept turning inside and running into a line of defenders taking turns disposessing him; the few times he kept the ball long enough to pass, all the runs had been missed. Most frustrating was the repetition.

Similar to Diaby, Walcott tried to get through 5 defenders at a time over and over again, but at least he seemed up for the game.

I thought Traore did all right; not much end product going forward, but Lennon didn’t do anything until after Traore went off.

Fabianski I thought should have done better on the third and fourth goals.

Whatever problems Cesc has with his form, I thought we looked a lot better after he came on.

The first goal was really bad because it showed we weren’t ready to play, and we had to chase the game after that. One of the factors in our good start to the year was that our defense held together and we didn’t give away many early goals, so we could attack other teams without having to risk too much. No such luxury today, which inflated the scoreline. When we rout other teams it usually happens the same way.
Tottenham vs Arsenal (Carling Cup) | Goalcentre.com - Soccer Highlights and Videos Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 1:40 am
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GBgunner3 Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 3:37 am
Sad news about Heath Ledger, but this was like Brokeback Mountain for us and we got fucked all the way by Spurs, what a disaster!
Andez Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:06 am
Getting beaten by ur derby rival 5-1…. well, i think fans need to experience things like that to become a proper fan. of cos it’s tough to take… now we understand how Spurs fans (and fans from the majority of the clubs) have to go through and endured over the years.

bright side of life? Well, it’s CC afterall. like csang pointed out, they wouldn’t be losing to us forever anyway. lose to them in CC is better than the league.

fair play to Spurs though, Ramos is definitely not Martin Jol. I said before, with a better manager, with the players they got, they could go place.

it’s not just this match. since our home leauge match Vs Spurs, u can see their improvement. They r no longer a long ball hopeful side. they PASS the ball. And they pass it pretty well as well. Defensively, they worked much harder than Jol’s reign, closing us down all over the place.

Even our first team found it difficult Vs them at home, I think AW awared of that as well, that’s why he put many first teamers on the bench.

Another thing is – i don’t think AW “disrespect” the competition by fielding youngsters over the years in CC. It’s more because of the “need” of it than anything else. We simply don’t have enough strength in depth to play our first teamers in every game of every competition.

Spurs is still a distance away to become a consistent force in EPL. but they have the ability to take on the big guns that’s for sure.
joshuad Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 8:42 am
Spurs wanted it more. They fought for everything. They played a damn good football game. We’ve got to respect that.

Gilberto is past his best. We saw first hand why Wenger doesn’t like players over thirty. He no longer has the ability to effictively contribute to the team. After Song returns, I’d be surprised to see Gilberto play again for Arsenal.

The young players need time. Denilson, Fabianski, Traore, Bendtner, and Walcott are very young but have all the necessary qualities to become stars. They just need experience. Diaby however is a bit older and is simply a bad CM player. His close control is fantastic but that’s his only good quality. A proper CM player must have good awareness, be a good passer, use the ball well, and release the ball quickly. He does none of that. It’s the reason that Denilson always plays CM in front of him. Diaby could go out on loan for ten years but he’s simply not good enough. He needs a slower league, like Baptista. Wenger needs to release him and Gilberto in the summer.

For players coming in, I’d like to see that Russian winger come in and fight with Vela and Rosicky for the LM spot. If Fulham go down I’d like to see Bullard come in and challenge Flamini and Song in our defensive midfield. Don’t sleep; Bullard is a very good ENGLISH player. I’ve been a fan of his since his Wigan days.
Fred Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 8:43 am
even with the victory, spurs werent that good. they were shitting their pants playing long balls for a spell at 4-1. however this victory will give them much more confidence when they face us.

and robinson, our faithful, loyal customer not playing also had an effect. normally he donates 1 or 2 goals to us every game (i think he is a closet arse fan, lol).

with a serious keeper like cerny in there it was always gonna be different – a change of luck if you will.
joshuad Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:15 am
Looks like Adebayor might get banned for violent conduct.
Mazza Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:30 am
Fred, look at Blackburn’s and Newcastle’s results in the cups recently. I believe they lost 5-1 at home to Birmingham last season and Blackburn lost 4-1 at home to Coventry. So beating them in the Carling Cup means precisely zilch.

Every time this team comes up against a motivated, well-drilled opponent they look clueless.

And the likes of Adebayor and Flamini are different. Adebayor cost £7 million from Monaco. Flamini? Well, a hardworking player but still not Arsenal class in my opinion. We’ve seen with Diarra how a defensive midfielder is supposed to close down space. Flamini is far too easy play around still. The flamster is still a weakness.
Andez Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:33 am
No Fred. they played quite a lot of short passes, that’s why we saw our players running around chasing the ball quite a lot than the other matches we played this season. long ball is rather easy to deal with, as they would have given up possession much easier.

and it’s not just this game, since the Emirate league match they have already been playing this way against us.

they will undoubtly spend big in the coming summer again. next season they won’t be as a joke as we have seen early this season. over the years i never afraid to talk them down, but u can sense that Ramos knows his stuffs. They still won’t be mounting a serious challenge at us in the near future, but they won’t be as easy a force to deal with as with at the past.
Andez Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:42 am
Disagree @#45. U gotta be kidding about Flamster.

In fact, i think one aspect of his game Flamini has improved rapidly this season is the defensive side of his game.

At the past, he would go diving in. A skillful player would have dribbled round him and exposed the space he left behind by diving in.

This season, Flamini started to “contain” the opposition with the ball. Buying time for his teammates to get back.

That’s exactly the STRENGTH Gilberto used to have at the past. Yet for whatever reason, Gilberto has started to dive in the tackle a lot this season. Either winning the opponent a freekick, or get driven past easily as his tendency to commit himself early.
live_dont_exist Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:48 am
I’m actually quite gutted about the whole thing tbf. In perspective we could brush the drubbing off as a 1 off maybe but it still hurts that we were thrashed. The best words actually were that of AW: “I regret the players I played this game.”

I get the feeling that the first team is in a big time comfort zone and that they aren’t that committed towards the CC anymore. Consciously no..but subconsciously they couldn’t care less. Strange actually coz of their wages ..but its quite logical psychologically speaking.

Lastly…Cesc needs to sort himself out…fast.
nipuna Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:48 am
I looked at the second half and Arsenal just didn’t seem in it. Whichever way you look at it, this wasn’t a completely kids side and hence 5-1 is a bit too much. But it can be treated as a freak result if we bounce back on Sat. We did that after the loss to Boro, so no reason why we can’t do it now. Only problem is that injuries are mounting and our backup strength is being truly tested and that could prove our undoing in the title race.

By the way, this is the 3rd time in 4 years that we are losing in the semis.
nipuna Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:54 am
Also, the way things are going, in the summer, the need for a CM could be more than that of a winger.

Vela will be back and Gibbs/Lansbury/Randall might make it as the 4th winger.

In CM, Gilberto could/should be gone and Diaby can’t seem to cut it there, leaving Song as the only (unproven) option to Flamini, who could be gone as well.
Mazza Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:01 am
Flamster has improved Andez, no shadow of a doubt. But he is still a bit of a lumbering figure when compared to Diarra, Gattuso, Makelele, and other DMC’s. He is still too easy to play around and too easy to run off. It’s his body type. He’s a stamina guy who covers alot of ground but lacks the mobility and sharpness to really be a top notch screener for the defence. Gilberto had this physical prowess but never really had the aggressive attitude to go with it.

In the Liverpool game, in the Man United game, in the second half of the Villa game, Flamini looked one paced when dynamic midfielders ran off him and got in around him. Against lesser premiership teams he is effective though and doesn’t get a nose bleed when he goes forward.
nipuna Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:02 am
“In 2002, Spurs ended the hoodoo against Chelsea that had lasted more than a decade with a 5-1 home win – in the second leg of a League Cup semi-final. Glenn Hoddle’s team not only lost the final – 2-1 to Graeme Souness’s Blackburn – but later in the season Chelsea came back to the Lane for an FA Cup quarter-final and won 4-0. Then won 4-0 at Stamford Bridge in the league. In a further 13 meetings since, Spurs have won just once.”

Here’s to nine more years of domination over the Spurs.
Mazza Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:06 am
Well, one thing it is not is a freak result. They could have easily beaten us 4-1 at the Emirates. In fact Tottenham have looked far the better side the last three times we’ve played them. I just think Arsenal players are bored of playing them. Eight times in the last two seasons. It’s overkill. That’s why I was so unhappy when we drew Tottenham in the Semi’s. Everyone else said enjoy it but I knew an unmotivated, unfocused, weakened Arsenal would likely get trounced in this fashion.
live_dont_exist Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:12 am
@Mazza – What you demand is invariably right. the only problem though — it is Utopia and out of reach most of the time. Other times specially immediately after games you are overcritical. Anyway coming to the point – How many Makelele’s are there in this world? – Answer — 1 . Gattuso is pretty much like Flamini .. the fact that he has had one of the meanest defenses in football has contributed to him being rated so highly. Obviously though he is better; overall Flam can reach that level if he continues his form.

The nose bleed jibe is not a great joke ; honestly. You think that John terry wouldn’t have bled if he’d got smacked in the face?
4-4-2 Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:26 am
Gilberto should be put out to pasture. Eduardo and Bendtner should have started (not Theo). Fabregas needs to refind his form fast (especially finishing). Adebayor and Bendtner need to wait until they hit the parking lot to start fighting. etc. etc.

It was a shocking defeat and no doubt Spuds will be living off this for a long time (but to all those Spurs fans (& others) who predicted back in August they would take our position in the top 4 I guess they are looking for anything to celebrate now!)

Lets hope that at least the players learn something from this and come back fighting on Saturday.
nipuna Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:29 am
Mazza, I know it’s not a freak result. Read my comment carefully. I said that it can be “treated” as one.
villagegunner Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:31 am
Believe it or not (even from a long term perspective), the truly worrisome thing from yesterday’s debacle is NOT the performance of Gilberto and some of the young players like Walcott, Traore, and Diaby. Wenger will sort out the chaff from the wheat over the next few months and Gilberto’s time has to be coming to an end at the Arsenal. Rather, the scary implication from last night is that Adebayor could well get suspended for a few games while RVP is still hurt and Toure is away. That would likely crush the life and battle right out of the team at a stage where every misstep will count in the chase for league honors. Adebayor would be sorely missed. He is a warrior. The commentators yesterday noted correctly that he ran all over the pitch as soon as he came in. The incident with Bendtner (if he did head-butt him), while bad, can and should be sorted out by Wenger. The after-effects can’t be allowed to linger.
Mazza Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 11:02 am
LDE, what are you talking about? Must be cultural barrier. A nose bleed is a colloquial term for a player who gets nervous when he receives the ball high up the pitch and loses his composure. Flamini doesn’t do that. It wasn’t literal.

Gattuso is very quick and mobile. He’s not the greatest player in the world but he is definately quick and sharp in the tackle. That’s just apparent when he plays. He’s a pest.

Playing DMC for Arsenal is possibly the easiest job in football. You’ve got players like Hleb and Rosicky who keep the ball all day long. Look at Diarra. Looked so-so at Chelsea and then goes into the Arsenal team looks like a stud. Flamini’s importance is dramatically overrated by the media. He’s only important because we have such poor alternatives in Gilberto, Diaby, and Denilson.
nipuna Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 11:29 am
Looking at the pictures, it appears as though Ade gave Bendtner quite a bloody nose. Looks like Ade has offered an apology and I hope there is no further action.
live_dont_exist Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 11:36 am
Ahh yes Mazza..got that wrong..new term that..nose bleed..thot it was a Sendy dig. Definitely cultural barrier …

Back to the point..The simple question to ask actually is whether you would be willing to play without a defensive midfielder at all if its really that easy. Whether you’d be willing to drop Rosicky in the middle with Cesc , buy a left winger and go gung ho. If the answer to that is Yes then I agree..Flamini is overrated..else no I don’t agree.
timmy_the_tooth Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 11:46 am
Diarra looked about as unlike a stud at Arsenal as I can imagine — though he was slightly better than Gilberto. In fact, Flamini was and is a way better fit for this team emotionally, physically, technically, defensively, and in the attack. Flamini is probably the third best player on the squad and yesterday’s poor performance in the midfield proves that. Steed Malbranque and Jermaine Jenas outplayed Cesc Fabregas and Gilberto da Silva. Because Cesc needs the cover of Flamini — we have seen that now time and again when Cesc is paired with Gilberto. Case closed.

Diarra is better than Flamini — please.
DannyT Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 11:55 am
The young players will develop slowly. You would think Arsenal are second bottom instead of joint top the way “certain” people complain after every game, even if we win away 3-0.

I think Adebayor’s blindingly obvious improvement in front of goal over the last few months is ample evidence that young players can make massive strides in a relatively short period. The same could happen to Diaby, Denilson, Bendtner or Walcott over the next 12-24 months, and by the time they are 23 they could all be awesome players. Meanwhile Arsenal are joint top, so what the hell is there to moan about from anyone – apart from Gilberto of course, who would rather try and kick a few people than track back. His feeble, half-arsed tackling and sloppy, pathetic passing were utterly disgraceful. He’s being doing it all season, and Diarra couldn’t even get on the bench ahead of that git. He should retire himself after the pathetic mess of a performance the so-called Brazilian International served up last night.
timmy_the_tooth Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 11:58 am
Wait… Flamster is OVERrated? I seem to be the only person on earth who rates him. How can he be overrated?

Jesus, Diarra is overrated, he’s never done anything in his career, no accomplishments, none. Yet he’s rated as “so much better than Flamini.” And on what basis? As a bench player for Chelsea and a bench player for Arsenal who whined his way out to Pompey?

If you want to rate a player based on his performance in one or two Carling Cup games be my guest. I prefer players like Flamini and I think the first half of the season proves that the Flamini/Cesc partnership is the right one for this team.
DannyT Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 11:58 am
Diarra is already better than Flamini and has the potential to be twice as good. I can understand why Wenger would not drop Diarra in favour of Flamini, and neither would I have done, but had Diarra stayed he would have pinched Flamini’s place within a year and kept it forever more.
timmy_the_tooth Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 11:59 am
here here DannyT
Mazza Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Cesc doesn’t need Flamini or anyone else covering him. He’s twice the player Flamini is, so is Hleb and so is Rosicky, Clichy, Toure, Van Persie… What we need is for that clown Gilberto never to set foot on the pitch again.

Any person with an ounce of knowledge can see Diarra is alot more talented than Flamini. So bleedin obvious. He posseses a skill set defensively Flamini can only dream of having. He showed that playing with the crap B team. Just imagine if he was playing with the first choice midfield. He would have excelled. I would like to see how Flamini would cope playing with Diaby and Walcott et all. He would end up looking just as bad as them.
DannyT Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Actually Diarra has 9 full caps for France and 8 for the French U21s. Flamini has 1 cap for either. So considering neither player has won anything, Diarra has achieved a lot more.
Fred Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Hmm…the only difference between our fourth place earning team of last season and this season’s league challenging team is FLAMINI. so saying he is a weakness is quite incredible. Flamini is more important in this team than Rosicky.

Flamini is a full CM (eg. Gattuso, Hargreaves etc) not a DM (Makelele, Gilberto, Diarra, etc).

Arsenal dont need a DM. It doesnt work with Fabregas et al.
Man U do NOT use a DM. Attacking teams in general dont need one, especially in the PL.

Infact it is retarded to be talking about Diarra like he is some new DM buddha, if he was that good why couldnt he beat out Mikel Obi? Why was he sixth choice? Why did Mourinho and Domenech use him 90% of the time at RB???

Flamini is a vital part of our team.
Mazza Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Fred, wasn’t it you that recently said ‘Flamini is soooooooo easy to replace it’s untrue?’ I think it was.

And the statment that Flamini is more important than Rosicky is laughable. Especially when you consider the performance served up by his replacement Diaby last night. Still trying to keep up the pathetic pretense that Diaby has the same impact as Rosicky I see.
DannyT Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Flamini has had a good season and is a decent squad player.

If the manager employed “tactics”, it wouldn’t really be necessary to play Flamini at the Emirates against most teams. More attack-minded players such as Denilson or Diaby could play there and maybe then they would progress a little quicker in their natural positions. Flamini is a defensive midfielder, that’s where his strengths lie, most of his passes are square and he rarely creates goals. He scores a few each season by taking a gamble in the box, but most midfielders should.

Diarra is also an attack-minded player, he has pretty much everything for me – if you can’t see the potential then you simply don’t understand football. He is very similar to Essien, very good defensively but has the skill and talent to be creative. He could be as good as Essien.
timmy_the_tooth Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:21 pm
I like to think that I have more than an ounce of knowledge and Diarra is certainly NOT a better defender than Flamini. I know you’re British (or claim to be “Mazza“) and that you think this gives you some special insight into judging talent — but it doesn’t. And your “grass is greener” arguments about Diarra prove that.

Remember that Flamini was a makeshift Fullback in the Champions league against the best competition in the world and was peerless. Helping the team to a defensive record in the Champions League. One that will never be matched.

Comparing Diarra’s performances in the Carling Cup to Flamini’s performances in the highest level of football in the world and then saying that Diarra is better is comical and further proof that you shouldn’t be taken seriously.

Yes, Diarra he has achieved caps for the French national team. Beckham will probably “earn” his 100th cap soon. So? Flamini was being used as a utility player for the last two years. I suspect this season will see him get a starting place for France ahead of Diarra as long as Vieira remains hobbled.
Mazza Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Nuno Valente played all year for Porto at left back when they won the champions league. What is he now, third choice left back for Everton?

Flamini was a revelation at left back. Fair play to him. However, we’re talking about defensive midfield. So what point your trying to make I’m not sure.
DannyT Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Well Diarra has played right back for France 9 times and Flamini has only one French cap? So Diarra is probably as good a full back as Flamini, if not better according to the “experts”.

Flamini did play well in Champions League, no doubt about it, but the whole team played a defensive 4-5-1 system, with just Henry up front. It does make it a little easier to defend when you’re defending deep. I certainly wouldn’t want Flamini playing full back full time.
timmy_the_tooth Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:33 pm
I get it, Mazza is the resident loud mouth know-it-all and anyone who challenges his “authority” is an idiot.
DannyT Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Something like that. But at the end of the day everyone thinks their opinion is right don’t they? And if you don’t like it you can always challenge it. What we don’t want is three pages of tit-for-tat.
nicosian Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:36 pm
wow, you guys just can’t let anything go, can you? can’t believe half this thread is devoted to flogging diarra the dead horse.
DannyT Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Yeah, we already have a dead horse at the club, Gilberto – he’s more like a mangey donkey though.
Mazza Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:43 pm
People demean the integrity of proceedings when they’ve lost the argument. I call it a spicy exchange of opinions. The other person always take it too seriously, as usual.
DannyT Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Isn’t that just another way of saying you’re right and they’re wrong? You should go into politics.
Andez Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:50 pm
On Diarra Vs Flamini.

I agree with one thing I read (from FM manuel in fact) – to put together a good team is not about to get the BEST players, but the RIGHT players.

In terms of individual talent, Diarra perhaps is better, or maybe will go even better in the future.

But personally, I think Flamini FIT into this Arsenal team’s playing system much better than Diarra.

Make no mistake, Fabregas DOES NEED someone to COVER him. If we play 442 and both of our CMs push up, we would be in big trouble. In fact, that goes for every team. That’s why they say Gerrard and Lampard can’t play together for England in CMs. That’s why Lampard has been a far better player for Chelsea than for England (with Makelele to cover his ass).

In fact, Flamini in recent games, has been a bit guilty of doing that (pushing up too often). He has done a brilliant job early part of the season was because his willingness to stay back, and let Fabregas bomb forward and shine.

Diarra, on the other hand, in the few matches playing for us in CMs, he likes to run with the ball and drove forward. Not exactly the type of DM we had in mind when we first saw him joining us was he?

and if i recall it rightly, we actually struggled a bit with him playing in CMs in the few matches he played.

Would he be better in a long term had him stayed with u, perhaps. But bottom line is – it’s pretty pointless now to ponder about what if, and to compare him to Flamini. Not like Wenger want to sell him, not like Arsenal fans wanted him out. He wanted to go. And he left. No longer an Arsenal player. Even if he’s the new Vieira, how he does basically is none of our business.
Mazza Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Well, maybe the team needs someone to cover Fabregas, but Fabregas doesn’t. What Fabregas needs in and around him is Hleb and Rosicky in order to play triangles to progress up the pitch. Without those players being on his technical wavelength, Fabregas’s game is restricted and he can be quite easy to subdue. Fabregas would be a top class player irrespective of who plays behind him and he went forward alot last season with Gilberto anway. He just couldn’t score.
timmy_the_tooth Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Well, Flamini is certainly a revelation in midfield as well, since Arsenal are in second place this season while playing with him in midfield ahead of last year’s captain who led them to a last minute scraping by 4th place finish.

As for Valente, a footballer’s decline is very rapid (Henry, Vieira, and so on) and even more rapid after age 30. He is certainly not the same player he was aged 29 as he is now at 33.

Honestly, I’ve had many pointless arguments but this is close to one of the most pointless. Diarra is not walking through that door, folks, for myriad reasons; chief amongst them is that he is a whiner, but secondly because Arsene Wenger doesn’t want him. Arsene Wenger let him go. Arsene Wenger thought that the Flamini/Cesc partnership was too successful to break apart no matter how talented everyone else thinks Diarra is.

Now I don’t know about you, but I do know that Wenger has won multiple titles. Wenger works with these players every day. And almost without exception, Wenger is a tremendous judge of talent. So, why a bunch of people who watch football recreationally think they are smarter than Arsene Wenger is, frankly beyond my comprehension. But by all means keep second guessing Wenger and claiming that your eye for talent shows that Flamini is crap.

I’ll be over here enjoying a beer and cheering Arsenal on to win the league.
Mazza Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I never said Flamini is crap. But don’t let the truth get in the way of a good yarn.
timmy_the_tooth Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Mazza said:

Flamini? Well, a hardworking player but still not Arsenal class in my opinion. We’ve seen with Diarra how a defensive midfielder is supposed to close down space. Flamini is far too easy play around still. The flamster is still a weakness.

Flamini looked one paced when dynamic midfielders ran off him and got in around him.

Any person with an ounce of knowledge can see Diarra is alot more talented than Flamini. So bleedin obvious. He posseses a skill set defensively Flamini can only dream of having. He showed that playing with the crap B team. Just imagine if he was playing with the first choice midfield. He would have excelled. I would like to see how Flamini would cope playing with Diaby and Walcott et all. He would end up looking just as bad as them.

yeah, it’s me who has a problem seeing the truth through the trees.

give it up, bro, is this the hill you really want to die on?
live_dont_exist Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 2:26 pm
I know its a forum and I probably have no right to say this. Anyway …I’ll say it…You guys are behaving like kids. Quabbling over absolute nothingness. Opinions are fine…and debate is great…as long as its healthy. This is pointless debate and people are just making huge mountains out of molehills.

We lost to Spurs 5-1 .. so can we talk about what we want to set right next game? No..instead lets launch into an inconclusive debate about a player who whined and left and a player who whined and stayed to fight and is now rewarded. Two cases:

a)Diarra >>> Flamster — SO what?? He is gone and not an Arsenal player

b)Diarra <<< Flamster — Read above

It is really sad that people on this site who are arguably some of the best objective fans I’ve met online have to stoop to pointless tit for tat and cloak the whole thing by giving it a name “healthy debate”.

Seriously guys…drop it. I’m requesting you guys — please drop it. Its ridiculously tedious watching people have a go at each other for 3 pages as Danny said.
live_dont_exist Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 2:29 pm
On a lighter note…wrt the picture…Roger Waters famously said…”There is no dark side of the moon…matter of fact..its all dark” .. certainly not all dark for Arsenal..that much I know for sure..
Fred Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 2:34 pm
@ 69: Yup, it was me, and how does that take away from the fact that he is vital to THIS season’s title challenge. he plays a very complimentary game to the rest of the midfield something gilberto never did since 2004.

some type of players are vital yet replaceable. eg. adebayor. got your brain around that logic yet?

Flamini has WON more points for Arsenal than Rosicky this season. Rosicky is a good player but his weak impact and inability to win a game makes him the opposite of a major player. I never said Diaby is as good as Rosicky, (re-read all my posts), all I have ever said is that Rosicky’s impact is as LOW as Diaby’s. Again get your brain around that and get over your Rosicky wet dream.
Mazza Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Timmy, Flamini is not a player good enough to rise above relative dross. You have to remember he has made his name this season playing with three of the best midfielders in europe. If he played with Denilson, Diaby, and Walcott he wouldn’t be capable of raising the level significantly. It would just be square passes and bit of harrying of the opposition. He’s not crap, he just doesn’t possess qualities to enable him to stand out in that sort of company. It’s not a slight on him, it’s just fact. So you can go run up the hill or fall off the hill, just remember the hills have eyes, so don’t tell lies!

LDE, I’m done for the next week. Be back for Newcastle next tuesday.
Mazza Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 2:48 pm
One last thing, Fred. If a player is better than the other, then the chances are he is going to have a more positive impact on the match than the other player. Unless of course, the inferior player is in far better form. Is Diaby in far better form than Rosicky? I don’t think so. Good luck in getting your brain around that……
timmy_the_tooth Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 2:53 pm
dark side of the moon? oh I thought that it was a blue moon…
mikek Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Yeah, it is a blue moon. As in Spurs only beat us once in a …..
DannyT Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Flamini is what he is, not brilliant, but effective enough for where we are right now, maybe he can get better still, who knows?

Not every player can be a match winner. What’s the point of comparing apples to pears? Flamini is not there to do what Fabregas does or what Rosicky does or what Hleb does. They are creative players, supposed to make things happen in the final third, Flamini is there to stop things happening, break up play, disrupt things and lay the ball off. Of course he does not have the talent the rest of the midfield have, but it doesn’t make his role any less important.

There are some players out there who can do everything Flamini can and more, but probably not that many to be honest. Diarra was a player who could definitely upgrade that position, but he’s gone so that’s that.

Maybe Wenger will buy a defensive midfielder to challenge Flamini when Gilberto leaves, he’ll probably have to. And hopefully that player will be more willing to scrap it out with Flamini for his place.
SToneD_emirate_hooker Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 3:42 pm
So what Arsenal lost to $purs.
Sure it hurt and yes 5 to 1 makes it a real stinker. As someone else has already said I’d rather they loose in the Carling Cup than in the League. I mean I thought a lot of people never really cared about this Cup but obviously it matters a lot to Spuds because they seem to have enjoyed winning it as much as if they had just won the League, well kudos’ to them. In perspective though it’s just a cup win and cups are elusive things anyway. I think http://www.arseblog.com said it best in his post today. I mean Greece won Euro2004, it’s a cup and strange things happen.
Over the course of the last years I’ve never really harboured the same loathing for Spuds as I have for Chel$ki so today that went up a notch.
5 -1 hurts but shite happens and fortunately it doesn’t always happen to the Arsenal.
DannyT Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 4:01 pm
The defeat didn’t hurt me or the scoreline, couldn’t give a damn and I really mean that. If anything it will do good, it’s a kick up the arse to the young players in a match that means sod all. What bad can come from it? Next time we meet Spurs it will be a league match and we’ll want revenge. They will be even more motivated – but for a game that means something.
ChicagoGooner Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Or better yet if we meet them later this year in the FA Cup. Then tensions will still be high when we obliterate them and put them back in thier place.
nicosian Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 4:21 pm
We should forget about this game and move on to a consideration of how to deal with two games v.s. Newcastle in four days. Arseblogger said this morning that he wanted Arsene to field a full-strength side Saturday but that strikes me as madness, given that they’d all be knackered by Tuesday. Still, given all the injuries, isn’t he going to have to put out a similar sort of mix-and-match assortment of first and second teamers?

Damn these cup ties, all they do is wear a team down. My secret hope is we field reserves on Saturday, lose, and then have the luxury of focusing exclusive on the league and Milan.
Andez Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 4:49 pm
I think we should go with a full strength side. Because one simple reason – imagine if we went out of 2 cup competitions in one week, the press would make a meal out of it, and blew everything over the roof, the sky, the heaven.

it would only add to the unneccessary pressure to the team.

besides, u know how this negative momentum goes. the negative nick would be having a field day. just imagine what kind of response and reaction on this site.
all those “i knew we are going to fuck up from day one” talks will be resurface again.
DannyT Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 5:36 pm
There’s too many players out, not much Wenger can do. No Senderos, Toure, Eboue, Djourou, Van Persie, Song, Denilson got injured too.

Wenger will be forced to field practically the same team unless he wants Adebayor, Eduardo, Fabregas, Flamini etc. to play 3 games in one week.
Brendan K Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:17 pm
For my fellow Yanks. Eddie Johnson signed with Fulham USA/FC. I hope he helps to keep them up.
Fred Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:24 pm
@ 89: who is talking form? impact. rosicky brings as much impact (relatively LOW) of us winning a game as diaby. if you cant understand that then just keep quiet.
nicosian Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Re: Andez #97, I think a little media derision wouldn’t be a bad thing—we’ve been puffed up beyond our capacities for the first half of the year because of our good start, and maybe we’re starting to buckle a bit under the pressure. Blow two cups in a week and after feasting on our remains the media will move on, at which point we can get back to the quiet business of winning. The league must be our focus.
irakli Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:07 pm
http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=558737

If true…are we signing another striker/winger? Vela coming back a possibility?
goonah Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 11:08 pm
^^ that’s a very interesting article and i think it’s a good move. i got off the walcott train a bit ago.
nipuna Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 11:53 pm
For whatever skills Walcott possesses, I think he is not that strong mentally. It’s very difficult to get around that. Rooney and Cesc were strong in the mind at that age and could handle the high expectations placed on their young shoulders. Walcott, I fear, may not.
SToneD_emirate_hooker Says:
January 24th, 2008 at 12:20 am
ot:

What about all this fuss about Ade’s headbutt to Bendtner and the FA demanding the TV footage?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/01/24/sfnars124.xml

FA “Just to add insult to injury here’s a big fine to both of you!”
ChicagoGooner Says:
January 24th, 2008 at 1:28 am
So does this mean we have to cheer for Chel$ki now? I don’t know if I can bring myself to ‘cheer’ for them, but… if Spuds win I’ll feel even wrose about this loss. I’ve got some thinking to do…
Fred Says:
January 24th, 2008 at 2:06 am
yup, we will have to cheer for chelsea.
if spurs win that cup the gloating will be incredible.
Fred Says:
January 24th, 2008 at 2:31 am
with 1 more week to the deadline, i think wenger should act fast and move things around.

first, gilberto should be shown the door THIS january. we should waive the transfer fee for him to increase his attractiveness which i must imagine is extremely low at this stage. if we cant train him, he should be sent to the reserves till the summer.

second, with us out of the CC. denilson, traore and walcott have to go on loan. denilson hasnt appeared in the PL even on the bench this season so there is no point him hanging around. walcott is not moving forward, so these two should be sent to lower PL teams where they can get 90 minutes week in, week out till the summer. walcott should only be allowed to play up front though.

third, we HAVE to get in a new “winger”. any age over 19, any nationality, any reputation. as long as he is fast, nippy, has good control, bring him in.
ctpa Says:
January 24th, 2008 at 7:03 am
Apparently Adebayor told Bendtner twice “I’m only on because you’re s**t”. Bendtner gave Adebayor the finger and got head butted for his trouble. Adebayor deserves to be punished if that can be proved that he went “Barton” on his team mate. Look at that GK situation in Spain where the Manua got a 6mo suspended sentence for assault. That could be our season

Walcott definitely needs to go out on loan.

I think Wenger should go “Koeman” on Gilberto and fired his ass for impersonating a Brazilian football player. His performances have been disgraceful.
nipuna Says:
January 24th, 2008 at 7:14 am
If what Ade said was true, it would have been a lot more appropriate to say that to Walcott than Bendtner.
Andez Says:
January 24th, 2008 at 8:07 am
I think that’s because Bendtner had said before he believed he was better than Adebayor. according to report (or rumor) i read early in the season.

and i still think it’s way too early to write off Walcott. Though i agree with nipuna one of his weakness is he’s not as tough mentally as others. He doesn’t have that arrogrance and self belief like Bendtner.

As Wenger said before – his game is depends on confidence. so i do agree with the loan move suggestion. his chance is too limited at Arsenal which is never going to develop his game. when he got the rare chances to start, u can sense that he’s been trying too hard to impress. that is perfectly understandable.

when u tag a 10 mil price tag on the kid when he’s only 16/17, he’s going to live with that pressure from day one. plus the fact he’s English playing in an English league, where fans are ever hungary for the next big thing, the pressure he been carrying is far bigger than other kids at Arsenal.

the Spurs game itself, i wouldn’t blame Walcott too much. he’s very much isolated. Diaby opted for so many aimless long range shot instead of passing the ball to our forwards. and the midfield didn’t support our front two much neither. When Theo did get the ball, it’s not that he wanted to dribble his way out of trouble. it’s just that every time he touched the ball, there must be 3 or 4 Spurs players surrounded him, and everyone was taller stronger than him. He’s no Adebayor, he couldn’t possible hold the ball up and look for his options.

i think AW’s original game plan is to let our midfield feed the ball to Bendtner, Bendtner hold it and feed Walcott off the channel. But an early goal changed all that. And Bendtner dropped even deeper than Theo. Under this circumstance, it’s possible for Theo to play well.

Anyway, loan him out, add a clause that he should only be play as striker. after he get a run of games under his spell, his game will develop, and his confidence will pick up.
Fares Says:
January 24th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Whats going here? Carling cup loss … I’d take it over an EPL loss to Spurs. Yes we fielded a half first teamers and still lost bad but it happens to the best ones. Lets just focus on the 3 major trophies.

Ade and Bentender need to shut up and stop talking media bull. I’d bench them both and start Eduardo and Theo …

Simply Spurs wanted it more … let them enjoy Wembly. Its been line since 93 for them.

The thing I had is this: either start a fully young team or a fully strong team. I hate it when we do this. There is no point of playing Gallas with a backline that its still learning …and so on.
Sachin Says:
January 24th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Nice pic Mike
irakli Says:
January 24th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/01/24/ufnars124.xml

Good news!
Kiwi Says:
January 24th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
All we know is that there was a disagreement between Ade and Bendtner. Everything else is speculative……the blood, the nose, the head-butt, the words exchanged…..from what I have read and seen it is speculation that has been given evidential status simply by being repeatedly reported.

Predictably Sky jump on it and do everything they can to make a story of it……why? I don’t know, it’s like they have an anti-Arsenal bias but I can’t undertsand why that should be.

So a letter from the FA to the 2 naughty boys. Bendtners father, his manager, claims his son is lilly-white and Adebayor ‘mad’. I have to be honest, I’ve never got good feelings from the Bendtner camp, fathers as managers can be a pain in the rear end from the clubs position, too close to home. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bendtner/Arsenal relationship has some pretty significant speed bumps along the way. Cocky player and big-mouth father/manager. Like why didn’t he just keep quiet and let the club handle the problem – Ade had already apologised?
Sachin Says:
January 24th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Good to know the F.A has taken no action against Ade. But I wonder how long it will be before Fergie comes out crying that Arsenal have gotten away again.

Hopefully Ade and Bendtner can put this behind. Even though I read some reports before about tension between the two, I always took that as tabloid nonsense. Shocking to see that tension on display. Thankfully it did not boil over like the Bowyer and Dyer incident. For some reason, I thought of that Newcastle in-fighting when Bendtner marched towards Gallas. Some spurs fan also saw that and whistled.
macmac123 Says:
January 24th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
It doesn’t hurt that passions run high. It’s what the team needs – a little fire in their belly. If we’re going to have a humiliation, let it be in the CC. Don’t forget ManUre got dumped out of this competition by a bunch of no-hopers too!

It does mean we have now entered the twilight zone of our season, where we can say without any irony, Thank God Sendy is fit again!

Also Clichy is back, and with Flamini back in for Gilberto, we should bounce back like a wounded animal and stick it to Newcastle good.

Despite the happy pill of King Kev, Toon are still a mess of a team with no midfield. It should be the perfect opportunity for our midfield trio to express themselves properly.

Sp*rs meanwhile will probably resort to their old ways and drop a first half lead.
Sachin Says:
January 24th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
In Spain, Pires and Cygan are playing against Henry in the Spanish Cup. Also, if one includes Sylvinho, who played for a few years for Arsenal, there are 4 ex-Gunners on display today.
GBgunner3 Says:
January 24th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
I will be well and truly neutral, I can’t bear Chelsea or Spurs winning. If only they could both lose.
macmac123 Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 12:32 am
Just when you thought Cashley couldn’t sink any lower… This pops up in today’s Sun. What a scumbag!

Chelsea’s Cole is a love cheat
By RICHARD WHITE
Showbiz Reporter
and PHILIP CASE
Published: Today

PRETTY blonde Aimee Walton told last night of her “wild” sex romp with Ashley Cole — then admitted: “It was a big mistake, I feel so sorry for Cheryl.”
Aimee, 22, revealed the Chelsea and England defender cheated on pop star wife Cheryl after a night out drinking with pals.

In revelations that shatter Cole’s image as a happily married man who rarely drinks, mum-of-one Aimee told how he:

CHATTED up girls as he downed vodka cocktails;

SLAPPED her bottom so hard his platinum wedding ring left a mark;

VOMITED in a girl’s car — then said she should feel “privileged”;

MADE absurd claims that Girls Aloud singer Cheryl “didn’t mind” him cheating as long as he kept it secret, and

INTERRUPTED their sex session to be sick again.

Aimee said: “He’s wild — really rude in bed. He knew exactly what he was doing and was pretty good, despite not being very big.
macmac123 Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 12:35 am
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article725180.ece

Check out the whole story. What a shame-up.
joshuad Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 6:23 am
Fred, there’s no way in the world Diaby is as effective as Rosicky. Being objective, I know that you don’t care much for Rosicky and I care even less for Diaby but let’s talk about it.

Your major gripe seems to be that Rosicky doesn’t contribute enough to decisive goals; that most of his goals/assists are fluff or insignificant. It’s simply not true. I remember Liverpool in the FA Cup, Hamburg in the CL, and Man City and Bolton among others in the PL last season. This season, his goals may not have won games but settled them; ie. the opponents knew after he scored that there was no way back. You’ve got to count those (atleast for goal differential). Arsenal have developed a reputation of looking for more goals when most teams would lock up shop and hold on for points. Rosicky has often been the one orchestrating this sustained ruthlessness.

More importantly, Rosicky enhances our style of play. He has good vision, he’s a good passer, he can move the ball quickly, he moves off the ball intelligently, he helps out on defense, and he creates chances. Everyone loves to play with this type of player. All good midfield players have these qualities but Diaby doesn’t.

The next time you watch Diaby play ask yourself, does he really not do those things well? In fairness, played the final ball to Rosicky for the goal against Everton a few weeks back. He also did very well to keep the ball and set up Denilson in the CC game against Newcastle. But those chances weren’t really created by him but more he didn’t have any where else to go. I don’t really dislike the guy but I just don’t think he’s good enough.

Diaby’s got one major fault, his vision is absolutely horrible. It’s why he holds the ball so long. You’ll see this guy take ten touches on the ball and do absolutely nothing with it. It’s a problem because defenses regain their shape when you do that. Holding the ball so long means we’re not playing typical Wengerball. Poor vision is why when he dribbles, he can’t see when to release the ball and loses it so frequently. It’s why he mis-places his passes as he doesn’t see the defender about to break on the ball.

Diaby’s skills are good but I think it fair to say that his poor vision is the reason why he’s not a top, quality player. At 22, he really should have much better awareness. The problem is I think he only cares to play for himself and not the team. Because of that, he’s not looking for any one else. If his vision doesn’t improve it’s really a shame because with all his ability, he’ll continue to under-achieve.

Sorry I wrote so long, boys but this one has been on my mind for a long time. I probably should have posted a new discussion thread.
nipuna Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 7:30 am
The main problem with Rosicky is fitness. Everybody can see his talent. He has scored 6 league goals in 15 starts. None of them may be crucial ones, but it’s a decent return. The problem is this. As soon as you think you can depend on Rosicky, he will get injured. He will miss a few games and then take a few more to get back to speed.

I don’t know what his injury status was at earlier clubs. But if you have a player who keeps getting injured, it’s good planning to have a decent backup. If RvP is injured, we have Eduardo and Bendtner and Walcott. If Rosicky is injured? Eboue, Diaby and Walcott. That’s a huge dip in quality for an Arsenal team which needs the midfield to tick.
nipuna Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 7:35 am
As for Diaby, I’m not sure what his future his. Denilson had his contract extended earlier this season, even though he joined the club later than Diaby. Yes, Diaby got injured, but he doesn’t even play in his natural position. That should tell us a lot about how much Wenger rates him.
nipuna Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 7:36 am
Sometimes you get the feeling that as soon as Wenger finds better players, he will offload the likes of Diaby. A bit like he instantly got rid of Cygan when Gallas arrived
Fred Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 9:56 am
@ 122: the goals against hamburg was a one off and the 2 against liverpool which is over one year ago were brilliant but he wasnt the best performer in either match really. it is telling that people talk about matches that are over a year old when he is allegedly a “major” player.

and no, am not saying diaby is as good as rosicky……i am saying rosicky is in the same tier of effectiveness as diaby – second rate.

a lot of you compare our major players to the rest of the team which is plain wrong……..they have to be compared with the likes of ronaldo, rooney, drogba, gerrard et al.

when the match is a shithole, i wont be looking at diaby for a miracle….sadly rosicky is hardly going to provide one. bailing teams out of ruinous matches is supposed to be the domain of MAJOR creative players, NOT being a good controllers of the ball or being able to “pass in triangles”
DannyT Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 10:35 am
I quite like the fact that Diaby is direct, he’s always looking to shoot and has a sledgehammer right foot. Yes, he needs to improve on many aspects of his game, and maybe he will – I wouldn’t want to get rid of him just yet.
joshuad Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Fred, I only mentioned the goals from last season because you’ve been talking about his lack of goals since the summer. Also to show that he’s proven capable of scoring important goals since he’s been here. You ‘ve got to respect the fact that it’s not really what he does, nor being a natural wide player but the team misses his dynamic when he’s out.

The domain of creative players is about controlling a game and making chances, not miracles. Rosicky can’t guarantee a miracle but who can? However, the better you keep the ball, the more you can create chances. The more chances you create, the more goals you can score. The more goals you score, the more likely you are to win games (law of averages).

It’s wrong to compare a wide player’s goal rate to a striker’s. As for Ronaldo, we all accept the fact that he’s a phenom. Also, Ronaldo’s not expected to do as much defending as Tomas. But Rosicky scores as many goals as any other wide player in world football.

My point is Rosicky may not be your favorite player but that doesn’t make him second rate. The likes of Inter Milan wouldn’t be inquiring about our little Czech if he were truly second rate. Comparing Diaby’s effectiveness to the same tier as Rosicky’s is equally as laughable. We miss Rosicky when he’s out. That can hardly be said about Diaby. I like his directness as well DannyT, but as a proper CM, the things he’s missing from his game are criminal.

BTW Fred, when are you coming back to Germany?
Brendan K Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Here is some interesting stuff for the Eboue haters out there.

First: He claims that Juve and Milan have made inquiries about him in the transfer window but that he wants to stay for now.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11670_3077625,00.html

Second: Apparently he is going to call Adebayor and counsel him on his behavior against Spurs.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11670_3077476,00.html

I would hate to lose him. I think he is an incredibly talented, technical and versatile player. I do have some problems with how tight his head is screwed on. So the second article gave me a good laugh.
vibe4arsenal Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Oh, Brendan that is good stuff.

Eboue believes it’s “…paramount footballers control their emotions…”

Next up, Britney Spears counsels Amy Winehouse on how it’s “…paramount singers control their drink and drug in-take…”

Another blow to self-awareness, but good for a smile.
Sachin Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Hope this is not serious. From bbc’s live match text:

“Toure is back on the pitch, but he’s down again holding his groin. Steve Gohuri is coming on to replace the Arsenal defender. ”

1746: After helping his team double their advantage, Kolo Toure is stretchered off and looks in some pain. There’s four minutes of injury time at the end of this half.
coach_ed Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Holy SHITE!

KOLO… NO….NO….NO…..

hope he is OK.
joshuad Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Yeah, Sachin. I watched that happen. He was attempting to clear a cross but missed it and looks to have injured his groin. We all know how unpredictable those can be. If it’s truly his groin then his tournament’s done. I just hope he’s back in time for the Champions League. If he’s not then we’ll regret not winning our CL group. We could be playing Olympiacos. Let’s wait and see what happens.
Brendan K Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Is there still time to high jack Spurs’ bid for Woodgate?
Andez Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Woodgate is a fine player. But i have concern that he may twist his wrist when putting pen to the new contract, which ever club he’s joining, and out for two months.
Brendan K Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
I know, but it was more of a joke. Tottenham apparently likes defenders made of glass. But we could still certainly use some help in that area. And I think there is some quality out there in our price range.
DannyT Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Eboue: “I am hungry when I am playing, but I hope I would never punch someone.”

Don’t hold your breathe.

Wenger: ‘We had 500 passes, Tottenham 222. We had 64 per cent of possession and we had 18 shots on goal, Tottenham 12, and we lost 5-1. That sums up the game.’

Yeah it does. It tells you that you can make as many sideways and short passes as you want, but one long ball can kill a team. And that a shot on goal that goes over the stand is less effective than a shot on target.

We all know why he comes up with this guff, but does he really think people are that stupid? It’s patronising enough to be insulting.
Fred Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
danny, how can you still get annoyed by his nonsense? he has been saying the same thing after every defeat for the last 10 years!

if toure is really injured then we are screwed point blank.

wenger should stop fooling around, get in a winger/AM ASAP and get in a replacement for toure if it will be more than one month of injury.
Kiwi Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
If Kolo is injured, it just brings into focus why the timing of the ANC is ridiculous. Arsenal potentialy lose a key player for an even longer period than the tournament, and who knows that type of injury can even have recurring impact.

Using the Wenger analogy, it’s like borrowing someones car (under duress), crashing it into a power-pole, and leaving it there for them to pick up.
Kiwi Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
……..and your not covered by insurance.
Kiwi Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
from JD……”My point is Rosicky may not be your favorite player but that doesn’t make him second rate.”

And the reverse is also true.
Fred Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
josh, inter inquiring about him means nothing really, afterall juve inquired about gilberto and inter also wanted gilberto in the summer.

dont get me wrong, i want him to succeed, and by succeed i mean get much closer to pires in performance. till then no one can actually claim he is a major player.

either way, no point continuing the argument since wenger wont buy anybody anyway, so we are stuck regardless.
Fred Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
@ josh: yeah, i was in karlsruhe for a week at the end of last year.
am back in upstate NY now. hopefully will be relocated to europe soon….i really dont like waking up at 6am just to watch a match LOL.
Andez Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Not to mention the fact that van Persie’s on going injury problem this season initially started with the injury he picked up playing for Holland. + when u consider Toure rarely missed a game through injury while playing for Arsenal, can’t help but feel really gutted of it.

if both players suffered an injury when playing for Arsenal. we can only hold our hands up and say tough luck.

anyway, i disagree with the idea of a panic signing. It WILL NOT benefit us one bit. First, who would want to see a quality central half at this stage of season? So if we wanna get a quality central half, we will have to pay over the odd price.

secondly, those are available for sales are unlikely the good one.

lastly, slot in a new central half who never played with our back line before, if a striker like Eduardo needed half a season to settle in, by the time the new CB settle in, it’s EURO 2008 time. a new CB without any understanding with Gallas or Senderos, and get slot straight into the team, it’s very likely a disaster waiting to happen.
irakli Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
http://youngguns.wordpress.com/2008/01/25/arsenal-sign-yoan-gouffran/

We got a winger!!! (if true) …. FOR NEXT YEAR.

I just hope that we can sustain the challenge with the same players because once thing we lacked compared to Spurs and in many games this year was an explosive counter. We are just no quick enough sometimes and it takes away those scoring opportunities.

Hleb is sloooooow….Fab isnt much quicker. Tomas and Theo can help, but he latter is still finding his feet. VP is out. Dudu and Ade can help, but are still not as quick as the Ronaldo, Rooney, or SWP, or Lennon, or Cole.
Andez Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
btw i have a feeling there must be a lot of scouts from Europe, big clubs, small clubs, presented in ANC. to unearth the next Eto’o, Adebayor, Toure brothers, Drogba.

not just Arsenal, Chelsea, bet Harry Redknapp, if possible, he would want to flow there himself. Of cos, the likes of Alan Pardew won’t bother. other than that, bet every club has sent someone there.
irishgunner Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Danny 137 – Wenger never talks to the press or the fans, he talks to his players. The press conferences, the interviews, the Arsenal TV online stuff, that is all about talking to the players. Occasionally he talks to other teams or managers like when he said that Anelka preferred Arsenal but most of the time his conversation is with the players. With the Spurs comments he is saying to the players it wasn’t as bad as you think it was so stop feeling sorry for yourself and get up and play the next game. What do you expect him to say? Our performance was crap and the players were useless?
DannyT Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
You don’t understand. I expect Wenger to big up the players, but why can’t he do it more intelligently? Everyone knows what he’s trying to do, the fans, the media, the players, but he might as well say nothing rather than embarrass himself by talking such obvious nonsense. I know he’s been doing it 10 years, but what he said today was one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard a manager say, it was so blatantly transparent.
Andez Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Not really man. As u said, he has been managing Arsenal for over 10 years, every week, after the match, as manager u gotta say something to the press. And what can u really say anyway? First priority is not about the fans, the opposition, or even the match, it’s always about how to keep the TEAM’s spirit and confidence going. Therefore, the top managers, the truly TOP one, AW, Fergie, Mourinho the likes, they rarely came out and admit their players played a poor game after a defeat. Which usually it is the ONLY TRUTH.

so they would divert the attention and talk about something else. which 99% of the time are nothing but nonsense. yet never mind for them, important is to keep the team’s confidence alive.

besides, it’s really difficult for those managers, especially AW and Fergie to come up with something new. 10 years, in Fergie’s case 20 years, how would u possible to come up with anything new. So they just keep talking nonsense, the reporters keep writing nonsense as well. And we, the fans, keep reading nonsense.

but really, i think the talkers don’t take whatever they said seriously, the writers (reporters) don’t take it seriously neither. They are all just doing their job. As the readers, well, i personally don’t take it too seriously neither.
Kiwi Says:
January 25th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Your right Andez, the media thing is all a game in itself.
The clever managers like Wenger find a way to interact with the circus yet stay sane.
He’s required to feed it a little but to give nothing away.
nipuna Says:
January 26th, 2008 at 12:51 am
Wenger on Arsenal.com –

“No, [I will not loan them out] because we are very short. We have 17 fit players,” he said.

“You saw that at Tottenham, because the players on the bench should not have been there.”

Wenger also hinted that he may use ‘fringe’ players for FA Cup ties if Arsenal’s fixture list becomes too congested with Premier League and Champions League commitments.

“Our main targets are the Premier League and the Champions League,” said the Arsenal manager. “We will prioritise that.”
Darkman Nate Says:
January 28th, 2008 at 5:49 am
WOAHHHHHHHHHHHHH why is everyone suprised we lost? attacking wise spurs is one of the strongest teams in the prem!!! berb, keane, defoe, bent. What a line up front. No point pretending there bad.

Spurs have had a bad season – there still a good squad. Liverpool have had a bad season – but there still a good squad – its the same deal.

The kids got experiance here. They have been brought back to ground and its no suprise why. Traore couldnt cope with lennon – but not many can. Gilberto never tracked his man back (his fault for 2 of the goals) denilson could never really grab and hold the midfield. Fair play to them – they didnt play THAT bad. The scoreline is extream they wernt that bad

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