An impressive performance from the Gunners in a match where they did everything right but score. Many of the players who were missing during Saturday’s match at Man United were back and ready for the challenge that Champions League holders AC Milan presented in tonight’s first leg of the knockout stage.
Returning to the lineup were Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna, while Emmanuel Adebayor and Mathieu Flamini both started again after coming on as subs on Saturday. Jens Lehmann started in goal in place of the ill Manuel Almunia, and the crazy German was called into action relatively early as Milan tested the Gunners defense. The defense was tested further when Kolo Toure was forced off through injury. The big defender did well to block a well-struck Pato strike, but somehow injured his calf in the process. Arsene Wenger reckons it’ll be about three weeks before we see Kolo return to action.
In his stead stood Philip Senderos. Big Phil played extremely well. In fact, the whole defense did, limiting Milan to only a handful of chances and half-chances for the remainder of the game.
Meanwhile, the midfield and attack generated a few chances of their own in the first half, but absolutely ran riot in the second. Chance after chance was created, all going agonizingly astray. A pass that just missed an open attacker. A shot saved by Milan third-string keeper Zeljko Kalac. The most gut-wrenching of them all was the last-second header from Adebayor that smacked the crossbar. I had actually started to raise my arms in celebration, but alas it wasn’t meant to be.
While the negatives from this match are the lack of a goal and the injury to Kolo, the positives are easy to point to as well. To rebound in such a way from the debacle of Old Trafford was extremely encouraging not only to the fans, but to the manager and players as well. Most importantly, the defense kept a clean sheet, making the job that faces the Gunners in a fortnight’s time a bit easier.
No question, Milan are often a different side at home, but there’s no reason to not be optimistic that come this time on March 4th, we’ll be looking forward to the Champions League quarterfinal draw.
90 Responses to “Arsenal 0 - 0 AC Milan”
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February 20th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Amen, brother!
February 20th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Another nail-biter from the Gunners… my only argument with Wenger was the late substitution of Eboue. We could have used Walcott’s pace a bit earlier as some of the runs really began to develop. The one shot Walcott did manage in his 6 minutes on the pitch was a blinding volley, only straight at the keeper… I would have liked to have seen what he’d have done given a bit more time. Kalac saved the game for Milan - but we also wasted some of our chances - including the Fabregas run that Adebayor seemed heavy footed on the pass and the Bendtner shot from the box that was miles off target. I liked our pace, our style and technique but the game was eerily reminiscent of last years games were we just should have scored a goal. On the up and up, our defense looked stout against the Milan side even with the loss of Kolo. After the loss to ManUre I was looking for a blinding performance from the Gunners, but alas, this game came up short. I’ll be looking forward to a bounce back against Birmingham City and Villa. All that said - as a newer member to the site I’m glad to see that I’m not the only Arsenal fan in the states (as it sometimes feels that way) and I really appreciate the commentary on the games/previews.
February 20th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Gael Clichy for Man of the Match and Senderos for Sub of the Match.
February 20th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Wanna give some credits to dear old Stag for acknowledging Arsena’s effort despite written them off prior to the match, and most important, without a BUT following it.
February 20th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
My MOM was Flamini. If there’s a most improved player award, he would be right up there with Ade. Remember the old song “we love u Freddie, cos you r everywhere?” someone should come up with a same song for Flamster, because he worths it!
February 20th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
They huffed and they puffed and they still couldn’t blow one past the keeper or the damn crossbar. That was the kind of sportsmanship that was missing Saturday and I’m glad the hangover didn’t seem to last too long - mine on the other hand.
I’m not a big fan of the long ball, particularly if it doesn’t work, so the first half was annoying to me at times. I felt the second half was played much better with the ball on the ground and as Arsenal moved the ball forward into the box. Gut wrenching to see Adebayor’s header glance of the crossbar.
I’m not about to provide a polemical discourse or a defense for Eboue but I think that like Materazzi yesterday, his yellow card was somewhat harsh. I don’t think he was appealing for a penalty but rather genuinely lost his balance
Great game though!
For us fans, what a pleasure it is to see the Arsenal playing such a formidable team like AC Milan. I watched the game in Italian as that was the only live feed I could get, my Italian sucks so I really enjoyed the commentary and I could just focus on the game.
February 20th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Watched this in the Fox & Hounds, Studio City (thanks for the pint, Damien). Huge cry of agony in the 94th minute.
Overall, we were positive and hard-working and a tad unlucky not to get a goal. But we didn’t have our shooting boots on and Milan are a bastardly well organized side. They’re not young, but they’re canny and always threw something in the way to put us off.
I, too, was disappointed with 4-5-1. Eduardo doesn’t have the pace to be a winger. Also, the stats show we score most of of our goals in the first 15 mins of each half, and the last 5-10m of the game. We should have gone at them from the off in 4-4-2, like we did in our best period starting the second half.
We’re no longer a lightning counterattacking side, but given how much we kept them at bay, I’m optimistic we can poach a goal in the return leg and nick it on away goals.
Finally, a word for Sendy who got a card and made a couple of iffy scoops, but was otherwise pretty commanding.
February 20th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
During the last thread Danny T mentioned we “weren’t aggressive enough”….with 17(6) shots to Milan’s 8(2), I would say we were aggressive and had them on the back foot for a good part of the 2nd half and we tried very hard, but our final ball/final shot severely let us down. Milan were made to look ordinary tonight, but they will be a different team in two weeks…..They are the masters of slowing the game with little niggling fouls that disrupt the opposition’s rhythm; they wait and wait and wait and pounce when the opposition is in a lull.
Oh how I wish we were taking a lead to San Siro…….will it come back to bite us in the Arse?………I certainly hope not….We will need a master class performance…..can’t wait
February 20th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
I think 1-0 to Arsenal would have been a fair result - but we didn’t create enough clear cut chances to win. If you create 1 or 2 clear cut chances there will be days when you cannot convert, especially in a high pressure game like this one where it means so much to score a goal. No, we needed to create 4 or 5 clear cut chances - and make them for the strikers. Unfortunately, the 4-5-1 system completely negated Eduardo. It was a waste of a player. Eduardo is a box player, he won’t hurt teams playing left midfield, he’s not a dribbler, not really a creator, he’s a pure finisher. Arsenal did not provide enough width, and when a cross came in first of all it was not accurate enough and second there was only ever one striker in the box, Adebayor. This was AC Milan he was playing against, not Watford. I feel Wenger got the tactics wrong. When I say Arsenal were not aggressive enough, what I meant to say was Wenger was not aggressive enough - 4-5-1 was cowardly, and not to change it after a poor first half even more cowardly. You don’t win the Champions League by being cowardly. The defence didn’t need an additional midfielder to protect them when Milan were playing with 19 year old Pato 10 yards in front of them, and Kaka another 10 yards behind him. So yeah, at the end of the day I put the fact that we didn’t win down to Wenger’s tactics - as usual he falls short in this competition when it really matters.
Lehmann (7) Did what little he had to do well
Sagna (8) Played well, must have been very difficult for him under the circumstances
Senderos (6) A few reckless tackles, one for which he got booked, looked nervous but made 1 key interception.
Gallas (8) Strong at the back, a real captains performance
Clichy (7) Didn’t provide the required width on the left hand side, nearly made a catastrophic positional error
Eboue (6) Decent first half, but usual cheating in the second - makes me sick
Flamini (9) Was everywhere, great hustling and tackling, nearly created a goal with some slick attacking play
Fabregas (8) Picked up his game in second half with decisive passing and tackled well throughout
Hleb (6) Disappointing to be honest, we needed creativity from him but never got it
Eduardo (6) Completely isolated on the left wing, pointless playing him there
Adebayor (7) Worked hard as usual, looked dangerous, wasn’t his night though
February 20th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
although i agree putting Eduardo on the wing was a waste, I believe 4-5-1 was a sensible approach. Kaka was kept pretty quiet, apart from a solid performance by our defence, the midfield had done their job. The priority for us on the first leg was always to keep a clean sheet.
A 442, we may have created more chances, likewise, Milan would have more room to operate in the midfield as well. And we all know what Kaka is capable of.
had Rosicky fit, ideally he should be the one playing there. Or alternatively we could have Theo, or Gilberto in the middle and push Hleb wide. yet the lineup today probably has shown more of AW’s faith towards these pair. Theo is still learning the game. but Gilberto probably is done.
February 20th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Well, I don’t believe in playing 4-5-1 at home for anybody. We’re at home - we have lost 1 in around 60 home games. At home, the crowd is the 12th man.
We should be giving them to something to think about and playing 2 up front. Eduardo does not cut in-field often either, so Clichy was blocked from going down the flank like he usually does.
Our best chance of scoring in this game was from a cross - so we needed width and two in the box. Trying to go through the middle was never going to work. Our best chance came from a cross in the 90th minute.
Eboue’s shot was a half chance, Fabregas had one chance but nothing clear cut.
I am looking at Milan’s home record, and it stinks - but Milan are over the worst now and they will put a lot more pressure on us at their place with the crowd behind them. With Toure out of that game I am not very confident that Senderos will be able to cope with the pressure to be honest.
I think we’re probably out - almost certainly in fact. There’s always a small chance, who predicted Arsenal would smash Inter 5-1? We’ll probably put up a decent showing, but fall short - like tonight.
February 20th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Danny,
Agree that 4/5/1 negates Eduardo’s talents; but at the end of the day with the number of chances we had, it should have been 2 or 3 nil….so I am not quite sure that AW got his tactics wrong, because we had chances to win this game. AW was definitely more cautious than you and I would like for him to have been at home; but then again you and I won’t have to live with a 0-1 home loss if we had gone with Eduardo/Walcott up front and a 4/4/2 formation.
But I do agree that it takes balls and risks to win this competition; even though 4/5/1 isn’t ballsy, we had the chances.
February 20th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Someone brought Flamini down in the first half, was it Nesta? I saw a 50-50 penalty there… at the San Siro, it’s a penalty for Milan.
There was no doubt of the clean sheet throughout the game. It was one way traffic, with the tiny exception of the 2nd half,when Milan got five good minutes of pressure, otherwise it was a bum-rush by the Gooners.
Great match, all in all, I was sitting at a bar with a couple of old twats who gave me stick about football. We should have had one, maybe two, but AC Milan will consider themselves lucky to scraped a 0-0.
Next round: Rosicky and RvP are baaaaaaaaack…. I think a 1-1 draw will do fine. Maldini, love him to death, one of the greatest EVER, showed his age tonight. Gattuso was absent, as was Kaka and Pirlo. I thought Pato was decent, but his finishing was poor.
I predict a famous 3-0 victory: Milan will be vulnerable on the counter, pressing too hard. Cross the fingers tight, and win the league!
February 21st, 2008 at 12:19 am
Robin Van Persie. He is basically the key we will need in the second leg. He will bring dynamism to the front line and relieve Adebayor from the pressure he is dealing with.
I think we can get a 1-1 at the San Siro.
Now on to the two games against Birminham clubs. First away at Birmingham away then Villa at home.
Only a six-point tally is acceptable.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:44 am
Well said, Fred. I’m already onto the B’ham game. The doughty f**kers caught us napping at the Emirates and dug in for a draw. We can’t afford a similar result.
Under Ginger Ninja McLeish they’ve had two defeats and two draws since we last met. We do need Rosicky back - he’s so much better than Eboue at playing smart triangles and shooting on target.
But with Theo as supersub, we should be able to outplay them and get a couple of goals.
February 21st, 2008 at 1:53 am
0-0 is not a bad result but it a frustrating one after last night’s display. We had three big moments in the game -
1. Ade misplacing his pass to Cesc in the first half.
2. Hleb laying the ball for Eboue who shot wide (I wish it were Flamini).
3. Ade hitting the bar when he should have scored.
We need to take at least one of those chances at this stage. It could come back to haunt us. Notice how many shots Cesc had on goal and all of them went to the GK? He was hitting those in the early part of the season.
I can now see why Ade hasn’t scored in the CL yet. He plays alone up front. His first touch still needs improvement at this level. He cannot use his physical strength to recover the ball after his poor first touch. But you cannot fault his effort.
We did play 4-5-1 and it was not a bad tactic to start with. We should have changed it a lot earlier than we actually did. That would have given us a better chance to get the goal that we so desperately wanted and needed. Change to 4-4-2 on 60 mins with Eduardo and then bring Bendtner at 75 would have been an option.
Senderos did quite well. I felt the whole defense did well. Clichy was quiet but I think he was on orders to contain Pato. Flamini was massive. Hleb was superb. Cesc was better than his recent games. Eboue continues to frustrate.
In the bigger context of two legs, 0-0 is not a bad result. But Milan will be thinking that they have Arsenal exactly where they want. Our record in Italy is not bad, but Milan haven’t lost at home to any English opposition. The good part is that we don’t need to win. A score draw is enough and we could get 120 min to achieve that.
Our strategy should be the same as the first leg. Cautious to start with and get aggressive in the later stages. Remember, Milan will be more attacking at home and that might suit us.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:41 am
Did anyone see Benzema’s goal vs ManU? I’ve been watching French league highlights recently and Benzema is quite a player. And he is just 20!!
Already ManU are being linked to him. Lyon won’t let him go on cheap but it wouldn’t surprise me either if ManU bid 20-25M GBP and got him in the summer.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:50 am
Every passing game shows the important of Flamini to the team. It is no longer a coincidence that he has missed every game we have lost. I really hope he signs a new deal soon. Don’t want any surprises at the end of the season.
February 21st, 2008 at 4:12 am
Looking ahead, Arsenal play Birmingham and Villa before the CL return leg. ManU have two easy games against Newcastle and Fulham (both away). Our simple aim is to get 6 points and keep the 5 point lead over ManU.
Toure is out and Eboue is suspended. But Denilson and Walcott are back. I won’t be putting any hopes in Rosicky and RvP returning. Nevertheless we should have enough to win both games.
February 21st, 2008 at 7:04 am
I like to identify match-ups I feel will be significant. Yesterday, it was Eboue vs. Jankulovski. I felt that Eboue could have a good game. He had one of his best games of the season last night. There was an episode where we countered in Jankulovski was caught out. Hleb played in a ball to Eboue who flashed his shot just wide of the far post. And then there was the penalty claim. For me, that was a penalty. Was Eboue looking for it and was his fall theatrical, yes on both accounts. However, a theatrical fall doesn’t change the fact that he was fouled. His reputation preceeded him and made it an easy decision for the referee, but the ref got it wrong.
I thought Senderos was good. He didn’t look nervous at all when he came on. He looked hungry to succed and wasn’t in awe of the Milan Giants. His yellow card was a good one, tactically. For once in the game, Milan had numbers forward and were looking to break. Philippe, while not the most talented, looks a very intelligent player. Maybe he’ll be an Arsenal manager one day.
Almunia and Flamini played well when Lehmann and Gilberto were unavailable. Solid play allowed them to keep their place in the team. I believe Wenger will be true to form and keep faith with the big German. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t believe Lehmann was dropped because of his early season errors. It was more down to Almunia keeping his place in the team by playing well when given the chance.
February 21st, 2008 at 7:23 am
One other thing about Senderos is I believe Wenger will have to make a decision on whether to keep him or sell him this off-season. His game has improved and I believe someone will offer good money for him this summer. While Gallas and Toure are the main guys now, Senderos will continue to improve and Gallas is wrong side of thirty.
I’ve never believed the hype about Senderos in seasons past but now I see maturity there. Instead of looking scared and nervous, he looks eager and determined. Despite his lack of pace and tecnical ability, he’s found a way play within himself and defend effectively. I guarantee Wenger seees it in training. It would be ideal if no one comes for him but if he continues to play well for Arsenal and has a good European tournament this summer, teams could come knocking and Wenger could be faced with a very tough decision. I don’t think Arsene is interested in selling but while Gallas and Kolo are in front of him if someone abroad offers him first team football, it could be difficult to keep him at Arsenal. We’ll see what happens.
February 21st, 2008 at 7:43 am
Last season’s CL, first knockout stage, Celtic draw 0-0 at home to Milan. Milan win the return leg 1-0 after extra time. Milan have been there and done that. We will have to play as well as we did last night and maybe better on a much worse pitch.
February 21st, 2008 at 8:16 am
“on a much worse pitch”… the first line of defense against Arsenal it seems these days
In any case, records are meant to be broken so I say we go to Milan and hand them their first defeat to English opposition or at the very least get the score draw we so much deserve after the first leg.
February 21st, 2008 at 8:24 am
Hakyn, just to clarify, I do not complain about the pitch. I was merely pointing out that we will have to play better as the pitch will be worse than that at Emirates. Very few pitches are as good as ours. Have we lost all those games? It is something we must be aware of. If our slick passing won’t work, we have to think of other ways. We can’t use it as an excuse when we lose.
February 21st, 2008 at 8:25 am
I wonder if Wenger will drop Lehmann for Almunia for the return game - interesting. If he does I think the combination of Senderos and Almunia will lose us the game, one or both will make a fatal mistake. I don’t trust Clichy in these big games yet either, fairly solid but he goes missing once or twice and at that level you simply can’t afford to.
I will be well impressed if they can hack the pressure.
Arsenal will be under pressure going forward too, if they play 4-5-1 they will only get 1 or 2 chances - and you’re more likely to miss an easy chance in a game like that, a half chance becomes no chance.
I think Milan’s experience will see them through. Wenger should have been braver and played 4-4-2 - but he blew it. Arsenal played well, but not as well as people make out. Possession means nothing if you do nothing with it - their keeper only had 1 or 2 saves to make at the end of the day, not enough.
February 21st, 2008 at 10:27 am
Joshua@20/21 Always nice to have you post Joshua . You are always balanced in your comments (even when I don’t agree with you) and your knowledge and analysis of the game is consistently accurate, as you said you don’t believe the hype.
You are right about Senderos he has matured, it seems he is more comfortable now not as nervous as he used to be. I think that was always my criticism of him, his apparent lack of mental strength. If he has put that behind him then he has the making of a very good defender despite his lack of technical ability, Tony Adams was not renound for his technic but he was a lengendary defender for us. So let’s hope Phil can live up to the next tony adams name tag that he was given.
I doubt Wenger will allow him to be sold though unless Senderos insists, he has put so much investment in him for so long, as both Gallas and Toure are getting “old”, Senderos should realise he is the natural successor to the first one to be axed like Gilberto. Hopefully he will not do an LD80k on us and will wait for his opportunity.
I think you are right, Wenger will stick with Lehman and show consistency. I think it is a bit of both Almunias outstanding form and the fact that it would have been risky to restore Lehman considering his form was in doubt due to those two gaffs.
I think we played really well as someone mentioned earlier we deserved a 3-0 scoreline with our performance. Dominated from beginning to the end, just a shame no goals. hopefully they will have been saved for the Sans Siro.
February 21st, 2008 at 10:35 am
It will be interesting to see how our players react when our champions league campaign ends in two weeks time. Of course, our fixture congestion will be greatly allievated and we could really set our minds towards a title tilt. However the deflating effect of a third cup exit in two months could prove to a damaging blow for players morale, and we could lose the spring and vibrancy that being involved in that competition can bring.
Either way, if Arsenal will want to win the title then getting eliminated in the first knockout stage is a good thing. We haven’t even got the squad for a battle on two fronts, never mind three. We could feel this on Saturday against Birmingham. Wenger will undoubtedtly rest Hleb and a few others. Can we cope with that team juggling? All these questions need to be answered. Like many ex-players have said, the feeling persists that this Arsenal side need to win something soon before the team becomes battle-weary and defeatist as a result of continually falling short.
February 21st, 2008 at 10:42 am
nipuna… I was actually agreeing with you that we find it a little bit more difficult to play on any pitch remotely worse than emirates. So ideally the one of the first things (depending on how desperate it may actually be the first) to do against Arsenal is make sure that the pitch is not smooth.
However, pitch or no pitch… I think we’ll make to the quarter finals - sorry Mazza
February 21st, 2008 at 10:47 am
#25 - Wenger blew it? That’s laughable.
I think everyone agrees that Arsenal should have won 1 or 2 nil, and that we just suffered from a lack of composure in front of goal. How that is Wenger’s fault is beyond me.
4-5-1 was the right choice last night. We created loads of chances, it allowed Hleb to play in his best position, and it enabled us to completely nullify Kaka.
We were playing AC Milan last night, not Bolton.
February 21st, 2008 at 11:35 am
I agree with you Rocka23 that was laughable. The 4-5-1 was proably the best bet too as someone alluded to in a previous post we were not short of opportunities we had loads of opportunities before we switched to 4-4-2. Nullifying Kaka was important and the job was done.
However I would like to see what Wenger does if Van Persie is fit, will he replace Eduardo on the left wing ade up front or be benched until/if we feel the need for 4-4-2.
Mazza@27 you sound a bit negative mate. don’t believe the hype AC Milan are beatable at the sans Siro and we are capable should our players become fit of competing on both fronts. Our squad is better than you think.
If our squad were to have developed a defeatest mentality if would have come this season when Henry left, don’t listen to the has beens a defeatist mentality will never take a hold of this team.
February 21st, 2008 at 11:46 am
I agree with your comments Rocka23.
Wenger played the right team, and the right way… and we were in position to score the goals, but Ade choked, and we didn’t convert. Thats not down to Wenger. He was spot on.
We definitely created enough chances to WIN. We limited Milan’s chances to nearly nothing.
We played well. Well enough to win. But didn’t convert.
Thats 100% on the players, not the manager.
Having said that, the players commitment on the pitch was excellent. It was refreshing to see, especially after the awful effort given at United days earlier.
February 21st, 2008 at 11:54 am
Arsenal didn’t create “loads of chances” - that’s fantasy.
Eboue had a half chance, how many defenders would bury that? Fabregas had one decent chance and Adebayor had an easy one. 1 clear cut chance in 90 minutes is not enough to beat AC Milan, you need to be creating 4 or 5 clear chances and hope to bury 1 or 2.
Playing with 1 up front drastically decreases your ability to get clear chances, especially against a team as expert at defending as AC Milan - with world class players in practically every position. That’s why it’s Wenger’s fault. If he had been more ambitious and Arsenal had failed to score from 4 or 5 clear chances I wouldn’t blame him.
Sure, that might leave you open a little at the back, but AC Milan were not very threatening so Wenger could have easily changed it to 4-4-2 at half time or after 60 minutes, but he sat on his hands again hoping rather than being proactive.
This is the story of Wenger in the Champions League. Arsenal never get tanked, they always go out in close games where missed opportunities and bad tactical decisions that could have made the difference but didn’t are not implemented. We’ve seen it time and time again, and yesterday was no different.
February 21st, 2008 at 11:54 am
Of course, people are gonna say Milan will have to come out and attack Arsenal at some point and this will leave spaces, however they will probably still try and pick and choose their moments, and even if they do come full throttle ala Man United last year I could then see us getting tonked 3-0 quite easily.
Whether it’s cagey or open, they win at the San Siro everytime in 2nd legs. They have a mental hold over us, that was quite clear from the way we spurned chances last night.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:00 pm
I tend to agree Mazza, people don’t tend to realise that scoring the psychology behind scoring against AC Milan is totally different to scoring against your average Premiership team.
The psychology of burying a chance is so much more pressurised it’s unbelievable. In the Prem you know that with this Arsenal team, if you miss you chance will get others or other people will, and a draw or defeat is not necessarily the end of the world - in the Champions league - at this level - it could be curtains.
That’s why you have to create more chances and be a bit brave - play with caution and unless you have a water tight defence you can kiss your chances goodbye.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:15 pm
DannyT and Mazza, although you agree for the first time in my memory, let me join the chorus and say I disagree with both of you.
First, Arsenal created numerous real chances last night. To say that Eboue’s chance was a “half chance” is ludicrous on its face, he should have converted. It was Milan that had one or two half chances, not Arsenal.
Second, I believe many others (particularly in the Brit media) will adopt your negative view of what Arsenal will be able to do at the San Siro and, as a result, expectations will be diminished and Arsenal will be under significantly less pressure.
Finally, many here predicted defeat yesterday for Arsenal (I have no idea nor do I care whether the two of you did) and I must admit I feared the worst after the performance at the Theatre of Crap. I was heartened, however, by yesterday’s performance and draw the opposite lesson than the one reached by the two of you. I think Arsenal has a real (read at least 50-50) chance to advance to the quarters and that chance will only increase if some of the perpetually injured return within the next 2 weeks.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Danny, 4-5-1 enabled us to:
(a) create enough good chances to win 1 or 2 nil. (It sounds like we disagree on this point, although I think you’ll find you’re in the minority here)
(b) completely nullify Kaka (supposedly the best player in the world)
4-4-2 might have created a few more goalscoring chances (and I say might), but it definitely would have left more space for Kaka (and Pato) to hit us on the counter and potentially score a vital away goal.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:41 pm
I hope Gilberto took note of Emerson’s role and ‘play’ now that he’s back in Italy.
The slowness of AC Milan’s attack (when Kaka was not directly involved) was excruciating to watch, almost like waiting for a cobra to strike.
The only problem for us from yesterday was that Milan got what they wanted and we did not. But we’ve seen each others cards now and I think Milan should be worried. They will look to weather the storm again and score on a set play (their CKs looked particularly dangerous).
In two weeks they’ll come in with one day’s less rest and will be doing the rope-a-dope until something breaks for them. They have to pass their way out of their zone because no one besides Kaka can get up the field quickly enough to then hold up play. They don’t have a target man. Serie A teams always fall back and allow Milan to come onto them. We do not do that and that is our key. Constant pressure to win the ball back. This forces Milan to have retreat more quickly than they want and will be tiring. We just need to play our game, keep our nerve and take our chances when they come and we will be fine. San Siro is not a vault, its an ATM.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Well I said already, take the risk - play 4-4-2. We’re the home team and need to make them think a bit. Of course Milan will have chances - you deal with them, but shortening your own chances to 2 or 3, at home, against a team of their defensive qualities is probably not going to be enough.
You can be optimistic or negative about the 2nd leg, some nutters put 3-0 Arsenal before last nights game - go figure? I am not ruling out that we can get through and hope we do, but looking at our history in the competition there is nothing that leads me to believe we are in any shape of form favourites for the return leg. I was optimistic for the first 8 or 9 years of Wenger’s reign, but that’s gone out the window now.
I am still optimistic about the domestic league, and much more excited about it. I will be delighted if we win it and hail Wenger for it.
February 21st, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Most teams do NOT take the risk, especially at home, unless they have to.
We still have a good chance to advance in the CL.
AC Milan still have a good chance in the CL. They did what they needed to / wanted to… got out of London even.
So I totally understand playing a bit more conservative on both parts.
If we went for it with a 4-4-2 and lost the match on a counter attack… our chances of advancing would be far less.
As it is… we created MORE chances than AC Milan, thats not arguable… and limited their opportunity to almost nothing.
Thats success. Our tactics were successful. Our finishing was NOT. At the end of the day, you still have to execute the plan. It can be a good plan, but if you don’t execute it on the pitch, you don’t get the spoils.
0-0 is not a bad result. Its not good either considering we outplayed them.
We don’t have to risk anything at Milan either… until they score, we don’t need to… its going to be a chess match, not target practice.
February 21st, 2008 at 1:05 pm
@ danny, i agree the 4-5-1 should never be played at home. and that this sort of inferior tactics is the sort that has crippled arsenal for over 10years in the CL.
however, i dont believe the hype that we have NO chance at the san siro. milan are not invicible. i think we can play the same way we played madrid and nick a goal. a goal will send us through for sure.
February 21st, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Ditto about the league - I would have taken a 4 nil thumping last night if it meant we win the league.
Nutters and 3-0, at home? Again you’re being a bit too controversial for my liking. If someone said we would win 5-1 in the San Siro against Inter, or 3-0 in Rome, then maybe I would call someone a nutter. And only in jest.
With (very) good finishing last night, 3-0 would have have been a fair result. Unlikely yes. But not completely out of the question.
Arsenal have a good record against Italian sides, and last night showed that we are a much better footballing team than Milan. I feel we have an excellent chance of going through in Milan.
February 21st, 2008 at 1:13 pm
The tie is delicately balanced. However, it is more inclined to Milan. Can’t say how much. Maybe 60-40 or even 65-35. Here is why.
If Arsenal got a 0-0 at the San Siro, how would we be feeling? We would be thinking that all we need is to win at home and therefore fancy our chances. Milan will be feeling exactly the same. Our best chance was to win at home. We couldn’t. Now we have to stop Milan from winning at their home.
February 21st, 2008 at 1:16 pm
To add on, winning at San Siro is not impossible, but I guess it will be more difficult than winning at the Emirates. But here is the best part. Thanks to a 0-0, we don’t need to win. What we need the most is a goal. If we concede two and can’t score two, we deserve not to go through.
February 21st, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Fred I never said we had NO chance, I said “I am not ruling out that we can get through and hope we do”. If AC Milan have a really bad day at the office then a team of our quality is capable of taking advantage. Just seems unlikely that’s all.
You can say we created this, that and the other, but it’s irrelevant - the FACT is we drew 0-0. The warning signs were there, play 4-5-1 and you will struggle to score, and that’s exactly what happened. Play 4-5-1 at Milan, we will struggle to score again - it may have been a good idea had we got a good result last night, but Wenger has got it all wrong so far.
February 21st, 2008 at 1:45 pm
yeah, i dont disagree with you in principle. but please dont say stuff like “if they have a very bad at the office”.
if we do go through it will be because we deserved it. not because they had an alleged “bad day” in the only competition they care about.
February 21st, 2008 at 1:50 pm
4-5-1 was quite right yesterday. If you have a midfield of Kaka, Seedorf, Gattuso, Ambrossini and Pirlo you need the extra man in midfield. Sure 4-4-2 might’ve worked. Then again it might not have worked. Its conjecture yet again. The all out gung ho attack because we’re at “home” makes no sense specially considering the opposition. Maybe if we’d got Fenerbahce(no disrespect to them) AW would’ve gone 4-4-2 with Dudu up top? Maybe AC Milan are a bit better than that. Maybe AW tried to think “tactically for once” in his chequered career? The mighty ManU won at Old Trafford 3-2…would you have liked that then..instead of a 0-0? No?? Didn’t think so.
Yes 0-0 is not ideal but the performance was brilliant…second half was scintillating specially the first 20 minutes. Yes I know posession counts for nothing in the end but I’m only encouraged by that performance yesterday. Sure its the San Siro..so?? In that CL run it was the Bernabaeu and Turin as well…we didnt do too badly did we? I’m fairly optimistic return leg despite the stats. Birmingham is key though…we need to win at St.Andrews.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Stag@31, Ade should have definitely scored at the end, but the picture that is at the top of the post showing Ade hitting the bar is cropped. If you look at the full picture - (http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/5440/arsenalalw468×308zt8.jpg - there is a Milan defender who has a pretty good handfull of his jersey which makes it much more difficult to control the ball. I’m not making excuses for him, but the miss wasn’t just him choking - he had some help.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Will Wenger keep Lehman for the upcoming Prem games (even if Almunia is fit)? Be interesting to see whether he sticks with him as I think he played well the last couple of games.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:18 pm
We had a great match yesterday…outplayed Milan for a lot of the game….too bad we couldn’t finish off our chances….but i’m feeling a lot more confident about the second leg….San Siro or not.
I know some people here are complaining about not playing a regular 4-4-2…..and i really can’t believe it after the way we played yesterday……Kaka, Pato, Gattuso were expected to kill our mid field and defense…..except for a few brief attacks….did anyone even see these guys take charge of the game??
It’s all very well to say we didn’t score…but football is both about attacking as well as containing the other team…we had our chances in attack which we didn’t finish ….but we did contain the Milan team very well……so in both senses Wenger got it right.
It’s all very well to say that we should have gone all out to attack at home if we’ve used to a team’s style of play and know what to expect….but does anyone remember when we last played Milan?…Going for an all out attack blindly without knowing how the opposition is suicide especially such an experienced side like Milan.
I’m still saying that a 0-0 is not bad at all….it’s still all going as per plan (mebbe we needed a goal)…but based on yesterday’s match…i’m confident that we will go through……i’m all for keeping a sense of perspective and not going overboard…but predicting defeat in 2 weeks time saying Wenger is going to go wrong with his selections and formations is going to another extreme ..especialy after yesterday’s performance.
Now to Eboue..he had a really good game yesterday…nice to see him making those runs again…..and those who say he dived…..i suggest you take a look at the replay again…..that was definitely not a dive…the referee was wrong to book him
Senderos was great yesterday…in fact he’s been good for a good run of matches now….was not in the least bit worried when Toure got injured….and yeah he does look really confident these days….really determined look…he may have taken a little long to develop…but it’s looking like Wenger got another one right
Cheers,
Wayne
February 21st, 2008 at 2:26 pm
surprised by how many people (on other arsenal blogs too) actually thought eboue deserved a penalty. i thought the replay revealed it as a vintage dive myself. good call by the ref.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:58 pm
4-5-1 worked just fine.
I hope we play the same way at Milan.
Ade didn’t just miss the sitter at the end. He was poor at controlling the ball, and could have set up 2 goals with a decent pass as well.
He tries his ass off… he just had a bad game.
Hopefully he’ll have a moment or two in two weeks… and we will advance.
Regardless, I don’t see how you can be dissapointed in the effort, the tactics or the manager. We outplayed Milan.
Football is a strange game.
Liverpool are up 2-0, and they hardly deserved the lead at all against 10 man Inter.
4-4-2 is not a guarantee of ANYTHING. Other than Milan would have had more chances to score against us.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:11 pm
We weren’t the only tactical boneheads yesterday. I understand that Pato is an exciting player but to allow a nineteen yerar old kid, with a slight frame, who’s never played as a lone striker, to debut in the CL as a lone striker against Arsenal is incredibly foolish. Even if we played a 4-4-2, they were never going to threaten us with that line-up. I didn’t like the 4-5-1 either but that formation isn’t the reason we failed to win. We had chances.
For me, the most important thing to consider is we know and they know who’s the better team. Regardless of venue, they’ll know that Arsenal are dangerous. They’ll watch the tapes of that game and know that we should have scored at least twice. They’ll know that we should have been awarded a penalty. They’ll remember being on the ropes and completely smoked early in the second half by the pace of our play. They’ll know it will be the toughest match of their season.
Everyone believes that Milan will play so much better at home but they won’t. They’ve been poor at home all season. Also consider that Milan could barely hang on with a five-man midfield. You think they’ll switch to a four man midfield? I don’t think so but we’ll see. Also, they can’t afford to give up an away goal.
Once again, the most important thing is our youngsters know they’re better than them and their “oldsters” know who’s best as well. We should advance but football’s a funny game, sometimes.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Nicosian, watch the replay and tell me you don’t see Jankulovski’s right leg and right elbow move to catch Eboue AFTER Eboue pushed the ball past him. Sure, the fall was dramatic but that doesn’t make it any less of a foul.
You can’t listen to the commentators. They’re not always the smartest guys. Most of them just happened to be good footballers when they were younger. At the end of the day, they’re still “jocks”.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:31 pm
If you want to make a real impact in Milan- and by real impact I mean score a couple of goals- then you have to be single-minded and cut-throat. When you counter-attack you can’t do it half-arsed. You have to go full at it, commit players forward and BELIEVE your going to score.
I saw PSV dominate Milan in the San Siro three years ago, I also saw Lyon have the better of the game two years ago in Italy. However, both times Milan came out trumps. Why? because Lyon and PSV seemed glad just to be in Milan’s final third and never really went for their throats. Milan pysched them out as well because they always had a man to cover any threatening situations. All this got into the heads of the away team and then, mind-weary and lulled into a false sense of security, they dropped their guard and allowed Milan a clean shot. Game over.
My fear is that Arsenal will do the same thing. They will be content to play in Milan’s half, be reluctant to really commit guys in the box, and get mugged like so many other sides.
It should be a very good game though, quality wise.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:55 pm
c’mon, we’re talking about eboue here! he’s a serial diver. funny that you’re giving him the benefit of the doubt. all i know is, when they showed the replay, everybody watching the game with me groaned in unison, it was that obvious.
besides, let’s face it, even if he did have a case, he doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt based on his past antics. you have to earn those calls.
but other than that he did have a good game. strange to say, i find myself liking him sometimes, even with all his stupidities.
February 21st, 2008 at 4:06 pm
It has nothing to do with me giving him the benefit of the doubt or him being a serial diver. He got fouled in the box and a penalty should have been given. His reputation is why he didn’t get the call but the ref is there to make calls based on what he sees, not reputations.
It’s like anything else, if he’s not sure of the penalty, he can’t give it. Likewise, if he can’t see if it’s a dive, he shouldn’t give a caution.
February 21st, 2008 at 4:17 pm
well, we’ll never agree, but i do think it would have been a shame for such a good game to have been decided by a dubious penalty, no matter for which team.
February 21st, 2008 at 5:42 pm
4-5-1 has given Arsenal the control they were looking for but 2 notes:
Ade is a very good player to use as a lone striker, he is tough, tall, and good in the air. But I think he is not the greatest in deal with (trapping air balls) and making something happen. (i.e. the sick goal from Eduardo against Man City).
Eduardo was left wondering on the wing with little to do. Didnt have much time to join the attack when needed.
Ebou provided good physical presents, but lacked the soccer magic. He looked a bit dull with his penetration moves.
The game in San Siro will be very tricky. AC Milan will come out but would still be cautious not give up a goal. I would still play 4-5-1. With more open play by AC Milan we can score.
It will be a 1-1 at some point of the game. The final It will depend on the changes manager do during the game. Either we go thru with it, or Milan will produce.
February 21st, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Joshua it was a blatant foul we both have eyes in our head and don’t have to listen to fools like Ray Wilkins to form our opinion, you just have to let the wagonists see what they want to see.
Nice post Wayne@49… spot on. Mazza@54 your fears are valid, we will need to be alert and have self belief.
4-5-1 is the way to go although i am a proponent of 4-4-2, 4-5- 1 has worked well for us in Europe. Fred@40 we haven’t been using 4-5-1 for 10 years in Europe in fact we used 4-4-2 for the vast majority if not all our games until 2005/06. We got to the finals playing 4-5-1 that’s why Wenger uses it so often now it has been tried and tested. The only problem is, can Ade deliver as a lone striker. He is not as technically gifted as Henry so he probably won’t score wonder goals like what Henry did in the Bernabeu, but if our midfield are positive enough to give him the support he needs of course he can.
There is nothing “inferior” about the 4-5-1 tactic it’s just how it is played that will make it effective or not. My only problem with the 4-5-1 is that we do not get to play two of our extremely good strikers together, personally I would hate to have to chose between Van Persie and Ade. But I think especially against the likes of Milan it is the best option.
February 21st, 2008 at 7:42 pm
I thought we played superbly. AC Milan defended for the majority of the match - but because it’s AC Milan seeped in history and stacked with big names it causes some folk to under-estimate our performance and their boring negativity. 0-0 is a great result. The tie is finely balanced. A score draw and we are through. Milan aren’t playing particularly well and our first-team is far more resilient and varied in threat and play than in the past. The tie is still very much alive.
Senderos: the comments on Senderos are like many punters views on the sharemarket. Amusingly volatile. The lad is doing well, he’s had a bit of a run in the team, got a bit of confidence back and has held the fort.
Eboue: I don’t like Eboue - I can’t remember ever saying that about any Arsenal player - but his theatrics are an unwelcome addition to our squad. In saying that I actually thought he played reasonably well in parts of this game. But he lacks accuracy and confidence in shooting - a major flaw at this stage. It often means his good work is undone with no threat or end-product.
I watched his fall in the box - my first inclination was - not again. But I agree with those who say it was a foul. Perhaps he was a bit keen to go down but he was penalised for his reputation - a wrong call by the ref, but nevertheless he only has himself to blame.
Ade: Quite honestly I was impressed that he got a good header to the Walcott cross - I didn’t think he stood a chance. He caused Milan all sorts of problems and on another day may have scored or created 1 or 2. The guy really is growing into a monster. Under Wenger we have never had a forward who gives us so much shape and versatility in our game.
Midfield: I really liked the way Fab, Flam, Hleb and even Eboue hummed today. It felt like they were back in sync. Sure the goals didn’t come but the cohesiveness that we have missed was apparent.
Well done guys.
February 21st, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Joshua 56: “His reputation is why he didn’t get the call but the ref is there to make calls based on what he sees, not reputations”
You are making that case for Eboue to be sold. Unfortunately refs are human beings who do their homework. Fact is that Eboue consistently cheats and dives, as well as the more than occasional sneaky foul. Fact is that he now has a reputation for all of those. As a result he is more likely to receive a red card (see game against Man U) or to be booked for diving (see last night) than anyone else at Arsenal. That makes him a liability as those decisions will go against him. You can argue all you like about individual incidents but reputations are earned and Eboue has earned his. Selling him this summer is the best thing for Arsenal. I disagree with DannyT more often than not but he is 100% right on Eboue - a disgrace to the team.
February 21st, 2008 at 9:10 pm
What a great game to watch as a fan, the second half for Arsenal should of yielded a goal but the pace and movement with the ball and the ability of the defense to shut down Kaka and Pato was really impressive (aside from a few brief AC surges). While getting a point would have been huge, considering saturday the clean sheat was an accomplishment. While I’ve criticized Lehman recently for some of his less then choice decisions I gotta say his long toss that led to a great chance was incredible at catching Milan on the counter (how often do you see a full field throw?). The 4-5-1 I have no problem with, but I agree Eduardo on the wing is really not giving you a lot, Rosicky if healthy might have made it a different game if we were going to go with that form. Also I agree I would have liked Theo in earlier maybe at 75 or so mins when his legs might have helped pop one in. Lastly I have to agree with someone above who said Gael as man of the match, he had an unbelievable game and his speed and work on the left side was incredible. Its gonna be a tough game going into Milan but hopefully we can take our game to Italy.
February 21st, 2008 at 10:47 pm
To Kiwi @ 60.
YES. Adebayor has been a monster this season. He has played fantastic football, and finished extremely well. I didn’t think he’d be a top level striker, but he is… no doubt about it. He had an match, on another day he’d have scored one and set up another. I hope he comes back strong in Milan.
Having said that, I think Eduardo is going to be very good as well. He is a good young player, with confidence… and fits our style of play, and passes well. He’s an Arsenal type player.
Throw in the talented (yet fragile) RVP… and a young Nick Bendtner… and we have a very good group of strikers to choose from. No, there’s no Thierry Henry in the bunch… but they are all very good, and they don’t have the massive ego yet either.
February 21st, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Apart from the photo seen in SeattleGunners #47 link http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/5440/arsenalalw468×308zt8.jpg .
Shameful for the referee / linesman not to catch it as a penalty would have done it. Maybe the next time they’ll get lucky.
I really like AC Milan, they’re a real class act. All the more pleasure to see the Arsenal beat them in Milan. I’d love to be there and help (hope) the lads beat them!
February 21st, 2008 at 10:54 pm
sorry link seems to be broken —- here it is again:
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/5440/arsenalalw468×308zt8.jpg
February 21st, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Wenger says Almunia will be back on Sat.
http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?thisNav=News&article=487928&lid=NewsHeadline&Title=Wenger+-+Toure+injury+better+than+first+feared
February 21st, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Interesting picture of Oddo (?) pulling Ade’s jersey. I am surprised that no one has mentioned this in any article or match report.
February 21st, 2008 at 11:45 pm
I am one of the nutters who picked us to win 3-0.
Based on our performance, we should have won 2-0 — that would have been a fair result based on quality of play. We simply outplayed Milan to shreds.
Except for the people who really don’t care, this is why some sports fans can’t stand soccer (not that I care what they think - but why they think it is the point) - the result just doesn’t reflect the quality of play, and is often “unfair.”
If Ade’s header goes in (what, 2 inches lower?), EVERY DISCUSSION POINT ON THIS THREAD WOULD BE DIFFERENT - based on one little event.
But, for the same reasons, that’s why I love this sport - it reflects life - life ain’t fair either, and simple twists of fate take us down a different road.
I am not pessimistic about the second leg. The Rossoneri know they are a fortunate bunch, and I don’t think they have played in a game quite like that one this year. And they know it’s coming again in less than 2 weeks.
Away or not, we’re 50-50 to win.
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:29 am
Thompson, I think there are a lot of sports that this can occur in.
Ice Hockey. You can have many shots on net, control the play, and not put the biscuit in the basket. I find the two sports similar in many ways.
Baseball, you can have many hits, and few or no runs, because you don’t get the key hit to drive the runs in.
Its about converting your chances to score, regardless of the sport.
We didn’t, and thats why we are 0-0.
Yes. We have a decent shot at Milan. But I think we have to play a similar match, with the same great intensity, but CONVERT one or two chances.
I wouldn’t say its 50/50… I think AC Milan are definitely the favorite at home, but we have a decent chance… we might need a good bounce, or to get a call… or simply play our asses off … it can happen, because football is a crazy game sometimes.
February 22nd, 2008 at 2:29 am
Baseball - yes, just as frustrating. As a life-long ______ fan (no need to be specific here - we’re all Gunner Brothers), I have had a boat-load of baseball games where we didn’t close the deal (in playoff games no less).
30+ hours later, I’m still frustrated after that game - we played with such spirit and commitment, with no fear, with pride, with a real will to win…
John Foot (who by the way is an Arsenal supporter) has written a very fine book titled “Winning At All Costs: A Scandalous History of Italian Soccer.” On page 132, he writes -
“Defensive football is not just about technical ability or tactics, or even attitude to the game; it is also about the way football is understood. Ever since football began, followers of the game have sorted themselves into those who are interested in good play, and those who want to win at all costs. Journalist Gianni Brera often argued that the perfect football game would end 0-0. This way of reading the game was light years away from many of his colleagues, and anathema to those who watched or played in the English league. Nobody has ever argued in England that the perfect game would end 0-0.” And, he goes on to discuss the birth of catenaccio, the birth of the sweeper, etc.
I’m interested in good play - perhaps why I became an Arsenal supporter. Winning at all costs is like loving Chelsea grind out another win (as they will against Spurs on Sunday). And, that is why Wednesday’s game has driven me crazy - we won on “good play” and Milan held. Also it is why I have a love-hate relationship with Italian football clubs like Milan - I hate their play (like Wednesday) and I admire it so much.
I think I need a league match, quick (saturday only is one more day), so that I can pretend that it is the most important competition in the world.
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:22 am
Here we go again…. IF, IF, IF, IF, IF. I bet that every single time Arsenal failed in the Champions League, the next day someone said, IF!!
When we’ve gone out it’s usually been by a narrow defeat. It’s not because we were unlucky, it’s because when you’re playing the best, small details matter. Tactical decisions matter, one goal matters.
Arsenal didn’t create enough chances - end of, and they didn’t have the maturity or mental strength, or even talent to finish the 2 or 3 they did create. That’s why we drew 0-0. And if we go out 1-0 or 2-1 at Milan, I am sure people will say IF only again. It’s the same nearly every year.
Why you don’t realise is, we’re not good enough to win, and never have been. Even when we went 1-0 up at Barcelona, we messed it up - missed clear chances, made a defensive error that lead to Lehmann getting sent off… couldn’t hold out. It was only Eboue’s hideous cheating that led to the first goal in the first place.
I wish it could be different, but you have to be realistic. We’re almost certainly going out, and if we do it’s because we’re not good enough - no other reason.
February 22nd, 2008 at 8:38 am
o boy… Danny boy
February 22nd, 2008 at 8:52 am
I’m confused now Danny…. So we lost the other night because we played 4-5-1 and not 4-4-2, or because we are not good enough as you suggest in #71?
Why so pessimistic? We’re definitely good enough, just maybe not experienced enough, and still nervous at this level. That for me is the obvious reason we didn’t beat Milan.
Is this Wenger’s fault? Maybe yes, but only because he doesn’t sign experienced players who will cope better with the pressure and nerves in this situation. However we all know that this is the case, and I am more than happy to watch this team develop and grow, rather than bring in expensive players who may or may not succeed at Arsenal.
Let the current players build up their own experience and become a force. If it doesn’t happen this year (and it could still happen), then it will naturally happen in the next few years.
Re Eboue. Yes he is an annoying character, but this year has proven himself to be a very valuable squad member and would be extremely difficult to replace. He also offers us something different with his crossing from the right.
How difficult would it be to replace an experienced, versatile 25 year old right sided attacking midfielder who can also play right back, and who won’t mind being second choice?
Looking at the bigger picture, I’m prepared to put up with some of the histrionics as he adds something to the squad which would be difficult and costly to replace. I think he’ll only get better too (and hopefully more consistent) as he becomes more used playing right midfield.
Having said all that, he does need to clean up his act.
Next thing, WTF is going on with all the injuries? Gary Lewin seems to be untouchable within the club, but there is something not quite right here. Toure injuring his calf within 5-10 minutes, Van Persie coming back too early and breaking down again, Rosicky seemingly unable to play more than 5 games in a row…. Something needs to be done and as a fan, I would like to hear some acknowledgement from the club that there is a problem and that they are looking into it.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:07 am
What irked me was when Wenger said the Rosicky injury was a matter of ‘days rather than weeks’. Almost a month on, and he is still injured and yet Wenger doesn’t seem preturbed.
I will be interested to see how we cope without Alex the Great tomorrow.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:23 am
@rocka23 “I’m confused now Danny…. So we lost the other night because we played 4-5-1 and not 4-4-2, or because we are not good enough as you suggest in #71?”
Both. Play 4-4-2 you create more chances - the more you create the more chance you have of winning. Playing 1 up front limits chances and makes players even more anxious when they get a chance because they know they have to take it. With a team full of mostly inexperienced players at that level, you’re asking a lot. So Wenger didn’t help them team, or play to its strengths - 4-4-2 may have made us more susceptible to counter attacks, but if you want to beat these teams you have to be brave, not passive.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:26 am
Rosicky and RvP are chronically injured. We just have to plan for life without them for long periods of time. Up front, we have options - Ade, Eduardo, Bendtner and Walcott. On the wings, we have nothing but Hleb. That is not a good state to be in. If Hleb gets injured (he may miss tomorrow’s game), we would be in trouble. Wenger should have signed a winger long back. Let’s hope we can keep Hleb and Rosicky fit for most of the games this season and sign another winger in the summer.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:37 am
http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?thisNav=News&article=487965&lid=NewsHeadline&Title=Adebayor+and+Hleb+set+for+Birmingham,+Almunia+also+in+squad
Hleb and Ade are fit for tomorrow. Wenger doesn’t say if Almunia or Lehmann will play.
February 22nd, 2008 at 10:06 am
We created enough chances to win on Wednesday.
We also virtually nullified the chances AC Milan head.
Its called risk v. reward
and we got that part 100% right.
You can create 20 chances … IF you don’t convert them, it doesn’t matter.
February 22nd, 2008 at 10:11 am
Look at all the teams that have won the CL and major tournaments recently… With the exception of Barca, all the winning teams are based on defence first policy, and often play 4-5-1.
So Arsenal playing all out attack in a 4-4-2 formation to me is more foolish than brave. And we never got anywhere in Europe with the Invincibles either which was always 4-4-2….
Wenger’s version of 4-5-1 is just awesome - no one comes close to playing it as attractively as us, or create as many chances. And it makes us more solid defensively. Part of the reason that it works so well is that we have such attacking full backs.
I would go so far as to say that Wenger is creating the “new” way. What other teams attack so much with the full backs yet still look so solid defensively?
And Wenger is learning in his old age. We are such a more adaptable and balanced team now. We can switch between 4-5-1 and 4 -4-2, we score goals from corners and crosses, and the players can easily switch positions. We can play slow build up passing, quick one-touch passing, and then long balls down the middle.
And he is even getting better with his substitutions this year….
February 22nd, 2008 at 10:44 am
Arsenal were gonna play a high level of football on Wednesay night with a 4-4-2 or a 4-5-1, however I think Wenger should have gone 4-4-2.
Alot of people talk about improved defensive structure with a 4-5-1, and it is true that Hleb did well sitting on top of Pirlo in the first half, but when we changed to a 4-4-2 in mid-December did our defensive game suffer? No, but yet we increased two-fold in attack with Eduardo breathing new stealthy life into our attack.
Adebayor is not good enough to play a 4-5-1. He’s not a Thierry Henry, whose going to bring long balls down and be thinking of his next move before the ball has even touched his foot. He’s not going to outrun a Kaladze or Nesta and at the same time be able to work out where he is going to shoot the ball if he gets to it. He is just not capable at this point. So, with him virtually reduntant goal-scoring wise, Wenger was asking the likes of Hleb, Eboue, and the powder-puff Fabregas of yesteryear to steer one home. Fanciful thinking all around.
Milan were there for the taking the other night. Several of their key players were not at peak fitness (Seedorf warned after the game that physically Milan would be a different beast in the San Siro). We had a chance to wipe these lot away in the first leg but once again, at a seminal moment, we left our powder dry, or in this case, didn’t pack enough.
February 22nd, 2008 at 10:55 am
If we can keep this group together then in 2-3 years they can be a massive force. But they HAVE to win something quick - the Premiership will do nicely. Four years without a trophy will start to eat into their psyche otherwise.
After that, the only question will be do the players have the hunger to win it again and again, to dominate English football and then go into Europe with full confidence and maturity?
Unlike the so-called invincibles, this squad is nowhere near its peak and that’s what Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool should fear if Arsenal pick up a major trophy this year.
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:00 am
-INVINCIBLES-
so-called?
They never lost a match in the league.
there is no so-called about that!!!
watch the video again (and again)
probably the best team and best football played in a long long time…
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:14 am
The reason why people scoff a bit at the invincible tag is that they were exposed as one-dimensional in Europe and in the battles with Manchester United throughout that period, they were gun-shy and appeared scared of Manure.
A team can be invincible and be still be hovering around the relegation zone.
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:20 am
How? They’d have to lose games to be there. Unless you’re saying they drew 95% of their games which is a bit far-fetched. They were invincible allright…in the league atleast.
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:30 am
38 games, 38 points. Managers used to often speak about the magical 40 points to be fairly sure of survival. So 38 points isn’t great, a very average season.
That Arsenal team was a great domestic side but no better than 1998 or 2002.
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:35 pm
My most desired job is to be the person who names colours for paint companies. I mean really they have Elvis as a colour name, it doesn’t even conjure up a colour in my head - was that early Elvis (leather and jeans) or late Elvis (spandex and rhinestones).
To argue over a name like “invincibles” is patently ridiculous. Be they called the undefeated, the 04 crew, the invincibles it’s all arbitrary, it’s just a name that stuck. The truth is the numbers say it all, they won the league and they didn’t loose a game domestically, end of story!
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:45 pm
“To argue over a name like “invincibles” is patently ridiculous. Be they called the undefeated, the 04 crew, the invincibles it’s all arbitrary, it’s just a name that stuck. The truth is the numbers say it all, they won the league and they didn’t loose a game domestically, end of story!”
Much ado about nothing.
February 22nd, 2008 at 4:12 pm
No. I disagree Andez.
Not gonna let a disparaging remark about THE undefeated Arsenal team go that easy!!! Sorry.
They were an amazing team. It was an outstanding feat.
If its so easy, why hasn’t it happened since???
Go ahead, tell me WHEN its happened… in what league?
It happens so infrequently around the world, because its so damned hard to do.
(ask the New England Patriots)
You can’t slip up and lose ONCE. To anyone.
I would say they were HARDLY exposed in the CL either.
They SHOULD have beaten Chelsea, so they weren’t beaten by some team in another league… they had too many matches, and STILL should have won against Chelsea.
Watch the video.
The season was effin’ fantastic. They played teams OFF THE PITCH on a regular basis.
You can knock whomever you like. Say so and so wasn’t so great. blah blah blah de-feckin’ blah…
but the tape doens’t lie. neither does the record.
26-0-12.
They were spectacular. They were invincible.
Haven’t seen anyone close to doing that before or since.
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:56 pm
But in the end they still didnt come close to cutting it in Europe. Among the REAL big boys. They came through an easy group, beat Celta Vigo in the last 16, and lost to a team managed by that clown, Ranieri as their manager. Plus they didnt come close to beating our only challengers Man U. In the league. And lost in the FA.
I would rank the Arsenal 2002 and Man U 1999 teams slightly above them.
IMO, doing the double OR winning the league and CL are better signs of tactical and depth strength. The EPL is filled with a lot of “junk” teams.
February 22nd, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Calm down. When I said “so-called Invincibles” it wasn’t meant to be derogatory - that’s just the name people use for them. Personally, I don’t like the term, but the team was incredible and I can understand why supporters use the phraseology.