A big big win at the San Siro which had almost everyone on this site overjoyed. However if we drop points tomorrow at Wigan I’m sure the mood will not be good after the game.
The next two games against Wigan and Boro are absolute must wins specially with that big four game streak coming up along with CL games sandwiched in between as well. I’m pretty sure now that pundits are saying: Well this is Arsenal’s big test now. Yeah whatever…..I mean it.
As for tactics I’m not too familiar with Wigan’s players but I’ll give it a try. Last year we beat Wigan with Cesc coming off the bench on 75″ and putting a long ball through to big Ade on 88″. That will do tomorrow though I’d love a first half end for the game. It might not happen though. The much maligned Titus Bramble and the fat Melchiot who is now captain are part of a stuttering back four so I’m quite sure there’s a mistake in there somewhere. A midfield of Koumas, Kilbane,Palacios and Valencia is decent enough for a mid table side but Wigan have been defensively so poor..that its not happened in midfield for them either. The fat Heskey who will toil all night will most likely partner Marcus Bent up front which is not the worst strike force in the worl — workrate wise atleast. Wigan will try the sneaky tricks as well with the fouls and the full blooded “fair” challenges. Steve Bruce has been an AW fan so I hope he respects the game and tries to play instead of playing a “Get in their faces..lads” game.
As for us — There is zero point risking RVP and Mozart on a mud pitch where they’ll get kicked if they play unless we’re down 1-0 with 10 minutes to play. I hope Ade and Bendtner start this game though and we don’t play the Hleb in the hole in this game; its no use. Ideally I’d love Cesc to have a rest as well but we’re too short of attacking options anyway so he needs to start. If Eboue is still suspended and Theo is out that will probably force AW to go 4-4-2 with Hleb on the left and Denilson on the right. The back 5 as usual will pick themselves. Toure in central midfield might be an option if the game gets too tight to open things up a bit..obviously only if he’s fit.
So hence a quick take on the squad:
Almunia
Sagna Gallas Senderos Clichy
Denilson Cesc Flamini Hleb
Ade Bendtner
Subs: Lehmann, Gilberto, Toure, Song, Hoyte
Wigan 0 - Arsenal 2
March 8th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
I don’t know LDE, I think 3/4 of the Premiership sides play with the same style and tactic and game plan when playing against us - Get in their face boys.
To me, the only difference is they are wearing a different jersey, playing in a different stadium. I can’t really seperate the different STYLE of Blackburn, Bolton, Birmingham, Sunderland or Wigan….
so it’ll likely be yet another rough and nasty encounter. It’s not going to be an easy game, but now it’s time to tell whether we are the contenders or pretenders. we will find out soon enough.
March 8th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
hahaha….so much for those who read way TOO much into our FA cup defeat in the last match.
i didnt see the Man U game, but chelsea showed really LOW interest in this FA cup game.
it seems that both Avram and Ferguson have intentionally or unintentionally decided that the FA doesnt really matter that much and the players have soaked that in.
i am definite the likes of ferguson and avram and benitez are not gnashing their teeth at this. now they dont have to play more games than we do!
March 8th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Our biggest challenge is going to be motivation. I have no doubt that even with the current injuries we have the personnel to comfortably defeat Wigan. The issue is going to be getting the players motivated for this game after the Milan game. From the San Siro to the JJB is really mentally a massive psycological hurdle to overcome expecially considering the tension in the Milan game. I am still physically recovering from that game and I was just watching on TV. Its going to be difficult but I trust that Wenger can get the team into the right mental frame to win this game. I agree with LDE that the next couple of games are MUST WINs for us. I anticipate that they will be very physical and the pitch will be in bad shape. Just hope it wont be raining. Either way I think we will win it.
March 8th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
It just showed how fast things changed in the football world. A short while ago, we were the laughing stocks among the Man U, Chelsea fans (certainly some Gooners as well). Was it the beginning of the downfall for the Gunners (AGAIN)? While Man U and Chelsea both looked like unbeatable.
One or two weeks later, all a sudden things turned upside down, Man U, and more remarkable, Chelsea now no longer be able to laugh.
Chelsea, in particular, not only went out of the FA Cup, beaten in the CC final as well.
So those fans from big 4 sides who suggested we had devalued the CC and FA Cup now have officially made a fool out of themselves - don’t laugh till the fat lady sings.
but among all, i bet the one who’s most gutted must be e.on. With this $$$ grabbing world, I wouldn’t be surprsied soon the FA would seed the big 4 teams in order to keep the sponsors happy. Sound ridaculous? well, not as ridaculous as their 38+1 league concept.
March 8th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Well, it’s back to the salt mine, back to the grind,
back to the chase of the title that we’ll find,
but if we can’t get up for games in the mud,
we’ll all feeling like the season was a dud.
Chadez is right - it’s about motivation. I have no empirical evidence of late that our boys have it to the level that it’s needed down in the mine.
It will be difficult to transition from playing a massive encounter in front of over 80,000 Italians at a hallowed european ground to playing on a cow pasture in front of a crowd that could be matched by my high school (I’m not kidding).
To me, it feels like a big black cloud looming, and we’re marching into it. We have to be ready and motivated. We have to be ready to play a totally different kind of opponent than we found on that newly-laid pitch in Milan. We have to be ready to play in a totally different environment than we saw on Tuesday night. We have to be ready to face the more mundane grind of life in the Premiership.
Now that Chelski and ManUre have less to worry about in terms of number of fixtures, this is going to be one helluva race between three teams that all have an excellent chance of taking the silver.
Here’s hoping that we’re up to it:
Wigan 0 - 2 Arsenal
Please!
March 8th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Actually, Man Utd put in 5 times more effort than Arsenal did, and so did Chelsea, although a couple weren’t up for it, mainly Malouda.
Ferguson wanted the treble, make no mistake - Utd played well enough, if the same game was played next week they could easily win 4-0 playing just as they did today.
I really have no idea what will happen tomorrow - Wigan are not easily beaten. I fancy us to win, but have no idea what sort of Arsenal will turn up these days. It will probably be more difficult to win than the Milan game, certainly a lot more ugly and physical. Hopefully Van Persie can start and give everyone a boost.
March 8th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
This game is harder than City away. City were made for us. Wigan are repulsive to us. Plus the Palacios/Valencia duo is looking dangerous. Tomorrow will be a struggle as their is one long mud patch going from end of the goal to the other. Don’t trust Sendy to swipe away properly if they put balls in the mixer on that surface.
Ferguson was furious after the match. He wants the treble and if they won today the cup was already theirs. That’s the reason why he has a shitload of players and rotates them all. It’s only teams like Arsenal and Liverpool with relatively poor squads that would rather the F.A Cup fell by the wayside.
March 8th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
that’s one good point Mazza. Chelsea and Man U got the deepest squad, while Arsenal and Liverpool have lesser depth. So in a sense, it’s a more disappointing result for Chelsea and Man U IMO. afterall, they didn’t spend load of money just to compete in two fronts.
if this current squad of us stick together, in 2 or 3 seasons we will have one of the deepest squads in the league. yet for the time being, there is still a little gab between the first team regulars and the 2nd tiers. the 2nd tiers are talented enough to beat the likes of Blackburn even with 10 men, yet our CC and FA Cup defeat were to a much improved Tottenham side under Ramos, and Man Utd. it just showed our 2nd tiers are not there yet.
compare to Chelsea in particular, you would have absoutely no idea how they would get beaten by a lower league side? I wonder how long before Roman get tired of his new toy?
March 8th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
ferguson wants the CL far more than any other trophy including the PL.
as for chelsea, they played like utter shit! the only reason they even looked remotely good is because barnsley are an utter nonsense team. chelsea played like crap.
i would LOVE to see the reaction of fans on here if we ever lose to a team of barnsley’s quality!
anyways, so much for their pots of money and large squads….ha !!
March 8th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
for 2moro’s game, i hope we use the squad as posted in the article.
i think the right is denilson’s best position for now. he wont have too much defensive duties and his passing is very good. he doesnt have speed, but eboue’s speed is not exactly getting us anything there anyway.
a bench of: lehmann, traore, hoyte, gilberto, van persie
this should suffice, with RvP coming in the last 10 minutes for some practise ….hopefully by then we would be 2 up.
since we are going to have the twin towers up there we would especially need more PIN POINT crosses coming from sagna, clichy and denilson.
intricate passing, triangles and “cute” plays will be quite pointless on a mud pitch.
lets just do enough to get the points and get out of there.
March 8th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
If Ferguson didn’t want to win it he wouldn’t have started with Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez - and Vidic and Ferdinand, Anderson, Scholes etc., I think the line-up and Queiroz furious post match reaction said everything.
You’d be better off shooting your mouth off and ridiculing teams when we’ve actually won something. Not when we’ve been pasted out of the cups 5-1 and 4-0 by Man Utd and Spurs respectively. Those results won’t look pretty if Arsenal win nothing this season.
March 8th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
“i would LOVE to see the reaction of fans on here if we ever lose to a team of barnsley’s quality!”
300+ comments guaranteed haha!!
March 8th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Hmm, what’s worse - dominating possession and losing to a lower league team that had to spill their guts to win or getting smashed out of sight by your biggest rivals whilst prancing round the pitch like a bunch of fairies?
March 8th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
@ 11: yeah, and if wenger didnt want to win the FA cup match he wont have started fabregas et al. so listing those that started doesnt support your logic.
now its till we win something hey? u didnt expect us to win anything anyway so why are u overly anxious?
Man U and chelsea have spent over 5 times more than we have and supposedly have 2 strong teams in their squad YET they are competing for two trophies like we are. that is very much worth pointing out on an ARSENAL FAN site!
ofcourse i will leave you atop your high horse to postulate - your idealistic “do not make fun of any other team on an arsenal fan site” nonsense!
March 8th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
depends on how u look at it really. If we were the one who trashed Man U in FA Cup, yet went on losing to Portsmouth at home. I don’t think i would be feeling any better just because trashing Man U in early round. As far as i m concerned, with Cup competition, the only thing matter is the winners’ name in the trophy.
like our 6-3 trashing of Liverpool at Anfield last season in CC. Yet in the end we lost to Chelsea in the final. that didn’t really make me a feeling a little happier to think back the fact we had beaten Liverpool 6-3. in fact, probably the other way around - damn, our effort had thrown out of window.
same as CL final a few years back. we had beaten a few big name teams on route to the final. but we lost it in the final, to me, probably felt even worse than we got beaten by PSV last season in the round of 16.
March 8th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
This game is now pretty MASSIVE against wigan.
ManU just got frustrated by Pompey and we have a chance to add insult to injury by going 4points clear at the top to add even more pressure on them. Van der Saar looks likely to be out for a couple games from a groin injury, Kuzcuk is going to be suspended for the next 3 games, and so the “water tight” united defense will have to play with a 3rd string goal keeper for the next few league games which would cause them to drop points.
Talk about reversal of fortunes. Last week it was really bad for us, now it’s United’s turn.
Let’s hope we built upon our great game from Milan and built upon our slender lead in the league!
It must have dented United’s players morale to be playing so hard but still can’t finish - reminded us of our horrible game against CSKA Moscow last year. I thought there can’t be a worst miss than Rosicky’s miss into the open net (and passed it back to the GK) but I think Carrick just won that title!
Glory Glory Bottlers United!
March 8th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
ofcourse danny, two results a 5-1 and a 4-0 BOTH of the them AWAY losses to VERY strong PL adverseries. did i mention AWAY? and with their FIRST teams yeah. with hoyte and traore unfortunately not able to cope especially.
i would love to see your face on the day we lose to lower league competition with our FIRST team. the earth would surely fall apart on that day. keep on being bitter about the inconsequential Man U result.
March 8th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
@ neova: actually that is a very good point you brought up. with van der sar injured for a few weeks and kuzschak suspended for the next 3 league games they would have to rely on a 3rd choice (ben foster???).
hopefully he concedes a couple of cheap shots before acclimatizing
March 8th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Fred, your talk of cheap shots makes me think of Massimo Taibi. I still remember the goal he let in against Southampton at Old Trafford and then the camera focussed on a naturally furious Ferguson afterwards. Always great to see Ferguson upset.
Today is the day the word Schadenfreude (German word meaning ‘pleasure taken from someone else’s misfortune’.) is appropriate. But Arsenal have to win tomorrow. Otherwise, any dropped points would give Man Utd and Chelsea new belief and help them forget their misery from today.
I get tired of Man Utd fans and the english media calling Arsenal sore losers. Yes, Wenger and some Arsenal players don’t react properly when they loss. But Man Utd are worse. Ferguson blamed kicking after the Bolton loss and even complained the fixtures for having Man City play at Old Trafford recently. Today it was the ref, etc. From the highlights that I saw, Man Utd had plenty of chances to put the game away. Unless Ronaldo, etc were shooting wide on purpose and Fergie’s reaction is a giant cover-up to hide his real joy. But I doubt that as Fergie really wanted to win the F.A Cup.
The truth is that Arsenal like Man Utd don’t like to lose. But after Arsenal defeats, the media jumps on them and calls them names and questioning their attitude. So why are there no articles pointing to how bad Man Utd are acting after this loss? I guess that’s how it is. All Arsenal can do is try to win the games on the field and try to ignore this lop-sided Man Utd media bias.
March 8th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Hmm. This was on BBC:
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger can expect a nice bottle of red from Wigan boss Steve Bruce, who is still grateful for the Frenchman lending him three players key to him getting promoted with ex-club Birmingham last season.
Forget the wine Steve Bruce. Save your money. Give Wenger the 3 points instead. Much cheaper
March 8th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Yeah, it’s an Arsenal fan site, doesn’t mean you can’t have humility. I know in America all that matters is win at all costs and rub your opponents faces into the dirt, but over here we prefer to act with a bit of class.
The day Arsenal lose to a lower league side I will judge the players on the performance. Unlike you, I look at little things, like how the team played and the attitude of the players - not just the result. Meanwhile, you are happy to give redundant opinions on matches you admit you didn’t even watch.
Is if your ignorance could not be highlighted even further - Kuszczak will serve a one match ban, three is for violent conduct.
March 8th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
@19: Sachin, get a grip. There is no anti-Arsenal bias - it’s all in your head. Arsenal were crucified because their performance and attitude against United was a disgrace - certainly the worst I have seen for effort under Arsene Wenger.
Utd’s defeat was completely different, they put out a full strength team for a start, and played well - sure they missed some chances, but a lot of it was down to bad luck, and they had a stone wall penalty not given. If I was a Utd supporter tonight, I might not be happy, but I certainly wouldn’t be ashamed of the team.
March 8th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
” still remember the goal he let in against Southampton at Old Trafford and then the camera focussed on a naturally furious Ferguson afterwards. Always great to see Ferguson upset.”
Sachin, you are not alone!! I too absoutely enjoy watching Fergie’s facial expression whenever they lost!! Like their classic moment of 2005 FA Cup final defeat.
the funny thing is perhaps the TV crew love that as well, as the camera always seem to be able to capture Fergie’s losing moment! If they make a video of it, I am going to buy it, and put it into my football VCD collection.
March 8th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
United DEFINITELY wanted to win the FA Cup again. Ferguson was furious at the loss and the referee. If he didn’t care about the match, he would have put out a B-squad.
They played a Prem.Side… and they didn’t finish their chances… and lost.
Chelsea wanted to win as well. Their coach has won nothing, and Mourinho is sniping at Chelsea. They threw everything at them in the end, and Barnsley held on bravely.
Its what makes the FA Cup so interesting, to me at least. The minnows sometimes have their day… and today it happened again for Barnsley. They beat Liverpool AND Chelsea! There are many EPL teams that can’t manage that feat, let alone in the same year. None of the big 4 lift the Cup this year. When was the last time that happened. (I know you stats guys are out there, tell me!)
and… of course Danny feels the need to take a shot at… AMERICA.
Wonderful stuff Danny. Its Arsenal America. Your favorite site. If you don’t like it, you can most certainly leave it. Thats whats great about America. We have a choice. So do you.
So on behalf of the Americans on the site… go get some fish-n-chips down the road, and give your tired act a rest.
March 8th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
@ 21: it always makes me cringe when people talk utter crap about how brits are more “class” than americans………..you are living in utter self deceit! ask any other european what they think of british “class” - their answer wont be positive!
before i found this site, i wandered onto some british arsenal websites and my god - they were just terrible.
get off your high horse and stop preaching. and if you do want to preach dont mention british “class”…that destroys your argument.
March 8th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
I was just making a comment about American sporting culture as it is perceived in England. Just because it’s a criticism doesn’t mean it isn’t true - I mean you only have to look at WWF to see how American kids are quite happily raised on a diet of sickening violence.
If you look at the posts over the last few days, 4 or 5 American’s have flung shit at me about England this and England that - do you see me complaining? English people have their good and bad points too, there’s no need to get all nationalistic about it.
Personally, I am not proud to be English and feel no love towards the English culture or people - in fact one of the reasons I love living in London is it’s multiculturalism. So I am just as likely to agree when it comes to criticism of this country I live in than disagree.
If I support sections of the English press for example, that doesn’t mean I am protecting my Englishness, I am just saying what I see, like I do with everything.
March 8th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
as for kuzsczaks suspension time….i do not know the exact rules for every single scenario but was senderos’ last red card more “violent” than this keeper’s sending off? yet he got a 3 match suspension. and so did lehmann - albeit in the CL.
March 8th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Danny, I think ppl here have been calling u England this, England that is more down to the fact they didn’t know you well. And the fact that you have been trying too hard to be a “neutral”, to defend Taylor (IMO an undefendable), to defend the English press (IMO they were a disgrace after the Eduardo incident), to defend Bentley (IMO he’s a rat).
As a result, u gave ppl an “impression” that you are biased towards everything related to English.
knowing you, I know you don’t really give a damn of the nationality, certainly NOT pro England. but not everyone here been here for 3 or 4 years like u and me. they responsed on what they read.
also, i think u gotta understand it’s logically impossible to be a “supporter” while at the same time trying to be “neutral”.
as stag said a while ago, SUPPORTERS are bounced to be BIASED. because we got something to SUPPORT, so how is it possible to look at things from a NEUTRAL’s point of view?
when u kept criticising Arsenal’s FA Cup exit, yet seemingly been defending Man Utd, and doing that on an Arsenal fan site, what reaction do u expect?
March 9th, 2008 at 1:01 am
The Wigan game is going to be a very tough one for multiple reasons
- from Milan to Wigan
- from San Siro to JJB
- from a neat pitch to a mud field
- from a strict ref to a weak one
- from soft tackles to agricultural ones
- from an already weak team to a weaker one due to more injuries
Cesc and Hleb will struggle to put together their passes on a muddy pitch. Still we need to find a way. The Villa draw was not a bad result, but a draw at Wigan would be disastrous..
I think we’ll scrape through 1-0. Isn’t Denilson also injured?
March 9th, 2008 at 1:13 am
As for the FA Cup, I watched both the ManU and Chelsea games and you can’t say that neither wanted to win it. ManU just thrashed Portsmouth but still lost (it was worse than our Moscow game). Chelsea played very poorly. Of course, the pitch was not the best, but since when are Chelsea a passing team? I am sure Grant wanted to win it (especially after hearing ManU’s defeat, he must have been dreaming of his name on the cup).
The topic of being sore losers applies to ManU as much as Arsenal. The main reason we get a lot of flak is because our excuse is typically the same - too much violence. ManU’s reason is also typically the same - the ref goofed up (remember he said that even after the Arsenal draw). But who will dare question Fergie?
March 9th, 2008 at 1:19 am
Arsenal.com have picked on something I pointed out earlier.
We followed up the 1-0 win at Real Madrid with a 0-1 loss at Blackburn.
Wenger will make sure that there is no complacency this time.
March 9th, 2008 at 1:42 am
Danny, thats just wonderful… you aren’t proud of being British.
That says a lot. I believe you were the one that taunted an American soldier on this site with some comment about killing for oil or whatever… I could be wrong, but I seem to remember something to that effect.
I guess thats the difference.
I love America. I’m proud to be American. I think most Americans feel that way, though I certainly can’t speak for anyone but myself.
I love London too. It does have many cultures and people from all over. It makes it a great city. The entire US of A is like that. We are a country of immigrants from all over the planet. When you ask an American their nationality or background (here)… I’d say… Italian!!! We are a mass of multiculturalism.
So we aren’t going to take comments about our country lightly. Some of them might even be TRUE. We don’t all support the governments policies, thats for damned sure… but its the people that make up the country.
We make up a large part of the site too. But the mix of people from all over the world on the site… give it the unique flavor that makes the site so good.
So say whatever you want on football. You have your opinions and some knowledge on the game. But nobody appreciates being called the non-sense you spewed out the other day… and proud people don’t particularly like their country being called out either.
SAVE IT, please.
Talk football and Arsenal and sport… we don’t need your politics and name-calling, when you actually have a lot to offer on football.
March 9th, 2008 at 1:43 am
Sachin, this should please you.
http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,13320_3265991,00.html
March 9th, 2008 at 3:57 am
In games like this, set-pieces, corners and free-kicks play a big part. Our aerial threat has improved a lot. But our corners leave a lot to be desired. Cesc’s delivery is not the best and we don’t seem to have anybody else to take it. If we can improve in that area, we will scoring a lot more goals in the air.
Also, our threat from direct free kicks is virtually non existent. When I see the likes of McFadden, Larsson and Bullard score for Birmingham and Fulham, I do wonder how nobody at Arsenal, with all their technical strength, has figured out the art of bending the ball over a wall. RvP and Toure’s free kicks are more down to power. We should be doing something about it.
March 9th, 2008 at 4:00 am
I’m thinking ..who was the last free kick specialist we had anyway? Titi? Well he was a genius so lets forget him. Who else? Pires n Freddie used to take a few once in a way. Edu used to take them at times. When did Bergkamp ever take a direct free kick? Mozart maybe coz he takes them for the Czech but he’s injured too often. But really bar Henry n RVP we never have had “set piece specialists”. I guess its the way AW Plays…all over again. Multi-functional multi-position players - not just players who can “put a ball into the box”. We’ve never ever been dead ball specialists — though I do agree it’d be nice if we could score from free kicks when RVP is not there. It won’t happen though
trust me… its not AW.
In the end its classic AW thinking though — “Don’t go by conventional wisdom of playing 4-4-2 or buying a hardman or buying a hug-the-line winger.” He always asks — Will my team benefit by it? Will it substantially add to quality? If yes then I’ll do it ; if no I’m not listening to tabloid hacks and doing something.
March 9th, 2008 at 6:08 am
Josh made an interesting point about Flamini in the last article. Under Wenger, I don’t remember any player signing a contract during his last six months. Lehmann and Bergkamp have but their circumstances were different. The likes of Kanu, Wiltord, Edu and Pires have all left. Despite all his public talk about wanting to stay, there are no guarantees that Flamini will stay.
March 9th, 2008 at 6:41 am
Nipuna as I said to JD I’m pretty calm about Flamini. Unfortunately at Arsenal there has grown a bit of a culture about leaving contract signing to a late stage. Big names like Vieira and Henry did it, Wenger himself does it….. Not what I like but that seems to be the practise that has evolved.
But with Flamini, where else would he want to be with this team coming into bloom and him cementing a place in it? He has his mates Fabregas and Hleb, lotsa French boys, and a French manager. Hard to think where else would offer such a good looking future.
March 9th, 2008 at 11:13 am
On Arsenal.com
———
1935
Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Sunderland was watched by 73,295, the record attendance for Highbury.
73,295????? — At Highbury? How did we fit so many in there? Was it a different stadium …Wembley or something???
March 9th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Any news on the line-up?
March 9th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Gilberto starts with Flamini…Cesc on the right…no Denilson. Kolo, RVP and Song on the bench. All the rest as expected with Ade - NB up top.
March 9th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Really? Not sure I like Cesc on the right….but Wenger knows best
March 9th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Anyone have sopcast link for this one ? I can’t seem to find a smooth channel
March 9th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Gotta have the tractors to plow this pasture…. Gilberto+Bendtner!
‘Expecting some throwback football today from the Arsenal
March 9th, 2008 at 11:53 am
A proud day for the Welshmen, Cardiff into the semi! e.on must be gutted. When was the last time 3 sides from outside of the top flight into the FA Cup semi? i sure hell can’t remember.
March 9th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
there’s no way wenger plays denilson ahead of gilberto. i think he puts hleb on the left, fabregas on the right and make the midfield the most defensive center mid possible: flamini and gilberto. i think it would be great if bendtner and adebayor start exchanging goals because no matter what either says, they certainly aren’t best friends. and if one gets a goal, both seem to be jealous types and would love to do better than the other, pushing himself to more goals, which might drive the entire team to a win.
March 9th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Quality pitch, that.
Dear Lord!
March 9th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Did Wenger forget to tell Cesc he is playing on the right. He hasn’t moved out of the center of the pitch yet.
March 9th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Wigan seems to be finding their way much better now. Not good.
March 9th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
decent first half but we need to take it up a notch in the second half. Some more focus is required especially in midfield because Wigan is hustling in the center. I hope we do not have to get RVP in to get us a goal late in the second half.
March 9th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
We desperately need someone to shoot from distance. Put a bit of fear in the opposition. All the cute passing won’t work on this pitch.
March 9th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Crap pitch+ Adebayor’s technique = annoying
Crap pitch+Gilberto’s technique = Soul destroying.
Something tells me we are going to get screwed over here. I can smell an impending injustice in the air.
March 9th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
blob123… i’m watching it on StarSports with sopcast and it’s pretty smooth
March 9th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Mazza, how can you watch that 1st half and say ANYTHING negative about Gilberto. W T F did he do wrong. NOT A DAMNED THING!
Lay off the guy for feck sake.
Ade has zero touch on the ball. If he could have converted in the opening minute, nobody would care.
We are in control possession-wise… and are controlling the play. Its not easy with the pitch being pathetic and used for Rugby??!! Great stuff.
Our long balls are fairly effective so far as well.
We just need the ONE goal to open things up a bit… but the closer it gets to the end, the more the pressure to score increases… WHEN do we bring on RVP?? 20 minutes left?
Not too concerned right now… I like the way we played the 1st half.
LDE = they got 70,000 plus in Highbury because it was NOT an all-seater.
They were all standing!!!!!!!!! you can cram a lot of people into an area when everyone is standing up… terraces…
March 9th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
thank God I’m not the only one pissed at Adebayor’s technic… it’s just infuriating
March 9th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I think we will kill them early of the 2nd half.
March 9th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Am I the only one who has been frustrated by the second half performance so far
March 9th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
The countdown to the next RvP injury begins now.
March 9th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
I am beginning to have a bad feeling about this game
March 9th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Somebody please shoot from distance. For once.
March 9th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
RVP down
March 9th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
OK, whoever guessed seven minutes of play before RvP went down, collect your winnings at the cashier’s cage.
March 9th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
RvP’s free kick was exactly what I was talking about. Only power doesn’t work too many times.
March 9th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
What’s RvP’s status?
March 9th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
RVP is ok.
March 9th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
What a cluster f of a match this has been.
March 9th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
I take it from the silence that a late winner isn’t in the cards.
F*****^^%$$###……
March 9th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Horrible, our determination matched the state of the pitch.
March 9th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
This is a BAD result. On any other day, a draw on such a pitch with so many injuries would be fine. But on the back of two draws in the league, this is a bad result. A five point lead could soon be a one point deficit.
March 9th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
It’s difficult to see what could have changed the game, apart from Ade taking his early chances. Maybe Cesc starting in the middle? A little more shooting from distance? Better use of the corners? Don’t know.
March 9th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
We were careless today. Too many loose balls and too many missed chances. We have got to do better. Cesc should have done better with such a chance. We blew it! 3 draws in a row in games we really should have won. I am extremely disappointed.
March 9th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Shitty, shitty performance. Do these bunch of players want to win this league enough? From what i’ve seen, NO.
Hleb was pathetic today. Absolute weed. This guy, for all his ability, has loser written all over him.
March 9th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
damn… sad part for me is that i should i have been studying to a quiz
the dudes i’ll give more than a 5 in the team today were flamini, sendy and clichy… the rest were crap… adebayor gets a -2, nothing came off for alex, and robin’s touch seem to almost inspire the team late on but it wasnt to be.
we leave to fight another day… plus i’m taking consolation from the fact that chelski and manc have shown that they are fallable tool
March 9th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
yeah, i think it is at this point that our title hopes are really over.
to be honest i dont see how we would have won this match. we probably should have put in FAR more crosses but we didnt. apart from that, with this team and the injuries and on that pitch - this is almost expected.
thinking of it there is pretty much no point playing hleb in a match like this. the players one needs are eboue and walcott, lots of running - no thinking.
man u’s next game is against derby so there is no point praying for anything less than a 5-0 victory for the mancs. cos that is what they will dish out.
after boro, we have chelsea and bolton away, liverpool at home and man u away…………so its safe to say only a miracle would see us get the title now.
we need all the injured and suspended back ASAP though.
March 9th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Happy St. Totteringhams Day anyway
March 9th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
I was most frustrated by Hleb. If he is intelligent enough to make nice dribbles and passes, he surely has the brains to know that such things won’t work on this pitch. Why then does he keep persisting with the same routine? Left to him, I guess he will just dribble and pass all day long. Nothing else.
March 9th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
you hleb haters can FUCK OFF
March 9th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
i’m a hopeless optimist… it’s a miracle we’ve gotten this far… and i’m going to keep believing until it’s all over
One of the commentators said Arsene can only believe in his players, well that’s all I can do too… what’s the point of been a gooner if i give up before the end of the season… esp when there’s still a fighting chance of winning EPL. If i stop believing now then i had no business expecting anything from the players in the first place
Kiss the crest…
blah, blah, blah…
March 9th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Nicosian, I’m his biggest fan, but he was a sad, sad, joke today. How many frickin times did he overplay five yard passes to the overlapping Clichy?
It got to the point at the end where players would look up, see Hleb and then pass in the opposite direction.
March 9th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Our fallow league performance continues… Slip, slip, slip sliding away…
Sad really. But, things can turn on a dime, so we’ll see.
Need some luck though.
@71: your sociopathic comments are not needed, son.
March 9th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Take about strength in depth. Season after season we are faced with the same scenarios but Wenger is still redundant in the transfer market.
Surely Kolo Toure at Right midfield has to the worst form of desperation.
At least one positive from the game is Van Persie looked good.
March 9th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
United are two points clear with goal difference in their favour now, especially after the upcoming Derby massacre.
March 9th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Patronising dickheads are not needed, son.
March 9th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Surprisingly Arsenal were worse in the second half that the first, fatigue no doubt setting in - a heavy pitch like that takes a lot more out of the players. They’re young, don’t have the fight game in game out, the pitch didn’t help and Wigan played extremely well - so a draw was decent result.
Unfortunately this gives Utd the iniative now, and with the three draws on the spin we’re going to have to do something outstanding to win the title. I said about 4 weeks ago that we had to remain top before the big run of games (Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd). Van Persie is our only glimmer of hope.
Almunia (7) Didn’t have much to do, some weird punching though
Sagna (7) Defended well, crossing quite poor
Gallas (8) Very good
Senderos (8) Probably his best game in the Premiership
Clichy (7) Same as Sagna, coming forward completely ineffective
Fabregas (6) Where was he playing? Hard to tell
Gilberto (6) Decent first half, but offers zero as an attacking outlet
Hleb (3) Totally abysmal performance
Adebayor (5) Had no service whatsoever, when he did get it control let him down - but on that pitch hardly surprising
Bendtner (6) Better than Adebayor, but not by much
Subs
Toure (6) Fish out of water playing right midfield
Van Persie (7) Breathe of fresh air, as soon as he came on it looked like we could somehow win
March 9th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Not meaning to develop a chorus against Hleb, but he did seem to get worse as the game went on. In the 2nd half he gave the ball away repeatedly - a major source of breakdown from a guy we rely on for retention & invention particularly with no other wide player in the squad!!. But he wasn’t alone.
Our depth currently is rooted in attack & out wide. No options and no variety. We had a good first half. In the 2nd we looked like we were running on fumes. By the end we couldn’t win a 50/50 ball.
We’ve just had too many injuries in similar positions. RvP, Eduardo, Rosicky, Walcott, Eboue (susp) - come-on any team would feel that sort of bite - even in midfield with Denilson & Diaby out and Diarra leaving. Add Djourou & Song out & Toure only back. It’s the cummulative injury blight that managers fear most.
In saying this we had several clear cgances to day. We could have won. But the game had the look of a draw. Just look at ManU and Chelsea - teams are often flatish post Euro.
March 9th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Blob? VanPersie looked good?
Like… how? Physically? or what?
He shot into the 35th row about 3 times. Should have passed to an open Cesc once… he was rusty as nails. He did zero coming on… we’d have been better keeping on Bendtner.
OK. So, we have nobody to blame if we don’t win the league. Up 5 points, we have pissed it away, and are now likely behind United in the league.
We will have to do miracles and beat Chelsea and United, if we want to win the league. So the form of the CL did not carry over, nor did the passion and determination. I think Wigan were the better side in the 2nd half, definitely came at us some in the 2nd half, and we didn’t do much at all. Created Little. Went away meekly in 0-0 draw v. the 15th place team in the league.
The pitch sucked. No excuse. We knew that going in. They played on it too.
Its like a freaking roller coaster with this team. That’s what happens when you are a bit too young and inexperienced. The injuries hurt us, yes… but the team we put out there today is MILES ahead of Wigan in talent. Not even close.
More points thrown away. League hopes slipping fast.
March 9th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
I agree Danny, I thought Senderos played extremely well. What I’ve noticed in a number of his recent games is a huge improvement in his distribution. It’s not just that it has just been tidy, at times it has been pretty damn incisive. Credit where it’s due.
March 9th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
I’m with you Stag, I didn’t see much from RvP - then again I didn’t expect it - but certainly hoped for it
March 9th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
I agree with Danny as well. Arsenal usually played better in the 2nd half in a game they struggled in the first (half). So I was suprised to see our performance on the 2nd half even worse than the 1st.
Hleb had a very poor game no doubt about it. But u do have a feeling the players are dead tired. And i don’t thing it’s an excuse. Take Adebayor, if he still had any leg left, u can bet on him to run till he drop. but that’s not the case today, i don’t think he suddenly became a lazy player, it might be the case he simply couldn’t run no more.
Another thing about Hleb is - he seems far more comfortable in a 451 than 442. it gave him more freedom to operate. He’s never a winger. in a 442, there are lesser flexibility, as the concern of get caught out of position. with 451, the midfielders have more room to move around, with the knowledge that they have enough men in the midfield to cover for each other.
also, playing in a 442, we need our players be more direct. Hleb is not that soft of player, at times, he’s guilty of holding up the ball for too long.
As a result, our striking pair once again found themselves isolated from the midfield. and the midfield struggled to control of the game as well, particularly in a muddy pitch.
dont get me wrong, i thought we should have gone for a 442 with Bendtner and Ade up front before the game. but I thought we should have adopted a more direct approach of the game, as the pitch surely would go against our short passing play.
But our title race is NOT OVER. Even Man U win their next game and overlap us, it’s NOT OVER. This is football we are talking about. It’s unpredictable. On paper Man U will now have the upper hand, but on paper they would have won the FA Cup as well. As far as i m concerned, the fat lady has not ready to sing yet. Far from it.
March 9th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Andez, no… the title race is definitely not over!
Hell, with the United inevitable win over Derby, we’re still 1 point back.
OK. So we have to beat United and Chelsea. It can be done, but we are making things very difficult for ourselves. Its becoming less likely we win the league with each draw. Thats all.
We beat AC Milan on the road, we can beat United too. But not playing that way…
March 9th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Well, that was a major f**k-up. After United dismantles Derby, does anyone expect Arsenal to reclaim the top spot?!
March 9th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
The problem with making our game more direct is that Adebayor isn’t good enough to take any balls down without fouling a defender in the melee to get to the ball, or be able to take down a ball without the referee blowing for an imaginary foul. Only the real top strikers can latch on to long balls consistently and give the impression that it’s a straightforward exercise. Adebayor subconsciously knows he hasn’t got the technique so he creates a scene or makes visual excuses to show how unaccessible these long passes are, when in fact they are fairly accurate most of the time. To me, it looks like Adebayor is looking for a way out and is afraid to take responsibilty at times. What about that free kick from Cesc that Ade just stood and watched go into goalkeepers arms? If that was White Hart Lane he would have gone towards it. It’s those inconsistencies that cost us over the long haul.
March 9th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Yes we’re all disappointed. But ManU have LOST 4 games so far. That’s a loss ratio of 1 out of every 7 they play. So it’s more likely than not that they will drop more points. So as always - let your emotions subside and don’t slash your wrists.
Their EPL form has been more convincing than ours for a while BUT they lose when you don’t expect them to. They aren’t the invincibles.
Our major concern is our injuries. You simply can’t compensate for too many out over an extended period. We need players coming back and staying healthy. We need options off the bench. RvP and Toure are back - that’s great - they need to stay healthy. Hopefully Walcott isn’t serious - he gives us an option off the bench. Rosicky’s fragility has been a liability. Hopefully Diaby and Denilson will be back soon too.
The long-term injuries to RvP and then Eduardo have exposed our greenness up front. Only Adebayor - one reliable outlet. Walcott and Bendtner are what they are - green. So think where we would be without Adebayor’s goalscoring and industry.
March 9th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Kiwi, I agree, its not wrist slashing time yet!
But we have more than enough talent, even with injuries, to dispatch Wigan.
United and Chelsea have had their share of injuries as well. Its not unique to Arsenal. No excuse for dropping points in the league the way have in recent matches. Its just down to poor play.
March 9th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
There are going to be a series of big games coming up. Ordinarily you’d rather play lesser teams. Ironically I think our side may do better playing the tougher opponents than the big-effort cannon-fodder types - so the hard run-in might work in our favour.
We know we can outplay anyone, so the question isn’t can we win. The advantage of playing ‘better’ teams is twofold; firstly they actually play football - and let you play football, and secondly playing bigger games is a natural motivator to our young team.
March 9th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Clichy’s Stevie Wonder routine at Birmingham is looking more and more costly as the draws go by.
The big problem, as I mentioned at the start of the season, is the lack of depth we have in reserve for Hleb and Rosicky. Hleb must be absolutely knackered by now but yet because Wenger bought no one- again- he is being forced to play one more game to many. Physically and mentally a telling toil.
We have a few injuries to likes of Diaby and Walcott, and Eboue’s suspension, but the only player who may have made a difference today is Walcott, and even then that difference would have probably been a few extra corner kicks.
The sight of Kolo Toure flailing away like a lame Buffalo on the wing in the last twenty seemed to sum up the situation quite nicely.
March 9th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
well, there is no point saying “we have more talent”. Man U also had more talent than portsmouth but lost.
to be honest i didnt think we played that bad - for that pitch. our game just cant handle that pitch …yes we knew that before hand, wenger knew that before hand and the players did as well, but that doesnt mean we could do anything about it.
from the offset it was obvious that constant crosses and lofted balls would be necessary.
if Man Us goal difference wasnt that massive i would be a bit more optimistic. but as it stands they are likely to massacre derby 7-0 and get to over 50+ GD.
we will now have to beat both chelsea and Man U away!
March 9th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
actually when kolo came on i was excited thinking now we will open them up with pace on that wing………..and viola that wing became a black hole LOL. goes to show that change in positions takes much more time than the ordinary fan thinks!
eboue and walcott will have been the difference today…or maybe even diaby. not because they are such good players but because their play is utterly random.
eboue would have done a lot of crap but at least he would have got in behind the full backs a couple of times, something we never achieved in this game.
walcott would have put in some quality crosses and definitely have got in behind the left fullback.
diaby would have done his “selfish” running-not-looking up routine…….and its only on this type of pitch in this kind of game that makes some twisted sense.
either way, i cant even bring myself to hope for derby to get something.
March 9th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
I think some folk are underplaying the level of injuries that Wenger has had to contend with in the last 6 weeks. Yes injuries impact everyone, but it is the extent of the problem. And this is often down to luck - or lack thereof. Good squads can ride the ‘normal’ ebbs and flows throughout a season, but major intrusions…..no one can cope with. The impact is not just the lack of options, it’s the way it makes your season stutter. It interrupts your flow and undermines your confidence.
Take this game, Wenger had 2 incompatible strikers and one tired wide player for the starting line-up!!! Almost zero on the bench in an attacking sense - except an RvP who has barely played all season and who Wenger is paranoid will breakdown again. And midfield and defence stringht has been badly impacted to. Give the guy a break.
In attack and out wide we are poked. We need players back. It is not that any particular player is ‘the answer’, it is the Law of the Incremental. Football is often decided by one goal, and there is often only inches between a goal and a save or a post. But when you have no options and are forced to play poor combo’s your not increasing your chances of being on the right side of the margins.
March 9th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Injuries or not, there is no reason to lose (yes, this was a loss) to a Wigan when you are playing for the league title. Shouldn’t happen, there are no excuses. Arsenal’s PL form has been rotten lately, whereas United’s has been top-notch. Yes, they have more loses, but none lately. They WILL dismantle Derby, they will take the top spot and won’t reliquish it. This non-win was huge. The match at Old Trafford will be the last gasp, unfortunately. We still have a chance at the CL, though…
But hope springs eternal…
March 9th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
I agree with both kiwi and fred. Personally, i think it’s quite unfair to our players to suggest they didn’t give their all. Let’s not kidd ourselves - they KNEW it well enough how important this game being, and in fact, EVERYGAME from now on. Why would they want to throw away everything they had done for the past 7 months or so?
but players are human as well. let’s dont underestimated a CL effect, it could put the players’ focus off a bit, and surely would tire them down. the term fixture congestion is not a myth. there was no coincidence that the past few seasons, the English club did the best in CL was the side who struggled in the Premiership (that allowed them to focus on one competition).
and i also not sure if it’s a coincidence that all 3 English clubs who participated in the midweek CL action returning to England and all at the receiving end of a poor result, bar different compeititons.
Like following the AC Milan victory, I said that it was not going to be easy this Wigan match (DannyT and a few others pointed out that as well).
We can’t really judge the strength of our side based on a victory or setback. The AC Milan win was one of the best performance from Arsenal in Europe, if it’s an indication of our overall strength, we would have to conquer the world.
but that’s not the case, as it’s unlikely we will be able to produce the same kind of performance all season long, we didn’t have as much depth in the squad to achieve that.
likewise, no doubt it was a poor performance against Wigan, but we can’t really say this going to be a reflection for the rest of our season neither. Deep inside, we all knew our team are better than that.
the way i see it - the team looked dead tire, but with a good week’s rest, i m very sure next week it will be business as usual.
March 9th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Well, let’s not get carried away: We knew this was going to be a tough fixture with us just having shot our wad in Milan and our small squad with injuries, and all the other factors combined. We missed Theo today….big time; I suspect he would have provided the cross or the pass or the shot to finish the game…
We tired in the second half; I don’t blame them. And Wigan were organized. RvP will be rusty for the next few games. He will provide the spark against Man U and Chelsea when we meet in a few weeks…
In 2006 we lost to Blackburn 1-nil after beating Real Madrid; Man U lost yesterday; Chelsea lost yesterday…so 0-0 against Wigan is not awful…..clearly we would have liked to be up 4 points but we are still OK….It just means that our games against Chelsea, ManU and Liverpool take on more importance and are more pressurized…
Just remember that this TEAM has done a magnificent job all season and we are still one to two years away from the heights that this team can achieve, so winning something this year will be a massive bonus but if we lose the title, it won’t be this team’s last chance….
Here’s hoping for CL and EPL trophies this year…
March 9th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
jdl - set aside your emotion-charged speculative rant for a minute and look at a few facts.
Since 1 Jan Arsenal have played 15 games. During that time this is the availability of wide attacking players for Wenger:
Hleb - 12(1 sub)/15
RvP - no games/15 (injured)
Rosicky - 2 games/15 (injured)
Eboue - 4 games/15 (ANC/injured/suspended)
Throw in Eduardo being out for the last 4 games
The largely ineffective pup Walcott has played 6+3 subs
So the question to ask in any rational analysis is what has Wenger got left to work with?????? He’s pretty much had Adebayor and Hleb with which to try and negotiate this period.
It’s so easy to throw about statements like - “there is no reason to lose….Shouldn’t happen, there are no excuses” - but a little considered thought shows the stupidity of that remark. Arsenal have had a number of pretty good reasons to lose - the fact they haven’t lost in the EPL just demonstrates the calibre of this team - accepting it is lighter on experience than we would ideally like.
As for ManU - “Yes, they have more loses, but none lately” - well they’ve lost 2 of their last 10 EPl games, with the most recent 3 games ago. But don’t let the facts spoil your tantrum.
March 9th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Another dose of realism for those tempted to wet their pants over ManU - over the last 5 EPL games Arsenal have accumulated 9 points v ManU’s 10 points. Over the last 10 EPL games (end of Dec) Arsenla have accumulated 22 points v ManU’s 24 points.
We probably all accept that ManU’s play has generally been more compelling with more verve and goals BUT the reality is that a young Arsenal squad have successfully negotiated a difficult period and maintained their position in the title race.
Will ManU’s compelling form blow out somewhat? No one knows. But what we can see is that we can box toe to toe with them despite difficulty.
I have to admit my concern re injuries. In the last couple of weeks we’ve had up to 10/11 players out - that’s huge for a squad that carries no excess. I’m more worried about the impact of persistent and widespread injuries than ManU.
March 9th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Andez, I don’t think it was a poor effort from us. We just didn’t get it done. Champions get it done, when they are not at their best. We blew a 5 point lead at the top.
Ade could have scored in the opening minute.
The pitch was lousy. We have injuries.
Excuses.
Seriously. We haven’t been good enough in the league. Its as simple as that. Other teams play at Wigan and get injuries. If you want to win the league, you have to overcome. Right now, we are not doing so. We are giving away points to lesser teams. Its OK to say it.
The title race is ON. Its not over. We still have a chance, but we have made it less likely we’ll win the league, by screwing up against teams we should beat.
Thats all.
Not ripping players or saying we suck… we just don’t need excuses right now.
SUCK IT UP. GET IT DONE. or we aren’t winning the league.
March 9th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Tuesday night was the upside of being a fan, today was the downside. And by the way, if this is the downside, we’re better off than the majority of fans. A little perspective is necessary. Yes, today was absolutely frustrating but a sole goal and the entirety of the tune sung on this site would be completely different. Just like Arsenal was not the best team in the world on Tuesday when it beat Milan at the San Siro, Arsenal is not “rotten” or made up of “losers” today when it draws with 15th place Wigan. It’s March 9th and Arsenal is in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and, at worst, is one point behind the leader in the EPL. There’s a whole lot of football to be played and watched. Let’s defer judgment on the season until it’s over. That way, a whole lot of us can avoid ending up with egg on our face when we’re proven to be wrong. Enjoy the ride and celebrate the fact that you root for a great team that plays the beautiful game.
March 9th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Disappointed but I did fear this result. I can’t remember Arsenal ever making it easy to win the title in the last few attempts. In 1989, they could have wrapped it but kept slipping up until they needed a 2 goal win at Anfield in that final game. I forget the exact details about how the 1991 title run in was. In 1998, they thrived when they were chasing United and overtook them with a great run. In 2002, they put together a great run, unbeaten away from home all season, but they had their rough spots that season as well. And then in 2004, they had to do it the hard way again. Even though they ended unbeaten, it was nerve racking until that second half against Liverpool (4-2) when all the pressure was lifted by Henry.
In 2003, Arsenal appeared to be cruising for the title until they started slipping up. These 3 draws makes me think of that run. But I still have some hope looking at those tough fixtures against Chelsea, Liverpool and Man Utd. If Arsenal have to win the title, they have to do it the hard way. Maybe that is how it is going to be. Maybe they truly need to have their backs against the walls to lift themselves up.
By the time Arsenal take on Boro next week, Man Utd will be top of the league and Chelsea will be just 2 points behind Arsenal. So back to square one, almost. I wonder how many goals Derby will leak in against Chelsea and Man Utd over the next few days.
March 9th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Yea, the effort was definitely there today. Especially when be put on the blitz in the first few minutes of the match - we really tried to put it away early, but didn’t do it. Effort was there.
March 9th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
calm down guys, as andez and kiwi have said….yeah it does seem far less likely for us to win the league….but having had time to think it abit………i got to say, remember it was these SAME players that got us were we are now. they want it as much if not even more than we do.
i really, really cant see what else we could have done in this match apart from throw in a few more crosses.
March 9th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
and as i have been saying in the last couple of weeks - the team does NEED a “hero”.
no team is so good that they dont play poorly. Man U, chelsea, arsenal teams of the past have ALL drawn and lost to woefully weak teams before.
the only thing that would have saved us today was a moment of selfish and utter brilliance from say hleb or fabregas.
as said above, the fact that our run-in involves “big” teams might just be our saving grace. i am confident that at the very least we WONT lose to Man U or Chelsea….and i think we can beat pool at the emirates.
whether this will be enough i do not know.
March 9th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
I’d have to agree with Fred, Kiwi, Andez. Sure, maybe we should’ve won today, and it didn’t happen, but that’s life. And who says Man U will go the rest of the season without dropping points? The entire season they haven’t shown any worries about being behind us, they just kept saying “Arsenal will drop points.” Well now I’m saying the same about them. Old Purple Nose can say all he wants about not making any mistakes from here on out, but that doesn’t mean Man U will get 3 pts. from all 10 of thier remaining fixtures.
March 9th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Between March 9 and May 11th a lot can go down or up. It seems that many of you have already written the EPL Cup aspirations off. It was a draw not the end of the season. Honestly!
Who says they won’t beat ManUre, and Cheslea when they meet! I mean really what exactly do you want, the cup sewn up in March? That sounds a lot like a Jose Moronho type of thinking when he was at Chel$ki.
No one is happy with today’s results only because they drew or is was it because it was a really boring match in my opinion.
As for future strategies, look at all the other league teams to hold a motocross on the pitch the night before their games with Arsenal. How can a professional club have such a joke for a pitch? You could still see the lines from a rugby match, it was shameful.
_____________________
DannyT - I just passed the football purity test. See
Pure as the driven snow. I’m pure now, so pure that when I defecate it comes out as ice-cream.
March 9th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Congratulations.
Van Persie is our one hope - he can turn this thing back in our favour. When he came on he made an immediate difference. Of course, he was rusty as hell and fluffed up his chances, but he will give us that bit of magic than can open teams up. He worries defences, attracts players towards him and away from others. We badly need a creative striker like him in the ranks right now.
I am only optimistic because he’s back.
March 9th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
That’s the only reason you’re optimistic, Danny? The way this squad has responded to bad results all season, and the points Man U have dropped at huge opportunities give you no hope? You’re fucking pathetic, and the way you talk about Arsenal would lead me to believe you are a Yid rather than a Gooner, were it not that I know better.
March 9th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
RVP did feck all.
He’s going to need some serious game time to have any impact.
March 9th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Arsenal had four chances to wrap the game
- Ade early in the game
- Ade early in the second half
- RvP was once open but skied his shot (not the free kick)
- Cesc late in the game
If ONE of those chances were converted, we were through. The cliche goes that champions need to convert those chances. But we couldn’t.
As I said before, on ANY other day, this draw would not have been a bad result. But on the back of two more draws, this IS a bad result. The title race is far from over, but it only got tougher.
March 9th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Kiwi, ManU might have lost 4 times in 28 games, that’s 1 in 7. But Arsenal have drawn 9 in 29, that’s 1 in 3. If you are extrapolating that ManU will lose at least once more, it is equally likely that Arsenal will draw 3 more times. Guess what? Arsenal will have dropped 6 points, while ManU drop only 3.
A win and a loss is usually better than two draws. But since Arsenal are a young team, I guess a loss does more harm in terms of confidence and self belief. We should be looking to get more wins.
March 9th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
I agree that with injuries, there wasn’t much Wenger could have done in the game. He played his best players and hoped something would happen. Like I said before the game, we needed some magic from corners, set-pieces or free-kicks. I don’t remember anyone shooting from distance to test the keeper, except RVP once and that shot ended up in the stands.
Our hopes are more and more boiling down to the only goal scoring threats we have - Ade, Cesc and RvP (if fit). If they can’t score, we are left struggling.
March 9th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
I am not in a panic mode yet, but have been holding my breath for the past few weeks because of our up and down performances.
I am an avid Arsene fan, period. However, Arsene must take the blames for this draw (loss for me of 2 points) squarely on his wide shoulders for two major reasons:
1. Gilberto has looked totally out of place as a defensive midfielder for the entire season. Not just today, not just yesterday, but I repeat, the entire season. His few decent performances have come when utilized as one of two defensive mid fielders in a defensive 4-5-1 formation when we are protecting a lead or at CB. He continually slows the attack down gives up stupid free kicks in dangerous areas and his passing has been atrocious.
2. Bendtner and Ade when paired as starting strikers in a 4-4-2 have never had a good game the entire season. Their only decent showings have been in a 4-3-3 when teamed with another slick striker like an Eduardo/Walcott/Hleib late in a game when we are trying to come from behind.
It makes me wonder whether Arsene and his other “Professional” and very well paid coaches I might add, study game film and look at statistics. If so, they must certainly have noted what I and millions of other Gunners fans have seen this season. If they have, why in hells name they keep going back to a dry well where no water has existed.
We easily could have fielded and attacking 4-4-1-1 as we did against Milan with Hleib dropping behind Ade, Flamini, Fabregas and any other combination of Denilson, Diaby, Song or Toure comprising the mid field quartet. This would have provided us with more thrust in attack on a mud patch which was affectionately termed a field. Bendtner and RVP would have been available as options late in the game even if we needed to go 4-3-3 in order to snatch a late score and Gilberto could have been used as as CB off the bench in case of injury.
It is often said that we fans are fickle and change with the winds from day to day. However, I have been preaching this gospel of tctical mismanagement for the past three months.
Why have we been persisting with Gilberto as DMF and striker pairing of Ade and Bendtner? If anyone has a rationalization for this please respond.