I wanted to post something to capture any mid-week discussions regarding the two EPL games on Wed and any Arsenal team news/rumours.
Looking above and below:
One of the consequences of the recent dropped points is that the fate of the EPL title is not entirely in Arsenal’s hands. Previously, when Arsenal were clear at the top by 1 one point after the top 2 had played the same number of games, the equation was simple on paper at least: If Arsenal won all their remaining games, they would be champions no matter what the chasing pack did.
Now, things are not so simple: If Arsenal win all their remaining games, they may still not be champions due to an inferior goal-difference.
So either Man Utd have to drop some points and leak in some goals or Arsenal have to win all their games and outscore United in each game by at least one goal to make up the goal difference of 8. And then there is the annoying matter of Chelsea being only 3 points behind Arsenal with their game in hand on Wed and a goal difference of just 5 less than Arsenal’s. Despite not having any warm feelings towards these 4 teams (putting it mildly), I will have to keep an eye out just in case.
Game 1: Angels Utd vs Sweet & Mellow Bolton
I was hoping for Bolton to get something from their crucial game against Wigan on the weekend so that their game against Arsenal in 11 days time won’t be as crucial. But despite throwing away their UEFA Cup tie against Sporting Lisbon, they still lost 1-0 to Wigan. I can understand the financial incentive of staying up in the Premier League is more important than advancing to another round in the UEFA Cup but I find it amazing that Bolton did not even take most of their first team away to Lisbon.
So now that Bolton are stuck at 25 points, they should be fighting for their lives against Manchester on Wednesday. But with Gary Megson, I am not so sure. Bolton might consider this game as a lost cause and instead focus on their home game with Man City on Saturday as more worthy to get points. Bolton would still make life difficult for Arsenal when the two meet on March 29, but if Bolton get nothing in their next two games, the Gunners better be ready for yet another hard day at the Reebok.
Game 2: Friendly Neighbours Spurs vs Sexy Football Chelsea
Chelsea have plenty of incentive going into this game. A win and they draw level with Arsenal ahead of Sunday’s big clash. Also, Chelsea want to avenge their Carling Cup loss to Spurs. I am not sure how much motivation Spurs have going into this game. Even though they are in 11th place with just 35 points, Spurs are not going to get relegated because the teams below them are unlikely to string together more than a win in succession. Spurs have already qualified for next season’s UEFA Cup and won’t finish in the top 4 needed for the Champions league either. In order for Spurs to finish in 4th, they would need every team between Liverpool and themselves to lose all their 9 remaining games. Since that is not possible, Spurs might be content with things as they are. Is pride at stake for Spurs? I thought pride only mattered when Spurs took on Arsenal and that the remaining 36 games were only a warm up until their meetings with their North London rivals.
This and that..
The most unlikely transfer rumour came out a few days ago: Barca are interested in Eboue. While this may make a few people happy, it seems more like fantasy news conjured up from the Eboue camp. No disrespect towards him, but considering the players Barca can sign, why would they go for him?
It was interesting to tune into Birmingham’s game against Newcastle on Monday and observe two Birmingham players attempting to emulate their hero Martin Taylor with two lunging tackles. Both Stephen Kelly and Stuart Parnaby got yellow cards for their Taylor like studs up tackles. Since no one was injured, the incident obviously needs no mentioning. It only confirms the style that is common at Birmingham as neither player needed to make that sort of tackle.
Since the big 4 will be involved in a fixture congested upcoming few weeks, it makes perfect sense to have those delightful friendlies on March 26. Of course, the friendly dates were set months in advance well before the Champions League draw was made. But from an Arsenal point of view, the timing is wrong, yet again. For those not familiar with the friendly break, let me explain — This is where Arsenal send away their entire first team to play meaningless games and the best Arsenal can hope for is that their players come back fit and injury free. The full squads are not known yet but since France, Brazil, Switzerland and Spain are in action, it is safe to guess a majority of the players will be gone (Senderos is already named for the Swiss squad). France are once again planning on back to back friendly games on Tuesday (March 25) and Wed.
While not worrying about injuries to Arsenal players, fans in North London can treat themselves to a friendly between Brazil and Sweden at the Emirates on March 26. The match is meant to celebrate 50 years since the two teams met in that eventful World Cup final where a young Pele made his name.
72 Responses to “Midweek talk”
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March 19th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Nice article. We need more of these NON-matchpreview/match results posts!
Or else the site becomes all ho-hum.
Anyway, I dont think the internationals will affect us too badly this time. Clichy, Sagna, Toure, Almunia, Flamini, Hleb, Eboue, Walcott, Diaby, Denilson, Adebayor, RvP will ALL not start for their national teams either because they are not regulars or because their teams are not playing - eg Ivory Coast, Belarus.
So only Fabregas is in danger of starting. And that is a toss up really.
At most a couple of our players will play about 30 minutes and that is not that bad.
March 19th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Bolton might have a chance if they score in the first half. Rooney is not starting and Ferdinand is out. Gerard Pique’s gaffe in the away game gave Bolton their win last time round and he starts again. Oh well…it’ll be nice if they lose. I hate Man United.
March 19th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
OFF TOPIC, Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane is a Gooner….
“Oakland general manager Billy Beane was happy the trip will go on and expressed desire for additional international play.
“I hope we go to Rome. I hope we go to Paris, Berlin,” Beane said, wearing shorts with a logo of the English soccer team Arsenal.”
March 19th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
That news about Beane doesn’t surprise me a bit. I would say that Beane runs the A’s organization very similar to the way Wenger has run Arsenal (focus on young players, emphasize a particular style of play, allow veterans to leave rather than commit to long term contracts etc.). That system has worked pretty well for the A’s, but they’ve had bad luck in the playoffs and haven’t been able to turn it into championships the way Wenger has at Arsenal…of course the A’s only really compete for 1 trophy per season!
March 19th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Ronaldo is f-cking annoying…his goal scoring record is quite phenomenal!. without him Man U wont be in the top 3 pretty much!
Anytime a crucial goal is needed he is there!
March 19th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
i feel the same way Fred…
all in all, pretty bad news..Chelsea and Man U are playing like they really want the title
March 19th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
1-0 to united
1-1 spuds vs. millionares
March 19th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
After all of those ‘challenges’ the team has had over the season…here is the biggest one right up in their face…how are they going to respond?
March 19th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Millionares are on the way to a win and so are United…im really feeling the heat…
March 19th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
That’s the difference really. When it gets to the business end of the season United and Chelsea are capable of injecting more intensity into their play. For instance, United’s link-man striker Tevez combined with Saha in the first three minutes to go through the the CENTRE of Bolton’s defence.
Whereas Arsenal can’t do that or do not have the belief to do that unless we’re winning three nil. Early doors all we can do is wait for the full backs and watch their crosses get cleared time and timea again.
By Sunday 4pm we could be seven points behind United(including their unassailable goal difference)
Ronaldo can only be admired. He is a wrecking ball.
March 19th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Have watched the Spurs v Chelsea 1st half.
Unbelievable scenes just before hald-time.
Ashley Cole adds another episode to his real-tv-like show of a guy screwing up his life.
He made a tackle on a Spurs player that looked 100% like Taylors on Eduardo. The key difference was that the spurs players leg was off the ground - thank goodness. That meant the risk of horrid injury was significantly reduced.
It get’s better……or worse depending on how you think of it.
Cole then starts a tiraid at the referee that goes for probably 3 minutes - no kidding. Lampard and Terry and Drogba surround the ref too (I really hate that routine) and try and pressure him.
Cole keeps shouting at the ref even turns his back on him (not to show his number) but to show his contempt. Unbelievable.
He gets……..a yellow!!! Incredible. Even the dim dim commentators say he is lucky to be on the pitch.
For me it should have been a straight red - studs up horrid challenge. The tv plays the tackle again and again - there was no doubt.
If the ref didn’t give him a straight red for the tackle he should have got a yellow for the tackle and a 2nd for his contempt. Absolute petulance.
Cole is a real live case study in a guy whose life is going down the toilet.
Re the game
Spurs look either a bit dis-interested or lightweight - Chelsea look interested but quite untidy. Giving the away the ball at the back a lot. Chelsea have that heavily physical slightly nasty look about them. I guess they sense a title challenge is possible.
March 19th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Ronaldo is having a stella season - maybe a once in a footballing life-time one. ManU are riding on the back of it.
For those who doubt the significance of a wide attacking player contributing goals - look no further than Ronaldo.
March 19th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
@ 10: “Whereas Arsenal can’t do that or do not have the belief to do that unless we’re winning three nil.”
Well, it is our WING men that are supposed to do that - ie. HLEB and Eboue. Eboue is a useless, diving cheat. Hleb is a coward who has had 3 assists this whole season.
Why are you still complaining on and on about the same thing?
If only we had a HERO in the mold of Ljunberg 2002 or Ronaldo at present.
March 19th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
We really have to note that most of Ronaldo’s goals are WINNING goals or “take-the-lead” goals. Its incredible. He has scored such goals in over 15 games for Man U this season. Man U would NOT be in the title race this season or the last without his form.
Second point I have noticed is that: Our strikers might actually be getting over worked! Why? Well, at Arsenal, our wingbacks and ALL our midfielders always pass to the strikers like its mandatory.
At Man U, Chelsea all their midfielder “cut and shoot” frequently….this gives their strikers “down-time” to regain composure and thoughts.
At Arsenal ALL the pressure is on the striker. At some point that has to stop.
March 19th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Hero’s are looking a bit thin on the ground Fred
They’re either in the treatment room or just out of it.
We’re in for a real old-fashioned tussle with Chelsea this weekend. They’re looking narly, up for a scrap. Their timing’s looking a little out too so expect a ‘hot’ game. Our keep-ball approach will invite them to get ’stuck-in’ and then it might get nasty. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a red card and lotsa yellows.
March 19th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
An observation Fred. Watching United slice through Bolton in the first ten minutes I couldn’t help notice the gulf between them and Arsenal. And how they could play balls into a main striker who didn’t automatically look to the wings, but could instead think on his feet and play a one-two with conviction and technique through Bolton’s core. For Arsenal to be completely unable or reluctant to try that is something worth talking about and to be acknowledged across the board.
The wing men can’t do it if they do not get the return ball.
March 19th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Yep, Kiwi. I anticipate another Fabregas/Lampard scuffle. Which I don’t like because the game gets high tempo when scuffles break out and Chelsea enjoy that because of their physical prowess.
March 19th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Keane levels it..Come on you Spurs!
March 19th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
What a game.
March 19th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
You have to give to them. The most entertaining side in the league. For their good points and their bad points.
March 19th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
If only Berbatov could have gotten the winner…
March 19th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Best game of the season that. Am quite glad I decided to tune in! Berba should have scored the winner!
March 19th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
The Spurs v Chelsea game offered more questions than answers.
Nothing secure about Chelsea. They should have lost 5-4. No exaggeration. Final seconds, Berbie-boy was in the box, free, with only keeper to beat, you’d back him to score…..good strike but wonderful save.
Like I say. More questions than answers. What they do do is scrap. Anyway they got a point - like us - so I guess they are’nt good enough either?
Nah, this is sweet. Sure I’d rather we had maintained our lead. But what a title race.
March 19th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
@ 16: “Watching United slice through Bolton in the first ten minutes I couldn’t help notice the gulf between them and Arsenal.”
Gulf?? What gulf?? We play differently - that is all.
If they are a gulf better then why do they waste time pathetically at the Emirates. And why do they bother water logging their pitch?
They are not a gulf ahead of Man City let alone Arsenal.
We are out of form, that is it.
On our day, talent wise we match the very best of the best toe-to-toe.
March 19th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
The good thing about this draw is that Chelsea will try to come out for a win at the weekend - especially since they are at home. This might play into our hands. If they had won today, they would probably have settled for a draw.
March 19th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
ManU are still hot, particularly Ronaldo. At the end of the day it’s about goals - you can say what you like but if you don’t “stick the ball in the ole onion bag” all the possession and dominance counts for tidly squat. So ManU are hot where it counts…..in turning possession and dominance into goals.
We aren’t…..period.
Their goals then build their confidence and it’s a virtuous upward cycle.
Sadly the reverse is also true. If you don’t score you lose your confidence. That’s us. We’ve had very limited goal-scoring outlets. And ironicaly Mazza the one good one you even criticse, comon man. Injury has robbed us of our best options all season long……starting with RvP then Eduardo and even Rosicky.
We outplay almost everyone and certainly over 90mins we compete with anyone. It’s the ability to convert that advantage and preferably sooner rather than always later.
Fred said it, take Ronaldo out of ManU’s season and they’d be unlikely to have challenged.
March 19th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Thanks Fred @1.
I ended up missing both games but another high scoring game at Spurs. I should try to see the goals atleast. As for Man Utd, if Ronaldo was not there, how would they have gotten all those wins? Frustrating to see him just keep scoring all those clinching goals.
Well Arsenal have to win at Chelsea and I truly hope that Torres can continue his scoring form to beat Man Utd. Otherwise, Man Utd will be 6 points clear before the Arsenal game starts.
Speaking of derby hatred. Just caught the final moments of the Lazio-Roma game. Lazio fans celebrated their 3-2 win over Roma as if they had just won the league themselves. There were some Lazio fans holding a banner which said “Scudetto game over” as a jibe to Roma. Lazio had nothing to play for except Derby pride and they rose to the occassion.
March 19th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
When the season started I was worried about 2 areas. The first was the centre of defence and the second scoring goals. Kinda simple I know.
Remember last year, we conceded a lot of poor goals and were often hussled and looked impotent in the air. It was realy frustrating because we would dominate teams but concede weakly. It was hard to see us improving markedly without a new face. Well we got a new face but he was a fullback!!! Incredibly Sagna’s alround solidity has proven to be instrumental in making the whole defence perform better. And I think Almunia has helped too. So the CB concern has been overcome to an adequate level.
Again, remember last year, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass…..nothing. Well this year we have improved again. Adebayor as a true centreforward gives us a bit more structure. We actualy have a guy who gravitates to the box and yet can still play our way. And Fabregas has proven to himself that he can score goals so that is positive as well. But the underlying problem has not been resolved - converting all that yummy play into goals is still an issue.
Part of that is beyond our control - injury to RvP and Eduardo. Two undoubted goal-scoring outlets. But the problem is likely deeper than that. It’s the support goal getters for the front 2. And the back-up players to the front 2. Perhaps Rosicky (another injury man) will prove to be a key contributor but that is still to be settled.
We can’t simply rely on Adebayor and van Persie (even if he gets fit). You need another option(s) - both within the starting line-up and on the bench (or in reserve). Otherwise somewhere along the line this issue will reappear and cause much nashing of teeth.
March 19th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
It’s been a long day, so maybe my brain and my facts are scrambled, but how is it that Tomasz Kuszczak only served a 1 game suspension for his FA Cup red card when Eboue served a 3 game suspension for his. Have I got this right?
March 19th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
If someone like Hleb had another Hleb in the side then he would score goals. I have literally lost count of the amount of times he gets the ball, plays a neat pass, makes a run in between a full back and a centre back- with his arms out as if to say ‘play me in’- only for the player in possession to ignore him and spread one of those great regulation balls out to Sagna and Clichy, and Hleb has to run back onside again, the moment lost. Another Hleb, or someone like Berbatov, would spot that reverse pass, as it would be described if executed correctly. Even the mighty Fabregas consistently fails to spot these runs as well.
It’s often pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, because certain players do not have the vision or class to spot the runner. Hence, coming back out into the midfield to start the move again.
March 19th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Okay, I’ve been doing some math, and it’s not looking good for us. Right now ManUre have 70 pts from 30 games. This puts them on pace for 89 pts at the end of the season. That’s 19 more than they have now, with 8 games to go. 6 wins, 1 draw, & 1 loss would give them those 19 points.
We have 3 less points than them, so we would need 22 pts to tie them, which is 7 wins, 1 draw. But a tie does no good since their goal difference is not likely to be overtaken. So really we need 23 points. There is no arrangement of 8 results that yields 23 pts, which means we’d have to get more than 23… which means winning all 8 of our remaining games.
March 19th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
I’ll give you an example of what I’m talking about. That chance Fabregas had on Saturday, the run he made was spotted by Hleb. Hleb has been in the position Fabregas was in numerous times this season yet instead of the reverse pass it has been spread wide to Sagna/Eboue.
March 19th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Kudos to Sp*ds. They let go of more leads than a dog walker with St Vitus Dance. But they did a job for us tonight. I’m still a bit shocked that A. Cole can get away with his antics. One thoroughly disgusting human being.
March 19th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Why would one try to pass to Hleb when you know for SURE that he wont shoot anyway. When Hleb is face-to-face with the keeper he WILL PASS!
If he shoots from time to time he will score a few, and believe me even if he is marked by 3 players everybody will pass to him.
Nobody has any confidence that he will actually shoot.
If he stepped up from time to time and took RESPONSIBILITY he wont have that problem.
Against Milan, Adebayor once had an option to pass to an open Hleb in front of goal with just one defender behind him and out of the way OR to pass to Eboue of all people. He picked Eboue, because he knew for sure which will actually shoot.
Its very instinctive with players. When Walcott scored two goals against Birmingham suddenly Adebayor, Fabregas and everybody was passing to him even when he was in a bad position and they could have taken the shot themselves. Why???
Because they respond to the player who has the “winning fire” over his head.
Its very instinctive.
If Hleb dribbles a defender, cuts, dummies and scores. Believe me after that everybody on the pitch would FIND him - no matter where he is.
It is all in his court what he wants to do with his talent.
March 19th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
And by the way, Fabregas is the master at spotting runs. He definitely SAW those runs but decided to go with another option. Fabregas is the PL’s assist leader - he knows what he is doing.
In his mind he is probably thinking, how many times have I tried this same thing with this guy? How many times has it really ended well? All this is probably going on unconsciously in his head.
March 19th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Well, we’ve seen what happens when Hleb plays give and goes with players who actually have the vision and composure to grasp his intentions. The goal against West Brom in 2006, with Henry feeding him the return ball, and the goal against Reading when Rosicky had the class to give him the return ball.
Hleb is not a Pires. He won’t sniff out a goal, or run to the near post or run to the far post. However if he is part of a constructive, concise passing move then he will apply the finishing touch most of the time. But needs to players to be on his level and play the two-man game with him. However most players fall back into habit and won’t follow through with the Belarussian. They won’t indulge him. They will ingore him because spreading the play is seen as the right thing to do. Spreading the play makes average players appear thoughtful and probing.
I think Fabregas may have seen him a few times but he again falls into the Arsenal trap of over-extending moves unnecessarily and getting sucked into this pass, pass, pass, malaise. Ties into what I was saying before. Arsenal do not want to score in the first half at the Emirates. All they want to is pass the ball around until the second half comes, then they might show some urgency, and then, just maybe, Fabregas may give that pass to Hleb. He is ‘allowed’ to then.
March 19th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Oh yeah, ThompsonGunner, Apology accepted.
March 19th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Save your fingers Fred…..Mazza is trying to lead us down the garden path again….
Need more goals?
a. drop Adebayor
b. find another Hleb
…..perhaps we could also drop Fabregas, play Lehman up front alongside Eduardo in a wheelchair, now that’s got ‘legs’, we could attach those blade thingy’s to the wheels like the Roman’s used to do and chop down Ashley Cole…Torres…Ronaldo all with ‘no intent’ of course. Arsenal would be introducing a new form of ‘mixing it’….no more pretty boy stuff, the FA wouldn’t mind, it’s a man’s game after all and injuries are part of the game…..as long as you don’t go in with 2 feet and there’s no intent what’s the problem?
March 19th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Yep, Eduardo in a wheelchair would add some much-needed ’steel’.
March 19th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
March 19th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
At the moment the only reason Man Utd are better than Arsenal is 1 player, Ronaldo. Without him, they’re not all that good - he’s won them so many games this season virtually single-handed. Have you been impressed this season with Tevez? Saha? Nani? Scholes? Giggs? Fletcher? Can’t say I have. The only Man Utd player who has really impressed me other than Ronaldo is Anderson - and Rooney in patches, but you’d expect that. Defensively they’re not much better than Arsenal either, hardly watertight.
As for Chelsea, something’s not right there. Chelsea should not be letting 4 in against Spurs. Cracking game though.
If Arsenal fail to beat Chelsea AND Utd beat Liverpool, the title is United’s Sunday evening.
March 19th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Sachin, you are definitely right. Winning the title is not completely in our hands anymore. I was looking at the fixtures list and think that there might be a chance for us to win if ManU / Chelsea have a couple of draws against each other and pool. Spurs helped us out tonight with Chelsea and I have my fingers crossed for Liverpool doing the same this weekend with ManU.
Also, based on the fixture list, Arsenal and Chelsea have 4 games against above mid table teams and 4 games against below mid-table teams. ManU on the other hand has 6 games against above mid-table teams and 2 games against teams slightly below mid-table teams. So based purely on current points standings in the tables and ignoring home / away advantage / disadvantage, ManU have it harder than Arsenal or Chelsea. Does this mean much, probably not, especially with Ronaldo around, but maybe, just maybe West Ham could do a double on ManU, or some other team (Everton / Liverpool) could beat ManU and do us a favor. Really, in the end it will require Arsenal to be on top form and ManU / Chelsea to not. I am being optimistic for now, albeit just. Hopefully by some miracle the league title can be ours. This season is becoming a nail biter.
Arsenal Fixtures
================
Sunday, 23 March 2008 - Chelsea(A)
Saturday, 29 March 2008 - Bolton(A)
Wednesday, 02 April 2008 - Liverpool CL (H)
Saturday, 05 April 2008 - Liverpool (H)
Tuesday, 08 April 2008 - Liverpool CL (A)
Sunday, 13 April 2008- Man Utd (A)
Saturday, 19 April 2008 - Reading (H)
Monday, 28 April 2008 - Derby (A)
Saturday, 03 May 2008 - Everton (H)
Sunday, 11 May 2008 - Sunderland (A)
ManU Fixtures
=============
Sunday, 23 March 2008 - Liverpool (H)
Sunday, 30 March 2008 - Aston Villa (H)
Tuesday, 01 April 2008 - Roma CL (A)
Sunday, 06 April 2008 - Middlesbrough (A)
Wednesday, 09 April 2008 - Roma CL (H)
Sunday, 13 April 2008 - Arsenal (H)
Saturday, 19 April 2008 - Blackburn (A)
Saturday, 26 April 2008 - Chelsea (A)
Saturday, 03 May 2008 - West Ham (H)
Sunday, 11 May 2008 - Wigan (A)
Chelsea Fixtures
================
Sunday, 23 March 2008 - Arsenal (H)
Monday, 31 March 2008 - Middlesbrough (H)
Wednesday, 02 April 2008 - Fenerbahce CL (A)
Sunday, 06 April 2008 - Man City (A)
Tuesday, 08 April 2008 - Fenerbahce (H)
Monday, 14 April 2008 - Wigan (H)
Saturday, 19 April 2008 - Everton (A)
Saturday, 26 April 2008 - Man Utd (H)
Saturday, 03 May 2008 - Newcastle (A)
Sunday, 11 May 2008 - Bolton (H)
March 19th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Danny, you’re right about this Sunday’s matches. If we lose or draw AND United win, we are done for. But as long as both of those don’t happen, we will still be hanging on by the thinnest of threads. With Liverpool’s current form and United’s over-reliance on Ronaldo, a draw is very possible. Not sure about our game though. Hopefully their defense will be like it was today. We’d almost win for sure then, because God knows our defense is miles better than Spuds.
March 19th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
ManU’s 2-0 win is very similar to Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Blackburn. Then, Arsenal went 5 points clear and everyone thought the title race is over. Now, ManU are 3 points clear and everyone thinks the title race is over. Only 8 games left.
March 19th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
@Maz 37 - thanks-you’re a prince.
Cash 4 - 4 Spuds gives me some hope for Sunday. Can’t wait!!
Spuds are a great neutral’s club, and (as many have said) my fav in the EPL to just simply sit and watch without having to chew my nails.
Ronaldo is awesome - type of player who just might make the difference in the CL for ManU this year. I think they will roll Roma - they’re in their heads after last year and this year’s group stage.
But I’m really looking forward to see Fener play the Cash in Turkey - might be something to behold. Fener just plays with wild abandonment - entertaining if nothing else.
March 19th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
The difference between Arsenal and ManU is 3 points. Look closely at the table and you can see where those 3 points were won and lost.
ManU W22 D 4 L4
Arsenal W19 D10 L1
Despite losing only once compared to ManU’s four, we are behind. It’s because ManU have won 3 games more than Arsenal.
One win and one loss is better than two draws.
March 19th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
4-4 draw at the Lane. Wonder what Mourinho thinks. He had some choice things to say about our defense after we won there 5-4. True, he is not the manager/coach now, but it is still his defense.
March 19th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
Ronaldo makes a big difference because he is the kind of routine scorer (Fred’s terminology, I like it) without whom ManU would be struggling. If we had a player like that in our team this season, we would be coasting to the title.
March 19th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
Yes. Ronaldo is a magnificent young player. I remember he was called a “one trick pony” often enough!
He sets United apart from the rest… but they are far from a one-player team. They embarrassed us in the FA Cup without him.
If we took Fabregas out of the team… where would we be?
So, lets not do the … if they don’t have so and so game… they have him, and he’s outstanding… give him his due.
Love seeing Chelsea choke a 3-1 lead, AND a lead in the last 5 minutes… thats great news…
4-4? Gives us hope, even when we can’t score much… that we should be able to put a few past Chelsea.
A draw or loss, and we are done in the league.
Lets hope Liverpool get the 0-0 draw!
March 19th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Sometime back, there was a debate as to which style is better - the rampaging style of the 03-04 side of the slow kill style of the current team. One of the points that came up was that the 03-04 side, if it couldn’t score early, would struggle to do so later (may not be entirely true, but it was debated this way). This team was (rightfully) praised for being able to turn the tables even as late as the last minute of play. But recent games have shown that a champion team needs both. Many times you just need those early goals, so that players don’t exert themselves over and above what is required or when the players are lacking in form. That is so important towards the end of the season.
March 19th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
If the tide has to turn in our favour on Sunday then two records have to be broken.
1. Chelsea have not lost at home for 4 years. Their last defeat was a 2-1 to Arsenal. I won’t forget that game. Bergkamp’s pass to Vieira was one of the best I’ve ever seen.
2. Rafa has never won against ManU in the league. Actually, I can’t even remember a draw.
March 20th, 2008 at 12:11 am
We’re up against it this weekend, boys. But this is what a title race is supposed to look like; those defining moments of the season decide who will take the trophy. Intersting points about the 2 streaks, nipuna. Well, I’ve seen crazier shit happen.
March 20th, 2008 at 12:17 am
Danny you might be right about Sunday night and the title, but remember, ManU still has to play us and Chelsea. They don’t look stellar right now (even though they are winning) and have to deal with Villa and Rovers who might nick something from them….
funny game, this sport…..we’ll see….
I think we can beat Chelsea this weekend.
March 20th, 2008 at 12:18 am
Nipuna, Rafa’s Liverpool have had just one 0-0 draw against Man U in the league and the rest have been losses. His only victory against Man Utd was a 1-0 win the 2005/06 F.A Cup season. Overall, a very poor result and that too against a major rival.
I enjoyed it when Liverpool did the double over Man Utd in the league in the 2000/01 and Arsenal’s double winning season of 2001/02. Seems like ages ago.
March 20th, 2008 at 12:20 am
The “IF” factor is a non factor. Fact is that Manu has Ronaldo and along with Tevez and Rooney they have produced a total of 43 goals and 19 assists. Combined with only allowing 15 goals it is not difficult to see why they are on top.
Until we stop giving up cheap goals from set pieces and crosses, especially against the lower ranked teams, and find a lethal combination up front we will not beat them over the length of a full EPL season.
Our team is still a work in progress but we are still showing the weaknesses that manifested itself last year and Arsene seems to either ignore them or just plain wont address them. I say wont, because we have the funds to acquire players who could alleviate our shortcomings.
It will be interesting to see whether any or all of these items are addressed in the off season.
March 20th, 2008 at 12:40 am
We all did give Ronaldo his due. That is not the point.
The point many posters have made is that Ronaldo’s goal scoring this season has been exceptional, particularly for a wide player. And exceptional to a degree that it is unlikely to be repeated season after season. In that sense ManU have benefited from something extraordinary this season and if they win the title that will be IMO the greatest individual reason why.
Ronaldo’s stella season may be the difference between ManU and Arsenal - if indeed they win the title.
For those who think there is a large gap between Arsenal and ManU - fair enough. But I don’t see it that way. They have trailed us all season, not the other way around. If they had been so much better that would have been evident through them leading and it hasn’t.
Another fact is that injuries have bitten our team hard. Many seem to dismiss this by arguing the ebbs and flows theory but for me that is simplistic. Things do not always even themselves out - some seasons are worse than others injury-wise. It’s what every manager fears in the back of his mind. The contribution some players make is irreplaceable - disagree if you want but that seems pretty clear to me. If Ronaldo was nobbled 2 months ago I wonder if ManU would be firing so well?
There are facets of the game that can’t be anticipated, controlled or mitigated - and for a team like ourselves in development mode we are a bit more susceptible to that. Sure, Wenger probably gambled a little too heavily on the fitness of his 1st choice attackers but even that is a fine call. Who predicted RvP being out almost al season thus far? + Who predicted Eduardo being chopped? + Who predicted Rosicky being glass AGAIN? + all the other annoying ‘normal’ injuries.
March 20th, 2008 at 12:52 am
ManU top scorers
Ronaldo 24
Tevez 11
Rooney 8
Saha 5
Arsenal top scorers
Adebayor 19
Fabregas 7
Rosicky 6
v Persie 5
Eduardo 4
Actually, ManU are more dependent on a core set than Arsenal. But none of Ronaldo, Tevez and Rooney have been out for more than a short period of time. For us, Rosicky and RvP have been out for a REALLY long time and Eduardo has joined that list now.
We cannot overlook the impact of injuries.
March 20th, 2008 at 1:55 am
Sheeeeee… whisper it quietly nipuna, injuries is supposed to be an excuse.
March 20th, 2008 at 1:58 am
Watched the Spurs-Chelsea highlights.
Ashley Cole deserved a red card.
Joe Cole knows where the goal is. Midfielders like that are invaluable.
Tom Huddlestone is a sweet striker of the ball.
Berbatov’s miss was bad. If Ade has missed that, we would be having a huge debate right now.
March 20th, 2008 at 3:03 am
Good pt nipuna. One thing about fans’ mentality is - they always feel other teams’ players are better. Cos they don’t follow all their games all season, only watching highlight or an odd match here and there. Therefore those players always look better.
as for our own players, every mistake of them are being analysised in detail. And u get 100 reasons to explain why Adebayor fuck up in front goal.
I always rated Berbartov as a striker, but i had also seen many shocking miss from him in front of goal. yet by no mean he became a bad striker because of those misses. if he’s available now, i bet ton of clubs would be going after his signature. It’s the same case with Adebayor. if we wanna sell him now, there would be lot of takers, probably even more than Drogba due to his age.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:03 am
Agreed Andez, a great point by Nipuna. We don’t follow other teams closely so our analysis and opinions of them are very light compared to the exacting due diligence we give Arsenal and our boys. That is why we so quickly think player so-and-so is the answer to a particular problem. If we were like Wenger’s scouting team we would form a more holistic view of strenghts and weaknesses formed after observing a player again and again.
The same goes for a team - now that ManU has finally got in front people talk sagely about a ‘gulf’ between us. I mean how ridiculous. Where was the gulf for the first 30 games? Think about it, 30 games, hardly a purple patch, 30 games is a pretty good test period of a teams capacity. That’s why I feel really pleased with the level of development that we have seen this season. Now we need the boys to get the bit between their teeth and scrap for these results.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:35 am
Saw part of the match yesterday..and within minutes Man Utd were 2-0 up and the game was as good as dead…saw no point in watching the rest of the game.
At the beginning of the season..i kept saying that this year was too early for the team to be winning anything…but i would be very very disappointed if we did not run riot in Season 2008-09. Slowly as the current season progressed …and the team playing as well as they were….i began to change my opinion of the team winning something this season…although at the back of my mind..i still had my doubts….this season seemed almost too good to be true.
Now as we come to the fag end of the season….it looks more and more like the team overperformed in the initial half ..and the pressure is just about starting to tell. As things stand right now i still have hopes that we will be able to stitch together a excellent run of games..but in reality I think Wenger will have to assess his options and see which one is more achievable the UCL or the EPL ….my guess is depending on the results of the matches next week he will make that decision…..not a pleasant one but one that he will have to make.
I don’t like Man Utd….but have to give credit where it is due….if they go on and win the title on this run of form….i would have to say it was well deserved. Take yesterday’s game..in the first 10 minutes..they fashioned so many chances..first corner …it’s a scramble and they scored…and killed the game off with another one. It’s hard for me to say it …but they played like champions..and that mentality only comes with experience.
Which is why…next season is Arsenal’s all the way….we have ironed out almost all of our deficiences…couple fo them still exist which cost us….but i’m sure Wenger has spotted them..and will rectify them….i predict that we have a couple of signings next season..and we’ll start off in blazing fashion all the way to the title. …and next year there has to be no question of choosing our competitions to compete in…i can understand why we had to do it this year….but definetly no repeat next year
I have a feeling that we will decide to go for the UCL this year…and will end up winning it
Cheers,
Wayne
March 20th, 2008 at 4:48 am
Yes Kiwi. Personally i think it’s fair if anyone wants to criticze our team sometimes, particular when they had done poorly.
but am i the only one who has this feeling that - a few of our own fans seem to be showing more respect and admiration towards other teams than our own? Man U this, Man U that, Chelsea this, Chelsea that.
it’s worse to endure the Man U fans gloating about their lead over us in the league at the moment, I get even more fed up reading the same crap from our own fans.
March 20th, 2008 at 5:30 am
“but am i the only one who has this feeling that - a few of our own fans seem to be showing more respect and admiration towards other teams than our own? Man U this, Man U that, Chelsea this, Chelsea that.”
Like they say, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence…….funny how ManU was spared criticism for the first 30 games of the season.
I have no inferiority complex, this Arsenal side are bl**dy good, their development has surged this season, even with chronic injuries to our striking contingent we have led 3 expensively assembled squads all season.
March 20th, 2008 at 5:40 am
…….if van Persie, Eduardo and Rosicky were fit and available for the run-in and our title challenge faded away then fair enough I would accept that we weren’t strong enough…and the season too soon theory….and the aren’t ManU wonderful theory bla bla bla……
But those boys aren’t fit are they? So who can assess the true impact of their absence? The ‘if’ factor is huge.
All we would have needed was to turn 2 of the recent draws into wins with 1 extra goal in each of 2 matches. Do that and we would still be leading. Could van Persie, Eduardo and Rosicky have given us those 2 goals? Of course they could.
If we were leading by 1 point going into this Chelsea game the whole tone of this site would have been different.
March 20th, 2008 at 6:45 am
when a team struggles, normally it would last a few games, it’s all about “MOMENTUM”.
like Man U early of the season, had a poor start, even the media jumped on them. crazy. we had a brilliant start early of the season, but at no point I felt that we were that superior to them.
it’s the same at the moment, i don’t think there is any gap of gulf between the quality of Man U and Arsenal. They are having a run of wins, confidence are high, and Ronaldo is on fire.
While we seem to struggle to recover from that HUGH psychology blow at Birmingham (condeding a needless penalty towards the end). Not because the players all a sudden all become crap.
i don’t think anyone needs to watch the game for 20 years to understand that. just to recall that unbeaten side of 2004, they were unstoppable before the 49 unbeaten RUN ended at Old Trafford. Then all a sudden the SAME side started to struggle. Because they suddenly became a bad team? Or because mentality they had lost their momentum? i let others to be the judge.
A more experienced side like Man U naturally would handle the situation better than a relatively young and inexperienced side. All we need now is a win to get the lads’ confidence going again. And i think Chelsea comes with a right timing. Nothing boost ur confidence more than a win against a BIG side.
of cos, the odds are against us right now. but i have faith in the kids of their ability and character to rise to occassion. Beat Chelsea and put their title race to the end. Then we carry the momentum to the rest of the season by winning all the match. The trophy will be us comes May.
March 20th, 2008 at 6:56 am
@ Mazza, I agree with you about Hleb when he gets in on goal. Earlier in the season, he was getting those passes back but van Persie and Rosicky were in the team then and would look to get him in.
I think Hleb’s biggest problem is he knows he can’t shoot. He can strike the ball well if he has time and space to settle the ball but this is the BPL. Hleb tends to take a touch before shooting to make the ball sit perfectly, which means he gets closed down by defenders before he can get his shot off, which means he has a better chance at completing a pass than scoring a goal, which is why he passes. I, personally, don’t like to see someone give the ball away by kicking it into a defender’s legs when he knows he can’t score from there. If you know you can’t score then keep the ball. Don’t just kick the ball into a defender and hope you get a lucky deflection.
What Hleb really needs is to develop is his ability to hit the ball early. How many times have we seen him try and hit the ball first time and put it into Row Z? He’s not willing to embarass himself like that every week. Unless the ball falls perfectly for him, he WILL NOT try a first time shot. It’s understandable when he knows the strength of his game is dribbling and the weakness is hitting the ball first time. Just because he’s a good dribbler doesn’t make him a good shooter. While many fans may not like it, the man knows his limitations. What are you going to do?
March 20th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Even if Hleb doesn’t shoot in these situations at least he can steer the ball across the six yard box or pick someone out. That has to be better than the pure tedium of watching Sagna and Eboue combined forty yards from goal and getting a corner.
March 20th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Hleb does cross the ball and he’s very good at it.
March 20th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Andez, there is nothing wrong with giving kudos to another team.
With Ronaldo, Tevez and Rooney leading the charge for United, they are going to be around for a LONG time.
Do you not remember the accolades other supporters gave Arsenal in the recent past… with us being loved for the style of play and the beautiful game??
Yes. Injuries are a feckin’ excuse. EVERY team has them.
If RVP can’t stay on the pitch, then I don’t care how much talent he has (and he has quite a bit).
United have their big 3… its on Arsenal to beat them, or get better so we can.
We’ve played magnificently for much of the season. Its now the stretch run in… and we are stumbling and bumbling our way out of the race. Its hard to watch after there was so much to be excited about all year. But it does not look good.
I’ll take the Arsenal team that blew the doors off the opponents in the first 15 minutes ANY DAY. It was amazing to watch. Never seen anything like it. We killed games off in the first part of the game… and either coasted (which was less stress on the players and less fatigue)… or we played teams off the pitch, when we were in the mood.
Who the hell wouldn’t want to score early?
March 20th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
The best thing about Arsenal’s season, apart from challenging for the title and still being in Champions league, is that even when we play badly we don’t lose league games. Last few seasons we lost them, now we’re drawing them, next season we’ll probably win them.
March 21st, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Thats a good point DannyT… if we win HALF of the games we are drawing, we’re top easily.