Home sweet home. Arsenal return to the Emirates for a Premier league fixture after last week’s torrid away trip to Fulham. Although, the mid-week home European tie would have helped to soothe some wounds and soften the criticism at last week’s display. Also, another cause of renewed optimism for Saturday’s fixture would be the return of Cesc to the line-up.
It is hard to believe that any of the other teams in the league would have come under such criticism had they put in the sort of 90 minutes that Arsenal managed at Fulham. Part of that has to do with the expectation of the football that Arsenal plays. At times, the media is awash with written words about Arsenal’s beautiful football whereas other teams are stuck with words such as “grinding out a victory” or “efficient display”. So when Arsenal do not produce the champagne display that is expected of them, then questions are raised. The title-less years are reminded, just like the red card count was recycled a few years ago everytime an Arsenal player got sent off.
On the other hand, currently Newcastle is a team whose name is not even remotely associated with winning the Premier League title. In fact, the team has not come close since 1996 when they let a 12 point lead at the top of the table slip up. Also back in 1996, Kevin Keegan let himself get sucked into the mental game traps laid by Ferguson, something that the Man Utd manager has repeatedly used over the years since. A mixed series of results followed in the years for Newcastle (including back to back trips to the F.A Cup final, only to lose on both occasions in 1998 & 1999) before things turned sour last season a few months after Big Sam’s arrival. The return of Kevin Keegan produced joy off the field but unfortunately the team’s on field display has not matched that enthusiasm that greeted his return.
With Newcastle, it is hard to know what to expect. In games where they are expected to put on a good display, they fold, while they manage to fight in games when nothing is at stake. Still to their credit they started this season with a 1-1 draw away to Man Utd, a place where they collapsed miserably seven months ago. They followed that tie with a 1-0 home win over Bolton, meaning after two games, they are one point up on Arsenal. It is not too often in the last decade that Newcastle have gone into a game against the Gunners holding a slight edge in the league table, even if only a handful of fixtures have been played.
Arsenal fans don’t need reminding of the last time the Gunners lost a home fixture to Newcastle. The 3-1 loss back in December 2001 was certainly an eventful game, with the red cards, late penalty and Henry’s outburst. Ofcourse, Arsenal went to claim the league-cup double that season in a very impressive fashion. But that game belonged to a different era with a different team. This current team is building its own memory bank of experiences as each match still presents a fresh challenge for some players.
The late fixture once again means that people on the West coast can sleep in a little before tuning in, while those in the East can enjoy their favourite alcoholic brew as they take in the game. And for those on the other side of the ocean, a slightly late night fixture.
So feel free to distill your unfiltered comments and analysis for this contest.
73 Responses to “Arsenal 3-0 Newcastle”
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August 30th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Thanks Sachin for posting- I was frantically preparing a quasi-preview of my own since I wanted space to post. It is a forum so we shouldn’t always expect others to do all the heavy lifting!
Coming off of a 4-nil win in CL qualifiers and 6-nil on aggregate, one would think Arsenal is back on track but even those who watched the FC Twente match are not convinced. Several factors play into the sentiment- 1) the departures of Hleb and Flamini. While neither is irreplaceable, there were critical parts of the engine that drove Arsenal to a surprising surge in points last year. 2) The self-same points achievement- last year we were in the race for the PL title until decisive Man U & Chelsea losses. 3) Seduced by the Arsenal style we are seeing a side lacking that fluidity. 4) Finally, consensus is the early part of the season is our easiest. The expectation is to run out in front of our fellow challengers not drop points to relegation contenders.
What Saturday brings-
Both sides have significant injury reports but everyone expects Arsenal to be the better side with Fabregas.
Arsenal 18 unchanged from Twente with a few rotations- Adebayor starts, Toure likely to return as well. The big question is will Eboue come back? If he doesn’t I think it is telling for his role going forward- as a spot starter with consideration on tough away matches when extra defense is preferred. I would like Vela to get on the field again. I would also like Song to rotate in for Denilson.
My line-up-
Almunia
Sagna Toure Gallas Clichy
Walcott (Eboue) Fabregas Song Nasri
Adebayor van Persie
Vela, Eboue, and Denilson the likely 3 subs.
Newcastle- Viduka, Martins among others out leaves the squad thin.
2-0 to Arsenal.
August 30th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Yes please feel free to submit previews
I know in the past LDE has carried the task on his own, but it would be nice to get a few in each week so that if someone can’t do it, then there is something atleast. I was not going to do one this week but I also didn’t want to put up a blank post like last week.
August 30th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Being at home we should start with a more attacking formation and therefore Walcott should remain on the right instead of Eboue. Knowing Arsene as I do, which is very little or not at all, my guess is he will rest Theo and play Eboue who only had a short run out in the last game.
Hopefully, Arsene will give Song a chance to start at DM and allow him to compete for that position. It is mystifying that Vela, like Song, has not been given a chance to showcase their talents although they are fit, in form and have recently represented their respective countries successfully.
Although not being overly optimistic at this stage we should be able to eke out a 2-1 victory over an improved Newcastle team which appears to be responding to Keegan.
Ade and RVP needs to start putting the ball in the back of the net as we can’t keep depending on Gallas and Nasri to score goals. Of the 7 goals scored so far in our 4 opening games our strikers have only managed 2.
We will need to avoid giving up foolish free kicks close to the box where we can be exploited by Owen, and when we do, ensure he is tightly covered.
Let’s stop booing our players and give them encouragement instead. The behavior of a small group of Arsenal fans have been disgraceful in the last three games and if it continues, will only serve to demoralize our lads on the pitch.
These fans are not true supporters, true supporters support and encourage their team. It only serves to lift the opposing team when our players are booed and removes the homefield advantage.
Although these “MORONS” pay good money for their tickets and I have a high regards for freedom of speech, maybe we should put some “spy” Stewards to monitor them and find ways not to renew their season tickets
UP THE ARSENAL
August 30th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Justin Hoyte scored his first goal in a Middlesborough jersey. It wasn’t as pretty as the one he scored against Charlton a few years back but whatever.
August 30th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
I am real happy for him. Real Arsenal…. just didn’t develop quick enough. May well develop better with less pressure at a smaller club.
August 30th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
It was an own goal though, so I doubt he’s too happy about it.
August 30th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
I didn’t know it was an own goal, oh do do, poor thing!
August 30th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
1-0. Van Persie converts a penalty. (Well, he had to get on the scoresheet somehow!)
So far, the boys have been playing some nice fluid stuff. This should settle us down to really get the Swiss watch ticking.
August 30th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
That? That was awesome.
August 30th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Van Persie looks good today. He is all over the place. Nice little flicks, and a little bit of showboating
August 30th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
hehe..2-0..Eboue with some brilliant play
August 30th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Yeah, the genius that is Emanuel Eboue. What would we do without him!
August 30th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Denilson this time…brilliant play again
August 30th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
I hope RVP being subbed out is not something serious.
August 30th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I doubt if there is anything to worry about, just precautionary.
August 30th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Hope that will shut up the doom mongers for a while. Good enough performance for y’all? Might even keep the Eboue haters quiet for a bit.
Good stuff from the Arse, still not totally convinced by Denilson though but who knows he might become another Flamini.
August 30th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
hehe..i am waiting for posts talking about…how it was only Newcastle..how we won’t repeat this..how we were at home…how Eboue had a one off day again…how Denilson should not be in the team.
Have decided never to argue with them again..will just let the football do the talking.
Simply beautiful today..commentators were comparing it to Brazil in full flow…loved every moment of this match. Happy to see Eboue doing well ..and Denilson too
August 30th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
It would be hard for anyone to criticise that performance, Newcastle are not a bad side they proved that against Man U.
Despite our supposedly incapable defence we have only let in 1 goal in 5 games, I hope that continues. I noticed we are holding the line much better than last season.
Really impressed with Kolo today going forward in particular. He is my favourite Arsenal player (probably due to his loyalty and general hard work), barring Emmanuel Eboue of course (someone needs to love him).
Anyway, stay positive Wayne.
August 30th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Yup Arthur..Gallas is suddenly looking really solid at the back ..and Toure with the forward runs was giving us another option.
Nasri and Vela are looking quite at home too…not taking time to adjust as so many people believed.
One thing to notice in today’s match was…the rapid counter is back in the Arsenal Armoury….took me back to the days of the invincibles….Nasri had some decent chances which came through some great RVP vision ….if both Nasri and Walcott start bombing down the flanks..it will be really something.
August 30th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Yup, as you may all know by now, I am a Nasri and Vela fan and thought their quality and substantial experience would allow them to acclimatize rather quickly.
Just blowing my own horn
August 30th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
I had no problem with players being given a 2nd chance. i admired Keegan for having the courage handing Joey Barton a 2nd chance in life. but the first thing he did coming on on 88th min? a tackle had it made contact with Nasri’s foot it could have caused a serious damage to our new French boy. followed with that smile….. WTF? did he want to get sending off in his first game back and make headline again?
August 30th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
That’s not a second chance, it’s a third. Disgraceful display and he should not be allowed on a football field. He’s a thug.
August 30th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Barton is a great player, but has some serious issues.
I think the whole family has issues. His brother and his friend got convicted for murdering a young black boy in a motiveless racist attack. Chopped him in the head with an axe. Joey came on national TV urging his brother to hand himself in. Probably a family of Xenophobes.
I didn’t see the attack on Nasri though, just the yellow card he received for retaliation, will look at it when I download the game.
August 30th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
I was a bad tackle and he did smile about it. Nasri is lucky he didn’t hyperextend his knee.
August 30th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Maybe I am biased, but thought that was more of a smirk than a smile. Very open to interpretation.
August 30th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Yeah, it was more of smirk. Would’ve been nice to see him get carded right out of the game for such a cynical tackle.
August 30th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
A superb game from Arsenal. The Arsenal I’ve been expecting from the Real Madrid pre-season game finally showed up. This was a decent Newcastle side that have 4 points from their 2 games which includes a draw against ManU. We simply made them look like a Championship side. We still will need plans B and C when teams don’t allow us to walk it into the goal.
I think Denilson is growing up before our eyes. Denilson’s improved play allows Fabregas to ease back in and he doesn’t have to be the fulcrum right now.
Adebayor was tireless today.
RVP: MOTM w/ 2 goals and he could have had 3-4 if we got that opening PK call. Now if only he’s not injured.
Toure was like a 3rd striker today but where was he on that Owen header against the bar.
Vela arrives finally.
Eboue had a good game today.
Nasri plays like he was born w/ an Arsenal birthmark . He’s just smooth like butter.
Hooray for Nasri. It’s to bad he had to get a yellow for payback on that f**king miscreant. F**k him, f**k Newcastle for supporting him and f**k Keegan for sullying the Emirate pitch w/ that piece of scum. I’m sure that’s what Gallas was telling Keegan at the end.
August 30th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Hleib who? Give me Nasri any day.
Direct, holds the ball up well, good dribbling skills, willing to shoot and is not afraid to get stuck in. His steel belies his small statue and seems to work well with Cesc.
The entire team played well except for our usual lapse in marking from a free kick and sometimes exposing our back four with both Fab and Denilson pushing forward. When Song entered the game at DM the entire defensive dynamic changed as he hung back, allowed Fab freedom to go forward at will and our box defense became more stable and the middle gaps were closed.
While Denilson played well and scored a deserving goal, I still think he is a poor man’s Fab and his passing from the back has deteriorated this season. Song’s passing is immaculate, accurate and creative and I prefer him to Denilson as he provides more team balance on defense.
Eboue played extremely well and his back pass which set up RVP’s second strike was hailed by his teammates as if he had actually scored. Good to see that team spirit. As usual though, Eboue’s final touch let him down on a few occasions and he took his customary share of dives and should be nominated for the springboard competition in London, 2012.
Although Ade did not score, his work rate, unselfishness (yes, unselfishness), intelligent runs and excellent first touch (yes, first touch) made all of his teammates better today and opened up the pitch for his strike partner and attacking mid fielders.
Vela showed his class when he got his first taste of the Prem and was always dangerous, worked well with Eboue, Nasri and Fab in support. Almunia was calm and competent and I think his personality is good for this team. Theo showed his speed and directness but once again his decision making let him down on occasion.
Sagna, Gallas, Toure and Clichy all had good games but Gallas missed a sitter or he would have been our leading goal scorer.
Let’s not get carried away by this victory, but this was the first game of the season in which Arsenal looked like the Arsenal of early last year and sincerely hope this gives them the confidence going into 3 consecutive away games.
August 30th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Oh, I forgot. Great strike by Kolo only to be denied by a brilliant Shay Given who we were all hoping would have been in the Arsenal squad.
Given had to be their MOM as he denied both RVP and Nasri’s goal bound free kicks. Also good to see we have another capable set piece taker.
August 30th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
What does the great Manu Eboue have to avoid unnecessary criticism. The guy had a good game full stop. I will remind you RVP, Ade, Cesc and anyone else you may care to mention proabbly had a bad touch at sometime throughout the game. Carib don’t make me have to go through the game and start counting to prove my point. And I cannot even remember Eboue going to ground unnecessarily once in this game.
Carib I never had you down as a Wagonist. Well I suppose we all have our favourites and those whom we dislike. I can see you like Vela a lot, as I do, however he did nothing of note today despite your positive appraisal.
As for Song, in camparison to Denilson he is like Gilberto compared to Flamini. Song sits back is very defensive but Denilson is more involved going forward. I think Wenger’s attack minded outlook to the game favours a Flamini type that’s why he prefers to play Denilson. Denilson may not yet be as composed as Song but he is more mobile.
As for Ade, I have feeling the unselfishness is either due to lack of confidence or he feels under pressure not to make glaring misses as he knows th boo boys are just waiting for him to mess up. THe pass to Theo was simply uncalled for he was in the better position no need to pass at all I am sure he would have had a shot last season in the same situation.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
@Arthur,
Yes, I may have unnecessarily criticized Eboue today. However, Eboue reminds me of the saying ” A Leopard doesn’t change it’s spots”.
Yes, he played well today, yes he continues to tantalize us with the occasional brilliant performance as he did against AC Milan last Season, but until he starts to put in consistently good performances day after day he will get criticized. He made his own bed, we did not and the onus is on him to prove his worth over the long run.
I am not a “wagonist”, have said he is a good squad player who can help us in various positions as required and never advocated his release. He does however leave himself open to be the brunt of jokes by his prevalent grimaces, theatrical dives and penchant for writhing on the ground when he should be chasing the opposing player who he lost the ball to.
As for the Song/Denilson debate, it’s just that, a debate. If you are an attack first person you will prefer Denilson, if you are a defense first person, like me, you prefer Song. My philosophy is if you don’t allow goals you can’t lose and on the days when the offense is not flowing it must be defense that keeps you in the game. I especially think it’s very important in the EPL because of the teams we compete against.
Don’t get me wrong, I love offense, but just think it all starts from defense. Are you wrong, NO, Am I wrong, NO, it’s just a philosophy.
August 30th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
From your account you are obviously not a Eboue hater, therefore not a wagonist, I apologise. I however am a fan of Eboue, he had a bad season last season apart from a few games i.e Aston Villa. It is true that a Leopard doesn’t change his spots, but in reality human beings can learn from mistakes, however human beings have a propensity not to acknowledge changes or improvements when their minds are already made up.
As for Song and Denilson, I was only pointng out why Arsene probably chooses him over Song. At this moment in time I too prefer Song, I think he will probably be more consistent. However I prefer Flamini to Gilberto or Song. If Denilson could develop his game, especially the defensive side to the level of Flamini then I would back Denilson as he is far more mobile. However that may never be the case, let’s wait and see and hope we do not lose any games as he develops or Arsene realises he is never going to be up to the job.
August 30th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Adebayor still couldn’t hit the target from inside the six-yard-box! He must still have some bad karma to pay off.
Overall, though, a pretty awesome sparkling display. A couple of things to ponder - would we have got the breakthrough goal eventually without the help of the somewhat harsh handball? Before the penalty, it was just, just starting to feel like the over-ornate build-up scenerio of old.
2) When Newcastle came out fighting in the second half, our defence did not exactly look supertight and our defensive midfield went AWOL. It was only for about 10 mins, but still.
This is nitpicking though. The interplay from midfield was great - quick and sharp with lots of off-the-ball movement and - hurrah - direct running. We’ve got players now who LOVE having a shot at goal.
Nasri may not a be web-weaving fulcrum like Hleb, but he’s no less a gem. Even Eboue was down to just one pathetic falling over moment.
Denilson started off giving the ball away again, but settled and obviously scored. I am not entirely convinced he’s going to develop real authority, but happy to be proved wrong if he can learn within the context of a team playing this positively and confidently.
Van P is getting his edge again. That shot against the bar was a scorcher.
August 30th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Give Denilson a run of 4-5 more matches and you will see what he is made of. It’s nice to see him keep running into the box and attempting to score …notice how many Arsenal goals he has been involved in from the start of the season.It’s true that without Fabregas in the midfield…he might struggle to create..but that will come in time…more importantly with Fabregas..he’s on a different level as a player..they are complementing each other well.
Song was ruthlessly criticized when he first came on for the Arsenal..with people calling for his head..now within a short span he is on almost everybody’s list of players required in the first team
Adebayor had an off day ..but too his credit..he really put in the effort
Any update on the RVP injury..hope it was just a precautionary substitution.
August 30th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
My point exactly Wayne, as I mentioned earlier, Denilson looks more suited in attack rather than defend mode, creates a defensive imbalance and draws Fab back in a more defensive posture.
This may work well against some teams, but we will be compromised when playing against teams with a first class attacking battery. His first instinct is to go forward, but to be honest, I would much prefer having a holding mid fielder when we play the top teams and utilize Fab exclusively as the attacking CMF. Denilson will also do very well if we play a 4-5-1 but with our overload of forwards we should not see that formation too often if they are healthy.
Blowing my horn again, but I have always had faith in Song. Never thought he would have the ability to be a star but always thought he would be a good Arsenal player.
August 30th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Carib did you notice Flamini used to do the same thing, used to force Cesc to be more defensive. In fact Cesc’s defensive side probably developed better as a result. Despite that Cesc and Flamini complemented each other well.
I could never understand why Song was so disliked actually. I didn’t see him doing too much wrong in the past but he just did not stand out as a great player. I think it was the band wagon thing in operation. The jury is still out on Songs greatness but we all can agree Song can aleast be a very good squad player.
August 30th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
1) The handball was harsh, but may have been a makeup call for the play where RvP was hauled down and didn’t get the call when the defender never touched the ball.
2) There are almost always spells when the other team dominates play. As long as they weather the storm is what counts.
August 30th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
@CK..If you remember..I was of a similar opinion about Vela and Nasri before the season started …but people believed that it was just a case of some red tinted glasses.
Still waiting for the critical posts to begin..and I know that the first reaction will be some of us are reading too much into 1 home game.
But it’s just been the quality of the performance today..which i don’t think it will be bettered this season….we may have our off days in some games…but the beauty of the performance today and the utter domination of Newcastle..shows what the Wenger vision is all about.
August 30th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Wayne, you let our football do the talking when we’re losing.
I think MacMac has nailed it with his post. Would we have gotten the breakthrough if the penalty wasn’t given? We looked sharp and alert while Newcastle were dreadful, and we looked like scoring regardless of being given a penalty, however, there was the usual lack of composure in front of goal and Arsenal looking like scoring and actually scoring are two different things.
Once we got the goal everybody loosened up and we got a nice second goal. Yes it was Eboue, and yes that’s his job. The idea is to now replicate that on a relatively consistent level and then we can start re-assessing.
The concern was that when Newcastle started playing at a normal tempo- a Fulham tempo- in the second half, our midfield looked flimsy and easily overstretched. This weakness gets magnified and tested more away from home and thankfully at the Emirates we ride these little storms with more conviction. Hence the satisfying third goal.
Denilson still looks odd in midfield. Seems to be growing defensively but his indecisiveness on the ball sticks out like a sore thumb in such exalted company as Fabregas and Nasri. Hell, even Eboue looks like a man with a plan in comparison to the young Brazilian.
Adebayor played well up front. The barracking and boos seemed to have at least stripped the ego and brought back the selfless player from 2006/2007, if also the lack of composure in front of goal from that season.
Things look good at the Emirates. We’ve got attacking options coming out of every pore. However the key will be keeping that middle third locked without the ball and being fluent on it if we are to challenge United and Chelsea in the stretch.
August 30th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Maz I am not sure whether the selfless Adebayor of 2006/7 is what we want, we need him to be the hungry beast he was last year 07/08 that’s when he scored thirty goals. He unselfshness served him well today at times but as I mentioned earlier the pass to Walcott that Walcott hit wide was probably as a result of the boo boys. Hee should have smashed that in the back of the net.
All this hypothetical talk of Ade’s ego pisses me off really. People seem to assume he has an exalted ego above other players without evening knowing him, yet I see no evidence of that either in games or interviews. Yeah he wanted a pay rise and from the newspaper reports appeared to use rather foolish (in retrospect) means to get it. So what?
Don’t forget Mazza, Ade is the Dade
, your golden boy Bendtner is the son.
Yep you are right, taht we cannot judge the team until we show we can do the same away from home, 06/07 is a good example. We lost only one game at home although we drew too many. Yet away we were woeful, the fulham game may well be the taste of things to come, I hope not.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
“Wayne, you let our football do the talking when we’re losing.”
….ain’t that the truth.
A lot to like in todays performance.
A lot of fluency and verve and everyones application seemed so much better.
It certainly helps to have Fabregas back, Nasri is fitting in really nicely.
Lovely to see RvP score 2, not lovely to see him go down twice…..yikes.
Although it was Newcastle and we always spank them so it needs to be enjoyed but seen in that context. But 4 against Twente and 3 today is certainly important for developing team confidence.
August 30th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
So Kiwi has sold out to the darkside
, quoting Mazza, and as Wayne predicted finding an excuse why we performed so well; “it was Newcastle and we always spank them”. that is not your usual rational outlook, but stinks of the Mazza/Stag like strategy of trying to cover the fact that they MAY be wrong.
Remember we always spanked Fulham too, until last week, so lets us take the result for what it was, Newcastle are a better team than when we played them last year, they didn’t play that badly, rather we played that well.
Lets hope we can sustain that type of performance and please don’t go down the road of Mazza without due cause, who incidently predicted we would end up 10 points behind the leaders after the Aston Villa game and (as I remember it) refused to credit this young team for the great improvement they had shown post Henry.
Love you anyway Mazza and I still respect your opinion Kiwi even though it may be a bit doomsday, it is undersatndable.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:06 am
@Kiwi/Mazza..You may have your day in the sun when the team put in a poor performance ..but i will not hesitate to remind you where you guys have been wrong about Wenger and the team..only fair rite?
August 31st, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Repeating…
“A lot to like in todays performance.
A lot of fluency and verve and everyones application seemed so much better.”
“It certainly helps to have Fabregas back, Nasri is fitting in really nicely.
Lovely to see RvP score 2, not lovely to see him go down twice…..yikes.”
Kiwi, you negative, negative b*stard. Really, if you can’t think of anything nice to say…
(I thought we all read English at least fairly well.)
On a holiday this weekend, so this is the one match for the season I permitted myself to miss. (The girlfriend was kind enough to watch the DVD of Fever Pitch I brought with me, as compensation.) Sounds like a good result, if only definitively speaking to the afternoon. Happy, regardless.
August 31st, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Interesting isn’t it. How people focus in on a particular part of what you write and ignore the overall theme.
August 31st, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Almost the opposite of how they look at the Club, eh?
August 30th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
I’m glad we won today. Good to see van Persie get two. When people were being critical about his play this season, I certainly wasn’t concerned. It’s like they say, “Form is temporary, class is permenant”. That boy has been class since he helped Feyenoord win silverware back in 2002. He’s just been in bad form and I knew he’s play himself out of that.
The same goes for Denilson. He’s been in a bit of a funk but he’ll come good. We all know what that boy is capable of. He seems to be developing a cutting edge to his attack. Let’s hope it continues.
It’s good that Eboue had a good game. I always liked him as a player and believe he can be a star. I still prefer Eboue over Theo and I think Wenger feels the same. That’s good for Theo to know he has competition that will hopefully keep him focused on progressing.
My biggest concern has always been will we miss Flamini and Lehmann. You can’t make that determination based on the strength of the few games we’ve played and the quality of the competition. We’ll have to let time tell.
August 30th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
This was an excellent match by Arsenal. Completely one sided.
I’ve criticized Eboue, RvP, and Denilson a couple times in the past few days but all three made me eat my words today.
Eboue played a very important role today going forward and was rightfully praised by his teamates for our 2nd goal. I hope he continues to be this aggressive and play intelligently.
RvP was certainly impressive today with his two goals. He played with a lot of confidence and showed that he really can be an outstanding striker when hes healthy (hoping his x-ray shows there is no break).
Denilson overall did not play very well. Making a couple bad passes and not playing a very vital role in the game (obviously his goal was nice though). Even though his play was not up to the rest of the Arsenal squad today I still think its a personal success for him grabbing his 1st premiership goal which is a huge boost to his confidence.
Oh yeah, Nasri makes me completely forget about Hleb. Especially because he is actually a scoring threat.
August 30th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
I like ur comment Goonerade. For once I have seen fan commenting on players based on their actual performance rather than personal perference (that if he rates someone, then that particular must be good; or if he thinks a certain player is useless, then regardless of what he did on the pitch he’s useless).
Frankly prior to the match i wasn’t that confident. I knew we responsed well the previous match Vs TWente following our Fulham defeat, yet we went into the game with a 2-0 lead that bounced to make things a bit easier for us.
This Newcastle match though was the true test on how our players responsed after that Fulham defeat. And surely the pressure was on, as we simply couldn’t afford to drop further points merely 3rd game into the new season.
based on that, I was extremely please with what i saw. not only the team responsed with a win. but their performance was awesome. a fluent passing game we dominated from the off. yes it only took a penalty to break the deadlock. yet the important thing is we been kept creating chances, something we failed to do so the first few matches, a goal was only a matter of time.
And this match also showed how important Fabregas to us right now. I know some would still insist we need a new DM. i don’t wanna waste any more time to argue about something nobody could do anything about it if AW does not buy. Let’s be frank though - whoever as our DM, a new signing or Denilson or Eboue or Song or Diaby, the main DIFFERENCE is WHO they are playing alongside.
WITH Fabregas, I reckon things would be much easier for our DM (whoever he is).
WITHOUT Fabregas, i doubt even if we still had Flamini it would have made any difference.
August 30th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Agreed that Fab is the hub that turns the wheels. Earlier in the pre-season I stated we would contend if Fab stayed healthy.
I’m still of that opinion and very concerned about that dependence. Nasri seems to be one who could fill his shoes in time and Rosicky has the skills to do so but I am uncertain if he has the temperament.
This poses the question of who should we acquire for the midfield, someone like Alonzo who can sub for Fab when needed or just a pure DM like Inler or De Guzman.
August 30th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
@Joshuad. yes u r right. I am eating my share of humble pie regarding of Van Persie.
quite frankly had i been the manager i would have dropped him for this match because of his poor showing the past few matches.
yet in the end he’s probably the man of the match Vs Newcastle. looked like a compeletely different player from the first few matches.
once again, Wenger’s FAITH with those players he trusted paid off. That’s probably the greatest strength of Wenger’s managerial ability. Very much the same with Walcott’s performance the previous match, when i too thought he should be dropped prior to the game.
August 30th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
@arthur3sheds
“Carib did you notice Flamini used to do the same thing, used to force Cesc to be more defensive. In fact Cesc’s defensive side probably developed better as a result. Despite that Cesc and Flamini complemented each other well.”
I have been preaching the same for some time now Arthur and although Flamini complemented Fab well our back line was left exposed on many occasions which resulted in goals for the opposing team.
My Arsenal footballing philosophy contends we need a holding MF because we attack utilizing our wing backs, wingers and AM in support of our forwards. The DM should play in front of the back four, slot into the defensive rotation when either of our wing backs joins the attack, patrol the center when we are under defensive threat and break up midfield threats before the opposing team gets organized. My DM concept is that he should only really be attacking when space is opened up for a run a la Toure, Gallas and Djourou.
The really good teams always seem to have that tough, steely DM who enforces the mid field. Spain has Senna, Germany has Frings, Argentina has Mascherano, France used to have Makalele, Brazil had Emerson and Dunga, Barca has Ya Ya and Keita, the Italians have Gattuso. I could go on and on, but the teams who have carried away the trophies, whether for club or country, always seem to have that midfield enforcer.
I omitted Viera because he is in a class by himself. He never played as a true DM on a regular basis at Arsenal because Gilberto and Petit were slotted into that spot, but his mobility, attacking abilities and steel just made it seem like that. Likewise with France, Makalele actually played DM but it always seemed like Viera was winning the ball in the defensive third and organizing the attack.
Just my take.
August 30th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
@arthur3sheds
OOOPS!
I forgot to say that last season if we had not gotten Sagna I was more than happy with Eboue at the RB position. My stance then, was that we needed cover for Eboue because I never trusted Hoyte as his backup.
Having said that, I am absolutely thrilled with Sagna’s performances and he has just made himself a rock at that position without much fuss and ado.
Needs to change his hairdresser though
August 30th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Senderos said: “From the first moment it was clear to me Milan are really a top-class club, more than Arsenal. I hope to do well and to stay here for a long time.”
Good old loveable Senderos eh?
Just imagine if Hleb had said that. There would probably be ten people cutting and pasting it here
August 30th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Senderos is wasting no time in ensuring he gets a full time contract though.
August 30th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
i think Hleb had said something even worse. besides, the KEY difference is - Senderos didn’t ASK to leave. Arsenal let him go. so what’s so wrong with him saying the nice words about his new club?
August 31st, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Perhaps it’s less about him praising his new club, than his crapping on his old one. You know, the one we all support? The one he was deemed expendable to because, as some would still deny, he simply wasn’t good enough?
He could be selling women’s shoes in Switzerland in two years, and we’ll be hearing how we still don’t understand. The infallible Manager let him go, so I’m going to let it go, as well.
August 30th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Missed the match, watched on Tivo.
Nice settled game to watch. Confidence is building.
That Barton/Nasri incident is a STARK reminder of what we are facing. One niggly injury to Nasri or Fabregas and we are in the doldrums.
Wenger has absolutely NO faith in Ramsey or Wilshere, so we are still ridiculously light in midfield.
Denilson, Fabregas, Nasri and Walcott are incredibly light physically. Hleb and Flamini were not the tallest but they held their own very easily.
We need depth, we need a stronger person in DM.
PS: Denilson did NOT play well today (despite the goal). He is lightweight and is poor positionally as a DM.
We NEED at least ONE more, Wenger.
October and November will be merciless.
August 30th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Fred,
yes, we do need another MF player to protect against injuries
Yes, Denilson made quite a few errors today
BUT, how can you say our midfield is lightweight. Fab, Denilson and Nasri does not back down from anyone and are all capable of holding the ball without being pushed around by opponents. They may not be in the mode of Hercules but I definitely would not call them lightweight. Walcott hasn’t got there yet but is only 19 and will get stronger.
You don’t have to have height to be strong. Use Sagna as an example, he only about 5′ 7″ in heels
but did you see people bouncing off him today.
August 30th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Oh please, Denilson is an incredible light weight even when he is not challenged like today. Let the thugs really get a good feel of him in a cold game in November…..
Nasri and Fabregas are fighters but they are still light and are big TARGETS if you are minimal talent team and find yourself playing a “beautiful football” team in winter. But I dont mind their lightness because they are the heart of the team.
I however have a big problem with a Denilson who doesnt add anything remotely better than Flamini nor does he add hardwork or fight.
We are light on numbers and steel.
August 30th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Wilshere and Ramsey are 16 and 17 respectively, I don’tthink they should be counted on for much more that the CC.
Nasri and Walcott do look a bit light and I still worry whether they can hold up in this Physical league. I don’t worry so much about Cesc. Today was his 200th game for Arsenal already. He has proven he is pretty sturdy. That said, if something does happen the cupboard is pretty bare. The team is so much better with him. At least one more player is in order. Barry is too expensive, and as much as I like Alonso, he doesn’t really fill a need. He won’t come here to back up Cesc. Hopefully Wenger DOES have someone in mind.
August 30th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Kevin Keegan waited until Nasri came off the field to have a ‘polite’ word with him. Nasri was cool enough to just walk off. Very rare have I seen a manager go to an opposing player like that. I am not a big fan of payback but Barton is a danger to opposing players. He just came on and then attempts such a challenge. Was he trying too hard to get stuck in a la Taylor, to show that he is ready for the big time or that is just him, regardless of the game context? I think if back in Feb in the Birmingham game, if Taylor had not gotten sent off and some Arsenal player had nudged him later on, then Alex McLeish would have blown his fuse and gone after the Arsenal player.
So given Barton’s act, I think Nasri took care of himself in his own manner. Not exactly subtle but the one thing I take from that is that he might be able to handle some of the kicks aimed at him. Hopefully, he does not react a bit too violently but can let his skills do the talking.
August 30th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Sachin, I am a believer in payback. If you do not retaliate people will walk all over you and I thought Nasri handled it very professionally with a nice reminder that two can play at the same game.
He was not malicious and had no intent to inflict permanent damage, but gave a “professional” foul and then kept his cool by not engaging in a verbal or physical confrontation with the Ref, Barton or Keegan.
I like that.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Actually in Nasri’s case, it was amusing to see what he did given it was Barton falling on his face. I am just wary of paybacks where a player goes out to break someone’s leg. But I am looking forward to seeing how Nasri handles Bolton and Blackburn although Mark Hughes is no longer at Blackburn, so will the kicking level go a bit down? Shall see..
August 31st, 2008 at 4:36 am
Loved Nasri’s payback - balanced and wholly in order.
Reminded me of a similar incident by Sagna early in his debut season last year.
You need to mark out your boundaries. All he is saying is “don’t take liberties”.
Keegan was silly to raise it - nothing for him to gain at all except draw more attention to his player who started it. It was a trip - big deal. Barton’s challenge was potentially harmful Nasri’s reply simply a trip. But Keegan is emotional. Gallas is emotional too, and could be seen giving Keegan an earful. Kinda agree with Willie, he was looking out for the new boy.
August 30th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Ofcourse he has fight. Both Nasri and Fabregas have fight. But that is not the issue. They can still get a lot of knocks if we OVERWORK them and if it becomes TOO OBVIOUS we need them to do anything.
Must we overwork them into the ground therefore increasing their injury chance and tiredness??
We need one or two more midfielders - if Wenger likes he can keep deluding himself in permanent victimhood.
August 31st, 2008 at 4:27 am
Arthur3sheds, I thought my post was pretty much positive, no?
I’m not sure why you ignore the positive summary I gave and focus purely on my reference to Newcastle?
I added the bit about Newcastle being a team we regularly spank because we do and I believe it is relevant……Keegan’s side play very attacking football, even when caution may be the wiser approach. If it was ManU, Chelsea or a even a lower side who frustrate us with negative tactics it would carry a greater weighting for me - if you don’t agree, no problem.
I’m certainly not wanting my concerns to materialise (contrary to Wayne’s retarded and oft-repeated assertions)…….but I’m not about to suffer opinion flipflop on the basis of one fluent result. Sadly and frustratingly we will not know the outcome until the end of the season - when we truly see whether this side has either - improved, maintained its level, or deteriorated. People can speculate how they want based on 1 result, 5 results or 10. But the progress I’m wanting to see (and I believe was attainable based on last seasons splendid campaign) is the title.
As for endorsing Mazza’s comment - why wouldn’t I if I agree?
It brings me to one of the things I’ve found really disappointing recently and that is how opinions are quickly sorted into either a ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ basket. So instead of insightful and interesting debate you get ‘enjoy your day in the sun’ type dross. And things quickly degenerate and the fire of intelligent debate is extinguished.
Re-read my original post, I liked the result and display and said so. But I don’t rate Newcastle as a difficult side for Arsenal.
August 31st, 2008 at 8:41 am
Well the sooner you learn to stop targeting people personally..the better it will be for the site.
If you find my recent posts irritating..that’s precisely what I want it to be …changed my style just to give you an idea of what it feels like when attempts at debate on a positive aspect to the Arsenal game are shot down by jibes about blind followers and hippie optimism….and no I’m not the one who started the degeneration..so if you want to re-start intelligent debates …lead the way
Cheers
August 31st, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Kiwi I wasn’t commenting on your positivity or negativity, just your Mazza inspired dig at Wayne. I didn’t comment on your positivity because that is all I would expect from anyone after such a performance, nothing out of the ordinary, so not worth commenting on.
I meant it when I said I respect your opinion, whether I agree with you or not. However I suppose I have categorised you as one of the “doom sayers” this season, hence my reference to the “darkside”, just having a bit of fun with you, don’t take it personal.
August 31st, 2008 at 4:47 am
JD on RvP……not sure who doubted his ability (has anyone?). However what is his value to AFC? Value as based on contribution to the club not class or potential. I noted he was taken off injured again today. He needs to stay on the park and put in a series of significant performances over the course of the season. Otherwise he is a liability - giving an illusion of quality and depth in the squad that isn’t real.
August 31st, 2008 at 6:29 am
Not saying anyone has doubted his skill but people have said, on this very site, how displeased they were with his performances early this season and how he should be dropped. Hell, some have even said he should be sold and Villa or someone else brought in to replace him. My whole point was to say that I knew he would play his way out of the bad form he was in.
I understand your concern about his health but injuries can happen to anyone. Did you see him get broken down in that challenge playing for Holland? That kind of tackle would have rolled anybody up. All of the injuries that followed that one came from him being re-introduced to the team before regaining full fitness. The year before that, he broke his foot. That, too, could happen to anyone, from John Terry, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney twice, anyone.
When Clichy became first choice I felt the same way about him that you do about van Persie. I was sure there was no way he was going to stay fit all season. That boy had been on the treatment table since he was 14. At one time, he was injured for so long that people forgot about him; except the Arsenal camp. That’s how we got him so cheap. Clichy is now in his third season as first choice LB and has been pretty steady on the health side. I believe van Persie will stay fit for most of this season as well. He’s not “Mr. Glass” like Ljunberg was. We’ll see
August 31st, 2008 at 8:43 am
Unfortunately JD, health is sometimes just one nasty tackle away.
I was never on the wagon that RVP was fragile but very disappointed by his lack of playing time due to injuries and concerned about being dependent on anyone coming off a serious injury.
Rosicky on the other hand as with Diaby recently have had a series of non-contact injuries and as in the case of Rosicky we found out it was due to a muscle imbalance. These types of injuries are more difficult to diagnose and ultimately to treat effectively.
Some athletes actually are fragile due to their bone and/or muscle makeup attributable to some combination of genetics, diet, training methods and sometimes hormone imbalance. In a lot of cases, especially with younger players, they want to be on the field and often mislead their Physios as to their fitness.
Older players often get worn down by all the stress put on their bodies over time and Viera and Henry seem to have reached that point. It is very prevalent in American Football for ex players to be unable to lead a normal life after their time in the sun even after multiple corrective surgeries and physical rehabilitation.
The point is, players who tend to get injured a lot are either fragile or unlucky but it is not wise to assume they will be back to perfect health after initial treatment and Clubs should never base the success of their seasons on such.
Remember Edu, he has only recently returned to form after 2 1/2 years of injury misery.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:30 pm
In 5 full fixtures, it is great that Arsenal have kept a clean sheet in 4 games. It is still something to build on when the games start coming faster and the opposition gets a bit sharper in front of Arsenal’s goal.