Feb - Now

To say that a lot has happened in the two or so months of my online absence would be an understatement of the highest magnitude. My last blog entry concerned itself with the first leg of our Champion’s League fixture versus Italian giant, AC Milan, a game which we went on to win in spectacular fashion at the San Siro. It was all going rather well. The main disappointment of our season up to that point had been bowing out of the FA Cup but that, being our third priority where trophies were concerned, was something I didn’t lose any sleep over.

We were five points ahead in the league, a very strong position and it was not as if we were showing any signs of giving it up, that was at least until that peculiar game against Birmingham City where we lost Eduardo to horrific injury and started a poor run of form that saw us lose the title (not yet mathematically speaking of course but something along the lines of a miracle would be required for us to win it now.) The game was going well enough until Taylor challenged Eduardo in a tackle I feel it would be unfair to throw too much blame at Taylor for making. It hurt us, hurt us deep in fact and I predicted we would be lucky to get to half time level. I also predicted that once we reached the half way mark, Wenger would be able to remotivate the players and we would come out guns blazing in the second half. We did just that, scoring two goals and victory looking assured. Then a rare lapse of concentration from Gael Clichy gave Birmingham the chance to make it two. Clichy recovered and rectified his mistake only for the referee to award a harsh penalty, which Birmingham of course converted. From then on, excluding the Milan game which came after, it was all downhill.

Draws against Villa, Wigan and Middlesbrough followed. We could have recovered with getting something over title rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge but despite taking the lead, a Drogba double saw our hopes dashed. Down to ten men and two nil down at half time against relegation battlers Bolton and all seemed lost. An excellent fightback however, ensuring 3-2 victory kept our title hopes alive. We needed a result against United at Old Trafford, a feat we managed last season. We ended up however losing the game by another 2-1 scoreline, after again taking the lead. It was a game in which we showed much fight and character but it just didn’t go our way.

The other heartache came against Liverpool in the Champion’s League. For all I’ve seen about how the Champion’s League fires up the Liverpool players, I would say the case is the same with us and we have shown that in recent years. This current generation will win the Champion’s League one day soon, of that I am convinced. We matched if not bested Liverpool over the two games, a cruel decision going against us in leg one as we should have been awarded a penalty. The 4-2 scoreline in leg two fails to reflect how close we came to going through. 2-1 to Liverpool and I was delighted with our chances of going through. Another goal would have seen us through on the away goals rule and knowing our ability to score late goals and also our ability to fail to keep a lead, I wanted a very late goal. Adebayor missed and while Arsenal fans found themselves frustrated, I have to admit I was a little relieved. Too early I thought. Score now and we would mess it up. Just as I was beginning to think maybe I would have taken a goal beforehand, Theo Walcott , beginning to show some real signs of progress at this late stage of the season, made a magnificent run before assisting Adebayor who scored in the 84th minute of the game. That will do I thought, surely that will do. It wasn’t to be and seconds later Kolo Toure conceded a controversial penalty at the other end. Gerrard slotted home the winner and we were never going to bounce back again, so demoralized were we. Throwing players forward then resulted in a fourth Liverpool goal, as good as confirming their place in the Semi Final and a trophyless season for the Arsenal.

Where did it all go wrong? Well, bad luck, the quality of the competition and lack of quality in squad depth all played its part. While it all sounds so disappointing I urge you to take the positives from this season and they are many. This season we were in the title race once more and find ourselves back in the title challenging ranks alongside Chelsea and Manchester United. Our improvement from last season has been quite remarkable and let us not forget, many thought we would fail to achieve even Champion’s League qualification this season following the departure of Thierry Henry. I am happy to say this season we made a huge amount of progress and yes, progress is enough considering the amount of progress we have made. Trophies are coming and I eagerly await next season with confidence.

Arsenal 0-0 AC Milan

Most important was that we kept a clean sheet. We did that. 1-0 or 2-0 would have been nice but the priority was keeping a clean sheet. I do not believe we have granted Milan the advantage tonight. Milan now have to beat us (unless that game finishes 0-0 in which case we will go into extra time.) They will be more attacking minded and more threatening when we pay our visit to the San Siro but they will also be wary of conceding an away goal. If we score first in Italy what a blow mentally that will be to Milan who will have to score two goals at least to rescue the game.

The performance from everyone collectively was excellent. This was Arsenal at their near best. What we lacked was a killer touch in front of goal. We might have hit the target several times but what we did not do was test the Milan keeper enough. Cesc Fabregas was back to form, the best he has been since before his injury but he has lost the goal scoring touch he had at the beginning of the season. He needs that goal scoring confidence back.

Kudos to Philippe Senderos. He has been very solid in the absence of Kolo Toure and was called upon again today after Kolo was taken off early. This was his best game yet. Senderos would be a perfect center back in the Serie A. In England pace is more of a necessity for your center backs and he does not have pace. Which isn’t to say he cannot be a very good player for us - he is showing signs of maturing well and it is great to have someone of his ability to cover Gallas and Toure in instances that they are unavailable.

Collectively it was very good though - Hleb, Clichy, Flamini and Sagna all had good games. Hleb in particular looked on fire, a completely different player to the one he was last season.

Creatively and defensively we were spot on. This was the best Arsenal performance I have seen in a while and one of the most exciting 0-0’s I have seen in a while too. In the second half we upped the pace and you thought the goal was coming. We just were not clinical enough, once or twice over elaborate even.

Theo Walcott comes on for the final five minutes and produces a little magic to beat his man that I would like to see more often from him and then a very good cross which finds Adebayor. Somehow he misses, finding the cross bar instead of the net. That came in the dying seconds of the 93rd minute and I cannot tell you how much I would have erupted with joy had it indeed gone in.

I am optimistic and I think we have valid reason to be optimistic as well. We were very good tonight and showed Milan what we’re about. We also kept a clean sheet and so while they will be at home, they will be wary of that. A goal scoring draw is not an option. Milan have to win (or keep it 0-0 and do us on penalties.)

If we can turn up like we did tonight and be more clinical I am confident victory will be ours.

Arsenal - AC Milan Preview

It is less than an hour until kick off and I’m excited. I’m nervous too but more excited than nervous. Sagna and Clichy are back and this is the best news we could have hoped for as a lot of our problems that saw us suffer a heavy defeat to Manchester United at the weekend stemmed from our substitute full backs. In addition we will see Flamini and Adebayor return. The impact of those additions cannot be underestimated and tonight we will once again see the real Arsenal.

Milan will be tough. Forget their domestic form. They suffered the same problem last season but were a real beast to be reckoned with when it came to the Champion’s League. They destroyed Manchester United. Not to mention that they have recently been boosted by the arrival of Alexandre Pato (was not given the green light to play until he reached 18.) Pato is a very good player and has made an immediate impact. Then do not forget Gattuso, Kaka, Pirlo, Nesta, Inzaghi, Seedorf and co. Milan have their own reasons to be worried - Gael Clichy, Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure, William Gallas, Mathieu Flamini, Cesc Fabregas, Aliaksandr Hleb, Emmanuel Adebayor and Eduardo. Note how many players I mentioned. No player is far above the rest, no not even Fabregas, who I would argue has not been our best player this season.

Milan should be worried about Adebayor in the form that he is in. He is a striker who is difficult to defend against, powerful and with pace. He is in form and was rested at the weekend. He will be raring to go. The others that played will be motivated to come back. We have shown great bouncebackability before and we will do so again.

Where the goalkeepers are concerned Kalac is between the sticks for Milan, despite rumors of their third choice having to step in. Lehmann will play for us and has a point to prove. He has yet to be tested like Almunia has but he was also once an AC Milan player who never made the grade.

Wenger has said the first leg is often decisive mentally. The Champion’s League is strange in that as a home team you have to be cautious as away goals count for more. Half the battle is won if you keep a clean sheet at home. If Arsenal turn up this is achievable but Milan scoring is also quite possible as they have many players who can find the net, match winners who shine on an occasion like this one.

Just a win will not do tonight. Recently we have not been up to scratch. Tonight is the time to step it up, to make a statement to the rest of Europe. Our Champion’s League trophy is coming, let’s win it in 2008.

R.I.P The FA Cup/Man United 4-0 Arsenal

Yesterday marked the start of the FA Cup being a less meaningful competition. I am not saying that because we lost, it is the conclusion I came to prematch when I saw both line ups. They were both depleted, ours more so but Man United were not treating this like they would should they face us in the league or Champion’s league either. Both saw their midweek Champion’s league fixtures as the priority. You can say we were down to our bare bones and while that is partially true, players like Adebayor and Flamini I am willing to bet were only out with knocks, the sort of minor stuff that you would risk in an important game. The FA Cup still retains some importance, it remains after all the premiership cup competition in England but it is firmly priority number three and I am of the belief that its importance is on a downward decline.

Man United beat us 4-0 and it was a predictable result in hindsight. I seriously worried for our full backs most of all. Losing both was a huge blow. Hoyte and Traore are competent but inexperienced. We lost something defensively and offensively. There can be no doubt that Sagna and Clichy have both played a huge part in our success this season. That for me was the main factor. Thank god Ronaldo was not playing as he would have pissed all over both. More worryingly Wenger has hinted Clichy was the most serious injured player included in the squad and Sagna is odds on to miss Milan also with his frame of mind not being right following the rumored death of his brother. If we play Traore and Hoyte against AC Milan midweek I am confident we will lose. Playing Hoyte and Clichy or Sagna and Traore will not be so terrible but losing either is a blow, losing both is an almighty whack in the teeth.

Mentally we wasn’t on the ball either. Man United were up for this following their defeat to Man City. They had something to prove. We on the other hand did not seem nearly as bothered.

There is absolutely no need to get too worked up over this result. We missed Sagna, Clichy, Flamini, Rosicky, Adebayor. Not to mention Robin Van Persie. This was not a full strength Arsenal line up and it was not something oh so important at stake. Not anymore at least.

Man United played well but even if we had lost, with Sagna and Clichy the scoreline would have been nowhere near as bad. There were other factors too but I think the loss of our regular full backs cannot be underestimated. When we go to Old Trafford in the league we should do an awful lot better, the players will give more of a toss not to mention they will be seeking revenge and we should see the return of a near full strength XI.

The positive here is that we have no new injuries and I am happier with that than I would be with a win. It’s the same with what happened at White Hart Lane, were this the Champion’s League or the Premier League I would be seriously pissed off, fuming still even now probably but no, it’s not hard to see why and how we lost. Fair play to Man United who were good but we will not be such a walkover when we face them next.

Arsenal 2-0 Blackburn/Man United - Arsenal Preview

I did not watch the Blackburn game owed to me not yet having a subscription to Senata Sport. I tried to get a stream working but it was far too stop start and so I gave up before long and resorted to trusting in the analysis of others in regard to our performance.

From what I have heard Hleb was man of the match. We were said to have dominated the opening twenty minutes, during which time Senderos scored from a corner. We were said to have dominated so much in fact that we could and probably should have extended our lead and enjoyed a more comfortable game. Gilberto did not look his best, not that he has managed to look anywhere near his best at any other stage of the season. Blackburn were supposedly not up to scratch themselves though they had some chances and did look dangerous at times. We took a long while to finish the game, Adebayor making it 2-0 late on and securing the three points.

Getting three points against Blackburn was a huge boost, following Man United and Chelsea having lost points. It means we are now five points clear and that is a lot of pressure to handle, having an opportunity to capitalize on the slip ups of our rivals and extend our lead at the top of the table. A five point lead is great because it means if you go into a game with a title rival then losing will see you keep your place in the table. It takes the pressure off a little and increases the pressure on Man United and Chelsea though by no means is it an excuse to get complacent and I am sure Wenger and Gallas will drill that into the players time and time again.

Tomorrow it’s Man United. I was not sure what sort of team Arsene would field, how seriously he will take the FA Cup with a Champion’s League tie to play on Wednesday but with the squad down to the ‘bare bones’ he may have no choice who to select. I am excited because games against Man United are usually exciting affairs and involve a number of goals. Even when they do not involve too many goals the game is usually worth watching. Myself, it’s a competition I would like to win but I am much more concerned with the Premier League and Champion’s League. Going out at Old Trafford would not be a terrible thing and I see our next trip to Old Trafford as the more important one, without a doubt. Hopefully both managers will see it this way and as a result not be too cautious. The FA Cup is after all priority number three for both us and Manchester United.

Clichy and Adebayor both carry knocks, though they have been named in the squad. Sagna meanwhile is ruled out owed to personal reasons with Wenger claiming he may miss the Champion’s League clash also. I do not fancy Hoyte against AC Milan and Man United and that gives me particular concern. We could of course play Eboue right back but we may need him on the right flank with Hleb having to cover on the left. Rosicky and Van Persie’s absences are no surprise. Diaby, Denilson, Djourou, Almunia, Walcott, Senderos and Song all find themselves on the injury list also. I’m willing to bet some of them may well feature however.

Like I say, while looking forward to the game it will not be a huge disappointment to lose, nor a great delight to win. Of the games we have coming up, this is not one of major importance.

Man City 1 Arsenal 3

It’s been a while, has it not? My apologies. I do plan to post more often from now on.

A convincing victory today and one that sees us, with thanks to other results (Man Utd 1 Tottenham 1,) go two points clear at the top of the table. Chelsea also drew 1-1 against Portsmouth, debutant Jermain Defoe the scorer for Pompey and a Gunner of old, Nicholas Anelka, scoring for Avram Grant’s side. Results went well for us today. Liverpool won 3-0 against Roy Keane’s Sunderland but Liverpool no longer appear to be a threat to our title challenging efforts. They will be more concerned with attempting to finish fourth (to do which they will have to edge City, Everton and Villa) and qualify for Champion’s League football next season. I will be surprised if Rafa Benitez is still in the job this time next year.

Togo not qualifying for the African Cup of Nations has been a huge boost to our season. Take away the presence of Adebayor and would we have done so well in January and today? I think not. Right now he is our best player and is on fire. Right now he is one of the best players in the Premier League, without a shadow of a doubt the best striker. I was always a fan. His composure may have been dire to say the least. Wenger actually said ‘I don’t know if some people have seen when he first came to us he was not really composed in front of goal.’ Yes, we all noticed, we all saw. Adebayor gave us a different option which is what I liked about him, he was strong and a phenomenal worker. He just lacked composure. With composure Adebayor would be a different animal. This season he found the composure he was lacking and scores goals he could not score last season. He scores all sorts of goals, is a nightmare for any defence to handle and assists too. Today he scored twice and assisted the other. AC Milan have Kaka. We need not not be worried for we have Emmanuel Adebayor.

This was a comfortable game, even at 1-0. Eduardo made it two with an exquisite finish, controlling the ball with his chest with back to goal before finding the corner of the net. It was a touch offside but nevertheless his finishing ability it is fair to say is on another level and it was a very good goal. You also have to praise Clichy who has discovered just how you cross a ball. He found Adebayor and Ade headed to Eduardo who finished off the move. Almost immediately after though we conceded a soft goal with Clichy this time at fault, a rare error from the Frenchman though he otherwise had a good game. He likes to play his way out of trouble but we all saw it coming, one day he would get caught and it would cost us. It was coming like a defeat to Tottenham was coming. Fortunately we still won the game, managing to not concede a second and find a third, the third coming as a result of Man City opening up that little bit more with the introduction of Geovanni. We took our time but eventually managed to secure victory.

Big Phil did a good job at the back. Then again Man City did not pose much of an attacking threat, which has been their weakness this season. The Benjani deal going through will be crucial to the final part of their campaign. Instead City had the young Daniel Sturridge up top, who has recently been among the goals albeit against lesser quality opposition. Today he came up against a class defence and as a result did very little. Sagna looked good making runs down the right, his crossing sometimes a little off the mark, other times spot on. He did well to create the first goal.

Flamini looked the same as ever - excellent. some do not think so highly of him. While no one doubts his recent rich vein of form, there have been some murmurings among fans that he will be easily replaced should he decide not to put pen to paper on a new contract. I do not think myself that the Flamini we have seen of this season will be so easily replaced and consider him to have emerged as one of our best performers this season.

Fabregas was average. He showed hints of his brilliance but was some way off the standard he set at the season’s start. He has been this way for a while now, much unfortunately. Hleb was good but not exceptional. Lehmann made an appearance in between the sticks owed to Almunia being out with a twisted thumb and while he did not have a lot to do, he did nothing wrong either.

We controlled the game and looked reasonably comfortable against a team unbeaten at their own ground this season. Three good goals, one that was a fraction offside but benefit of the doubt and all that. Mistake by Clichy that fortunately did not cost us. Will be interesting to see whether he attempts to play his way out of trouble in the future. Adebayor is our main man at the moment. I am optimistic we can win the league. Man United are good, Chelsea are good but so are we and let us not forget we have Robin Van Persie to return.

Arsenal 2 - 0 West Ham

This was a comfortable victory over a tired and injury plagued West Ham side. We scored both of our goals early, our first coming in the opening couple of minutes by way of Eduardo. We boast a fantastic record when scoring first as it forces the opposition to come at us in search of an equalizer. We still of course had to be wary, scoring two early goals is not always a blessing in disguise as was seen when we played Sunderland. You have to stay switched on. If your opponents claw one back then they find their momentum and it’s a lot easier to score a second. I thought it important that we score a third but we didn’t need to. West Ham had their share of chances but particularly in the second half they failed to give us cause for concern and at no point in the game did I think we ought to shift into second gear.

We head into 2008 top of the table, leading Manchester United barely, owed to them losing 2-1 to West Ham in The Hammer’s last fixture. I couldn’t be more surprised than anyone to tell you the truth. Don’t get me wrong, I have confidence in Arsenal and Arsene Wenger but few can have predicted that we would improve so much in so little time. I didn’t see it as the doom’s day or downward spiral that some did nor did I think the departure of Thierry Henry would have too negative an influence but I didn’t believe either that we would be where we are at this stage of the season - genuinely up there with a title fighting chance.

Eduardo, our Brazilian born, Croatian international striker is finally coming to life. Five goals in our last three games tells you he’s adapted. I’m not saying fully but he’s certainly now at a stage where he’s going to be giving Arsene serious selection headaches once Van Persie returns to full fitness. He’s a natural finisher, a real goal poacher whose contribution is mainly that, goals. I feel that’s something we have been lacking, a player who can be the difference in a difficult game, even when we aren’t playing well. The Everton game is an excellent example of that.

Adebayor was the scorer of our second, finding the net from what seemed an impossible angle, showing composure that he so clearly didn’t have on his side last season.

Onwards and upwards. We’ve finished the Christmas season in good shape, largely unscathed despite not always putting in a convincing performance and remain league leaders. Let’s hope we can repeat our form of 2007 in 2008.

Happy new year!