Gooner Diary

What ails Arsenal this season.

2008-12-18T23:18:00.000-08:00

This season has been inconsistent to say the least. While we have lost to Fulham, Hull etc., we have managed to dispatch the likes of Manu and Chelsea. What are the problems then?

Whether Wenger likes it or not, the Arsenal players dont like a fight. You never see a Cesc or a DEnilson jump in the air shoulkder to shoulder with an opponent. Maybe the obsession with playing the passing game has gone too far.

With Walcott injured and Rosicky looking like he may not play for some time, the width from this team has gone. Diaby and Denilson cant provide width and there is only so much that Sagna and Clichy can do as they also have defensive duties. The midfield is getting too congested and that makes it tough for us to break teams down. One solution can be to fast track Gibbs into the left back position and play Clichy ahead of him. Eboue can take up a similar position on the right. Or maybe the boss is hoping that Eduardo will be fit again and take the flank...not sure really.

All said and done, we need a couple of really good attacking players in January.

Bolton at Reebok.

2008-03-29T19:52:00.000-07:00

We were a man down - a rather nasty high footed challenge by Diaby saw him get a straight red. Then Matt Taylor puts Bolton two up albeit with a lucky deflection.

At half time you would have thought that this Arsenal team will never be able to fight back. Bolton has been a real banana skin for us over the years and we have somehow never been able to deal with their route 1 football. For the record, i think that Bolton are the worst team in Europe and a big thanks to Sam for that. I am waiting for them to be relegated. I have been critical of the boss after the Chelsea game when after we took the lead, he should have clearly changed the system and brought Bert in to defend. Anyway, it seemed like not even a stroke of genius could save us this time but .....

Wenger changed the formation upside down and the match went upside down. He put Adebayor and Walcott on and the Wanderers could never deal with our attacking players after that. Our ten men were all over their eleven.First a back post finish by Gallas and then a clever back flick by Ade set up RVP who hit the keeper but the rebound was picked up by Walcott who got fouled. Penalty! RVP stepped up and smacked it in. 2 all and a few minutes to go. We had several chances after that and RVP showed how he is still getting into the groove. He missed chances that he would have normally put away with his eyes closed. With the time ticking, Hleb found space on the flank and passed the ball to Cesc who used 2 Bolton players :) to score.

I must mention Cesc's reaction here, he was just so thrilled. The look on his face just said it all. I have been very critical of the team's lack of depth but these kids are not going to let Manu just take the title away like that. They will fight and fight and you have to be proud of them.

Manu and Milan

2008-02-21T05:03:00.000-08:00

I am back from the sabbatical and hope to be a regular poster from now on.

The Manu game cant be put as anything else but thrashing and to think that we put out a stronger team than them makes it all the more worse. The pitch at OT was a disgrace as the gaffer pointed out correctly but we just did not turn up on the day. I am still not sure whether Bendtner is a finished article yet and Eduardo seems to have hit a slump after a bright beginning to first team football. The match also showed how much we miss Flamini in the middle. I am a big fan of Bert but i think its time he leaves. I dont know whether its a lack of match practice or what but he had one of his worst games in an Arsenal shirt.

I could not watch the Milan game but i am told that we were in control for most of the game but could not score. Ade missed a sitter in the last few minutes but we now have a tough task at the San siro in 2 weeks time. Milan are a totally different side at home but they will venture out more and that should give us a chance to hit them on the break. Kolo's injury is a big blow but Big Phil looks like he has done away with the "1 mistake per game" syndrome and looks to have forged a strong partnership with Willy.

A tricky fixture at St. Andrews awaits us over the weekend and it is a must win game to maintain the lead over Manu and Chelsea.

When the gaffer baffles

2006-12-31T08:48:00.000-08:00

In wake of a rather poor performance against one of the bottom teams, the gaffer again gave a very strange post match interview.

I have no doubt that yesterdays performance was a one off and we will bounce back immediately. But i am a little surprised that Wenger chose to give credit to the opposition instead of criticising his players for what was one of the all time worst efforts. Though we were understrength, i still expected the team to fight a little more but we failed to do that.

It is about time that the gaffer criticizes the team openly instead of painting a rosy picture all the time. I am a great admirer of Wenger and I may be over reacting but i get the impression he thinks that the fans are fools. I am sick and tired of "The team has a great potential". He needs to admit that we are over dependent on our one pass game and fail miserably when the game gets physical. He can defend his young team all he wants but records show that we fail against Bolton etc on a regular basis.

Maybe I am over critical of the team because i was overjoyed last week when we thrashed Blackburn and now i am dishing out criticism but i feel that by calling a spade a spade Wenger would actually be doing himself and his young team a huge favour.

The Captaincy Dilemma

2006-12-28T20:17:00.000-08:00

With Henry almost fit, most of the Arsenal faithful are pondering whether he should take back the reins as captain. Gilberto has been a great leader in Henry's absence. He leads from the front and has been scoring for fun since the Spurs game.

Henry, i am sure, will get the arm band as soon as he comes back. Titi for all his brilliance on the field is not a natural leader. He can never be a Vieira. He can be a real inspiration on the field and will take his own time to mature into his new role as a captain. My only problem with him is that there times when he goes AWOL and does not seem to be contributing.

Gilberto is always in the thick of things. He controls the pace of the game and gets involved a lot. He is so important for the team in that he breaks up the play so that the likes of Rosicky and Cesc can link up with the front men. Also, he seems to be a natural leader and does not have any problems slotting into that role whenever Henry has been missing.

If i were the gaffer i would retain Gilberto as captain. But then I would be tempting fate ...

Chelsea, PSV and Pompey

2006-12-16T02:32:00.000-08:00

What a game it was against Chelskea. I am sure there have been enough reviews about that game so i will go on to other important matters like the UCL draw.

Porto v Chelsea
Celtic v Milan
PSV Eindhoven v Arsenal
Lille v Manchester United
Roma v Lyon
Barcelona v Liverpool
Real Madrid v Bayern Munich
Internazionale v Valencia

When you consider Liverpool, we definitely have an easier game against PSV but underestimating the Dutch Champions would be suicidal. Double D reiterates that. The gaffer thinks that we have an advantage playing the second game at home. As usual Koeman shoots his mouth off.I hope we thrash PSV home and away.

Alright then, Pompy today for us. Lots of old timers will be in town. I hope that we give Sol, Kanu and Adams a rousing reception. They are all Arsenal legends and any other welcome for them will just not do.

Coming to the team news, we are still without Rosicky and Gallas. Portsmouth are now without any striker. Kanu is half fit so we can expect a lot of defending from them.

There has been a lot of discussion on the formation that we employed at the JJB in mid week. The 4-5-1 against teams like Wigan is being questioned and rightly so i feel. This formation is justified against teams like Chelsea but against weaker teams we just have to be more positive. Arseblogger discusses the same on the arsecast this week. I expect Wenger to take a more offensive route today.

In other news, Bendtner is happy that WEnger is keen to take him back soon. This lad gives us an option i feel. I think that he is still a long way away from regular first team action but i him and Lupoli are a future strike pair for us. We are also looking at some fella from Dortmund to replace Jens who apparently has been offered 2 years at Sevilla.

Henry has won the PFA award for November again. Looks like he will have to make do with such awards especially when he just cane seem to do enough to win the European or World player of the year.

Away to West Ham

2006-11-04T21:15:00.000-08:00

After a very disappointing week which saw us drawing against Everton and CSKA, we travel to West Ham hoping to keep up with the leading pack. West Ham finally registered a win last week and will be looking forward to get at least a point out of this game.

A lot of the pre match talk has been about the verbal exchange between the 2 gaffers last season after our game against Real. Pardew says that his comments were taken in the wrong way by the media and says that there is no problem between him and Wenger.
He also says that he is a big fan of the way Arsenal play. Good for you!

The same issue has come up again this week with the gaffer making it clear that FIFA s rule is bull shit. I have to agree with Wenger. Whose fault is it that we do not have good English players. We had Cole and Campbell. Cole turned out to be real scumbag, Pennant and Jeffers were not that great and now we have Hoyte and Walcott coming through.

Coming back to the game, Adebayor looks set to return though i dont see him playing a major role esepcially with Van Persie playing well. Wenger is not afraid of the 2 Argentines and doesnt see them figuring in the game at all. Hope that Tevez doesnt show up and get a goal. Wenger is frustrated that the goals are not coming but says that there is no need to press the SOS just yet. He also clarified that he did not make a bid for Reo Coker. I am sure it was Spurs :)

In other news Michael "load of crap" Platini says that Henry should have joined Barca as they win a lot of trophies. Keep zat mouth shut.

2006-10-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

Another 3 points in the offering as we take on Everton in a home fixture that we have traditionally dominated. If the stats are anything to go by then Everton will be easy. But they have been playing rather well and if they beat their opponents today then they will got 4th in the table and thats a huge incentive for the merseysiders.
A lot of pre match talk has been about Cesc Fabregas. The gaffer has said that Cesc will get better and thats a rather pleasing though if you are an Arsenal fan. Cesc stays modest as ever.
"I know I will have Thierry [Henry] next to me for the next four years, I will have Alex Hleb, Kolo Toure and [William] Gallas with me in the next four or five years, so for me all I have to do and think is to learn from them because they are great players"

This guy is mature beyond his years and he seems to have his feet firmly planted on the ground. We also had Henry talking in the week about how they are finally beginning to feel at home at the new stadium. Wenger also ruled out bidding for Beckham. Considering how many people we are supposedly planning to buy i think that we will be able to field 3 Arsenal teams in the next season. Arsene also gave an update on Adebayor who will miss the Everton game but might feature midweek against CSKA Moscow. He goes on to say that Lauren will be out till January. I have a feeling that Lauren s Arsenal careeris close to getting over. With the emergence of Eboue, i wonder how many games the former Cameroon International will get. Diaby is a month away from getting to training. He realizes that he will face stiff competition when he returns. Good to see the lad getting back to full fitness..

Wenger showers lot of praise on his opponents for the weekend and says that its an important game for Arsenal. Apparently the gaffer considered signing AJ but then thought the better of it ...thankfully.

If we need to compete with Manu and Chelsea then we need to steamroll teams like Everton at home.

2006-10-24T06:14:00.000-07:00

Apologies are in order ... I have neglected this blog for some time now. I will not get into reasons and excuses, all i will say is that i will be making an improved effort to keep this place busy.

Alright then, our performance in the weekend made sure that everyone takes notice of the fact that Arsenal are back and back in a big way. The kind of football that was on show at the Madejski Stadium was the one that we played during the unbeaten season. The passing was great, one touch mostly and most importantly the finishing was awesome. Apart from the Rosicky chance late in the second half, we put away most of the chances that came our way.

After the reverse in midweek it was important that we hit a winning streak immediately and that's exactly what happened. It was good to hear Martin Tyler and Andy Gray say "exhibition stuff" on more than 1 occasion.

The best goal was the one by Van Persie because it was a team goal and the boss also thinks so. He has also played down talks of a rift between Henry and Van Persie. Cesc talks about how Arsenal can destroy any side when they play like the way they did against Reading. Steve Coppell showers praise on Cesc and Henry and says that they are the best in Europe at the moment.

Apart from the fact that we seem to be playing at our imperious best, i am also happy that the team now has a settled look to it. Lehmann is at the moment for me the best goalie in Europe. Even though he didn't have much to do on Sunday but he was called into action once or twice and he was up to the task. I think he needs to work on his catching aerial balls but i am extremely satisfied by his professionalism and commitment. It is scary to see him when he stands in the tunnel before he starts the game.He is extremely focussed and goes about the job with extreme efficiency.

The back four is solid and we can afford to change and tinker with the kind of quality that we have. Djorou has shown that he is more than capable of mixing it with the best and with Clichy and Senderos back, we have a great bunch of defensive players. I feel that the gaffer might have a bit of a dilemma when all his players are back. My back four would have to be Clichy at left back, Gallas and Toure in centre and Eboue (when he is fit)/Hoyte at right back.

The midfield is what makes us so great to watch. Hleb And Rosicky give us great width, Gilberto sits in front of the back four and Cesc has the license to roam. Fabregas has signed on till 2014 and he seems to be happy.He was man of the match in the weekend and had a hand in 2 of the goals. It is great to see him play the way he does ... full of confidence. It will be interesting to see how he fares against the Boltons and Blackburns of the world.

Up front, we have Henry so we have the best. Van Persie, for all his wastefulness at times, is genuine quality and after this season he will be much much better. Adebayor gives us the target man option and then we can always play Baptista there.

We play West Brom in the Carling Cup today and Wenger is showing extra keenness in the league cup this season as its the only domestic trophy he doesn't have in his cabinet.

New season, new stadium and a few new faces

2006-08-19T04:18:00.000-07:00

So the season finally begins today!

The first match of the season in the EPL sees the gunners play their first competetive game at the new 60000 seater "Emirates Stadium". The stadium was inaugurated a few days back with a farewell to Dennis Bergkamp. DB10, Le Bob, Sol Campbell will not be part of the Arsenal squad this season and this will not only be a blow but will also be tough getting used to. The 3 of them were not on the top of their games (for various seasons) last season but will sorely be missed. How we are going to get those 12-15 goals that Pires gave us season after season remains to be seen.

The Cole and Reyes saga also seems to be extending to eternity. With the price being the stumbling block in both cases, these 2 transfers might be tricky indeed. I feel that anything around 20 and 25 million GBP for Cole and Reyes respectively is good business. Both the players have expressed their interest to quit the club and i wonder if we will be disrupting the unity in the squad if we keep them for this season. Of the 2 I would like Cole to stay as he is genuine quality and our bench strength in the defense area is not great at the moment. Until Senderos comes back, we have only Toure as a defender with real strength, pace and defensive prowess. Cygan cannot be trusted and Djorou is not a finished product yet.

Another area of concern seems to be the centre of midfield. We have only Cesc, Gilberto and Flamini there.Seb Larsson has been loaned out and Song is not going to have much of an impact. I had a feeling that we should have signed Appiah or Ya ya when we had the chance.

The final third has always been our strength and i expect us to play in the same attacking and free flowing way that we have always done. The acquisition of Tomas Rosicky is only going to improve us and at 8 million GBP he is a steal.

In a few hours time we kick off against an Aston Villa that has undergone a sea of change. Former Arsenal man David O Leary has been replaced with Martin o Neil. Villa had a very bad season last time around and were quite lucky to avoid the drop. Arsenal will be without Senderos, Clichy, Diaby, Freddy. Rosicky and Henry may also not be match fit.

One has to see i the players have recovered fully from their stint at the World Cup and its important that we get off to a good start and make sure that Emirates is the same fortress that highbury was.

Match Prediction : 3-1 to Arsenal

Pires exits Arsenal

2006-05-26T08:48:00.000-07:00

So Pires has left Arsenal.Its a sad moment for all gunners. Pires has been a great player for Arsenal and leaves behind great memories.
His play down the left flank was one of the reasons that Arsenal have been successful for the last few years. His combination with Henry and Cole was a pleasure to watch.
Some of the few goals of his that stand out for me are - The lob over Schmeichel, the curler past dudek at Anfield and the long distance lob over Niemi. One can also not forget the hammering he gave to Gerrard at Anfield 3 seasons back when he floated past him and put in a delicious pass for Freddy to convert.
Personally, its a big disappointment to see him go as he has been one of my favourite players. He now embarks on a stint in the La liga. How and why he chose a bunch of divers and loud mouthed idiots,i ll never know.
All gunners owe him a great lot and wish him all the best.

Henry to stay with Arsenal

2006-05-19T07:47:00.000-07:00

Finally, Titi signs on.Great relief for all his fans, team mates and the gaffer(Not necessarily in that order).Henry said that he could not let the fans down.
I am sure that he has had a serious discussion with Wenger and the gaffer would have promised a few signings in the summer.

Joan Laporta and Barcelona can keep dreaming.Our man stays!

The UEFA Champions League Final. Arsenal Vs Barcelona

2006-05-17T07:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight at about 12AM IST, life will come to a standstill. Arsenal take on Barcelona in the Champions League final. Perhaps the most important day in the lives of many players, mangers and i dare say...fans.

Barcelona go into the match as clear favourites.They have been outstanding the whole season and have been the envy of many a team. With the likes of Ronaldinho, Eto o, Deco, Puyol etc. amongst their ranks, this side is capable of wonders. The side attacks from the beginning with Edmilson and Puyol keeping things tight at the back.

Arsenal will be more than happy to go into the games as underdogs. After all, they went into the games against Madrid and Juve as second favourties and beat both sides comfortably. They will be wary of the threat posed by Barca s forward line and will hope to prevent them from scoring.

Coming to that tactics, the biggest question is who will stop Ronnie? As someone said, Eboue can probably go break some part of his body right at the beginning and get red carded.Apart from that i really dont know how u stop this man. Gilberto will probably get the enviable job of marking his compatriot. Apart from Ronnie, the gunners will be keen to pack the midfield and outnumber the catalans. This will mean that Freddy tucks into midfield. The obvious weak links in the Barca armoury are Oleguer and Valdes. Arsenal have to take the left channel and drag Puyol out.Then with runs into the box by cesc,Hleb there is a good chance of scoring. Also, Arsenal have to start attacking immediately and not play the counter attacking game too much.

All in all, a great match on the cards and may the best team win...Go Arsenal!

Walcott selected for World Cup

2006-05-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

Sven Goran Eriksson has named Theo Walcott in the provisional squad for the World Cup. The England Manager has been watching the 17 year old in Arsenal s training ground for the past few weeks. This comes as a big surprise and Sven might have taken a big gamble by selecting the rookie who hasnt even played a senior game with the gunners.
Also making it into the squad are Ashley Cole and Sol Campbell.

Full Squad:

Paul Robinson (Tottenham), David James (Manchester City), Robert Green (Norwich); Gary Neville (Manchester United), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), John Terry (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Arsenal), Sol Campbell (Arsenal), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Wayne Bridge (Chelsea); David Beckham (Real Madrid), Michael Carrick (Tottenham), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham); Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Michael Owen (Newcastle), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Theo Walcott (Arsenal)

Farewell to Dennis Bergkamp and Highbury

2006-05-07T02:50:00.000-07:00

If you are wondering why I put Dennis Berkamp before Highbury in the Title then it is very intentional. I started watching Soccer and supporting Arsenal because of him. Nothing gives me more pleasure in life than watching this man on the football. His grace, vision, technique is like nothing on Earth.He s just very very special. I started blogging a few months back with an article on him.

As i have said earlier, he is the best import to English Football and he will leave an indelible mark on the game. As the chances of watching his testimonial lool slim and he might only figure in the final at Paris briefly, this might be the last time we see this genius in action. Dennis thanks for everything, we remain eternally grateful to you.

The last game at Highbury will be an emotional one for all associated with this great ground...the Players, the manager and the fans. The North Bank, Clock End and East Stand will be seen for the last time.

Highbury is a unique ground because of the size of the pitch and the proximity of the fans to the game in the centre. This has been the ground where many a battle has been fought and given many memorable moments to the gunners. Many of the all time great footballers have graced this pitch. It will be an over whelming time for all gunners and the players will make this an occassion to remember.

Bergy and Highbury will never be forgotten and live in our memories for ever.

Come on you gooners....

Arsenal Through to UCL final

2006-04-27T23:19:00.000-07:00

Arsenal are through to the Champions League Final. Yes, is finally true. There were a very nervous 90 odd mins at the Madrigal but in the end the gunners emerged victorious. All credit to Villareal who played well and could have easily got a goal. There was of course lots of play acting and diving by them and the penalty given to them was atrocious to say the least.

Jose Mari has the reputation of going down very easily and he got his team a penalty right at the end. I thought "Here we go". But, Lehmann saved it and the look on Riquelme s face said it all.He was distraught and though it was sad to see him like that, the gunners must have been ecstatic. Lehmann ignored Titi s advice that Riquelme might wait for him to dive to one side and then dink it in the middle.He went to the left and got a decent contact.Riquelme was so crestfallen that he didnt even bother to look for the rebound of Lehmann.He knew than that he had spurned a glorious chance.Had that got in, I am sure that Villareal would have been favourites to go through.

Arsenal were on the receiving end of sustained pressure from the home side and you just had that feeling that they were sitting back too much.There were hardly any goal scoring chances for Arsenal whose only chance came right at the death when Henry had a 1 on 1 with the goalie but failed to score. I thought that Toure and Gilberto were awesome. The Brazilian didnt allow Riquelme to settle and man marked him beautifully. Campbell had a decent game on his return. Clichy also played well after Flamini had to retire with a pull in his hammie. Eboue didnt attack at all and i think he was under strict instructions to not let Sorin out of sight even if that meant that he had to sacrfice going forwards. Reyes was a big disappointment and Wenger might have to think whether to start with him in the finals. Freddy and Helb worked their guts out and helped the defense.

But the real hero of the night was Jens Lehmann. I have been very critical of him over the last 2 seasons but i think that he is now showing that why at 33, Arsene got him and made him No.1. He is now repaying the trust the gaffer had in him and according to me he has been the best goalie in Europe this season. He might again prove to be the difference in the final...lets see.

But the job is not done yet..Barca await us and what a final it will be. Henry and Ronaldinho on the pitch at the same time. A mouth watering prospect.

Job half done as Yellow submarines are hit but not out

2006-04-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

Arsenal take a 1 goal lead into the return leg. Kolo Toure of all people popped up at the right place at the right time to give Arsenal a slender advantage. Villareal played a very narrow game with Sorin, Senna tucking in and not letting Arsenal get their passing going. The first real chance of the game fell to Henry who coolly side footed the ball into the back of the net only to turn and see the lines man s flag raised. A poor decision from the assistant who got more than 1 call wrong on the night.
Villareal showed why they have been able to keep so many clean sheets as they played a compact game and the defense bonding well. Riquelme was not able to have the kind of influence that he would have liked to. Gilberto marked him exceptionally well and was on his number all night.
Henry was busy through out the game and won many headers yesterday and His level of commitment was beyond doubt. He was on his game and could have easily scored a couple of goals. Villareal knew that he had to be stopped and kept him well marked.
The goal when it came was because of the vision of Henry and the run of Hleb who gave Senna the slip and put in a lovely ball which was calmly finished off by Toure.
Villareal will not be an easy propostiton at the El Madrigal and the gunners will have to be on the top of their game to reach the finals. Arsenal have showed that they are more than capable of defending and absorb pressure.
An interesting battle awaits us in Spain, next week.

MANU

2006-04-09T01:16:00.000-07:00

The rivalry between these 2 teams in recent times is well documented. The fracas at OT where RVN fell on his arse as if he was hit by a falling meteor (My Manu friends will disgaree) and the war of words that always seems to happen between the 2 managers now seems like a thing of the past. Both managers have had good things to say about each other.
This is always one of the games of the season and there will be a record 75000 people at the Theatre of Dreams for this clash. Shadowed by the money and success of Chelsea over the past 2 seasons is a different thing but the fact remains that Arsenal and Manu are 2 of the best teams in the world in terms of the football they play.
It will be very strange to see a Manu-Arsenal clash without Keane or Vieira. When both these giants left their respective clubs, there were real doubte over whether they will be able to cope with this. But both teams have shown that the have not been hit hard.
Arsenal will look to play a 4-5-1 that has been so effective in Europe. It will be interesting to see how Neville fairs against Reyes. Cesc will again play a crucial role and AW will hope that this prodigy will dominate midfield as he has been doing.
A very interesting battle on the cards...

Away to Juventus

2006-04-05T07:51:00.000-07:00

In probably what will be the most important game in recent times, the gunners will take on "the old lady" for a place in the semis. The 2 nil lead will come in handy and if we can get an away goal, then the game is over. The gunners will be boosted by the news that Cesc Fabregas is fit to play and will be ready to resume what he left last week. Eboue is also fit but might be slightly doubtful. Djorou can always be drafted in. With Nedved in the team, the right back will have his work cut out. Del Piero will not figure in this contest and with Camoranesi, Vieira and Zebina suspended Arsenal will be quietly confident of doing well. Having said that, Juventus cannot be underestimated especially at home and they will surely give a good account of themselves.
Wenger should and probably will employ a 4-5-1 with Reyes playing a slightly withdrawn role.

Come on gunners.........

Half the job done

2006-03-28T13:05:00.000-08:00

A splendid all round performance means that the gunners have a big advantage going in to the return leg at turin. A clinical display with solid defending and some neat finishing helped Arsenal register another great win over a European giant. The away team s frustration showed right at the end with 2 red cards which means suspensions for Zebina and Camoranesi. Ibrahmovic and Trezeguet were kept very quiet and with cesc and gilberto doing a great job on Emerson and Vieira, the gunners emerged easy winners.
Now off to Italy to finish the job.

Of Real, Liverpool and Juventus

2006-03-10T19:35:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a week. What a tremendous game at Highbury. Arsenal and Real showed why they are two of the best teams in Europe. A very entertaining nil nil and definitely a better game than the Chelsea Barca one. Hats off to the gunners who turned on a stellar display to enter the qf s. They were solid at the back and created enough chances to keep Casillas busy. Hleb played very well. He kept the ball with him..strangely enough.He also made penetrating runs. Freddy played very well and played the support role to Heny well. We were solid at th back, Toure and Senderos didnt allow Raul or Ronaldo even a sniff . There were just 2 moments when Raul hit the bar and Lehmann saved the follow up and when Big Phil almost put the ball in the roof of his own goal. Reyes hit the bar and there were a few more chances missed but at the end the team managed to go through.
We meet Juve next. Paddy will be back and i hope that he gets a good welcome and loses. It will be a tough tough game and we ll have to play extrememly well to win but there is a chance especially with Henry around.
Coming to this weekend, a very important game against Liverpool awaits and it is imperative that we get 3 points especially with Spurs doing well for themselves. I feel that it will come down to the North London Derby and whoever wins that will have an advantage.
For the moment, i am over the moon that we are in the next round.

Visit to Fulham

2006-03-04T03:16:00.000-08:00

Arsenal play away at Fulham this weekend , hoping to avoid a 9th away defeat this season. This is a very key game with Real visiting in mid week. If the gunners lose more away games then i am sure they wont qualify for the Champions League next season. Teams like Fulham have to be beaten.Having said that the cottagers have played well at home and have a very aggressive style of football, which also gives Arsenal the chance to attack on the break.
In news, Wenger has mocked Real for showing interest in Cesc Fabregas. Henry says that the season has been difficult and winning the Fulham game is of utmost importance.

Exciting times ahead

2006-01-30T05:04:00.000-08:00

The Picture says it all.

The European Champions and Real twice within a span of a month.
Get ready!

Is Wenger pressing the self-destruct button ?

2006-01-22T07:34:00.000-08:00

The loss at Everton is very hard to digest.I mean these are teams we should be beating. West Brom, Villa, West Ham..the list this season is long.Bolton and Chelsea are acceptable but not the other teams. I really dont know if any kind of excuse is good enough.
I am beginning to feel that Arsene Wenger is falling victim to his own ego.I have great admiration for the gaffer and i think he is a top notch coach.But, i think that he is trying to prove everyone wrong by playing all these kids. When everyone around him is asking for established players, he seems to be persisting with youngsters.
Playing Cesc all season long is not gonna prove a thing.We all know that he is class but he is not going to give you good performances all season long. He has been given money to shell,Why cant he go get Dacourt or Mascherano or someone who is proven at this level. diaby might be a great prospect but he s not a finished article by a country mile.The need of the hour is someone who can fit right into the scheme of things.The same can be said for Walcott and Adebayor.
I think it is high time that we go get experienced players at the key positions or else we have a strong chance of not seeing European football at the new stadium.
And for god s sake, Mr. Wenger...we have had enough. Get someone who stands at 10 feet and put him in the middle of the park. How u are going to do it with abt a week left is beyond me.

Arsenal V Everton

2006-01-20T22:52:00.000-08:00

Arsenal make a trip to Goodison Park hoping to put in a good away performance. Their showing away from home has been woeful to say the least. They have scored only 7 goals on the road and considering the fact that they got 7 in the last game at home ,they have to start banging in the goals away. .
In team news, Campbell will be back and lauren might have to go into left back as both cygan and cole are injured.One of the young kids will have to fill in at Right back.Dennis is till not fully fit and might not play.The new acquisiton from Auxerre, Diaby might be on the bench and might make a debut if the gunners are cruising.
For everton, Stubbs has come back after his stint in the North east with the black cats.He will be paired along yobo who had a great game last time around at fratton park.Tim cahill has finally found his goal scoring touch and it will be upto Gilberto to make sure that he doesnt make those runs into the box, supporting the striker.
Knowing how Arsenal play away from home nowadays, i am not going to make any predictions.

Finally..we get Walcott

2006-01-20T07:54:00.000-08:00

Finally, we get theo.
Lets see if he s really as good as they are saying.
Read abt it here,here and here

Borugh thrashing and signings

2006-01-18T22:34:00.000-08:00

Boy o boy! The thrashing of borough was just awesome. Too bad we didnt get 10 though. The ESPN folks messed it up again and showed Premier hockey league. How do i tell them that i dont give a shit about Hyderabad sultans or Maraths warriors or any of those maniacs.
Anyways, i atleast managed to see the goals and Hleb finally scored...another few games and he would have started to get the same attention as crouch. Henry s volley was awesome, Pires s half glide half chip was delightful and Gilberto s goal was a fluke. Borough were murdered in what was a big embarassment for Mclaren. Hope we can murder Everton too this weekend. Last time the 2 temas met the gunners won 7 nil.
We can all talk about chelsea and manu and liverpool and spurs but scoring 7 goals is something that only the gunners can achieve and its an awesome feat.
Emmanuel Adebayor and Vassiriki Diaby have arrived in an attmept to bolster the squad. And the drama over who signs Walcott continues .I am hoping that he has seen what has happened to SWP and makes the correct decision of coming to Arsenal.
There is also constant talk linking us with Rosicky, Samaras, Alou Diarra and Ya Ya Toure. I ll like to see Rosicky at Arsenal cos he is a very good player and he will add the depth that has been lacking in the squad.

Red Devils at home

2006-01-01T22:08:00.000-08:00

Forget the North London Derby, or for that matter any other london derbies this is the one match we want to win. After the fraca at OT 2 seasons back, the competition has intensified.SAF has already started the mind games, which is nothing unusual. I just hope that Wenger doesnt retaliate as he is in enough trouble with the F.A. as it is. Manu definitely go into this match as favourites and i for 1 wil be happy if the gunners come out with 1 point. I expect Rooney to drfit wide to the flank with ronaldo and give lauren a tough time.Cygan is suspended and that ll mean that Senderos might have to come in at left back. Scholes will try to go forward as he normally does and i have a feeling that he might score. Lauren has to make sure that he doesnt get caught in possession high up the pitch as ronaldo might exploit that like he did last season.
For Arsenal, the key will be to have good possession and attack Silvestre and Ferdinand who are as suspect as the Arsenal defense. I also expect Reyes to start on the left flank and in all probability he ll scare the shit out of Neville and make him sweat.
I will not be able to watch this game but i expect a good contest between 2 sides that have been at loggerheads in the recent past and there is more than 3 points at stake.

Villa Park ...

2005-12-30T21:57:00.000-08:00

An Arsenal team high on confidence and back to their fluent best take on a Villa side that have been banging in the goals for fun themselves.Both sides are suspect at the back and hence there are bound to be goals in the game. Gilberto has done a groin and will not figure against Villa or against the Red Devils. Van persie has recovered from the knock he picked up against Doncaster and is raring to go. The Arsenal captain believes that the team is back to their best and are on track. The gaffer has said that the year has been satisfactory but he would like to better next year. He also talks about the kind of players he will be looking for in the jan window especially with toure an eboue on cup of nations duty, he will have to look for back-up.
Coming to the game,Arsenal should win this but Cesc and Flamini will not be allowed to rest by an in from Davis who also comes up with the odd goal every now and then. If the battle in the mid-field is won then the game is ours for the taking.Baros and Moore will also create chances but i am hoping that our back 4 can contain them.I wont be surprised if Cygan is attacked on the flank and crosses are whipped in. Ridgewell and co. will be put under immense pressure .
This game is not only important because of the 3points but also because of the next game coming up..Manu wont have it easy against Bolton and will be made to sweat.Any momentum gained by the gunners can be taken to the Manu game.

Pompey

2005-12-28T01:14:00.000-08:00

Damn! Those Espn Star guys are not showing this game tonight. Who wants to see the mersey side derby. I ll have to talk to Mr. Dykes about this. So much for Andrew Leci being a gooner....
Anyways, Arsenal at home against Portsmouth is equivalent to 3 points for the gooners. Harry Redknapp can have his son helping him out through a mobile from the stands or have Santa Claus refereeing the game...but i just cant see Arsenal not scoring less than 3 goals and winning.This also gives the gunners a chance to keep a clean sheet. Pompey have been given a boost with the arrival of Redknapp but they really dont have the squad and class to trouble the hosts.Also, Robert got a red against West Ham which means that he wont figure in today`s game. Henry might be rested today for important games coming up and Van persie might play up front with reyes or DB. Pires might figure in some way too. Gilberto must tighten up as he has been rather poor for the past few games and his place in the Brazil squad will also be under threat if his form continues.
Henry says that he is flattered about rumours linking him with Barca but he is thinking only of Arsenal at the moment. I feel he can do without the distraction..if only that son of a bitch Laporta keeps his trap shut. The Arsenal captain has been voted French player of the year for the 3rd time in a row. Gregory Coupet and Makelele came 2nd and 3rd repectively. Pires might get the 2 years extension he wants when he and the gaffer sit down for talks in jan.

The Valley

2005-12-25T22:31:00.000-08:00

After the shock against Romans mob, the gunners travel to the valley for a london derby. If the away form is not sorted out starting right now then there is a strong chance of Arsenal finishing out of the top 4. The congestion of matches around this time of the year also presents a chance for the gunners to get a few points.With matches against the addicks, Aston villa and pompey before the squaring of with the red devils..Arsenal need to get maximum points from all these games. Charlton are also in a dreadful phase and cant seem to score goals and win matches. They ll again be looking at Bent to breach a very very suspect Arsenal defense.Henry s injury means that Bergie might start with van persie and reyes might play wide left.ALso, cygan is fit(is that gud or bad?) and might replace lauren at left back who in turn will revert to his natural right back position.Toure looks all set to replace Senderos ater the young swiss had a shocker against Doncaster. Having won the previous 3 meetings at the valley,Arsenal will like to make it 4 in a row.Whether they can score th goals without henry remains to be seen.

Bring on the Galacticos!

2005-12-16T04:00:00.000-08:00

Ole ole ole o ole ole..

We have drawn Los Galacticos..its time to prepare for a game between the two best club teams in the world.ROnaldo,Zidane and co. watch out we are coming to town....
Here is the draw-

Chelsea v Barcelona
Real Madrid v Arsenal
Werder Bremen v Juventus
Bayern Munich v Milan
PSV Eindhoven v Lyon
Ajax v Internazionale
Benfica v Liverpool
Rangers v Villarrea

Other mouth watering games include Chelsea-Barcelona,Bayern-Milan and Ajax-Inter.
I expect Barca,Juve,Bayern,Lyon,Inter,Liverpool and VIllareal to go through with the gunners.

Uefa Champions League-The knockout stage

2005-12-15T00:20:00.000-08:00

The following are potential opponents-

1.Bayern munich
2.Rangers
3.Werder Bremen
4.PSV
5.Benfica
6.Real Madrid

Except for Munich,Arsenal should nt have much trouble against any other opponent.
Even with Munich, if we can not concede more than 1 goal away, i am sure we can win it at Highbury.I hope that we meet Real.This is 1 game i have been waiting for a long long time.

Pardon me for being very sarcastic but..pleaseee lets see barca v chelsea,again.I dont give a fuck abt either team and this way one of them will be knocked out.

A visit to St.James`

2005-12-10T01:34:00.000-08:00

A trip to the north east beckons as Arsene Wenger s men play a Newcastle Utd. that is in total turmoil.Their manager is hanging onto his job and the confidence of the side is down.But this game provides an opportunity for them to silence the critics for a while.Arsenal will like to get a win and get their on the road form up an running.The good thing is that they probably wont have to come face to face with trucks and huge road blocks like they did against Bolton. Arsene Wenger employed a 4-3-3 in mid week against Ajax.The game ended in a stalemate but apparently, the gaffer wanted to try out a few things and wanted to give Alexander Hleb a central role. Titi was not happy with the performance of the team and he let everyone know what he thought ala Keane. Lauren will be employed at left back again, which is onyl a good thing. Whether Eboue plays at right back or toure switches over to that position and Senderos plays in the centre with Campbell, remains to be seen.Senderos played very well against Ajax and i wont be surprised if he plays stopper again. Wenger also reveals that he was tempted to sign Owen in the summer but his confidence in Van Persie and Quincy prevented him from doing so.Also,Van persie seems to have signed an extension til 2011, which is great news for him and the club.
I expect Arsenal to put on a better show today and hopefully win the game. Newcastle will try to whip in crosses through Solano and Nzogbia and hope that Shearer gets on the end.Also, their defence will have to be careful.Boumsong and Bramble arent exactly the greatest central defense pairing.Scott parker will have the job of marking Cesc and hopefully for them Emre will be able to pull the strings in mid field.
Reyes,Cygan,Dennis join Clichy and cole on the injury list.Hleb is fit and might figure in the game at some point in time.
The game should be full of goals and i expect a close game.

Ajax at home

2005-12-07T01:02:00.000-08:00

Ajax Amsterdam visit the group leaders in a match that is not of much importance because the gunners have already won the group.But Ajax will like to give good account of themselves, especially players like Piennar,De jong and wesley sneijder who would like to move over to a bigger club in the summer or in the jan window.Arsene wenger has announced a squad that includes many youngsters and sees man first team players rested. Gilberto,Pires,Lehman,Sol and Freddy will not be see in action and Dennis has a slight hamstring strain and hence will not figure against his former club.Arsene Wenger concedes that the away form in the league is a big problem and something that needs to be rectified ASAP. He also talks abt not being interested in joining Real inspite of the fact that he loves the club and Perez is practically begging him to come there. Mr. Florentino...go take a hike. Sebastian LArson might be throen in at some point in the game and Hleb looks to be fit again and might figure in some way.Looking forward to seeing him play again cos i do believe that he is class.
In other results yesterday, Liverpool went top after a dull draw against Chelsea in a game that saw another high tackle from Essien who is really riding his luck and its very unfortunate to see him get away.Hamann is a very lucky boy to not have broken something ..cruciate ligament damage or something.Milan went through at the expense of Schalke thanks to Kaka and also going through were PSV and Rangers.Maybe Alex Mcleish wont be sacked after all. Real lost again...damn!
Imp. games tonight ..Manu v Benfica. It ll be great to see Manu lose but i hope for the sake of the competition that they win.

Away to the Reebok

2005-12-02T04:06:00.000-08:00

This weekend sees the gunners travel to the Reebok stadium to face a Bolton Wanderers team that has serious aspirations of making it to the Champions league.Sam Allardyce s men have always been a tough side to beat at home and the gunners have found that out over the past few seasons.Last season saw a Stelios Gianakopolous (or whatever the name is) beating Manuel Almunia with a back post header.The gunners got revenge in the FA cup quarter final with a fine win and also thanks to Diouf who will be worked on again by the gunners.Knowing this Diouf has already been warned by SAM.This contest is also a contrast of playing styles with Big Sam s 4-5-1 against Wenger s traditional 4-4-2.Also the fact that the Lancastrian Crowd at the Reebok backs their team to the core makes it tough for visitors.
Surprisingly there has been no mind games being played on the eve of the game as Wenger and Sam have been arguing about how 4-5-1 is good or bad?Sam says that Wenger preaches and lectures on attacking football but infact he is also employing a 4-5-1 as Bergkamp tucks into the midfield.Mr.Sam, if u have noticed carefully,Arsenal have attacking flank men and on most occasions,U d find that Pires and Lungberg are in an attacking position.GOt it?
I expect Bolton to play the same 4-5-1 with Davies all on his own and Stellios,Nolan supporting him.Borgetti might be thrown in because of his prowess in the air.Arsenal as usual will try to hit them early and defend the lead.

Men to watch-

Bolton-Kevin Nolan,Ralph Jaidi(Set pieces)
Arsenal-Henry,Van persie