So, a complete frenzy of speculation has erupted on deadline day. Unfortunately none of it seems clear - especially as ANR is receiving so many hits that their server has actually taken them offline.
No deals seem to have been confirmed, but here are the ones that I've heard of, and my score (out of 10) for likelihood of actually occuring.
Ito - 9. Who?
Baptista/Reyes 7. So, losing a winger for a central midfielder? Baptista does fit the Wenger requirements of a misfit at a big club who Wenger will save, leading to improved player holding us to ransom when other clubs become interested in him again. I think we do need to get shot of Reyes though.
Gallas/Cole. 5. I think it now seems more likely we'll both keep our players, or, if players do move, only Cashley will. And on a playing level, if we were to lose Ash and not get Gallas, the club's squad will have been weakened, not matter how much of a disruptive influence Ash could potentially be.
Reo-Coker - 4. Wenger's probably interested, but he'll be priced out due to the Fact R-C is English.
By far the most sensational move of the day is that of Mascherano and Tevez going to West Ham. This is very, very fishy. At best it would seem that MSI - the shadowy company who own the players, rather than Corinthians, their actual club - want to put these two in the EPL for a season to increase their value before flogging them to a bigger club next summer. At worst, MSI could be using these guys as pawns to improve West Ham before their take-over of the club.
Only 6 hours to go. I'm going out tonight and when I come back we better have some new players.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Sunday, August 27, 2006
No width, no penetration, much frustration.
I was tempted to write some form of stream of consciousness rant after watching yesterday's game, but on reflection we weren't as awful as I intially felt.
For a start, we dominated the game. We had almost all the possession and the football we played was of a very high standard, showing a confidence to knock the ball about and be patient in the build up. We did carve out opportunities, and, on another day, one of our chances would have gone in and we'd have won the match.
But it all smacks of last season a little. It was highly reminscient of the Middlesborough game in August [or was it september?] last year, when we dominated the game, and boro scored with their only two chances. One feels we still don't have a plan b - even with Adebayor now in tow - that we can really revert to when our preferred method of playing has not yielded fruit.
What seemed to be less comporable to last year, was the lack of width in the side. We seem to be trying to funnel everything down the centre. This was perhaps borne from the fact that our two wide players - Rosicky and Hleb- prefer to play down the centre, while our l-b, Hoyte, seemed unable or unwilling to go down the flank, preferring to cut inside whenever possible. I hope my concerns about Rosicky don't come to pass, but I think he'll be wasted if we keep him on the left hand side. He needs to be in a half-striker role, playing ahead of Fabregas.
Eboue seemed to have trouble getting forward as well, and it all culminated in us repeatedly trying to thread the ball through the City defence, who did enough to keep us out. Indeed, it was not until the introduction of Walcott that a player came on who really seemed to offer us a more direct form of play. He was far more willing to try and take players on and take shots from distance. While I don't think that a lack of shooting is the root of our problems, it certainly hasn't helped matters. I have to say, in fact, that Walcott has been an absolute joy to watch so far this season. The rest of the team seem somewhat weighed down at times, almost laboured in their attempts to pass through opposing defences. Walcott looks like he's just got off the school-yard, and this is by no means a bad thing. He also doesn't seem to be in the thrall of Henry as much as some of the other players, which has meant he's been more willing to try out things on his own. More of the same Theo.
What is clear to me, is that we haven't replaced the goals that Pires, Freddie, and Dennis brought to the team. Only Henry and RvP look remotely like scoring at the moment, and if this isn't resolved we'll be in trouble again this season. I'm really beginning to think that we should flog Jose to whoever comes up with a reasonable bid, and make a last ditch attempt at getting someone like Ribery in - an attacking winger who can score goals. I worry that Jose hasn't got the goals in him and his increasingly vocal wishes to leave the club are becoming an embarrasment.
On balance therfore, yesterday's game could mean either two things. One that the team is not ready for the season yet, and with a couple more games things will begin to click. Or that we're going to struggle again in the league. I still think - especially given that Thierry is clearly not match fit - we will have a better season than last year, but only if our midfield starts scoring, and not just trying to produce goals. What can't be said about yesterday's performance, as was usually the case last season, is that we were 'muscled' out of the game. We dealt with the physicality of the game well, and this, at least, is surely a plus point.
What we also need, despite the moral whitewash that will be necessary for it to occur, is for Ashley Cole to get back in the side. We need a player on the left hand side with not just his defensive skills but his pace and ability to get forward. Unless Chelsea are willing to give us £23m+, or £10m+ and Gallas, we should keep Ashley and get him back in the team. I thought the defence continued to look disjointed yesterday, and some experience, if nothing else, would not go amiss.
We've also started to be linked with some players who interest me very much. Either Re0-Coker or Mascherano would do very nicely. If only for the injection of new blood and,hopefully, enthuasiasm it would give us, we need some new faces in before the 31st. However, I don't think any will arrive.
So, some gloom, but perhaps not all doom.
For a start, we dominated the game. We had almost all the possession and the football we played was of a very high standard, showing a confidence to knock the ball about and be patient in the build up. We did carve out opportunities, and, on another day, one of our chances would have gone in and we'd have won the match.
But it all smacks of last season a little. It was highly reminscient of the Middlesborough game in August [or was it september?] last year, when we dominated the game, and boro scored with their only two chances. One feels we still don't have a plan b - even with Adebayor now in tow - that we can really revert to when our preferred method of playing has not yielded fruit.
What seemed to be less comporable to last year, was the lack of width in the side. We seem to be trying to funnel everything down the centre. This was perhaps borne from the fact that our two wide players - Rosicky and Hleb- prefer to play down the centre, while our l-b, Hoyte, seemed unable or unwilling to go down the flank, preferring to cut inside whenever possible. I hope my concerns about Rosicky don't come to pass, but I think he'll be wasted if we keep him on the left hand side. He needs to be in a half-striker role, playing ahead of Fabregas.
Eboue seemed to have trouble getting forward as well, and it all culminated in us repeatedly trying to thread the ball through the City defence, who did enough to keep us out. Indeed, it was not until the introduction of Walcott that a player came on who really seemed to offer us a more direct form of play. He was far more willing to try and take players on and take shots from distance. While I don't think that a lack of shooting is the root of our problems, it certainly hasn't helped matters. I have to say, in fact, that Walcott has been an absolute joy to watch so far this season. The rest of the team seem somewhat weighed down at times, almost laboured in their attempts to pass through opposing defences. Walcott looks like he's just got off the school-yard, and this is by no means a bad thing. He also doesn't seem to be in the thrall of Henry as much as some of the other players, which has meant he's been more willing to try out things on his own. More of the same Theo.
What is clear to me, is that we haven't replaced the goals that Pires, Freddie, and Dennis brought to the team. Only Henry and RvP look remotely like scoring at the moment, and if this isn't resolved we'll be in trouble again this season. I'm really beginning to think that we should flog Jose to whoever comes up with a reasonable bid, and make a last ditch attempt at getting someone like Ribery in - an attacking winger who can score goals. I worry that Jose hasn't got the goals in him and his increasingly vocal wishes to leave the club are becoming an embarrasment.
On balance therfore, yesterday's game could mean either two things. One that the team is not ready for the season yet, and with a couple more games things will begin to click. Or that we're going to struggle again in the league. I still think - especially given that Thierry is clearly not match fit - we will have a better season than last year, but only if our midfield starts scoring, and not just trying to produce goals. What can't be said about yesterday's performance, as was usually the case last season, is that we were 'muscled' out of the game. We dealt with the physicality of the game well, and this, at least, is surely a plus point.
What we also need, despite the moral whitewash that will be necessary for it to occur, is for Ashley Cole to get back in the side. We need a player on the left hand side with not just his defensive skills but his pace and ability to get forward. Unless Chelsea are willing to give us £23m+, or £10m+ and Gallas, we should keep Ashley and get him back in the team. I thought the defence continued to look disjointed yesterday, and some experience, if nothing else, would not go amiss.
We've also started to be linked with some players who interest me very much. Either Re0-Coker or Mascherano would do very nicely. If only for the injection of new blood and,hopefully, enthuasiasm it would give us, we need some new faces in before the 31st. However, I don't think any will arrive.
So, some gloom, but perhaps not all doom.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Champions' League Draw, and last week of Transfer window preview.
Firstly, a quick congratulations to one of my heroes, Mr Jens Lehmann, who rightly scooped Uefa's goalkeeper of the year award yesterday. We wouldn't have had much of a season without him last season, and I hope he can keep up his high standards for one more year; the prospect of Manny 'safe hands' Almunia coming back is a worrying one.
Jens received his award at the Champions' League draw, where we were matched up with Porto, Cska Moscow and Hamburg. Most people seem to have been rather complacent about this, but, as usual, I'm slightly worried. We should win the group, but its a considerably harder proposition than last year's - even if it couldn't really have been that easy again. I would say we have to take maximum points at home, and only bank on draws away from home. Going to Moscow is always a bleak prospect, and Hamburg and Porto will also be tough to beat at home. Quiet optimism is my view on things therefore.
Hilariously, Chelsea were drawn with Barca again. Maybe they should just have pistols at dawn between Rijkaard and Mourinho. Although, if they did, Mourinho would probably turn round early, shoot Rijkaard in the back, and then claim it was his unique intuition as the 'special one' which allowed him to do it. Or something like that.
Less than a week of the transfer window remains - thank god - so the endless stream of rubbish will soon be at an end. Until January at least. It appears that we're offering Chels a deal that would see them give us £10m and Gallas for Cole - a deal which is more than fair. Indeed, if they did reject this deal, then they have no intention of treating this deal with any respect for us at all. If they refuse to sell us Gallas at a reasonable price, why should we sell them Cole? If both clubs accepted that they had to give an unhappy player to a rival club, and Chels also gave up on their frankly antagonistic approach of merely offering us Gallas for Cole, this situation could be sorted posthaste. Either way, I expect Cole and Gallas to swap clubs, or for no deal to have transpired, by the close of the window.
I could comment on the Reyes situation, but frankly I can't be bothered. Never, ever going to be sold to Atletico for the £8m or whatever they offered, and unless any club comes in and offers somewhere near £15m+ he'll still be an Arsenal player next week. If he sulks all season, and plays rubbish, he could be flogged on the cheap next summer - and we could get Ribery to boot - but nowt will transpire regarding him for the time being. Whoops, that was a comment on the Reyes situation. It seems I can be bothered.
Aside from these deals, nothing else has really appeared on the rada, even if Arsene is supposedly operating 'under it'. I'm not setting my hopes too high that we'll have any new players by next week, and if we do I think it may be Gallas or nothing. And, for me, Gallas and Rosicky, with Diaby and Lauren coming back soon and being the proverbial 'almost a new player', isn't too bad a summer. I think Bendtner will definitely be pushing for the first XI when he returns in January as well. No Gallas, and we may be looking a little thin.
Tata. Gb.
Jens received his award at the Champions' League draw, where we were matched up with Porto, Cska Moscow and Hamburg. Most people seem to have been rather complacent about this, but, as usual, I'm slightly worried. We should win the group, but its a considerably harder proposition than last year's - even if it couldn't really have been that easy again. I would say we have to take maximum points at home, and only bank on draws away from home. Going to Moscow is always a bleak prospect, and Hamburg and Porto will also be tough to beat at home. Quiet optimism is my view on things therefore.
Hilariously, Chelsea were drawn with Barca again. Maybe they should just have pistols at dawn between Rijkaard and Mourinho. Although, if they did, Mourinho would probably turn round early, shoot Rijkaard in the back, and then claim it was his unique intuition as the 'special one' which allowed him to do it. Or something like that.
Less than a week of the transfer window remains - thank god - so the endless stream of rubbish will soon be at an end. Until January at least. It appears that we're offering Chels a deal that would see them give us £10m and Gallas for Cole - a deal which is more than fair. Indeed, if they did reject this deal, then they have no intention of treating this deal with any respect for us at all. If they refuse to sell us Gallas at a reasonable price, why should we sell them Cole? If both clubs accepted that they had to give an unhappy player to a rival club, and Chels also gave up on their frankly antagonistic approach of merely offering us Gallas for Cole, this situation could be sorted posthaste. Either way, I expect Cole and Gallas to swap clubs, or for no deal to have transpired, by the close of the window.
I could comment on the Reyes situation, but frankly I can't be bothered. Never, ever going to be sold to Atletico for the £8m or whatever they offered, and unless any club comes in and offers somewhere near £15m+ he'll still be an Arsenal player next week. If he sulks all season, and plays rubbish, he could be flogged on the cheap next summer - and we could get Ribery to boot - but nowt will transpire regarding him for the time being. Whoops, that was a comment on the Reyes situation. It seems I can be bothered.
Aside from these deals, nothing else has really appeared on the rada, even if Arsene is supposedly operating 'under it'. I'm not setting my hopes too high that we'll have any new players by next week, and if we do I think it may be Gallas or nothing. And, for me, Gallas and Rosicky, with Diaby and Lauren coming back soon and being the proverbial 'almost a new player', isn't too bad a summer. I think Bendtner will definitely be pushing for the first XI when he returns in January as well. No Gallas, and we may be looking a little thin.
Tata. Gb.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
An unconvincing performance sees us through
I thought we looked worryingly poor last night. Again, the lack of a common wavelength in the team was, at times, palpable, and against better opposition this would have been costly.
Dynamo's goal was a painful comedy of errors from our point of view. Eboue was exposed twice after Hleb had lost the ball in an attempt at a mazy run. Almunia's attemtped save was pathetic, and the three goal lead began to look less than impregnable. Credit can be given to the boys, though, for not panicking. I think the fact that Dynamo were barely a premiership quality side helped matters, as we subdued them for most of the first half. The only real bright spot in our performance was RvP. He certainly has some blinding tricks in his bag, but I continue to worry if he has that extra 10% that can make him into a consistently great player. I think his team-play has improved though.
I wrote after the first leg that the team sometimes looks better when Henry doesn't play, as it can bring out the best in some players, forcing them to up their game and take more responsibility for winning the game. This wasn't the case yesterday. No-one really wanted to take responsibility, it seemed, and again a lack of attempts on goal seemed to be a problem. We also missed the calming influence and experience of Gilberto; Flamini is not good enough to take his place, and I'm beginning to seriously doubt whether he has enough in him to play for us in midfield. Similar questions could be asked about Justin Hoyte - although it might be worth actually giving him a game at his favoured r-b position before we all write him off. Fabregas and Hleb both looked off the pace, Adebayor had one of his 'barn door' moments [which we can only hope will become fewer and fewer], and it was largely left to Freddie to push us towards getting something from the game. Hopefully Freddie's goal is a sign he knows where the goal is this season, but I'm not too sure.
It took Thierry, Gilbs and Theo to really liven things up and make it look like we could actually win the game. Theo has now played 27 minutes of football for Arsenal and got two assists. Not bad - maybe he should send the video to Steven Gerrard. We needed the combination of experience and excitement that these three players brought to see us through the last twenty minutes or so, and to lift our game to the point where we actually snatched a winner in the last minute.
The question will inevitably be asked as to whether Theo deserves more pitch time. At the moment it's hard to say no, but I really think that these substitute cameos are his best form of development for now. Please don't rush or over-hype him. I should imagine he'll have to wait for the Carling cup before he gets a start, but that might be enough for this season. Having said that, we may need him to push for a place in the top four, given the medicore performances we've put in thusfar.
Elsewhere in the Premiership... ManU looked utterly dominant against Charlton. I know the season is only two years old, but they're playing flying attacking football. Instead of replacing Van Nistelrooy I think Fergie is trying to get his wingers to get more goals, and hope Saha can fulfill his undoubted promise - a ploy which seems to be paying dividends. If they can keep those performances up, I think not only will Fergie's sale of RVN be justified, but ManU could definitely push for the title.
Especially if Mourinho continues to pick bizzare formations, with midfields consisting of makelele, Lampard and Essien, who, I imagine, were meant to stand on eachothers heads and play on top of each other. Coupled with an attacking threesome of Sheva, Drogba, and Kalou, there was no width to the side. Cudicini was also terrible in goals. One can only hope that the pressure of having a squad with so many top names may lead to more bizzare formations and poor performances like yesterday.
Dynamo's goal was a painful comedy of errors from our point of view. Eboue was exposed twice after Hleb had lost the ball in an attempt at a mazy run. Almunia's attemtped save was pathetic, and the three goal lead began to look less than impregnable. Credit can be given to the boys, though, for not panicking. I think the fact that Dynamo were barely a premiership quality side helped matters, as we subdued them for most of the first half. The only real bright spot in our performance was RvP. He certainly has some blinding tricks in his bag, but I continue to worry if he has that extra 10% that can make him into a consistently great player. I think his team-play has improved though.
I wrote after the first leg that the team sometimes looks better when Henry doesn't play, as it can bring out the best in some players, forcing them to up their game and take more responsibility for winning the game. This wasn't the case yesterday. No-one really wanted to take responsibility, it seemed, and again a lack of attempts on goal seemed to be a problem. We also missed the calming influence and experience of Gilberto; Flamini is not good enough to take his place, and I'm beginning to seriously doubt whether he has enough in him to play for us in midfield. Similar questions could be asked about Justin Hoyte - although it might be worth actually giving him a game at his favoured r-b position before we all write him off. Fabregas and Hleb both looked off the pace, Adebayor had one of his 'barn door' moments [which we can only hope will become fewer and fewer], and it was largely left to Freddie to push us towards getting something from the game. Hopefully Freddie's goal is a sign he knows where the goal is this season, but I'm not too sure.
It took Thierry, Gilbs and Theo to really liven things up and make it look like we could actually win the game. Theo has now played 27 minutes of football for Arsenal and got two assists. Not bad - maybe he should send the video to Steven Gerrard. We needed the combination of experience and excitement that these three players brought to see us through the last twenty minutes or so, and to lift our game to the point where we actually snatched a winner in the last minute.
The question will inevitably be asked as to whether Theo deserves more pitch time. At the moment it's hard to say no, but I really think that these substitute cameos are his best form of development for now. Please don't rush or over-hype him. I should imagine he'll have to wait for the Carling cup before he gets a start, but that might be enough for this season. Having said that, we may need him to push for a place in the top four, given the medicore performances we've put in thusfar.
Elsewhere in the Premiership... ManU looked utterly dominant against Charlton. I know the season is only two years old, but they're playing flying attacking football. Instead of replacing Van Nistelrooy I think Fergie is trying to get his wingers to get more goals, and hope Saha can fulfill his undoubted promise - a ploy which seems to be paying dividends. If they can keep those performances up, I think not only will Fergie's sale of RVN be justified, but ManU could definitely push for the title.
Especially if Mourinho continues to pick bizzare formations, with midfields consisting of makelele, Lampard and Essien, who, I imagine, were meant to stand on eachothers heads and play on top of each other. Coupled with an attacking threesome of Sheva, Drogba, and Kalou, there was no width to the side. Cudicini was also terrible in goals. One can only hope that the pressure of having a squad with so many top names may lead to more bizzare formations and poor performances like yesterday.
Monday, August 21, 2006
A day of firsts at the Emirates, but old problems remain.
Sorry for the lack of posts since last Wednesday, but it's been a bit of a tough old week in Goonerboy-ville.
The highlight of my week was, undoubtedly, the first day at the Emirates. After queueing for some 25minutes to get served in The Bailey on Holloway road - who seemed to have totally underestimated the increased match day traffic they'd be getting - I finally got served, and after a few drinks, headed down the road to the UFO that is the Emirates.
It looked - to be frank - magnificent. It brought home to me, and probably many others, that while we all loved Highbury, it was a bit of a ramshackle old place by the end. The increased space outside the stadium, and in the gantries inside was wonderful, as were the notably larger seats and spaces between the rows. While the cost of all this space was, unfortunately, the feeling that you were slightly further from the action than before, I personally felt the atmosphere inside was wonderful. The filled in corners and the extra 22000 people really made a difference to the volume levels, although it wasn't until the second half that everyone really found their voices.
As for the game itself...first night nerves aplenty. Some players looked tired - a ridiculous state of affairs that whoever organised the ridiculous friendlies on Wednesday [UEFA/FIFA?] have to take the blame for.
Villa stuck to a sensible game plan, given the clear gulf in class between the two sides. O'Neill - a manager I really admire - had clearly used his brief time in charge to marshall the resources he had as effectively as possible. This consisted of defending and restricting space in the final third. Villa seemed happy enough for us to knock the ball around ad infinitum around the edge of the area, and we lacked a cutting edge - and a willingness to shoot - that was necessary for a goal. Unsurprisingly, or surprisingly given our lack of headed goals, it took a set-piece to break the deadlock, with Kolo heading home. Unfortunately he was off-side.
The second half saw two things I had feared. Firstly, Villa scoring with almost their only attack of the game. Jens was at fault for not claiming the ball, but there was a worrying lack of cohesiveness in the defence as a whole. Djourou has the makings of a class act, but him Toure, Eboue and Hoyte did not look to be on the same wave-length at crucial moments of the game. Hoyte, in fact, looked terrified. There was a moment when Thierry wanted to take a short corner, and Hoyte, not seeing him, trudged back, head-down, to the centre-circle. The vultures around his arsenal career could almost be heard circling as Flamini came on to replace him.
At a playing level, we need Cole or Clichy back. At a morale/reputation/morality level, the re-introduction of Cole into the team could damage us. The crowd were notably divided on the issue. There was a few shall we say 'derogatory' chants against him, but also some mutterings in his favour. I noticed on Sky afterwards there was almost a punch up between two Arsenal fans over whether we should let him back or not. If he comes back and plays well, all could still be forgiven. We desperately miss his pace and ability to overlap on the left. And football fans can be fickle in these situations.
The other thing I was worried about occurred when Eboue went down 'injured' and play continued. A storm brewed up, placated only by Villa's ineptness in front of goal. Yet they were playing to the letter of the new law. It will take a while to get used to, but I'm in favour of the new ruling. I think players do take advantage of the 'gentlemen's agreement' and it was becoming a problem, especially when they actually very rarely need the treatment. Expect a few problems and controversies before it settles in to common practice though.
The real star of the day was Theo - indeed I had noticed on the tube on the way up, that Walcott32 and Fabregas4 seem to be the favoured shirt numbers on the new home kit. Quite simply, he changed the game. We would have lost without his introduction. The contrast between the aging war-horse that is Freddie and Theo that was marked. Freddie gave it his all, tackled away, but never looked like scoring, or even really troubling their r-b. Theo immediately caused panic, running at their defence, crossing into dangerous areas and causing problems. Hleb - and indeed most of the team - was invigorated from his so-so performance with Theo's presence. They connected on the left hand side, Theo put in a beauty of a cross, RvP flicked on and Gilberto struck the ball into the top hand corner at a speed of around 432Mph.
A few brief flurries followed but it was all huff and puff. As I stood to clap the team off, I noticed a divide in the crowd between those who did and didn't think the team was worthy of applause. While Arsenal didn't play brilliantly, there was no lack of effort. It just looked like we were out of practice, and hadn't found a cohesive rhythm to their attacks. Henry looked disjointed and peripheral, Hleb found it difficult to connect his passes, Adebayor couldn't find Henry, and RvP really didn't seem to find his groove.
Things will improve, but not immediately. We need, as Arsene said, about ten games before the team - and us -feel like the Emirates is our home. I think we can still realistically challenge for second or third, but Chel£ea still look too good. People have read far too much into Manu's demolition of Fulham yesterday - a team who will be in a relegation struggle this year, and who we put 8 goals past last season. Liverpool also look permeable. We need to find out feet, and also, still, not put too much pressure on youngsters such as Theo who will still need some time to settle in. Not that anyone will now hype him into the next Henry already. Oh no.
It was quite an interesting weekend in the premiership. I'll be intrigued to see how Reading get on, as they seem to still almost be identical to the side they were promoted with. My predictions for relegation are Watford, Wigan, and Charlton/Fulham thusfar. I think Reading and Sheff Utd might just have what it takes to hold on, while Wigan seem to have ripped out the heart of the team that did so well last year.
Til later, Gb.
The highlight of my week was, undoubtedly, the first day at the Emirates. After queueing for some 25minutes to get served in The Bailey on Holloway road - who seemed to have totally underestimated the increased match day traffic they'd be getting - I finally got served, and after a few drinks, headed down the road to the UFO that is the Emirates.
It looked - to be frank - magnificent. It brought home to me, and probably many others, that while we all loved Highbury, it was a bit of a ramshackle old place by the end. The increased space outside the stadium, and in the gantries inside was wonderful, as were the notably larger seats and spaces between the rows. While the cost of all this space was, unfortunately, the feeling that you were slightly further from the action than before, I personally felt the atmosphere inside was wonderful. The filled in corners and the extra 22000 people really made a difference to the volume levels, although it wasn't until the second half that everyone really found their voices.
As for the game itself...first night nerves aplenty. Some players looked tired - a ridiculous state of affairs that whoever organised the ridiculous friendlies on Wednesday [UEFA/FIFA?] have to take the blame for.
Villa stuck to a sensible game plan, given the clear gulf in class between the two sides. O'Neill - a manager I really admire - had clearly used his brief time in charge to marshall the resources he had as effectively as possible. This consisted of defending and restricting space in the final third. Villa seemed happy enough for us to knock the ball around ad infinitum around the edge of the area, and we lacked a cutting edge - and a willingness to shoot - that was necessary for a goal. Unsurprisingly, or surprisingly given our lack of headed goals, it took a set-piece to break the deadlock, with Kolo heading home. Unfortunately he was off-side.
The second half saw two things I had feared. Firstly, Villa scoring with almost their only attack of the game. Jens was at fault for not claiming the ball, but there was a worrying lack of cohesiveness in the defence as a whole. Djourou has the makings of a class act, but him Toure, Eboue and Hoyte did not look to be on the same wave-length at crucial moments of the game. Hoyte, in fact, looked terrified. There was a moment when Thierry wanted to take a short corner, and Hoyte, not seeing him, trudged back, head-down, to the centre-circle. The vultures around his arsenal career could almost be heard circling as Flamini came on to replace him.
At a playing level, we need Cole or Clichy back. At a morale/reputation/morality level, the re-introduction of Cole into the team could damage us. The crowd were notably divided on the issue. There was a few shall we say 'derogatory' chants against him, but also some mutterings in his favour. I noticed on Sky afterwards there was almost a punch up between two Arsenal fans over whether we should let him back or not. If he comes back and plays well, all could still be forgiven. We desperately miss his pace and ability to overlap on the left. And football fans can be fickle in these situations.
The other thing I was worried about occurred when Eboue went down 'injured' and play continued. A storm brewed up, placated only by Villa's ineptness in front of goal. Yet they were playing to the letter of the new law. It will take a while to get used to, but I'm in favour of the new ruling. I think players do take advantage of the 'gentlemen's agreement' and it was becoming a problem, especially when they actually very rarely need the treatment. Expect a few problems and controversies before it settles in to common practice though.
The real star of the day was Theo - indeed I had noticed on the tube on the way up, that Walcott32 and Fabregas4 seem to be the favoured shirt numbers on the new home kit. Quite simply, he changed the game. We would have lost without his introduction. The contrast between the aging war-horse that is Freddie and Theo that was marked. Freddie gave it his all, tackled away, but never looked like scoring, or even really troubling their r-b. Theo immediately caused panic, running at their defence, crossing into dangerous areas and causing problems. Hleb - and indeed most of the team - was invigorated from his so-so performance with Theo's presence. They connected on the left hand side, Theo put in a beauty of a cross, RvP flicked on and Gilberto struck the ball into the top hand corner at a speed of around 432Mph.
A few brief flurries followed but it was all huff and puff. As I stood to clap the team off, I noticed a divide in the crowd between those who did and didn't think the team was worthy of applause. While Arsenal didn't play brilliantly, there was no lack of effort. It just looked like we were out of practice, and hadn't found a cohesive rhythm to their attacks. Henry looked disjointed and peripheral, Hleb found it difficult to connect his passes, Adebayor couldn't find Henry, and RvP really didn't seem to find his groove.
Things will improve, but not immediately. We need, as Arsene said, about ten games before the team - and us -feel like the Emirates is our home. I think we can still realistically challenge for second or third, but Chel£ea still look too good. People have read far too much into Manu's demolition of Fulham yesterday - a team who will be in a relegation struggle this year, and who we put 8 goals past last season. Liverpool also look permeable. We need to find out feet, and also, still, not put too much pressure on youngsters such as Theo who will still need some time to settle in. Not that anyone will now hype him into the next Henry already. Oh no.
It was quite an interesting weekend in the premiership. I'll be intrigued to see how Reading get on, as they seem to still almost be identical to the side they were promoted with. My predictions for relegation are Watford, Wigan, and Charlton/Fulham thusfar. I think Reading and Sheff Utd might just have what it takes to hold on, while Wigan seem to have ripped out the heart of the team that did so well last year.
Til later, Gb.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Adey's words of wisdom.
I'm not always sure why players speak about other players to the press, unless they're going to praise them. Criticising your fellow team-mates in public seems a risky thing to do with, as Roy Keane infamously showed, rather large consequences often following.
But when they come from the mouth of, already, one of my favourite players - Manu Adebayor - I suppose it's ok, especially when he seemed to be talking sense about the Jose Reyes situation:
"The most important thing in life is family, I understand that," said Adebayor to The Sun.
"But he is an Arsenal player and should not be talking about other teams.
"Maybe he should just go so we can all move on.
"Jose looks happy in training, he laughs and jokes and gets on well with the other players.
"But I think his family don't like England and that's why he wants to leave.
"Maybe his family have put pressure on him but in that case he should go because we don't need unhappy players bringing down our spirit."
Exactly. If he's unhappy, he should leave. But he doesn't always look unhappy. Indeed, at many points last year he looked fine on the pitch. So what's the real cause of his desire to leave? I think the whole situation of Jose living in a 'new Spain' that he's built for him and his family in North London has undoubtedly hindered the process of acclimatisation to English life. It also means that he has to think of far more than himself when he makes decisions about his playing career - not just the wife and kids [if he had any] but the whole extended family. That's a lot of weight on his little shoulders. I still want him to stay, but Adey's right: if he wants to leave he should do - and he certainly shouldn't be talking about Madrid in the way he does.
Whether he actually leaves remains to be seen, but, like Ashley Cole, if they dont end up going because we don't get a bid that is considered acceptable, they both need to grow up, swallow their pride, and play for the team. It's no good whining about it if these moves don't come off. Not that it seems that Cole will get a chance to whine, as his 'auto'-biography [footballers don't actually write their autobiographies] looks like its going to be shelved if he does stay with us. Oh well, I suppose the search for a new Tolstoy will just have to continue.
A move that does seem on the cards is Arturo Lupoli's loan to Derby. Where this leaves us in terms of strikers I'm unsure. With no Bendtner until Christmas, surely that would leave us with Rvp Adey and Thierry, with Reyes if he stays. Perhaps best to keep Arturo and give him a chance? I think he's worth a shot.
Congratualtions to Theo after scoring last night for the Under-21s. Only a true idiot would consider that he has been 'demoted' in that he's in the u21 and not full England squad. Like I keep saying, don't believe all the rubbish that will stream out of the press when Arsene only plays him intermittently - and that's at best - this season. I know Fab came through at a similar age, but I think Theo needs more nurturing. I'm confident he has the ability to be a top player for us and England, but the Sun et al shouldn't pressure him into being overused when he's still so fragile.
Finally, why are friendly International matches being played this week? It beggars belief. There's already been one serious, and completely pointless, injury sustained in the England camp with Dean Ashton's broken ankle yesterday. I know it's not just an FA decision to have these friendlies, but surely they can see now is not a great time for pointless matches. Many players are probably still tired from the world cup. And it won't be until Euro 2008 that we find out anything, really, about Steve McClaren's England. Expect him to drop Lampard sooner rather than later though, in another 'I'm not Sven, honest' decision.
Gb.
But when they come from the mouth of, already, one of my favourite players - Manu Adebayor - I suppose it's ok, especially when he seemed to be talking sense about the Jose Reyes situation:
"The most important thing in life is family, I understand that," said Adebayor to The Sun.
"But he is an Arsenal player and should not be talking about other teams.
"Maybe he should just go so we can all move on.
"Jose looks happy in training, he laughs and jokes and gets on well with the other players.
"But I think his family don't like England and that's why he wants to leave.
"Maybe his family have put pressure on him but in that case he should go because we don't need unhappy players bringing down our spirit."
Exactly. If he's unhappy, he should leave. But he doesn't always look unhappy. Indeed, at many points last year he looked fine on the pitch. So what's the real cause of his desire to leave? I think the whole situation of Jose living in a 'new Spain' that he's built for him and his family in North London has undoubtedly hindered the process of acclimatisation to English life. It also means that he has to think of far more than himself when he makes decisions about his playing career - not just the wife and kids [if he had any] but the whole extended family. That's a lot of weight on his little shoulders. I still want him to stay, but Adey's right: if he wants to leave he should do - and he certainly shouldn't be talking about Madrid in the way he does.
Whether he actually leaves remains to be seen, but, like Ashley Cole, if they dont end up going because we don't get a bid that is considered acceptable, they both need to grow up, swallow their pride, and play for the team. It's no good whining about it if these moves don't come off. Not that it seems that Cole will get a chance to whine, as his 'auto'-biography [footballers don't actually write their autobiographies] looks like its going to be shelved if he does stay with us. Oh well, I suppose the search for a new Tolstoy will just have to continue.
A move that does seem on the cards is Arturo Lupoli's loan to Derby. Where this leaves us in terms of strikers I'm unsure. With no Bendtner until Christmas, surely that would leave us with Rvp Adey and Thierry, with Reyes if he stays. Perhaps best to keep Arturo and give him a chance? I think he's worth a shot.
Congratualtions to Theo after scoring last night for the Under-21s. Only a true idiot would consider that he has been 'demoted' in that he's in the u21 and not full England squad. Like I keep saying, don't believe all the rubbish that will stream out of the press when Arsene only plays him intermittently - and that's at best - this season. I know Fab came through at a similar age, but I think Theo needs more nurturing. I'm confident he has the ability to be a top player for us and England, but the Sun et al shouldn't pressure him into being overused when he's still so fragile.
Finally, why are friendly International matches being played this week? It beggars belief. There's already been one serious, and completely pointless, injury sustained in the England camp with Dean Ashton's broken ankle yesterday. I know it's not just an FA decision to have these friendlies, but surely they can see now is not a great time for pointless matches. Many players are probably still tired from the world cup. And it won't be until Euro 2008 that we find out anything, really, about Steve McClaren's England. Expect him to drop Lampard sooner rather than later though, in another 'I'm not Sven, honest' decision.
Gb.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Jens is here for one/two more years, Jose/Ashley/rumours and Graham Poll.
Jens has announced that he'll be hanging up his hallowed gloves in two years time. Sad news, and raises the question, will he be with us for both of those years? Given Arsene's reluctance to shop around for top-level goalkeepers, I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to hold on to Jens until the last possible moment. I hope he does stay with us for two years, but only if he's shows he can still cut it this year - which i fully expect him to do. He’s also been shooting his mouth off about Chel£ea, stating they’re not a ‘big club’. Oh Jens. What will we do when you’re gone.
Regarding both the Ashley and Jose sagas, they both seem to be continuing with almost ruthless interminability. It now appears that Chel£ea aren't going to stump up the necessary cash to prise Ash from us. In a way, I'd quite like it if he stayed, if only that it showed that we refuse to be bullied. £20m+ is a huge amount of money, but perhaps by showing Chelsea that they can't have their own way - well at least not for another two years - we may have earned something more. Or something like that. Either way, if not injured, I don't see why Ash shouldn't play for us on Saturday. A good performance could push his valuation up.
Jose is now saying how his 'dream' is on the verge of realisation. Pass me the sick bucket. He could at least show some class. I tried to maintain my scepticism in all of this, and give him the benefit of the doubt, but it does now fully appear that he's been engineering, and wanting, thsi move for quite a while. If he goes and no one comes in, despair. Despair.
Some news has appeared on incoming targets. Illiasu's name continues to be bandied about, with several clubs apparently willing to pick him up if we don't. I still think this is a deal that could happen. We've also been linked with Owen Hargreaves again - yes please [I know this is a volte-face] - although only in the most tenuous manner. A Nigerian forward from Lyn Oslo - nicknamed Edu apparently - is being watched by us, according to yesterday's Times, although I hadn't heard of him. Yaya Toure has joined
Finally, we've been given the delightful task of welcoming Mr. Graham Poll back to the Premiership on Saturday. If anyone has a job-lot of yellow cards, let me know. I've been thinking that it might be a tougher game than I thought on saturday, with villa, if only psychologically, a club undergoing a real renaissance at the moment. Nice to see no-one has accused them of 'not being an English club' even though they've just sold themselves to an American. hmm.
Jens for 2 more years, Ashley/Jose, and Graham Poll on Saturday.
Jens has announced that he'll be hanging up his hallowed gloves in two years time. Sad news, and raises the question, will he be with us for both of those years? Given Arsene's reluctance to shop around for top-level goalkeepers, I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to hold on to Jens until the last possible moment. I hope he does stay with us for two years, but only if he's shows he can still cut it this year - which i fully expect him to do. He's also been saying how Chel£ea aren't a big club, and how we have unfinished business in Europe. Ah Jens, what shall we do when you're gone...
Regarding both the Ashley and Jose sagas, they both seem to be continuing with almost ruthless interminability. It now appears that Chel£ea aren't going to stump up the necessary cash to prise Ash from us. In a way, I'd quite like it if he stayed, if only that it showed that we refuse to be bullied. £20m+ is a huge amount of money, but perhaps by showing Chelsea that they can't have their own way - well at least not for another two years - we may have earned something more. Or something like that. Either way, if not injured, I don't see why Ash shouldn't play for us on Saturday. A good performance could push his valuation up.
Jose is now saying how his 'dream' is on the verge of realisation. Pass me the sick bucket. He could at least show some class. I tried to maintain my scepticism in all of this, and give him the benefit of the doubt, but it does now fully appear that he's been engineering, and wanting, this move for quite a while. If he goes and no one comes in, despair. Despair.
Some news has appeared on incoming targets. Illiasu's name continues to be bandied about, with several clubs apparently willing to pick him up if we don't. I still think this is a deal that could happen. We've also been linked with Owen Hargreaves again - yes please [I know this is a volte-face] - although only in the most tenuous manner. A Nigerian forward from Lyn Oslo - nicknamed Edu apparently - is being watched by us, according to yesterday's Times, although I hadn't heard of him. Yaya Toure has joined Monaco.
Finally, we've been given the delightful task of welcoming Mr. Graham Poll back to the Premiership on Saturday. If anyone has a job-lot of yellow cards, let me know. I've been thinking that it might be a tougher game than I thought on saturday, with villa, if only psychologically, a club undergoing a real renaissance at the moment. Nice to see no-one has accused them of 'not being an English club' even though they've just sold themselves to an American. hmm.
Regarding both the Ashley and Jose sagas, they both seem to be continuing with almost ruthless interminability. It now appears that Chel£ea aren't going to stump up the necessary cash to prise Ash from us. In a way, I'd quite like it if he stayed, if only that it showed that we refuse to be bullied. £20m+ is a huge amount of money, but perhaps by showing Chelsea that they can't have their own way - well at least not for another two years - we may have earned something more. Or something like that. Either way, if not injured, I don't see why Ash shouldn't play for us on Saturday. A good performance could push his valuation up.
Jose is now saying how his 'dream' is on the verge of realisation. Pass me the sick bucket. He could at least show some class. I tried to maintain my scepticism in all of this, and give him the benefit of the doubt, but it does now fully appear that he's been engineering, and wanting, this move for quite a while. If he goes and no one comes in, despair. Despair.
Some news has appeared on incoming targets. Illiasu's name continues to be bandied about, with several clubs apparently willing to pick him up if we don't. I still think this is a deal that could happen. We've also been linked with Owen Hargreaves again - yes please [I know this is a volte-face] - although only in the most tenuous manner. A Nigerian forward from Lyn Oslo - nicknamed Edu apparently - is being watched by us, according to yesterday's Times, although I hadn't heard of him. Yaya Toure has joined Monaco.
Finally, we've been given the delightful task of welcoming Mr. Graham Poll back to the Premiership on Saturday. If anyone has a job-lot of yellow cards, let me know. I've been thinking that it might be a tougher game than I thought on saturday, with villa, if only psychologically, a club undergoing a real renaissance at the moment. Nice to see no-one has accused them of 'not being an English club' even though they've just sold themselves to an American. hmm.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Cole edges slowly towards the door...
It seems that Chelsea have realised that they can't allow themselves to be held to ransom over players such as SWP, Essien, Drogba etc. and then say they'll refuse to pay up for a player of Ash's calibre. Whether it's all stemming from an article on a Chelsea vital site, The Telegraph have reported that Chelsea are now willing to pay £23m for Ash, which I say is a price we should accept. £30m was always a bit of an outlandish figure, and its only just shy of the £25m we were holding out for, so I say forget the extra £2m, because we need this despicable affair to end ASAP.
Jose Antonio also seems to be genuinely hankering for a move. I'm still not sure this will happen though. It'll be a complicated deal - as we will have to pay Sevilla a % of the fee we receive - and I think, on balance, Arsene would still rather like Jose to stay. If he does go we'll certainly want to recoup the bulk of the £18odd million we shelled out for him, and the highest offer I've heard thusfar is £12m. It might be for the best if Jose does go back to La liga if he is terminally unhappy with merry old England, but it'd leave us in the lurch a little - we'd certainly have to get someone to replace him in the 2 odd weeks before the deadline. Baptista is apparently being offered as part of the deal, but i think this paper talk, and I'm not sure Arsene would still want him to come over.
The 'sniper' [Arsene's words, not mine] that is Arturo Lupoli could be on his way to West Brom on loan. This might open the door to negotiations regarding Curtis Davies. It might be a shame if Arturo leaves now, however, as he may be running out of chances to convert his reserve team goals into first team goals.
Tel has revealed that Gilbs will be vice-capitano. I think Kolo would have been a better choice, but you certainly can't argue with Gilberto's experience.
And that seems about all. Still no news about incoming targets, save an immense amount of speculation regarding Monsieur Ribery, who seems to have said he will leave Marseille, then that he'd stay, then that he'd leave etc. Arsene's comments were interesting, as he stated he hadn't bid for Franck, but that he may do in the future. Losing Reyes and gaining Ribery would be a decent swap in my eyes. I think, if nothing else, Thierry has a better relationship with Ribery, and that he also seems like a player who'll get a few more goals than Jose.
I, for one, am looking forward to the real start of the season next saturday. I think, despite the slight exodus this summer, the squad we have is - especially mentally - in a far better state than it was this time last year. Hopefully we can let the football do the talking, and end all this horrible speculation. I still don't think that many of us have realised what a shock it's going to be when Ash lines up in a blue shirt next season though.
Gb.
Jose Antonio also seems to be genuinely hankering for a move. I'm still not sure this will happen though. It'll be a complicated deal - as we will have to pay Sevilla a % of the fee we receive - and I think, on balance, Arsene would still rather like Jose to stay. If he does go we'll certainly want to recoup the bulk of the £18odd million we shelled out for him, and the highest offer I've heard thusfar is £12m. It might be for the best if Jose does go back to La liga if he is terminally unhappy with merry old England, but it'd leave us in the lurch a little - we'd certainly have to get someone to replace him in the 2 odd weeks before the deadline. Baptista is apparently being offered as part of the deal, but i think this paper talk, and I'm not sure Arsene would still want him to come over.
The 'sniper' [Arsene's words, not mine] that is Arturo Lupoli could be on his way to West Brom on loan. This might open the door to negotiations regarding Curtis Davies. It might be a shame if Arturo leaves now, however, as he may be running out of chances to convert his reserve team goals into first team goals.
Tel has revealed that Gilbs will be vice-capitano. I think Kolo would have been a better choice, but you certainly can't argue with Gilberto's experience.
And that seems about all. Still no news about incoming targets, save an immense amount of speculation regarding Monsieur Ribery, who seems to have said he will leave Marseille, then that he'd stay, then that he'd leave etc. Arsene's comments were interesting, as he stated he hadn't bid for Franck, but that he may do in the future. Losing Reyes and gaining Ribery would be a decent swap in my eyes. I think, if nothing else, Thierry has a better relationship with Ribery, and that he also seems like a player who'll get a few more goals than Jose.
I, for one, am looking forward to the real start of the season next saturday. I think, despite the slight exodus this summer, the squad we have is - especially mentally - in a far better state than it was this time last year. Hopefully we can let the football do the talking, and end all this horrible speculation. I still don't think that many of us have realised what a shock it's going to be when Ash lines up in a blue shirt next season though.
Gb.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Youngsters superb in Zagreb, but Cole and Reyes continue to cast a shadow.
A performance that was little short of superb last night. I had some doubts about how a team shorn of Henry, Lehmann, Cole, Pires, et al might cope in the electric Croatian atmosphere, but the boys put in a performance they can be really proud of, and which should see us through to the next round and the massive financial boost it'll bring us.
The majority of our players last night were 25 or under, yet they coped with the situation remarkably well. I was pleased to see, and with the performances of, Hoyte at left-back and Djourou at centre-back especially. Hoyte played reasonably well - with some room for improvement - yet it was nice to see Arsene give him a chance, instead of just resorting to a makeshift lb. Djourou was excellent, and at one point sprinted back to make a great saving tackle. There's no reason - other than fatigue - why he shouldn't be starting before Cygan. I also think that Kolo should definitely be upgraded to captain in the absence of Henry. While Gilberto has more experience, I think Kolo has more presence, and is a better leader. Eboue played well, if he was caught in possession a few times.
Our midfield and attack was a bag of energy, not only keeping and dominating possession, but using it to good effect. Adebayor continues to lead the line superbly, and gives us a physical presence and channel up front from which we really benefit from. Van Persie is clearly pushing himself - which is great to see - to drive his game to the next level. He took his goal well yesterday, and I'm glad to see he's improving his support play. The other two stars of the show, for me, were Al Hleb and, of course Cesc. Alex still gets caught in possession a little too much, but he also continues to play wonderful, penetrating passes that lead to goals - such as Van Persie's second - or placing himself in intelligent positions to link up the play - in both Cesc's goals. If he could chip in with a goal every now and again he'll be one of the best midfielders in the premiership. As for Cesc - words nearly fail. It was great to see him take shots on goal - which he doesn't always do - because he can score goals. He was a joy last night, and has become the central lynchpin of our team.
Rosicky did well, but, naturally, was still finding his feet a bit. I think this process may take some time so we shouldn't get on his back. Gilberto did his usual invisible wall routine reasonably enough, but I was slightly disconcerted at some of his distribution.
Overall a fantastic performance, full of energy and belief. It was a a young team that represented us last night but they played greatl football, and refused to be muscled about which was great to see.
However, the game seems to have been overshadowed by specualtion surrounding Jose and Ash. It was a surprise to see Jose dropped in favour of Rosicky, but I'm not sure whether we should read into it too much. It may well have been a tactical decision, or an attempt to shield Reyes from the speculation. Quite frankly, until I see Reyes go, I'm treating the speculation in the Spanish and English media as unfounded, despite what his agent, who seems to be the main person trying to engineer the move, says.
It also seems that, unwisely, Thierry has had a little bit of a rant this morning, stating that we shouldn't be selling Ashley to our nearest rivals, who we're already trying to catch, and that we need to bring new players in. Thierry might be right that we seem to be making our job of catching Chelsea even harder, and that we do probably need one or two new boys, but he shouldn't really be making these comments in public. It undermines Arsene. I agree with TH that it'll be a blow - in terms of the ability in our squad - when Ash leaves, but surely TH can recognise the necessity of the sale, given the nearly irrevocably damaged relations between the club and player. I also disagree with his comparison with the Vieira sale: Vieira was a player who was far harder to replace, yet Ash has several players [Clichy, Hoyte, Flamini] who can step into left-back and do a decent enough job.
A thought that did stike me last night: does anyone else feel that sometimes, without Henry, some of the players look a little liberated? Thierry is such a colossal talent that I sometimes think the other players rely on him a little too much. Without him, the team almost becomes a little more democratic. Just a thought. Either way, it was good to see that the youngsters, if need be, can carve out a solid result away from home without our big players. I hope this continues throughout the season, and that when our bigger guns come back the team can play even better.
Gb.
The majority of our players last night were 25 or under, yet they coped with the situation remarkably well. I was pleased to see, and with the performances of, Hoyte at left-back and Djourou at centre-back especially. Hoyte played reasonably well - with some room for improvement - yet it was nice to see Arsene give him a chance, instead of just resorting to a makeshift lb. Djourou was excellent, and at one point sprinted back to make a great saving tackle. There's no reason - other than fatigue - why he shouldn't be starting before Cygan. I also think that Kolo should definitely be upgraded to captain in the absence of Henry. While Gilberto has more experience, I think Kolo has more presence, and is a better leader. Eboue played well, if he was caught in possession a few times.
Our midfield and attack was a bag of energy, not only keeping and dominating possession, but using it to good effect. Adebayor continues to lead the line superbly, and gives us a physical presence and channel up front from which we really benefit from. Van Persie is clearly pushing himself - which is great to see - to drive his game to the next level. He took his goal well yesterday, and I'm glad to see he's improving his support play. The other two stars of the show, for me, were Al Hleb and, of course Cesc. Alex still gets caught in possession a little too much, but he also continues to play wonderful, penetrating passes that lead to goals - such as Van Persie's second - or placing himself in intelligent positions to link up the play - in both Cesc's goals. If he could chip in with a goal every now and again he'll be one of the best midfielders in the premiership. As for Cesc - words nearly fail. It was great to see him take shots on goal - which he doesn't always do - because he can score goals. He was a joy last night, and has become the central lynchpin of our team.
Rosicky did well, but, naturally, was still finding his feet a bit. I think this process may take some time so we shouldn't get on his back. Gilberto did his usual invisible wall routine reasonably enough, but I was slightly disconcerted at some of his distribution.
Overall a fantastic performance, full of energy and belief. It was a a young team that represented us last night but they played greatl football, and refused to be muscled about which was great to see.
However, the game seems to have been overshadowed by specualtion surrounding Jose and Ash. It was a surprise to see Jose dropped in favour of Rosicky, but I'm not sure whether we should read into it too much. It may well have been a tactical decision, or an attempt to shield Reyes from the speculation. Quite frankly, until I see Reyes go, I'm treating the speculation in the Spanish and English media as unfounded, despite what his agent, who seems to be the main person trying to engineer the move, says.
It also seems that, unwisely, Thierry has had a little bit of a rant this morning, stating that we shouldn't be selling Ashley to our nearest rivals, who we're already trying to catch, and that we need to bring new players in. Thierry might be right that we seem to be making our job of catching Chelsea even harder, and that we do probably need one or two new boys, but he shouldn't really be making these comments in public. It undermines Arsene. I agree with TH that it'll be a blow - in terms of the ability in our squad - when Ash leaves, but surely TH can recognise the necessity of the sale, given the nearly irrevocably damaged relations between the club and player. I also disagree with his comparison with the Vieira sale: Vieira was a player who was far harder to replace, yet Ash has several players [Clichy, Hoyte, Flamini] who can step into left-back and do a decent enough job.
A thought that did stike me last night: does anyone else feel that sometimes, without Henry, some of the players look a little liberated? Thierry is such a colossal talent that I sometimes think the other players rely on him a little too much. Without him, the team almost becomes a little more democratic. Just a thought. Either way, it was good to see that the youngsters, if need be, can carve out a solid result away from home without our big players. I hope this continues throughout the season, and that when our bigger guns come back the team can play even better.
Gb.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
The season starts today, and transfer speculation
Yes, it's only 8 August and already our boys are strapping on their boots, putting on the red and white, and getting ready to start the new season.
It seems a little ridiculous to me that we're barely into August and the season is beginning, but I suppose that's modern football. I would say that the football season shouldn't start until September - would we prefer quantity or quality in football? I know what the advertisers and television companies want so here we are. If we have another successful Cl run - here's hoping - we could end up playing 60+ matches this year. Seems a little ridiculous.
Arsene's named his 18 man squad and there aren't too many surprises. Thierry was never going to play, Jens can't, and Ashley, perhaps, won't. I still think we'll have a reasonably strong team out. Something like: Almunia, Eboue, Djourou [please not Cygan], Toure, Flamini, Hleb, Fab, Gilbs, Reyes, Adebayor, Van Persie. Thats a side capable of getting at least a draw which is all we need from the first leg. My main concerns our that our midfield will be as lightweight as ever - I'm hoping Adebayor may offset this somewhat, that we don't really have much quality to come off the bench, and that Zagreb our certainly no pushover. Could be a long 90 minutes. The game should be on ITV 1, but if anyone knows any different do say in the comments.
In transfer related news..
Gallas's 'move' to us has been exposed as a non-starter, with his prodigal son-esque return to the Chelsea training ground yesterday. Personally I think it was all talk by his agent to try and put Gallas in a more favourable situation, and we were the unwitting pawns.
That Gallas was given the number 3 shirt leaves Ashley in an odd situation. Maybe Chelsea are trying to play hardball - making him realise his move isn't a certainty in order that he'll put pressure on us to let him go. Arsene seems to be accepting that this situation needs to be resolved so I'm hoping now that - and I'm setting a new deadline here - he's either gone or on his knees begging for the fans forgiveness by 19 August when we kick off against Villa. Any apology now would appear hollow - but maybe if he was sufficiently humilated he might learn something and we could all come out of this stronger. Or not. Expect Chelsea to bid around £20-1m for him and us to give up and flog him in the next week or so.
The big incoming news is that Arsene is definitely getting one, and possibly two, in by the deadline, although names aren't forthcoming. The only names he is mentioning are those that he's not interested in. Namely Msr Ribery. The Guardian has linked us with him for £13.5m, and the People had us in for him at around £16-7m on Sunday. Way too much either way. If we could get him for around £10m I think it'd be a good deal. Anymore and its a little too much of an unnecessary risk.
The Ghanian triallist has ostensibly dropped off the radar, but I think that's a deal which will happen. Apart from that I haven't really seen any names mentioned.
Finally, here's Jose in a Real shirt, taken before our game in February. The questions are many. Why? Why are they surfacing only now? Does Jose have moments when his brain completely shuts down? Does this mean anything? Qui sait. Either way, Real players continue to show their lack of class.
Right, I'm hoping my redcurrant shirt will fit me for a while longer, and also hoping that England can win the test match.
Abientot.
It seems a little ridiculous to me that we're barely into August and the season is beginning, but I suppose that's modern football. I would say that the football season shouldn't start until September - would we prefer quantity or quality in football? I know what the advertisers and television companies want so here we are. If we have another successful Cl run - here's hoping - we could end up playing 60+ matches this year. Seems a little ridiculous.
Arsene's named his 18 man squad and there aren't too many surprises. Thierry was never going to play, Jens can't, and Ashley, perhaps, won't. I still think we'll have a reasonably strong team out. Something like: Almunia, Eboue, Djourou [please not Cygan], Toure, Flamini, Hleb, Fab, Gilbs, Reyes, Adebayor, Van Persie. Thats a side capable of getting at least a draw which is all we need from the first leg. My main concerns our that our midfield will be as lightweight as ever - I'm hoping Adebayor may offset this somewhat, that we don't really have much quality to come off the bench, and that Zagreb our certainly no pushover. Could be a long 90 minutes. The game should be on ITV 1, but if anyone knows any different do say in the comments.
In transfer related news..
Gallas's 'move' to us has been exposed as a non-starter, with his prodigal son-esque return to the Chelsea training ground yesterday. Personally I think it was all talk by his agent to try and put Gallas in a more favourable situation, and we were the unwitting pawns.
That Gallas was given the number 3 shirt leaves Ashley in an odd situation. Maybe Chelsea are trying to play hardball - making him realise his move isn't a certainty in order that he'll put pressure on us to let him go. Arsene seems to be accepting that this situation needs to be resolved so I'm hoping now that - and I'm setting a new deadline here - he's either gone or on his knees begging for the fans forgiveness by 19 August when we kick off against Villa. Any apology now would appear hollow - but maybe if he was sufficiently humilated he might learn something and we could all come out of this stronger. Or not. Expect Chelsea to bid around £20-1m for him and us to give up and flog him in the next week or so.
The big incoming news is that Arsene is definitely getting one, and possibly two, in by the deadline, although names aren't forthcoming. The only names he is mentioning are those that he's not interested in. Namely Msr Ribery. The Guardian has linked us with him for £13.5m, and the People had us in for him at around £16-7m on Sunday. Way too much either way. If we could get him for around £10m I think it'd be a good deal. Anymore and its a little too much of an unnecessary risk.
The Ghanian triallist has ostensibly dropped off the radar, but I think that's a deal which will happen. Apart from that I haven't really seen any names mentioned.
Finally, here's Jose in a Real shirt, taken before our game in February. The questions are many. Why? Why are they surfacing only now? Does Jose have moments when his brain completely shuts down? Does this mean anything? Qui sait. Either way, Real players continue to show their lack of class.
Right, I'm hoping my redcurrant shirt will fit me for a while longer, and also hoping that England can win the test match.
Abientot.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Alkmaar review, Ribery, Ferguson, and Mourinho.
Caught snippits of the game last night, but i find friendlies too tedious to watch most of the time.
Most of the boys looked in decent form, and I was impressed with the energy and liveliness of the game. I think we started last season on a downer due to Paddy's departure, and som eall round uncertainty in the team. Having blooded a lot of the youngsters, the whole team looked more confident. Well, almost the whole team. I can't remember how everyone plays, but here are some things that struck me about individual players performances.
Almunia: looked bloody awful. Flapped for everything, and the prospect of him tending the sticks in Zagreb is a concern.
The defence: generally looked ok. Flamini was in the number 3 shirt - ominously - and struggled slightly to get back into the left-back groove. Djourou acquitted himself reasonably enough, if looking a little too casual at times. Toure put in a typically solid performance, while Eboue looked more comfortable going forward than staying back. I thought Hoyte did ok too. I suppose a big plus was that Cygan was nowhere to be seen.
Midfield: Reyes looked lively, and not like someone hankering for a move. Great freekick to set up Gilbs, but I wish he'd stop falling over so easily. Alex Hleb continues his growth into one of my favourite players. I think, like Bergkamp, there always seems to be thought behind what he does. The main reason he loses the ball is when he over-thinks and gets caught in possession. If he could score a few more he could be the person who steps into a Bergkamp-esque role. Gilberto looked tidy and picked up a decent goal; Fabregas was his usually lively self.
I think I was most impressed with Adebayor and Van Persie. Van Persie seemed energised, and determined to make his mark - yet also played some nice support play. Adebayor scored a scrappy goal which only he would get. He looked powerful and capable of linking the play well. We shouldn't get on his back if he doesn't get too many goals - as I think he does things for the team that no-one else does.
People I haven't mentioned I didn't really see.
An Arsenal XI also played last night. Merida apparently scored a wonder goal on this sort-of debut, while Lupoli was also a bag of energy, grabbing two goals. I have high hopes for Lupoli, so I hope he gets a chance at some point in the first team this season.
Does anyone know where the Ghanian triallist was?
In other news, Franck Ribery has now said that he wants to leave OM. I still think he'd be a decent buy, but I have a feeling that Arsene has almost settled his squad for the coming year.
Also Alex Ferguson has not only said that Highbury was 'out-dated' and that the small pitch helped us get more success than we deserved, but that we won't regularly fill the Emirates. This from a man who thinks Michael Carrick is worth £18m.
Oh, and apparently Mourinho has decided that he's going to try and stay within the law when he nabs Cashley off us. How decent of him.
Adios.
Most of the boys looked in decent form, and I was impressed with the energy and liveliness of the game. I think we started last season on a downer due to Paddy's departure, and som eall round uncertainty in the team. Having blooded a lot of the youngsters, the whole team looked more confident. Well, almost the whole team. I can't remember how everyone plays, but here are some things that struck me about individual players performances.
Almunia: looked bloody awful. Flapped for everything, and the prospect of him tending the sticks in Zagreb is a concern.
The defence: generally looked ok. Flamini was in the number 3 shirt - ominously - and struggled slightly to get back into the left-back groove. Djourou acquitted himself reasonably enough, if looking a little too casual at times. Toure put in a typically solid performance, while Eboue looked more comfortable going forward than staying back. I thought Hoyte did ok too. I suppose a big plus was that Cygan was nowhere to be seen.
Midfield: Reyes looked lively, and not like someone hankering for a move. Great freekick to set up Gilbs, but I wish he'd stop falling over so easily. Alex Hleb continues his growth into one of my favourite players. I think, like Bergkamp, there always seems to be thought behind what he does. The main reason he loses the ball is when he over-thinks and gets caught in possession. If he could score a few more he could be the person who steps into a Bergkamp-esque role. Gilberto looked tidy and picked up a decent goal; Fabregas was his usually lively self.
I think I was most impressed with Adebayor and Van Persie. Van Persie seemed energised, and determined to make his mark - yet also played some nice support play. Adebayor scored a scrappy goal which only he would get. He looked powerful and capable of linking the play well. We shouldn't get on his back if he doesn't get too many goals - as I think he does things for the team that no-one else does.
People I haven't mentioned I didn't really see.
An Arsenal XI also played last night. Merida apparently scored a wonder goal on this sort-of debut, while Lupoli was also a bag of energy, grabbing two goals. I have high hopes for Lupoli, so I hope he gets a chance at some point in the first team this season.
Does anyone know where the Ghanian triallist was?
In other news, Franck Ribery has now said that he wants to leave OM. I still think he'd be a decent buy, but I have a feeling that Arsene has almost settled his squad for the coming year.
Also Alex Ferguson has not only said that Highbury was 'out-dated' and that the small pitch helped us get more success than we deserved, but that we won't regularly fill the Emirates. This from a man who thinks Michael Carrick is worth £18m.
Oh, and apparently Mourinho has decided that he's going to try and stay within the law when he nabs Cashley off us. How decent of him.
Adios.
Friday, August 04, 2006
Cole/Reyes/Illiasu/Merida/Abidal et al.
Back from being away and, predictably, a rather large amount of news has accumulated.
The Ashley Cole situation drags interminably on. First of all he walks out of training due to either being ill or having a row with David Dein or both. Whatever the cause, it led to a notable loss of temper from Arsene when Journos questioned him on Ashs future. The situation is clearly causing a rather substantial amount of stress to all at the club. Including us. Ash has said he's willing to play against Zagreb next week, but will Arsene play him? Also, is there any realistic hope of us getting Gallas or is this merely lazy journalisitic 2+2=5 deductions? I would say a swap deal is unlikely - which will hopefully make it happen. Either way, I'd be surprised if Ashley was here in September, but he may stay until the end of August so we can push the price up. It's really quite an intolerable situation all round.
More news from Spain has emerged in which Jose has, reportedly, again said he wants to leave for Madrid. As I said in my last post, I feel we should keep Jose for at least one more, if not two, seasons to see if he can gain some consistency, because he has so much potential. Perhaps if Thierry went a whole year without scowling at him, Jose's form would improve. He tried not to do it last season, but a few did still slip out. As for the Jose's alleged comments, I'd be inclined to say it's journo speak, but that also if a substantial bid does come in, Arsene will definitely have a think about it.
Seb Larrson and also, surprisingly, Nick Bendtner are going to hitch their way to Brummie-ville for the season. I'm surprised Arsene's let Bendtner out, after both of them talked as if they felt they had a definite role in each others plans for the forthcoming season. It doesn't bode particularly well for his future Arsenal career.
Thankfully, some credible incoming news has also emerged. Firstly, it would appear that Fran Merida is now an Arsenal player. I think it'll be a while before the level of his actual ability emerges, but I'm sure we'll all jump the gun and call him the new Fabregas in the mean time.
Secondly, Ghanian international Illiasu Shilla is on trial at the club, and could be on the way for as little as £500K. For someone with world cup experience, this seems a decent deal. As far as I can recall, the Ghanian defence looked ok in the world cup, and was the victim of some rather unfortunate decisions against Italy and Brazil. And for £500k he seems worth a punt - 20x less than Curtis Davies if nothing else. Indeed, if anyone wished to question why Arsene rarely buys English, just look at the transfer of Carrick. The most expensive water carrier in history, with United - if they pay the full £18m - paying around 2-3x his worth, merely because he's English, and his media renown causes the inflation of real value.
Thirdly, Eric Abidal has been linked with us, a player, who I didn't think was particularly impressive for France. In fact I thought he was possibly their weakest starting player in the WC. I suppose he could play better for us though.
In other news, our new stadium has already added sufficient gravitas to the club to see Argentina and Brazil decide to play a friendly there [there are some rumours of a potential England game being lined up]; our friendly against Alkamaar is on Eurosport at 6pm BST today - Theo may feature if hes recovered from flu; and Owen Hargreaves has reiterated his desire to one day play in the premiership. I'd prefer him to Gilberto.
tata.
The Ashley Cole situation drags interminably on. First of all he walks out of training due to either being ill or having a row with David Dein or both. Whatever the cause, it led to a notable loss of temper from Arsene when Journos questioned him on Ashs future. The situation is clearly causing a rather substantial amount of stress to all at the club. Including us. Ash has said he's willing to play against Zagreb next week, but will Arsene play him? Also, is there any realistic hope of us getting Gallas or is this merely lazy journalisitic 2+2=5 deductions? I would say a swap deal is unlikely - which will hopefully make it happen. Either way, I'd be surprised if Ashley was here in September, but he may stay until the end of August so we can push the price up. It's really quite an intolerable situation all round.
More news from Spain has emerged in which Jose has, reportedly, again said he wants to leave for Madrid. As I said in my last post, I feel we should keep Jose for at least one more, if not two, seasons to see if he can gain some consistency, because he has so much potential. Perhaps if Thierry went a whole year without scowling at him, Jose's form would improve. He tried not to do it last season, but a few did still slip out. As for the Jose's alleged comments, I'd be inclined to say it's journo speak, but that also if a substantial bid does come in, Arsene will definitely have a think about it.
Seb Larrson and also, surprisingly, Nick Bendtner are going to hitch their way to Brummie-ville for the season. I'm surprised Arsene's let Bendtner out, after both of them talked as if they felt they had a definite role in each others plans for the forthcoming season. It doesn't bode particularly well for his future Arsenal career.
Thankfully, some credible incoming news has also emerged. Firstly, it would appear that Fran Merida is now an Arsenal player. I think it'll be a while before the level of his actual ability emerges, but I'm sure we'll all jump the gun and call him the new Fabregas in the mean time.
Secondly, Ghanian international Illiasu Shilla is on trial at the club, and could be on the way for as little as £500K. For someone with world cup experience, this seems a decent deal. As far as I can recall, the Ghanian defence looked ok in the world cup, and was the victim of some rather unfortunate decisions against Italy and Brazil. And for £500k he seems worth a punt - 20x less than Curtis Davies if nothing else. Indeed, if anyone wished to question why Arsene rarely buys English, just look at the transfer of Carrick. The most expensive water carrier in history, with United - if they pay the full £18m - paying around 2-3x his worth, merely because he's English, and his media renown causes the inflation of real value.
Thirdly, Eric Abidal has been linked with us, a player, who I didn't think was particularly impressive for France. In fact I thought he was possibly their weakest starting player in the WC. I suppose he could play better for us though.
In other news, our new stadium has already added sufficient gravitas to the club to see Argentina and Brazil decide to play a friendly there [there are some rumours of a potential England game being lined up]; our friendly against Alkamaar is on Eurosport at 6pm BST today - Theo may feature if hes recovered from flu; and Owen Hargreaves has reiterated his desire to one day play in the premiership. I'd prefer him to Gilberto.
tata.
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