Arsenal Bounce Back Despite Swiss Cheese Defense

Well, we got what we wanted on a lot of levels.  Most importantly is the win which puts us into second place behind Manchester United.  If Chelsea lose tomorrow, we stay in second all my our lonesome.  If they draw, we share the second place spotlight, and if they win?  Well, they're back in first place tied with Manure.  Anyway, we have no control over how other teams perform, only ourselves.  And I thought we did pretty well at that. 

All the players seemed to have a bounce in their step and we started having Chamakh return to the striker role with both Bendtner and Van Persie on the bench.  Tomas and Samir started in the middle with Arshavin back on the left along with Jack and Song to help out defensively.  Clichy was at left back, Koz took over center back duties from Djourou and paired with Squillaci.  Sagna was back starting at right back and Fabianski was in goal.  The rest of the bench consisted of DJ, Denilson, Gibbs, Szczesny, and Walcott.

The first half was eerily similar to the first half of the game from hell last week.  We dominated possession, zipped the ball around, created opportunities and ended the half up 2-0 with wonderful goals by Arshavin and Nasri.  I actually gulped when halftime began as I noticed the similarities.  The announcer didn't help of course as they reminded the listeners of Arsenal's second half capitulation to Spurs the week previous.  Even the second half began with a deja vu -type experience as Villa subbed at the half bringing on a speedy striker for our legendary Pires whose aged legs just weren't quite up to the task. 

Villa did try and create a chance by both Ashley Young and Nathaniel Delfouneso had chances which were snuffed out.  And then Clark scored thanks to Clichy backing off him  and referee Mark Clannteburg not calling offside on Carew who impeded Fabianski's view.  Fab was peeking around the left of Carew and Clark hit the ball right.  I highly recommend taking a look at OhioGooners breakdown of Clichy's mistake.  We all groaned as we let Villa back in the game.  How would we respond?  Quickly.

It only took about three minutes for Rosicky to thread a great ball to Chamakh who poked it home past Friedle.  A collective sigh escaped from everyone all around me and it was nice to see the fight back.  Surely that third goal would break Aston Villa and they would give up?  Ah, but no.  The drama continued with a corner by Ashley Young getting to the same Clark whose header hit the underside of the bar and bounced back in behind the line and behind Fabaianski.  These guys were not going away.  Could we hold onto a one goal lead with nearly 20 minutes left on the clock?

Arsene responded to the pressure by taking out some offense and strengthening the defense.  Denilson and Gibbs subbed  for Arshavin and Nasri - both whom had outstanding games.  I guess Djourou was set to sub also but never made it onto the pitch.  One would think he was going to be brought on for Koz to handle possible last ditch long balls into the box.  I'm not really sure.

But not to worry as we put the final nail in the Villa coffin.  Chamakh - whose hustle in the late minutes of a match should inspire all - took a rebound from a deflected Denilson shot, and lobbed it to Jack who notched his first Premier League goal by diving head first.

Some things I noticed:
1) Koscielny may be more agile than Djourou, but he misses a lot of headers.  I can't tell if he's getting out-muscled on them, if his timing is off on his jump, or if he just has no hops.  Talk during the game today among my friends brought up the point that Koz' head may be too narrow to compete for the onslaught of headers that prevail in the EPL.  I can see why Wenger would choose him against quicker opponents, but as most teams are going to try and expose us in set pieces, I am much more comfortable with Djourou handling those responsibilities.  On the other hand, he was successful seven out of eight times on his tackles.

2) Arshavin came to play today.  I think he gave his best perforamce of the season.  He was everywhere, running full out when released by a pass, providing assists, helping out on defense, and was a nightmare for Villa's center halves.  He may be small, but he was mighty.  This is the Arshavin we would like to see on a regular basis please.

3) Chamakh has a non-stop hustle to him.  He may not be some people's idea of a quality striker, but for someone who has three months of Premier League action under his belt, his seven Premier League goals in 14 appearances is nothing to scoff at.  His goals total 10 overall.

4) Clichy had six interceptions today.  His gaffe that allowed the first goal is typical of his current inability to focus, but his desire, speed, and ability to anticipate also had an impact.  This Jekyll/Hyde aspect to his game is making me a bit schizophrenic. Gibbs really needs to stay healthy in order to keep the pressure on Gael.

5) Whenever an opponent broke away or booted one into the box for someone to head in - my breath caught.  I just don't trust our defense right now.  The first goal should have been disallowed by the ref, but the shot never should have gotten off.  Clark was given too much space as Clichy backed away from him.  Clark's  second goal was a case of ball watching I think as Dunne headed the corner onto Clark and we weren't expecting that.

6) With all our attacking prowess and marvelous midfield, we could be dominating this league if not for our defense.  The fact that other clubs are struggling as well has made things a bit easier for us, but I would like us sitting at the top of the table because of everything we did right.  Not because of other teams doing things wrong.

I guess that's it.  Thanks to the win, the rest of my weekend should go swimmingly.  We have Wigan on Tuesday for some Carling Cup action and then Fulham on Saturday.  Until then  - have a good one Gooners.

It's Alive! It's Alive!

After needing a few days off to absorb the consecutive poor play by our boys, I've mustered enough energy to get back at it.  We have a game tomorrow morning (6:45 AM my time), and with it, another chance for a great club to remember who the hell they are and who they represent.

I pretty much had forgotten the glory of being an Arsenal fan this week.  I admittedly sulked and pouted, only glancing now and again at Twitter and my favorite blogs (Cesc Is God and the mighty Arseblogger).  I don't think I even left one comment.  Yesterday was a turning point however, as I celebrated Thanksgiving with my family.  I usually only see my mom's side of the family now about once a year, and I hadn't seen my youngest cousin in over a year.  He's a senior in college now, and last spring he studied abroad in Copenhagen.  Like almost all members of my nuclear and hugely extended family, Tim is a sports nut.  He loves American football, played basketball in high school, and now, is  a European football fan.  So, of course, we had lots to talk about.  Do you know what I discovered?  His last week across the pond was spent in London, rooming with two Arsenal fans who took him on a tour of the Emirates.  He sat in Wenger's heated stadium seat.  He visited the locker room and eyed the players' jerseys which were hanging in the individual cubbies.  He got to come out the tunnel and described the history of the club displayed in photos all along it.  And you know what?  I was totally jealous.  The passion that had hibernated for three days came roaring back - penetrating the wall of apathy I had erected in self-defense.  I pulled my Gooner of a brother into the conversation yelling with enthusiasm "Tim has been to the Emirates!" (My mother kindly patted me on the back, soothingly reasuring me "Some day Lisa, you'll be there -  some day ).

Anyway, that's when I rediscovered my true feelings for this sport and our club.  So what if we have the worse November record since I've been watching the club (2002-2003 season)?  So what if our Captain is out once again with hamstring injuries.  So what if we all worry that our spine is soft and Arsene maybe has lost his touch with motivating the aging youngsters?  So what?

Okay, settle down.  I know it matters.  I know that winning at Aston Villa is necessary not only for us to keep within reach of the title, but in order to restore confidence to our players and fans.  It's important for us to regain our lost momentum and reinstate just a smidgen of the pride that has been lost.  I say "so what" in the vein of a supporter who knows our squad could be great if not for this continual bump in the road.  If we can get back on track, put a few wins together ( seven or eight would be great), then we can arrive finally at those pearly...golden...arches that we've been missing since the dismembering  of The Invincibles.

Speaking of Invincibles, we face a former at Villa tomorrow in the handsome visage of Bobby Pires.  He came off the bench last week and probably will start there again unless needed because of Aston Villa being at the very top of the table at physioroom.com.    According to that table, Carew, Cuellar, Sidwell, and Reo-Coker could be back for the match - all listed with "slight doubt".  They  have had Agbonlahor back for their last three matches, but Houillier stated today that Agbonlahor had been ill and missed two days of training so he may not play.   I still remember the match last year where Vermie streaked back to close down Gabriel's counterattack and won the ball from him.  What grit and determination he had.  Sigh.

I think after Koz's poor perfromace at Braga, DJ will get his spot back alongside Squillaci.  With Cesc out for the infamous "two weeks", Nasri and Jack will probably share some creative midfield responsibilities helped out defensively by Song and maybe not so much by Denilson.  Hey - just because I rediscovered my fervor doesn't mean I'm completely blind to our weak links.  I think Theo should get another start as his crosses may actually get met by a striker in the box if that striker is Chamakh.  Arshavin has had his "rest" so he also should be playing.  Sagna and Clichy will round out the back four.

The bench, I think, is up for grabs in some positions.  Van Persie could be there, Bendtner could be there, Koz will probably be there, Tommy will definately be there.  Will Almunia or Szezesny  be the Number 2?  The JET has not gone out on loan unlike Ramsey (until January) and Henri Lansbury so he could also be riding pine.  Gibbs will be there as backup for Clichy.  Yep, I think that's everyone.

Okay then.  Let's head up to Villa Park, take a win, three points, and the lead at the top (if only for a day).  What I don't want is to have to read apologies on Twitter or the official site by the players...even if they are by Spiky Jack and very genuine.  It's far better not to have to apologize in the first place.  My ardor has been ressurected and is alive, but fragile.  It needs reinforcement.

So let's go you guys.  Like I said at the beginning of the post.  Remember who the hell you are.  Remember, you wear the Red and White of The Arsenal.  Let's Go You Gunners.

What Is It About The Emirates?

Here I am in the cold light of The Day After, facing the obligation of writing a post-match report for the most gut-wrenching loss of the season. After going ahead 2-0 at halftime, we lost 2-3 in the end - at home to the Spuds. We lost at the Emirates for the third time this season. This is the first time we have endured one of these losses after going ahead. The West Brom defeat was a result of us never looking to be up for the game until the last 10 minutes, and the Newcastle game was a 0-1 loss to a team that was still riding high after squashing their previous opponent 5-1. These losses, in my eyes, have all been very different with only one common denominator...The Emirates.


Football fandom in England, from what I have read, has undergone a big transformation in the last 20 years. Once a game played and rooted by the working class, it has drawn the admiration and the money from the middle and upper classes. There are family sections at stadiums now where alcohol and "passionate" language are banned. These new stadiums costs dearly to erect, so prices and the amenities such as food and beverage are a bit extravagant. In other words, a different kind of fan is attending matches. And since we know that the fans are a team's 12th man, I'm left wondering if the change in fan culture has affected the 12th man's effectiveness?

Most of you who read my blog - my Faithful Five readers- know that I'm a Yank who has never stepped foot into England, so my experience of the home crowd comes from listening through the television and reading the blogs of writers who have been to the games. And my conclusion is that while there is still the contingent of zealous fans who cheer and try to uplift their team while verbally crushing the opponent, there is a larger, less ardent body of them who won't chant, leave early, and don't seem to take their job as a fan seriously. This group is in direct opposition to the fan who travels to away games. Their willingness to travel demonstrates their fervor. I think we have made progress in away games. Actually, we have one of the best away records in the league, and we've learned to hang onto leads away (Everton and Wolves), so why not at home? For me, it the answer, in part, lies with the fans and atmosphere of the home matches.

The official Arsenal USA site posted the writings of  an American Gooner who attended the Emirates for the Wolves game in last April. His intention was to compare the experience to other sporting events he's attended. Here's what he said about the atmosphere of the Emirates:


"But the major myth that was busted for me was that every English soccer match is full of singing and chanting from the opening whistle to final one. It was actually fairly quiet compared to what I was expecting. I once saw a match in Buenos Aires that was non-stop noise and excitement for about 120 minutes (20 minutes before kickoff, the entire first half, most of halftime, and the entire second half)... That said, for the majority of the contest, it was a fairly low level of noise and emotion compared to other soccer matches I’ve seen. It was certainly below Argentina and the World Cup matches I’ve been to. It was also a shade below the USA/Netherlands friendly I saw in the Amsterdam Arena in the early 2000s."



Just for the record, if the enthusiasm at the Emirates is comparable to anything the US squad are involved in, that speaks volumes. Let me be clear. I am not saying it is the fans' responsibility to win games. It is the players' and coaches'. And maybe something needs to change in those two categories. Our manager's strategic substitutions? Late as always, and therefore rendered somewhat useless. Tactically, Wenger allowed Twitchy to outmaneuver him. And permitting your most reviled rivals a win in your own house? Well, it does reflect a fragility in our team's mentality which has been dissected ad nauseum. I think we won't learn to win until we've won which is a worse puzzle than trying to figure out the chicken and egg question. But to help your team get over a hump...to lift their spirits in order to give them an edge...that is our job. And I have a feeling that no one really did their jobs yesterday. We hold the squad and the team leaders feet to the fire when they don't produce. Why should we fans be any different?

So, be cynical before a match, cuss out the television during the match, and by all means critique the team and manager after the match. But, if you have the privilege to be present at our stadium during a match? Hold your own feet to the fire. Chant, exhort, and push your team onto victory. In other words - do your job.  Because if you do that, maybe -just maybe - our boys will do their job a bit better.  And who couldn't do with that?

Try and have  a good one...

Time to Take on Mr. Twitchy Potato-Head

Okay - so much a mid-week MLS update.  What can I say?  No excuses as I let time get away from me and my laptop.  So a quick International Round-Up and then it's onto the North London Derby preview.

First things first.  Guess who got injured during the International Friendlies Wednesday?  That's right - no one.  Is the world really flat after all?  In fact, Jack had to be dropped from the English squad because of a slight back problem that apparently has worked itself out in time for the match tomorrow.  I can't see us getting more fortuitous than that.  But wait - Robin Van Persie played 45 minutes for Holland - and didn't come away with any niggles, sprains, or strains.  In fact, the playing did his wonders for his match fitness as Wenger states he and Bendtner are now close to the same level.  This is November, right?  Notorious November? Nah.  Gibbs even came through unscathed.  The only players not fit for the Derby are Diaby, Almunia, and Vermie.  According to the injury update,  Diaby, Ramsey, and Almunia are back to full training.  The only one on hte outside looking in right now is The Verminator.  This has got to be a first.  Wenger is indeed going to have a headache picking the lineup for tomorrow.  How nice for a change.

Spurs - who are now in second  place...on physioroom.com (I wanted to make sure you were paying attention)  are without Bentley, Huddlestone, Keane, Santos, DeFoe just to name a few.  We have the advantage on several fronts.  We're playing with almost a full squad and have tremendous depth, we're playing at home, and we can rotate players.  Okay, the playing at home advantage hasn't worked out recently, but so what?  This is the weekend to put that aright.  We beat them on their turf 4-1 in September when they put out a "weaker" side.  Their strongest assets tomorrow are probably Bale, Pavlyuchenko,

and van der Vaart.  I think that like the Everton game, controlling the midfield will be important as well as not giving Speedy Gareth room to work up steam.  Which begs the question.  Who is going to start in the holding role with Song?  Denilson?  Or will Wenger put Jack straight back into the squad for some added "oomph" going forward.

Hard to say.  Deni did make a difference when he came on.  He stayed back while Song charged forward.  If we have no one watching the rear guard tomorrow, Speedy could catch us on the counter attack.  I think Denilson has earned a start.  Should be interesting.

Arshavin played all 90 minutes for Russia Wednesday which could mean he's really tired or finally match fit?  I look for Arshavin to be sitting on the pine while Theo starts.  Everyone seems to want to see the two former teammates on the pitch at the same time so why not?  If Twitchy just sits behind the ball then Theo will probably not have much of an impact.  Depends on the Spuds strategy I suppose.

If I were a betting man  person, I'd lay odds on Theo, Nasri, Denilson, Cesc, and Song with Chamakh up front and the quartet of Sagna, Squillaci, DJ, and Clichy in the back sitting in front of Mr. Fab.  Jack, Andrey, Van Persie, Bendtner, Szczesny, Rozicky, and Eboue on the bench.

I'm thinking we should come away with 2-0 win at home which will help to put to rest those pesky losing-on-your-own-turf -demons that have been hanging around our necks lately.  here's to a strong performance, a clean sheet, and another win over our lesser North London neighbors.  I'll be back later on Saturday with a post-match report.  Until then, remember -WE ARE THE ARSENAL!!

Denilson Makes The Difference As Arsenal Edge Everton 2-1

It's a good weekend to be a Gooner, isn't it? We won another three tough points and finally did that when our top four opponents dropped points. We came through and took advantage. Currently we are sitting in second place, two points behind Chelsea and only six goals behind them in goal differential. Manure, though, are only one point behind us, drafting in third. Let's not bother looking over our shoulder yet, though. Let's enjoy what we gained for the next six days.




I thought the game started off very fast-paced with Everton attempting to beat us to lose balls and streaking down the sidelines during counterattacks. They pressed and harassed us and we, in the first half of the first half, seemed to be affected by it. Misplaced passes were common by us, which to the loyal watcher, should be most uncommon. I was hoping that around the 50th minute or so, the Toffees would show some fatigue. They did eventually. During that time of frenzy, though, it looked as though Everton were going box to box without being asked to stop in the midfield. There was not a lot of holding going on. I noticed Song surging ahead as usual along with Jack which left Cesc to clean up in the back. And he did run down a lot of the Everton players attempting to counter and pushing them toward the sidelines. He eventually got a yellow for his trouble though after colliding with Disten. Both had their feet stepped on by the other - and it seemed accidental. I think Webb gave the foul to Cesc because he looked to tackle just a tad late. Still, a soft yellow for a team trying to battle its way back up the Fair Play table. Again, it shows how discipline given by the ref can be subjective which means one can't take the Fair Play table at face value.



Finally we went ahead in the 36th minute when Sagna fired a shot on goal from a terrifically tight angle after being set up by Andrey. His all time second goal for Arsenal gave us just a bit of breathing room and more confidence. We went into halftime 1-0.



Coming out for the second half, I notice a strange phenomenon...Wenger was making a substitution? Denilson (sans corn rows) came on for Spiky Jack. There was a lot of speculation among my friends about why Deni was coming on. We mostly thought that Jack - who had received a few tough tackles during the first half - was being taken out as a precaution. Jack, along with Gibbsy and Theo, have been called up for the England friendly on Wednesday and we thought Wenger was being thoughtful in his change. After the game, though, Wenger was quoted as having said,



"I wanted a second holding player to win the second ball from headers".



And it worked. I can't say I noticed that we won more second balls off of headers. Still being a student of the game, I don't always pick up on those things yet. What I did notice is that Everton did not have free run of the pitch and that our midfield was holding more. It's nice for me to be able to write that Deni made such a positive difference. I'm not a huge fan of his and often his lack of pace or urgency last season drove me to the brink. But this season, I think he is taking his chances well when he is presented with first-team opportunities. We seemed to then play with more discipline and control, as we saw less errant passes and more intricate play. This was true especially after our second goal - scored by El Capitan.



Cesc had been guilty of mislaying his share of poor passes in the first half, but his leadership was not in doubt. He had been directing players, helping out on defense, and arguing with Webb the entire game. Right after the start of the second half, Denilson picked off a pass from Arteta, pushed upfield, passed to Cesc, who found Chamakh. The Chamak-atak then fed the ball back to Cesc who slotted it past Howard. 2-0 us in the 48th minute. Now all we needed to do was hang onto the lead.



We made a couple more shots on goal. Nasri had a great run nearly all by himself but Howard was up to the task. A few minutes later Cesc crossed a great ball into the box which Chamkah booted over after making a slide for it. He was wide open too. I really wanted that third goal just to make my breathing a little easier.



Everton did not give up. They did look tired after the 60th minute or so, but they had two fine chances to score and both were denied by equally fine goalkeeping. Fabianski kept out both Beckford and Pienaar's attempts. Everton finally got on the scoreboard thanks to their Aussie. Cahill was on the receiving end of a nice header from Saha at the far post and scored at close range in the 89th minute. Four minutes of injury time were added, but we held firm.



Some other things I noticed were:



1) Bendtner did not make the bench. There were rumors that he was ill and rumors that Wenger was trying to send him a message after his complaining about his lack of playing time. Wenger's post-match interview might shed some light.



2) Theo got no playing time for two games now...a dent in his aspiration's to play consistently and be match ready for the National Side.



3) This is the second game we've won in non-traditional Arsenal style. We tend to play possession football and we were in our territory only 43.4% while Everton was in theirs 56.6%. Last week we won against Wolves with us having 45.9% and the Wolves 54.1%. Does this mean that we are getting better at taking our chances, or is our defense getting better at staying firm until we gain back the ball?



4) Johann Djourou has a ways to go working off the rust but is beginning to win me over as he won header after header today. Well done DJ.



5) Tomas Rosicky who came on for Arshavin in the 65th minute made a great sacrifice of his body as he stopped Coleman from crossing. He chased the ball down the pitch racing Coleman for it and blocked Coleman from getting at it which resulted in him getting pushed into diving headfirst into what looked like gravel. Gritty move from our Czech. I bet he's got some road rash down the front of him after that challenge.



That's about all for now. I'm just going off to bask in the glow of our current position in the league. There's no mid-week match coming up as there are international friendlies going on. I guess we'll spend the week crossing our fingers about players possibly getting injured. I'll try and be back mid-week for an update on Arsenal news and an MLS report. I know. I've neglected them for months now, but they are in playoffs right now which could provide an interesting paragraph or two. Okay one. Until then my fellow Gooners...cheers.

A Very Short Update and Everton Preview

My apologies for the lateness and shortness of the preview.  There has been the last two days problems with accessing the Internet from my home which makes it more inconvenient to read, write and post.  Which is too bad, really, because there's been some stuff to write about.  So, in order to cover the most news in the least amount of time, I've decided to go bullet style.  Here you go:

1) Another youthful player has shown some petulance.  Bendy threatened to quit.  John Cross in the Mirror seemed to have broken this story - translated from an interview Nik gave to a Danish paper.  Basically, he's complaining about not getting enough playing time.  Wenger asnered back by stating he needs to be patient just coming back from a long layoff and having Chamakh in decent form.  Considering Chamakh scored a bookend on Wednesday, replacing him will be no easy task.

2) Wenger is backing our Captain to return to form this game - he stated on Saturday that Cesc was at about 95% and maybe would have that 5% in place by today's match.  Wenger also said that from his experience players who return after playing in the final of a World Cup usually do not return to their top form until November.

3) Arsenal are at the bottom of the "Fair Play" table and therefore are getting guff from the press, managers, and some dirty players for not practicing what they preach.  Actually we're more in the middle, but WAY lower than usual.  We have four red cards and a handful of yellows.  Koz has two out of the four.  Wenger has addressed the issue of discipline.  I shrug my shoulders and say "we're getting tougher and refs give us more cards anyway".  Check out 7amkickoff.com for a great breakdown of this issue on his November 12th post.

Everton away has been good to us in recent years.  Last year's 6-2 opener was delightful.  But remember, Everton themselves traditionally start off slow and pick up the pace.  I like Everton and their manager.  Moyes seems gritty but fair and seems to get the most out of his players.  Tim Cahill  is a threat in the air so we have to cut down on stupid fouls that lead to free kicks and be tight on our marking off of corners.  We can beat them there so I'm predicting a 3-1 victory. 

That's all - a better post-match blog will be on it's way in a few hours..I promise.  Other than that, all I have to say is LET'S GO YOU REDS!!!

Shhhhh... Arsenal Beat Wolves 2 - 0 - Opening and Closing by Chamakh

Has anyone else out there attempted to watch a match whilst sitting in the middle of a library?  Headphones plugged into my laptop squinting at the feed from ESPN3.com.  Yesterday was a match full of near-misses and wonderful saves which meant I had to squelch the "Oooohs" and "Ahhhs" into "ooohs" and "ahhs".  The noises I made were still noticeable however as several quizzical looks from patrons and one dirty look from a librarian helped me to keep in mind my surroundings.

Anyway.  I loved this game.  We played tough, energetic, and kept another clean sheet.  We're still in third place but only one point from second place and five behind the leaders.  Where we are gaining ground is in the Goal Differential column as we are now only 10 goals behind Chelsea.  I know, I know.  10 goals is too much.  But -  just last week we were 13 goals behind.  If Lukasz and our defense keep up the form we saw last night, I think we can do it.  Remember, Chelsea are old...I am still confident they will tire out as they play for three trophies.

We started off with a very familiar lineup.  The only changes were Arshavin who was back in on the left, Rosicky in for Nasri, and DJ was in for the suspended Koz.  I have to think though that the more physical Djourou might have been picked over the more lithe Koscielny anyway in light of our opponent.

Chamakh was back in the striker position and looked back to his energic self as he took a cross from Song and headed in in within the first minute of the match!  I like the early scoring.  It allows us fans to relax just a bit and provides ample time for more goals.  (On a side note - for those of us who noticed the dip in Chamakh's form last week, Wenger mentioned in his post match interview that Marouane  had been ill the week prior.  Glad he is feeling better!)

However, another goal was not to happen for about 89 more minutes.  In between there, we shot another thirteen times, with four of those blocked.  Cesc and Arshavin each had opportunities to score before halftime and were thwarted by Hahnemann.  The Wolves seemed to gain the momentum after almost 25 minutes of pressing us and we began to spend a lot of time down in their half of the pitch.  Fabianksi began the first of many saves as he palmed out a deflection that came from a Squillaci block and was heading toward a waiting Hunt.  Phew.  Disaster averted.  Halftime came and I felt relieved that we were still ahead.

The second half started with a near disaster at the Wolves end caused by Jack slipping and allowing Milijas a chance to equalize.  Everyone pitched in and blocked his attempt.  A few minutes later we were back in our own end when Tricky Tommy intercepted a bad pass from a Wolves player and fed our wide open Captain a bread and butter pass.  Cesc's shot went wide.  Another groan squelched.  When were we going to score again?  We needed to break these Wolves because they were not giving up.  They were not looking tired either.  I was getting a bit concerned.

Fabianski was again called into action just before the hour mark and responded magnificently.  Doyle shot out a bullet and Fab acrobatically finger tipped it over the bar.  The team responded to the following corner as Tommy cleared the ball off the line (I think it was with his knee).  The Wolves stayed down in their half, got a free kick, and nodded it over the bar.  Another reprieve.

We finally spent some time in our own half which gave The Fab a break.  Arshavin had two shots on goal in what seemed as many minutes.  One hit the post.  One was blocked.  More squelched sighing.  Squillaci and Djourou even got in on the missed scoring opportunities as both tried to find the back of the net after a corner.  Squillaci missed and Djourou had his attempt at the rebound deflected.

Wolves were still howling at our door.  Doyle had a shot that luckily went wide.  A few minutes later, Berra gave The Fab his best save of the night.  It was a low shot aimed at the Fabianski's left corner.  Fab dove low, blocked the ball with only his left hand...and hung onto the ball with one hand.  What a change in this player.  Remember when he had weak wrists?  His next move was just as important as he quickly distributed the ball out to Tommy who fed it long to the running Chamakh.  The Chamak-atak closed the game with his feet this time - finding the back of the net with the outside of his right foot.  Terrific.

Controversial moments?  Karl Henry's tackle on Arshavin was studs up and high on the shin which could have resulted in another broken leg.  No call.  The commentators at first discussed the tackle as being innocuous as they thought Andrey had tried to pull his leg back.  I have to give them credit though as upon further review, they agreed it was a very bad tackle by Karl and our little Russian was lucky to escape injury.  Let me say it again.  No call from the ref.

Cesc had a yellow card given to him for a tackle in the 88th minute when he tried to block Ward's attempt to clear the ball up the touchline.  Ward was stretchered off and the home crowd then booed Cesc whenever he touched the ball.  I haven't heard how damaged Ward's ankle is.  Cesc of course was just going for blocking the ball but reportedly went into the Wolves lockeroom after the match to apologize.  Wenger and Cesc both apologized in the press for the tackle.  Interestingly, Wenger did not bring up the no-call for Karl's tackle on Arshavin.  Hmmmm.

That's it really.  I thought it was an entertaining game with both teams going at it.  The Wolves may be at the bottom of the table but they have demonstrated they can play the game.  If they could just do something with that Karl Henry fellow.  I really don't care for him.  Man of the Match for me was Fabianski.  He not only kept us from going under, he did so coming back from a costly mistake the previous game.  Glad to see one mistake has not damaged his confidence.  I did not see any indecision from him during the game.  Great job.

We travel next to Everton on Sunday.  I'll have a preview up on Saturday and maybe a post in between there.  You never know.  Until then my fellow Gooners...have a good 'un.

The Verminator Suffers Damage and Wolves Preview

Will I ever see Vermie play again this season?  Achilles injuries are one of the worst, and our favorite center half has re-injured his in training.  Wenger states that the injury is a bit of mystery as scans show no damage, but Thomas is still feeling pain.

“I don’t know where we go with Thomas time-wise but at the moment he can not play. I can’t give you any time scale at all. On the scan his Achilles is completely clear but as soon as he stays out for a while it tightens up and he has pain. We don’t know the source of his pain"


We know that The Verm is no wimp, so it is worrying - this Phantom Pain.  Here's hoping another specialist can clear up the problem.  I just don't want to hear about any treatment involving horse's placenta, okay?  That story still gives me the willies.

Koz is out for two games despite the appeal from Arsenal which got dismissed by the FA yesterday. After seven or so seasons watching soccer, the amount of games suspended by a red card have always baffled me.  Is it one?  Two.  three?  Which is it?  I finally have gotten a handle on the difference between a red card because of a second yellow, dismissal due to violent conduct, and now...two games suspension as this red card was Koz' second of the season.  We did not suffer an additional match suspension due to frivolous appealing which tells me that maybe Koz was not the last defender.  Many have stated that Squillaci was moving into position and could have been considered the last defender.  The camera angle during the game made it difficult to see the rest of the pitch, but if anyone was at the game live, leave a comment and let me know what you think.

So this means our center halves are Squillaci and Djourou.  DJ is not a bad choice in my book anyway for today's match as he's bigger and stronger than Koz and we are playing against an aggressive and physical opponent.  He's good in the air (getting better anyway with each match) and I'm not sure any of the Wolves are going to provide a challenge with skill and quickness which I think is  DJ's Achilles Heel.  Pun intended. Kevin Doyle impressed me last match even though he did not score, I thought he was a threat.  He's been in a drought this season and has not seen the back of the net as of yet.  Hopefully we can keep it that way.

Bad Boy Karl Henry has actually been behaving himself recently.  Perhaps breaking a colleague's leg so soon in the season may have persuaded the midfielder to rein himself in and so he has been playing in a more disciplined manner.  With Cesc finally back from injury and hopefully back to form, let's hope Karl stays that way.  Actually the thought of Henry playing against Spiky Jack Wilshere worries me a bit as Jack is still trying to find the balance between discipline and aggressive play, and I don't want him literally banging into the likes of Karl.

Wolves are coming off a disappointing (for Arsenal fans as well) last minute loss to Manure over the weekend and will want to gain some points to get them up out of the bottom three.  Our boys have to answer for two back to back losses.  We are the Arsenal and have to perform at the level expected from a big club.  We have the talent to do it.  And the lynch pin of our offense is back to full force - so says the manager.  After having one his worst matches in an Arsenal shirt last Sunday, a physically and mentally fully rehabilitated Cesc will be a welcome and necessary sight.

That's all for now sports fans.  Just a last mention that the game is not televised so I'll be searching for a stream to watch and will be back with a match report tomorrow.  Until then...Go Gunners!

Where Can Arsenal Find That Winning Mentality?

I dreaded writing this post.  I considered quite seriously not writing it.  Getting through that horror of a match yesterday was tough enough but having to relive it?  Bleck.  But, avoidance would not do me any good whatsoever and is in all probability a bit cowardly. So on with it.

I was quite optimistic in my last post hoping for a 3-1 win.  I freely admitted that Newcastle were not to be discounted and could be dangerous, but I predicted a win nonetheless.  We were home.  We had come off of a bad defensive performance at Shakhtar without our star midfielders present.  This match was different.  We were at the Emirates, our Captain and all starters we back.  This was a chance to triumphantly gain back some confidence and momentum and to hopefully close the gap on the leaders at the top of the table.  We should have seen a team that was positive, confident, and full of desire.  An added bonus was the fact that our injury list is diminishing, we had RVP on the bench, which in itself should have been a huge moral booster.  So what the hell happened?

Frankly, I think it comes down to not knowing what it takes to win.  We have only one player who has been through the rigors of winning consistently in and out every week and that's Cesc.  He spoke about what was missing from the team back in mid-October.  The statement was widely quoted and blogged about, but I think it's even more pertinent today.

I'm very comfortable here, I like the club, lead the team, play football. We just need to start winning titles because we have a wealth of quality. A winning mentality is missing.''

When asked about his thoughts on Cesc's quote, Wenger explained:

“What is at stake for us isn’t the desire to win but to make history and to win trophies. As long as you have not won you are not completely certain that you can do it but that does not mean that you lack the desire to win.



“This team has a great desire to win but you have to show it week in week out. This life, at the top level today, in the best league in the world, is to turn up every single game running on full cylinders.”


I think both statements are pertinent to yesterday's debacle.  The players, being sportsmen, want to win.  If I didn't believe that, I wouldn't be a fan of any club of any sport.  But, they still don't realize they have to perform at the very highest level all the time.  This is true even in training where I would suspect some aren't giving their all.  Practice makes perfect.  If players are not performing on the field one can arguably assume perhaps they're not performing at training.  Wenger gave an example of this when asked about Song's improvement.  Arsene discussed the fact that Song's stamina helped him with surging forward late in the game.  Here is what caught my attention though:

“He is now a good trainer but this was not always the case,” said Wenger. “That's why he has improved."

Well, I'm glad he's been training hard lately, but shouldn't he have been training hard for the last five years?  Is this how some of the players are approaching their three hours of practice (I'm guessing three but don't really know)?  I would not be surprised if this is the case because most youngsters need a model to show them how hard they need to push themselves.  Our squad really haven't had one.  They had Sol last year and Bobby for some weeks, but I don't think that's enough.  Cesc - he's a worker and is a model, but  I wonder  if he's too close in age for them to emulate?  And, one can't expect him to do it on his own.  Especially when he was such a shambles yesterday.   I really can't recall him playing so poorly...ever. He will, however I am sure, be the most hurt by his own play and by the loss. Other than Spiky Jack, I worry that the disappointment in the team's loss will shrug off like water on a duck's back.   When your leader is having an extremely off day, someone needs to step up and take his place.  No one did that.


So where are Arsenal going to find that mentality?  Will it just show up one day as our squad shrug off the last of their adolescent tendencies?  Or will it take bringing in an outside player to whom losing is intensely unacceptable or a coach who rides them at training?  I don't know really.  What I do know is that we can't blame November for our record.  We have to look closer to home.

Here's to our boys and manager finding the answer...before Wednesday.

A Bone to Pick With Diaby - Newcastle Preview

Good morning and salutations from a snowy Northern Indiana.  After an October filled with Indian Summer temps, November has decided to go straight to winter.  Ah, the benefits of living close to one of the Great Lakes.  Anyway, it's time to round up the news and preview our game for tomorrow.  At the time of this writing, our the Spuds lost out 4 - 2 to Bolton.  Well done Owen.  How weird is it to be happy with Kevin Davies?  Anyway, with our losing in the Ukraine on Wednesday, it's important for us to show strong tomorrow and jump start that momentum we had been building since our Birmingham win on October 16th.  How fast we get back on track, I think, will speak volumes as to this team's resilience, "winning mentality", and likelihood of winning the title.  There is good news, weird news, and bad news when it comes to our players' injuries.

First the good news which is Vermaelen is back on the mend and looking good.  Wenger stated:

"Vermaelen is not far but is not ready. It is a question of days for him. It is encouraging.”

That was, I must admit, my favorite news of the week.  I really miss my Vermie.  I think his intensity on the pitch will add a grittiness to the attitudes on the field.  There are not that many of the squad that have that tenacity, and I think it will be contagious.  Also on the mend of course is RVP who participated in full training for the first time on November 5th.  There's no other update on his callup to the Dutch National side other than the coach is incredibly rude and non-professional:

"Has there been any contact with the medical staff of Holland and Arsenal? I don't know," he said in The Times.  "I don't care. I have spoken to Robin personally and he is doing well and he will rejoin training there today.  I don't see any hesitation to pick him. I just made the selection and will wait for any comments to come.  I have selected 24 players, so if players are not fit, we will see at that time."

Let's contrast that with the Belgian coach who had this to say about calling up the Verminator:


We are not going to take a risk for a friendly game. His health is most important thing. I have a great relationship with Arsene Wenger and completely respect him and what he tells me about his players

In all probability. Robin won't play at all so why have him travel and take him away from London?  He could use that time for more training, for more physical therapy, for more ankle-taping.  What a waste.

And now onto poor Adu Diaby.  Wenger is unsure when - and dare I say if - Diaby will return after having two reckless tackles occur to the same ankle this season.

“He was never himself and we have today worries for him. We don't know how long he will be out. He has seen two surgeons already and at the moment we have to be patient and see if he can get away with it."

I'm not sure what "get away with it" means other than perhaps healing with out the need for surgery.  But according Mirror journalist John Cross on Twitter (@johncrossmirror), Diaby has a floating piece of bone in his ankle and has consulted two surgeons already.  I'm not a physician of course, but I highly doubt the probability of a high performance athlete being able to compete with a bone floating around anywhere at anytime.  I just don't think that would work.  So a big sarcastic thanks to Paul Robinson, Michael Essien, and the Original Perpetrator Dan Smith for hampering Diaby's progress and perhaps his career.  Let's face it.  We really don't know how far Diaby could have developed by now as he's constantly been injured.

Onto Newcastle.  We gave them a sound beating in the Carling Cup but must be on our guard as they fielded a weaker side that evening due to the derby they played the following Sunday which they won big 5-1.  They are coming in confident and have two players who could definitely give us problems namely veteran Kevin Nolan and his temporary housemate Andy Carroll.  Nolan is top of the Premier League with Tevez and Malouda with seven goals scored.  Carroll sits in seventh with five and seems to be settling down in his private life which is improving his performances.    I think tomorrow brings us a match of momentum.  Newcastle is steaming with it and we need to get it back.

Cesc, Arshavin, Denilson, and Song are all back for tomorrow's match which is more good news.  I think we will need our strongest squad to decidedly face down the Tooners.  I'm hoping the starters include Theo, Koz, Squillaci, Sagna, Jack and Nasri to be joined by daydreamer Clichy and of course Fabianski. 

So, here's to tomorrow being a winning day and a postive end to the weekend.  I'm hoping for a clean sheet and a 2-0 victory.  Considering the form of the two players mentioned above, however, I'll settle for a 3-1.  I'll be back after the game for a post-game post...article..whatever.  I'll be back.  Until then -let's go you Gunners.

Done in by Dudu as Arsenal Lack Potency

I hate watching a recorded version of a match instead of watching it live.  I have to stay away from Internet all day and will email online streams to my brothers warning them not to text me updates or the final score as "I am watching it later".  Then to watch it late at night - and we lose?  Not a great ingredient for a sound sleep.

Arsenal need to learn to win with their Captain.  We are experienced enough at all positions that compensating for injuries should not be as hard as we are making it.  That's the bottom line.  When Nasri and Tommy can't pull together enough to create, knowing they are helped by Wilshere, it boggles my mind.  Shakhtar basically tried to take good care of the ball in their end, press us, and then sit behind the ball in the final third.  Breaking down that style of defense for us looks like it's tougher than breaking into Fort Knox.

The defense had their share of problems last night also.  The two most culpable for the Shakhtar goals were our two full backs - Eboue and Clichy.  Eboue made a poor tackle leading to a free kick which Eastmond did or did not help to deflect into the goal.  The left side was open several times also as he surged forward and left Squillaci alone in the counter attack (which he did okay on).  He likes to run around like crazy but I have consistently maintained that defensively, Sagna is more solid.

Clichy's pattern of freezing up mentally once a game led to Eduardo's goal.  After dispossessing the ball from Srna, Clichy stood there momentarily doing what?  Daydreaming?  I don't know.  I know what he wasn't doing - clearing the ball.  He allowed Srna the ball back whereupon he crossed it into the box where Eduardo came along and calmly, clinically put it into the back of the net.  Those were two defensive errors (three if you count Eastmond heading the ball toward the Arsenal goal) upon which two goals were capitalized. 

On the plus side, the rest of our defense seemed to click together okay.  Fabiasnki had another good game despite the two goals.  He had a couple of fine saves and again looked confident during set pieces.  Djourou seems to be improving every match and although is still not as quick or speedy as I would like him to be, does a great job in the air and was the master of clearances last night.  Squillaci seemed, well...solid.  What can I say?  He's not flashy  nor does he seem especially charasmatic on the pitch.  I think he quietly goes about doing his job and trying to help organize the back.  He gets up well in the air offensively for corners and should have made that header last night.  I don't speak The Language of Love fluently but I'm pretty sure that what I saw him mouth after he saw his shot easily saved was some very Frechie-type explicative.

Overall, we played the possession game well but did not capitalize.  Our possession was 55.5% to their 44.5%.  The problem was, they did not make as many mistakes as we did.  They were not the team who fell apart at the Emirates and allowed us to run amok and score at will (which is how it felt).  They were focused, confident, and troubled us at every moment.  They were the winners.

Sunday brings us a home match against Newcastle to continue our run of nine matches in November.  I do want to note that in my post that addressed this month's notoriety,  we had eight matches scheduled as there was no Carling Cup listed for this month.  Since then, however, a Cup match has been added as we drew Wigan in the next round and play them on the 30th.  I say  - terrific, as RVP will need a run of games to help sandpaper off the oxidation on his limbs and get his terrific feet - the left and the chocolate - ready for goal scoring opportunities.  The word is he has been called up the a Dutch Friendly which is ludicrous and leaves Wenger apoplectic.  I sincerely doubt he will play.  Only a desperate egomaniac of a coach would play someone who is in no way fit for a game of checkers let alone a game of soccer.  I'm not all that familiar with the Dutch coach...does he fit that bill?  Hmmm...

So, onward I say.  Let's leave behind the Ukrainian defeat and focus on the EPL which is in our cross hairs for the next four matches.  Four matches in 13 days.  That's a lot of football.  Love it.  Have I said that before?

I'll be back tomorrow or the next day with a preview of our game against Newcastle.  Until then Gooners...