The likes of Allerdyce and Pulis just don't get it

Afternoon gooners!

I just can't believe what I'm hearing from the likes of Allerdyce and Pulis - criticising Danny Murphy for coming out and making some genuinely insightful observations about managers sending their teams out to 'play rough'.

You only have to hear some of the pre-match comments these managers make before they play Arsenal to know that this is indeed the case. As Murphy correctly pointed out, players don't go on the pitch to deliberately break someones legs but they do intend to 'ruffle a few feathers'. The hypocrisy is the hardest thing for me to stomach especially given that these managers deem it perfectly legitimate to crticise referees after a poor performance or indeed a bad challenge from opposing teams players. However, for some reason unbeknown to me one cannot dare say a bad word about a manager - ridiculous.

Danny Murphy is a good player and he plays football the right way. In addition, when a pundit on TV he articulates his thoughts far better than most so called experts. The fact that he pulled out of his pundit role for the England game in mid-week suggests that he may think twice about appearing as a pundit in the future which would be a great shame.

So Birmingham up next and although I would usually call it a home banker, I think we need to be cautious given our woeful appearance against West Brom a few weeks ago. One thing that does annoy me is the constant Hleb bashing that has been going on in the Arsenal blogs today. As I wrote in this article, he was a superb footballer who was crucial to our counter attacking style that propelled us to the top of the table in 2007/08. The fact that the season after he left for Barcelona was one of our poorest in many years tells its own story. I for one will not boo him tomorrow, he did Arsenal a great service and was one of the most gifted players I have seen in an Arsenal shirt.

Enjoy the game tomorrow.

Tenz

Why it’s time for the FA to make a stance although the Dutch have ulterior motives…

One has to commend the Dutch FA for dropping Nigel De Jong from the squad for their up and coming Euro 2012 qualifiers. It’s very rare for an international manager to come out and openly criticise one of his players for breaking the leg of an opponent but all credit to him for doing that. Many football writers and fans are of the opinion that tackling in modern day football has gone over the top and that it’s now worse than it’s ever been before. I disagree, players could get away with so much more in the 60s, 70s and 80s – I wasn’t born to see the Don Revie Leeds team but from what I’ve heard and seen, they were a team who deliberately went out to harm other players and what’s more they never saw red for doing so. We of course live in different times, every tackle can be seen from a number of different angles and quite rightly scrutinised to a mass audience. That being said, the FA now has to make a stand by retrospectively punishing those who commit dangerous tackles on an opponent regardless of whether the player gets injured or not. Only a few weeks ago, a player was banned for two games by the Spanish FA for a late challenge on Lionel Messi, the incident had been seen by the referee but the authorities decided that it warranted further punishment. The English FA will no doubt trot out the same line that by punishing a player when the referee has seen it will undermine the referees authority - this argument is totally flawed for the simple fact referees have no authority anymore and haven’t done so for a long time. By bringing in retrospective punishments for incidents seen by a referee, I would argue that the authority of the referee and the FA will actually increase with fans and players alike knowing that at least justice will be done after the game. This would therefore hopefully provide a deterrent to those who deliberately go out to harm their opponents (although there is no chance of eradicating this completely). When you have players like Paul Robinson coming out and saying that his tackle on Diaby was fair, then there is clearly a problem which needs addressing at the highest level especially given that we are talking about players livelihoods here. Furthermore, neither Henry or De Jong have come out and apologised to the players they assaulted which is nothing short of disgraceful. Yes players do earn a lot of money but in one silly moment, their career can be over and this is something we don’t want to see – The FA therefore has a responsibility. The old line spouted by Brian Kidd that De Jong is ‘not that type of player’ is insulting to all football fans and just doesn’t wash anymore. We all know that he IS that sort of player and we’ve seen it time and time again from him as we did with Shawcross and Henry.


Moving on, I think the Dutch are being very clever with the whole De Jong incident and I believe it to be mainly an exercise in PR. Following the world cup, Holland were absolutely vilified by the worlds media and by former Dutch greats such as Johan Cruyff for their tactics throughout the whole tournament but especially against Spain in the final. Earning a reputation for being a dirty side is not want the Dutch FA wants, it goes against their footballing legacy and thus I think they realised they needed to act now before it was too late. My guess is that they weren’t too worried about it until now, as if they cared so much why didn’t they drop De Jong for the last round of internationals? His challenge on Xabi Alonso in the World Cup final was infinitely worse than the one on Ben Arfa. To me it’s provided the wake up call to the Dutch who now recognise that they NEED to restore their legacy and reputation with gesture going some way to doing so.


These are just some thoughts… do you agree with me? Let me know what you think…


Tenz

Same old Arsenal

Another game at Stamford Bridge and another defeat, déjà vu was once again in the air. Beaten 2-0, the game was almost a carbon copy of the game last February where we huffed and puffed, dominated possession for most of the 90 minutes but still came away with nothing. That’s not to say that we haven’t progressed since last season, there is no doubt that we are a better team but we just lack that killer instinct in the final third. Considering the players we had missing it’s hard to be too harsh on the lads and sometimes we just have to accept that we were beaten by a better team. I know it’s said time and time again but if Drogba was in our side yesterday then I have no doubt that we would have run out worthy winners.

The first goal was always going to be vital and after two minutes we really should have had it – quite how Koscielny failed to head in from a few yards is beyond me and it was clear in Wenger’s post match interview that this was a source of major frustration to him. We were doing okay for the first thirty minutes, one Drogba chance aside the centre backs were coping well with the Chelsea threat. We were looking dangerous going forward, Arshavin had a few shots well saved and I thought that if we could get to half time without conceding then we would have a chance. The goal was disappointing, Nasri switched off and allowed Cole to get away from him and then Drogba did the inevitable and scored his 13^th goal in 13 games against us. Once that goal went in, it was fairly obvious that Chelsea would sit back, defend solidly and try and catch us on the break. Although we had plenty of possession in the second half, we never really looked like scoring, against an excellent back line; this was where the absence of Fabregas was all too evident. Whether the game would have turned out differently if the little genius was on the pitch is open to debate but the fact is that when we needed that little bit of extra composure and the ability to pick out a final ball, we just simply didn’t have it.

Having thrown JET on for his debut we had to big strikers up front so I was hopeful that we could nick an equaliser but the second goal came shortly after and the game was over. Nasri played a ball straight to Drogba and Koscielny had no choice but to bring him down, at the time I thought it was a sensible decision and worth taking a yellow for. You have to say it was a wonderful free kick from Alex, even though the wall parted like the red sea; I can’t blame them, as if I saw that ball coming towards me the instinct to avoid it would have been far too strong. Whilst the score flattered Chelsea somewhat, the deficiencies in our squad were there for all to see, Arsenal just simply cannot win when we don’t have Fabregas and one wonders what things will be like when he isn’t there permanently.

In goal, apart from one strange attempt to catch a cross, Fabianski played well and looked solid. Basing my judgement on his last two performances I think he should remain in goal when Almunia is fit to return. The centre backs had a difficult day, Squillaci almost gifting Anelka a goal and Koscielny being easily out muscled by Drogba, but on the whole I thought they did okay and they’ll take comfort in the fact that they don’t have to face Chelsea every week. The real plus for me was the performance of Jack Wilshere, as I have said on countless occasions, I prefer to see Jack as the deepest lying midfielder and that’s exactly where he played yesterday. The young lad was composed on the ball and I thought he was our best player; the 18 year old did himself proud especially considering who he was up against. Once again Arshavin went from the sublime to the ridiculous, he gives the ball away so cheaply mainly because he is lazy and has a rather inflated opinion of himself. It’s time for Wenger to flex his muscles and put the Russian on the bench for the next few games and give Rosicky a chance in his place. Chamakh didn’t have a great game but it’s hard when you’re not getting the service but he put in the effort which is the main thing.

So 7 points behind Chelsea already, whilst it’s still early one can’t help but wonder if we are out of the title race already. With our next away game being at Manchester City, it’s crucial that we beat Birmingham after the international break or things could get very worrying indeed.

It’s not all doom and gloom though…at least we don’t support Liverpool!

Is there hope for Sunday?

Our away fixture at Stamford Bridge on Sunday represents a pivotal moment in our development as team and will give us a good indication of what this season will hold for us. Arsenal are coming into the game on the back of a solid win in the Champions League, but a woeful showing against West Brom last Saturday means that six games into the new season we are under serious pressure. The main issue over the last few seasons is that when we have come up against one of our main rivals, we tend to fall drastically short. If one was being optimistic, it would be easy to write off our past failings as being exactly that – in the past. I worry that this is being too hopeful and thus I keep on asking myself just how much of an impact will last seasons results against Chelsea have on our performance on Sunday? Do the players really believe that they can go to Stamford Bridge and win? Unfortunately only the players and the manager can answer these questions and we can merely speculate. What we do know is that in order to win the game, the team will need to display something that we don’t tend to see from them which is giving 100% and fighting for each other in all areas of the pitch.


Once again injuries are playing havoc with our season, although I have a suspicion that Fabregas will play on Sunday, should he not be available then a lot of responsibility could fall on Jack Wilshere. I felt it took a couple of games for Jack to feel comfortable in the first eleven and to get used to playing for a top team rather a run of the mill club like Bolton. There is no doubting that at the age of 18, Wilshere is already a pivotal figure for our club and one that has to start at Chelsea. As I’ve remarked previously, I much prefer to see him play a deeper lying role where he can get on the ball and influence the play with his excellent range of passing. Having Fabregas alongside him will enable Jack to do this and could swing the game in Arsenal’s favour depending on how Song (or Denilson) deals with the powerhouse that is Michael Essien. Perhaps a key area for hope is the injury to Lampard which will keep him out of Sunday’s game; always a prominent figure against us, his absence does remove one of their major goal threats which can only be a positive. Whilst the midfield battle will be crucial in determining the outcome of the game, Chelsea will also look to play the ball over the top and into the channels for Drogba to use his pace and power. Drogba is a goal scoring machine and a truly fantastic player, 12 goals in 12 games against Arsenal tells its own story and he could well be the difference on Sunday. So how can we stop the inevitable? Although I’m not one of Djourou’s biggest fans, I think he has to start the game ahead of Koscielny based on the fact that he is far more capable to deal with Drogba’s physical strength and has experience of this fixture which could be absolutely vital - he was on the winning side in this encounter two seasons ago (although he scored an own goal, he actually played very well). Failure to deal with Drogba will lead to defeat and although I don’t advocate violence on the football pitch, we need to stop him by all means necessary!


In this fixture last season we dominated play but just couldn’t find a way through, I expect a similar sort of pattern to develop this time and thus it’s crucial that the likes of Arshavin and Nasri make the most of the chances that come their way. The importance of Sunday cannot be overestimated; a win would give us an enormous confidence boost going into an important part of the season and give the team the belief that they can mix it with the very best. Although I’m feeling pessimistic about our chances, it’s definitely a game that we can win and a draw would be by no means a bad result in the grand scheme of things. Let’s not forget that we went to the Bridge a couple of seasons ago in a game no one gave us much hope in and won thanks to an RVP double albeit the first goal was about 5 yards offside!




I think the team should line up something like this:

Almunia
Sagna
Djourou
Squillaci
Gibbs
Denilson
Fabregas
Wilshere
Arshavin
Nasri
Chamakh


All we can ask is that they fight for each other and put in a performance to make us proud.


Come on you gunners!


You can also follow me on Twitter

Relief in Belgrade

Arsenal produced a steady performance in Belgrade last night to gain an important win that keeps us top of our Champions League group…

It wasn’t a surprise to see the gaffer ring the changes for this one and he clearly had one eye on the game at Chelsea on the weekend. I was a little disappointed that Nasri started on the bench as he’s been in fine form recently, but it was the right decision. I didn’t think much of the home team and after the first goal we always looked like running out eventual winners. It was interesting to see Wishere in a more advanced role, when he’s been playing with Fabregas he’s been slightly more withdrawn to allow the Spaniard to get forward. I prefer to see Jack playing a more holding role as it gives him a chance to get on the ball and dictate play which he wasn’t able to do playing behind the front man. That being said, he still had a very good game and his contribution to the first goal was sensational – he is clearly a natural talent, you just can’t coach that sort of awareness.

Arshavin put in a good stint last night but will be disappointed with the penalty especially as he’s taken a few for us in the past few years and not missed any. I was also glad to see Gibbs get the nod over Clichy, I think the Frenchman needs a stint out of the team as he’s clearly been underperforming for a couple of seasons. A sign of my increasing nervousness is that I was actually worried when he came on against Tottenham and again last night, the guy is somewhat of a disaster waiting to happen and much like Cole with Sylvinho it’s time to allow Gibbs to cement his place as our regular left back. The penalty aside, I thought Gibbs looked solid and offered more of a threat going forward and what’s more he is clearly hungry to do well for the team. Djourou also came into the side last night and performed okay but I still have serious concerns about him, he was caught out very easily in the first half and still looks a yard off the pace but in all fairness he has missed a year through injury so it’s a case of let’s wait and see before making a final judgement. Once again Chamakh was superb and ran his socks off – he’s fast becoming one of my favourite players. What does frustrate me is people like Paul Merson saying that Arsenal wouldn’t have scored Chamakh’s goal last season which is utter rubbish. This is doing a disservice to the big Dane, as for all his flaws, one thing he is good at is scoring with his head and he scored some vital goals such as a superb header away at Stoke. Chamakh though gives so much more to the team in and outside the penalty area; his work rate is fantastic and fits into our style of play seamlessly.

My major concern from observing Arsenal in the past few weeks is the form of Alex Song, who once again put in a poor performance last night. It seems to me that he’s playing without any discipline whatsoever and his passing has been absolutely woeful. As one of his biggest fans, I am hoping that this is just a temporary blip but I do feel (I can’t believe I’m saying this) that Denilson should start in his place at the Bridge.

And onto the goalkeeper… like most gooners I don’t rate Fabianski and I almost thought it inevitable that he would make a major mistake last night but it’s always nice to be pleasantly surprised! I was genuinely chuffed for him when he saved that penalty and you could see the relief flowing out during his post penalty celebration. Another good save towards the end and hopefully this could be a turning point in his Arsenal career even though I personally think it’s unlikely. If he does have to play at Chelsea then its better that he should go into the game feeling confident and that can only be a good thing for him and the team.

Looking ahead to the weekend and the boss confirmed that Vermaelen will miss the game and that Cesc has a small chance of playing. I have a sneaky suspicion that Fabregas will play, hopefully I’m right!

Tenz

You can also follow me on Twitter

Ritual humiliation

I have to admit that much like Wenger, I was fairly certain that it wasn’t going to be our day after the first five minutes. Straight from the kick off we were sloppy and looked well of the pace, needlessly conceding possession. It was also clear that West Brom were up for it, one has to say that it makes a refreshing change to see a lower league team come to the Emirates and try and play football. Let’s be honest here, they played us off the park for most of the match and fully deserved their victory.

Frustratingly most of the Arsenal blogs are already predicting doom for our season but I think it’s a tad premature to suggest that Arsenal will just be playing for fourth place this season. It’s a typical knee jerk reaction and one without perspective, however I have to admit that there were a few worrying signs that do need to be addressed if we are going to push on this season.

What I find absolutely infuriating is the reaction to Almunia’s mistake from the home fans, cheering sarcastically every time he touched the ball towards the end was shameful and embarrassing. Yes the Spaniard is useless and a number two at best but he was picked by Wenger and we’re stuck with him at least until January and thus denting his confidence even further is not going to do him or Arsenal football club any good. This is just another example of what our fan base has become since we moved to the Emirates; an expectation of perfection 100% of the time is just not realistic. Sometimes you have to go through the bad to appreciate the good, I don’t recall Arsenal fans ever booing the likes of Hillier, Morrow and Selly even though they were three of the worst footballers ever to play for the club and made up our midfield on many occasions in the early 90s. The reason we didn’t boo was because they played for the Arsenal and as true fans we didn’t boo those who wear the red and white.

Back to the game itself, the back four had an absolute shocker and when Gibbs is fit he has to replace Clichy as the left back has become a liability. What I find frustrating is that I’d thought Wenger had got over his playing Eboue in midfield, an excellent right back; he looks lost when he plays in right midfield. Though not Denilson’s biggest fan, I was surprised that he didn’t start with him instead of Diaby as he just didn’t look fit to me and inevitably had an absolute shocker. I understand Wenger’s decision not to start with Wilshere as he is still young and we don’t want to burn him out but the writing was the on the wall early and I felt that he should have been brought on at half time – we looked much better when he finally did make it on to the pitch.

The only player to come out with any real credit was Nasri who I thought was the only player that looked like he really cared, I suppose that’s the most worrying thing really – how can only one player out of 11 care if they lose or not? I still don’t think we should panic – unfortunately it was a VERY off day at the office and these things happen. West Brom played superbly and we happen to put in possibly our worst performance at the Emirates. Such a result is not without precedent for a title winning Arsenal team – I can remember us losing 4-2 at home to Charlton early on in the double winning season of 2001/02 and at one point we were 4-1 down!

So moving onto the Champions League game on Tuesday, the news is that Almunia has an injury and will not play which is alarming as however bad he is, Fabianksi is much worse. Therefore we will need to score a minimum of two tomorrow night to win the game as we all know that Flapianski WILL make a mistake which will lead to a goal. Having lost on the weekend, I think having a game a few days later is a positive as I’m sure the players will want to put in a decent performance and regain some of the credibility they are currently lacking. That being said, I don’t think anyone would be too upset with a draw tomorrow night…

Keep the faith.

Tenz

The new season

Hi gooners!

Firstly I must apologise for not having written anything this season, I have no excuse other than laziness. Sometimes it’s just better to take a step back and let others do the talking. I am going to try and update on a regular basis but I cannot promise that lethargy won’t sink in again and there will be another similar gap before my next post!

The start to the season

Given that we already have as many injuries as we did towards the final weeks of the season, I think we have had a great start to the campaign. The Liverpool game was probably the poorest we’ve played as the boys just couldn’t get going. I was really concerned about our trip to Blackburn but we passed that with flying colours and it was at that point that I started to realise that things just might be different this season. Whilst I’m disappointed that we gave away a last minute goal at Sunderland, there was clearly a new resilience within the side.

I’ve no doubt that we now have the strongest squad we have had since the days of the invincibles. Pivotal to this strength is the three players that Wenger has signed over the summer.

Chamakh:

Having watched Chamakh in every game he has played since arriving at the club, I am convinced he will go on to become an Arsenal great. Whilst I don’t think he will bang in 20 goals a season, what he brings to the team is far greater. What I really like about him is his effort; he gives 100% in every match he plays regardless of the opponent. His hold up play is first rate; he creates space for others, is a real threat in the air and above all he is an intelligent player. When I think back to players like Adebayor who was a good player but clearly didn’t have the intelligence that gives you that little extra in and around the penalty area. I’m of the opinion that Chamakh is the perfect lone front man and thus RVP is going to have to fight to earn back his place in the team or he might have to play as an attacking left midfielder, either way this competition is perfect for the squad.

Koscielny:

Like everyone, I had my doubts about the signing and whether he would be able to cut it at the highest level. Those doubts are beginning to evaporate, especially after his performance at Sunderland and Spurs. His start hasn’t been perfect, the goal we conceded at Blackburn was his mistake but I would put that down to experience as I’m sure the next time he’s faced with that situation he will slide in and put the ball out for a throw. The Bolton goal was also a poorly placed header but these things do happen, even Tony Adams and Sol Campbell had dodgy starts to their Arsenal careers. Having said that, his positional play is excellent and he takes the ball of opposing players with ease. His performance at Spurs in the week was outstanding and I really do think he has a great future with the club.

Squillaci:

Its early days but the guy looks like a great signing and his first two performances have been very assured. When I was watching the Sunderland game I found myself thinking ‘is he on the pitch?’ which is a good thing as far as I’m concerned as he goes about his role quietly and efficiently and can withstand anything that’s thrown at him.

For the first time in a long time, we have three centre backs fighting for two places which can only be a good thing. You may ask why I don’t include Djourou but in my opinion he is a fourth choice type of player, he can do a job 7 or 8 games a season but I would be concerned if he were needed on a consistent basis.

The emergence of Jack Wilshere

To be honest, I was a little surprised that Wenger threw him into the first team at the beginning of the season because on the occasions he has played for us in the past, I didn’t think he’d ever put in a performance to live up to his hype. This season he has been employed in a slightly withdrawn role and he looks the real deal. Jack was poor at Liverpool but has grown in stature, superb against Bolton and Braga and simply sensational at the Lane. I can’t remember Fabregas giving a performance like that when he was 18 (correct me if I’m wrong) but we know that Jack has a long way to go before he can be compared to the great man but there’s no doubt that the signs are promising. We all know that Cesc will probably be heading to Barca next summer but I wouldn’t be too downbeat about it as the prospect of a midfield three of Song, Wilshere and Ramsey doesn’t sound too bad!

There is no doubt that we have a future Arsenal and England great on our hands and clearly Wenger is the best man to nurture his considerable talent.

Prospects for the season

We always start the season well so I’m not reading too much into it, I’d much rather reserve judgement until after we go to Stamford Bridge next week but so far so good.

West Brom at home tomorrow and I fully expect three points, even though we have our fare share of injuries we should still have more than enough to beat them.

That’s all folks, enjoy the game and I’ll post some thoughts on the game either on Sunday or Monday.

Until then…