Arsenal had been drawn to play Sheffield United in the Carling Cup Fourth Round at the Bramall Lane.
It is another opportunity for Arsenal to give their youngsters a run-out in a competitive match. Playing at Bramall Lane would not be an easy task with the veciferous support of the locals but it would provide a very good test on the mental strength of the players.
Last night, United lost 2-1 at home to Southampton and dropped into 19th position of the Coca-Cola League Championship table.
The round is expected to be played on 29-10-2007.
The full draw:
Luton v Everton
Portsmouth v Blackburn
Chelsea v Leicester
Sheff Utd v Arsenal
Tottenham v Blackpool
Bolton v Man City
Coventry v West Ham
Liverpool v Cardiff
...
Sunday, 30 September 2007
Premier League - Match #7
West Ham United 0
Arsenal 1 Van Persie
Arsenal maintained their lead at the top of the Barclays Premier League with after fighting hard against a determined West Ham side eager to continue their good start to the season. A 13th minute headed goal by Robin Van Persie was enough to seperate the two sides and gave the Gunners their eighth consecutive win in all competitions.
Manu Adebayor could have given the visitors the lead inside the first minute but he failed to find the target after a brilliant work by Vassiriki Abou Diaby down on the left flank to set him up.
As expected, Dean Ashton and Freddie Ljungberg proved to be a real nuisance for the Arsenal defence. Both of them had chances coming their way in the first ten minutes of the match but failed to breach the Arsenal back-line.
Then a quick counter-attack saw Kolo Toure finding Adebayor free just inside the West Ham area. The Togolese run brought him to the edge of the penalty area and he hold the ball well while waiting for support to arrive.
West Ham players began to regroup inside the penalty area but they failed to pick up Alex Hleb's run. Adebayor found him with a deft flick and despite the attention from Anton Ferdinand sent a wonderful flighted ball into the goal area.
Unlike seasons in the past when this kind of chance would be wasted, Van Persie attacked it with gutso. Aided by the static West Ham defence he diverted the ball towards goal and despite Robert Green managing to get his hand to it, the goalkeeper was beaten by the power of the header.
Hleb did very well on his return match after an injury but a terrible challenge by Mark Noble ended his afternoon. It was late and the England youngster left his knee on the Belarussian, an offence which I thought should have warranted a red card from referee Alan Wiley. But the official only showed the yellow variety and Hleb had to be stretchered off and Manu Eboue came on to replace him.
Robert Green kept the home side in the match with a string of saves, more or less the same like he had done during last season's matches. The former Norwich City goalkeeper denied Van Persie from a free kick and later tipped the Dutchman right foot effort onto the bar after he had side-stepped Danny Gabbidon.
Then Green pushed Adebayor's effort beyond the far post after Van Persie found him with a deft flick at the edge of the penalty area. Gael Clichy and Matthieu Flamini also saw their efforts saved by the goalkeeper who was hoping to win a spot in the England squad to face Russia in October.
West Ham also had their chances but the Ashton could only direct his header towards Manuel Almunia after Lee Bowyer had made a wonderful delivery from the right. The Spanish goalkeeper was beaten by Ljungberg but the Swedish captain's effort was ruled out due to offside.
Another Ashton header from a corner was cleared by Van Persie who had come down to help Arsenal defend a corner. Gilberto Silva came on for Adebayor who seemed to be struggling with a 'dead leg' and his presence helped Arsenal midfield to hold on.
In the end, Arsenal displayed their new found resilient to record their first victory at Upton Park since the year 2000.
...
Arsenal 1 Van Persie
Arsenal maintained their lead at the top of the Barclays Premier League with after fighting hard against a determined West Ham side eager to continue their good start to the season. A 13th minute headed goal by Robin Van Persie was enough to seperate the two sides and gave the Gunners their eighth consecutive win in all competitions.
Manu Adebayor could have given the visitors the lead inside the first minute but he failed to find the target after a brilliant work by Vassiriki Abou Diaby down on the left flank to set him up.
As expected, Dean Ashton and Freddie Ljungberg proved to be a real nuisance for the Arsenal defence. Both of them had chances coming their way in the first ten minutes of the match but failed to breach the Arsenal back-line.
Then a quick counter-attack saw Kolo Toure finding Adebayor free just inside the West Ham area. The Togolese run brought him to the edge of the penalty area and he hold the ball well while waiting for support to arrive.
West Ham players began to regroup inside the penalty area but they failed to pick up Alex Hleb's run. Adebayor found him with a deft flick and despite the attention from Anton Ferdinand sent a wonderful flighted ball into the goal area.
Unlike seasons in the past when this kind of chance would be wasted, Van Persie attacked it with gutso. Aided by the static West Ham defence he diverted the ball towards goal and despite Robert Green managing to get his hand to it, the goalkeeper was beaten by the power of the header.
Hleb did very well on his return match after an injury but a terrible challenge by Mark Noble ended his afternoon. It was late and the England youngster left his knee on the Belarussian, an offence which I thought should have warranted a red card from referee Alan Wiley. But the official only showed the yellow variety and Hleb had to be stretchered off and Manu Eboue came on to replace him.
Robert Green kept the home side in the match with a string of saves, more or less the same like he had done during last season's matches. The former Norwich City goalkeeper denied Van Persie from a free kick and later tipped the Dutchman right foot effort onto the bar after he had side-stepped Danny Gabbidon.
Then Green pushed Adebayor's effort beyond the far post after Van Persie found him with a deft flick at the edge of the penalty area. Gael Clichy and Matthieu Flamini also saw their efforts saved by the goalkeeper who was hoping to win a spot in the England squad to face Russia in October.
West Ham also had their chances but the Ashton could only direct his header towards Manuel Almunia after Lee Bowyer had made a wonderful delivery from the right. The Spanish goalkeeper was beaten by Ljungberg but the Swedish captain's effort was ruled out due to offside.
Another Ashton header from a corner was cleared by Van Persie who had come down to help Arsenal defend a corner. Gilberto Silva came on for Adebayor who seemed to be struggling with a 'dead leg' and his presence helped Arsenal midfield to hold on.
In the end, Arsenal displayed their new found resilient to record their first victory at Upton Park since the year 2000.
...
Saturday, 29 September 2007
Visiting West Ham
The Hammers' position in Barclays Premier League table is an indication that today's trip to West London is not going to be just another walk in the park like the one last week while entertaining the visit of Derby County at the Emirates.
The only side to do the 'double' over us last season, they would certainly display their usual grit and determination which have been their traits over the years. In those two matches last season, West Ham certainly took their chances very well while having a large slice of luck on their side.
Arsenal bombarded the West Ham goal with numerous attempts but could not find a way past Robert Green.
Hopefully, this time around he would be in a more generous mood to us and I am praying for more luck in front of the goals, with our attempts going to the back of the net and their efforts hitting a flying bird while going into the top corner.
Manuel Almunia is expected to be back between the posts and the usual back four of Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy, Kolo Toure and Phillipe Senderos to line up in front of him. Arsene Wenger has expressed his vision for a future role for Gilberto Silva in defence rather than in the middle of the park.
This would serve us well despite the Brazillian's not thoroughly convincing performance during the match against Sp*ds the other day. He has played in the role before and I believe Gilberto would be able to do the job again.
It is better than to wait for the opportunity to play in the central midfield positions which are currently occupied by Cesc Fabregas and Matthieu Flamini. Furthermore there are Denilson, Vassiriki Abou Diaby and Lassana Diarra that Gilberto has to compete with for the spot.
Alex Hleb is expected to start on the right side of the midfield after recovering from his knee injury. With Tomas Rosicky being unavailable and Theo Walcott being rested, the role on the left side of the midfield should have gone to Eduardo Silva but the Croatia international has been ruled out with a groin problem.
Thus, it is most likely that Wenger will start with Abou Diaby in that role again after getting on the scoresheet last week against Derby. I am expecting Manu Adebayor to be partnered by Robin Van Persie though Niklas Bendtner should get a spot on the bench and can be called upon should the situation requires it.
West Ham would be dangerous with in-form striker Dean Ashton, who was revealed as a target for Wenger during his Crewe days; scoring in the last two matches against Newcastle United and Plymouth Argyle.
Both Lee Bowyer and Matthew Etherington have scored two goals each this season from midfield but the real threat would be from Mark Noble with the England youngster looking to regain the kind of form that won him the 2004-05 Young Player of the Year Award.
If featured, former Arsenal favourite Freddie Ljungberg would also provide a threat and the tall Carlton Cole could give Senderos hard times at the back.
Despite the Gunners recording their seventh consecutive win against Newcastle the other day, a trip to Upton Park could be the minefield which could do much damage to their title ambition this season.
Go Gooners!
...
The only side to do the 'double' over us last season, they would certainly display their usual grit and determination which have been their traits over the years. In those two matches last season, West Ham certainly took their chances very well while having a large slice of luck on their side.
Arsenal bombarded the West Ham goal with numerous attempts but could not find a way past Robert Green.
Hopefully, this time around he would be in a more generous mood to us and I am praying for more luck in front of the goals, with our attempts going to the back of the net and their efforts hitting a flying bird while going into the top corner.
Manuel Almunia is expected to be back between the posts and the usual back four of Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy, Kolo Toure and Phillipe Senderos to line up in front of him. Arsene Wenger has expressed his vision for a future role for Gilberto Silva in defence rather than in the middle of the park.
This would serve us well despite the Brazillian's not thoroughly convincing performance during the match against Sp*ds the other day. He has played in the role before and I believe Gilberto would be able to do the job again.
It is better than to wait for the opportunity to play in the central midfield positions which are currently occupied by Cesc Fabregas and Matthieu Flamini. Furthermore there are Denilson, Vassiriki Abou Diaby and Lassana Diarra that Gilberto has to compete with for the spot.
Alex Hleb is expected to start on the right side of the midfield after recovering from his knee injury. With Tomas Rosicky being unavailable and Theo Walcott being rested, the role on the left side of the midfield should have gone to Eduardo Silva but the Croatia international has been ruled out with a groin problem.
Thus, it is most likely that Wenger will start with Abou Diaby in that role again after getting on the scoresheet last week against Derby. I am expecting Manu Adebayor to be partnered by Robin Van Persie though Niklas Bendtner should get a spot on the bench and can be called upon should the situation requires it.
West Ham would be dangerous with in-form striker Dean Ashton, who was revealed as a target for Wenger during his Crewe days; scoring in the last two matches against Newcastle United and Plymouth Argyle.
Both Lee Bowyer and Matthew Etherington have scored two goals each this season from midfield but the real threat would be from Mark Noble with the England youngster looking to regain the kind of form that won him the 2004-05 Young Player of the Year Award.
If featured, former Arsenal favourite Freddie Ljungberg would also provide a threat and the tall Carlton Cole could give Senderos hard times at the back.
Despite the Gunners recording their seventh consecutive win against Newcastle the other day, a trip to Upton Park could be the minefield which could do much damage to their title ambition this season.
Go Gooners!
...
Wednesday, 26 September 2007
Carling Cup - Third Round
Arsenal 2 Bendtner, Denilson
Newcastle United 0
Yup, astro showed the Reading versus Liverpool match instead of the one between Arsenal and Newcastle United. A bit disappointed but the match at the Madjeski Stadium was quite entertaining with six goals were scored. Fernando Torres found the net three time while our old boy John Halls equalised for the home side the second time.
From the report, I was very happy that Lukasz Fabianski finally made his debut for Arsenal and kept a clean sheet too for that matter with several notable saves. Niklas Bendtner's presence certainly made all the difference with a bullet header from an Armand Traore's cross to break the deadlock.
Denilson found the net in the last minute of the match to ensure his young team-mates would have another opportunity to showcase their talent again in the Fourth Round.
Arsene Wenger praised his team and the partnership between Phillipe Senderos and Alex Song in defence which managed to keep out Obafemi Martins and Shola Ameobi. The Nigerian managed to round Fabianski with the score at 1-0 but Senderos was alert enough to divert the ball behind the touchline.
...
Newcastle United 0
Yup, astro showed the Reading versus Liverpool match instead of the one between Arsenal and Newcastle United. A bit disappointed but the match at the Madjeski Stadium was quite entertaining with six goals were scored. Fernando Torres found the net three time while our old boy John Halls equalised for the home side the second time.
From the report, I was very happy that Lukasz Fabianski finally made his debut for Arsenal and kept a clean sheet too for that matter with several notable saves. Niklas Bendtner's presence certainly made all the difference with a bullet header from an Armand Traore's cross to break the deadlock.
Denilson found the net in the last minute of the match to ensure his young team-mates would have another opportunity to showcase their talent again in the Fourth Round.
Arsene Wenger praised his team and the partnership between Phillipe Senderos and Alex Song in defence which managed to keep out Obafemi Martins and Shola Ameobi. The Nigerian managed to round Fabianski with the score at 1-0 but Senderos was alert enough to divert the ball behind the touchline.
...
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
The Magpies are Coming
I was a bit disappointed after checking the astro's programme guide that they would be showing the match between Liverpool and Reading, instead of Arsenal Youngsters entertaining Newcastle United at the Emirates.
The one player that I am really looking forward to see playing is Lukasz Fabianski. The young Polish custodian is yet to make any competitive start for the Gunners so this is his big chance to show what he is capable of.
I am not really sure who would be playing in the centre of defence but against a Newcastle side which would probably lining up their strongest eleven, which means Mark Viduka would be playing; we need somebody who is experienced enough to organize the back four.
Perhaps Arsene Wenger would line-up Kolo Toure along the young Norwegian Harvard Nordveit with Justin Hoyte and Armand Traore filling up at full-backs. Lassana Diarra would certainly get his first start tonight and I believe Denilson would partner him in the middle of the pitch.
Manu Eboue is slated for a maybe by Wenger. His pace on the right would pose problems to the Newcastle defence and if Theo Walcott starts on the left hand side both sides of the attack would have a terrifying pace.
This would see Eduardo and Nick Bendtner up-front being fed with a number of chances, which they should put most of them away in order to enhance their claim for a place in the starting eleven.
Hopefully, there will be a change of schedule by astro and would telecast Arsenal-Newcastle match instead the initial match between Liverpool and Reading.
Go Gooners!!!
...
The one player that I am really looking forward to see playing is Lukasz Fabianski. The young Polish custodian is yet to make any competitive start for the Gunners so this is his big chance to show what he is capable of.
I am not really sure who would be playing in the centre of defence but against a Newcastle side which would probably lining up their strongest eleven, which means Mark Viduka would be playing; we need somebody who is experienced enough to organize the back four.
Perhaps Arsene Wenger would line-up Kolo Toure along the young Norwegian Harvard Nordveit with Justin Hoyte and Armand Traore filling up at full-backs. Lassana Diarra would certainly get his first start tonight and I believe Denilson would partner him in the middle of the pitch.
Manu Eboue is slated for a maybe by Wenger. His pace on the right would pose problems to the Newcastle defence and if Theo Walcott starts on the left hand side both sides of the attack would have a terrifying pace.
This would see Eduardo and Nick Bendtner up-front being fed with a number of chances, which they should put most of them away in order to enhance their claim for a place in the starting eleven.
Hopefully, there will be a change of schedule by astro and would telecast Arsenal-Newcastle match instead the initial match between Liverpool and Reading.
Go Gooners!!!
...
Sunday, 23 September 2007
Premier League - Match #6
Arsenal 5 Abou Diaby, Adebayor 3, Fabregas
Derby County 0
After the scoring the first hat-trick at the Emirates Stadium, the name Manu Adebayor would certainly be the first every time Arsene Wenger penciled his team-sheet. He may have his doubters and missing easy chances certainly did not endear him to the Arsenal fans early on.
However, he worked hard to earn their respect and a calm and cool finish at Old Trafford last year went a long way to increase his credit among the Gunners faithfuls. Yesterday's performance certainly won him more fans. His penalty goal was sandwiched by two great finishes under pressure from the opponents.
Abou Diaby, who looked to be struggling whenever he came on at the left side of midfield, opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a rasping drive into the top corner with Derby goalkeeper, Stephen Bywater completely beaten.
Then Adebayor increased his goal tally for the season with a calm finish after the ever impressive Cesc Fabregas played him through with a wonderful flighted ball. The Togolese had the option to pass to Eduardo who had made a run into a scoring position but the lanky striker was confident enough to finish the move himself.
Last season, the opportunity most probably would have been wasted with an extra pass being played, allowing the defence to re-group.
England youngster, Theo Walcott started for the first time this season and he showed flashes of what he is capable of doing but most of the time became lost with the final ball. As pointed out by Wenger, the youngster should make his mark this season and with a few more starters he should be able to come to the expected level.
Eduardo himself played a big role in the match. His work-rate was good and it was his determination that won the penalty early in the second half. I would have loved Eduardo to take the kick himself but as always, the Arsenal policy is not to give the kick to the fouled player.
Thus Adebayor found the net for the second time with a confident penalty, struck with enough power to beat Bywater who went to the right way.
Then from a patient build-up, Eduardo laid a wonderful ball for Fabregas to blast his seventh goal of the season. It was the Spaniard last kick of the match as Denilson was already on the touch-line to come on for him.
The young Brazillian then found Adebayor with a long pass which the striker controlled with his chest. After shrugging off the attention from Derby defender, Dean Leacock Adebayor maintained his composure to slot the ball past Bywater to endear himself more to the Arsenal fans.
...
Derby County 0
After the scoring the first hat-trick at the Emirates Stadium, the name Manu Adebayor would certainly be the first every time Arsene Wenger penciled his team-sheet. He may have his doubters and missing easy chances certainly did not endear him to the Arsenal fans early on.
However, he worked hard to earn their respect and a calm and cool finish at Old Trafford last year went a long way to increase his credit among the Gunners faithfuls. Yesterday's performance certainly won him more fans. His penalty goal was sandwiched by two great finishes under pressure from the opponents.
Abou Diaby, who looked to be struggling whenever he came on at the left side of midfield, opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a rasping drive into the top corner with Derby goalkeeper, Stephen Bywater completely beaten.
Then Adebayor increased his goal tally for the season with a calm finish after the ever impressive Cesc Fabregas played him through with a wonderful flighted ball. The Togolese had the option to pass to Eduardo who had made a run into a scoring position but the lanky striker was confident enough to finish the move himself.
Last season, the opportunity most probably would have been wasted with an extra pass being played, allowing the defence to re-group.
England youngster, Theo Walcott started for the first time this season and he showed flashes of what he is capable of doing but most of the time became lost with the final ball. As pointed out by Wenger, the youngster should make his mark this season and with a few more starters he should be able to come to the expected level.
Eduardo himself played a big role in the match. His work-rate was good and it was his determination that won the penalty early in the second half. I would have loved Eduardo to take the kick himself but as always, the Arsenal policy is not to give the kick to the fouled player.
Thus Adebayor found the net for the second time with a confident penalty, struck with enough power to beat Bywater who went to the right way.
Then from a patient build-up, Eduardo laid a wonderful ball for Fabregas to blast his seventh goal of the season. It was the Spaniard last kick of the match as Denilson was already on the touch-line to come on for him.
The young Brazillian then found Adebayor with a long pass which the striker controlled with his chest. After shrugging off the attention from Derby defender, Dean Leacock Adebayor maintained his composure to slot the ball past Bywater to endear himself more to the Arsenal fans.
...
Thursday, 20 September 2007
European Champions' League - Matchday #1
Arsenal 3 Fabregas, Van Persie, Eduardo
Sevilla 0
This morning my sahur was shifted 30 minutes earlier than usual and by 5.00 am I already had my butt in front of the tv. I was nervous. Yes, nervous.
Why?
Well, Sevilla is considered by Arsene Wenger as a team potentially to win the Champions League, despite this is their debut season in the tournament. With their coach Juande Ramos sharing the same attacking mentality with Wenger, I was somewhat a bit skeptical with the ability of our defence which did not look at all comfortable in recent weeks despite us chalking up wins.
Their speedy flankers Jesus Navas and Diego Capel should pose problems to Gael Glichy and Bakary Sagna repectively but by the end of the ninety minutes I came to the conclusion that our fullbacks are second to none, really.
The only position that I am concerned is at the centre of defence where Phillipe Senderos did not look all that comfortable against Freddie Kanoute and Luis Fabiano but Kolo Toure as usual did a sterling job in ensuring the sheet was kept clean.
Both teams threw jabs at one another. Navas tested Manuel Almunia with a long range shot but it missed the target. Robin Van Persie forced Andres Palop into action with a rasping shot with his right foot which the former Valencia man flapped behind his goal.
Matthieu Flamini was looking for his first Champions League goal went close but Palop stopped
his shot. The goalkeeper was unable to take it cleanly and Manu Adebayor went for it but the Togolese was deemed to have fouled Palop in the process.
Then came the first goal. It was totally out of the blue. When Alex Hleb fed the ball to Cesc Fabregas, he had a wall of Sevilla players in front of him. But the confidence that he found recently made him try his luck, and it turned out to be a lucky shot indeed. The ball hit Frenchman Julien Escude which wrong-footed Palop and went into the net.
Sevilla were stung into action but they lacked the telling pass that would have given their forwards the opportunity to test Almunia. Then just before the final whistle was blown for the half a floater from the left nearly found Kanoute with Senderos completely at sea.
The second half started on the same tempo but Arsenal were forced to make their first change with Abou Diaby coming on for Tomas Rosicky, who seemed to be limping as he walked into the dressing room.
Then just before the hour, Arsenal was awarded a free-kick after Flamini was brought down by Daniel Alvez. Fabregas floated the ball in and Sagna flicked it across the goal. Van Persie showed good anticipation to connect with the ball, sending it into the roof of the net.
Arsenal were two goals to the good with just half an hour to go.
So far the performance had been clinical and the team helped one another in preventing Sevilla from staging a comeback. Sagna showed why Wenger was willing to splash the cash for him as his positional sense is very good. His clearance from an Alvez cross prevented Sevilla from cashing in on a Senderos's miscued kick.
However, I must state here that the performance of Diaby was not up to the standards in recent matches. He lost easy balls and his touches have been poor. Perhaps, it was the effect from missing two easy goal-scoring chances against Portsmouth and Sp*ds recently. Furthermore, he is not playing in his favourite position.
As I have stated yesterday, I would like to see Eduardo starting the match but Wenger decided to stick with the Van Persie-Adebayor combination. The Croat finally came on for Adebayor with just under ten minutes to go.
But before the substitution, Adebayor had a wonderful chance to put his name on the scoresheet when he connected with a beautiful flighted ball from the impressive Sagna. However, his header was just off target with Palop well beaten.
Deep into injury time, a mistake by a Sevilla defender saw Hleb pouncing on the loose ball. The Belarussian found Fabregas at the edge of the box and the young Spaniard in return found Eduardo had mad a wonderful diagonal run into the box.
The precise ball found the Croatian who had the easiest task of slotting the ball home for his second goal for the Gunners.
The 3-0 scoreline was flattering but did not quite give the true account of what transpired on the pitch. Sevilla would remain a dangerous team and should get their Champions' League season on track against Sparta Pargue in Sevilla while Arsenal travel to Bucharest to meet Steaua.
...
Sevilla 0
This morning my sahur was shifted 30 minutes earlier than usual and by 5.00 am I already had my butt in front of the tv. I was nervous. Yes, nervous.
Why?
Well, Sevilla is considered by Arsene Wenger as a team potentially to win the Champions League, despite this is their debut season in the tournament. With their coach Juande Ramos sharing the same attacking mentality with Wenger, I was somewhat a bit skeptical with the ability of our defence which did not look at all comfortable in recent weeks despite us chalking up wins.
Their speedy flankers Jesus Navas and Diego Capel should pose problems to Gael Glichy and Bakary Sagna repectively but by the end of the ninety minutes I came to the conclusion that our fullbacks are second to none, really.
The only position that I am concerned is at the centre of defence where Phillipe Senderos did not look all that comfortable against Freddie Kanoute and Luis Fabiano but Kolo Toure as usual did a sterling job in ensuring the sheet was kept clean.
Both teams threw jabs at one another. Navas tested Manuel Almunia with a long range shot but it missed the target. Robin Van Persie forced Andres Palop into action with a rasping shot with his right foot which the former Valencia man flapped behind his goal.
Matthieu Flamini was looking for his first Champions League goal went close but Palop stopped
his shot. The goalkeeper was unable to take it cleanly and Manu Adebayor went for it but the Togolese was deemed to have fouled Palop in the process.
Then came the first goal. It was totally out of the blue. When Alex Hleb fed the ball to Cesc Fabregas, he had a wall of Sevilla players in front of him. But the confidence that he found recently made him try his luck, and it turned out to be a lucky shot indeed. The ball hit Frenchman Julien Escude which wrong-footed Palop and went into the net.
Sevilla were stung into action but they lacked the telling pass that would have given their forwards the opportunity to test Almunia. Then just before the final whistle was blown for the half a floater from the left nearly found Kanoute with Senderos completely at sea.
The second half started on the same tempo but Arsenal were forced to make their first change with Abou Diaby coming on for Tomas Rosicky, who seemed to be limping as he walked into the dressing room.
Then just before the hour, Arsenal was awarded a free-kick after Flamini was brought down by Daniel Alvez. Fabregas floated the ball in and Sagna flicked it across the goal. Van Persie showed good anticipation to connect with the ball, sending it into the roof of the net.
Arsenal were two goals to the good with just half an hour to go.
So far the performance had been clinical and the team helped one another in preventing Sevilla from staging a comeback. Sagna showed why Wenger was willing to splash the cash for him as his positional sense is very good. His clearance from an Alvez cross prevented Sevilla from cashing in on a Senderos's miscued kick.
However, I must state here that the performance of Diaby was not up to the standards in recent matches. He lost easy balls and his touches have been poor. Perhaps, it was the effect from missing two easy goal-scoring chances against Portsmouth and Sp*ds recently. Furthermore, he is not playing in his favourite position.
As I have stated yesterday, I would like to see Eduardo starting the match but Wenger decided to stick with the Van Persie-Adebayor combination. The Croat finally came on for Adebayor with just under ten minutes to go.
But before the substitution, Adebayor had a wonderful chance to put his name on the scoresheet when he connected with a beautiful flighted ball from the impressive Sagna. However, his header was just off target with Palop well beaten.
Deep into injury time, a mistake by a Sevilla defender saw Hleb pouncing on the loose ball. The Belarussian found Fabregas at the edge of the box and the young Spaniard in return found Eduardo had mad a wonderful diagonal run into the box.
The precise ball found the Croatian who had the easiest task of slotting the ball home for his second goal for the Gunners.
The 3-0 scoreline was flattering but did not quite give the true account of what transpired on the pitch. Sevilla would remain a dangerous team and should get their Champions' League season on track against Sparta Pargue in Sevilla while Arsenal travel to Bucharest to meet Steaua.
...
Wednesday, 19 September 2007
Beware of the Ex Factor
Arsenal will host Sevilla in their opening match of the new Champions League season. The match will be broadcasted at 5 a.m. Thursday, so I would not catch other 'live' matches as they would have updates about the other matches in progress.
It will coincide nicely with my 'sahur' time.
It is not going to be an easy match for the Gunners. The presence of former Sp*ds player Freddie Kanoute is certainly something to worry about. There has been a trend where former players and former Sp*ds players scoring against us, remember Nayim?
They played in similar style to Arsenal, thus the reason for Sp*ds held behind the back meeting with their coach, Ramon Juande the other week. If Sevilla go home with all three points tonight, the desire to get him over to the Lane will be greater than ever.
I really would like to see Eduardo starting this match, partnering either Manu Adebayor or Robin Van Persie. The Croat is a more clinical finisher and both Adebayor and Van Persie always create chances either by holding up the ball (Manu) or skillful manoeuvres (Robin).
Kanoute has expressed his opinion that to stop Arsenal, Sevilla has to keep Cesc Fabregas under tight wraps, but I believe we possess more quality with creativity not limited to the young Spaniard alone. Both Tomas Rosicky and Alex Hleb could be other creative outlets which were quite evident against Sp*ds on Staurday.
Despite not fully convincing, I prefer Phillipe Senderos partnering Kolo Toure in defence rather than Gilberto Silva. Both Senderos and and Gilberto are not great with pace and could be troubled by the pace of the Sevilla forwards but the Brazillian's jet-lag seemed to affect his game on Saturday. Thus a nice rest would bring the best out of the veteran.
Manuel Almunia should start in goal though I wish there will be a chance soon for Lukasz Fabianski. Perhaps the Carling Cup tie against Newcastle later this month will see him in action for first time in a competitive match for Arsenal.
I am really hoping for a good start and a good match.
Go Gooners!!!
My line-up for tonight:
Almunia; Sagna, Glichy, Toure, Senderos; Fabregas, Flamini, Hleb, Rosicky, Eduardo, Van Persie
...
It will coincide nicely with my 'sahur' time.
It is not going to be an easy match for the Gunners. The presence of former Sp*ds player Freddie Kanoute is certainly something to worry about. There has been a trend where former players and former Sp*ds players scoring against us, remember Nayim?
They played in similar style to Arsenal, thus the reason for Sp*ds held behind the back meeting with their coach, Ramon Juande the other week. If Sevilla go home with all three points tonight, the desire to get him over to the Lane will be greater than ever.
I really would like to see Eduardo starting this match, partnering either Manu Adebayor or Robin Van Persie. The Croat is a more clinical finisher and both Adebayor and Van Persie always create chances either by holding up the ball (Manu) or skillful manoeuvres (Robin).
Kanoute has expressed his opinion that to stop Arsenal, Sevilla has to keep Cesc Fabregas under tight wraps, but I believe we possess more quality with creativity not limited to the young Spaniard alone. Both Tomas Rosicky and Alex Hleb could be other creative outlets which were quite evident against Sp*ds on Staurday.
Despite not fully convincing, I prefer Phillipe Senderos partnering Kolo Toure in defence rather than Gilberto Silva. Both Senderos and and Gilberto are not great with pace and could be troubled by the pace of the Sevilla forwards but the Brazillian's jet-lag seemed to affect his game on Saturday. Thus a nice rest would bring the best out of the veteran.
Manuel Almunia should start in goal though I wish there will be a chance soon for Lukasz Fabianski. Perhaps the Carling Cup tie against Newcastle later this month will see him in action for first time in a competitive match for Arsenal.
I am really hoping for a good start and a good match.
Go Gooners!!!
My line-up for tonight:
Almunia; Sagna, Glichy, Toure, Senderos; Fabregas, Flamini, Hleb, Rosicky, Eduardo, Van Persie
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Monday, 17 September 2007
Great North London Teams
This is something that I found in the Telegraph newspaper:
"To paraphrase Bill Shankly. People forget there are two great teams in North London....Arsenal and Arsenal Reserves."
Simply hilarious!
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"To paraphrase Bill Shankly. People forget there are two great teams in North London....Arsenal and Arsenal Reserves."
Simply hilarious!
...
Sunday, 16 September 2007
Premier League - Match #5
Tottenham 1 Bale
Arsenal 3 Adebayor 2, Fabregas
Due to Ramadhan commitment I missed almost the entire first half. When I put my bums onto the seat it read 'TOTT 1 ARSL 0'. I whispered softly "Here we go again".
Last season we trailed by a goal, then fought back and led 2-1 deep into injury time. As I was about to celebrate the three points won, Jermaine Jenas long range effort crept inside the post which totally took the wind off my celebration sail-boat.
It was not often I would say this in regards of a Sp*ds player, but Gareth Bale certainly looked like a very exciting prospect. The manner his free-kick beat the wall and crept past Manuel Almunia showed a huge talent on dead ball situations for someone who is still 18 years old.
From the highlights shown during the interval, it was normal service for the Gunners as we came close with Manu Adebayor and Alex Hleb forcing Paul Robinson into making good saves while Abou Diaby continued where he left off against Portsmouth a fortnight ago, failing to convert clear chance into goals.
When the second half started, Arsenal continued to press forward in search for the equaliser. However, I had my heart at my mouth when Gilberto Silva was caught napping and Dimitar Berbatov raced through towards goal.
Almunia rushed from his line but the Bulgarian evaded his challenge easily and should have made the score 2-0 to the home side. But skipper Kolo Toure did a brilliant covering job and his tackle took the ball away from danger.
Robin Van Persie had a quiet match but it was Adebayor who I was so incensed with when he skied a perfect cut-back by Bakary Sagna with the goal at his mercy.
I was screaming for Arsene Wenger to take him off so that Eduardo could continue his rich goalscoring form, after netting three goals for Croatia during the Euro2008 qualifying matches against Estonia and Andorra.
Much to my surprise and dismay when I found out later that the Croat did not even make it to the bench.
Then in the 65th minute I screamed with joy when Adebayor's head reached the ball first before Robinson to put Arsenal level from a Cesc Fabregas free-kick. Despite his heroics all afternoon, Robinson should take the blame for not getting to the ball before the Togolese.
Almunia made a big save from Robbie Keane who tried to make the most from Matthieu Flamini 's error. The Frenchman miscued the ball towards his own goal after trying to take it off a Sp*ds' player.
Then from a corner, Gael Glichy made a superb on the goal-line stop with his chest from a Berbatov's effort. The Bulgarian got to the rebound first but saw his header went over the bar. Claimed for hand-ball were waved away by Mark Clattenburg.
Then ten minutes from time Fabregas had me screaming again. It was like a dream seeing the ball moving so slowly after leaving the Spaniard's boot. I remembered thinking "Dammnn... Robinson going to get it..." before watching the net bulged.
I screamed and screamed... it was such a superb goal. From the replay I saw that I was right; Robinson did get to it but was beaten by sheer speed and power from Fabregas's shot.
It was a bit deja-vu from then on.
Darren Bent came on and should have equalised with his first touch but the former Charlton striker failed to connect properly with the long ball from midfield. Then another opportunity came his way moments later but with only Almunia to beat he fluffed his shot wide, much to the disappointment of those wearing white today.
As if trying to silence his critics, Adebayor volleyed home the third goal deep into injury time after receiving another wonderful pass from Fabregas. He showed composure by flicking the ball upward and meeting it with a volley that gave Robinson no chance at all.
It was similar to what happened last season, the match produced a fourth goal deep into injury time, but this time for Gooners all over the world, it went into the right goal.
We are top of the league!!!
...
Arsenal 3 Adebayor 2, Fabregas
Due to Ramadhan commitment I missed almost the entire first half. When I put my bums onto the seat it read 'TOTT 1 ARSL 0'. I whispered softly "Here we go again".
Last season we trailed by a goal, then fought back and led 2-1 deep into injury time. As I was about to celebrate the three points won, Jermaine Jenas long range effort crept inside the post which totally took the wind off my celebration sail-boat.
It was not often I would say this in regards of a Sp*ds player, but Gareth Bale certainly looked like a very exciting prospect. The manner his free-kick beat the wall and crept past Manuel Almunia showed a huge talent on dead ball situations for someone who is still 18 years old.
From the highlights shown during the interval, it was normal service for the Gunners as we came close with Manu Adebayor and Alex Hleb forcing Paul Robinson into making good saves while Abou Diaby continued where he left off against Portsmouth a fortnight ago, failing to convert clear chance into goals.
When the second half started, Arsenal continued to press forward in search for the equaliser. However, I had my heart at my mouth when Gilberto Silva was caught napping and Dimitar Berbatov raced through towards goal.
Almunia rushed from his line but the Bulgarian evaded his challenge easily and should have made the score 2-0 to the home side. But skipper Kolo Toure did a brilliant covering job and his tackle took the ball away from danger.
Robin Van Persie had a quiet match but it was Adebayor who I was so incensed with when he skied a perfect cut-back by Bakary Sagna with the goal at his mercy.
I was screaming for Arsene Wenger to take him off so that Eduardo could continue his rich goalscoring form, after netting three goals for Croatia during the Euro2008 qualifying matches against Estonia and Andorra.
Much to my surprise and dismay when I found out later that the Croat did not even make it to the bench.
Then in the 65th minute I screamed with joy when Adebayor's head reached the ball first before Robinson to put Arsenal level from a Cesc Fabregas free-kick. Despite his heroics all afternoon, Robinson should take the blame for not getting to the ball before the Togolese.
Almunia made a big save from Robbie Keane who tried to make the most from Matthieu Flamini 's error. The Frenchman miscued the ball towards his own goal after trying to take it off a Sp*ds' player.
Then from a corner, Gael Glichy made a superb on the goal-line stop with his chest from a Berbatov's effort. The Bulgarian got to the rebound first but saw his header went over the bar. Claimed for hand-ball were waved away by Mark Clattenburg.
Then ten minutes from time Fabregas had me screaming again. It was like a dream seeing the ball moving so slowly after leaving the Spaniard's boot. I remembered thinking "Dammnn... Robinson going to get it..." before watching the net bulged.
I screamed and screamed... it was such a superb goal. From the replay I saw that I was right; Robinson did get to it but was beaten by sheer speed and power from Fabregas's shot.
It was a bit deja-vu from then on.
Darren Bent came on and should have equalised with his first touch but the former Charlton striker failed to connect properly with the long ball from midfield. Then another opportunity came his way moments later but with only Almunia to beat he fluffed his shot wide, much to the disappointment of those wearing white today.
As if trying to silence his critics, Adebayor volleyed home the third goal deep into injury time after receiving another wonderful pass from Fabregas. He showed composure by flicking the ball upward and meeting it with a volley that gave Robinson no chance at all.
It was similar to what happened last season, the match produced a fourth goal deep into injury time, but this time for Gooners all over the world, it went into the right goal.
We are top of the league!!!
...
Saturday, 15 September 2007
Trip To The Lane
It is so early in the season, but the time for the trip to White Hart Lane has already arrived. Despite their bad start to the season, a match at the Lane would never go according to the form book.
There is a potential of a slip-up but I am hoping the eleven players lining up in the red and white shirt would be able to do their job and come back to the Emirates with all three points.
According to Arsene Wenger, Manuel Almunia will continue in goal despite Jens Lehmann turning out for Germany against Wales last week. The Frenchman stated this is due to an injury to the German's elbow.
So far Almunia has performed well and his temperament is perhaps better suited to this match compared to Lehmann who could easily been provoked by opposing players. The Sp*ds would send Robbie Keane to do the provocations and most of the time Lehmann would fall for it.
The centre of the defence also needed a bit of tweaking with the suspension of Phillipe Senderos and the injury to William Gallas. The best candidate to partner Kolo Toure would be Gilberto Silva, even though Wenger stated that he has Alex Song and Justin Hoyte on stand-by should the Brazillian is unable to play.
There seems to be no problem in the middle of the pitch and it is expected that Cesc Fabregas to orchestrate play from the middle of the pitch. I managed to catch the Czech Republic versus Republic of Ireland match and was impressed thoroughly with Tomas Rosicky's performance.
He always give his team-mates an outlet to pass and his skills certainly opened up the Irish defence most of the time. Rosicky also tracks back to help out the defence. He seems lightweight in appearance but then again he uses his brain rather than brawn to stop opponents from getting past him.
There was talks about Lassana Diarra making his Arsenal debut at the Lane but I prefer Abou Diaby for the defensive midfielder role. His height is certainly important in defence, especially with the aerial threat of Dimitar Berbatov.
With Robin Van Persie still showing he is the better striker for the Gunners at the moment, I really would like to see Eduardo starting the match this time around. He scored three goals during his international duty for Croatia and for me his pace, positional sense and fighting spirit just edge him ahead of Manu Adebayor.
Go Gooners!!!
...
There is a potential of a slip-up but I am hoping the eleven players lining up in the red and white shirt would be able to do their job and come back to the Emirates with all three points.
According to Arsene Wenger, Manuel Almunia will continue in goal despite Jens Lehmann turning out for Germany against Wales last week. The Frenchman stated this is due to an injury to the German's elbow.
So far Almunia has performed well and his temperament is perhaps better suited to this match compared to Lehmann who could easily been provoked by opposing players. The Sp*ds would send Robbie Keane to do the provocations and most of the time Lehmann would fall for it.
The centre of the defence also needed a bit of tweaking with the suspension of Phillipe Senderos and the injury to William Gallas. The best candidate to partner Kolo Toure would be Gilberto Silva, even though Wenger stated that he has Alex Song and Justin Hoyte on stand-by should the Brazillian is unable to play.
There seems to be no problem in the middle of the pitch and it is expected that Cesc Fabregas to orchestrate play from the middle of the pitch. I managed to catch the Czech Republic versus Republic of Ireland match and was impressed thoroughly with Tomas Rosicky's performance.
He always give his team-mates an outlet to pass and his skills certainly opened up the Irish defence most of the time. Rosicky also tracks back to help out the defence. He seems lightweight in appearance but then again he uses his brain rather than brawn to stop opponents from getting past him.
There was talks about Lassana Diarra making his Arsenal debut at the Lane but I prefer Abou Diaby for the defensive midfielder role. His height is certainly important in defence, especially with the aerial threat of Dimitar Berbatov.
With Robin Van Persie still showing he is the better striker for the Gunners at the moment, I really would like to see Eduardo starting the match this time around. He scored three goals during his international duty for Croatia and for me his pace, positional sense and fighting spirit just edge him ahead of Manu Adebayor.
Go Gooners!!!
...
Friday, 7 September 2007
Arsene Signs!
It was widely expected by many Arsenal fans that Arsene Wenger would sign a new contract with the Gunners.
Who is in the right frame of mind would walk away from a job that he loves and with the amount of control that he has over the team and in general, the direction of the club, football wise that is.
The new contract which will end in 2011 will make the Frenchman the longest serving manager if he sees it out, eclipsing George Allison record who was in charge from 1934 to 1947 after taking over from the great Herbert Chapman.
He was quoted from Arsenal.com as saying:
“My heart is tied to this football club so signing a new deal was always my intention. Arsenal is the club of my life. I have been entrusted with complete freedom to implement and execute my plans on what will make the team successful and that means I have a responsibility to the fans to deliver silverware and also a responsibility to the players to help turn our potential into prizes. This Club has deep-seated roots and a tremendous heritage and it is my aim to uphold these important values and help create new history for future generations to recount.”
It was a piece of news that I have been waiting for since the new season started. Despite knowing that Arsene is a man of his word, it is much, much better to have it done officially in black and white.
...
Who is in the right frame of mind would walk away from a job that he loves and with the amount of control that he has over the team and in general, the direction of the club, football wise that is.
The new contract which will end in 2011 will make the Frenchman the longest serving manager if he sees it out, eclipsing George Allison record who was in charge from 1934 to 1947 after taking over from the great Herbert Chapman.
He was quoted from Arsenal.com as saying:
“My heart is tied to this football club so signing a new deal was always my intention. Arsenal is the club of my life. I have been entrusted with complete freedom to implement and execute my plans on what will make the team successful and that means I have a responsibility to the fans to deliver silverware and also a responsibility to the players to help turn our potential into prizes. This Club has deep-seated roots and a tremendous heritage and it is my aim to uphold these important values and help create new history for future generations to recount.”
It was a piece of news that I have been waiting for since the new season started. Despite knowing that Arsene is a man of his word, it is much, much better to have it done officially in black and white.
...
Thursday, 6 September 2007
Bergkamp Voted into Halls of Fame
From Arsenal.com it has been reported that former Arsenal star Dennis Bergkamp has been voted into the National Football Museum Hall of Fame 2007 by viewers of BBC Football Focus.
For the first time, supporters were given the chance to select one player to receive this prestigious honour from a shortlist of six. Bergkamp was chosen ahead of Sir Trevor Brooking, Ray Clemence, Paul Scholes, Len Shackleton and Ray Wilson, becoming the first Dutchman to be voted in.
Bergkamp scored 120 goals in 423 games for Arsenal, helping the Club to seven major honours, including two Premier League and FA Cup doubles. He joins fellow Arsenal legends Alex James, Tony Adams, Liam Brady and Ian Wright in the Hall of Fame.
...
Eduardo and Rosicky to Score More Goals
With the international break is on and the transfer window has been shut until January, there is not much to talk about. However, Arsene Wenger himself has been reported on Arsenal.com he is expecting striker Eduardo to explode for the Gunners.
The Brazil born Croatian started his career with Dinamo Zagreb and the Croatian national team on a slow note before starting to find the net more frequently after a number of matches.
Eduardo for me is more a fighter than Thierry Henry who would pull out from any physical confrontation most of the time, even though our former captain did score a number of goals after out-muscling defenders, he would opt for the more finesse way of doing it.
Whereas, Eduardo seems to enjoy getting his foot stuck in and despite his size could easily put a bigger player than him under pressure.
Tomas Rosicky meanwhile has pledged to score more goals this season after he together with Cesc Fabregas and Alex Hleb agreed to a friendly 'wager' of who would score more goals among the three of them.
So far, the Spanish youngster has found the net four times while Rosicky and Hleb has scored two each in all competitions. The pledge could only benefit Arsenal who need everybody to start finding the net on a regular basis after the departure of Henry to Catalonia.
...
The Brazil born Croatian started his career with Dinamo Zagreb and the Croatian national team on a slow note before starting to find the net more frequently after a number of matches.
Eduardo for me is more a fighter than Thierry Henry who would pull out from any physical confrontation most of the time, even though our former captain did score a number of goals after out-muscling defenders, he would opt for the more finesse way of doing it.
Whereas, Eduardo seems to enjoy getting his foot stuck in and despite his size could easily put a bigger player than him under pressure.
Tomas Rosicky meanwhile has pledged to score more goals this season after he together with Cesc Fabregas and Alex Hleb agreed to a friendly 'wager' of who would score more goals among the three of them.
So far, the Spanish youngster has found the net four times while Rosicky and Hleb has scored two each in all competitions. The pledge could only benefit Arsenal who need everybody to start finding the net on a regular basis after the departure of Henry to Catalonia.
...
Monday, 3 September 2007
Premier League - Match #4
Arsenal 3 Adebayor (penalty), Fabregas, Rosicky
Portsmouth 1 Kanu
Former Gunner Nwankwo Kanu returned to play and scored against his old club with a 'pinball' shot. But by then his current side Portsmouth were already trailing by three goals courtesy of Manu Adebayor's penalty, Cesc Fabregas's close range strike and Tomas Rosicky opportunist goal from a quickly taken free kick.
Last season, Pompey came away with a point after letting a two goal lead slipped away. This time around there was no evidence to suggest that they are going to repeat such a feat.
Perhaps, most sides now would come to the Emirates with a plan to score an early goal and let Arsenal come at them. Portsmouth certainly looked to follow the same plan but as the match progressed it was clear the home side was not in a charitable mood.
The Gunners dominated possession and when they did not have the ball quickly put opposing players under pressure. It was such such pressure from the impressive Gael Clichy that led to the first goal.
He forced a mistake from a Pompey player and Robin Van Persie capitalised. He won the race to the ball against David James who in turn brought the Dutchman down in the box. Referee Mark Halsey did not hesitate to award the spot kick to Arsenal.
Adebayor stepped up and sent James the wrong way as he drove the ball hard and low to his right. 1-0 to the Arsenal.
Then the score became 2-0 in the 35th minutes when Gilberto Silva's header found Fabregas just a metre from goal. Despite the close attention from Sean Davis, the young Spaniard managed to turn and slot the ball home.
Central defender Phillipe Senderos nearly made it 3-0 with a header three minutes into the second half. How he must have rued his fortune when a minute later he was at the other end being dismissed by Halsey after he brought down Kanu as the Nigerian was having a go at Arsenal's goal.
The dismissal for me was a bit harsh as I believe that Kolo Toure was closing in as well thus not making the Swiss defender the last man.
But Arsenal seemed to thrive when they seemed to be in a crisis. True enough, they kept the pressure on Portsmouth. A foul on Clichy led to a free-kick which was quickly taken by Fabregas.
Rosicky took full advantage of the visitor's defence which went to sleep and drilled home the ball, nutmegging Glen Johnson along the way.
The celebration was a short one as Kanu pulled one back almost immediately with a goal he did not know much about. I some sort of expecting the Pompey to mount a more sustained pressure after this but Arsenal possessed too much quality to see this one out despite playing with just ten players.
...
Portsmouth 1 Kanu
Former Gunner Nwankwo Kanu returned to play and scored against his old club with a 'pinball' shot. But by then his current side Portsmouth were already trailing by three goals courtesy of Manu Adebayor's penalty, Cesc Fabregas's close range strike and Tomas Rosicky opportunist goal from a quickly taken free kick.
Last season, Pompey came away with a point after letting a two goal lead slipped away. This time around there was no evidence to suggest that they are going to repeat such a feat.
Perhaps, most sides now would come to the Emirates with a plan to score an early goal and let Arsenal come at them. Portsmouth certainly looked to follow the same plan but as the match progressed it was clear the home side was not in a charitable mood.
The Gunners dominated possession and when they did not have the ball quickly put opposing players under pressure. It was such such pressure from the impressive Gael Clichy that led to the first goal.
He forced a mistake from a Pompey player and Robin Van Persie capitalised. He won the race to the ball against David James who in turn brought the Dutchman down in the box. Referee Mark Halsey did not hesitate to award the spot kick to Arsenal.
Adebayor stepped up and sent James the wrong way as he drove the ball hard and low to his right. 1-0 to the Arsenal.
Then the score became 2-0 in the 35th minutes when Gilberto Silva's header found Fabregas just a metre from goal. Despite the close attention from Sean Davis, the young Spaniard managed to turn and slot the ball home.
Central defender Phillipe Senderos nearly made it 3-0 with a header three minutes into the second half. How he must have rued his fortune when a minute later he was at the other end being dismissed by Halsey after he brought down Kanu as the Nigerian was having a go at Arsenal's goal.
The dismissal for me was a bit harsh as I believe that Kolo Toure was closing in as well thus not making the Swiss defender the last man.
But Arsenal seemed to thrive when they seemed to be in a crisis. True enough, they kept the pressure on Portsmouth. A foul on Clichy led to a free-kick which was quickly taken by Fabregas.
Rosicky took full advantage of the visitor's defence which went to sleep and drilled home the ball, nutmegging Glen Johnson along the way.
The celebration was a short one as Kanu pulled one back almost immediately with a goal he did not know much about. I some sort of expecting the Pompey to mount a more sustained pressure after this but Arsenal possessed too much quality to see this one out despite playing with just ten players.
...
Saturday, 1 September 2007
Welcome Lassana Diarra
What a pleasant surprise this morning when the pages of Arsenal.com finished uploading the first thing that caught my attention was Arsenal had signed Lassana Diarra from chelski. I for one did not have an inkling that Arsene Wenger was after this player at all.
He played against us in the Carling Cup Final and now is looking forward to adding more winning medals with us.
One thing for sure is he is a versatile player who could play anywhere in midfield and is comfortable on the right side of the defence, a typical Wenger player.
Hopefully, his addition to the squad would give us the strength in the depth especially with the season still in its infancy.
...
He played against us in the Carling Cup Final and now is looking forward to adding more winning medals with us.
One thing for sure is he is a versatile player who could play anywhere in midfield and is comfortable on the right side of the defence, a typical Wenger player.
Hopefully, his addition to the squad would give us the strength in the depth especially with the season still in its infancy.
...
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