Clean Sheet in the North-East

You might feel that Arsene Wenger never really put a serious assault on the League Cup since taking charge of Arsenal. His usual line-ups would consist of squad players and promising youngsters that have excelled in the reserve side.

However he has proven so many times that his belief in the ability of young players at his disposal is not an act of blind faith. The have dispatched quite a number of big name sides in recent years such as Liverpool and Manchester United and a few sides that fielded their strong sides when facing The Gunners in that competition such as WBA and Wigan Athletic.

This morning Carling Cup tie at Newcastle saw Wenger continued playing his young players. Craig Eastmond and Kieran Gibbs continued to feature while Havard Nordveit made it to the bench. But for me the most important player starting the match was goalkeeper Wosciech Szczesny who has been crying out for a chance to prove his worth for Arsenal.

The Polish youngster certainly did not disappoint with a few good saves against a Newcastle side that was not really at their full strength, with Chris Hughton clearly putting his priority to the weekend North-East derby against Sunderland at the same venue.

The emerging Szczesny, whose display during his loan spell at Brentford really showed his potential to become a good goalkeeper; will now make the contest for the spot between the sticks even hotter at The Emirates between him, Lukasz Fabianski and the 'injured' Manuel Almunia. Of course, the three of them will have to content with Vito Mannone once the Italian loan spell at Hull City ends in January.

After a long period of feeling vulnerable with their goalkeepers, Arsenal fans can now breathe a bit easier knowing that Wenger is right after all by sticking with the ones at his disposal. Fabianski certainly growing with confidence during each match he played and he would have to work hard in order not to make any mistake, knowing that his place could be taken by others.

I am very pleased with the developments as I have been a fan of Fabianski since he first came to the club. His erratic displays prior to this season really made me wonder whether he is just a good goalkeeper in a low quality league in Poland or he really is a great goalkeeper in the making. Right now my opinion is of the latter and I really hope that he will keep it up for years to come.


The 4-0 win against Newcastle also marked good return to the side by Theo Walcott and Nicklas Bendtner. The England international brace sandwiching another good strike by Bendtner who has scored twice in as many matches after a similar strike against Manchester City on Sunday.

It was a match with a lot of positives for Wenger and he will be looking forward to Saturday London derby against West Ham United at The Emirates as another potential three points on the board even though matches against The Hammers were never easy.


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Fruitful Trip to Lancashire

At the time of writing mad redo1 has not seen the goals from the Arsenal visit to Blackburn Rovers last night. After the conclusion of Terawih and Witr prayers he immediately took Mortimer to the McD Drive Thru Restaurant where Eezmo has been watching together with returnee GanuGooner, Spalding.

What left on the clock was just minutes and the score was 2-1 in favour of the visitors. Then Arsenal broke on the right and in the end the ball reached Jack Wilshere who only had Paul Robinson to beat. However the teenager's attempt was blocked by the veteran custodian and shortly after the man in the middle blew for full time.

It is good to know Theo Walcott keeps scoring goals for Arsenal and his opener certainly shows his continuous development as a forward which will bode well for Arsenal challenges on all fronts this season. However there must be a bit concern about Laurent Koscielny ability to withhold the physical nature of Premier League after he was shouldered off the ball by El Hadji Diouf en route of the home side equaliser, which was scored by Mame Biram Diouf.

Arsenal defended stoutly for the rest of the match in the face of Blackburn's direct route football and Manuel Almunia performed efficiently despite the uncomfortable nature of the match which saw heavy rain pouring down in Lancashire in the early part of it.

Andrey Arshavin's winner just six minutes into the second half did not kill off the match as the home side tried to force an equaliser. But the resilience showed by the Arsenal team was enough to ensure all three points went The Gunners' way, much to the delight of all Gooners around the world and especially the three at kT's McDonald's Drive Thru Restaurant.

However, there was some concern when Robin van Persie hobbled off with an ankle injury and according to Arsene Wenger the Dutchman will be out for ten days. Van Persie started his first match of the season and so was skipper Cesc Fabregas whose blocked shot led to Arshavin's winner in the second half.

Arsenal fans could be reunited with their former skipper William Gallas as early as September when both North London clubs were paired together in the Third Round of the Carling Cup competition. The match which is slated for 20-09-2010 will be at White Hart Lane. Arsene is expected to field his youngsters while Harry Redknapp will do otherwise, seeing the competition as one where his side could get their hands on a piece of silverware this season.

That will be a fodder for another day. For the time being just enjoy the fruit of labour from the trip to Ewood Park. It is certainly a good birthday gift for mad redo1 who turned 41 on the 19th day of Ramadhan.

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Reunion in the Champions League

Arsenal will be reunited with one of their alumni when the Gunners face Shakhtar Donetsk of the Ukraine in the Champions League Group H campaign. Arsene Wenger's men will also travel to Portugal and face their doppelganger side Sporting Braga who also play in red and white kit. Then another trip to one of the former iron curtain countries to face Serbian side Partizan Belgrade.

Many would say it is a relatively easy group but Arsenal do not have a good record against sides from the former Soviet bloc. In fact they were beaten 3-0 against Donetsk in 2000 before a Martin Keown stoppage time header in the return leg at Highbury secured their trip out of that group. Then another thing to be vary about is former Arsenal players tend to do well against their former club, thus I really hope that would not be the case for Eduardo, who has scored three so far for his new club.

Followings are Arsenal Champions League fixtures:

15-09-2010 SC Braga (h)
28-09-2010 FK Partizan (a)
19-10-2010 Shakhtar Donetsk (h)
03-11-2010 Shakhtar Donetsk (a)
23-11-2010 SC Braga (a)
08-12-2010 FK Partizan (h)

In another development, ESPN-Soccernet reported the completion of Sebastien Squilachi's transfer from Spanish side Sevilla to Arsenal despite no announcement has been made by Arsenal.com. The addition is certainly a welcomed one by many Gooners as the defensive unit looks a bit lightweight after the departure of Sol Campbell, William Gallas, Mickael Silvestre and Phillip Senderos.

The tall French international will add reinforcement with his good reading of the game and man-marking skills even which would make up for his lack in speed even though the pace in the Premier League is a notch higher than it is in La Liga. Thus it will take a while for Squilachi to adapt to his new environment.

Another development in the transfer front is the availability of Newcastle defender Steven Taylor after the player fails to agree terms for a new contract with his hometown club. However, I do not see Arsene making a move for the English defender, especially with his defensive unit is already full with French speaking nationals.

The manager also calls for more protection for goalkeepers during set-pieces, especially corners when opponents have a specialist in obstructing goalkeepers from getting to the ball fairly. This is especially true when facing physical sides such as Bolton Wanderers and this weekend's opponent Blackburn Rovers.

Former custodian Jens Lehmann was the favourite among opponents to use this tactic as the goalkeeper could be easily provoked just by having a player standing in front of him. However current short-stopper Manuel Almunia is more stable in that sense. However after seeing how Stoke City scored against Sp*rs last weekend, Arsene feels more protection is needed against such unfair plays.

The trip to Ewood Park will see the return of midfielder Denilson from injury while Laurent Koscielny who was suspended against Blackpool should take his place alongside Thomas Vermaelen. Thus there would be some changes in the midfield with Alex Song is expected to take the role as the enforcer in front of the back four. If Cesc Fabregas is fit, then the skipper is expected to take his place alongside Tomas Rosicky which will see Jack Wilshere and Abou Diaby dropping to the bench.

With an early kick-off time it will be interesting whether mad redo1 will place his butt in front of the telly or otherwise. Whatever it is, C'mon Gooners!

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Messi-ed Out!

Watching how my beloved Gooners being destroyed single-handedly by Lionel Messi at the Nou Camp should have been a traumatic experience.

After coming back from two goal down to draw the first leg match at the Emirates one could be forgiven for thinking that Arsenal could get a result in Catalonia and progress to the last four of the Champions' League. But seeing the name Messi in the line-up certainly reduced the hopes of the optimistic Arsenal fan as the little Argentine has been in the form of his life.

Nicklas Bendtner's goal got our hopes a bit higher but the air of inevitability hung around and true to the belief, the lead only lasted for a mere three minutes before Messi blasted the ball past Manuel Almunia to level the score. And the way he completed his hat-trick before the break confirmed that I was watching 'The Lionel Messi Show' and despite Arsenal were at the risk of being totally humiliated I did not feel any animosity towards Barcelona.

For I knew that it was a rare occasion was unfolding right in front of my eyes and it was most unfortunate that Arsenal were at the receiving end of a beating by this exceptional player.

So what next for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger? I read that he feels the need to complement his home grown squad with a few more experienced players for next season campaign. It is a piece of news that I receive quite positively and I am sure many Gooners feel the same way.

But for the time being, Arsene has to make do with all the available players at his disposal for the short trip to play the other team in North London. Three points behind the leaders with just five matches to go do not leave much room for error thus Arsene must be hoping that his decisions on Saturday will enable Arsenal to maintain their challenge for the Premier League crown.

Come on Gooners!

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Such Satisfaction!

Arsenal 2 Nasri 2
Manure 1 Da Silva

It was such a satisfaction to get a win after all the less then positive results that we had over the last few weeks, and the satisfaction tripled when the win came against one of the big rivals for the League title, Manure.

It was a nervy start which had me pulling my hair as early as in the third minute when Manuel Almunia continued with his uncertain form of late by catching a back pass from Mikel Silvestre. But the Arsenal goal survived the threat from the indirect free-kick awarded and also a few more anxious moments afterwards as the visitors tried to impose themselves.

However much to their credit, Arsenal players also began to find their feet and Nicklas Bendtner should have done better with the crosses that were played to him. United also rode their luck when a bad punch by Edwin van der Sar landed at the feet of Abou Diaby who could not find an opening along the sea of legs in front of him.

But luck was with Samir Nasri in the 22nd minute when he controlled a header from Dimitar Berbatov from a corner and unleashed a left foot shot which took a slight deflection off the f*ck-face Gary Neville to carry it past van der Sar.

It was such a great satisfaction that he was the one to give us the lead.

But it was a great credit too to Nasri whose technique was superb in executing the shot which was difficult to say the least.

It was a great football match which had all the ingredients to make it a classic, when both teams decided to come out and play football the way it should be played.

Then the second goal came just within minutes from the restart of the second half. Arsenal kept possession with their passing game. The a crucial off the ball run by Theo Walcott took Nemanja Vidic away which gave Nasri the space for him to run to.

Cesc Fabregas saw this and his pass opened the door for Nasri to blast his shot past van der Sar. A typical Arsenal goal which we have not seen for a while.

If people were expecting that Arsenal had learned their lesson and shut up shop, they did not know Arsene Wenger's Arsenal that well. It was true that Manure staged a wonderful fightback to salvage something from that match but Arsenal managed to hold on.

If referee Howard Webb was in a bit more centre position he would have seen the tug on Nasri's shirt in the penalty box by Vidic. But he was viewing the incident from the back and in his eyes it was simply a come together of both players.

Then in the last minute substitute Rafael Da Silva volleyed home past Lukasz Fabianski, who came on for the injured Almunia earlier. It was such a sweet strike that there was nothing the Polish goalkeeper could do and Arsenal were made to sweat it out for the six minutes added time due to the Almunia's injury.

Thank God, there was no repeat of the Sp*ds episode. The Gunners even had the chance to kill off the match but Bendtner who seemed to be a bit off in the last few matches decided to be selfish.

In my view he should have set up either Nasri or Fabregas who were ready with their support. But given the amount of effort he put out, it was understandably that he could not make the right decision.

I fell down on my knees as if I was the one who scored the winning goal upon hearing the final whistle from Howard Webb.

Hopefully we will pick up steam from here and turn our season around.

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Delapped at The Britannia

Stoke City 2 Fuller, Olofawhat?
Arsenal 1 Glichy

As an optimist Arsenal fan I would say the latest defeat at the Brittania Stadium came at a very good time, as it is still early in the season. But this was our third defeat and they all came against sides that were not really up there in 'our league', or so we thought.

But if we cannot beat teams that are from the lower league, then are we ready to compete in our own league then?

As it is, we are still just three points off the pace, a bit of gratitude to the boys in white tonight who clearly benefited from our generosity on Thursday morning (Malaysian time that is). Chelski's mauling of Roy Keane's Sunderland meant they went to the top on better goal difference than Liverpool.

Back to the match against Tony Pulis's Stoke City, we started without the injured (allegedly) William Gallas. Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri and Theo Walcott found themselves on the bench with Nicklas Bendtner, Abou Diaby and Alex Song replacing them in the first eleven.

But watching Arsenal play you could not believe that this is a team who has not won anything since 2005. They lacked the hunger and drive to play the match with a fast tempo, something which I really think was urgently needed in order to get past the ageing Stoke defence.

Then we fell behind when our defensive frailties were exposed again. For the goal I really think Manuel Almunia should have came for the ball as it was travelling right at him, or at least he would have squeezed a foul from the referee with Ricardo Fuller backing into him.

I would have expected that we would show more creativity and pace in search for the equaliser but there was none. Manu Adebayor's body language clearly showed that he did not wish to be there.

Come on! You are a six foot plus striker but did not strike any fear at all to the opposing defenders who are just happy to hassle you into making mistakes with your poor first touch and lately clumsy jumps. The less said about your finishing the better.

I do not think I have ever said this before but seeing Adebayor going off was perhaps my highlight of the match. Last season I was all out defending the Togolese poor finishing, that he would have to have quite a number of chances before finally finding the net. I was proud doing that because Adebayor seemed to give everything he got.

Unfortunately, his transfer episode during the summer has completely turned me against him and I would rather have the millions from Milan or Barcelona than having to see him giving half hearted performance such as the one at Stoke just now.

Credit must be given to Pulis as he maximised the strength that his side has and the home fans deserved to go home with all the three points. It was rather unfortunate that the hunger and drive which was lacking throughout the match from the Arsenal players only came during time added on.

Congratulations to Gael Clichy for scoring his first senior goal with a pinball effort which gave Thomas Sorensen no chance at all. But it came all too little too late.

Arsene Wenger must be counting his woes as Walcott and Sagna went off injured. I really must say that a straight red card for van Persie was rather extreme by Rob Styles and the most the Dutchman should have got was a yellow card.

But as an optimist Arsenal fan, I really believe that there is a silver lining somewhere in the clouds for us Gooners. So just be patient and hope we will see it soon.

Really soon.

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Not A Happy Anniversary for Arsene.

Arsenal 1 McShane OG
Hull City 2 Geovanni Cousin

Many were expecting a cricket score when Hull City came a visiting but I did share that view. Not after a good start made by Phil Brown's men that saw them in the top half of the Premier League table rather than the bottom.

But then again, I did not expect us to lose either.

On the 12th anniversary of a certain Arsene Wenger officially joined Arsenal it should be a week of celebration. Results from previous matches against Bolton Wanderers and Sheffield United indicated the Gunners would be too much for the Tigers to handle.

However, Brown did not spend years under Sam Allardyce at the Reebok Stadium without picking up a thing or two from the big man when it comes to playing Arsenal.

There was a quote from Brown that to come away with anything from the Emirates is to catch Arsenal on an off day. It was certainly that day.

The first half was largely a forgetable affair with neither goalkeeper has to make any serious save at all. Then suddenly everything clicked into one fluid movement with Theo Walcott finally found his groove and a lucky deflection later Arsenal finally broke the deadlock.

A collective sigh of relief by many at the Emirates.

But it was not for long. A moment of magic by Geovanni brought things level again. The Brazillian was allowed too much time and space by the Arsenal players and there was nothing Manuel Almunia could do but grasping thin air as the ball whizzed past him.

A goal of the season candidate for sure.

Things got worse a bit later. Arsenal had conceded two goals from set-pieces this season and tonight they conceded another. The way Daniel Cousin scored his first goal for Hull indicated that we still need a big tall centre-half who could take charge from this kind of situation.

Neither William Gallas nor Kolo Toure could rectify the situation. Clearly, we are still looking for the next Tony Adams.

One thing about the match last night was that many Arsenal players looked like they were fasting. They were lacking the urgency required to match the pressing game that Brown instructed his men to carry out.

I am getting tired of seeing the two Manus, Eboue and Adebayor.

We played quite a number of high balls into the box but with Robin Van Persie being not the best player with the head, it would make more sense if Nicklas Bendtner was given the slot to partner Adebayor up-front.

I would play Walcott on the left and Van Persie on the opposite flank so they could cut inside and the more damage with their right and left feet respectively. A bit predictable but there would be variety and physical presence up-front especially against a team which has this never say die attitude that we were sadly lacking during the match.

Carlos Vela should have been given the nod sooner, especially after we fell behind in order for him to make a meaningful contribution. He was quite unlucky when the ball fell too near to him from the Gallas header.

As always, the question of luck would always come in after a defeat and it is no different this time around.

We simply did not have much of it tonight.

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Another Comeback at the Reebok

Bolton 1 Davies
Arsenal 3 Eboue Bendtner Denilson

Arsenal went to the top of the Premier League with this comeback victory at the Reebok Stadium against what used to be their bogey team, Bolton Wanderers. It was a delight to watch the slick passing of the Gunners overcoming direct football deployed by the home team who relied on dead ball situations to pose problems to the Arsenal defence.

Despite using the direct route for most of the time, there were some moments of flair from Gary Megson's side. Kevin Nolan's long range effort in the 3rd minute ensured Manuel Almunia was on his toes throughout the match.

The visitors created a host of chances but much to the delight of the majority in the crowd, Bolton went ahead in the 14th minute through Kevin Davies who capitalised on some loose marking in the Arsenal defence from a Joey O'Brien's corner. It was a typical Bolton goal against Arsenal.

Then Manu Adebayor and Alex Song hit the post as Arsenal pressed forward for the equaliser. Then Kolo Toure saw his effort went just wide after Nicklas Bendtner had chested down the ball for him.

The Danish striker played a huge part in the equaliser by threading the ball for Manu Eboue to shoot home past Jussi Jaaskelainen. Replays suggested that the Ivorian was offside when the pass was made but this time the decision went Arsenal's way.

Barely a minute later Bendtner got his name on the scoresheet when another sweeping move on the left saw Denilson sprinting clear before delivering a low ball into the box. The tall Dane attacked the near post and managed to connect with the ball and turned it past Jasskelainen.

Toure and Almunia then combined to prevent Bolton from going to the interval on level terms. The Ivorian defender clean tackle robbed the ball from Ricardo Gardner who was poised to pull the trigger inside the box. Then Almunia dived to his left to push away Nolan's effort after the midfielder was set-up by Joey O'Brien.

Then a hard tackle on Gael Clichy by Davies saw the France international being taken off during the interval and Johan Djourou came on for the second half at the right-back spot while Bacary Sagna moved to the left to take Clichy's place.

Song nearly made the contest over in the opening minutes of second half with a good shot from outside the box but Jasskelainen denied the Arsenal midfielder with a good save.

As expected, Bolton would always be a threat with a single goal lead and they came close in finding the equaliser a number of times in the second half. However, Arsenal defended stoutly and when substitute Theo Walcott's pace led to another quick counter-attack Bolton were exposed.

The youngster found Adebayor who ran to the right. The Togolese delivered a hard low ball across the face of the goal and Denilson who came in from the blind side side-footed the ball home to ensure the three points going Arsenal's way.

For the moment, Arsenal are on top and hopefully they would remain there.

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Now For the Real Thing!

It is indeed a hectic by all means. The Malaysia Cup has reached the semi-finals with my local team, Terengganu had to endure a penalty shoot-out against Perlis before coming out on top.

The football season is coming to its end in Malaysia, many are relishing the coming of the Barclays Premier League new season. Arsenal has completed its pre-season programme with fans looking forward to an improved results from last season. But before that, there is the short trip to Eschende to meet Steve McClaren's FC Twente in order to qualify to the lucrative Champions' League.

The current immediate concern of many Arsenal fans is the thin layer of midfielders at our disposal with the departure of Matt Flamini, Alex Hleb and Gilberto Silva. Abou Diaby who was touted as the next Patrick Vieira due to the physical similarities seems to be spending more time on the treatment table and when given the chance on the pitch, failed to grab the opportunity to really establish himself.

Thus, the match in the Netherlands would probably see Cesc Fabregas and Denilson being partnered together. Theo Walcott and Samir Nasri (if he overcomes his injury) would probably provide the thrust from the wings. If the Frenchman does not make it we would probably see Manu Eboue operating on the right though I think Carlos Vela, Jack Wilshere or Armand Traore could be deployed there.

One good thing coming from the Armsterdam Tournament was the performance of Lukasz Fabianski between the sticks. He commanded the box well against Sevilla with several good takes when dealing with crosses. He also reacted well on one to one situations and showed good agility when required. A stiff competition to Manuel Almunia is foreseen here.

With Arsene Wenger prefers to do his dealings behind closed doors it is a bit difficult to guess who are joining the ranks though the addition of Xabi Alonso certainly would see my optimism rises a bit. Hopefully Arsene will find the time soon.

Astro has been a good satellite TV provider with the match at Huddersfield being telecast 'live' here in Malaysia. It is always good to see a good comeback after falling behind. The youngsters certainly showed plenty of character with the winner by Nacer Barazite indicated that the boy is progressing well.

Another good comeback was at the Amsterdam ArenA against host Ajax. Who would have predicted the two Manus would combine so well to score the first one with Eboue finding the head of Adebayor. The Togolese is trying his best to win back the heart of Arsenal supporters and his determination opened the chance for Nicklas Bendtner to equalise.

Then a good one-two with Denilson led to the winner by Adebayor though he would have to improve his rate of conversion in order to climb the charts of legends that have donned the red and white of Arsenal in the past. During the match alone he had me tearing my hair on numerous occassions for failing to do things that are expected of an Arsenal player.

I am hoping that Fabianski will start the match on Wednesday but I believe it will be Almunia and William Gallas to partner Kolo Toure in defence. Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy will provide the support for Walcott and Nasri respectively. Fabregas and Denilson will provide the openings for Adebayor and Robin Van Persie and hopefully we will come back with one foot already in the pot.

Go Gooners!

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