October has passed with Arsenal quietly making their way into the top four. Unbeaten during the month which started with a 6-2 demolishing of Blackburn, the 3-0 win over Sp*rs is certainly the best way to end it.
However, events in between the two results certainly raise doubts whether we can sustain a meaningful challenge for the Premier League title and also the Champions' League this season. The win over Blackburn is followed by a 3-1 win over Birmingham City while the young Gooners' victory over Liverpool in the Carling Cup precedes the win over the neighbours.
But it is the draws at AZ Alkmaar and West Ham that really put the question mark whether Arsenal could maintain their challenge this season. In both matches, Arsenal are cruising at 1-0 and 2-0 respectively when they fail to deliver the knock-out punch, a goal that would ultimately seal the match on both occasions.
Despite the draws do not really bear any bearing at this stage, it could be detrimental to the Arsenal cause in the long run. Drawing too many matches certainly cost us dear last season and we must avoid the same thing happening again.
November will see us travelling to Moulineux and the Stadium of Lights to face Wolves and Sunderland respectively. On paper these two matches should be just a walk in the park but in football just about anything can happen. Champions League campaign will see AZ and Standard Liege coming to the Emirates and at the end of the month it will be another London 'derby' with Chelsea being the visitors.
Nine Premier League points in November could be a tall order but in order to cement their credentials as genuine title contenders this season, Arsene Wenger's boys and men have no choice but to push for it, and push very hard.
C'mon Arsenal!
...
Monday, 2 November 2009
Monday, 5 October 2009
Half Dozen of Delights.
Arsenal showed their patience and persistence during their Champions League match against Olympiakos by constantly bombarding the Greeks' goal which was well kept by the greying Nikopolidis (A reminder of the state of mad redo1's hair). He was finally beaten by Robin van Persie's goal created by substitute Eduardo. There was a big hint of offside with the second goal scored by Andrei Arshavin but at the moment mad redo1 will take it any which way they come.
Then the visit of Blackburn Rovers on Sunday. It is never easy against Rovers, and Arsenal struggled most of the time when they came up against Sam Allardyces' Bolton Wanderers in the past.
Going a goal down inside four minutes was not what many Gooners had on their mind. Vito Manonne conceded his first Premier League goal as Steven Nzonzi looped over him from a long punt by Paul Robinson. The equaliser which came nearly quarter an hour later was the prelude of how Arsenal will score goals for the rest of the match.
The unlikely topscorer, Thomas Vermaelen tackle gave Arsenal possession and when it fell to skipper Cesc Fabregas, the ball back to the central defender was like serving it on a plate. His left foot drive saw Robinson grasping air and mad redo1 hi-fiving Nina at home.
It was completely opposite the way Blackburn regained the lead though credit must be given to David Dunn who made the extra man as they hit Arsenal on the break. Manonne seemed to have the shot covered but William Gallas's thigh got in the way. The deflection was enough to wrong foot the Italian custodian and mad redo1 found himself not laughing.
This could turn bad for the home side.
Fortunately, Fabregas decided to seize the day. After setting up Vermaelen for the first equaliser, his pass opened up the Blackburn defence for van Persie to equalise for the second time. In a similar move, the Spaniard found Arshavin whose shot gave Arsenal the lead for the first time during the match.
Blackburn had a good case for a penalty when Vermaelen seemed to have brought down Dunn but the referee waved it away and Arsenal just romped away. Fabregas continued trying to create chances for others but he had a go himself just under the hour when the ball fell kindly to him. His half volley left Robinson rooted as the ball went in the top corner.
The Fabregas show did not end there and Arsenal could have blew away Blackburn for double figures. But Robinson performed credibly and the visitors were also let off by some poor finishing by Arsene Wenger's charges. But there was nothing poor about Theo Walcott's finishing as he finished off a breath-taking Arsenal counter attack started by Fabregas in his own penalty area.
His introduction in the 69th minute was Walcott's first competitive appearance this season. Another substitute, Nicklas Bendtner got his name on the scoresheet as well with ten minutes to go when he cut across the field from the left after receiving a long pass from the right. His right foot shot sizzled past Robinson before going in off the post as The Gunners completed the half dozen.
With the kind of momentum they are on now, the international break is certainly not a welcome disturbance. However, it is hoped that it will continue for the visit of Birmingham City in a fortnight.
...
Then the visit of Blackburn Rovers on Sunday. It is never easy against Rovers, and Arsenal struggled most of the time when they came up against Sam Allardyces' Bolton Wanderers in the past.
Going a goal down inside four minutes was not what many Gooners had on their mind. Vito Manonne conceded his first Premier League goal as Steven Nzonzi looped over him from a long punt by Paul Robinson. The equaliser which came nearly quarter an hour later was the prelude of how Arsenal will score goals for the rest of the match.
The unlikely topscorer, Thomas Vermaelen tackle gave Arsenal possession and when it fell to skipper Cesc Fabregas, the ball back to the central defender was like serving it on a plate. His left foot drive saw Robinson grasping air and mad redo1 hi-fiving Nina at home.
It was completely opposite the way Blackburn regained the lead though credit must be given to David Dunn who made the extra man as they hit Arsenal on the break. Manonne seemed to have the shot covered but William Gallas's thigh got in the way. The deflection was enough to wrong foot the Italian custodian and mad redo1 found himself not laughing.
This could turn bad for the home side.
Fortunately, Fabregas decided to seize the day. After setting up Vermaelen for the first equaliser, his pass opened up the Blackburn defence for van Persie to equalise for the second time. In a similar move, the Spaniard found Arshavin whose shot gave Arsenal the lead for the first time during the match.
Blackburn had a good case for a penalty when Vermaelen seemed to have brought down Dunn but the referee waved it away and Arsenal just romped away. Fabregas continued trying to create chances for others but he had a go himself just under the hour when the ball fell kindly to him. His half volley left Robinson rooted as the ball went in the top corner.
The Fabregas show did not end there and Arsenal could have blew away Blackburn for double figures. But Robinson performed credibly and the visitors were also let off by some poor finishing by Arsene Wenger's charges. But there was nothing poor about Theo Walcott's finishing as he finished off a breath-taking Arsenal counter attack started by Fabregas in his own penalty area.
His introduction in the 69th minute was Walcott's first competitive appearance this season. Another substitute, Nicklas Bendtner got his name on the scoresheet as well with ten minutes to go when he cut across the field from the left after receiving a long pass from the right. His right foot shot sizzled past Robinson before going in off the post as The Gunners completed the half dozen.
With the kind of momentum they are on now, the international break is certainly not a welcome disturbance. However, it is hoped that it will continue for the visit of Birmingham City in a fortnight.
...
Sunday, 27 September 2009
Viva Mannone!
Craven Cottage is not an easy place to visit, especially for Arsenal for the past few seasons. Despite getting the required results most of the time from there, it also witnesses heartbreaks when Arsenal fail to reach their level of football. Even though a rarity but Arsenal are also known to grind out results despite not reaching that level.
Last night was one such cases. Fulham 'in-your-face' attitude did not allow Arsenal to really settle down and the trip to South London could have been a disastrous one if not for the heroics of an Italian young goalkeeper, Vito Mannone.
The saves he pulled from the likes of Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora were first class and it kept the hopes up for Arsenal who scored the winner when Robin van Persie's deft first touch enabled him to deliver a quick finish just before Mark Schwarzer could deny the Dutchman. It was skipper Cesc Fabregas's vision and delivery that opened up the stout home defence.
It is still very early to judge Mannone even though the signs are good. I am sure Arsene Wenger will revert to Manuel Almunia once the Spaniard recovers from his illness. But one thing for sure, the competition for the place between the sticks will heat up, though I hope it would not escalate to a 'Lehmanesque' proportion.
Andrei Arshavin had a quiet match though there were a few moments that could have turned the match in his favour. But it was good to see him coming back especially with the Champions League match against Olympiakos coming up on Wednesday morning.
The three points from Craven Cottage are sure sweet but Mannone certainly provided the icing on the cake for me.
Go Gooners!
...
Last night was one such cases. Fulham 'in-your-face' attitude did not allow Arsenal to really settle down and the trip to South London could have been a disastrous one if not for the heroics of an Italian young goalkeeper, Vito Mannone.
The saves he pulled from the likes of Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora were first class and it kept the hopes up for Arsenal who scored the winner when Robin van Persie's deft first touch enabled him to deliver a quick finish just before Mark Schwarzer could deny the Dutchman. It was skipper Cesc Fabregas's vision and delivery that opened up the stout home defence.
It is still very early to judge Mannone even though the signs are good. I am sure Arsene Wenger will revert to Manuel Almunia once the Spaniard recovers from his illness. But one thing for sure, the competition for the place between the sticks will heat up, though I hope it would not escalate to a 'Lehmanesque' proportion.
Andrei Arshavin had a quiet match though there were a few moments that could have turned the match in his favour. But it was good to see him coming back especially with the Champions League match against Olympiakos coming up on Wednesday morning.
The three points from Craven Cottage are sure sweet but Mannone certainly provided the icing on the cake for me.
Go Gooners!
...
Saturday, 19 September 2009
2009-10 So Far...
Seven matches into the new season mad redo1 feels that it is time to write again.
The new season for me does not really look that promising with the lack of major signing by Arsene Wenger. However, there is this quiet confidence that the Gooners would be able to mount serious challenges in every competition they enter.
The departure of the Togolese mercenary is most welcomed though the decision by Kolo Toure to seek better pay up north is not really what I want to see. However the arrival of Belgium international Thomas Vermaelen gives me some re-assurance of an adequate defensive unit to last throughout the season.
15-08-2009 Everton 1 Arsenal 6
It was a dream start. Getting six goals on the road on the first day of the season certainly gave you the shot of confidence that you need. It was a dream start too for Vermaelen who scored with a good header thirty seven minutes into the match.
18-08-2009 Celtic 0 Arsenal 2
It was not an easy trip to Glasgow but in the end lady luck favoured us with a goal scored via William Gallas' bums and another through an own goal by Steve Cladwell. The two goal lead certainly put us in the driving seat for the return.
22-08-2009 Arsenal 4 Portsmouth 1
Gallas continued to score freak goals with another one against Pompey. This time it was his face that did the business. Abou Diaby scored twice and a cool finish by Aaron Ramsey saw Arsenal finding the net for the twelve times in three matches this season.
26-08-2009 Arsenal 3 Celtic 1
The match would be remembered by the Eduardo alleged 'dive' that brought post match action by the UEFA. In the end it was an efficient performance by the Gooners capped by a wonderful goal by Andrei Arshavin though the strike by Italian Massimo Donatti for the Scots was equally impressive.
29-08-2009 Manchester United 2 Arsenal 1
The 'Master Diver' did his stuff again for the Red Devils to earn the penalty that equalised the score after Arshavin's wonderful shot had put the Gooners in the lead at half time. Inept refereeing saw Arsenal were denied a clear penalty when Darren Fletcher brought down the Russian in the box. But it was an Arsenal player who did the most damage. Diaby under no pressure nodded the ball past the stranded Manuel Almunia from a free kick.
12-09-2009 Manchester City 4 Arsenal 2
An additional edge to the match was the first encounter with the Mercenary since he changed his colours to the light blue of Manchester City. It was a see-saw match with the home side opened scoring through a lucky goal when Almunia's back deflected the ball into the net after it has came back off the post.
A wonderful shot by Robin van Persie brought the teams level again but Mercenary decided to do the damage physically on the Dutch striker. Then after bringing the score to 3-1 to his side, he ran the full length of the pitch to celebrate it in front of the travelling Gooners who of course would not let the baiting went unpunished.
16-09-2009 Standard Liege 2 Arsenal 3
Going two goals down inside the first five minutes could be a traumatising experience for anybody. But a strong fightback saw Arsenal winning by the odd goal when Eduardo scored through his knee. It was elation all the way.
Tonight's match against Wigan at the Emirates should be used to regain the momentum which has been lost after the two consecutive defeats in Manchester. Even though Roberto Martinez's side should never be underestimated.
Not at your peril.
...
The new season for me does not really look that promising with the lack of major signing by Arsene Wenger. However, there is this quiet confidence that the Gooners would be able to mount serious challenges in every competition they enter.
The departure of the Togolese mercenary is most welcomed though the decision by Kolo Toure to seek better pay up north is not really what I want to see. However the arrival of Belgium international Thomas Vermaelen gives me some re-assurance of an adequate defensive unit to last throughout the season.
15-08-2009 Everton 1 Arsenal 6
It was a dream start. Getting six goals on the road on the first day of the season certainly gave you the shot of confidence that you need. It was a dream start too for Vermaelen who scored with a good header thirty seven minutes into the match.
18-08-2009 Celtic 0 Arsenal 2
It was not an easy trip to Glasgow but in the end lady luck favoured us with a goal scored via William Gallas' bums and another through an own goal by Steve Cladwell. The two goal lead certainly put us in the driving seat for the return.
22-08-2009 Arsenal 4 Portsmouth 1
Gallas continued to score freak goals with another one against Pompey. This time it was his face that did the business. Abou Diaby scored twice and a cool finish by Aaron Ramsey saw Arsenal finding the net for the twelve times in three matches this season.
26-08-2009 Arsenal 3 Celtic 1
The match would be remembered by the Eduardo alleged 'dive' that brought post match action by the UEFA. In the end it was an efficient performance by the Gooners capped by a wonderful goal by Andrei Arshavin though the strike by Italian Massimo Donatti for the Scots was equally impressive.
29-08-2009 Manchester United 2 Arsenal 1
The 'Master Diver' did his stuff again for the Red Devils to earn the penalty that equalised the score after Arshavin's wonderful shot had put the Gooners in the lead at half time. Inept refereeing saw Arsenal were denied a clear penalty when Darren Fletcher brought down the Russian in the box. But it was an Arsenal player who did the most damage. Diaby under no pressure nodded the ball past the stranded Manuel Almunia from a free kick.
12-09-2009 Manchester City 4 Arsenal 2
An additional edge to the match was the first encounter with the Mercenary since he changed his colours to the light blue of Manchester City. It was a see-saw match with the home side opened scoring through a lucky goal when Almunia's back deflected the ball into the net after it has came back off the post.
A wonderful shot by Robin van Persie brought the teams level again but Mercenary decided to do the damage physically on the Dutch striker. Then after bringing the score to 3-1 to his side, he ran the full length of the pitch to celebrate it in front of the travelling Gooners who of course would not let the baiting went unpunished.
16-09-2009 Standard Liege 2 Arsenal 3
Going two goals down inside the first five minutes could be a traumatising experience for anybody. But a strong fightback saw Arsenal winning by the odd goal when Eduardo scored through his knee. It was elation all the way.
Tonight's match against Wigan at the Emirates should be used to regain the momentum which has been lost after the two consecutive defeats in Manchester. Even though Roberto Martinez's side should never be underestimated.
Not at your peril.
...
Thursday, 1 January 2009
To a More Consistent 2009!
If this blog reflects the performance of the Arsenal team, then I will be responsible for the inconsistent performance of the Gunners in the Premier League this season. So many matches that I have failed either to preview or to review.
In a way it reflects how Arsenal have turned it on in a match and then completely disappeared in the next couple of games. Fortunately, I do not think that has been the case even though there are a number of things that I would do in order to get the lady luck smiling on my beloved Gooners.
The new year begins with us in fifth place, a complete contrast to the previous season when we were at the top seemingly cruising to our first Premier League title since the 'invincibles'. Well, you know how that one turned out.
With a squad younger than last season I was quietly confident that we would be able to emulate our achievement last season and go even better. Unfortunately the early season optimism has all but disappear following the recent last minute 'hara-kiri' at Villa Park against the team that is in direct competition for the last Champions League place next season.
I do not see us lifting the Premier League trophy in May though I really hope we will be able to make it a race all the way. Mathematically we are still in the race but realistically it is a long shot. Arsene Wenger needs everything to be completely aligned and clicked together and on this first day of 2009, I do not see that happening.
But football has this habit of throwing surprises here and there.
I for one would really love to be surprised after the surprises that we suffered at Craven Cottage and also when Hull City made their first trip to the Emirates in September.
C'mon Arsenal!
...
In a way it reflects how Arsenal have turned it on in a match and then completely disappeared in the next couple of games. Fortunately, I do not think that has been the case even though there are a number of things that I would do in order to get the lady luck smiling on my beloved Gooners.
The new year begins with us in fifth place, a complete contrast to the previous season when we were at the top seemingly cruising to our first Premier League title since the 'invincibles'. Well, you know how that one turned out.
With a squad younger than last season I was quietly confident that we would be able to emulate our achievement last season and go even better. Unfortunately the early season optimism has all but disappear following the recent last minute 'hara-kiri' at Villa Park against the team that is in direct competition for the last Champions League place next season.
I do not see us lifting the Premier League trophy in May though I really hope we will be able to make it a race all the way. Mathematically we are still in the race but realistically it is a long shot. Arsene Wenger needs everything to be completely aligned and clicked together and on this first day of 2009, I do not see that happening.
But football has this habit of throwing surprises here and there.
I for one would really love to be surprised after the surprises that we suffered at Craven Cottage and also when Hull City made their first trip to the Emirates in September.
C'mon Arsenal!
...
Sunday, 23 November 2008
A Depressed Gooner, I am
Man City 3 Ireland, Robinho, Sturridge
Arsenal 0
It is not a good title by any mean but the way things are going for Arsenal at the moment, the cloud of depression will be looming for a long, long time just like the monsoon clouds hanging over Kuala Terengganu at the moment.
The news that William Gallas has been stripped off his captaincy was received with a bit of joy but the French defender is not the only reason that we have performed so poorly as the display at the City of Manchester Stadium indicated.
It is like almost every single Arsenal players have gone off form with the names Gael Clichy and Denilson immediately came to mind.
Clichy gifted the goal against Sp*ds, could have headed past Manuel Almunia against Manure, finally completed the task against Aston Villa and last night's comedic tangle with Mikael Silvestre presented Steven Ireland with the opening Man City goal.
Denilson perhaps was asked to do a job that he is not really ready to do, yet but against Man City he was terribly poor, to put it mildly. There were numerous errors that I really wished that Arsene Wenger would take him off midway through the match.
Nicklas Bendtner had another poor game and perhaps Steve McMahon of ESPN-StarSports is right after all when assessing the Big Dane as a terrific Championship player but still not good enough to play in the Premier League.
With big matches coming up against Dynamo Kyiv and Chelsea it is very important for Wenger to get his thoughts right and come up with a good solution to the mess that we are in right now.
Being optimistic, I do feel that we are still within a shout with the rest of the table toppers but things really have to turn around in order to ensure we keep our place in the top four again this season.
Perhaps Arsene should go British again to be at the heart of his midfield and the player who would fit the bill is Aaron Ramsey who made Arsenal looked much livelier when he came on for Gavin Hoyte.
The recently capped Welsh international could be alternated with Jack Wilshere partnering Cesc Fabregas. Both of them showed a lot of quality and perhaps their British hearts could fire things up for Arsenal.
If you really believe in youth, give this suggestion a try, Arsene!
...
Arsenal 0
It is not a good title by any mean but the way things are going for Arsenal at the moment, the cloud of depression will be looming for a long, long time just like the monsoon clouds hanging over Kuala Terengganu at the moment.
The news that William Gallas has been stripped off his captaincy was received with a bit of joy but the French defender is not the only reason that we have performed so poorly as the display at the City of Manchester Stadium indicated.
It is like almost every single Arsenal players have gone off form with the names Gael Clichy and Denilson immediately came to mind.
Clichy gifted the goal against Sp*ds, could have headed past Manuel Almunia against Manure, finally completed the task against Aston Villa and last night's comedic tangle with Mikael Silvestre presented Steven Ireland with the opening Man City goal.
Denilson perhaps was asked to do a job that he is not really ready to do, yet but against Man City he was terribly poor, to put it mildly. There were numerous errors that I really wished that Arsene Wenger would take him off midway through the match.
Nicklas Bendtner had another poor game and perhaps Steve McMahon of ESPN-StarSports is right after all when assessing the Big Dane as a terrific Championship player but still not good enough to play in the Premier League.
With big matches coming up against Dynamo Kyiv and Chelsea it is very important for Wenger to get his thoughts right and come up with a good solution to the mess that we are in right now.
Being optimistic, I do feel that we are still within a shout with the rest of the table toppers but things really have to turn around in order to ensure we keep our place in the top four again this season.
Perhaps Arsene should go British again to be at the heart of his midfield and the player who would fit the bill is Aaron Ramsey who made Arsenal looked much livelier when he came on for Gavin Hoyte.
The recently capped Welsh international could be alternated with Jack Wilshere partnering Cesc Fabregas. Both of them showed a lot of quality and perhaps their British hearts could fire things up for Arsenal.
If you really believe in youth, give this suggestion a try, Arsene!
...
Sunday, 16 November 2008
The Villan in Us.
ARSENAL 0
ASTON VILLA 2 Glichy OG Agbonlahor
I just simply do not know how to call the latest defeat at the Emirates.
Is is a debacle?
Is it a disaster?
Is it a setback?
What?
I would not go as far as calling for Arsene Wenger's resignation but the team he put out against Aston Villa was a different team to the one that won all three points against Manure last week.
Different in the sense of attitude.
Do we really motivate ourselves just against the like of Manure, Liverfool and Chelski? And for other matches, we just simply turn up and all the three points will be in the bag.
Of course the lips say 'NO' but the attitude seems to be saying 'YES'.
So it is not fair to blame Arsene as he puts his trust on his players to continue the momentum from getting back to their winning ways. For me, the players really let us down with the lack of hunger against a more motivated team, especially with former Gunner, Steven Sidwell was very keen to prove his worth after being let go by Arsene earlier.
We could just put the blame on luck as Bacary Sagna was down injured when Villa broke through his side and the referee for not awarding a free-kick after Curtis Davies had taken down Carlos Vela prior to the second goal.
But the truth was the visitors who looked more deserving to go home with all the three points.
And I for one, would like to see how are wee going to get back on track.
Again.
...
ASTON VILLA 2 Glichy OG Agbonlahor
I just simply do not know how to call the latest defeat at the Emirates.
Is is a debacle?
Is it a disaster?
Is it a setback?
What?
I would not go as far as calling for Arsene Wenger's resignation but the team he put out against Aston Villa was a different team to the one that won all three points against Manure last week.
Different in the sense of attitude.
Do we really motivate ourselves just against the like of Manure, Liverfool and Chelski? And for other matches, we just simply turn up and all the three points will be in the bag.
Of course the lips say 'NO' but the attitude seems to be saying 'YES'.
So it is not fair to blame Arsene as he puts his trust on his players to continue the momentum from getting back to their winning ways. For me, the players really let us down with the lack of hunger against a more motivated team, especially with former Gunner, Steven Sidwell was very keen to prove his worth after being let go by Arsene earlier.
We could just put the blame on luck as Bacary Sagna was down injured when Villa broke through his side and the referee for not awarding a free-kick after Curtis Davies had taken down Carlos Vela prior to the second goal.
But the truth was the visitors who looked more deserving to go home with all the three points.
And I for one, would like to see how are wee going to get back on track.
Again.
...
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