Arsenal v. West Brom 2-0 22/Sep/09

Jack Wilshere suffering from the abuse by the opposition.
[Photo: Tony Marshall/EMPICS Sport through Guardian]



The young Arsenal squad began its latest endeavour with a home win against West Bromwich Albion in the context of the Carling Cup. While previous encounters with the Baggies proved favourable and light-hearted for the London team this ones was one of those games of 'two halves'. Although the young Gunners battled through the first fifty minutes to score, the sent-off of Thomas and West Brom's forwards misses gave the home side an extra edge to finish their aspirations.
One of the delightful events of the evening was the inclusion of several players of the last FA Youth Cup Final. The progress these youngsters have had over the last few months could be evaluated by the Gunners' faithful.




[Photo: Mirror Football]



Two headers from Senderos in the first five minutes gave tone of the encounter. As the Gunners dominated throughout the first fifteen minutes, there was a sense that there was no real threat by the Baggies. The latter argument was proven by the number of times Ramsey and Wilshere touched the ball. Where Wilshere nearly opened the score, Cox curled the ball just to Szczesny's hands. Silvestre's defence confirmed the previous argument wrong, and in the next two minutes the threat seemed more live than ever.
Wilshere provided some dribbles that broke the visitors defence. The dexterity of his technique allowed the Gunners to attack thoroughly between the 25th and the 35th minutes. The controversy began when Jerome Thomas was sent off and Cox booked. Strangely, the incident was aggravated by the fact that apparently Wilshere did not wanted to greet Thomas, who lost his head and baffled the Gunner. With two minutes added in stoppage time - and Ramsey's dreadful free kick - the first half ended.




Aaron Ramsey's effort over the bar.
[Photo: Getty Images through Soccernet]



Despite West Brom efforts throughout the first fifteen minutes, the Gunners found the back of the net some time after the substitutions. Vela and Randall came for Coquelin and Sunu: the entrance of the Mexican international provided more weight to the Gunners' offence. Probably another cameo of Arsenal's first team antics was the anxiety in which these reserve players were falling into.
Reaching the 68th minute the dominance that the visitors held for extended periods started to take its toll on the youngsters physical fitness. Fortunately for the home side - who had the running clock above - Watt scored after a rebound from a Vela shot. From the goal on, the Baggies completely surrendered: Vela finished a delicious chip from Randall in the 75th minute. The goal was a demo of the determination that a striker can have.
All in all, the confidence the first goal brought let the Gunners open the game against a quite decent and combative team such as West Brom.

Arsenal v. Wigan 4-0 19/Sep/09

Vermaelen's headers proved to be a valuable asset in the Gunner's Arsenal.
[Photo: Getty Images through Soccernet]



After a couple of torrid games, the Gunners were back on track as the won by the large gap of four goals against the Latics in the second home game of the current Premier League Season. The rollercoster has started and Wenger's team can go from solid displays to terrible shows in a matter of days, if not hours. This time a sublime timing and two goals by the Belgian defender Vermaelen made the Gunners' evening pleasant and enjoyable.
It seems that Eboue's nightmare has ended if we consider the last home encounter of the visitors at the Emirates; the outcome being the man booed by many of the 60000-seater and later substituted. It appears that Eboue has not yet matured, being booked by a diving incident in the last match, as well as a handball.
There is a slight controversy on whether the third goal is given to Eduardo or Eboue. I personally think that it was the Crozilian rather than the Ivorian: we should see the special board's decision.




[Photo: The Sun]



Robin van Persie had, at least, three chances before the twentieth minute: each one more dangerous than the previous. The Gunners took the advantage by forwarding lines and assembling an early attack against an opposition that did not showed much will. Kirkland saved Eboue's handball and a wide effort just before the lead came, in yet another set piece, when Vermaelen headed against all the opposition, in the 25th minute.
While it appeared that the match was coming into a dull period, reaching the 35th minute, it was fairly obvious that the home team will not get finish the night with only one goal. Clichy showed brilliant runs as well as a difficult and rather reluctant defending.
Kirkland denied three times the Londoners' efforts before the break, while the Gunners looked for more attacks. 65% of possession in the first half- as well as the absence of Wigan travelling supporters- flooded my mind as the second phase started.




[Photo: Nick Potts/PA through Guardian]



The ambushes by the Latics were denied by the solid prowess of the defence led by Vermaelen. It was the same Belgian who grabbed a brace by beautifully delivering a shot that went over Kirkland's head. With two goals of advantage the Gunners seemed relaxed and gave certain favourable advantages to the travelling teams. All of these were denied as Eduardo's strike crossed Wigan's goal and put the scoreline up to three.
Strangely enough there were several advances towards Mannone's goal, which luckily in all fairness, went out. With some substitutions made, and the fear that Cesc Fabregas picked up an injury, the manager re-accommodated his pieces. The last goal came from a play that was finished by the Spanish captain. It is an apparently easy goal, but to tell you the truth, this sort of finishes are the ones that are practised day and night.

Standard Liege v. Arsenal 2-3 16/Sep/09

[Photo: Mirror Football]



Arsenal's European title race began today with a difficult and nonsensical win at Belgium at Stade de Sclessin. The first match after the dreadful incident at the Eastlands last Saturday, was a tough visit considering the length of the long calendar in the following month. The competition is yet to start and in the most juvenile phases of the tournament picking a result or a favourite is dangerous, to say the least.




[Photo: Getty Images via Soccernet]



The first half was a virtual nightmare: the young Italian keeper was beaten twice in the space of five minutes; one due to a mistake led by Eduardo that Mangala finished and a penalty kick taken by Jovanovic. Ten minutes and the panorama looked as a unsurmountable task.
From the thirteenth minute the siege commenced as the Belgian team attempted to regain possession. Arsenal tried through most of the match to break the deadlock imposed by the home side but many of the attempts were wide of the mark, and in some cases not even reaching the opposite goal. Statistics were shocking: 65% of possession for the London team in the first 30 minutes of game.
From crosses to passes the Gunners attempted in many forms to earn a goal to at least be able to challenge in the following forty five minutes. As the first half wore off, the attacks from the Londoners were fiercer and came as thick as two or three by the minute. Still the resilient defence led held off pretty fair.
In one of those attempts, Arsenal scored their first, in the final minute: Abou Diaby delivered Bendtner on the wing, who beat Bolat with a powerful shot. At least the hope of the Gunners to equalise and win in the following half was promising.




[Photo: AP through Telegraph]



Bolat denied Bendtner just a minute in the second half to score, when the Dane was already putting his body to score. Reaching the sixtieth minute the Gunners still led the attack fully, as the home side simply took the defensive role. While the Gunners charged with all their fire, the Belgian side - in the 65th minute - held an impressive amount of pressure. The first substitution was kind of strange; Ramsey in for Rosicky.
Instead, every supporter would have opted for the young Wilshere, due to the fact that the Englishman has more of an attacking approach than the Welsh. In any case the match went on and in the 75th minute, the home team seemed no more than a reminiscence of the strong side that pushed Arsenal over the edge in the first five minutes. The equaliser finally came in the 78th when a strange set piece gave the Vermaelen the opportunity to score past Bolat.
Immediately after the Gunners made a couple of substitutions with Sagna in the following minutes, the Gunners came in with everything they had, Vermaelen header was cleared inches from the post. The first lead for the Gunners came in the 81st minute when Eduardo kneed the ball just in front of the opposite keeper. With the introduction of Wilshere in the final five minutes the Gunners held and cleared off each and every ball that came into their box.

Man City v. Arsenal 4-2 12/Sep/09

Taunting travelling fans is not the best way of celebrating.
[Photo: Daily Mail]



After what the International break offered, and the two storms of Eduardo and Man Utd fan chants, things settled as the Gunners lost today in a cameo of the visit at Old Trafford, this time at the Stadium of Manchester City. The visit to the Midlands could not have got any more painful, as Adebayor scored the third goal of the evening. As if it were not enough, the Togo striker should have been sent off in two occasions. His celebration, a stroll of ninety meters towards the visiting stands, was shameful to say the least.
Aside from his reactions towards Cesc and van Persie, as well as his attitude to his former team mates, this is one of the most disgraceful acts of disloyal hatred performed by a player against another club. In any case his actions seem to reinforce the low class in which he exactly fits. With England qualified, as well as a bunch of other nations already on the plane to Africa, the peculiar calendar offered to the Gunners just starts.




[Photo: Guardian]



The Mancunians tried, for an awful lot of the first fifteen minutes, to guard and secure the ball. Through stagnant tactics Hughes' men delivered a couple of chances and exchanged possession with the visiting team until the lead arrived. Twenty minutes and the Gunners were loosing through a header by Micah Richards, which apparently, was offside. Almunia's poor judging towards the ball and the terrific stroke by the City centre-back were enough to get the visitors into troubles.
The efforts of Emmanuel Adebayor were tremendous; he looked sharp and industrious, two features that at Arsenal, in his latter stage, seemed to disgust the man. The Londoners were not accurate enough as in previous encounters, taking into consideration the different ways in which they were letting the Citizens finish the job. Clichy marking three meters away the opposite strikers, Cesc wandering to get a good grip of the ball, Diaby playing as a striker, all these seemed to be actions motivated by Wenger to see the Gunners fail.
Arsenal's midfield were completely overpowered and if it was not for Song's effort, the players could have got complacent in the middle of the park. Not a single shot was made by the Londoners and that showed the panorama for the rest of the next half. Something must have to be done in order to change the mental sharpness of the team.




[Photo: Guardian]



With some luck the Citizens got through the first ten minutes of the second half quite well with Vermaelen' header wide over the bar. The big news was that Tomas Rosicky was making preparations for entering, and indeed in the 53th minute the Czech player played his first official match with Arsenal since January 2008. I was surprised and still think that, the Doomsday will come at any moment. That and Hargreaves' recovery will be the most striking news and it was more likely, for some period of time, that the man could walk on the moon again before Rosicky played again.
Despite the frail hope the Gunners had, one of the most positive outcomes of the match (if there is ONE to pick among a plethora of mistakes and misjudgments) is the fact that Tomas looked lively, free and strong enough to challenge at top level. An assistance an a late goal were among his achievements today.
Gallas was denied, at the height of Arsenal's momentum, by Given in the 58th minute. The other centre-back delivered a powerful shot, again deviated by Given. It was through Robin van Persie that the equaliser came. After a pass from the Czech, van Persie turned and shook off the fierce marking, to shoot later. In the following minutes Arsenal had at least two to three chances for a clear lead but mediocre definitions did not help the team to get back in the score sheet.




The villain of the night performed one of his "malicious" deeds that nearly left the Dutchman blind.
[Photo: Telegraph]



Minutes before City's second goal, which came through Bellamy in the 75th, Adebayor stamped on Robin van Persie's face. It is obvious that the sheer violence and the aggression from the Togo striker show how inhumane he is, showing a complete disrespect for the game and making shame of his club as well as showing what we already now about his 'education' and 'class'.
After a couple of substitutions the third goal came in, ironically, from the Togolese. The problem was not the goal itself but the way in which he, for third or fourth time in the game, reassured the WHOLE world the kind in which he belongs: an insane, moronic, nonsensical and stupid reminiscence of player, with the ninety-meter long run he made to taunt Arsenal travelling supporters. His unproffesional behaviour sparked a riot in which more that a dozen of stewards were needed to calm the hauling crowd from north London.
After this particular tantrum what followed was as impressive as beyond belief: two goals by each side and at least a handful of chances in which the Gunners could have easily, if not for the endurance of Shay Given, levelled or outclass the Citizens. The previously commented goal came from Rosicky while the Mancunians got one up through Wright-Phillips. Two shots, one by Bendtner and a volley from van Persie were the clearest of the later chances.

Man Utd v. Arsenal 1-2 29/Aug/09

From the stands, receiving the abuse from Manchester supporters.
[Photo: Soccernet]



Without Arsenal's talismanic captain Cesc Fabregas, the Gunners lost today at Old Trafford due to a set of defensive mistakes, to call it in the best and less harmful way. Obviously the uncalled penalty kick and the moronic amount of bookings among many flaws by the three referees were among the points in which the Gunners were completely edged out . If by some means this match could be considered as a revenge for last year's events, certainly this episode leaves bitter taste in the mouths of many Gooners. After this fall, many question the validity of the visitors title credentials, after such a difficult proof it seems likeliest that with the following matches could prove this point wrong.




[Photo: Soccernet]



After the ludicrous and hopeful midweek win at the Grove and the strange, yet restful draw, the waters seem relatively calm for today's clash. Even though midweek chat was vigorous with Champions League previews, reviews and Group draw, the United match still had the expectation required of such a high stature game. The problem is that the previous encounters, all three left but a horrible deficit for the north Londoners. In pursuit of the League among many other pieces of silverware it appears that this clash has come when both teams are still accommodating in the beginnings of the league.




[Photo: Soccernet]

Unfortunately for many people (or at least one single soul in a 120 million country) Sky Sports Mexico decided to broadcast the live match, and English commentaries of Liverpool's match instead of Arsenal's. That meant, that I had again to sallow the dismal comments of Juan Carlos Gabriel de Anda.
Moving to fairly more important topics the Gunners shared a fair amount of possession with the Devils, as the ten-minute mark passed. A couple of shots were exchanged form each side while Arsenal played yet again a sharp display without the ball. With the pressure piling on the Devils' shoulders, Arshavin nearly scored as a series of rebounds went in to the box.
The performance from the Ivory Coast international Eboue was far from being outstanding as previous matches. The one that standed out was Abou Diaby: his physical presence as well as his tackles and the display shown, practically from box-to-box, were among the best in Arsenal's game.
After a great deal of struggle and battle, the lead came from another stunner by the Russian wizard. A thunderous half-volley reached Foster, who without a chance, saved to put the ball in the back of the net. Aside from the fact that Mike Dean skipped the hideous decision to grant Arsenal an obvious penalty the final minutes were yet again a medieval siege form the home team.




Wicked?
[Photo: Reuters through Straits Times]



Certainly for neutrals, the match could not have gone better and before the horrid decision of Dean in the 54th minute, Arsenal showed a great deal of outstanding plays and Foster became a hero, saving twice clear chances. In the afore mentioned minute Dean committed the hideous error and gave Utd a penalty. Whether it was a dive or not, the kick from the spot was converted and Rooney levelled things.
Still Arsenal led the way by the time that Ferguson's men got their second goal after the in-form Diaby headed in the opposite side of the pitch. If the morale was low at the time of Man Utd's lead, now it seemed an unsurmountable task. Even though the Gunners made fiercest attempts to regain the lead the match was already defined.
The final moments saw a few introductions and Ramsey could have not made an impact as any other of the substitutes that were brought in. The circus began when an offside goal was disallowed and then, Dean's show began as he sent off Wenger, who was receiving all kinds of flak from the stands. Maybe the two-week break could settle things down, as we all hope for.