The good, the bad and the ugly - ever get the feeling the Gods are against us?
By Avenell Dave
The Good
- Andrey Arshavin drifts through games making little impact, then wins a penalty (more of that later) and scoring a rocket few keepers would save
- Thomas Vermaelen is the type of defender Arsenal should collect, the Tony Adams, Martin Keown-type defender we have missed for so long
- Alex Song put himself about with energy and tenacity and matched Darren Fletcher in the battle for midfield dominance
- Even when our formation looked scrappy, we did enough to neutralise M*nure, and when it started to work, the Champions couldn't live with us
- The League Managers Association has already come out apologising to Arsene Wenger about his red card yesterday, showing at least someone in a position of authority hasn't shown a complete anti-Arsenal bias lost all sense of sporting perspective
The Bad
- Manuel Almunia is just not good enough: a rush of blood to the head when he needs to be calm cost us the first goal, failing to take the initiative and come for the ball for M*nure's second smacks of timidity. His judgement is all wrong and there are so many better goalkeepers out there
- Abou Diaby showed signs of brilliance when going forward but it's his inability to keep alert for 90 minutes that raise such questions about his long-term capabilities. His calamitous own-goal was so unnneccessary and smacked of a player with his mind temporarily somewhere else
- I couldn't believe my eyes watching Denilson jog back without a care in the world when M*nure broke. Where was the determination and esperation to help protect his defence?
- SOMEONE PLEASE give Gael Clichy lessons in crossing the ball. With his concentration lapses near our box yesterday and inability to cross, I'm beginning to wonder whether he shouldn't drop down the pecking order forthwith
- Did you notice how much space and opportunity M*nre got on the left? I'd have thought that with Manu Eboue to cover for Bacary Sagna, we'd have neutralised the 'threat' of Valencia, but we didn't close the opposition down enough on the flanks and that gave them more opportunity than they deserved
The Ugly
- If Mike Dean thinks Arsenal played badly enough to warrant six yellow cards (and a fine) or that Arsene Wenger deserved to be sent off, he really needs to be struck off now. Refusing to give Arsenal a penalty for Fletcher's lunge on Arshavin was unbelievable. One of the worst refereeing displays I've seen in years
- In a week of such diving controversy, Manu Eboue's theatrics, despicable at the best of times, could not have been more badly-timed in the light of Eduardo-gate
- We fell apart after Diaby's mistake. Eduardo should have come on immediately and we should have remained calm and played around M*nure, as we'd shownwe could in spells earlier in the game. Instead, we panicked and caused few scares apart from RvP's 'goal'
- Patrice Evra. Enough said.
DA
Reader Comments (6)
It scares the hell out of me, when Clichy backs off opponents in dangerous positions and gives them plenty of room to have a free shot. Why can't someone teach him how to defend?
I have written comments on Almunia and Diaby after the Portsmouth game and now I have to repeat my opinion of them both. Almunia and Diaby both are suffering from some form of sleeping sickness, have they recently been to Africa coming into contact with Tse-Tse flies there ? These two are the most unprofessional footballer in Arsenal because they do not concentrate on their job. Diaby simply sleepwalk and Almunia daydreaming ,perhaps of playing for England. Capello, the smart Alex said there are many better keepers in England which is absolutely right. Van Persie is changing his style, normally he let fly after just one or two touches but now he is taking three or four touches perhaps he wanted other options beside shooting right away. He is more deadly last season. Wenger must buy and Vander Vaart is his best choice for value and talent.
Just let the Eboue thing go, he was just trying to buy a free kick for the team in a dangerous postion, how many players have done that in the past? how many more will do that in the future?
Almunia totaly at fault for both goals, he should be owning his box and have sense enough to relise that Galls had Rooney so no need to loose his head and charge out of his goal, secondly he should be claiming that high floated ball from Giggs or cleared it out taking both Diaby and the ball.
Mike Dean is a disgrare as a ref and should be sactioned, removed to the lower reches of the football league, however those old farts at the FA will do nothing when it comes to Arsenal as usual.
Fletcher on Arshavin, stone walled penalty, lets see the media focus on that, oh i'm sorry i forget Arshvin is a forigner and does not have the same rights or protection as a lilly white english man when playing in the EPL.
We are a better team than utd and we will win the league, watch out when all our injured players are available, Fabregas, Rosicky, Nasri, walcott, Vella, JD.
Bring it on, this is our year!!!!
Alumina is a joke, Gibbs needs to play as Clichy wanders, Eboue's dive was a disgrace, Rooney did go down before contact but will the media highlight that, course not, we will get better but we are still short of two defensive players.
Sending Wenger to the stands so those filthy Mancs could abuse him was bang out of order, Mike Dean is a relic and a fucking disgrace to the profession.
Bendtner, at the right side?, i dont like it, he isnt a good dribbler, he hasnt good pass, , sorry my english is terrible..
Bendtner, no deberia jugar por la derecha del campo, no al estilo de 3 puntas como el Barca, no tiene buen drible con el balon, tampoco buen pase, , fisicamente un jugador muy fuerte, pero creo que sirve mejor si retrasamos a RVP, y mas delante a Nik B.
Song and denilson did a great job, but denilson, looks tired, or distracted, after the "penalty"
Arshavin, . Amazing rocket, just like at anflied.
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Anyone think that Vucinic could be a great opion.
Thank you.
Shot ourselves in the foot again.
Almunia let them back into the game, when they weren't getting any chances.
Let's hope this is a lesson learned and we push on, as there were a lot of positives to take from the game.
Ferguson knows how good we are, hence his change of formation to try to stop us and they were playing at home.
Keep the faith!!