Monthly Archives: May 2006

Henry Stays On To Lead Arsenal Revolution!

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Exactly 2 months to this day I posted an article saying there was no way that Thierry Henry was leaving Arsenal because he loved the club too much.

See Original Article

For this people did question my sanity and thought I was totally deluded!

But who’s having the last laugh now!

The two main men from Barcelona have spoken, and Joan Laporta has actually praised Henry for deciding to stay at Arsenal but Frank Rijkaard has actually hit out over the incident, showing his obvious dissappointment over not landing the Arsenal captain.

What a shame eh?

After months of Ronaldinho, Eto’o, Guily, Gio and other Barcelona players talking about Henry joing Barcelona they have been found to look like the utter fools they actually are. Then there is the infamous FC Barcelona Blog which has somehow got into Arsenal website circulation that declared Henry’s arrival at Barca. Idiots.

I, like millions of other Arsenal fans have said that Henry wouldn’t leave Arsenal – maybe through hope more than anything but it is clear that Henry is not a Ballack nor a Ronaldo. Arsenal means something to him and he does have some loyalty.

Obviously, I’m sure Arsenal are rewarding his loyalty with a big wage packet but that’s what you would expect for a player who is one of – if not the – worlds best.

And the spin off from Henry staying is that close friends Sol, Bobby and even Ashley Cole might stay on at Arsenal instead of seeking pastures new.

With a difficult start to the season the campaigns objectives would have been to secure a top 4 position in the Premiership, do well in Europe and keep Thierry Henry.

Well we’ve kept Henry and finished 4th, and it is debatable whether we’ve done well in Europe or not. Personally I’m proud of our lads getting to the final in Europe and so I think we’ve done all 3!

 

Last Night Still Hurts. My God It Hurts…

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Last night it was a hard defeat to take. I didn’t and just couldn’t sleep at all last night thinking about the game.

If Barcelona had beaten us 5-0 and completely battered us it would have been much easier to take. But to be within 14 minutes of the biggest prize in club football is demoralising.

To play with so much passion and drive and to still lose was devastating. Arsenal started the brighter, and up to the sending off pretty much dominated the game. Henry had two great chances and only an alert Victor Valdez prevented Arsenal taking a much deserved lead.

But then on 17 minutes the game totally changed.

Once I saw Lehmann pull down Eto’o I knew he’d be sent off. And I won’t begrudge the referee for giving Jens an early bath. I know a lot of people were saying that they should have played advantage and let the Barca goal stand, but the referee didn’t allow any advantage and blew up early. Once that happened there was only one outcome.

Despite that though, what I will say is that the referee had a terrible game last night. To book Henry for winning the ball off Van Bommel was a disgrace. Then how Marquez, Puyol and Van Bommel did not see at least a yellow for their persistent fouling was unreal.

Apparently this was the same referee that sent off Chelsea’s Del Horno against Barcelona’s Messi earlier on in the competition.

But ironically his inadequate refereeing led to our first goal. Eboue linked up well with Henry and Hleb on the right hand side, nutmegged Puyol and pretty much dived to win a freekick.

From the resulting freekick, Henry delivered a sublime cross into the area for Sol Campbell to emphatically head into the Barcelona net.

1-0 to Arsenal!

I have never celebrated a goal like I did last night. Sol needed to put in a great performance and he stepped up to the plate when we needed him and he got us that vital goal.

After that it was a brave performance from the lads, and although defending for most of the game managed to carve out a couple of great opportunities to kill the game off.

Henry did have a big, big chance which most people would say was the turning point of the game. As he said himself though, at that point he was running on empty. He had been running for everything and I can’t blame him for not scoring – he was dead. He couldn’t feel anything in his legs anymore.

To be leading in the biggest club competition in the world until 77 minutes with 10 men is an awesome achievement. Could anyone else have done that?

But the fact is Barcelona lifted the trophy after 98 minutes, and as much as it pains me to say it I’d like to congratulate Barcelona. And boy does that hurt. God it hurts.

Arsenal can be proud in the fact the couldn’t have done any more to win the Champions League. They played excellently and stood tall when they had 10 men.

But at the moment it feels like second place is nothing – and it is a bitter pill to swallow.

I’ve had enough of talking about the game – below are the player ratings:

Jens Lehmann: 5/10
Coped well from shots from Guily and Deco before being dismissed. He was the man against Villarreal but against Barcelona his judgement failed him and gave Arsenal a real uphill battle after his sending off.

Emmanuel Eboue: 8/10
Ran for everything and didn’t let the side down. Maybe should have been closer to Eto’o for the first goal instead of playing offside but handled Ronaldinho well.

Sol Campbell: 7/10
Good performance and managed to get that vital goal that 10 men needed. It gave Arsenal something to hold on to and gave us hope that Champions League glory beckoned.

Kolo Toure: 9/10
Awesome yet again. Won every tackle and fought with heart and desire.

Ashley Cole: 7/10
Apparently played Eto’o onside for the sending off but despite that played well. Like most of the players could really attack once we were down to 10 men.

Alexander Hleb: 7/10
Showed good skill and running and once the sending off in the 17th minute had to help back and his offensive threat suffered. Had a big chance in the second half to settle it and should probably have done better.

Cesc Fabregas: 5/10
Not one of his best games, and suffered because of the sending off. Couldn’t risk pushing forward as he would have liked and couple impose himself at all in the game. Out bullied by Van Bommel and Edmilson.

Gilberto Silva: 9/10
The invisible wall held out for so long and did brilliantly to keep Barcelona at bay. In the end they had to go around him through the wings to score.

Freddie Ljungberg: 9/10
As usually fought and ran for every ball in defence and attack. Carved out a chance for himself which was saved well by Valdez. Couldn’t have asked any more from the Swede. He was cynically fouled on a regular basis but the Barca players were rarely punished.

Robert Pires: 4/10
Not enough time to make an impact. Had to make way for Almunia’s introduction and was a sad end to a brilliant Arsenal career.

Thierry Henry: 9/10
A real captains performance. Led from the front, was excellent in the first 15 minutes – carving out two great chances for himself. Looked really up for it and even when Lehmann was dismissed he ran for everything. Missed a big chance late in the second half but by that time had no legs left. Blasted the referee and Barcelona players for lack of sportsmanship and really deserved better luck in his hometown.

Manuel Almunia: 8/10 (for Lehmann 17)
Hadn’t played a competitive game for around 4 months but kept us in the game with a great save from Eto’o just before the break. Made a string of good saves and was unlucky on the two goals Barcelona scored.

Mathieu Flamini: 6/10 (for Fabregas 73)
Got the final appearance he deserved but couldn’t really get with the pace of the game. Valiant effort to stop Belletti’s winner and was agonisingly close to doing so.

Jose Antonio Reyes: 5/10 (for Hleb 85)
Came on too late to make any sort of impact. Should have started the game in my opinion with the pace and energy he offers.

 

Arsenal v Barcelona – It’s Finally Here!

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Finally after all the waiting, and after all the talking Arsenal take on Barcelona in the Stade de France in the Champions League Final.

I honestly couldn’t care less now about who will be playing for us tonight – what matters is that every single player in an Arsenal shirt must give everything. It’s obvious to say it but if we fight for every ball and play like we can do then victory can become a reality.

It’s hard to know what to expect tonight. Most people are happy with Barca and Arsenal in the Final because they think it will be an open attacking game. I have to say that it would be in Arsenal’s best interests to keep the game tight and nick a goal from somewhere – most likely through a piece of Henry magic.

I honestly believe if Arsenal can score the first goal then we can hold out for a win.

There is a reason behind our excellent defensive record in the competition (as well as a little luck) and I don’t think Arsenal intend to start conceding now.

Much has been made about Barcelona’s weaknesses, and many identify them as the full-backs and the keeper Victor Valdez. Arsenal will have to be at the top of their game so I don’t think Arsenal will target any one area.

As you might have gathered by now I’m talking total b*llocks, mainly because I’m looking forward to the game so much and I’m unlikely to make any sense leading up to the game!

I have never felt like this before any game in my life. It is because we are on the brink of something special and it isn’t a dream. It’s a big reality.

And 90 minutes have never mattered more. That’s why I’m nervous.

Anyway, the jist of this post is:

COME ON ARSENAL!!

 

Senderos & Flamini Back In Contention?

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Probable Arsenal Team?

What you see above is most likely the stating line-up for the biggest game in Arsenal’s history.

Senderos and Flamini have been passed fit and have been included in the Arsenal squad for the Champions League Final tomorrow but they could (and most likely will) miss out to Ashley Cole and Sol Campbell.

The rest of the team picks itself – I can’t see our D’Artagnan starting ahead of Jose or Freddie. Hleb has proved he can track back well and tackle, and Reyes and Ljungberg offer a stronger option defensively.

And if the game is tight then Pires is always a decent option to bring on after an hour to open things up.

The only two controversial decisions Arsene Wenger has to make is regards to Senderos/Campbell and Flamini/Cole.

If Senderos is fit enough and ready then for me there is no contest. Senderos has been at the heart of the European campaign and must start if he can. Sol Campbell has been an awesome defender for us but the fact is that he hasn’t recaptured the form of the last few seasons.

Our indifferent display against Villarreal in the 2nd leg was mainly due to Campbell and his lack of confidence in his pace. We played far too deep and Villarreal piled on the pressure for 90 minutes. Only a fantastic penalty save from Jens Lehmann got us out of jail.

Barcelona are going to be much more of an attacking threat than Villarreal will be, and with Campbell at the back I would be worried. Jason Roberts easily bullied Sol in the Wigan game and if it wasn’t for the worst referee in the Premier League we would have conceded a penalty.

Ask most Gooners and surely it has to be Senderos every time.

Luckily as we saw with last years FA Cup Final, Wenger is not afraid to make difficult decisions and drop Campbell for Big Phil.

Then we come to Ashley Cole.

Three to four weeks ago Cole would not have had a look in for tomorrow’s game. But the injury to Flamini has made Cole the favourite to start tomorrow, as he has started the last few games and seemingly got his fitness and sharpness back.

Recent interviews also indicate that Cole is more than happy at Arsenal – he’s joking with Henry and speaking positively about the club.

But with a Champions League Final coming up then you have to wonder – has he really put everything behind him after running off to Chelski?

Arsene has a couple of major decisions to make tomorrow and I hope he can make the right ones!

 

This Is It! And I Can’t Wait!

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Come On Arsenal!

This is what life is all about – the highs, the lows and everything in between. Wednesday night is going to be one of the best nights of any Gunners life. This is what dreams are made of.

We’ve known since we progressed against Villarreal on the 25th April we would be in the final.

But for me, it just hasn’t sunk in yet.

I’ve been nervous about the game for the last few weeks now, not because I don’t think we can beat Barcelona – of course I think we can. I’m nervous because we are on the brink of something special. And that something special is the biggest night in Arsenal’s history.

It has been a rollercoaster season for The Gooners, and for it to end in the Stade de France is stuff fairytales are made of. As you can tell I’m getting pretty emotional and it’s still a couple of days away!

The players might have been inconsistent in the league, but in Europe they have been simply outstanding. Even though the British media might be underestimating our achievements, I think what Arsenal have done this season is exceptional and you cannot overstate what has been achieved.

Remember before we met Real Madrid? Arsenal had no chance. Real had won their last 10 games and scored god knows how many. Once we beat them at the Bernabeu Real were ‘a faded force’.

Then against Juventus, we didn’t have a chance either. The Italian giants were 18 points clear in Serie A. And we beat them as well. Afterwards people would say that Juve were full of old players who were past their prime!

Apparently in Spain, Barcelona are expecting to beat Arsenal easily and lift the cup.

But Arsenal have been fantastic in Europe – Jens Lehmann has yet to concede a goal in the Champions League this season. And I don’t think he’s going to start doing so on Wednesday!

Yes, we have to face Eto’o and Ronaldinho, but we’ve shut out Zidane, Beckham, Ronaldo, Robinho, Raul, Ibrahimovic, Trezeguet, Nedved and Adrian Mutu.

We’ve got nothing to fear.

The cocky Catalans think Arsenal will be a walkover. They can think what they want.

As the Real Madrid and Juventus ties showed us, Arsenal are a better team when they are the underdogs.

Through adversity, comes great strength.

We all know Barcelona have a great attack, but so do Real Madrid.

Their weakness is in defence.

Gio van Bronkhorst is a decent player but Eboue & Hleb should have some luck down that side of the pitch, and Belletti or Oleguer at right back won’t scare Cole/Flamini and Reyes on the other flank.

And Marquez and Puyol won’t be a match for Thierry Henry.

Arsenal will be confident going into the game against Barcelona, and if Arsenal manage to score the first goal Barcelona with have a hell of a job braking down our defensive unit.

That’s if Senderos returns, but that’s another story…