Author Archives: Michael Roberts

I Thought This Was The Biggest Game Of The Season So Far… And So Did Arsene Wenger

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In my preview for the Sunderland game yesterday I emphasised how much of a massive test this was for us.

With our usual form after International breaks, Sunderland’s improvement this season and their ability to take on the biggest sides (as Liverpool and Manchester United will testify) I firmly believed that for us to be considered true title contenders, this was a game we had to win.

And as I said in the preview, I would have been more than happy with a smash-and-grab as long as we took home all 3 points.

The reason for this was because to be title challengers a team needs to know how to win ugly. When Arsenal are on top form then we can beat anybody. But you just knew that with the International break, the injuries to key players like Van Persie and the cold and wet away day we were up against it. And the sad thing was if we had managed to overcome all these obstacles then it really would have answered all those questions and given us a massive lift. A win at Sunderland would have pushed the side forwards and onto greater things.

But unfortunately, we weren’t good enough and lost another away game.

People laughed when I said this was a massive game but it appears Arsene Wenger feels the same too. The great Arsenal sides that won titles found great strength through adversity. The team would grind out results no matter the circumstances, and for our current squad Sunderland was that test. You didn’t hear excuses about International breaks or injuries when we went the entire Premier League campaign unbeaten did you?

After the game, Arsene Wenger said:

“It was very harsh to lose the game because Sunderland did not create a lot. But we did not create enough chances either and there was a lack of penetration.

“They were organised and defended very well and we lacked the sharpness to make a difference. In some positions we were not strong enough.

“It is a massive setback because you need consistency to win a title. And today we were not capable of doing that and it raises question marks.”

If you ever listen to Arsene Wenger interviews then that last sentence is damning. We might be third in the table, and we might be doing better than Liverpool or Manchester City but right now it’s a two-horse race, and unfortunately for us it’s between Chelsea and Manchester United – just like Alex Ferguson said earlier this week.

Arsene knows how big a setback this defeat is.

Every team goes through good and bad patches, but the top teams win however they’re playing. Both Chelsea and United have played awful and brilliant this season but they are so consistent. If they play well, they’ll win, and if they play poor, they’ll still win.

Arsenal need to learn how to win ugly and learn fast because that is the only real obstacle in our race for the title. We have improved leaps and bounds over the last 12 months but we’re just that little bit short of being right up there.

And Arsene knows it.

This Is Arsenal’s Biggest Game Of The Season So Far

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Sunderland (The Stadium of Light)
Premier League
Saturday 21st November 2009
Kick Off: 3pm

After the boring International break, we can finally concentrate on the Premier League again. It seems like forever since we played a league game (even longer with the Henry-witch hunt) but thankfully we can get back to watching Arsenal in Premiership action.

Unfortunately, Wenger’s declaration that injuries are the reason for our poor form in November only 10 days ago was followed with the ankle injury to Robin Van Persie in an International friendly against Italy. The Dutch striker looks to be out for around 6 weeks which means he will miss some vital games over the winter period. I’ve said many times on this blog how excellent he has been and the way he has adapted his game this season and the way he has improved his team play has been exceptional. Along with Vermaelen, Fabregas and Song, he has been one of our most important players so far this year.

On top of the injury to Van Persie, Nicklas Bendtner is also out and would have been the first-choice replacement to lead the line. Theo Walcott is also injured, and with Diaby, Djourou, Clichy and Gibbs all missing today’s game against Sunderland is going to be a massive text.

The International break has been notorious for causing problems for us, and we usually see a poor performance from Arsenal following the disruption to our league campaign.

So this is the biggest game of the season so far.

Because with our injury worries and usual form after the International break, if we manage to get all 3 points then it will be huge. It will answer the questions regarding the strength of the squad, and also give the team a confidence boost and could be the catalyst for greater things.

This Arsenal team relies on momentum and we have been in fine form recently. We are unbeaten in 13 games now (after the double disaster in Manchester) and you sense that a good run of form is essential to any title aspirations we might have.

But another reason why this is such a massive test is because this season, Sunderland have become a formidable outfit.

Steve Bruce has assembled a side which has the ability to take on any team, partly because of the form of new signing Darren Bent. Their home form is excellent, with Chelsea being the only team to win at The Stadium of Light this season. They also have a knack for performing against the bigger sides as well this year, with an impressive win over Liverpool (in a game they dominated) and a draw at Old Trafford, in a game most thought they were very unfortunate not to win.

It has to be mentioned that their form of late has been patchy (with 2 defeats and a draw in their last 3 games) but the fact is the vast majority of Sunderland’s squad have had the best part of 2 weeks to rest and prepare for this game while most of our squad has been scattered across the globe. And a 2 week break could be just what Sunderland need to end their poor run of late.

So Sunderland are going to ask a hell of a lot of questions of Arsenal this afternoon and it’s up to us to step up and grab all 3 points. I believe this game is so big for our season, that I couldn’t care less if we played absolutely crap and scored a scrappy own goal. 3 points is what matters today.

Another problem we are facing is the prospect of starting with Eduardo and Vela upfront together for the first time this season. Arshavin is still doubtful after his excursions for Russia midweek so it’s hugely important they both hit it off if they do partner each other. Form is partly dependant on regular team selections so this is another obstacle Arsenal need to overcome.

Today’s match is going to be such a tough encounter for so many reasons, so if Arsenal can take all 3 points with a smash-and-grab performance then I will be more than happy.

With the league being more open than ever before, we have to make days like today count.

I Love Roy Keane, What A Legend! (Watch Video)

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We all know Roy Keane hates the Irish FA, we all know he used to play for United, and we know he’s not exactly the best manager in the world, but the fact of the matter is:

Roy Keane is f*cking hilarious!

But despite the hilarious way he puts his points across, you have to say he makes a lot of sense!

Finally there’s someone in football who isn’t stupid or sad enough to just agree with the extremely biased British media.

Roy Keane, we salute you!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMHwCbbG6WY[/youtube]

Thierry: It’s Okay To Cheat… If You’re English

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I watched the France v Republic of Ireland game last night and although I’m not Irish I did get caught up in the match and I was more than happy when they scored, and was willing them to go through – even if the goal did come from a Spurs player.

So when Thierry Henry did that in extra time to set up William Gallas’ goal, I was enraged. And I was even more wound up when my Dad came out and said:

“All footballers cheat”.

My response was along the lines of “what the hell are you on about?” as I was still in shock that the goal was actually given.

And as the game ended, I received a barrage of text messages from friends telling me how Thierry Henry was a complete disgrace and well, I couldn’t really repeat what some of the messages said on here.

But after I took a step back I realised how amazingly hypocritical football supporters are, and how my fathers initially nonsensical statement was truer than I first though.

If you look back, most footballers (even the greats) have incidents of cheating on the resumes. Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Didier Drogba, Alan Shearer, Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard… the list is literally endless.

It was amazing the abuse Thierry Henry was getting.

When a foreigner does it, they’re a disgrace but if Michael Owen dives to earn a penalty against Argentina in the World Cup then it’s not cheating, it’s being clever.

It’s funny how it’s all reported in the media.

Now don’t get me wrong, I can’t stand Didier Drogba but if you actually put all of his, frankly laughable, dives into perspective, he’s actually no worse than England’s very own shining star, Steven Gerrard. Now like me at first, you would think comparing a ‘cheating b@stard’ like Drogba to a roaring and inspirational leader like Gerrard was completely farcical. I bet you still think it’s ridiculous even now.

Well take off your blinkered glasses and take a look at this video:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abk9JSDBra4[/youtube]

It doesn’t seem so crazy now does it?

How often do we read in the papers that Gerrard’s a cheat or a diver? Exactly, never.

Hell, I’d even bet that most football fans talk about how much Drogba is a cheat more than Gerrard is. Even the Everton supporters.

So I’m sure that Thierry will be crucified in all the newspapers this morning, and I suppose a good witch-hunt sells newspapers.

I’d like to think Arsenal supporters are from a more intelligent breed, and realise that it isn’t just always an opposing player that’s been guilty of cheating. Whenever I see anyone cheat or dive (whether it be an Arsenal player) I’ll always say that’s a disgrace.

Cheating is cheating, not just when it’s against your team.

I’ve had it all tonight, “Henry’s a dirty cheat”, “I’ve lost all respect for him” and “Your hero is a scumbag” being some of the regular messages aimed in my direction. Funnily enough, I’ve also had a lot of people saying that Henry must have learnt how to cheat from Arsenal, which is a personal favourite.

But you know what, Thierry Henry will always be a legend in my eyes and he did so much for our football club. Whenever he was at Arsenal, it would be fair to say he was a role-model, on and off the pitch.

Eduardo Da Silva Lining For Arsenal

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As I’m sure you’ve heard, Van The Man Persie looks like he’s out for around 6 weeks after getting injured on International duty playing for Holland. He suffered ankle ligament damage after a challenge from Italy’s Chiellini only 10 minutes into the match. I haven’t seen the incident myself, so can’t really comment on whether you could class it as reckless, or whether it was just an accident.

But I suppose that doesn’t really matter – the bottom line is Robin will be out over the festive period.

And with Bendtner out, it’s time for Eduardo to lead the line.

During the start of the season when Eduardo was playing (usually on the left of a 3 man attack) I always though he would be more suited playing down the middle. But obviously that was Van Persie’s role so he wasn’t going to get much action in that position.

But now you would have to assume (with Bendtner, Vela and Theo also out) that he’s going to have a long run as our target man.

And is that such a terrible thing?

Eduardo is a wonderful finisher and you can tell he’s still finding his feet this season, so to speak. His application and positioning has been good but his finishing (by his standards anyway) has been poor. Against Spurs, he had three decent opportunities to get on the score sheet and a typical Eduardo would have buried all three. So hopefully being the main man and having players like Fabregas and Arshavin providing top class service will mean he won’t take long to get his form back.

As they say, form is temporary but class is permanent.

Injuries are a part of football, so we have to prove we have the squad to compete at the very top.

There’s no doubt that Robin has been a massive part of our good form this season (with a reported 8 goals and 8 assists already) but I am confident that Eduardo can fill that void.

In November and December the football gets tighter and tighter, and Eduardo’s killer finishing will be needed more than ever.