Author Archives: Michael Roberts

Reality Check: United & Chelsea Are Hitting Form

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Every team in the Premier League has now played 30 games.

And last night, with their game in hand, Manchester United easily cruised to a 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers at Old Trafford. Even before the game kicked off, Bolton were huge outsiders at an amazing 16-1. I don’t think I’ve ever seen odds so high before!

I watched the game hoping for some sort of miracle but it never came. United went 2-0 up after 20 minutes and effectively ended the match as a contest. And after only conceding 5 goals at home all season, you wouldn’t put money on Bolton getting 3 in the remaining 70 minutes. As is played out, Bolton managed to fashion a few half chances from long distance, but Manchester United never got out of second gear and if Bolton did score then the home side would have just got a couple more in reply.

The worrying thing was United played with about 7 or 8 reserve team players and still won easily. Ronaldo is on fire and knows were the net is. And they have Rooney, Tevez, Nani and others from midfield who pose a goal threat.

Who in the Arsenal side even look like scoring in the last part of the season?

In the last few domestic games we’ve had to rely on Theo Walcott, Nicklas Bendtner and Kolo Toure to get our goals.

Bendtner and Theo don’t even start!

So United are 3 points clear with 8 games remaining. You would think United would drop a few points before the end of the season so it’s not a complete disaster – but you have to think that to stand any chance of pipping them we would need to win at Old Trafford.

The big problem as Myles has said is we have no momentum whatsoever.

Since the defeat against United we’ve been shocking. We’ve drawn all 4 domestic games since and only won 1 from the last 6 games in all competitions.

Can Arsenal break this slump in form?

In the other game yesterday Chelsea led 3 times before being pegged back by Spurs, drawing an amazing game 4-4. Before the matches even kicked off I was disappointed that the Spurs/Chelsea game wasn’t shown instead of the non-contest at Old Trafford, and so it proved to be the more interesting encounter.

And amazingly Berbatov had a golden chance to win the game, with Cudicini pulling off a wonder save with only minutes remaining.

The interesting thing to note from the highlights was that 3 of the goals Chelsea conceded were from set-pieces, and even the final goal from Robbie Keane came from a long ball. That would be something most teams would take advantage of but our threat in the air isn’t exactly the best in the league. Maybe Adebayor or Kolo can do something from set-pieces but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

And the thing is Chelsea have momentum.

Despite drawing yesterday, they can take a lot of positives from the game.

They scored 4 goals away from home. Their strikers are scoring, as well as their midfield. They pose a real threat every time they attack. They’re simply playing better football than we are.

And that is so hard to admit.

They also have fight. Of course, the Chelsea players were being complete arseholes to the referee and contesting every single decision that didn’t go their way, but they showed fight on the pitch. Most of the aggression was way over the top (and Cuntface should have been sent off), but as much as I hate them it’s crystal clear they want to win. Badly. I just haven’t seen that kind of passion from the Arsenal players recently.

From their last 11 games, they have won 8 of them and drawn the other 3.

This is the time of the season you should be hitting form and going from strength to strength – and while United and Chelsea are doing so we’re seemingly going out with a wimper as the season closes.

So Sunday is a must win game, at a ground were they haven’t lost since we defeated them 4 seasons ago. We also have to overcome a side who are bang in form.

Talk about a massive ask.

And talk about a massive game. This game is simply the biggest game of the Premier League campaign so far. If Arsenal want any chance whatsoever of winning the title then they have to win on Sunday. If Arsenal lose and United win (they always beat the Scousers) then a 6 point gap with only 7 games left is – for me – a bridge too far. And if that happens, in terms of momentum, Arsenal and United would be a million miles apart.

From Liverpool’s point of view, beating United would be good news for them. Apart from the obvious glory of beating their North West rivals they would give Arsenal hope in the league. It’s in their best interests for Arsenal to be fighting for the title, especially when it comes down to the Champions League encounters.

On the other hand it wouldn’t surprise me if United battered them 4-0.

Do You Actually Think We Can Win The League?

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What a rough month.

It all started on the 23rd February, and we haven’t really got back on track. And in retrospect Eduardo’s horrifc injury has cost us so much more than one of our main strikers.

We lost 2 points in that match, because without that incident to Eduardo we would have won the game. Because of what happened we were lost in the first half and by the time the boys got their act together it was half time. The team did exceptionally well to claw the game back but we conceded to THAT last minute penalty.

If we won that match I’m sure we’d still be top of the league.

But what followed was 3 more draws in the league – to Aston Villa, Wigan Athletic and Middlesbrough – all teams we should be getting 3 points against.

And now we stand level on points with Manchester United, who have a game in hand. The hardest thing for most Arsenal fans to except is that only a few weeks ago we were 5 points clear.

But let’s put things in perspective.

Apart from the early part of the December, we haven’t really suffered a rough patch in the league.

And to be leading the Premier League for as long as we have has been nothing short of exceptional. We are currently unbeaten against the Top 4, who we still have to play before the season is over. And despite being in second place in the league, the destination of the Premier League Title is still in our own hands.

Wouldn’t you have dreamt of that before the season started?

It’s better to have a dip in form now rather in April and May. Manchester United and Chelsea suffered a loss in form earlier in the season but now look to be back to winning ways. So I suppose the question is when can Arsenal get back on track?

We face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, and in one game we can dent their title hopes and re-ignite ours with a win. And a win at a place where Chelsea haven’t lost since we played them there in the 2003/2004 campaign would provide us with the catalyst to push on with our season.

We’ll find out on Grand Slam Sunday.

As things stand, the title race is tightly poised.

Arsenal and Manchester United currently sit on 67 points, with the current Champions having a game in hand. Chelsea, who have quietly but impressively won 8 of their last 10 league games now have 64 points, with a game in hand on us. So Sunday is a massive game because if Chelsea win (by 3 goals) they will be above us in the table on goal difference – and if that happens the boost they would get from that would be very damaging.

But we’re still very much in the race.

Even with our bad form, even with some seemingly shocking refereeing decisions, even with some really sh*te football pitches and even with some terrible injuries to the squad.

What Arsene Wenger has done so far is nothing short of amazing.

I do worry about the state of the squad though at the moment.

Clichy, Sagna and Fabregas are simply irreplaceable. If one of those men gets injured we are in serious trouble. Who is the cover for our fullbacks? Emmanuel Eboue and Armand Traore? God help us if those two have to fill in at important times of the season.

And Adebayor has become undroppable. There’s no doubt that playing as a lone striker is one of the hardest jobs in football, and he has done it well earlier on in the season – but right now he is playing badly. Against Wigan, or even against Middlesbrough, it wouldn’t have been a terrible idea to start with Walcott or Bendtner so the striker could have a rest. Playing Adebayor when he is clearly not on form is not the answer. Besides, Walcott and Bendtner have been scoring recently when they’re been playing so deserve a shot.

But despite all this, it would be safe to assume United and Chelsea will drop points before the season ends. After all, they’ve still got some of the Top 4 to play yet. And as we’ve learnt recently, 3 points in this league isn’t something you can take for granted – especially as the teams lower in the league will be fighting for their lives. Every point for them could help them survive in the Premier League so expect United and Chelsea to have some really tough games ahead.

So is there anyone left out there who thinks we can still do it?

Because I do.

Have Arsenal Ran Out Of Steam?

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Arsenal (1) – (1) Middlesbrough
Kolo Toure (85′)
The Emirates Stadium, London

Even before the Arsenal game kicked off, the Premier League showed us exactly how close things are in this competition. Manchester United visited Pride Park to play Derby County, a game you would expect a guaranteed three points for the visiting side. As it turned out however, only a 75th minute goal from Ronaldo seperated the sides.

Unfortunately for us that could be one of the most important strikes in Ronaldo’s season.

It doesn’t matter if you win 1-0 or 4-0 at this stage of the season, it’s getting those three points.

And when the game kicked off at the Emirates tonight, things looked to be going against us. After only 5 minutes, Adebayor had a perfectly good goal ruled out for offside. The ball was clearly played towards the Arsenal striker from George Boateng so how the referee gave offside was beyond me. And the worse thing was that the official Mark Halsey was only 5 yards away from the incident! I can understand the linesman giving the decision as he’s looking through a crowd of players but the man in the middle could clearly see who the ball came off so there really is no excuse.

Then when you think things couldn’t get worse, they did after 24 minutes.

From a throw in deep in their own half, Middlesbrough played the ball over the top for Tuncay who was onside. The other runner, ex-Arsenal man Jeremie Aliadiere was just offside, but play progressed and when Tuncay played the ball square then Aliadiere smashed in the opener from 5 yards. The whole offside rule is confusing at the best of times, but I always thought you were deemed offside if you end up ‘interfering with play’, which Aliadiere obviously was when he scored. But then again there’s all this ‘second phase’ bullsh*t so he probably wasn’t offside.

Arsenal were having all the possession but couldn’t really cause Mark Schwarzer any major problems in the first half. A couple of shots went straight at him and he only really had to called into action when he punched away a few corners.

We went into the break 1-0 down. Talk about a massive 45 minutes in the season.

Arsenal dominated the possession as expected in the second half, but with the goal lead Middlesbrough sat behind the ball and we found it hard to make any real clear chances.

Fabregas had a great chance when Hleb played him in with a sublime through-ball but his left-footed shot was tame and Schwarzer made an easy save. Cesc also had a good header hit the outside of the post.

Could Arsenal ever make the breakthrough?

Mark Halsey, who had been having a shocking match gifted Arsenal a corner kick in the 85th minute, which was finished off well by Kolo Toure. After that Middlesbrough were holding on, and in the midst of attack after attack Mido was sent off for a high boot against the temple of Gael Clichy who had to be stretchered off. Hopefully he will be okay after that nasty challenge.

Near the end there were a few decent moments in the Boro penalty area from Walcott and Bendtner, but we just couldn’t get through. And just to really p*ss off the Arsenal fans Halsey decided to blow his whistle early and deny Arsenal a corner in injury time.

So Arsenal draw another game in the league.

What’s going on?

Are Arsenal just out of steam? I’m not sure. You see the performances against Villa, Birmingham and City and they seem like the displays of last season. Against Villa, Birmingham and today against Middlesbrough, we conceded the first goal and then had to chase the game. We did that a lot in the last campaign but it seems that part of our game is creeping back in and costing us valuable points.

Emmanuel Adebayor has been poor recently too. But then again that could be said about a few players. Hleb is off the boil and without Rosicky in the side we struggle on the other flank. Eboue can be excellent or really poor, and I don’t know why Walcott didn’t start tonight. Maybe he’s not 100% fit but he is one of the players who seems to be coming into form at the right time while others are struggling.

The performances are harder to take when you look at what happened at the San Siro. Everyone was on fire that night, so why can’t we do the same in the league?

Fabregas is finding it hard and we rely far too much on him to make something happen. Adebayor isn’t taking enough responsibility and hasn’t for a few games now. His touch and passing seems to be getting progressively worse! He talks a good game to the media but should probably just concentrate on his performances on the pitch.

Apart from the back four and Flamini, I don’t see any fight in the team. Flamini always gives 110% and you can always rely on him to put in a performance, but we need that desire further up the pitch.

I guess it comes down to the depth of the squad. You can’t legislate for what happened to Eduardo, who I’m sure would have made a big difference in the last 4 league games which ended in draws. This guy is ruthless in front of goal and is exactly what we need as the season comes to a close. Unfortunately we’ll have to do it without him.

Van Persie is back, but understandably looks rusty and could take a few weeks to get into the swing of things.

And our league programme doesn’t get any easier as we visit Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Talk about a make or break game!

Arsenal v Liverpool: What Do You Think?

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Well Arsenal face Liverpool, the Champions League specialists in the Quarter Finals.

Both sides meet after convincingly beating the Milan teams at the San Siro.

And in a twist of fate, Arsenal and Liverpool face each other at the Emirates in the Premier League inbetween the European games so will play each other 3 times in a week.

Depending what happens in the first Champions League game, that will have a massive impact on our league season.

The second leg is at Anfield, which we all know is a tough place to go. Saying that though, you would have to agree that Arsenal bossed the league game earlier in the season, despite only leaving with a point.

People say you want to play at home in the second leg, but I always think Arsenal perform better away from the Emirates. The great games that stick in my mind in Europe over the last few seasons are Inter Milan, AC Milan and Real Madrid – which were all away games. As long as Arsenal can keep a clean sheet at home, then the tie at Anfield is all to play for as far as I’m concerned because we are more than capable of scoring a goal.

And I know Liverpool have a fantastic record in this competition, but they haven’t faced anything like Arsenal in the Champions League before. If Arsenal can play to their maximum we should be too much for Liverpool. It’s a cliche but the first goal will make a huge difference. Look at the game earlier in the season. Liverpool scored first and shut up shop. If we score first, Liverpool will have to come out and that’s when we’re at our most dangerous.

The semi-finals were also drawn this afternoon, and whoever progresses from our tie will either play Chelsea of Fenerbahce. The other quarter-finals are between Manchester United and Roma, while Barcelona will play Schalke.

Did anyone else just know United and Chelsea would get the easy draws?

These are the games you live for, and I’m looking forward to the Arsenal v Liverpool ties. And after AC Milan and Liverpool repeated their final appearances in 2005 and then 2007, who says after the 2006 final Arsenal and Barcelona can’t re-unite in 2008?

Fairytales can happen in football and it would be amazing to get a chance to seek revenge against Barcelona in the final.

Rubbish Display, Rubbish Finishing, Rubbish Pitch…

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Wigan Athletic (0) – (0) Arsenal
JJB Staduim, Wigan

Everyone was always going to wonder if Arsenal could take 3 points from Wigan this weekend, especially when Manchester United and Chelsea surprisingly lost against Portsmouth and Barnsley in the FA Cup. And whatever disappointment those teams felt yesterday, today’s draw against Wigan would have raised their spirits.

And the problem we have now is that two of our closest rivals don’t have the distraction of the FA Cup, and we’ve dropped two vital points when we could have extended the lead to four.

The fact was the pitch was absolute shite. It really was.

You can argue that both sides have to play on the atrocious surface but the point is who is going to suffer more with a bumpy pitch? Arsenal try to play football and win matches and Wigan are near the bottom of the league and would regard a point against the league leaders a massive bonus.

So if you have a team playing for a point and a crap pitch to fight against then it’s always going to be an uphill battle.

But the performance from the boys wasn’t fantastic either.

Almunia and the back four had decent games, with Gallas and Senderos defending well and the fullbacks pushing on at every opportunity but the midfield really struggled.

Gilberto again was a lost passenger and gave the ball away on too many occasions. And when the tempo of the game needed to be faster inevitably it slowed down through him. Fabregas and Flamini did well but couldn’t really get to grips with the system, where they both switched from the middle to wide right throughout the game.

And I love Alexander Hleb, but he had one of the worst games I have seen for a long time.

The pitch didn’t help, but far too many times he had the ball in decent positions on the left high up the pitch and failed to pick out a half decent pass to a teammate. Too many passes went astray and in the game where chances were going to be limited his final ball needed to be far better. The game broke down too many times at his feet.

Adebayor was okay but missed the games clearest chances.

In the first minute a fantastic through pass from Fabregas set him free but he shot straight at Kirkland. He also had another chance early in the second half when Kirkland had a mix up with Boyce at the back but shot straight at him again when the goalkeeper was in no-mans land. I’m not sure if he’s lacking confidence or what but Adebayor just doesn’t look like scoring unless it’s from 3 yards out.

Bendtner did well and probably coped the best from the attacking outfield players with the shocking pitch, passing the ball well and showing some good touches and ball control. His days at Birmingham had obviously helped.

The majority of the game was at a pedestrian pace because Arsenal couldn’t play their football which was a massive shame. If this game was at the Emirates, Arsenal would have won easily.

Kolo and Van Persie came on with 25 minutes left but couldn’t really make any impact. Van Persie did well to make space for himself with 10 minutes left but his left-foot shot flew into Row Z. The ball bobbled just before he struck the ball and that really summed up the afternoon.

And the problem is that one a dreadful pitch it’s much easier to defend for a point than to take all three. So Wigan always had a massive advantage.

I guess with 3 draws in the last 3 league games people (and certainly the press) will say Arsenal have blown the title challenge. I didn’t know you could do that in March but hey, what do I know?

I’m sure the majority (if not all of the media) will forget the injury problems we’ve had to contend with this season. Today alone, we had Rosicky, Eduardo, Diaby and Walcott all out, and Kolo Toure and Robin Van Persie have just come back from injury. And Emmanuel Eboue was still suspended from his stupid red card at Old Trafford in the FA Cup.

But the bottom line is that the performance today wasn’t good enough to win. Adebayor, Fabregas, Hleb and others looked a little jaded – whether that was because of a so-called ‘hangover’ from midweek or just fatigue from the season so far is debatable, but we just weren’t at our best.