Author Archives: Michael Roberts

Injuries Finally Clearing Up / 1st Liverpool Preview

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Well Arsenal started 2007 with a comprehensive 4-0 over Charlton Athletic which was great because that idiot Pardew was moaning about it afterwards. Simple pleasures eh?

But of course it marked the return of The King Thierry Henry who simply ran riot by scoring the first, setting up the second and then winning the penalty for the third – coupled with the flair and skill on display that night it was easily a Man of the Match performance from the captain.

Whether the spell on the sidelines was due to injury or simply rest, Arsene has got what he wanted which was a fully-fit and focused Henry who is ready to wreak havoc on the rest of the Premiership and the rest of Europe – which can only lead to good things.

After the poor end to the year with the 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United it turns out that 9 points from a possible 12 wasn’t that bad after all, with Liverpool returning the same total and Chelsea only getting 6 points over the Christmas period – although United did extend their lead at the top by earning 10 points from a possible 12.

But as with most things in football things change – usually very quickly – and 2007 looks like it could be a good second half to the season. We’re still unbeaten at the Emirates, we started the year by win 4-0 and playing some brilliant football, and the injuries seem to be clearing up…

With Henry returning on Tuesday night, it now appears that Julio Baptista, William Gallas and Theo Walcott are all close to a return and could be available for the Carling Cup match against Liverpool on Tuesday. Eboue is ready to play against Liverpool tomorrow in the FA Cup, the almost fogotten man Lauren is also ready to play and Dance-master Adebayor should be back for the Blackburn Rovers game on the 13th (unlucky for them eh?).

Freddie Ljungberg is almost back to full fitness and Abou Diaby has returned to full training after his horrific ankle break last May. His progress has pleased the manager and it will please the Arsenal fans as he hopefully progresses into the physical presence in midfield that we are sometimes lacking. Good luck to the lad.

Tomorrow’s travel up to Liverpool for the FA Cup looks like a tough game especially with Robin Van Persie and Cesc both serving a one-match suspension for the tie.

Arsenal have done well in the FA Cup in the Wenger-era but most of our injured players won’t be back for another week or so. Flamini looks set to replace Fabregas in midfield and there are rumours that Van Persie could be replaced by Baptista in attack, although I would expect Arsene to go with a 4-5-1 formation and give Flamini support in the middle – especially against Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso.

And even though Liverpool will be with a full strength team I still fancy Arsenal to progress into the 4th round. Henry is back (and will hopefully play) and Liverpool are a side that actually play football as opposed to bullying teams. Futhermore, Benitez doesn’t seem to know what his strongest frontline actually is.

Kuyt, Bellamy, Crouch and Fowler have all been inconsistent and that might help Arsenal tomorrow. But with Steven Gerrard Liverpool always have that goal-threat with his surging runs from midfield so Gilberto will have to be on his best form to shut him out.

Predictions?

I’m not the best at these but I’ll stick my neck out and say we’ll nick it 2-1!

Arsenal’s Sleepy Display The Perfect Wake Up Call?

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The game against Sheffield United still baffles me – the lack of any actual desire was the biggest disappointment but does this display highlight some real problems with the team?

1. Our attitude against ‘lower’ teams in the league.
We’ve lost at Manchester City, Fulham, Sheffield United , Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United – but won at Old Trafford and drew against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The fact is Arsenal need to quickly learn that they have to play their best in EVERY game, not just against the top teams. But is the problem with Wenger and his team selection or with the players on the pitch?

2. Our ‘phyiscal’ presence.
This arguement has been put forward by many Arsenal fans, especially since Vieira, Edu and Campbell left. Since the team were roughed up at Old Trafford a couple of seasons ago Arsenal haven’t been the same at all against the more ‘physical’ teams in the league. Bolton away seems to be a game Arsene can no longer win and we usually struggle in away matches unless it’s against a team that wants to play football like Manchester United or Chelsea.

3. Our squad players.
I’m not sure how Aliadiere actually gets into the Arsenal first eleven even with all the injuries. He wasn’t good enough for West Ham, Celtic or Wolves so how can he even be considered to be in the Arsenal squad? Surely players like Bendtner and Stokes deserve a shot before Aliadiere? Baptista looks like he’s going to need another year to settle which Wenger probably won’t give him. Losing Jose Antonio Reyes looks like a big mistake with Ade and Henry out at the moment, especially without replacing him with someone of the same class.

4. Fielding players out of position.
Playing Julio Baptista on the left wing was surprising, since we were told that he started his career in defensive midfield and progressed into an attacking midfielder and centre-forward. This video shows his goal scoring exploits for Real Madrid only last season – with injuries to Henry and Adebayor wouldn’t it have been a good idea to play ‘The Beast’ upfront instead of the useless Aliadiere?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_0w_kJTPPY[/youtube]

5. The lack of Plan B.
We play intricate passing football which is great and probably some of the most entertaining football in Europe, but Arsenal need to learn how to dig out a result. On a wet, sticky pitch in the likes of Sheffield or Bolton in the winter months our passing game simply won’t work. This was highlighted against Sheffield United when Phil Jagielka was untested when he was in goal for the last 35 minutes – Arsenal still tried to pass the ball into the net instead of shooting!

Absolutely Pathetic!

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This is possibly the worst performance I have seen from an Arsenal team in the last 10 years. As soon as I found out Fabregas was rested I knew we would be in big trouble, and it proved to be that Arsenal couldn’t create any chances.

Arsene under-estimated Sheffield United and we’ve lost the chance to close in on Chelski who drew earlier today against Fulham.

We played for about 7 minutes but after that we just didn’t even try!

There were many annoying things about today’s performance but the worst was probably on 59 minutes when Sheffield United keeper Paddy Kenny went off injured – and United didn’t have a substitute goalkeeper on the bench. Outfield player Phil Jagielka replaced Kenny in goal so with over 30 minutes remaining you’d expect Arsenal to test the keeper right?

The first shot on goal since the midfielder was put in goal (which was also miles wide) was on 89 minutes by Aliadiere!

Many Arsenal fans (me included) thought that we might have just turned the corner with away games but this performance showed yet again if the opposition want it more they can beat Arsenal.

I’m finding it hard to understand what happened this afternoon – results aren’t everything but when the players put in such a dire performance like which is void of any actual effort then you wonder why these players get paid so much.

Arsenal thought they could simply turn up, play football for 10 minutes and win the game.

Yes, we’ve got injuries but don’t forget that Sheffield United rested 6/7 of their first team players today for their relegation game against Boro next week.

Our squad should have easily coped with Sheffield United even with the injuries we’ve got.

But Arsenal forgot that you have to actually play an entire match and win it to earn 3 points – something Sheffield United didn’t forget.

Should Henry Do The Right Thing And Step Down?

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Thierry Henry or Gilberto Silva?

As early on as watching us beat Manchester United at Old Trafford I had the feeling that Gilberto was the man to captain Arsenal Football Club and his performances against Chelski and other teams recently has just confirmed it.

Gilberto just gives more to the team as captain as opposed to King Henry.

The Brazilian has always been a big part of the first team squad but ever since he has worn the captain’s armband he has been nothing short of inspirational. Even against Watford he made a fantastic last-ditch tackle to save Arsenal going a goal down and then scored the opening goal 5 minutes later.

He takes responsibility for the team and every Gooner would have noticed that when players like Eboue, Senderos and Van Persie have got into scuffles and arguements with the other team Gilberto is the first one to step in and calm down the situation – just like a real captain.

Henry and Gilberto are totally different players and at the same time different people.

Thierry wears his heart on his sleeve but is more concerned being courteous to the opposition and would rather have a go at his own players than the other team.

Gilberto is a quieter, calmer influence on the team who gives everything on the pitch and leads by example. He is not the most vocal but encourages the team by showing them what he expects by his performance – similar to Vieira when he was captain.

Arsenal have lost 5 times this season to CSKA Moscow, Manchester City, Fulham, West Ham United & Bolton Wanderers – and Henry was playing for 4 of those games.

Now people will obviously argue that Henry has captained Arsenal to numerous wins as well but under Gilberto’s captaincy Arsenal haven’t lost a game. Of course, Gilberto has only captained the team in a few games but it is clear that with Gibertlo leading the team Arsenal have something else about them – an extra edge and that extra desire.

Would we have beaten Manchester United with Henry as captain? Would we have scored that late goal against Wigan and would we have kept going to seal all 3 points against Watford? Would we have got a result against Chelski?

A lot has been made about Henry as captain over the last two seasons and that’s because it obviously isn’t working. Arsene gave Henry the captaincy to make him stay at the club he loved and Arsene won’t take it off him – so would Henry ever step down?

Maybe it’s time Henry didn’t have the burden of Arsenal Football Club on his shoulders and did what he does best which is winning matches with his exceptional skill and goalscoring ability. After all, the best player in the team doesn’t have to be captain do they?

Look at Ronaldinho at Barca, Ronaldo at United and Lampard at Chelski!

A 2006 Review: Looking Back Over The Year

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A Year of Highs and Lows…

Well the year is coming to an end so I thought I’d post up my highlights over the last 12 months.

This year will mainly be remembered for Arsenal making the Champions League Final, securing 4th position in the Premiership, Thierry Henry committing his future to Arsenal and Cashley Cole moving to Russia – certainly a year of highs and lows.

Top 3 Highlights of 2006

The Champions League Run
Arsenal were simply fantastic in the Champions League, beating Europe’s elite to reach the final including Real Madrid and Juventus in Feb-March-April of 2006. Jen’s Lehmann had set a record in that he didn’t actually concede a single in the CL last season, but his sending off in the final put Arsenal in deep trouble. But Sol Campbell gave Arsenal hope with his 37th minute header and we did so well to hold on for 77 minutes – but eventually Barcelona managed to get through the tiring 10-man Arsenal team. Such a valiant performance really deserved better. There were many highlights in the run-in but the most memorable include Jen’s sensational save from Riquelme in the semi-final and Henry’s goal against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

Finishing 4th in The Premiership
Losing Patrick Vieira in the summer of 2005 was a shock to the system as Arsenal lost their consistancy in the league. Some irregular results put Arsenal well out of the title race and even worse was that Spurs were favourites for 4th place, and Champions League qualification. April 22nd was the crunch tie with Spurs and it was eventful as ever when Robbie Keane slotted the ball into the net as Gilberto & Eboue lay injured in the centre of the pitch. Arsene squared up to Martin Jol and all hell broke loose. But Arsenal won their remaining 3 league games culminating in a memorable 4-2 in the last game at Highbury, with captain Henry scoring a hattrick. Even better, West Ham beat Spurs on the final day secure 4th spot and we all know why!

Thierry Henry Staying at Arsenal
After the Champions League Final Thierry Henry finally decided to stay at Arsenal and snub Barcelona. The speculation started way back in 2005 but after Arsenal’s performace in the final Henry saw enough potential for success with the current squad and added impetus to add more experience, with Rosicky, Gallas and Baptista joining us in the summer. The future’s bright, it’s red and white.

Top 3 Matches of 2006

1-0 Versus Real Madrid (Santiago Bernabeu, Feb 21st)
Nobody gave Arsenal a chance. Especially since we had recently lost against Bolton, Liverpool and West Ham – and Real Madrid had won their last 10 games in La Liga. But as usual when you write Arsenal off that’s when they really perform and we created a number of chances from the kick off. Reyes and Henry had big chances within the first 10 minutes and with Real under the cosh Arsenal controlled the game and created other chances before the break. But then a couple of minutes after the restart Cesc fed the ball to Henry on the half-way line. The captain then proceeded to beat Ronaldo, Meija, Guti and Sergio Ramos before placing the ball into the far corner past Casillas – giving Arsenal the win and a historic result at the Bernabeu.

2-0 Versus Juventus (Highbury, March 22nd)
The build up was all about Patrick Vieira, but it was Cesc who people were talking about after the game. The opening goal, on 40 minutes, was created after Bobby tackled Vieira just past the half-way line and then fed Henry who slipped the ball to Fabregas on the edge of the box. Cesc then slotted the ball through Emerson’s legs and gave Arsenal a much deserved lead. Then on 68 minutes, Hleb, Cesc and Henry combined well to give Arsenal a 2-0 lead and put one foot in the CL semi-final.

1-0 Versus Manchester United (Old Trafford, Sept 17th)
Wins at Old Trafford are always memorable and this one was no exception. Once again, everyone was writting us off before a ball had been kick but Arsenal controlled large periods of the match and Adebayors goal on 84 minutes was the least we deserved. Gilberto also missed a penalty in the first half but that didn’t stop Arsenal pushing on and winning the game – our first vital win of this season’s Premiership campaign.

Top 3 Arsenal Goals of 2006

There were some great goals this year but the following 3 were the ones that made me scream the loudest and go totally berserk. Thinking of these goals again still gives me goosebumps…

Sol Campbell versus Barcelona
He might have had an indifferent season but Sol played in the CL final after Senderos picked up an injury and made the perfect impact with his headed goal on 37 minutes, especially with the Gunners down to 10 men. Arsenal fought on bravely and Barcelona might have ended up winning the final in the end but that goal gave every Gooner hope that we might just win the biggest club competition in the world. And we were so close…

Emmanuel Adebayor versus Manchester United
With no Thierry Henry and seemingly no chance, Arsenal travelled to Old Trafford needing to win to keep their title chances alive. Arsenal played with no fear against a team who were in scintillating form and attacked throughout the match. Scholes cleared off the line from Adebayor’s header in the first half and won a penalty – but Gilberto’s effort was saved. But then with only 5 minutes remaining Cesc played in a well-measured through ball for Ade to coolly slot past Thomas Kuszczak for the opening goal and all 3 points! A great goal and such a vital win over the currently leaders of The Premiership.

Mathieu Flamini versus Chelsea
The game had so much tension it was almost unbearable. There was the Cashley fiasco before the match and the game itself was electric, with Arsenal having the best of the first half. Chelsea had the better of the second period, but with only 13 minutes remaining Hleb and Flamini combined to deadly effect and scored a goal that looked like giving Chelsea their first defeat at home since way back in 2004 when we beat them 2-1 thanks to Edu and Vieira. The goal itself came from no where which added to the exhilaration and Hleb’s skill in creating the chance against Cole in the build up was even better. Chelsea equalised with a scuffed tap in from Essien 5 minutes later but that couldn’t hide the fact that a team missing Henry, Gallas, Rosicky, Toure and Lauren (with only Gilberto & Lehmann as the experienced players) coped with a full-strength Chelsea squad – and could have stole all 3 points.

Top 3 Players of 2006

Kolo Toure
There is no doubt that Kolo has been simply immense for Arsenal over the year and has been our most consistent player. His pace, positioning, strength and above all his desire is what has kept us going and he is certainly an Arsenal captain of the future. He keeps putting in performance after performance and is a true leader in the pitch.

Cesc Fabregas
The kid is still only 19! Along with Kolo probably the most consistent Arsenal player over the last 12 months, and like his team-mate has played the majority of Arsenal’s games. His all round play is improving all the time and he keeps racking up man of the match performances throughout the seasons. It’s hard to imagine there’s more to come from this boy!

Jens Lehmann
Since being dropped for a few games a couple of seasons ago Jens has been in inspirational form, which resulted him being Germany’s first choice keeper in the World Cup. He has made some really excellent saves over the last year but certain highlights that stand out for me include THAT save from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Old Trafford, a penalty save from Steven Gerrard at Anfield in February which almost earnt us a point. But the moment of the year for Jens was his stop against Riquelme’s penalty in the semi-final of the CL. I have never cheered a save so much!

Thank you for reading and let me wish all you guys a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!