The morning after pill

It’s a bitter pill I tell you. I think the most painful thing, even after time has elapsed, is that Abu Dhabi City got the bragging rights following yesterday’s match.

I was fairly confident before the match, and though the results were extremely disappointing and tell a totally different tale, I’m not overly filled with gloom and the “Arsenal is over” diatribe. I’ll get over how I feel soon enough, and over the years, the quickest way to get over a defeat for me is to watch Arsenal playing again, and we don’t have long to wait.

First things first though. It was a cracking second half. I was confident we would equalize, but in chasing the game, things started to unravel with Wenger’s substitutions. I’ve watched the match again fully exercising the rewind button, and 3 of City’s 4 goals – take that back – all of City’s goals were avoidable.

I’m not going to dwell on blaming players. Any review of the match DVD will easily illustrate the simple lapses in defensive areas that led to the goals. It is within the players abilities to stop that kind of nonsense from happening. I would however like to point out that tactically, Wenger should have not taken both defensive minded midfielders off as this exposed the fullbacks much more than they have been before. Granted, you can understand he wanted to change the game, but for me, Diaby and Bendtner were more obvious choices for substitutions if there was ever one.

Perhaps what is more disturbing is that City had 4 shots on target and scored all of them. It says something about their sharpness. We on the other hand, had at least 4 clear cut scoring opportunities that conspired not to go in. It was also de ja vu for me when Van Persie’s shot hit the post. This guy must have a skill and affinity to hit the woodwork.

The lessons are clear though. Defensive discipline is something the team needs to work on further, and we need to be more clinical in front of goal. Funny thing is that we’ve been here before. Many players including Fabregas were off the pace yesterday and will need to up their game. We need to stop giving excuses or reasons why people will pick our short comings as indicators for failure. We need to put games beyond the reach of fate or bad luck.

The European game will give the team a welcome trip away to regroup and I look forward to that. I was also extremely overjoyed at the return of Thomas Rosicky, our little Mozart. And perform he did, crowning it with a well deserved goal. Pure class this gentlemen is on the pitch, an outstanding player.

I can’t wait to see all the team get back in contention and experience what it is like to play what is undoubtedly our best team with Song, Fabregas and Rosicky in midfield, and Eduardo, Van Persie and Arshavin attacking

That’s enough of the football. There’s more to say about the antics of Emmanuel Adebayor, and my feeling is that his goal celebration is not worth responding to. It’s idiocy and repugnancy is self explanatory and not worth air time on this blog.

I will however comment on the mindless stamping of Arsenal players by a savage and demented individual who wants to prove a point that is vile and distasteful. Adebayor’s stamping firstly on Fabregas, and then raking Van Persie’s face is unacceptable. I trust that the FA will take the appropriate action. I’m also hoping that the Greater Manchester Police (at least those who are not City fans), can consider the fact that Van Persie actually got assaulted yesterday at the City of Manchester stadium. They probably will decide that the steward who was knocked unconscious by a missile thrown from the away fans section is worthy of their time and not the assault on Van Persie.

It was clear to me yesterday that Adebayor targeted the players who he felt threatened by at Arsenal. You can try and simply put it down to jealousy, but it’s sicker than that. I believe the best thing Wenger did in the last 12 months relating to the transfer window is get rid of this animal called Adebayor. His ego is bigger than West Africa and we need to distance ourselves from him as much as we can.

Adebayor has no place in the history of Arsenal football club. He has lost all his capital.

No surprise on Mark Hughes and his comments afterwards. Sparky is just doing what he’s good at – being nasty. He perfected it at Blackburn, and City gives him the opportunity to do it but with better players.