Archive for Match Previews
Arsenal Face Another Battle Of Britannia
Posted by: | CommentsFor the 4th time in 20 years, the Gunners face the drama at the Britannia stadium. It’s the sort of fixture that gets hacks and pundits all mouthy about the other side of football that focuses on physicality and set pieces.
In fairness, it is a clash between two very different schools of football styles. Wengerball on the one hand seeks to use technique, pace and movement as the primary approach to the game. Stoke City on the other hand will do what they do – get physical.
Much has been made about the legend of the Rory Delap throw. However, focussing on this strategy that Stoke employ and forgetting the football that they play is folly.
Stoke will try and mix it – and to their credit, will focus on what strengths they have. The potters have scored 15 of their 26 goals this season from set pieces, 14 of these at home. In this respect, it won’t be at all surprising if they try all manner of tactics in the dead ball situations.
Arsenal Need To Exorcise Hoodoo On Bruce’s Black Cats
Posted by: | CommentsSunderland’s visit to the Emirates this afternoon provides a welcome distraction from the drama of the midweek European tie in Portugal. The Gunners need to set aside the disappointment of the referee assisted robbery at the Estadio do Dragão and focus on the task at hand against the Black Cats.
With Chelsea and United playing away from home, it’s paramount that the Gunners keep focus and do a professional job to collect the 3 points. There’s absolutely no point going on about a favourable fixture list in comparison to Arsenal’s title contenders if we’re not going to do what is required of us.
The reverse fixture at the Stadium of light on Nov 21st 2009 was the first game without our talisman Robin Van Persie. He had just picked up the horrific injury that has ruled him out for the season while on duty with Holland a week earlier.
Some have suggested that the team was affected by what happened to Van Persie against Italy. A more realistic explanation is that Arsenal have form in producing indifferent performances on away games after lengthy international breaks.
Is It 3rd Time Lucky for Arsenal’s ‘Wookash’ Fabianski?
Posted by: | CommentsApril 18th 2009 and January 24th 2010 are two days ‘Wookash’ Fabianski dreads to recall, even though the former date is the Pole’s birthday.
It has something to do with the fact that on those two days, Arsenal were shown the exit sign and asked to unceremoniously leave the FA Cup. They were days that the young goal keeper had ’howlers’ that any professional sportsman would want to forget very quickly.
A mad rush of blood to the head from Wookash gifted an empty net to Drogba last April, and at the Britannia a few weeks ago – he wisened up to the folly of waiting for a Rory Delap throw to come to him.
Let’s face it – keeping goal is a thankless job. More often than not, the keeper spends long periods doing nothing constructive and requires constant discipline and focus to keep up with the game around them.
The problem for goalies is that mistakes they make or momentary lapses of judgement almost certainly end up with them picking the ball from the back of the net. Also, in this media savvy age where cameras cover every nook and cranny on the pitch, the actions or inactions of the goal keeper are easily amplified.
If Bob Wilson was keeping goal for Arsenal today and he had the howler that led to the goal at his near post in the 1971 cup final, Wilson would have had to go into exile, for the Sky cameras would have made is life a misery.
Goal keeping seems to be a subject that divides many observers when it comes to the Arsenal. I don’t recall it being that much of an issue in the past times of Lehmann, Seaman (who was the goalie that I most identified with), Jennings or Wilson.
There’s a cliché often used to say that a good goal keeper can save you at least 12 points a season, and Almunia doesn’t seem to jump out of the page for some when it comes to Arsenal goal keepers. Off the top of my head, I can think of 3 points saving interventions that Almunia made in 2010 – when Denilson collapsed and Everton had a one on one with him; saving Agbonlahor’s shot across goal at the match against Villa on 27th of Jan; and his fingertip save of Ryan Babel’s shot last week against Liverpool.
All of those saves prevented Arsenal from losing or drawing a match and gained us points in that respect. Even so, it’s more than likely that Almunia’s transgressions will be the more amplified for it’s those mistakes that end up with us conceding goals.
Fabianski has had his high profile moments to impress and he has shown signs of a great goal keeper, and signs of poor judgement on occasion. This is not uncommon for a 24 year old goal keeper, and I think it’s important to acknowledge that some things will only come with experience. Good judgement is one of those aspects that will only develop with time and mileage on the pitch.
For the record, I think Fabianski is a very good keeper and will become one of the best keepers in the world. You can see this when he has a good game – the way he commands the box and the way he marauds around like he owns that piece of real estate within the box; the way he comes for crosses and the way he sweeps behind his defensive high line; and his general presence in the box.
What has eluded him so far is the consistency in good decision making. His individual skill and agility is not in question. The only way we’re going to find out if Wookash is really the answer to Arsenal’s goal keeping dilemma is to let him get on with it.
Some may argue that he’s not yet there and needs some more experience, but short of farming him out on loan at the risk of not having a 2nd choice keeper – Wenger seems to be convinced that the Pole is a good enough understudy to Almunia.
The manager has certainly gone out of his way to pump up Wookash by waxing lyrical about his ability to hold the fort. Definitely good people management and confidence building skills on the part of the manager.
My sense is that if the team defends properly as a unit and each person takes their responsibility seriously, it will make the life of a goal keeper a hell of a lot easier. There will be times during the game that the keeper is called upon to do something extra-ordinary and it’s on those occasions that Wookash can stand up to be counted.
Maybe tonight is a chance to prove that it’s 3rd time lucky for him and he can help propel Arsenal to a good position before the return leg against Porto in 3 weeks time.
Arsenal’s European Adventure Resumes At The Dragon’s Den
Posted by: | CommentsArsenal reacquaint themselves with European action tomorrow when they visit the Estádio do Dragão for the 3rd time in 4 seasons. The Dragon’s den in Porto hasn’t been a good hunting ground for the Gunners, having only previously managed a scrappy goalless draw in the 2006-2007 campaign, and a 2 nil defeat last season.
Jesualdo Ferreira’s Porto’s side are in fine form with a 12 game unbeaten run and having scored 12 goals with only 3 in reply in their last 5 games. If Arsenal’s last 5 games are anything to go by, you then realise that whoever suggested that the Gunners are favourites needs to go a bit easy on the cool aid.
Arsenal will have been buoyed by the win against Liverpool having come back from a mauling by both their closest rivals. Both the players and supporters will have taken a lot of encouragement from the collective team effort and the defensive display shown against Liverpool.
In tomorrow’s game, that defensive discipline will be the key. Consistency has been elusive for this team at critical times and this has been a source of frustration for many supporters. However, the spirit and sheer determination shown by the team in the game against Liverpool was very encouraging.
Arsenal has left itself vulnerable in the last couple of losses because of over-committing when chasing the game. You always feel that at 0-0, the Gunners are comfortable and can play a patient game. Our Achilles heel has been the loss of our shape when defending counter attacks against us as a result of the over-commitment in chasing the game.
Against Liverpool, the team showed that they had the maturity to remain compact and hold the game, while being patient for their chance on goal. The same approach will have to be taken against Porto who are in better scoring form than Arsenal are in.
From Wenger’s point of view, the minimum requirement is not to lose the game against Porto, though he will be more happy with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet.
From a tactical point of view, Porto will have watched Arsenal’s recent defeats to Chelsea and Man United and believe that they have the definitive blue print to beat Arsenal. They will look to crowd the midfield and push forward at every available opportunity using the strength of their star man, the Hulk.
I’m not exactly sure why, but I believe Hulk has been suspended from the rest of the domestic season – but he should be eligible to play in the champions league, and probably gagging for the chance to scratch the itch that Arsenal will represent.
From Arsenal’s point of view, Alex Song and Andrey Arshavin’s absence will be a huge miss, though it’s encouraging that they’ll probably be back for the return leg at the Emirates.
My sense is that Arsenal will go with a starting line-up of:
Almunia
Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Clichy
Denilson, Diaby, Fabregas
Eboue, Bendtner, Nasri
At some point in the game, Rosicky, Walcott and Eduardo may feature.
I feel that Wenger will go for Eboue because of his penetrative attributes and ability to run at defences to open spaces. Eboue’s presence also provides solidity and strength in the middle of the park.
For Walcott, whatever time he gets will be valuable especially since he is away from home and there’s less pressure from the crowd and from the media. Hopefully, if he gets pitch time, he can enjoy himself and play with a smile.
Denilson will also get a chance to improve his recent form after his return from injury. He’s become scapegoat du jour in recent weeks and he can’t do any worse than get on the pitch and do what he’s good at.
Arsenal have a good chance of getting past Porto to the next round, but it’s not going to be a straight forward task by any measure. The fact that Porto have won the European title twice and the fact that they’ve been in the competition for 12 years running suggests that you should write them off at your own peril.
Zero complacency from Arsenal is paramount.
Arsenal Fight Liverpool For Chance To Be Comeback Kings
Posted by: | CommentsThey say it ain’t over until the fat lady sings.
In Arsenal and Liverpool’s case, they’re still undressing the fat lady and figuring out how to chuck her into the bath – let alone getting her out of the dressing room onto the stage. It’s a while yet before she has to sing.
For the two clubs that have been written off as title contenders and preferred more as title pretenders – tonight is a key match. It’s not so much the must win game that the media cheering squad make it out to be. I feel that both teams want a positive result from this game for psychological reasons.
Liverpool have had a season to forget and it’s paramount for them to consolidate their position and mark their territory for the 4th champions league spot for next year. It’s only a couple of months ago when they were totally written off and I must admit, I too expressed my fears of Liverpool dropping to mid-table mediocrity.
Personally, I feel that it’s now going to be hard for Villa, Man City or Spurs to dislodge them off the 4th spot – especially since they’ve now smelt and sat on it for a while. The difference is that Liverpool are experienced campaigners and out of the 4th spot chasers, they have more big game nous than the rest.
Andrey Arshavin (L) celebrates scoring Arsenal's second goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield on December 13, 2009
Arsenal on the other hand will be hoping that Aston Villa and Everton repeat the feats they achieved against Man United and Chelsea respectively in the first leg encounters.
However, it’s absolutely pointless for Arsenal to hope that Chelsea and Man United will drop points – if the Gunners are not able to take advantage by claiming full points. Chelsea and Man United will for sure drop points, least against each other, but Arsenal have to win all the remaining 13 games to have a chance of winning the title.
It’s important though, that before we talk about winning titles, the team gets back to winning ways a game at a time. Arsenal is a confidence team and to be frank, confidence is running pretty low at London Colney right now.
There’s two ways to look at this. The Arsenal team can call last orders and we can all go through the motions and fulfil the remaining fixtures before folding our tents and waiting for next season. I’d much prefer that the team restores their confidence and fights tooth and nail for every minute of every game. There’s a hell of a lot at stake, not least the pride of the players and supporters.
Tactically, I can see Benitez going with his 2 guard dogs of Javier Mascherano and Lucas Leiva marauding around his midfield and trying to stop Arsenal’s flowing game. Their defence is wearing thin especially since their Greek defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos obliged to the legend of the Merseyside derby and collected one of the customary red cards for the privilege of missing tonight’s game.
The flaw with this defensive minded strategy for Benitez has been that Liverpool then don’t have much creativity to take advantage of the balls that the messy defensive midfielders win. They miss the sort of creativity that Xavi Alonso provided as a bridge between defence and attack – and the jury really is still out on Alberto Aquilani who hasn’t really set the Premiership on fire.
Arsenal should be able to contain Liverpool’s passing game, and hopefully, our propensity to attack gung-ho will have been reigned in a little considering the gift of 2 goals that we’ve recently given opponents from counter attacks.
Liverpool must hate the sight of Andrey Arshavin as Arsenal hate the sight of Didier Drogba. The diminutive Russian has been quite vocal off the pitch though you feel that he’d be better placed converting his guilt edged chances and avoiding the media like the plague.
From an Arsenal point of view, Wenger has his preferred midfield of Cesc, Diaby and Song. The 3 haven’t played together for a while now, but it’s time they got into their stride. Eboue looked brighter than Sagna when he came on last Sunday and he may offer a better option on the right flank defensively and offensively.
Up front, Bendtner must be given a chance to start. Like Walcott, he has been away for a while and whilst I sympathize with Walcott’s lack of game time to regain his confidence, I think that Bendtner has a lot more to offer at this point in time.
Walcott will do much better in a game devoid of pressure where he doesn’t feel the stress of having to express himself well. He needs a game that he can play with a smile and not have to worry about impressing the England team camp before this summers World Cup.
Arsenal for now need to forget any title ambitions or any champions league fixtures. They need to use this game to regain a psychological edge. They need to use this game to lift their spirits and lift the spirits of the Gooner nation.
Liverpool won’t come to the Emirates to make up the numbers. We may have beaten them twice already this season, but that counts for absolutely nothing.
The second half of the last game against Chelsea showed good signs of Arsenal’s recognition about what seems to be our Achilles heel. Despite a good attempt to chase the game, Arsenal were solid defensively in the second half and that discipline needs to be maintained.
A top performance more than anything is now due from the Arsenal team. I sincerely hope that the 2 losses against United and Chelsea have given the team enough food for thought about how to approach the next game. One game at a time will do for now.
Enjoy the game wherever you are.
Arsenal Must Cross The Bridge And Get Back To Winning Ways
Posted by: | CommentsIn the pre-match press conference yesterday, Arsene Wenger was asked what he wants to say to despondent Arsenal fans. A thought did cross my mind as to whether the journalist asking the question was one of the only 22 readers of a certain Arsenal blog who signed a non-starter petition to lobby the board to fire the manager.
In the view of the journalist (clearly a beacon of professional integrity and statistical analysis), a huge proportion of Arsenal fans no longer share Wenger’s belief that Arsenal can challenge for the title.
The Arsenal manager seemed somewhat baffled with how to answer the question before going for the ”let’s get a bit of perspective here” answer.
Wenger’s view is that Arsenal is actually in a fairly decent position for a team that was totally written off pre-season not to even make the top 4. We perhaps all need a modicum of perspective to appreciate that being 6 points off the top with 14 games to go and having played almost all your tough fixtures is not a bad place to be.
Like many of us, the manager’s disappointment seems to be with the manner in which Arsenal conceded ground to Man United. Clearly, the team didn’t shroud themselves in glory.
Facing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge is as good a game as any to put matters right. The team owe themselves that, and they owe the fans a respectable performance of the calibre we have come to expect.
Stamford Bridge is never an easy place to visit, but the Gunners have shown that they can defy all the odds and get a comprehensive win. Arsenal were also written off in this fixture last season, and yet they beat Chelsea emphatically despite Djourou gifting them an own goal.
It would be folly to assume that Chelsea’s mental strength will be ruffled by the shenanigans of their beleaguered captain. The Blues are professional enough to park the humiliation and embarrassment of their captain and turn up for work.
I feel that this game is extremely important psychologically. There’s a growing sense that Arsenal have a mental block when it comes to playing Man United and Chelsea.
I personally don’t think it’s that straightforward – considering that from a possible 12 points that could be collected by playing the 2 teams, Arsenal got 7 of them last season. I think the bigger problem for those who see this as a big deal is more to do with the humiliation of losing bragging rights.
What is not in question is that it’s unacceptable for Arsenal to play like they did last Sunday against Man United. A repeat of last Sunday’s performance easily qualifies as professional suicide.
My sense is that I’ll be happy with a loss or draw so long as the Arsenal team fight tooth and nail for every ball and that they apply themselves with gusto. A positive result is the least expected, but it’s not the end of the season if we don’t get the 3 points.
Chelsea and Man United will drop points not least against each other. For me it’s more important for the Arsenal team to get their pride back and to regain the psychological advantage.
In this respect, the pressure being put on this game as the be all and end all is somewhat artificial. It’s more important to get back into the mix and regain the psychological advantage.
The real fight is in the home stretch with Arsenal’s last 12 games. The other title challengers have arguably more demanding fixtures.
Arsenal need the consistency and confidence to tackle this home stretch positively. A positive game against Chelsea is just what the doctor ordered.
My sense is that Wenger will go for a starting line-up of:
Almunia
Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Clichy
Song, Fabregas, Diaby
Rosicky, Bendtner, Arshavin
Nasri, Eboue and Walcott are likely to feature at some point.
Arsenal Battle Manchester United For Chance To Correct League Table
Posted by: | CommentsAfter the draw at Villa park last Wednesday, Arsenal jump straight into the 2nd of the ’Awesome Foursome’ matches. I feel that today’s battle and the one next Sunday at Stamford Bridge are the most important matches for the Gunners this season.
A win against either of the title challengers will see Arsenal gain direct advantage over their closest rivals. In the final tally, the points gained or lost during these two encounters might be critical.
I don’t think that not winning the 2 games outright means that it’s the end of the season. Winning them simply gives us the initiative and psychological advantage, and there is still much to do before the final whistle in the final game of the season. Only then can we be certain of how the honours will be divvied up.
History will tell you that current form goes right out of the window during this epic fixture. Form doesn’t matter because the teams are playing for pride and bragging rights.
When you get the two best attacking teams in the Premiership, then the chance of having a fantastic game is on the cards. All we can hope for is that there’s drama of the Roy Keen and Patrick Vieira tunnel bust-up variety to add spice to the encounter.
The Gunners will be buoyed by the return of Alex Song, Nicklas Bendtner, Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Eboue. It will equally be frustrating that we’re missing the Verminator and Abou Diaby through injury.
Darren Fletcher will of course be posted as the Manure guard-dog with specific instructions to be a spoiler. Whether he can do worse than any other guard dog deployed against Arsenal is yet to be seen.
My sense is that Wenger will have a starting line-up of:
Almunia
Sagna, Gallas, Campbell, Clichy
Song, Nasri, Fabregas
Rosicky, Bendtner, Arshavin
If football was played on paper, then you’d argue that such a team has every chance of winning a game against a Manure team that have a make shift back 4. However, football matches are played on grass and the least we expect is that Manure will make it a very difficult game for Arsenal.
The reverse fixture left a bitter taste in the mouths of Arsenal players and fans alike. Having dominated the game and played Manure off the park, a kamikaze own goal by Diaby and a dodgy penalty by Shrek (can you believe I heard someone call him the ’White Pele’) stole the 3 points off the Gunners.
There is no reason to believe that 3 points are beyond the rejuvenated Gunners, but it won’t be a walk in the park.
Bendtner and Nasri looked really sharp when they came on against Villa last Wednesday and they’re both due a good game.
Most importantly, it’s critical that the Gunners gift the Gooner nation the customary bragging rights with a positive home result.
Tue 13th September 2011; 19:45, Dortmund