A comfortable victory in the end September 19, 2009
Posted by freekicker in Arsenal, Bendtner, Eboue, Eduardo, Fabregas, Rosicky, Van Persie, Vermaelen, Wigan.add a comment
Arsenal finished off Wigan comfortably in the end. The scoreline which should ideally have been 8-0 or something was 4-0 after 90 mintes. It could have been 5-0 after the two added minutes as Arsenal finished the match with a chance which the unlucky Van Persie could not convert. With this win, Arsenal are sixth in the league( temporarily of course as it depends on the Liverpool result) with 17 goals so far in 5 games, which is by far the highest in the league.
Vermaelen turned out to be the star with two well taken goals, one with his head and the other with his left leg, a sublime finish. He is slowly becoming a crowd favourite with his play, both at the back and in front off set-pieces. His first was a towering header jumping above the Wigan defence and then a one two with Eboue on the left, and a finish which will make Van Persie jealous kept the Gunners two goals ahead. After that every touch of his was cheered by the crowd.
The third was again a good move of the numerous ones created by Arsenal today with Clichy taking time on the right before delivering a weighted cross to Eduardo whose strike hit the post and came off couple of players before it went to Eduardo again who smashed it towards goal and off Eboue into goal. Eboue will get credit for this goal. And a word about Eboue here, he had a good match and this is the same match last year in which he was booed out by the Gooners. Three cheers for him for his performance which will make us forget the previous one. And a word to all you Gooners, lets not boo our own player. As long as he is wearing an Arsenal jersey, lets just support him.
And before the fourth was coming there were chances galore with Van Persie missing a nice through chip from Fabregas and Song going it all alone before hitting the outside of the left post. And there were some good moves too. Diaby was replaced by Ramsey and Eboue and Eduardo made way for Bendtner and Rosicky. This ignited some new moves with Rosicky being more involved and Bendtner also getting more exposure to the passes. He combined with van Persie on the right before crossing to the near post were a limping Fabregas found the net. Hope our captain’s limp is temporary and he will be back to fitness soon.
So that was a well deserved 3 points and lets hope the team builds on this.
Wonderful start…now maintain the momentum August 16, 2009
Posted by freekicker in Almunia, Arsenal, Arshavin, Celtic FC, Cesc, Denilson, Eduardo, Fabregas, Gallas, Patrick Barclay, Vermaelen.1 comment so far
You could not have asked for a better start than this. An away match against Everton is not an easy one be it the start or the middle of the season, but the 6-1 demolition job of Everton was the biggest margin of victory in the Premier League. Goals from Denilson (when was the last time he scored), Vermaelen(that is a scoring a debut), Gallas, couple for Captain Cesc and a return to scoring charts for Eduardo.
Like Wenger mentioned after the match, when we are having a match like this, anyone in this team can score!!! Well that is quite true. We do have matches like this once in a while. Song and Denilson did have a good match and it is players like them who have to play like this week in and week out if we have to give a title-challenge come December. Already bookers William have brought down the odds of Arsenal’s title chances from 9-1 to 11-2!!! Mark Lawrenson in BBC had predicted a 2-0 victory to Everton in his weekly predictions, I am sure he is having a great day today. In a way I like it when people under-estimate us and we prove them wrong. I guess Patrick Barclay in Times is the only pundit who gave Arsenal some weightage.
Lets not get over excited by this win and prepare and finish the job at Celtics midweek so that we are assured of some revenue from playing in Europe. And then take it up from there. And one good word for Van Persie, Arshavin and Bendtner who were immense in the match too. Almunia was stellar under the bars catching every corner and cross that came to the Arsenal box. It really feels nice after we win like this 
Arsenal win and Klinsmann exits April 27, 2009
Posted by freekicker in Arsenal, Arshavin, Bayern Munich, Bundesliga, Fabregas, Klinsmann, Middlesbrough.1 comment so far
In the end Arsenal cruised to a 2 goal victory at Emirates against a Middlesborought who look very likely to be relegated this year. Arsenal on the other hand strengthened their 4th place with this victory and also managed to get two key players, Fabregas and Walcott some rest ahead of the Champions League match against Manchester United.
It was free flowing football from Arsenal and it is not everyday that teams allow us to do this. Fabregas was on top form and as usual our catalyst Arshavin was on song. There were couple of moves from him that drew lots of oohs and aahs from the crowd. Towards the end of the match he was tired but he was worth very penny that we spent on him. Wenger doesn’t buy expensive players and when he does, they are on players like Arshavin…rare and fine cut like a diamond.
Ferguson was watching the game from the stands and I am sure he must have seen the creativity when we go forward. Arshavin will be missing but with Nasri, Walcott and Fabregas in the team I am sure United will have lots of problems to take care of. Man Utd also had a good game and I am sure Wednesday night will be a good match with Arsenal being the second favourites to go through, so the pressure is on United.
In other news, Klinsmann is out…If someone had told me an year back this is going to happen, then I would have laughed it. I wuld have thought that even if he did decent enough (which is what he has done so far) he would be persisted with. The Bundesliga club has made a press statement saying that they “may not achieve its minimum targets for the season”. I think the Barca result in the Champions League was a stab in their reputation. Anyways more on CL football soon.
Cesc Injury and Villa preview December 24, 2008
Posted by freekicker in Aaron Ramsey, Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Aston Villa, Cesc, Fabregas.add a comment
Just when you thought the team has held on to it’s ground(be it at whichever level)by beating Man Utd, Chelse and then drawing against Liverpool, comes the news of Fabregas’s possible absence for a period of 4 months!!! That means he will be available in end April 2009.
I just checked our schedule and at most he wil get to play the last 4-5 matches and for your information the third last and the second last match of the season is against Chelsea(at home) and Manchester United (away) respectively. But if ever we thought we had a slender hope of getting anywhere near 2nd or 3rd or even 1st place for that matter, it has just been brushed away by Alonso’s powerful foot. Aston Villa will be the most happiest team this weekend as they know that a win or even a draw will be good enough for them to lay claims to breaching the top 4 in the league.
But where do we go from here. Certainly a Diaby-Song-Denilson combination in the midfield will do us no good. I think except for Wenger everyone else thinks that way. So do not be surprised if Wenger fields these 3 along with Nasri in the midfield. I would love to see someone like Ramsey get a chance. Atleast it would mean some fresh ideas and possible a breakthrough.The biggest question is going to be whether Wenger will buy in the January transfer window(which he has not done for a long long time) to compensate for Fabregas’s absence. I guess only Arsene knows the answer to this question.
So when we go visiting Villa this Friday, we definetely have a match of high pressure. We need to win this one to show some steel in the team ranks. We have to show that we can get 3 points without Cesc and Adebayor. Villa is really looking good and I admire that team when they are not playing us. Ashley Young is actually the kind of player who will fit into our team and will be able to contribute. Anyways, we need three points, for being in the top four and not to compete for the league. If that happens, its well and good. So all the best to the Gunners.
Cesc Fabregas interview December 13, 2008
Posted by freekicker in Arsenal, Cesc, Fabregas.add a comment
A nice interview with Cesc in Times
Who’s the lucky lady?
She’s Spanish. I met her three weeks after I arrived in England. We celebrated our five-year anniversary three weeks ago.
Pretty good week for you, then!
Yes! The day of our anniversary was the day that my boss told me I would be captain.
And all the best to the team for the Boro game
Lucky Arsenal beat Chelsea December 1, 2008
Posted by freekicker in Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Chelsea, EPL, Fabregas, Stamford Bridge, Van Persie.4 comments
Before the match started any Gooner would have told you that one point from this game is more than enough, especially when the team is going to Stamford Bridge on the back of 2 defeats. So when with a bit of luck the team beat Chelsea convincingly in the end, every fan would be relishing in it. It’s really different when Arsenal win. You go to sleep feeling nice, and you wake up the next morning feeling even better, especially after you beat one of the strong, title-contenders.
Chelsea applied pressure from the first half and deservingly went ahead by an error from Djourou, which resulted in an own goal. And when Chelsea went into the break leading by a goal, Martin Tyler made a telling statement, Chelsea has not conceded a goal in the second half of any premier league match this season. Well, whatever confidence a Gooner would have had, got drained there itself.
I should say that the way we played was not upto our usual standard. Denilson and Song to some extent were below par and I dont know how many times we ended up giving wrong passes. It was only in the 60th minute when luck turned in Arsenal’s favour. Van Persie who was clearly offside banged a shot into the right corner using his wrong foot. In another three minutes, Fabregas’s freekick was headed down by Adebayor and Van persie turned and swirled a shot past a diving Cech. Anelka and Kalou proved to everyone that they are not exactly the best strikers that a rich club like Chelsea can afford. It was as if the youngsters were teaching the oldies at Stamford Bridge a lesson.
Gallas returned to his old ground amidst a lot of jeers from the crowd throughout the match, but he would have been one of the many who would have left the stadium happier.
“William was outstanding today,” Wenger said. “Absolutely amazing. He came out of that period with a lot of credit and his commitment is fantastic. He was outstanding today, just as he was against Dynamo Kiev. He shows he is a real fighter. Instead of giving up, he’s a fighter.”
“There’s no problem at all,” Van Persie said. “He’s a respected colleague and a very good player. It’s not my day, it’s our day.”
So it is Wigan next saturday and if we can keep the winning run under the new Captain, it would do the chances of this team a whole lot good. Liverpool come to Emirates on December 20th and I would love to see how this team responds to the current League leaders. Till then…
Cesc the Captain November 25, 2008
Posted by freekicker in Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Cesc, Fabregas.1 comment so far
”Fabregas will captain the team. It is a permanent thing.”
Wenger has appointed Cesc Fabregas, the 21 year old Spanish Midfielder as the next captain of the club. He will take over the armband from William Gallas from the next match which happens to be the Champions League match against Dynamo Kiev in midweek. Cesc who is ten years younger than Gallas will definetely be more sensible in front of the media as the face of the club. At 21, Fabregas is one of the youngest captains in the Club’s long history
“It is a great honour for me to captain one of the biggest clubs in the world,” said Fabregas. “It is a proud moment. I know it’s a big responsibility but together with my team-mates, I know we have the spirit and commitment to get back to winning ways and fulfil our potential.”
Many people would say that this decision should have been made an year back and there is also a section which believes that this decision should have been made one year hence as it adds more pressure on the youngster. But with all the rumours going on about him leaving Arsenal in the summer to Barcelona, this could be a very tactical, sentimental move form Wenger to make sure that he doesn’t. But I believe that if Cesc should decide to stay then he needs to see some decent buys from Wenger in the January window. Else he could still leave.
Now that the Captaincy is resolved, the team should get back to the winning ways in the midweek as well as in the weekend against Chelsea. Here is wishing our new captain all the very best!!!
The season starts now… November 11, 2008
Posted by freekicker in Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, EPL, Fabregas.1 comment so far
Arsenal breathed new life into their season with a thrilling 2-1 win against their traditional rivals, Manchester United. Double strike from Nasri in either half set up the victory, though Arsenal had some nervous 6 minutes of added time to play with. But this victory will give the team the confidence to carry on in this season.
Hull, Stoke and Fulham were the shocks for the season and Saturday’s victory the morale-boosting win that should take this team through this season. The team played with pace and conviction, taking on the bigger stars of United in their stride. Rooney, Ronaldo, Berbatov and later Tevez were all made ineffective by this young Arsenal team. Almunia made some decent saves and the United finishing were not upto the mark to add to the visitors misery in the first half. But Bendtner also missed couple of chancecs to put the team ahead.
It took the new man, Nasri to provide the breakthrough in the first half, a deflected shot which went in but full marks to Nasri and Arsenal. It seems Nasri described the match as ”the greatest of my career so far” and one played in front of his father, who usually does not watch his son perform. His second goal was set up by Fabregas and Nasri’s clinical finishing is far too good than Hleb. Clichy had Ronaldo’s number and nullified most of the moves made by the Portuguese. Rooney, I thought might end up getting sent off as he had a frustrating match.
Arsenal played 5 in the midfield and for once Diaby and Denilson played together well. Diaby was in a advanced role when Arsenal were attacking and was back defending when Arsenal lost possession. Probably for the first time, the back four were entirely French – Sagna, Silvestre, Gallas and Clichy. And to top it there were 2 more French players in Diaby and Nasri. Bendtner was the lone forward and Walcott made it up on the right of midfield.
So hope to see the team maintai the tempo and do well for the rest of the season.
What next for Arsenal? November 3, 2008
Posted by freekicker in Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, EPL, Fabregas, Flamini, Stoke City.2 comments
So in 11 matches this season Arsenal has equalled the no. of loses in the whole of last season…three…against Fulham, Hull City and now Stoke City…three teams who we would have thought are sure shot 3 points…and we haven’t even played the other 3 big ones, not to mention the likes of Man City and Aston Villa. It looks very challenging at this stage with the team we have now.
Wenger got the team sheet wrong and had to make all three substitutions in desperation and paid the price by
a) losing the match
b) Seeing off Walcott carried off on a stretcher and
c) seeing Van Persie sent off
I am not saying that Wenger is responsible for all the three, but the buck stops with him. Maybe we fans are not as confident as him on some of the players like Song, Denilson, Diaby, Silvestre and last but not the least William Gallas. We never got a replacement for Flamini and that basically has been our problem, contributed partly by Fabregas’ form this season. He is playing one level below his last-season-form, which was allowed by Flamini’s biting form last season. Denilson, Song, Diaby etc have not been able to fill that void. Is Ramsey the solution??? Maybe. And where is Rosicky???
Every weekend is now a worry as we don’t know which Arsenal team wil come out on the field. The all-attacking, tight at the back and biting in the middle Arsenal or the getting into a shell, play around the box ithout a final shot at goal and conceding one at the other end Arsenal.
But this is the time to be behind the team and I am completely behind them and hope we surprise United next Saturday.
Sunderland and other thoughts October 8, 2008
Posted by freekicker in Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, BBC, David Bentley, EPL, Fabregas, Riquelme, Sunderland, Theo, Theo Walcott, Tim Vickery, Walcott, Wenger.1 comment so far
After the Sunderland fiasco I am convinced that in the last couple of years Wenger has not been able to think of a strategy to deal with any team that defends with 10 men. The same happened last Saturday and it was a pain to watch so much of possession being wasted. We did nothing in the final third of the pitch.
Another reason possibly is playing players out of position and not choosing the right combination. Why was Nasri not started in this match and getting Denilson and Song along with Fabregas was not a right move. We did not have any width and the left flank was hardly used. Only after Nasri came in did we see any play on that side of the pitch. The start for this season has been a problem but if we can start showing some consistency it would be good. Now we are left with no choice but to beat Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool if we need a sniff of the top honours in the league.
Tim Vickery, who probably writes one of the best football blogs in BBC, writes about Riquelme, one of my favourite players. He says
I love watching a player who does his part to keep alive two unfashionable concepts in modern football.
One is change of rhythm, the idea that the game can be slowed down before the application of the killer pass. The other is surprise – the ball that no one was expecting, that wrong foots the entire defence.
I call these kind of players the second-thought-players. They always think twice before making a pass. What a common person would think “on second thoughts”, he does it in the first instance itself. The other player I know of who does the same is Cesc Fabregas. He keeps the ball, waits for the right moment before slipping in the ball. He deliberately does that, making the defenders make the first move and commit themselves before delivering that killer ball. I love that guy.
And here is the Bentley dude complaining yet again. Isn’t he the same guy who asked Theo Walcott to leave Arsenal if he dreams of playing for England??? And now the same Walcott has replaced him from the team…Justice done I believe
