http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/ en Copyright 2009 Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:11:49 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Sometimes you need a bit of luck and Arsenal were the recipients of two slices of good fortune to fire them into action at Molineux yesterday. Wolves had started strongly but two first-half own goals saw their early confidence evaporate and, from then on, the Gunners took firm control of the match. The encounter was finished as a contest on the stroke of half time when a sweeping Arsenal move was capped with a sublime lay-off from Robin Van Persie into the path of Cesc Fabregas who calmly passed the ball into the net. It was a goal to light up any game and was a moment of genuine class in what turned out to be a relatively bloodless victory in tricky conditions. Andrei Arshavin made it 4-0 in the 65th minute and a late Wolves rally, coupled with some abysmal Arsenal defending, allowed the home side to pull back a consolation effort with a couple of minutes to go. http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/11/so_far_so_good.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/11/so_far_so_good.php Weekly Comment Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:11:49 +0000 As an Arsenal supporter, there are few more exquisite and satisfying pleasures in life than seeing the Gunners giving Spurs the sort of good hiding that silences all the pre-match talk from their manager, players and supporters and sends them all back down the Seven Sisters Road well-and-truly put in their place. Yesterday was one of those days and it was a match to savour. To be honest, Arsene Wenger’s team were not at their best yesterday but they didn’t need to be. Tottenham’s much-vaunted improvement this season failed to materialise at Ashburton Grove and they looked very ordinary indeed. Manuel Almunia, who was finally recalled to first-team action, only had one meaningful save to make all afternoon when he palmed a David Bentley free-kick over the bar. That aside, the visitors had no real attacking ideas beyond punting hopeful long balls up to Peter Crouch. http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/11/arsenal_stroll_to_north_london.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/11/arsenal_stroll_to_north_london.php Weekly Comment Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:41:38 +0000 Arsenal completely failed to learn the lessons of the last-minute goal conceded against AZ Alkmaar and threw away a two-goal lead against West Ham at Upton Park yesterday. It was an exasperating outcome which meant that rather than finishing the day within striking distance of the top of the table, the Gunners had to content themselves with lurking in third, five points off the pace with a game in hand. Yesterday's performance was arguably the weakest overall display the team has turned in this season. Even when they lost to United and City, they showed a good deal more spark and purpose in those matches than they mustered at the Boleyn Ground. http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/10/slow_learners.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/10/slow_learners.php Weekly Comment Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:56:11 +0000 Just as it seemed that Arsenal had done enough to win an untidy match against AZ Alkmaar in Holland on Tuesday night, hesitant defending from a free kick allowed the Dutch side the opportunity grab a late equaliser. The Gunners had to settle for a point when they really ought to have taken three but it was an outcome that should not do any serious damage to their qualification hopes or, indeed, their chances of winning the group. Though Arsene Wenger’s men dominated the ninety minutes and, for the most part, looked good value for a win, the late concession of a goal ought to serve as a timely reminder that, for all their sumptuous attacking play, defensive miserliness is just as important a facet for any successful team. The beautiful simplicity of Cesc Fabregas's goal underlined the team’s brilliance going forward but this was counter-balanced by the team's failure to defend a route-one set-piece at the death. From a speculative punt into the area, Granziano Pelle was allowed an unchallenged header and he nodded the ball into the path of Mendes da Silva who simply ran behind the static Alex Song to volley home. Though the players might have been looking around at each other after the ball hit the net, replays showed a catalogue of collective and individual errors. http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/10/defensive_concerns.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/10/defensive_concerns.php Weekly Comment Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:36:57 +0000 After an interminably boring international break, it was a return to real football this weekend and the Gunners got straight back into their Premier League stride with a 3-1 victory over Birmingham City that sent them into the top four with a game in hand on the leaders. Two first-half goals in quick succession from Robin Van Persie and Abou Diaby seemed to put Arsenal firmly in charge of yesterday’s match. From there, everyone expected the team to go on to rack up a score against a Birmingham side who spent most of the first forty five minutes penned in their own half. But, a combination of Arsene Wenger's men taking their foot off the gas and a moment of extremely weak goalkeeping from Vito Mannone allowed the Blues back into the contest as Lee Bowyer pegged a goal back in the 38th minute. http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/10/building_blocks.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/10/building_blocks.php Weekly Comment Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:11:33 +0000 Six goals from six different players at Ashburton Grove on Sunday was the product of a sensational attacking performance by the Gunners as they thrashed Blackburn and signed off for the international break on a high. Any complaints about the Arsenal defending - which was well below par - were completely drowned out by the symphony of goals at the other end. Despite Blackburn taking the lead twice in the first half, Arsenal had plenty in the tank by way of response. Their approach play and finishing was simply breathtaking at times and the performance - at least from an offensive perspective - was an appropriate one to mark a week that saw Arsene Wenger become the longest-serving manager in the club’s history after his 13 years in charge. http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/10/hats_off_to_arsene_wenger.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/10/hats_off_to_arsene_wenger.php Weekly Comment Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:23:12 +0000 Two vital wins over the last four days have put the Gunners in control of their Champions League group and seen them head in the right direction in the Premier League too. In their different ways, the victories over Fulham and Olympiacos have shown that this Arsenal squad has developed since last year. On Saturday, the team proved they could "win ugly" and defend a slender one-nil lead and, on Tuesday night, they showed relentless endeavour in breaking down an Olympiacos side that had no attacking ambition whatsoever and defended with ten men. After last season's debacle at Craven Cottage, many Arsenal supporters were looking to Saturday's match against Fulham as a barometer of whether this team has the heart required to come away from tricky away grounds with a result. Roy Hodgson's team are a different prospect on their own turf. They raise their game when hosting higher profile teams and are capable of overturning the formbook - as both Arsenal and Manchester United found to their cost last season. Arsenal were a long way from their best, particularly in the first half, but when Robin Van Persie latched onto an exquisite pass from Cesc Fabregas and converted a sharp chance, it was enough to give the Gunners the edge. Some determined defending and a few decent saves from stand-in goalkeeper Vito Mannone saw the lead held and the three points safely banked. http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/09/lessons_being_learned.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/09/lessons_being_learned.php Weekly Comment Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:39:11 +0000 After their victory in Belgium last Wednesday, back-to-back home wins were the perfect medicine to chase away the Manchester blues as Arsenal comprehensively brushed aside Wigan on Saturday and then a mixture of second-stringers and youngsters comfortably dealt with high-flying Championship leaders West Brom in the Carling Cup last night. All three wins were a great response from the squad to the two disappointing reverses at the hands of United and City. If there had to be any criticism of the performance against Wigan it was that the margin of victory should have been greater. Only taking a one-nil advantage in at half-time belied the Gunners dominance and there was a sense that they were making hard work of a match that should have been over by the break. As it was, within three minutes of the restart, Thomas Vermaelen added to his first-half headed goal with a fabulous second - stroking the ball into the net from just outside the area. It was a strike that ended the game as a contest and from then on it was a cruise to three points as Eboue and Fabregas added a third and fourth respectively. http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/09/home_sweet_home.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/09/home_sweet_home.php Weekly Comment Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:18:47 +0000 We wanted more ruthlessness from the team and last night we got it - just about. Having gone two goals behind in the first five minutes against Standard Liege, Arsenal fought back to win 2-3 and started their Champions League campaign with a valuable away victory. In truth though, it was one of the poorest displays of the season so far but, as we have found out in recent weeks, it is better to play badly and win than to play well and lose. The start the Gunners made to the match could not have been worse. A defensive howler from Eduardo and a dubious penalty helped put Liege two up before Wenger’s players had even had the chance to settle into their rhythm and they looked rattled in the early stages. Once the opening flurry had died down, the home team sat back and attempted to soak up the building pressure as Arsenal began to dominate possession. It was a ploy that seemed to be working admirably for them and genuine goal-threats were restricted to a minimum throughout the half. http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/09/arsenal_overcome_early_disaste.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/09/arsenal_overcome_early_disaste.php Weekly Comment Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:02:18 +0000 For the second time in two matches Arsenal returned home from Manchester with nothing to show for their efforts but a stinging sense of injustice. Whilst the 4-2 scoreline flattered City and the behaviour of Emmanuel Adebayor left a vile taste in the mouth, the Gunners can once again only blame themselves for not taking more from a game in which they were worthy of at least a share of the spoils. Most of this morning's headlines rightly address the shameful performance of Adebayor. It is understandable that a player might think he has something to prove when coming up against a club that has discarded him but there are ways and means of going about that. The methods that Adebayor deployed to make his point only really served to prove what a classless and crass moron he is. http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/09/no_happy_returns_to_manchester.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/09/no_happy_returns_to_manchester.php Weekly Comment Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:54:14 +0000 Arsenal's luck was well and truly out at Old Trafford yesterday. Despite looking the far better team for most of the ninety minutes, they hit the bar, had a goal disallowed, were on the wrong end of some rough refereeing decisions and, essentially, gifted United the game with two stupid mistakes. We were looking for a sign from this team that they are ready to take a step up and prove themselves to be true contenders this season and, for the most part, we got it. Without Cesc Fabregas, the squad's single-most influential player, the Gunners turned in an outstanding performance. They took the game to United, passed the ball better than their hosts and, overall, looked the far more fluent side. http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/08/arsenal_gift_united_victory.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/08/arsenal_gift_united_victory.php Weekly Comment Sun, 30 Aug 2009 08:57:45 +0000 Goals from Eduardo, Emmanuel Eboue and Andrey Arshavin helped Arsenal to a straight-forward 3-1 victory at Ashburton Grove last night and booked the team's ticket into the Champions League group stage. It was a long way from being the most accomplished performance from the Gunners that we have witnessed this season. They were not at their best - and they didn't need to be to beat a Celtic team that barely created three meaningful chances over the two legs. The main talking point of last night's match surrounded the awarding of the penalty which led to Arsenal's first goal when Eduardo was adjudged to have been brought down by goalkeeper Artur Boruc. The Croatian got back to his feet to convert the resultant spot-kick and effectively ended the tie as a contest with Celtic players still remonstrating with the referee long after the ball had hit the back of the net. Viewing the incident in real time at the stadium, it did not look a clear-cut penalty and not many Arsenal fans were appealing when Eduardo went down. Replays have since shown that any contact was very minimal and the Arsenal striker had made the most of the situation. http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/08/celtic_are_brushed_aside_as_gu.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/08/celtic_are_brushed_aside_as_gu.php Weekly Comment Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:47:55 +0000 Arsenal's early-season goal-rush continued as they ran out comfortable 4-1 winners over Portsmouth at Ashburton Grove yesterday. The victory was achieved with relative ease and saw the Gunners maintain their impressive start to the campaign. After a somewhat lethargic opening to the match, the home team took control midway through the first half thanks to two goals in quick succession from Abou Diaby. Portsmouth replied just before the break when Younis Kaboul easily out-jumped Manuel Almunia to head home. It was poor goalkeeping from the Spaniard who appeared to be just waiting for the ball to come to him rather than proactively attacking the cross. Still, it was not an error that proved costly and the goalkeeping clanger was absolved by four goals at the other end. http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/08/a_convincing_start_at_the_grov.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/08/a_convincing_start_at_the_grov.php Weekly Comment Sun, 23 Aug 2009 19:52:20 +0000 Arsenal hold the upper-hand going into the second leg of the Champions League play-off after beating Celtic 2-0 at Parkhead last night. Both goals were somewhat fortuitous - the first came from a deflection off William Gallas's back and the second was an own goal - but the overall performance was both comfortable and commanding. After Saturday's romp at Goodison Park, it would have been too much to expect the Gunners to go to Glasgow and repeat that kind of showing. What they did produce though was a highly professional display that got the job done with the minimum of fuss. Celtic were far more competitive and stronger in the tackle than Everton had been at the weekend but an unchanged Arsenal side coped with their physicality and dominated possession; controlling the tempo of the match and moving the ball with fluency. It was a measure of their supremacy that home support, who had cranked up the decibels inside the stadium around kick-off-time, quickly became subdued and were given very little to sing about for the entire match. http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/08/gunners_hold_playoff_advantage.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/08/gunners_hold_playoff_advantage.php Weekly Comment Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:17:59 +0000 Arsenal began their season in scintillating style with an emphatic 6-1 victory over Everton at Goodison Park. The players turned what looked to be a potentially tricky opening fixture into a cakewalk and sent out a message of intent to their doubters. The game was effectively over by half-time courtesy of three goals before the break and the Gunners put the Toffeemen well and truly to the sword with three further strikes in the second half. Louis Saha's injury time reply was barely consolation for the home fans, most of whom had left the stadium long before the final whistle. Last week, I suggested that the players needed to hit the ground running in the early games of the season. Yesterday, they did just that. It was a magnificent performance. The team attacked with fluency and style and they defended in numbers. The new formation that had been trialled during the pre-season looked to be highly effective as Everton were simply cut to ribbons by wave after wave of crisp, incisive passes and tireless Arsenal running. http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/08/arsenal_destroy_everton_in_goo.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/arsenal/archives/2009/08/arsenal_destroy_everton_in_goo.php Weekly Comment Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:15:22 +0000