Well, I suppose I could be happy that we kept United down to a single goal, I could be happy that Almunia was brilliant throughout the game, I could be happy that Gibbs played superbly for most parts of the game and managed to keep Ronaldo quiet, I could be happy Song put in such a self assured performance (well in the first half anyway) but I really am not. I’m pretty devastated that we didn’t score that all important away goal. I’m furious with Adebayor for not being the 30-goal player he was last season and not displaying the level of commitment that was warranted in what was easily the biggest game he has ever played in. I’m irritated with Diaby for not being threatening enough going forward and giving the ball away too easy when staying back. I’m frustrated that our defense went to sleep and basically gifted United their opening goal. On the whole I’m dejected at what was an under-par performance by a team that was a pale shadow of its actual self.
Clearly the 4-5-1 is not working, but sadly in the absence of Van Persie, who seems destined not to face United this season, I don’t think we really have an option. Adebayor really needs to step up his game. He never was the best of finishers but the reason he was regarded so highly by the Arsenal fans was because of his work-rate. He used to run like a madman on the pitch closing down defenders, harrying them, chasing down balls even when it looked like a hopeless case, and most importantly holding up the ball so well. All in all a pretty good target man. Sadly all that has disappeared this season. He looks sorely out of his depth, is merely ambling about on the pitch most of the time and thinks he’s done enough to justify the £80K per week by just turning up. Diaby is an enigma really. One day he plays like he’s going to be the answer to all our problems and the next day he plays like, well yesterday. He needs to be consistent, well consistently good anyway. Theo had a bad day yesterday too. I thought with Evra proving to be a weak link against the Spuds, Theo would run rings around him but sadly he wasn’t able to make too much of an impact as he was pitted in a 2 on 1 with Rooney tracking back every time.
I actually wrote the above two paragraphs right after the game at approximately 02:17 hrs IST full of immediate post game emotion and adrenaline and all. Now that I’ve had nearly 8 hours of sleep in the aftermath and I can re-analyze the game with a cooler head, my opinions are pretty much the same. However there is the saving grace that this was an away tie and the game is still very much in the balance (with the balance tipping ever so slightly the other way). Le Boss however has no doubt that we can reverse the result at home:
“I believe we still have a chance to reverse the result. Football can be like this. We could play tomorrow and you would see a different game. That is why I still believe at home we can do it. The tie is still very open. United could have regrets because they could have scored a second goal, and it is up to us to make them regret that. It will be a good opportunity to show our character and our mental strength. I am confident you will see it so I invite you to a press conference next Tuesday after the game, and then you would have seen it. There is a Final at stake. Don’t worry, when you play at home knowing you could reach a Final, we will be up for it. I am confident because I believe we will be on top next Tuesday and you will see a different Arsenal team.”
I do hope we see a different Arsenal team, preferably one without Silvestré. The cunt of course provided John O’Shea with the assist and though he probably isn’t entirely to blame I prefer to lay it all square on his shoulders. I hope we do it though. I really really sincerely do. I love this team so much and I desperately want Cesc to start off his year of captaincy with the trophy that Arsenal has never won.
Things should be different at the grove. We’ll be more attack minded. The key of course is to keep a clean sheet. If United score even one, we’ll have to score 3 which will be a tough ask. And the key to that key is keeping Rooney and Ronaldo quiet. Metaphorically of course. You need a pacifier to keep Ronaldo quiet literally. What a fucking baby. I half thought he was going to lie down on the pitch, bawling, arms flailing thrashing the grass about. Sheesh. What does he want? People to move aside when he’s on approach and maybe shower him with rose petals? Someone needs to tell him (a) Football is a contact sport and (b) What a foul is. Full credit to Claus Bo Larsen for putting him in his place. You see so many interviews of Fergie and him where they have claimed he’s not given the level of protection he deserves. Absolute bunk. The amount he protests, he ought to be sent off each game. Disgraceful behavior. And sadly, this from a person who is so obviously talented.
So it still could be any one of the four combinations for the finals at Rome. Just a week before we know and I really cannot wait. Minor issue of Pompey in the weekend where I’m sure we’ll see some key figures rested now that we have 4th well and truly sewn up. In any case the Russian can handle it.
will RVP face united next tuesday ? arsenal put up a lacklusture performance..and ya! CR7 was throwin tantrums…but that was a foul on him by Gibbs i suppose,,just outside the d-box…
overall a beautiful NEAT game,so unlike the united arsenal games we have accustomed ourselves with…FOod fights,flying tackles, yellow cards..hopefully the team which goes through will have their full strength for the finals without suspensions…
No da. RVP is out for both the legs. And no dude. That was NOT a foul. Clean tackle.
Yes, not the usual United Arsenal scraps, but as i said that was to be expected.And surely you meant hopefully Arsenal will have its full squad in the final
dude… being a man u fan I was expecting a cracker of a match but I surprised the way arsenal played.
It was one of the worst matches I have seen them play against united or may be this is the way they play their away matches in europe.. still ur Le boss thinks u can win… wake up dude..
@ SDK : You probably missed the match due to end-sems. Go over the replays, and see how your object of fantasy (Mr. Nasri) strolled back instead of running back to the far post where one Irishman was waiting.
Even Berbatov was running around. And yet, all Nasri could do was walk. Maybe he was exhausted after playing for twenty minutes. Bloody amateur!
@ Maddy: I love your conspiracy theories. A little birdie told me, United had been practicing this routine all week. Silvestre worked hours and hours to perfect that little deflection to O’Shea. And Nasri practiced that little ‘stroll in the park’ he puts during corners. It’s a bloody conspiracy, I tell you!
Damn you Fergie… You’re way too smart for Le Boss!
PS : Ducky! Where be your post?
You know dude, you’ll understand my frustration if you wake up one day and see say Sol Campbell or Lauren in a United shirt. You’ll start imagining things yourself. Trust me.
Wasn’t Nasri on the goal line guarding the far post?
BTW, the goal was not as much of Sylvestre’s fault as Toure’s. Even when there wa one player closing down the United player who crossed(Tevez?), Toure forgot marking his men in the far post and ran forward leaving behind two unmarked men.
Dude.. Ok, this is how football works. The ‘goal line’ is the line next to the goal. The ‘far post’, or any ‘post’ on a football field, is the big vertical pole-like thing jutting out of the ground, to which the net is attached. You clearly have it confused with some other part of the field. The part of the field where Nasri was taking an evening stroll is known as the ‘top of the 18 yard box’!
And the reason Carrick could send that ball in which found O’Shea because both posts weren’t guarded well (and of course, Silvestre’s deflection).
Sorry, i don’t remember the goal that well. i didn’t see the highlights videos you see.
I thought Nasri was the guy standing on the goal line protecting the far post. Now I realize it was Gibbs.
Dude.. Even Nasri thought he was standing on the goal line, protecting the far post. That’s why he was putting so much peace.
To be fair to Silvestre, it was an honest deflection. And, teher were a couple of great clearances Silvestre made (a header for Berbatov which Almunia missed). But, as soon as O’Shea scored, my first message to Ducky was something along the lines of – “This is fuel for Maddy’s conspiracy theory!”
However, some better marking would have ensured that goal would not have gone in. Honestly, what aws Nasri doing? He just didn’t feel like defending yesterday!
Agreed, honest deflection and all. I did say that too. Refer: ‘though he probably isn’t entirely to blame I prefer to lay it all square on his shoulders’. Somehow i cannot for the life of me manage to accept that a player who played through all ‘THOSE’ years against us and even head butted freddie is now playing for us. Conspiracy theory and all was chumma bull, pretty obviously. But Silvestre is a CUNT. end of story.
And yes. Nasri was pretty decent in midfield yesterday.
Diaby, Adebayor, Walcott and Fabregas were the ones who didn’t click.
Adebayor had a pathetic day at job again and that too after his usual dose of bravado while appearing in front of the media.
As a player goes upfield he is closed down quicker and quicker and the time he gets to play the ball gets lesser and lesser. That is why top teams need talented attacking players who are comfortable on the ball and can threaten the opponents despite being closed down fast.
Adebayor is normally clumsy on ball. He was an universal sink where all our moves end. His passing has never been his strong point. And every ball that is passed to him either ends up with the opposition defender or is cleared or is an off-side. Getting caught offside for six or seven times means wasting six or seven moves which could have otherwise culminated into something.
Look at the United attackers. They can play at high tempo and charge at players while managing to keep the possession. They can come to the midfield and take the ball from there itself. They are good at taking long shots and also all of them are good at spotting players in the box and are good passers. We do need at least three attacking players who can hold the ball upfront on their own and don’t look uncomfortable the moment the ball is passed to them.
Arshavin is one player who fits the bill. RVP is an on off player who does make a difference sometimes but also fails to show the willingness to do so at other times, a bit like Berbatov I guess. Walcott is only learning and if you take his pace away his other qualities are nowhere near what they need to be.
Usually, when you have four or five top quality players in the front six, you can accommodate one or two players who are not as good technically and are learning. And even those players need to justify their worth by working doubly hard and making up for the lack of charisma. But we seem to be a team with two quality players holding the other four all the time. That is why when the quality players fail to make a difference, we find ourselves totally devoid of ideas.
A Parlour or a Wiltord could be played along with four of Henry, Bergkamp, Pires, Llungberg and Vieira but a Fabregas with three young learning players like Song, Walcott and Nasri and two players of the quality of Diaby and Adebayor will not do.
Same is the case with defense. Toure could be given a chance to improve only because Sol Campbell, Lauren, Vieira and Cashley were great around him, but expecting two good defenders to work for two not so good ones is only going to land you in trouble
To put it in couple of lines,
Players who cupped : Arsenal – Almunia (that’s a minus sign there)
Players who played well : United + Almunia – Van Der Sar
Players who didn’t play at all : Van Der Sar
Don’t whine about Adebayor. You’ve had so many chances to sell him, and yet you cling on to him. Must be a real valuable player for Le Boss off the field
@kedar–
Adebayor is our second highest goal scorer .. hate him or love him, he s the one who put the villareal tie out of their hands !. He has the presence which very few strikers in the premier league have and since we arent a physical side , we need players like him and bendtner. they add that extra dimension of ball winning when the long kick comes..he did put up a bad show against manchester united. then again there were hardly any chances created so putting the sole blame on him would be wrong.
@Maddy– Eat ur words ! RVP is fit ! I dont expect Arsenal to go guns blazing but the boys are focussed and that could be good for us..
@SDK… We do not delve in the past too much.. comparing this team to the golden era would be foolish as well they are young lads and we are operating on a different level now putting technical ability and gifted players above ball winners. The Invincibles were a physical force and Defenders like Carragher , Rio, Vidic could never out muscle them.. THis generation relies more on its passing and last season we over did it.. thats the reason we lost. this season has been more controlled largely due to the presence of RVP who is an opportunist and never misses the chance to take a shot
the tie is only half oveR ! We are 1-0 down but that aint gonna stop us from believing !
@ Color Sensor :
“The Invincibles were a physical force and Defenders like Carragher , Rio, Vidic could never out muscle them..”
And yet, Roy Keane would kick their ass all over the park!