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Saturday, February 23, 2008

Player analysis and ratings Vs Birmingham. Get well Eduardo


By 1970’s Gooner

This game reminded me of the home game draw against Birmingham. We had total domination but we got too complacent and started playing in a casual manner as though the game had been won.

And as happened in the home game we gave away a stupid goal and the two points.

In another way it reminded me of an away game at Spurs where Wenger made a substitution in the last minute of the game. Due to the obligatory additional 30 seconds that the referee put on we let a stupid goal in.

I think the same thing happened here where the game only warranted two at the most three minutes injury time. But the referee added another extra minute for the two substitutions the Wenger made in the 88th minute!

The other thing that annoyed me is that everyone was trying to set up Adebayor to get a goal. This is downright stupid at any time during a game but especially when you are only 2-1 up.

Adebayor himself was very guilty of being more interested to get on the scoresheet than pass the ball to a better positioned colleague.

Certainly if he had passed the ball square to Bendtner when he would only have tapped it in the goal we would have been celebrating being eight points ahead in the race for the title.

And I would have been watching the Manchester United game against Newcastle tonight in a far more relaxed manner and with a glass of wine in my hand. Alas it’s not to be.

Almunia

I think he was at fault for the Birmingham goal. He reached the ball and to my mind he should have been able to push it out. Maybe if he had used his other hand he would have had a better chance to save it. 6

Clichy

The most productive and best Arsenal player until the 93rd minute when a lapse of concentration resulted in the penalty.

Which was not a penalty in a million years since he first got the ball cleanly and then the Birmingham player fell over.

He is however guilty of allowing himself to get into that situation. This is difficult to mark because other than the penalty I would have given him 8 but now a 5.

Gallas

Very consistent and strong. His outburst at the end is understandable to me. 7

Senderos

He is getting better and better with more games under his belt. He was good in the air and on the ground but you have to take into account that he only had to face one man in attack. Nevertheless he is improving very well and hopefully he will deputise for Toure well. 7

Sagna

Considering that he lost his father a few days ago this lad has shown tremendous character. He was very good today both defending and going forward. 7

Flamini

His usual box to box performance. Very energetic and powerful. But he does tend to sometimes to give away a few rush fouls like the one outside the area which led to their first goal. 7

Fabregas

Was below his best in the first half probably affected by Eduardo’s injury. But he improved in the second half dictating play as only he knows how. Still overall is not at the high level he has been before his injury. Let’s hope he continues improving. 6

Hleb

If only he would shoot instead of passing then his game will improve by at least 30%. There was one occasion when he was clean on goal with Taylor to beat but he elected to set up Adebayor instead! Stupid. Like many others he improved in the second half. 6

Walcott

What a game Theo had. He showed us in the few minutes he came on against Milan on Wednesday night that he was getting back to form.


The two goals he got today especially the second one look like they will give him the confidence to go on from here. His crosses especially in the first half were off target and overhit. He has to improve on this. 8

Bendtner

I expected more from the young Dane but his control was off today and he found ot difficult to connect with those around him. I do not recollect many passes between him and Adebayor and this was not due to their well publicized spat but more to the fact that they have not played a lot of games together. 5

Adebayor

I was disappointed with Ade. He spent the game too much bent on getting a goal rather than being more of a team player. However he did set up Walcott for his first Premiership goal but other than that he was way below his best. 6


Man of the Match: Theo Walcott

Any chance of Manchester United slipping up tonight?


The images of Eduardo’s injury were sickening and Arsene Wenger has said that the player will be out for a long, long time.

“His injury is very bad. It is more than his season over.”

Let us pray that Eduardo recovers and is well again.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Recover? How? Have you seen the Pics?? Someone please tell me u can REGROW an ankle, Cant blame the players for the points dropped. Back them all the way. No negative comments please. Not today

Anonymous said...

I think Gallas's reaction had more to do with the overall emotion of the day rather than the two points lost. If football can be a cruel game, today the football gods were at their most vicious.

Anonymous said...

I still feel sick. its a black day for Arsenal. I just hope Eduardo can play football again at some point in the future.
Our season now hangs in the balance. Gallas was a bit daft showing his frustration like that though I understand why he did it - I think that made a bad situation worse. fergie would have enjoyed the gallas reaction.
Never a penalty as you say but you felt it was coming after wasting so many chances trying to give certain players goals and selfishness, plus the daft subsitutions, which wenger has done many many times in his time with Arsenal.
a week to recover and Villa will tell us a lot but today could be a turning point in the season. god we need RVP back.

get well Eduardo.

Anonymous said...

spot on your piont about trying to set up ade for his goal is 100% correct and i am pissed of by this as at 2-1 if we had have gone for the 3rd goal we would have won with comfort i think this is it for the league as it feels like the bolton game in 03 remember that match and where will we get the players from they are all injured pity it was not ade(greddy arse with shit touch)he will in the end cost us as i ask you this utd would have stuffed them even spurs would have stuffed themas the will next week you see this is and has always been the problem with this team they should finish games of but never do

Anonymous said...

Clichy is too casual in defence. He did the same against City just 3 weeks ago.

Adebayor and Bendtner didnt do enough for me. At 2-1 away from home he should have passed that ball like Henry used to do.

Birmingham are lucky to come out with a point. Dropping points against Birmingham when we still have to go to Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge will cost us dear. We just dont seem to have many goals in us apart from Ade. We really need Van Persie back for the big games

I didnt think Gallas was wrong to act this way he's probably had a word with Clichy and he's done it yet again

Anonymous said...

so typical Arsenal fail to put the game to bed. Get 2-1 up & rather than get a 3rd & kill the game off we take our foot off the accelerator.Why will HLEB never shoot he drives me mental.

Unknown said...

Almunia is not to blame for the goal, it was a well struck ball. Flamini was to blame for the goal, the tackle was an unnecessary tackle.

Blame Arsene for the dropped points, I feel he should have pulled Ade after he failed to square the ball to Bentner. Arsene needs to send a message that this is a team and not a show for the Cameras.

Anonymous said...

Can anyone remember the bolton game in April 2003?Arsenal were leading with two goals when the Arsenal players were kicked all over the place and no action was taken by the sickening ref.
I fully agree with AW Taylor shd be banned for life.
Team tactics nowadays by opposition teams at this stage rely on innocuous tackles with the sly intention of injuring/hurting thus ensuring such players absences will weaken Arsenal push for the title.And why not if the ref pretends it is not a punishable offence.
Do the gunners fans agree with my observation?

Anonymous said...

he has to recover! Ade is really turning into henry demanding he bal and failing to pass at crucial moments! RVP needs to come back and show him who is boss!

Anonymous said...

I really hope that today match can become a great motivation for Arsenal lads to prove to everyone that they are capable of doing something.

I'm absolutely gutted (till now) with that shocking tackle. For all Arsenal fans please.. support Arsenal to the end.

I really hope that Arsenal can get back to their old form with fluid and pinpoint passings....

What a fucking day today.

Anonymous said...

Maybe the penalty was soft but for the first goal Maik Taylor the Birmingham goalie was fouled. Arsenal should have killed the game off but they didnt and Birmingham didnt give up.
Sorry to see Eduardo injury but never a malicious tackle in a million years - Taylor isnt malicious. I can understand Wenger being upset but his post match comments are totally out of order.
Good luck for rest of the season

Anonymous said...

The team will regroup and win the title for Eduardo.

What goes around will come around.

Like Sunderland went down after Dan Smith's tackle on Diaby, I'm looking forward to Birmingham to go down.

My best and most fortunate wishes to you, Dudu: get well soon.

Wrighty7 said...

Very well written. Every point made is spot on. Totally agree about Gallas at the end. I think the emotion of the whole game got to him. Conceding in the last few seconds makes the game feel like a defeat. But taking everything into consideration it hardly worth moaning about after what happened to Eduardo. I feel so sad at the moment for him and I hope to god that he makes a full recovery. It would be tragic if his career was ended from this "assault". Eduardo, my thought's are with u and I pray that u are ok.

Anonymous said...

Sagna's father didn't die, it was his older brother Omar Sagna, just 28 years old.

Anonymous said...

Lets focus on the real issue here, all season teams know that they can kick Arsenal, this is part of the campaign. Mcleish before the match told his players to get stuck in!. All season the press have been saying about players showing their studs.
So Taylor gets a three match ban, it means nothing and is not proportional. If another manager (Mcleish, Bruce) tells me Taylor is a gentle gaint then I will flip. Sorry I am angry(very) upset and just want to cry that a really beautiful player will miss a season .

1979gooner said...

spot on.

The ref was a joke, gifting the two goals to the brummies.

However it is the Eduardo incident, and the consequent media reaction, that sums up all that is wrong with the English game.

http://anotherarsenalblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/scum-settles-on-surface.html

Anonymous said...

do you guys think it's reasonable that Martin Tylor made that ferocious tackle in the 3rd minutes of a game? besides, i really doubt he was not deliberately because i had seen this kind of horrible scene from the match Deportivo La Coruña vs. Celta Vigo in La Liga before if my memory serves me right. the one who caused that accident really naturally showed deeply distraught. you could see tears of remorse on his face immediately right at that scene. it seemed but for his team mates to comfort him he would have cried out. now Birmingham said Taylor is distraught over Eduardo's injury. did you see any of that from the video clip or the pictures? i didn't see any. what i want to say is even those who didn't directly involved in it felt shocked, but why i couldn't see Taylor himself who cause it showed that, or less than others? maybe i'm a sceptic but i really think the FA should have to investigate this "accident". All the best of luck to Eduardo.

sikatinavra said...

ade is so selfish. away game with newcastle same situtation as bendtner. we could kill the game with 2-0 and ade didnt pass the ball to free player eduardo, and the game end with 1-1. if anyone understand what i am talking about.

same situation as bendtner yesterday. someone @ arsenal lern this jerk to pass the ball when we have to score with 2 attackers against 1 deffender

get well asap "dudu"

Anonymous said...

lol. all i can say is this:
You are all saying oh its a bad day for arsenal but have you seen your last run of games?
birmingham 1:1
man utd: 4.0
tottenham 5.1

I think you jus need to accept,
you're crap±