Arsenal’s three worst players against Fulham need to shape up and soon

By 1970’s Gooner

I was as delighted as much as I was frustrated last Saturday in that uncharacteristic one nil to the Arsenal win against a very spirited Fulham side.

I was delighted that we won the game which kept us within distance of the top, especially as Chelsea dropped points. I was also pleased that the win was obtained when not playing at our best.

It’s quite funny really in that a lot of the media usually criticise Arsene Wenger’s teams for not being able to rough it, play badly and win ugly. This is exactly what Arsenal did yet this is labeled a lucky win!

Stop reading the tabloids I say and stick to blogs….

Yet I cannot but ponder on the reasons for Arsenal’s lackluster performance. This is because I feel that if we carry on playing like this we are bound to come unstuck sooner than later.

Winning ugly gets you out of jail once or maybe twice but then you simply have to revert back to your brilliant best.

A lot of the pressure that Arsenal faced against Fulham originated from within itself rather than created by Fulham’s play.

Uncharacteristic mistakes were made in the passing of the ball and the giving away of possession and free kicks in dangerous areas; way too often.

In the offensive area of the pitch Arsenal did not create much and there was not enough fluidity and slick passing as we have become accustomed.

For all the above I blame three players in particular and I hope that they get back to form pretty soon starting tomorrow in the Champions League.

3. Fabregas

Yes he did after all provide the brilliant assist for van Persie’e goal and put a few excellent passes for the forwards to score. But you must agree that the little maestro is below par when you compare him to his brilliant best.

He has been misplacing passes and lacking that dynamism and dexterity that he has shown in previous years for quite a few games now. Something is bothering him and I hope it is not Barcelona.

Nevertheless if he doesn’t tick Arsenal’s clock stops ticking. And his below par performance affected the rest of the team.

2. Arshavin

He has been out for a month after taking that silly decision to play for Russia when he was clearly injured. This showed against Fulham. He was below pace, did not get much involved and generally did not contribute enough for the cause.

Add to this the lack of penetration on the other wing from the average Bendtner and you can see that poor van Persie did not get much of a service.

We need a fit Arshavin in the side and I hope that he can get back to full fitness quite soon.

1. Diaby

What an idiot. Who does he think he is? Maradona in his hey day? This boy has to be taught to play the simple game. Win the ball and then pass it. Full stop. At this stage of his development he should concentrate to get this right.

All he did last Saturday was to give possession to the other side. He did this by passing them the ball, trying one dribble too many or and this was more dangerous, giving away silly fouls in dangerous areas outside our box.

Abu Diaby you have the potential to become an Arsenal great but you have to learn to play simple football for the team. Not for yourself.

Fabregas and Arshavin will improve I am sure. But Wenger needs to reconsider whether to keep persisting with Diaby.

Photo of Lehmann at beer festival gets him dropped

By Aries

Stuttgart's head coach Markus Babbel was very annoyed with Jens Lehmann after his team’s 2-0 defeat by Cologne over the weekend.

He decided to come out of his area, rush way out to tackle an opponent and of course was left with egg on his face when the ball ended in the back of an unguarded net!

Reminds you of his mad rushes when he used to play for Arsenal doesn’t it?

And when Babbel found out that after the game Lehmann went to the Oktoberfest beer festival without permission he had enough.

The player has now been dropped for the cup game against fourth division side VfB Luebeck.

Lehmann said it had been a charity visit.

“The visit to the festival was part of a charity event which was planned a long time ago. It was not agreed with the club. Naturally, I accept measures taken by the sporting management” Lehmann said.

Jens had attended the festival with his wife Connie.

Four reasons why Arsenal lost to Manchester City (plus player ratings)

By 1970’s Gooner

1. Heavy legs?

What a pathetic performance by the Arsenal players in the first half. They could not find each other even with short passes, their free kicks and crosses rarely got past the first defender and their heavy legs never allowed them to play in a quick tempo. Cesc Fabregas was particularly guilty.

May be they were affected by the international week that a lot of them were involved in but Manchester City had players on international duty too.

In the second half after probably a good spanking by Wenger in the dressing room but more importantly with the introduction of Rosicky the whole team were rejuvenated.

Fabregas became more efficient and went more forward to give support to van Persie, Rosicky gave added impetus to the attacks and suddenly balls were finding their intended targets.

2. No width

Wenger elected to start with Bendtner and Diaby on the flanks in a 4 3 3 formation. Diaby was abysmal, holding onto the ball when he should have been passing it and when he got round to passing it he could not find his players.

More significantly he often strayed infield thus starving the team of the width on the left hand side that he should have been providing.

Bendtner was also ineffective for most of the time on the other wing. This meant that van Persie got no meaningful crosses or penetrative passes to exploit.

3. Clichy and Diaby go awol

In the first half Diaby helped Clichy deal with the threat of Wright Philips. But in the second both were guilty of leaving that left hand side almost unguarded. Both the vital second and third goals that killed the game off came from that side.

For the second Clichy was dispossessed up the field, Diaby was nowhere to be found and Song had to rush back to cover, unsuccesfuly.

For their third Clichy was tricked by Philips who raced clear to plant the ball on Adebayor’s head.


4. Almunia lets the team down

He was slow in coming out for the high ball against Portsmouth when they scored their goal but it didn’t matter. It mattered today. He was slow to react to Richards’s header and by the time he got to it the ball had hit the post and his back.

Goals change games and this goal gave them belief and had us chasing the game committing players up front in a second half.

Still we got Rosicky back and he looks back to his old best. This is a real bonus as he can add quality and creativeness to the team.

Almunia 5
Clichy 4
Sagna 5
Vermaelen 6
Gallas 6
Song 6
Denilson 5
Fabregas 6
Diaby 4
Bendtner 5
Van Persie 6

Rosicky 7
Eduardo 5
Eboue 5

Fabregas on the score sheet again…(video)

By 1970’s Gooner

European champions Spain secured their place at next year's World Cup finals with an easy 3-0 win over Estonia thanks to goals from Cesc Fabregas, Santi Cazorla and Juan Manuel Mata.

Bosnia-Herzegovina was held by Turkey earlier in the evening so Spain knew a victory over Estonia would be enough to guarantee themselves top spot in Group Five.

Spain took this opportunity as they continued their 100% record in qualifying with an eighth win in eight games.

Cesc got the first goal after receiving a through ball into the area and his shot low across the goal ended in the back of the net.

He seems to have found renewed confidence in front of goal this season. This seems to be a result of increasing maturity both in terms of football but also in his physique.

He is also benefiting from the more advanced role he has assumed for Arsenal in the new 4 3 3 formation that has been adopted by Arsene Wenger this season.

Arshavin ready to fly back to London

By Aries

Andrey Arshavin has, on his return to Russia to join up with the national team, revealed that his injury is a groin strain but more importantly that he has been injured for some time prior to the Manchester United match.

"I had problems with the groin before and in this match I reached out for the ball and the pain became very sharp."

His intention is to have a scan to determine the seriousness of the injury and if so fly right back to London.

"Of course if the scanning shows that there no or minimal chances to participate in the matches of the national team then I won’t go to St. Petersburg, I will rather return to London."

Unfortunately I cannot calm people down saying that everything is all right with me," said Arshavin.

"It is a fact that I have an injury but there is a question how long will it take to cure it”

Groin strains normally take up about two weeks to clear up. That is if they are not that serious. But unforunately Andrey has been playing with the injury so it may in fact take longer to heal.

Arsenal’s next match is in twelve days time away against Manchester City followed up four days later by the Champions League game against Standard Liege in Belgium.


Information on groin strains

What is a groin strain?

A strain is a stretch or tear of a muscle or tendon. People commonly call such an injury a "pulled" muscle. The muscles in your groin help bring your legs together.

There are two muscles that may commonly get injured in a groin strain: the adductor magnus (the large muscle running down the inner side of the thigh) and the sartorius (a thinner muscle that starts on the outside of your hip, crosses your thigh and attaches near the inside of the knee).

How is it treated?

Treatment may include:

• Applying ice to the strained muscle for 20 to 30 minutes every 3 to 4 hours for 2 or 3 days or until the pain goes away.

• Taking an anti-inflammatory medication prescribed by your healthcare provider.

• Wearing a supportive bandage called a thigh wrap or taping your thigh or groin.

• Doing the rehabilitation exercises you are given.

While you are recovering from your injury, you will need to change your sport or activity to one that does not make your condition worse. For example, you may need to swim instead of run.

How long will the effects last?

The length of recovery depends on many factors such as your age, health, and if you have had a previous groin injury. Recovery time also depends on the severity of the injury.

A mild groin strain may recover within a few weeks, whereas a severe injury may take 6 weeks or longer to recover. You need to stop doing the activities that cause pain until the groin has healed. If you continue doing activities that cause pain, your symptoms will return and it will take longer to recover.

Arshavin reveals why he was brought off at Old Trafford

By Aries

Andrey Artshavin revealed that he started the game at Old Trafford injured and that was the reason why he was substituted by Arsene Wenger.

When asked on his personal web site whether the reason he was brought off was due to possible damage inflicted by Fletcher’s tackle in the penalty that was not awarded in the first half, he said:

“I began the game injured anyway. This injury has worried me for a long time, but I had to play”

This may account for his below par performances as of late but if he can get goals like that when he is injured then there are far more exciting times to come form the little demon.

However, what is worrying is that Arsene Wenger is having to field players who are injured, so desperate the situation has reached with the absence of fit wide players. And there are many ofcourse, Nasri, Rosicky and Walcott.

What was perplexing to us here at Arsenal Analysis is, having decided to take a risk with Arshavin, why did Wenger decide to start with the ineffective Eboue leaving Bendtner on the bench?

The Arsenal goals against Pompey as you've never seen them before...

We are always ready to try something original here at Arsenal Analysis and Kazeem has come up with these very articulate sketchings depicting Arsenal's goals against Portsmouth.

By Kazeem Atanda

Arshavin reveals what Wenger told the players at half time against Pompey

By Aries

Andrey Arshavin has been talking on his personal web site about the Portsmouth game.

He revealed that indeed the Arsenal players relaxed too much after the quick two goals that were scored in the first twenty two minutes.

“We started the meeting well. I think that our two quick goals went a long way in deciding the game. Arsenal’s possession advantage allowed us to enjoy the game ... Perhaps, after the second goal, we relaxed a bit”

Indeed they relaxed so much that even Arsene Wenger felt the need to warn them about being complacent. This he told them in the dressing room at half time.

“Arsene in the locker room told us about this. He reminded us that in the Premier League you can not afford to be relaxed. Because if you prematurely stop to fully concentrate on the game, this will immediately be followed by retaliation by the opponents”

The message obviously registered with the players as they came out in the second half and promptly scored two more goals.

“During the second half, we again scored two goals, thus delivering fun to the fans” Arshavin said.

It seems that complacencey, which has been a constant factor of all Wenger teams in the past, is rearing its ugly head again. This seems to happen against weaker opponents with the Arsenal players easing up as soon as a goal is scored.

Let’s hope that Wenger’s message is taken on board by the players…

Eduardo reveals why he didn’t start at Goodison and tips Arsenal as title contenders

By Aries

Eduardo was very pleased with his performance at Goodison and of his first Premiership goal of the season. Speaking to the Croatian media he said he feels great and healthy and that to him that is most important:

“I feel great, I'm healthy and that is most important. Let’s hope I remain so and there will follow more games and goals” he said.

For his goal he described how he anticipated that Arshavin’s shot might come back to him:

“The forwards must always be in motion, always be in the thick of the action until the end. You never know what will happen, where the ball might go so you must constantly be ready to react”

He also revealed what Wenger said to him when he told him that he will be on the bench:

“Wenger told me before the game that he did not want to take the risk. Understandably, last Wednesday I played in Minsk (for Croatia against Belarus) and it’s been a year and a half since I played two games in a row in four days”

But he enjoyed himself he said: “Because I was on the bench I enjoyed myself, the boys played fantastic and we showed that we are capable of great things”

When asked if he thought that Arsenal were championship contenders he did not disagree:

“Yes! I am convinced that we will fight for the title, the new champion will again come from the quartet of Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and us”

He did not think the loss of Toure and Adebayor has upset the team which is enjoying tremendous spirit:

“It seems to me that we have grown up as a team, so the loss of Toure and Adebayor did not upset us. We can feel the togetherness and the team spirit in the dressing room and this will be necessary if we are to win the title”

We showed it at Goodison Park where not just anyone can score against Everton, in Liverpool, half-dozen goals!

So say all of us…..

Song is the new Vieira?

By 1970’s Gooner

Enough will be said about the demolition of Everton and the amazing six goals scored. All the players played a blinder today inclusive of Vermaelen who had a dream debut for Arsenal.

Bendtner and Denilson were exceptional to my mind but I just feel the need to highlight the world class performance that Alexandre Song put in today.

He was everywhere, tackling in front of the defence and protecting his back four, breaking up Everton’s attacks as soon as they started to develop and he distributed the ball forward with accuracy.

He was immense.

He is not Vieira in his physique but he was Vieira in his effectiveness and style of play today.

This is why Wenger decided not to buy another defensive midfielder.