All posts tagged Arsenal

Arsenal secures fourth, and a spot in the champions league

by Nicholas Rihn
Nicholas Rihn on May 19, 2013 in Arsenal with No comments

Let’s take a breath, let our shoulders drop and go into hibernation. It’s time for some much-needed rest before next season.

Today was just a bit of fun for most of the league. But for Tottenham and us, it has been full of emotion. The ESPN commentating team of Ian Darke and Steve McManaman commented on Arsenal’s post-game celebrations. McManaman, known as Macca, question whether or not a fourth-place finish was worthy of celebration. It’s not a trophy.

But what’s the value of a trophy? Wigan won the FA cup, beating Manchester City in the final. Wigan was right in celebrating that victory, but would they trade places with Arsenal? Yes. Chelsea won the Europa League, but that would have been pittance without a Champions League qualification.

The Champions League is the pinnacle of world football. Despite winning the Premier League by a mile, Manchester United can’t be considered the best. Only Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund can still win the ultimate title. Further, the German Bundesliga has become more prestigious.

That’s what today was for. It’s not that we won a trophy, but we’re still in the competition—the only competition. I didn’t realize it until I wrote the last sentence, but that is my point. The Champions League is the only competition. The Premier League is merely the first round. So congratulations to Manchester United. You’ve exited the group stages with flying colors. Arsenal did it by the skin of their teeth, but in the end, it’s the same result—we’re through to the knockout.

That’s my macro analysis, but I want to end smaller. Laurent Koscielny is, without question, today’s man of the match. He’s also man of the season. Mikel Arteta and Santi Cazorla come in at a close second, but Koscienly certainly edges them. There have been countless, goal-saving pokes, headers, nudges, blocks and clearances. Today at 1-0, it was easy to feel nervous. But my anxiety cooled when it became clear that Koscielny was not going to let Newcastle score under any circumstances.

We’re doing well, Arsenal! I’m proud as ever to be a Gooner!

The Oakland Gooner’s Thoughts on everything Arsenal

by William Boone
William Boone on May 6, 2013 in Arsenal with No comments

Being an Arsenal supporter did several things to me these last couple of weeks. After Fulham, I was disappointed with the overall team play but glad that nothing stupid happened and that the Arsenal took the three points. And then United won the league on Monday and I didn’t feel much like even at least typing up my notes, let alone contemplating what was to be discussed in the coming days with what was to be both the  return of the Dutch Skunk and the “honor guard” for the champions. It was galling that subject would be most of the discussion both on the Twitter and the blogs I read, but such is life. So I didn’t want to write. But then I realized that I do love both football and Arsenal and I needed to get it out. I attempted to define my thoughts/feelings for those of you who care to read them and was at a loss. So I sought out the dictionary to help me as I was at a loss for actual definitions, I just had words.

Fulham (A):

Abject: (adjective) Contemptible, miserable, base-spirited.

I don’t want to have a whine but #ffs. That was the most listless and boring game against 10 men I can remember. It was a harsh red on Steve Sidwell, who I’ve always liked, regardless of his not making the grade with us, and Arsenal should have had the game by the (insert whatever swear-word-emboldened adjective here) once he was sent off. And they didn’t. What they did do was make a mockery of the space that they had created prior to that in getting off to a good, possession based/attack absorbing start. So I wanted four or five goals at this point and this is what I got:

-         According to ESPN commentator Ian Darke, Tomas Rosicky is “generally excellent” in the 32nd minute. I’ve been saying this for weeks; get on the bandwagon. I would gloat more if I thought anyone cared what I think.

-         The Ref (all respect, it’s not a fun job) was horridly inconsistent the entire game. Bless the assistant Sian Massey whom I only name check because there is something about nothing I’m going to say to get me in trouble.

-         Once there was a man advantage the team went to sleep. I have three tick marks on when they almost got beat on the break. As the manager likes to say, they “applied the handbreak.”

-         It was a good goal for Per Mertesacker and he and Laurent Koscielny have played off each other excellently, so there is some poetic justice there if I understand the concept correctly. The Janet Jackson/Tupac movie may have messed that up a little. Beyond that, I have very little positive to say about the first half.

-         The first 15 minutes of the second half were, well, drab. (Drab: (adjective) dull; cheerless; lacking in spirit) I think the highlight for me was when Bacary Sanga actually got a half-decent cross into the box, as this has happened rarely this season.

-         Fulham collapsed their shape well in the second half and that made the rest of the game a slog. I thought Philippe Senderos had an excellent game, but then you always present well for your ex. Or at least you hope you do. Sad for him that he couldn’t cut it at Arsenal, events and others conspired against him but I still think at some point he may come good. I was hoping for the “last-15 magic” Arsenal have pulled out to make the game comfortable a couple of times this year but is was not to be.

-         I don’t think Olivier Giroud would have been sent off if not for the Sidwell red. No complaints, it was sloppy and indicative of what I viewed as the overall issue in not finishing the game off. Not sure what we do in his absence, guess we have to trust the manager.

-         Lukas Poldoski doesn’t look fit for a sub, let alone a starter. I hope it is the rumored ankle injury that’s limiting him and that he can get it taken care of over the summer and come back as the 100-plus cap striker we bought.

So those were my game notes. I scribbled several times that we have, HAVE to beat ManU. My friend Big Tall Greg called me and asked me about the game. I said I didn’t want them celebrating on our pitch and he reminded me that if they won the Monday game, they would be. And that apprehension is what has taken this article two weeks to get written. So on to the main event.

Manchester United (H):

Bereft: (adjective) Deprived, lost.

I hate a man I have never met. That man’s name is Robin van Persie. My father’s name is Robin, so I don’t say that casually or without an understanding of what hate means (hate: (adjective) to dislike intensely or passionately). I wish him no personal ill-will but his behavior was abhorrent whether it was him or by proxy. One good season in seven and he ups the stakes and moves to what is arguably our biggest rival in the modern era? F#@k that guy. Ca$hley Cole actually may be on that list as well but same type of move in retrospect. I imagine that Spurs fans feel the same way about Sol Cambell as Gooners do about either of those guys. I only mention that because I don’t care.

The point is that as supporters of a football club, there are reasons you support that club. Maybe it’s the way they play or how they conduct themselves on and off the pitch, or they all wear the sleeve length the captain decides on. It’s different for everyone, but loyalty to the club is something we all have regardless of who we support. Getting dumped is never fun and grudges are going to be held.  Well, that and maybe the fact that my Ex of fiv years coming to town on the same weekend almost seemed so insanely appropriate that I just tried to take it all in. I know from processing it that I don’t really hate her, just the absence. I guess I feel the same way about RVP. So, that rant over…

-         After the honor guard, which was a bit…eh, I was glad that the all of the Arsenal players looked like they could hardly be arsed. I saw a photo of Ryan Giggs giving Aaron Ramsey a thumbs up and Ramsey looked like he wanted to punch him. I can live with that.

-         Could not have asked for a better start to the game. So what if Theo was possibly offsides, as they say, that’s just how the ball bounces. He hasn’t done that as consistently as he should based on his obvious talent but let me be the first to not blame that on him signing a fat new contract.

-         Tomas Rosicky had another excellent game. Pressing high, getting stuck in, vision in passing. He is obviously not fully fit but had a similar impact tail end of last season when he was fully healthy and could play 90 minutes. Hopefully a full preseason will allow him to compete with Jack Wilshere for that spot in midfield next year. In my opinion, competition hurts no one on any team. Ramsey’s tackling was spot on as well and all things considered, the midfield looks fairly solid right now.

-         I have a great deal of dislike for Patrice Evra and he seems to turn the douche dial up to 11 anytime United and Arsenal have played in the last several years. In his defense, at least he’s not a turncoat/traitorous merc Dutchman…

Which brings me to the penalty/goal. They had definitely had been coming back into the game in the 10 minutes preceding it but Sanga just lost the plot. It was a poor giveaway, but  unless you’re in the red haze (which is possible, believe me) you never hack someone down like that if you know and/or intend to give up a penalty. I don’t think he has that much faith in Wojciech Szczesny. And so “the boy who screamed” took it. And scored. And he didn’t celebrate. (Which is another whole crock of shite, but I digress) And I threw the remote. And at that point I literally stopped watching the game. I got out the computer and started messing around with iTunes. I didn’t care about the game anymore. I was over it, the final dagger was sunk. Time to move on. There are others out there for us to admire and put on pedestals. And then degrade when they leave. It’s kind of like the cycle of life and eventually you personally get over it.

But that’s the point, it isn’t about me, it’s about Arsenal Football Club. They breath and survive and will long survive after that carpet bagging bastard has hung up his boots. Even with taking only one point, they still sit fourth in the table with the remaining three fixtures winnable* if complacency doesn’t set in. So in the words of someone “LETS DO THIS”

And just remember, gooners…

A CANNON BEATS A CHICKEN EVERY TIME!!!

COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!

* Editor’s note—as the editor, I’m way late getting this out. I got a new job at a newspaper and I was tired on Friday. Anyway, Arsenal beat QPR yesterday 1-0 so there are just two games left: at home against Wigan Athletic and away against Newcastle United. My bad, Will.

Arsenal 1-1 Manchester United: Bacary Sagna is asked to do too much

by Nicholas Rihn
Nicholas Rihn on April 29, 2013 in Arsenal with No comments

Today we were angry. We were angry at the broadcasters and the writers that call us soft; that say we aren’t a big club anymore. We were angry at everyone who left: Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy, Cesc Fabregas, Alex Song and most of all, Robin van Persie.

You could see it from the start, even before the goal, when Kieran Gibbs went sliding through Antonio Valencia. It was a clean, crunching tackle. Then Laurent Koscielny crushed van Persie, and eventually Per Mertesacker got in on the action too. And amid all the tackling—we scored. Theo Walcott scored in the second minute.

I nearly broke the wooden legs of my chair jumping for joy. But then I had a flashback to November 28, away at Everton, when Walcott scored in the first minute. Then we got complacent and Everton dominated basically the rest of the match. But I realized that’s not going to happen today. Today we are out for blood.

Let’s hope angry Arsenal is here to stay. But for now, I feel it is my duty to defend Bacary Sagna’s role in the United goal. First, Sagna received a pass near the halfline. Then Walcott decided to sprint forward hoping for a long ball, effectively removing himself from the play, and vacating the space to Sagna’s right. Since Walcott was no longer an option, Sagna was forced to turn inside and find a central midfielder, but there was nobody there either. In fact, Ramsey actually left the center and moved wide to fill the void created by Walcott. And if you pause the highlight video here, you’ll see that Sanga is completely isolated. There were five United players in the vicinity, and nearly every outlet pass was covered. Sagna had two choices: 1) play a difficult pass back to Mertesacker beyond the lurking van Persie, or 2) kick the ball out of bounds and concede possession. Sagna chose the first option, and failed. Yes, he should have connected the pass to Mertesacker, but Sagna should never have been put in that scenario. He should have had at least two or three teammates ready to receive a pass.

This situation speaks to larger tactical problem: Arsenal doesn’t play with wide midfielders. The starting formation shows our right winger as Walcott and our left winger as Santi Cazorla, but that is hardly true. Walcott sprints central at every opportunity. He’s actually more of a striker. And Cazorla cuts inside to play central midfield. Effectively we really only have two wide players: Gibbs and Sagna.

I’ll start with Walcott on the right side. When Walcott decides to get back and cover, all is well and good. But his defensive work ethic is practically non-existent. At least once in every game, Sagna will look back and shrug his shoulders at Walcott asking, “Why aren’t you helping defensively?” Sagna is expected play the entire field; to get forward, cross the ball, sprint back and defend both the opponent’s left midfielder and left back. That is too much to ask of a single person.

The left side is not as simple. It is more than just an issue of work ethic. It has more to do with undefined roles. Modern attacking teams are quite comfortable using pseudo-wingers. For example, when Cazorla has the ball and cuts inside, Tomas Rosicky will take note and move outward to fill the void. This is perfectly fine, and a potentially potent offensive structure. However, defensively, Cazorla stays inside and marks up in the central midfield. Rosicky also meanders back inside, so the oppenent’s wide back is unmarked. Eventually he’ll get the ball, and only then do Cazorla and Rosicky even think about applying pressure. But it’s too little and too late. It’s the same result as the right side. Gibbs is expected to run the entire length of the field and defend two players.

I’d like to see more of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. He’ll actually play wide midfielder. I’d also like to see Nacho Monreal and Gibbs together, one as a defender and one as a midfielder. I’ll end in prayer to the god of Arsenal—Arsene Wenger:

Oh, Arsene Wenger how good thou art.
We pray that you might lead us out of tactical ignorance,
And that the Ox, Nacho, Gibbs, and Sagna might see the field together.

In the name of the father, the son and football.
We pray to you, Arsene Wenger.

Amen.

Arsenal 1-0 Fulham: Frustration!

by Nicholas Rihn
Nicholas Rihn on April 20, 2013 in Arsenal with No comments

We got three vital points and a clean sheet—end of story.

However, the performance was terrible. We had 68 percent of the possession and we scored one measly, set-piece goal against 10-man Fulham. And we want to compete in the Champion’s League?

I think it really comes down to a matter of luck (something that too often decides a football match). Our free kick bounced in and Fulham’s didn’t, and not one of their seven corner kicks went in either. We’re walking a fine line, Arsenal.

What was most disappointing was the lack of chances. How many times did we connect 20 or 30 passes, only to find ourselves at the half line? How many times were our crosses cut out by the first defender? It seemed that Nacho Monreal couldn’t help but kick every single ball into the backside of a Fulham player—in our box and theirs. We needed to put in meaningful crosses aimed at Olivier Giroud or just take a chance and shoot.

That’s what you do when you have too much possession. You start to gamble. How many crosses does it take before someone scores? How many shots before Mark Schwarzer fumbles one? And Jack Wilshere, where did your heart go? I want you to be fuming when you lose the ball, and then chase someone down and slide tackle the hell out of them. I hope your quality hasn’t gone to your head. Don’t listen to the praise Wilshere; cover your ears.

I have a friend that says, “Who opens your eyes in the morning?” He pauses. “God does.” Last night, I forgot to set an alarm. But lo and behold God woke me up at 6:25—enough time to walk to the pub for kickoff. Why did you wake me up, God? So I could spend 90 minutes frowning? So I could witness the two softest straight red cards in EPL history? Was it punishment for believing that winning is everything? Maybe so.

Either way,we got three vital points and a clean sheet—end of story.

The Oakland Gooner Reflects on Norwich City and Everton

by William Boone
William Boone on April 19, 2013 in Arsenal with No comments

So left somewhat bemused and then baffled by the Norwich game I decided that I would take a day or so, reflect and maybe watch it again after the WTF, DID THAT JUST HAPPEN, WE WE’RE SCREWED feeling wore off. That, and my notes from the last 20-30 minutes were crap which played into the feeling that I needed to watch the game again. And that feeling (awesome) took until Monday morning to wear off, at which point I realized that with Everton coming on Tuesday, I would be hard pressed to get my notes and thoughts together in a form that was fit to publish. (Not that what I submit is anyway, but thanks, Mike.) So I decided that I would watch the game against Everton and then the Norwich replay and put it all together in one tidy package for consumption, not that you can or should actually physically attempt to consume this.

 

Oh, you Canaries…

I have to say that I have no intrinsic interest in Norwich in any form. From the looks of things, the Canaries have fat crybaby forwards but are keeping it together and look to be staying up. I do have a lot of respect for the manager Chris Hughton. He did a pretty amazing job at Newcastle (and admirably as well) in what could be described kindly as poor circumstances. He did a pretty good job at Birmingham as well as I recall. All that said, we all fancied three points. And then they played 90 (+5) and had to put up with what turned out to be a rambunctious talkative lot who were up for it. That said…

-         Grant Holt and Robert Snodgrass are insufferable. I know at least one or two guys that would have slapped one of them for the way they were badgering the ref, well perhaps if not their faces. As an aside, I hate playing against guys like that. They want to talk to make you lose focus and then elbow you in the ribs as they attempt to (A) jump through you and get a knee into your stomach or (B) attempt to crowd you out/engulf you with their love handles and turn you, uggh… (*shudders at the thought, may need a shower.) Anyway, I hate that type of player, even when he’s on my team. I think that’s one of things I like about Arsenal, very rarely do our players behave in that manner. Look at Adebayor, his true colors came out in his departure, you didn’t really see them when he was at the club, well, at least on the pitch.

-         I love the phrase park the bus because it never gets old and is almost always applicable somewhere in the Premiere League, especially with the teams further down the table. I know, stunt them with a 10-man midfield and see if you can knick one in the second when they get frustrated. Maybe a solid idea for a pub team where you have several members of your squad still trying to see straight from the night before. MAYBE! Sadly over the last several years Arsenal have stumbled to that strategy and in the first half of this season it was no different. At least its looking to be getting a bit better. That it’s coming together is probably having several new world-class players that need to acclimatize to the team, the country, etc. Winnable games against teams that want to play are coming.

-         The changes in the starting 11 sort of puzzled me. I am all for rotation and sometimes it has to happen but it just took time for the squad that’s been on the current run to get on the same page with Wilshire replacing Tomas Rosicky especially. He was a little off the pace from the start and his positioning in relation to Ramsey just didn’t make sense to me based on the last couple of games. Ramsey had done a very good job next to Arteta previous and it seemed to me like Jack was a natural replacement for Rosicky. I don’t know, maybe it just seemed the balance was off? Maybe he was fit for that role but not further up field as the manager alluded to later. In the long run I think we can all agree that Jack is not a deep lying midfielder. In general, the close passing was sloppy and the players were running into alleys with no outlet when asked. There is a reason that you are coached not to attempt to dribble past three people. Even if your last name is Bergkamp…

-         Gervihino: The Jose Antonio Reyes of the 2010’s (twentyteens?). Except he hasn’t been kicked by the Nevelle brothers back to Spain and no, that’s not an unreleased track. He just can’t seem to keep it consistent and I’m not sure that Arsenal can carry ‘confidence’ players with both the squad size (which is slim for most Prem teams) and wages. For some reason, the ghost of Eduardo keeps springing to mind…

-         The defense prior to and the Norwich goal itself were poor. Simple as that. I’ve played as a center half for close to 20 years and I would have been way up in someone’s ear over that marking. That said, if it was my team taking that free kick I would have loved it. Shambolic on the part of Arsenal. The way they dealt with that and most of the other free kicks of varying type both offensive and defensive left a LOT to be desired.

-         The deserved equalizer: The substitutions made the difference and were giving Norwich a torrid time in the lead up. Was it a foul? You bet your arse. Was the ref horrid all day and should someone who is an Assistant Referee be able to make that call? Again, you bet your arse. The rules of the game are written so indicating that and as well he should have. The Ref was baffling in several respects. Walcott had a penalty turned down that was fairly obvious but that’s how the cookie crumbles. I’ll stick with what goes around comes around and leave it there.

-         Can’t argue that Norwich didn’t deserve something for their effort. To bad for them they didn’t get it and for all their time wasting and absolute bitchery at the ref, they both deserve the result and the little bit of salt Poldi got to rub in. I was giddy for a good 36 hours.

Three points, third place and on to the next…

 

The Blue half of Liverpool…

Everton are another team I don’t particularly have a feeling about one way or another. I pay attention to their results because Tim Howard is American (I tend to pay attention to all English teams with Americans passively, but I can assure you this is not the case with Totterenham or the Shawcross Orcs of Stoke). You have to respect what David Moyes has done the last 11 years with the money he’s had. They’re usually in the top 7 or 8 and considering they routinely sell their best players, you have to give them credit. A quick thanks for Arteta by the way… A guy I play pick-up with is a diehard Everton fan and has been going on about Seamus Coleman and Ross Barkley for a while now, so I was interested to see them play. I was also interested to see Kevin Mirallas play with the interest that Arsenal had apparently shown last summer. So, then this happened…

-         I was surprised that Jack Wilshire was in the starting lineup after his performance against Norwich. I just assume that it means the Tomas Rosicky is more knackered than Jack at this point. I like neither of those scenarios but ok, going with Jack. Per Mertresacker has earned his place this year and deserved to be returned to the starting lineup. I never thought Vermaelen deserved the captaincy so I have no problem with Wenger going with what he currently sees as his best center-back paring. Szczesny came back too, and I guess that means Wenger let him out of the dog house, or Fabanski is actually injured.

-         The first 20 minutes were nervy but once the kicking really got going, Arsenal seemed to understand what they were up against and settled into, well, another 70 minutes of getting kicked. To their credit, they were kicking back but those were the only fouls the ref seemed to see until he booked Gibson and Pienaar. There was one foul that wasn’t a foul on  Santi Carzola in the 17’ which had me throwing things, but thankfully it looked a lot worse in slow motion than it ended up being. The main defensive theme for Everton seemed to be “Find Wilshire and kick the crap out of him.” And they seemed to do that and with Jack being a bit off the pace (being kind) he took the bait and his concentration slipped. He ran into corners/alleys with no one to pass to and then would get kicked, moan and look at the ref as opposed to following the ball. It is definitely easier said then done, (I am wound up and wind others up in equal measure) but you have to focus on the game and get on with it.

Second to last thing to note on the fouls: Gibson should have been off in the 33’ for a professional foul on Walcott. His reaction indicated he knew exactly what he was doing/did and realized that he could be very well getting a red. Not given, meh, that guy would be reffing league 2 the rest of the year if it was up to me.

Last thing on the fouls and the ref: He was bad. Uneven is being an apologist and that’s the best I could come up with. The yellow for Gibbs was a joke and Everton should have had at least 3 more yellows if that is what passes as a cardable offense.

-         So about those Everton players I was interested in seeing play. Here are my thoughts on each in a set of words which might form sentences:

o       Seamus Coleman: Looks like Gareth Bale. Good goal-line clearer. Bit of a hack.

o       Ross Barkley: Tidy player. Absolute hack.

o       Kevin Mirallas: Good work rate. Wind-up artist. An utter… *insert any descriptive word my mother would disapprove of.

-         When Arsenal came out for the second half they looked up for it but there was just something missing. Santi seemed to be drifting in and out of the game and Walcott, if I’m honest, sucked. I know he hates a kicking and it just looked like he’d had enough in the first half and wasn’t up for it. I think Jack was definitely up for it mentally but his lack of fitness let him down. Oh, and having the crap kicked out of him for a good period of the first half may have played a role in that. With the subs on, Arsenal made a real push in the last 20 minutes, sadly to no avail. I like what Podolski does as a player and I’m baffled that he hasn’t started more, especially in the EPL. There are rumors of surgery over the summer on a foot issue so that would make sense as to the limited PT, but why not just shut it down? He has barely played in the last month and a half and we only really needed that goal against Norwich as insurance. I’ll save my Wenger rotation rant for another time…

-         Last thing on this game. Moyes said after the match that hard tackling was “allowed in football.” This is true. A blind ref is out of the control of either team. Targeted, cynical fouling is a choice made by the manager and I lose respect for teams that say they come to play but play only for a point by employing that strategy. I rate it just higher than the parking the bus strategy.

One point, hard fought, still in the top four. I’ll take it.

A couple of final thoughts: Aaron Ramsey has been playing his ass off for several weeks now. Let’s give credit where credit is due. So that’s where we are going into a road game at Fulham and welcoming the Dutch Skunk back when “The Grove” hosts ManUre the week following. I really hope it’s not a game they can win the prem. All the more reason to beat them. More on that later. Still 15 points to play for, hope we do better than last year’s last five which as I remember was a bit of a disaster mixed with a hand grenade in a bunker and newly hatched baby scorpions.

And just remember…

A CANNON BEATS A CHICKEN EVERY TIME!!!

COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!

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