The Professor and the beanstalker

The ball....plus the world at his feet.

Last Wednesday night against Braga, Jack Wilshire’s football education came to an end.
It’s a pretty bold statement to make about an18 year-old football player who is a ‘nobody’ when you look at what he has achieved so far.
But Wilshire is no ordinary 18 year-old. Since the age of nine when he joined Arsenal from Luton Town, his precocious talent and delicate abilities have been an open secret.
With his virtuoso performance beside Fabregas - another youth prodigy – last Wednesday night, the gloves have finally come off. The cloak thrown around him is surely now cast off.
The most obvious point that emerged from Wednesday night was the fact that Wenger trusts Jack. Five games into the season, Jack has featured in all of those games and started in four. Four starts!
For Wenger, who has spent a lifetime nurturing young talent, the golden rule about players of Jack’s gifts is always finding the right time to let them go. The exact moment to release them to make their way in the world.
It is always a tricky balancing act that could make or mar a player’s career. A time that could undo all the good work and the countless hours put into nurturing them. Football - and sports likewise - is replete with child prodigies who fell victim to their own publicity and ended up on the dunghill of failure.
For Jack though, it looks certain that he has earned Wenger’s confidence. And how well the master must be pleased to have seen his pupil confirm his trust Wednesday night.
Jack turns 19 on January 1, 2011 and by then, he ought to have cemented a spot for himself in the heart of Arsenal’s senior side.
With all the uncertainty and persistent attempts by Barcelona to prise Fabregas back to Catalonia, a new midfield fulcrum is deemed a must-have now at the club. Arsenal and Wenger cannot stand in Fabregas’ way forever. If he helps us to silverware, he will feel morally justified to tell Wenger that his dues have been paid at the club and it was time to move on. Both men know it.
Which is why Wenger has had to blood Jack now and allow him learn from Fabregas.
All season so far and especially on Wednesday night, the fruits of that apprenticeship was obvious for all to see.
Jack has bottle. It’s what sets him apart from his generation. Skill on its own, is never enough to make a player great. Character, discipline and decision-making all have to come into play at some stage. So far, the young man from Hitchin (which happens to also be the birthplace of ex-Arsenal wannabee David Noble), 30minutes from London, seems to have combined all these qualities admirably.
We can talk all day about his obvious ball skills. How he always, always finds space for a pass with his wonderful left foot. How he glides across the pitch with ballet-like ease. How he fights and scraps for the ball despite his lack of inches. We can swoon and talk about that 30 yard pinpoint lob to Fabregas that led to goal No 6 against Braga. Without him applying himself to discipline, all that would go down the drain and be lost forever.
It was commendable how Wenger ignored all the petulant stories about Jack’s involvement in a pub fight weeks ago, to maintain his trust in him. Such tabloid sensationalism is the stock-in-trade of British media which has doomed many a player’s career. Cavalier considerations always override public interest and allied with society’s addiction to scandal, celebrities in sports and other spheres of life are targeted for their news value.
So often, the media thrives on and feeds this assault on people’s lives, thus creating goldfishes with no hiding place.
It’s one major reason why Wenger has been suspicious of English players. He has actually had his fingers burnt by the likes of Jermaine Pennant and David Bentley on the few occasions he has bought English.
It may smack somewhat of dictatorial tendencies on Wenger’s part, but you build a team very much in your own image if you hope to succeed as a manager. It is very well-known how avuncular, taciturn and aloof Wenger is and for him to stamp his authority on his team, he has to recruit players of like character.
All managers like who have succeeded know that basic truth. Ask Mourinho and Ferguson.
Jack, apart from his gifts, has knuckled down to earn his master’s trust. The fact that he is British would probably have made him work even harder at earning that trust. He would have looked at fellow-Englishmen like Theo, Kieran and the unfortunately-stricken Emmanuel Frimpong, to realize what was needed to make the grade in Wenger’s team.
On Wednesday night, we saw the fruits of those years of patience and servitude.
It is our fervent prayer that Jack makes it and goes on to become a legend and a future captain of Arsenal. He has it in him, if you look carefully at what he does.
Which is why an “old fox” like Wenger trusts this teenager named after the fabled beanstalker.

Arsenal 6 Braga 0…….ratings

Once again, the statistics told the story.
Better still, the rag-doll look on the face of Braga’s coach, the youngish Domingos Paciencia told a more graphic story. One of capitulation, despair and defeat. His team had just played an inglorious part in helping Arsenal become the highest scoring team on Matchday One of the Champions League.
On the night when we kicked of our 13th consecutive Champions League campaign, the dominance of all the players in red shone through like a beacon.
The score read six goals against nil but on the evidence of the night, it was far more overwhelming.
We lined up in a flexible 4-2-3-1 formation that saw our midfield filled with ball players. Of all the five midfielders on parade, only Alex Song was saddled with defensive duties.
It was a testament to the abundance of talent available to Arsene Wenger, that he could rest the likes of Rosicky and Abou Diaby and still have all those personnel to call upon in the middle.
So also was it a huge vote of confidence for 18 year-old Jack Wilshire, who was starting his most-important Champions League tie in front of adoring fans.
The game itself was all about Arsenal’s attacking prowess, against the Portuguese’s damage control skills. Almost inevitably, attacking prowess won the day.
Even before the 9th minute penalty tucked away by Fabregas, we had steadily pushed Braga back and taken over their goalmouth. Further strikes by first Arshavin and later Chamakh in the 30th and 34th minutes further underlined our superiority of movement and thought and by the halftime whistle, it was clear Braga had raised the white flag.
It afforded Wenger the luxury of pulling out Chamakh and introducing Carlos Vela, who promptly helped himself to two well-taken goals after Fabregas – one of the smallest players in the world – had headed the fourth.
All the men in red were heroes last night. No one shirked their duties and all excelled in their specific roles. Moreso Mr Wilshire, who shone brighter and brighter as he revelled in a central midfield role beside Fabregas.
It is early days yet both in the season and the Champions League but after five games now, the strength in depth, talent, skill levels and maturity of this side is rising to a crescendo that might portend the arrival of a trophy come May next year.
So far, the signs look pretty good.

Having Fun...Arshavin loves the taste of scoring against Braga

Below are the ratings from last night.
• Almunia (6/10) – David Seaman once commented that one of the often-overlooked attributes of a good goalie is awareness and adapting to long stretches of inactivity during a game. Last night was one of those instances for Manuel. He was forced into a passive onlooker role as we dominated and swarmed allover Braga, but twice in the second half when called to action, he responded admirably well to ward off danger – both from the right flank and the boot of Julio Cesar.
• Koscielny (7/10) – Clearly, the new boy has warmed his way into our hearts, so early in his Arsenal career. Not that he had much to do, but the few times he was asked questions by the Braga duo of Cesar and Lima, he dealt with them professionally. Once in the 73rd minute, he battled bravely for a loose ball and took it up to the centre circle amidst a sea of Braga players. Obviously a top player and a great acquisition by Wenger.
• Squillaci (7/10) – A smooth operator indeed. Most of the time you don’t even realize he is there. But ever-present he is certainly. Very surefooted all night and complimented Koscielny one hundred percent. There might be some wisdom in Wenger’s unstated policy of buying French if in a defensive crisis.
• Sagna (7/10) – No surprises here as regards the tough-tackling Frenchman. He was his usual hard-as-nails self. Tackling, harrying attackers and bombing forward at the slightest chance. Picked up a soft caution in the second half.
• Clichy (7/10) – Came back into the team after being rested against Bolton over the weekend. Followed very much in Sagna’s footsteps, except that he does most of his job with the left foot. Very steady on the left flank.
• Song (8/10) – Can he really get better? Looks like a frightening prospect but also very real. He's maturing in leaps and bounds and is a real joy to watch. Snuffed whatever little threat Braga carried through the middle and never allowed their playmakers, Rodriguez and ex-Newcastle player, Hugo Viana to settle. The fact that Viana was later substituted was due largely to Song’s success in containing him. Was himself substituted for Denilson deep in the second half.
• Nasri (6/10) - Returned from injury for his second game this season. Part of a five-man midfield with license to drift to the right. He did well and pulled the Braga defence allover the pitch. Linked well with Fabregas and Wilshire in the middle.
• Fabregas (8/10) – Opened his account for the season with two sweet goals here. Tucked away the first from the spot after Chamakh had been pulled down in the 9th. Got his second for the night and his 50th Arsenal goal with a header off a fine ball from Arshavin. Almost got another goal, which was cleared off the line by Moises. Laid on an assist for Vela for the final goal of the night. All in all, he looked happy and at peace with the world. Looked like the old Cesc we’ve always known.
• Wilshire (8/10) – His best game so far for Arsenal this season. Was inspirational in the middle of the park and displayed ability way beyond his tender 18years. Ran the show alongside Fabregas and accounted for two assists – one for Chamakh and threaded a 35 yarder that Fabregas brought under control before feeding Vela for the final goal. Breathtaking vision indeed.
• Arshavin (7/10) – The Russian seems to be exorcising the demons of past poor performances gradually. Took his goal very well in the 30th minute and almost got a second which ricocheted off the bar in the second half. Got himself two assists though to underline a very positive night. Withdrawn later for Eboue.
• Chamakh (7/10) – The Moroccan enhanced his growing reputation here tonight. Scored a very good goal after sublime footwork from Wilshire in the 34th minute and was responsible for the first goal, after he won a penalty. His overall contribution though is much more than scoring, which is what makes him a very, value-added acquisition to the team. Later made way for Vela and got a standing ovation form the appreciative crowd.

Subs
• Vela (8/10) – For someone who spent a little over 16minutes on the park, he gets so high a rating on account of his two cleverly-taken goals. First was a brilliant through ball amidst a pair of Braga defenders' legs from Arshavin, which Vela ran onto and chipped almost-effortlessly beyond the keeper. The second was a knock down from Fabregas which the Mexican smartly placed in the keeper’s near post. He never seems to do much except place the ball in the net. If that is all he does however, Bendtner may find himself looking in from the outside whenever he returns from injury.
• Denilson (5/10) – Replaced Song in the DM role. Didn’t do anything wrong for the 20-odd minutes he was on the pitch. Steady as the game drifted to a grandstand finale.
• Eboue (5/10) – Came in for Arshavin as Wenger shuffled things around ahead of our trip to Sunderland on Saturday. Took up the right wing position and helped trouble the Braga defence.


All in all, yet another memorable European night and puts us in fearsome mood ahead of the Sunderland game on Saturday night.

Arsenal 4 Bolton 1…….ratings

After this game on Saturday, Arsene Wenger gloatingly declared that beating first Blackburn and next Bolton would have been beyond his side in the past. Considering the physicality of both opponents, he deemed his side to have matured this season with the way they dispatched the two teams near-effortlessly.

It is early days yet, but Wenger might have a point there.
Blackburn and Bolton belong to the same school of hard knock-playing sides like the Stoke Citys and Wolverhampton Wanderers of this world. They all might be unfashionable but they have in common, hard-grafting, English managers who put their trust in players of average skills but tutored to intimidate opponents. And in Arsenal, they all share the collective, flawed wisdom that the Gunners are a soft touch.
Such thinking has helped them try to knock us off our stride in the past and all have succeeded to a certain degree in this abominable task.
Last Saturday was one of those days as Bolton turned up at the Emirates.
Ten minutes into the game, they left their calling card when the belligerent Kevin Davies launched two-footed into Jack Wilshire. He got a talking-to as well as a yellow card for his troubles but being Bolton, the tone of the game was set.
We went ahead in the 28th minute as new-kid-on-the-block and birthday boy, Laurent Koscielny bundled home a Wilshire cross after Fabregas helped the ball along its way. It was to be the first of four assists by Fabregas on the afternoon.
By and by, an eventful game unfolded that saw a red card to new England debutant, Gary Cahill; swinging the match decisively the Gunners’ way as we ran out 4-1 winners.
After Manchester United’s injury-time capitulation to Everton at Goodison Park in the earlier kick-off, this was a golden chance to put daylight between us and them; and how gratefully we took it.

I can fly..Notice the similar pair of boots worn by Koscielny and mate, Squillaci (behind)

Below are the ratings for the game:
• Almunia (6/10) – Solid and professional throughout all the 90 minutes. Organised all before him well and dealt with everything that came his way. Not at fault for the Bolton goal as he was left exposed by Koscielny’s mistake. Largely untroubled in the second half as Bolton failed to come forward, preferring instead to concentrate on damage-limitation.
• Koscielny (7/10) – He really looks like he has adjusted to the pace of the premiership. Covers the ground very well and struck a good understanding at the back with new partner Squillaci. The way he strode forward to score the opener would have made the absent Thomas Vermaelen very proud. Muddied things a bit by his tame back header that opened the door for Bolton’s equaliser . All in all, he is looking every inch an impressive presence at the back.
• Squillaci (7/10) – He deserves high praise for the calm, composure and experience he brought to the back line. His debut passed almost effortlessly because he hardly put a foot wrong and dealt with all the high balls and intimidation manufactured by the likes of Davies and Elmander. Slotted in well for TV and looks like another shrewd piece of business by Wenger.
• Gibbs (6/10) – Deputised admirably for Clichy. It was his debut game of the season and kudos to Wenger for giving the young Englishman a taste of action. Kieran looks to have come a long way with his sense of positional play, tackling, awareness and distribution. Picked up a caution but had a very comfortable outing as he kept the Bolton wingers quiet and subdued.
• Eboue (6/10) – Started brightly with overlapping runs and good interchanges with the forward men. Lost his way sort of in the second half after some rough treatment from the Bolton defence. Substituted later in the second half. The Ivorien still looks a handy squad player though.
• Song (8/10) – Fabregas aside, I will tick him off as my MVP. Did all that was asked of him in the DM position and snuffed out all signs of danger with increasing authority and confidence. Looking at him now, I still shake my head how far he has come. Got the crucial third goal that settled the tie and triggered the oles from the home crowd as the result was put beyond doubt. He is gradually becoming a legend for us. Going a bit further, he is becoming the best thing since Patrick Vieira. Some accolade, ay?
• Wilshire (5/10) – Started the game and ignited the first goal with a very incisive lob over the Bolton defence. He looked fired up as if to show Bolton what they missed by handing him back to Arsenal after last season’s loan move there. Looked jaded and faded from the game in the second period before being substituted.
• Fabregas (8/10) – His best game so far this season. He laid on all the assists for all our four goals and was his mercurial old self (if you could call a 22 year-old that!). After all the unnecessary distraction created by the Barcelona attempts to sign him, he looks to have put all that behind him and gotten on with the business. My pick of his balls was the beauty he lifted into the path of Vela for the fourth goal. Sheer class!
• Rosicky (7/10) – Another one who had a good afternoon. Seems to have found his lost mojo from somewhere. His vision was apparent as he dissected Bolton’s defence thrice in the first half with incisive balls to Arshavin and Chamakh. Tired though as the game wore on.
• Arshavin (6/10) – Should have opened the scoring as early as the 5th minute when Rosicky’s through ball put him one-on-one with the Bolton goalie, Adam Bogdan. He was to get two more bites at the cherry in the same half all of which he failed to bury. Looks a bit isolated on the left where he often opts to take on defenders with little success.
• Chamakh (7/10) – The big Moroccan held the line well and never stops trying. Got his reward early in the second period with a fine headed goal off a Fabregas ball from the corner flag. He is quite capable in the air and even when things aren’t going his way, he always persists. Good work on the afternoon.


Subs
• Diaby (4/10) – Came in for Wilshire but almost immediately got himself kicked on the shin by Bolton’s Robinson. Never recovered from the knock as he hobbled around and eventually was forced off after only 12minutes.
• Denilson (5/10) – Another one making his debut this season. Came on for the injured Diaby and slotted in beside Song. Apart from an attempted shot on goal that was blocked, nothing spectacular from the little Brazilian who looked bulkier than before.
• Vela (6/10) – The Mexican came on to replace Chamakh and opened his account for the season with a sublime goal after being fed by Fabregas. Great things are expected of him this season and with the absence of regulars Van Persie and Bendtner, he has started on a very positive note indeed.
Next up is Braga from Portugal as we launch our latest foray into the Champions League, Wednesday night.