Braga 2 Arsenal 0

It wasn’t a game of too many chances as both teams clearly lacked ideas upfront. We were however more dominant as the possession count showed but when it mattered most about putting the ball into net, there was no one brave enough to do the deed.

Fabregas departed in the 62nd minute after stretching and hurting his hamstring for a Nicklas Bendtner lofted pass inside Braga’s eighteen yard box.
Wenger rung the changes by introducing Samir Nasri, Marouane Chamakh and later, Carlos Vela, but it was the hosts that got the breakthrough, when an 83rd minute counter attack left our defence flatfooted, allowing the speedy Mattheus to beat Fabianski from close range.
Vela was cut down in the box for a legitimate penalty shout in the 82nd minute, but the Hungarian referee instead said he dived and booked him. In stoppage time, another counter off a failed Denilson tackle, saw Mattheus run at our backpedalling defence before smashing the clincher high into the roof, off the bar. It was the last kick of a forgettable game and a dismal week all round.
To add to our misery, Fabregas and Eboue picked up injuries that rule them out of contention in the near future.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1332450/Braga-2-Arsenal-0-Matheus-stuns-Gunners-late-double-Cesc-Fabregas-limps-hamstring-injury.html


Below are the ratings for the game:
• Fabianski (5/10) – It’s five goals conceded now in two games for him and all the accolades and glowing performances of the past six weeks are now almost distant memories. Wasn’t troubled at all in the first half but when called upon to stand up and make saves in the dieing minutes, he couldn’t. Not at fault for the goals, but not excusable either. With the imminent return of Manuel Almunia from injury, his position will surely now come under x-ray.
• Eboue (6/10) – For some reason, he wasn’t his usual overlapping and confident self. Got beaten easily on a couple of occasions in the first half, forcing him into needless tackles that earned a caution in the 30th minute. Did averagely in the absence of Bacary Sagna but the injury to him will now put him out of the picture as we head into a very busy time of the season. Unlucky injury it must be said and somehow, being forced to play ten men in the last ten minutes, contributed to the goals we conceeded.
• Squillaci (6/10) – He did his usual best to contain the threat of the Portuguese particularly their big frontman, Lima. Was at sea for both goals and the pace of Mattheus was clearly too much for him. Probably his worst game for us so far.
• Djourou (8/10) – Despite the goals conceded, I still rate him as our best player on the night. His high confidence levels were apparent as he did everything with an air of assurance at the back. Tackled and defended with authority beyond his years and I personally never saw him put a foot wrong all night. His passing is also top of the range as he found those in front of him with accurate distribution. I’m hoping he avoids the injuries that have blighted his career so far because from the evidence of the season so far, he has a big, big future. Sadly, his record of never being on the losing side all season, ended last night.
• Gibbs (7/10) – Put in a tidy and accomplished display. His defending isn’t up there yet with the best but he’s getting there. Wasn’t ruffled at all and overlapped like his superior, Gael Clichy. One particular move where he beat three Braga defenders in the first half will stick in the memory for long and maybe, maybe he has a future as winger.
• Denilson (6/10) – Still not convinced about the defensive qualities of this bloke. He was supposed to fill in for Alex Song but if the truth be told, no one in this team can match the tough tackling Camerounian. He tried his utmost though but his inability to shield the ball led directly to the second goal after he was robbed by Mattheus. Not a convincing performance by any yardstick.
• Wilshire (6/10) – He started in his usual role beside the defensive midfielder and did his usual best. He was never over awed and of all our players, he was the one with the most fighting spirit. Never shirked a tackle and while with the ball, was neat, tidy and compact. Linked well with his fellow midfielders but all the things he tried did not come off.
• Rosicky (4/10) – A very disappointing night for the Czech playmaker. More annoying is how easily he is bullied off the ball. I couldn’t remember one instance where he held onto the ball long enough without being stripped of it with so much ease. I know he’s lacking in inches but for God’s sake, can’t he stand on his feet?! Very frustrating.
• Fabregas (6/10) – Not a happy night for the captain. Considering all the pre-match talk about resting his hamstring, was surprised to see him lead the team out. Eventually, after running around like a headless chicken for an hour, his night ended early with a damaged hamstring. So far, no one is certain when we’ll see him again as he succumbs to another spell on the sidelines.
• Walcott (7/10) – No one could fault him on account of effort even if there wasn’t much end product to point at. Took up position on his usual right hand flank and troubled the Braga defence from there. Had two good attempts at goal in the first half but poor marksmanship robbed him of any crack at the target. Started the second half with a fine freekick that kissed the roof of the Braga goal but faded soon after before eventually being replaced by Vela.
• Bendtner (5/10) – Did nothing of note. Considering all his protestations in the press about being dropped to the bench, you would have expected him to seize this chance with both hands. Failed to have a single shot at goal and it was curious seeing him receiving balls in the midfield and way, way behind the attack. Can’t see why anyone would lose sleep if he departs as he seems to enjoy threatening he would. Not surprised to see him substituted.


Substitutes
• Nasri (5/10) – Came on in th 69th for the injured Fabregas but the game seemed to pass him by. Couldn’t impose his refreshing style on proceedings and lacked ideas around the opponents’ area.
• Chamakh (5/10) – Came on in the 76th for the ineffective Bendtner but couldn’t make hay as there was little or no service from the midfield.
• Vela (5/10) – In a crisis (as was the case last night), he is definitely not the man to call upon. Hardly troubled their defence and instead played himself into a huge, talking point by drawing a tackle in the eighteen yard which rightly, ought to have been a straight forward penalty. Instead, he was booked for diving and that was the end of his contribution for the night.


Everything that could go wrong, went wrong for us on the night and it was a game that did little to erase the disappointment of the Tottenham loss. The only news of joy for all Gunners however was happening 1,200 kms aways at our own ground where Aaron Ramsey was returning to action on the pitch for the first time since March when he was almost cut in two by the thuggish Ryan Shawcross.
Ramsey played for 45minutes in a friendly against Wolves reserves which obviously means he’s over the traumatic injury that almost ended his bright career. Hoping to see him rejoin the present campaign and help steady a listing ship.

Just before the return of Aaron

A football boot must be one of the most-paradoxical things ever invented by man.
Designed and perfected to accomplish the simple but now very sophisticated task of kicking a ball, it is also a very potent weapon of mass injury.
I walked into a Studio 88 outlet in Pretoria, South Africa’s capital city during the week, to glimpse the latest range of soccer boots by Adidas and Nike. The chain outlet, famous for its high-grade sportswear brands, did not disappoint me. There were everything from the Microlite, Adidas Predator and other such intimidating names, with all of them bearing studs ranging from plastic, iron and even blades! For aspiring and established sportsmen and women, there was no shortage of footwear equipment to meet all tastes and needs.
But week in, week out now we see professional sportsmen – footballers especially – employ these same exotic shoes to maim fellow professionals. The latest being the brutal, brutal assault by Manchester City’s Nigel De Jong on Newcastle’s Hatem Ben Arfa that left the latter with a double leg fracture, last Sunday.
Using the boot of course to achieve his despicable objective. Mention must be made that Ben Arfa is already the third broken leg recorded in the premiership so far this season . And we are just seven games old into a 38-game season!
Why has it come to this?
It cannot be competition. It cannot be sport anymore. There is nothing fightingly full of spirit or fair-playing about a situation where a professional player goes out with the sole aim of causing grievous bodily harm to a fellow professional. Only the spirit of evil can be behind such action.
To add insult to injury, De Jong is being defended by his Dutch colleague, Mark Van Bommel, who described him as a “sweet guy”. Well coming from a bruiser like Van Bommel, it’s like the devil himself acknowledging the actions of Adolf Hitler.



The face of violence..De Jong chasing after Cecs Fabregas

Arsenal have consistently been on the receiving end of such barbaric behaviour and as I write this, our own dear Aaron Ramsey is emerging from a traumatic period after being put to bed by Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross. He was our third player in four years to suffer that fate after Abou Diaby’s ankle was broken in a game against Sunderland by Dan Smith in May, 2006 and Eduardo was almost killed by Birmingham’s Martin Taylor in 2008 . Now, thankfully, he will be returning to training in three weeks. The league he left behind nine months ago though seems to have descended into more bone-crunching violence.
Wenger has campaigned long and hard for something more decisive to be done to stop this sort of assaults but the lily-livered FA has done nothing. Just at the start of the season, he described Stoke City as playing rugby rather than football, prompting Tony Pulis & co to lodge a very-petty protest demanding action against Wenger. What a waste of everyone’s time.
Methinks Ian Wright’s suggestion that any player who breaks an opponent’s leg should himself be banned for the period of time the injured player is out of the game, makes all the sense in the world. It’s quite simple and logical. Once you put someone out of the game, you as well stay out yourself.
It ought to make serial-killers such as De Jong think twice. After shaming Dutch football at the World Cup finals by executing that nasty kung-fu kick on Spain’s Xabi Alonso, the thuggish De Jong is clearly not keen on mending his ways.
After that leg break in February 2008, Eduardo never recovered his sharpness in front of goal again. Physical wounds will heal, but the real healing remains psychological and without that, a sportsman is just another lump of flesh. It was sad and heartbreaking watching him struggle in vain at every attempt to rediscover his lost touch and finally, seeing him left behind on the substitute’s bench when it became clear he was not going to be player he was before the injury. His sale to Shakhtar Donetsk in July was the final admission by Wenger and Arsenal that he was permanently damaged.
Fingers crossed, young Aaron will re-emerge as the midfielder of promise we all saw early last season, who was maturing excellently before our eyes.
Fingers crossed, the FA will wake up and save our game from thugs, muggers and yobs pretending to be footballers.
The English premiership is marketed around the world as the best the game has to offer. Doing nothing about the likes of De Jong will ruin all that and reduce it to a place of fear and intimidation.
Surely, not a place for the likes of Aaron to return and flourish.