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.

Time For Something Different, Robin

For three seasons past now, Robin Van Persie has cheated us all with long-term vanishing acts.
No fault of his, I must add.
Rather, it has been due to the never-ending injury sagas he unfortunately always succumbs to – season after season.
After reading all the newsreel and reports accompanying his latest affliction and coming away with the assessment that we will not see him again until mid-October, a niggling feeling is beginning to overcome me.
Will we ever see the full talents of this wonderfully gifted player? Personally, I’m beginning to doubt it.
He is 27 now. An age where players blossom and hit their best years. He just played in a hugely-successful Dutch side that went all the way to World Cup finals. If not for some defeatist tactics by their paranoid coach, Van Persie would probably be a World Cup winner now.
Four seasons ago, Arsenal were hanging onto a 1-0 lead against Charlton Athletic at The Valley. Suddenly, a ball was floated chest high from the midfield and without breaking stride, it fell to Van Persie, who took it first time; smashing it into the Charlton net with both feet off the ground, in a vintage display of jaw-dropping skill. It was described as a "goal of a lifetime" by Wenger and was later picked as Goal of the Month by the BBC.
In our last season at Highbury, the same Van Persie struck a beauty of a freekick from the left side of the box in a Carling Cup semifinal, second leg game against Wigan. Unfortunately, our defence later allowed Jason Roberts to score a damaging equalizer that knocked us out of the competition for that year.

Van Persie hitting the "goal of a lifetime" against Charlton in Sept., 2006

Two seasons ago in pouring rain, with Arsenal trailing 1-0 to a dogged Everton at Goodison Park, Abou Diaby floated a 40 yard ball over and above the Everton defence in the 80th minute. Approaching from the left flank, Van Persie met the ball in mid-air and connected with his left boot; burying it sweetly past a bewildered , who along with his defenders, never saw the Dutchman.
It is such moments of sheer brilliance and uncoachable skill that makes Van Persie a very special athlete and a delight to watch. His repertoire brings back memories of another supremely gifted Dutchman, the affectionate “there’s only one Dennis Bergkamp”.
Van Persie has shown how capable he is of moments like these. Of gravity-defying exhibitions of his awesome talent.
If only, he can stay fit.
At his age now, it’s beginning to look like his will be a career of truncated potential. Just like yet another gifted Dutchman – a certain Marco Van Basten.
Doses and doses of intensive medication; Litres and litres of injections can surely not leave anyone as good as new. It’s a bit like the case of professional boxers who develop brain damage after years of receiving punishing blows to the head. Or like rugby players who develop 'cauliflowers' in their ears and eventually go deaf after years of being tackled with so much violence.
Yet another Dutchman, interestingly, could have the solution to Van Persie’s endless visits to the treatment table. He is none other than one-time Arsenal bête noire, Ruud Van Nistelrooy.
He suffered a cruciate ligament injury in the knee while at PSV Eindhoven in the season before he joined Manchester United in 2002. On recovery after about ten months out, he remodeled his game to avoid tackles that could cripple him, by playing as a fox-in-the-box. In all his time at Manchester, onto Real Madrid and now at Hamburg, the Dutchman scored almost all his tonnes of goals within the 18-yard box.
Not for him are elaborate displays of skill or one-on-ones that could attract tenacious tackles; the sort that targets knees, ankles and parts of the leg vulnerable to long-term healing.
It is an example worth copying. Hard as it may be for someone of Van Persie’s array of gifts, it would be wise to err on the side of caution in this case.
He has shunned all advances and temptations to repeatedly pledge his future to Arsenal. He seems to mean it as well. Those pledges will however count for nothing if we only see him in fleeting snatches.
A consequence of his repeated absences has been the loss of his deadball abilities. When, if I may ask, did Van Persie last score a freekick for us? Can’t recollect.
Get well Robin and stay well.

Will He Ever Grow Up?

“With the great new players we’ve got we have a wonderful chance to make history. But it’s all about results. If we can win ten games in a row, people will class Manchester City as bigger than Arsenal.”



Here we go again.

Like him or hate him, Emmanuel Adebayor now of Manchester City; formerly of Arsenal FC simply cannot get over the fact that he is no more ambitious than a rain cloud.
Which is why he keeps making noises like the one above in a vain attempt at making Arsenal regret selling him.
One wonders what is there to regret when he is not even considered important enough to start games at his new club.
It all smacks of bitterness of course. Bitterness about the way he was bundled out of the club at a point when most players would have been hitting their peak and writing their names in indelible ink, into a club’s history.
We are all familiar with his story.
From a journeyman striker in Monaco who had spearheaded tiny Togo to an epochal maiden World Cup appearance in 2006, Adebayor was brought to England by Arsene Wenger and built-up to lead Arsenal’s attack with Thierry Henry.
He stuck to the script initially before unexpected fame and fortune got the better of him and we ended up with arguably the most-hated player in the club’s history.
From a high of scoring the winner against Manchester United at Old Trafford in September 2007, to the headbutting incident with Nicklas Bendtner at White Hart Lane in January 2008, the rise and fall of the Togolian had gone full circle.
In between, we witnessed the full repertoire of this flawed genius. Brilliant and willing to run like a dog one day; disinterested and petulant the next.
At the risk of incurring wrath towards his own person, Wenger eventually sold him to Manchester City last summer for a yet-unconfirmed £25million; tripling his value and making him one of the best pieces of business the club ever conducted.
Still very fresh in our collective memories was his stamp on Robin Van Persie’s face last October which earned him a four match ban. Not counting the crazy, hair-brained running the length of the pitch to celebrate his goal against us and taunt the same fans who sang his name for three years.
Adebayor is the archetypal modern-day creation of a global, marketing system that rewards mediocre talent and makes the modern sportsman believe he is the most important person on the face of the earth; a Messiah who can walk on water; the centre of the world’s gravity.
Which is why one year later, he still cannot understand how Arsenal could have dropped him on the floor so effortlessly and life still goes on.

Hellraiser in blue....Adebayor doing his thing for Manchester City

Just a summer before he was sold, he was touting his conversations with Adriano Galliani, AC Milan supremo as a prelude to some sort of move to the Milan side. So hot and in-demand he believed he was, that he openly flaunted his availability and willingness to lace boots for a “big club”. Bigger of course, he meant, than the “little” Arsenal that saved him from oblivion at Monaco and brought him to the limelight of the English premiership.
Eventually after ruffling as many feathers as possible, the Milan move never materialized but it succeeded in helping him squeeze out more money from Arsenal in form of a new contract.
Such statements like above, uttered over the weekend obviously show that the Togolian has learnt little, and changed hardly. Often, as somethings supposedly change, they remain very much the same.
He managed 13 goals in all competitions for Manchester City last season and was hardly a factor as they chased an ill-fated Champions League spot.
Clearly, he has now been usurped by the likes of Carlos Tevez, James Milner and Spanish new-boy David Silva. Frustrated last month, he issued a veiled come-and-get-me plea to invisible suitors, declaring that:

“If you’re in a team and you’re not playing, and there is a team that comes in for me, then I will definitely be on my way out because I’m a footballer and I love playing”.

Warned and ordered to fight for his place by the mercenary Manchester City hierarchy, he has since been cowed into a grudging submission. The sweet smell of the over £100,000 weekly wages he gets will very obviously not be forthcoming anywhere else.
Nonetheless, he keeps living in the past. Keeps looking regretfully at the hallowed chance he threw away at Arsenal. Keeps trying to re-open old wounds by making silly and uncouth comments against Arsenal.
The simple fact that his old mentor, Wenger has maintained a dignified silence despite the Togolian's verbal provocations, speaks volumes in itself.
Sadly for our old boy, some lessons never sink in - that in life, you learn from past failings and simply move on.

Its end of transfer, not end of the world

Reading through lots Arsenal fanblogs since the transfer season slammed shut on Tuesday evening, it is quite alarming how our inability to buy a new goalkeeper has been received.
Yes, Wenger tried and failed to prise Mark Schwarzer from the unyielding jaws of Fulham. So? Life, as we all Gunners know it, surely hasn’t screeched to a finite halt.
Some commentators are even dismissing our efforts in the transfer market all summer as a failure – conveniently of course disregarding the arrivals of Chamakh, Koscielny and Squillaci. All on account of the 37 year-old Australian, Schwarzer.
Reading through the blogs and websites that profess love and affection for Arsenal, it is shocking to see the amount of vitriol and bile poured on Wenger and his team - all because we couldn’t sign a new goalkeeper.
Yes, it hasn’t all gone to plan both for Wenger and Schwarzer. Granted that Fulham are just a run-of-the-mill side barely surviving in the premiership. Yes, they exceeded all expectations and went all the way to the Europa League final last season and promptly lost to Athletico Madrid. Does anyone recollect another average side, Middlesbrough blazing a similar trail two seasons ago, before succumbing 0-4 to Sevilla? Where are they now? Marooned in the championship!
What exactly is my point?
It is that all the naysayers and doom merchants seem to have missed the point about Schwarzer’s truncated dream of playing for us. It all had to do with Mark Hughes’ deep and bitter dislike for Wenger. I have very little doubt that if Roy Hodgson had remained coach at Fulham, (the gentleman that he is) he would have realised that Schwarzer had done his utmost for the club and the club in turn ought to grant him his wish of joining us and thus playing in the Champions League before drawing the curtains on his glittering career.
But sadly Hodgson had left and in came the brooding, petulant bogeyman Hughes who had endured humiliation after humiliation at the hands of Wenger and his side in his Blackburn days. His only wins against Arsenal were during his short stint with Manchester City, early last season.
For him now, it was payback time.

No sweetness here...Schwarzer (left) contemplating life on the Fulham bench

There was no way in the world, selling Schwarzer to Arsenal would have enhanced or diminished Fulham’s chances in the league this season. Simply for the fact that Arsenal and Fulham do not belong in the same league. It was never about strengthening one’s rival. Never. Rather, the bogeyman’s ego got in the way of Schwarzer’s ambition. Poor Mark. The Aussie, that is.
Which makes me wonder why all the name-calling and rage directed at Wenger.
Have all the naysayers stopped for a sec to consider that, the psychologist that he is, Wenger could as well have given Almunia a much-needed wake-up call? Everyone admits that Almunia was deserving the Number 1 shirt three seasons ago when he usurped Lehmann. He took his chance and did quite well between the sticks.
I still rate him as one of the best penalty stoppers in the league. For the records, Arsenal have never lost a penalty shootout with Almunia between the sticks. Cue against Sheffield United, FA Cup replay, January 2006; against Roma, Champions League second round, March 2009. Not counting his penalty save against Robbie Keane at the Emirates in December, 2007 with the scores at 1-1, moments before Bendtner went up the other end to nod in the winner.
Yes, his standards dropped last season for various reasons, but no player suddenly becomes bad overnight for no apparent cause.
The real problem, if you ask me is the lack of a decent back-up for him. That is the real danger in our goalkeeping situation. Fabianski is just a horror show to put it mildly. At his age, Iker Casillas was already both Real Madrid and Spain Number one. Even currently younger than him, is 19 year-old Atletico’s David de Gea who has consistently defied his youth and limited experience to remain the undisputed top goalie there.
It is the Pole actually that needs replacing, not Almunia.
So now, Fulham have a seriously-damaged goalie on their hands because I can’t see the Aussie delivering 100% anymore for them after watching them stand between him and his ambition. Point of correction; after watching Hughes stand in the way of his dream. The Welshman may have won Round One for now, but as the season unfolds, he may quietly come to that realization that perhaps, he should have granted his namesake his wish.
With or without both Marks anyway, Arsenal would still go on and finish the season above Fulham.

He Asked For It

On from last Saturday’s Blackburn game, some interesting things emerged that pricked my senses about our team.

Firstly, was that a potentially-workable partnership is developing between TV and the new boy, Koscielny. Left-footed and assured, TV would naturally love a right-footer beside him to balance the equation and swap responsibilities. Koscielny has done that very well so far and yes, it’s just August where the season is still in sleep mode. But you can assess a good player in 15minutes through little things like trapping the ball, ball control, distribution, use of body, use of space, positional play, etc.
In all those, he ticks the right boxes and will succeed at the Emirates. I can say that right now.
Last season, TV excelled and made the Premier League Bext XI (a phenomenal thing to do in your first season in England) due to his (1) his obvious talent, and (2) his understanding with another right-footed warrior, the departed William Gallas.
This season so far, he will make the Premiership Best XI again because at 24, he is approaching the peak of his powers and he’s got another good buddy beside him for understanding.
Like they both did against Liverpool on the opening day, TV and Koscielny eased away attackers from the goalie and dealt with everything in the air comfortably against Blackburn. The fact that Blackburn scored was simply due to the mistake of Sagna leaving his flank exposed. Diouf utilized that space by outrunning Koscielny who was covering for Sagna, thus being forced out of his own position. It was the space left behind by Koscielny that Diouf passed into, allowing his namesake and compatriot to drift in and score the equalizer with all the ease in the world.
Such slips happen in every team. The ability of a team to keep them to the minimum and prevent stupid goals, is what remains the difference between winning and losing. TV and Koscielny, along with the rest of the back four would have learnt from that slip.

Familiar sight? Not again Robin, even though you aksed for it

Secondly from the Blackburn game, emerged the realization that Robin Van Persie needs to learn how to protect himself. The ankle injury he picked up after just 30 minutes, was needless, reckless and irresponsible for a player of his age and experience.
You don’t go flying into tackles or leaving yourself exposed to dangerous kicks, especially for a striker whose major duty isn’t to make tackles. By throwing himself around last Saturday and jumping into needless kicking-contests in even more needless situations, he was simply asking to be injured.
For someone with his injury history, which have cost us months and months of inactivity from him, he ought to err on the side of caution.
He was at the club for three seasons with Thierry Henry who was a master of self-preservation. For all his talent, speed and breath-taking ability on the pitch, Henry never got involved in silly kicking-contests. Myles Palmer labelled him a prima-donna, but the lesson therein remains that the first law of nature is self-preservation. Henry chose his moments to do anything. He chose the moment to run; to nick the ball off opponents; to beat defenders; to pass; to receive passes; and of course to score.
Over the course of a game, he was very economical with his movements which was why he lasted so long and so successfully at the top. For him, there was no point flinging oneself around vast areas of the pitch, when a few minutes of explosive burst of speed and direct application could achieve much more.
Another player in the Henry mould is the man we all love to hate – Didier Drogba. Wenger famously described him as “doing very little” last season when he scored twice against us at the Emirates. But it is the mark of a great player to actually do very little and still poach two goals away, to one of your biggest rivals.
Drogba could be unsighted for huge swathes of a game, only to spring to life in a flash like a bushcat and do collateral damage almost before you realise he is there. He has played this way for years and even at 31, he doesn’t look like slowing down. You wonder why he has consistently remained prolific for Chelsea season after season?
Van Persie would do well to learn from these two predators. Strikers are peculiar players who maximize their abilities over a very short space and time frame. They often do not see the ball as much as their other teammates. Unlike midfielders for instance, who receive and release passes probably a couple of hundred times in the course of a game, strikers do not enjoy that luxury.
Wenger would do even better to sit him down and point out these vital facts to him. For the sake of the team and his teammates, it is essential both men have this discussion now. It is a new season. A new beginning and one that holds so much significance for all concerned with the team. After five years of trophy-drought, no more excuses will suffice if we end up empty-handed again.
Every season in the past four years, Van Persie has disappeared into the injury-room for lengthy periods, while the team suffered in his absence. His injuries are often season-defining for us especially as they ultimately deny us of the hugely-important threat he carries in front of goal.
In his absence last season, Nicklas Bendtner carried us through four months of huffing and puffing before we ran into the blitzkrieg that was Barcelona in the Champions League. Imagine how different the story would have been if there was Van Persie (or even forgotten man Eduardo) around to help the young Dane. The fact that it was a midfielder in the person of Fabregas that emerged our highest score last season, underlines how much we suffered for lack of a consistent frontman.
Four weeks we are told is how long he will be out this time. Thankfully. Enough time to assess things for him and allow Wenger show him the merits of emulating Henry and Drogba.

Blackburn Rovers 1 Arsenal 2…ratings

Blackburn Rovers 1 Arsenal 2…ratings



This was a potential banana skin. I mean going to Ewood Park against big, bad Blackburn; managed by bulldog-lookalike Sam Allardyce; and led by ugly-duckling, bouncer-to-be Chris Samba (nice rhyming there!)


Well, the records show that we hadn’t won in the league there since 2002 and it had nothing to do with lack of effort or anything of the sort. The same fixture last season left a very vile taste in every Gooners’ mouth as we all watched Fabianski being shoved all over the place on the way to us losing 2-1.


Prior to Saturday’s fixture, Wenger had pleaded with the match officials to be on the lookout for ‘rugby-style’ tactics. He carefully didn’t mention the team guilty of such, but it was clear whom his alert was directed at.


Since taking over from Mark Hughes two seasons ago, Allardyce has gradually constructed a team very much in his own image. Tactics such as long balls; overphysicality; intimidation of opposing goalies;


long throws into opponents’ areas; crowding opponents’ goalmouth at setpieces, etc are very much his stock-in-trade. Just like he successfully did during his Bolton days, the heavy-jowled Allardyce has become something of an antagonist to everything beautiful and romantic about the game.


Saturday was to be another chance to smear Wenger and stop us playing.


But all good things, as they say, come to an end.


Our so-called fear (or weakness) against physical teams like Blackburn, Stoke and the like was trumpeted loud ahead of this tie – as if the more mention made of it, the more we were supposed to shiver and quake before opponents lacking in any form of skill.


Well, two well-taken strikes from Theo (again!) and the unpredictable Russian Arshavin put paid to all that. Intimidation, allied with Allardyce’s tepid tactics all went out of the window as an early shower gave way to a midday sunshine, helping us see off Blackburn and navigate this tricky tie in flying colours.


Below are the ratings for the game:


*Almunia (7/10) Stood up very well to all the push and shove manufactured by Samba and his gang. Banged his head against the post in the first half but recovered to deal with all the aerial bombardment that followed. Couldn’t do anything about their equalizer, but did well to organize his defence and withstand intimidation thereafter. There were reports of him throwing his shirt into the crowd of supporters after the game as a sort of parting gift. Don’t know where that came from!?


*Sagna(7/10) On top of his game once more. Kept a tight rein on the roving pair of Elhadj Diouf and Pedersen with his tireless marking. Supplied the crucial cross that led to the winning goal with a gutsy, overlapping burst from deep. Good game all round for the Frenchman who has started the season in uncompromising mood.


*Koscieny (6/10) Did well also. Picked up from where he left off against Liverpool. He is a battler and scrapper all rolled-into-one and can mix with all that is offer in the Premiership. At fault or their equalizer as he allowed himself to be beaten with pace by Diouf (of all people). But he stood up to all their antics and aerial balls in the second half and kept their attack quiet in the second half. So far, so very good for the new boy.


*Vermaelen (7/10) TV was just TV. Good tackling; great awareness around him; superb organizer; fine allround defence play. Lost Mame Diouf for their equalizer but did everything else asked of him or the rest of the game. He is a gem of defender indeed.


* Clichy (6/10) Stuck to Diouf (Elhadj that is) like a glue and though the wily Senegalese escaped a few times in the first half, it was a different story in the second. Not Gael’s best game, but not his worst either.


*Song (7/10) Reverted to his tradition DM role or the first time this season and how so natural he looks in it. Harried and disrupted the Blackburn attempts at attack and ran his socks off as he continually shadowed the hulking Samba everywhere. Looked quite unrecognizable in his dyed, cornfield hairstyle but long as he maintains his form, no one is complaining.


* Diaby (6/10) Quiet but effective game or the gangling Frenchman. Also helped to keep Samba quiet and I’m sure Wenger preferred him alongside Song due to the height advantage. He almost scored the opener early in the first half when his shot ricocheted off Gael Givet and Robinson.


*Fabregas (6/10) Another one with a quiet performance. The captain started his first game of the season and it showed in the first half. To be kind to him,he was very anonymous in the first period apart from heading a goalbound shot of the line.. Things changed though in the second and he upped his level, which unsurprisingly saw him involved in the winner. It was his deflected shot that fell to Arshavin which the Russian buried for what turned out to be winner. Cesc lasted 68 minutes before making way for Rosicky.


*Van Persie (6/10) For someone who lasted only about 30 minutes, he ought not to command such a rating. But his perfect pass to Walcott produced the opener in the 19th miunte and that assist was worth its weight indeed. It was also his first start of the season and it must be an indication of how much importance Wenger attached to this game that he rolled out both his World Cup stars for this one. Robin succumbed to a twisted ankle though, cutting short his appearance.


*Walcott (8/10) Well, well, well. Looks like the real Mr Walcott is standing up now. Theo looked quite on fire as he served up another tasty, all-guns-blazing performance right in front of the watching England boss, Fabio Capello. He cracked a sumptuous opener from a difficult angle after being played in by Van Persie and could have easily got a couple more in the second half. His running, passing, positional play and allround game clearly marks him out as one to watch this season. Whatever may have happened to him over the summer break, Theo is a very different person now. Man of the match for the second week running.


*Arshavin (7/10) The unpredictable Russian went up a level in this game as he seems to prefer a step-by-step introduction into the news season. Linked up well with Cesc and took on the Blackburn defence with relish. Scored the winner by blasting through a forest of arms and legs in the 59th minute after arriving at the end of Fabregas deflected shot.


Subs


*Chamakh (5/10) Came into the game in the 30th minute as a like-for-like replacement for the injured Van Persie. Held the line well and full of running as usual. His presence kept the Blackburn defence busy, which prevented them having any ideas about roving forward.


* Rosicky (5/10) Replaced Fabregas and linked up well with the frontmen. Not up to the standards of his two previous games this season though.


* Wilshere (5/10) Came on in the 80th minute as we were seeing off the game safely. Almost nicked a goal for himself at the death if not for some inspired goalkeeping by Robinson.