Chelsea 2 Arsenal 0




Brothers at war..the painful tackle that almost ended Diaby's season last Sunday

  Funny enough, our second defeat of the season did not rile so much as the first against West Brom eight days earlier. Was it because this latest one was very expected? Quite possible.
Sitting through this game, you had that feeling of inevitable surrender hanging over you all through. As you watched us try to pry open the meanest defence in the league it didn’t look as if we could pull it off and deal Chelsea an unlikely second straight defeat. Well, London Bridge withstood our tepid barrage and struck back decisively and brutally.
Once again, this wasn’t a gut-wrenching loss. Afterall there is no shame in losing 2-0 to the champions in their own backyard. As Wenger rightly suggested, the result from Stanford was never going to determine the outlook of the league come May.
It is early days still, and lots and lots of games to go, but for all our so-called progress this year and good start, we were reminded very firmly where the powerbase of this league lies.
Yes, we pressed them and even shaded the possession. But methinks it was all part of Chelsea’s gameplan to allow us have the ball and shuffle it around the middle and in the wide areas – all the waiting to pounce and hit us on the counter. And how perfectly their strategy worked.
For us, you learn more from defeats if you are a good team and so we live to resurrect our title hopes yet another day. Like I said earlier, there is no shame in losing to Chelsea and yet-another punishing Drogba strike. Not too long ago (pre-Mourinho that is) it was us dishing out the torture to a sleuth of Chelsea coaches and their teams. Gianluca Vialli, Ruud Gullit, Claudio Ranieri and even Scolari all lost regularly to us year after year, with London bragging rights firmly belonging to us.
The tables turned under Mourinho and two wins in about 14 games later, we have failed to live with our London neighbours.
We go into an international break on the back of this defeat but more battle remain to be fought and it is positives from such games that will shape the way we approach those battles as the season unfolds and twists in ways most-revealing.


Below are the ratings.


*Fabianski (6/10) – A very steady and assured performance by our ‘new’ Number One. He commanded his area well and looked to have an air of confidence around him. No gaffes and silly cock-ups this time and it appears Almunia is finally going to be dealing with some real competition when he comes back. Not at fault for any of the goals and actually prevented a thrashing by shooing Anelka away when faced with a one-on-one. Are we finally seeing the real Fabianski? Or is the presence of a fire-spitting, fellow Pole on the bench galvanising him at last? Looks so, so far.
*Sagna(6/10) – Also had a steady game and wasn’t overawed one bit. Stood up to Drogba and his French national team collegues Malouda and Anelka. The fact that Malouda – arguably the most dangerous player in the league – was silenced all through the 90minutes was a great credit to Sagna.
*Koscielny (6/10) – It was good to measure our new boy against the might and pace of Drogba who remains the ultimate test of any defender in the league. Koscielny did well and wasn’t embarrassed on the night. Though he gave away the free kick that produced the second goal, it was still not a bad day at the office for him. Very nearly scored himself in the 3rd minute off a header from a Nasri corner.
* Squillaci(6/10) – Was sometimes troubled by the pace of Anelka, Malouda and Drogba and almost gifted Anelka a free goal in the 60minute when he fell over. But he did well and showed his experience all through.
*Clichy (6/10) – Also acquitted himself well and was never bullied. He even got ahead as is usual about his game and troubled Ivanovic in Chelsea’s right side of defence. Got chance after chance in the first half to lob in several balls into the Chelsea defence but poor finishing yielded nothing.
*Song (6/10) – Was involved in a running battle with his African brothers Essien and John Mikel in what looked like a personal contest amongst all three. Stood his ground and gave as good as he got. It is still a measure of how far he has progressed that he is counted in the same company as the prestigious Chelsea duo. All in all, he gave a worthy account of himself.
*Wilshire (7/10) – I think he was our best player on the night. Took the game to Chelsea and as we all know by now, showed no glint of fear with all the multi-medalled Chelsea stars surrounding him. That he was automatically picked for such a big game is the final seal of approval for our shining Englishman. He was at the heart of all good things we did in the middle and the way the Chelsea players stood off him sometimes, showed the respect they had for him. A gem indeed, this teenager.
*Nasri (6/10) – Also one of our brightest on the night. Kept plugging away in the hope of breaking Chelsea’s stubborn resistance and was very inventive and full of creativity. Did a lot of nice stuff throughout the 90minutes but almost ruined it all with that wayward pass to Anelka, which drew a foul from Koscielny. The rest, as they say, was that Alex thunderbolt.
*Diaby (5/10) – Recovered from the West Brom nightmare to step up his game here and along with Song, fought Chelsea to a standstill in the middle. A horrible-looking Essien stamp on his ankle late in the first half clearly hindered him as the game wore on and expectedly, he fizzled out before being replaced.
*Arshavin (6/10) – Looked to be up for this one, especially in the first half when he drew top class saves from Petr Cech. He never allowed Ivanovic a moment of peace and his trickery eventually forced Chelsea into substituting Ivanovic for Ferreira. He tired though as the game wore on and dropped out of the picture.
*Chamakh (5/10) – A very forgettable game for our new striker. Now he has seen close-up what damage the likes of Drogba can do and it is hoped that it was a valuable lesson learnt. How very different it would have been though for him, if he had buried that easy-looking 1st minute header that caught the entire Chelsea backline flatfooted. It wasn’t to be however and it seemed to affect his confidence as the game wore on.


Substitutes
*Rosicky (6/10) – Came on for the fading Diaby and took control of the midfield with good running and penetrative passes. He may not have the legs anymore but he sure still possesses the vision.
* Emmanuel Thomas (5/10) – The fact that he was preferred ahead of another striker, Carlos Vela in such a big game must be a measure of how much big things Wenger expects from him. Couldn’t deliver on this occasion but surely now with his league debut out of the way, expect to see more of him as the season progresses.

Partizan Belgrade 1 Arsenal 3

One very vital piece of intelligence struck me last night as we won in Belgrade against a very determined Partizan. That truism was that we cannot hope to win games without either of Fabregas or his protégé, Wilshire in the starting line-up.

As difficult and menacing a place Belgrade is to visiting teams, those two players hold the key to unlock any defence, wherever and whenever they confront them.
Watching Wilshire package the opening goal for Arshavin in the 15th minute, it struck me very emphatically that his presence from the kick-off against West Brom last Saturday would have influenced the outcome of that game.
The way Wilshire set up Arshavin’s goal was Platinisque, if there’s such a word. After collecting the return pass from the Russian, Jack rolled the ball away from the foot of an approaching Partizan defender and as two others attempted to close him down, he conjured a deft backheel that fell perfectly for Arshavin – who was now behind him – allowing the Russian space and time to rifle home the opener. It is not something that can be coached into a player. It is rather something that stems from a combination of confidence, awareness and presence of mind.
In that single move, it was clear that Arsenal as it is now set up, need Wilshire or their only other player who possesses such mix of qualities – Fabregas – to start games they hope to win.
So we exorcised the demons of the West Brom debacle at one of Europe’s most-hostile venues and cleansed ourselves of the ghost of Odemwingie and co. Emphatically too.
As with most won games, almost everyone that took part was a hero.
We had 12 attempts on goal against their paltry 4; four corner kicks against their two; and had possession for a whopping 64% of the game time, which is awesome for a team playing away and before a very hostile crowd.
Much mention and credit goes to much-maligned Lukasz Fabianksi and rightly too. As I’ve pointed out here once, no real Arsenal fan would not want a player to succeed here. For all the vitriol and ill-feeling directed at Fabianski, the bottomline was simply our collective passion and affection for the club. Since he arrived here two years ago, he has done nothing to justify the shirt and colours of the club. And that could not be acceptable to us, the suffering fans. It was never anything personal.
Last night seemed to be the turning point in his Arsenal career. And you could see the relief on the faces of his teammates who celebrated his penalty save with him. We all hope he continues the good form.



I'll have that...Fabianski redeems himself in Belgrade

Below are the ratings on what must be one of our most famous European nights on foreign soil.
• Fabianski (7/10) – As said earlier, he put up his best showing ever in an Arsenal shirt. To be frank, I expected yet another howler from ‘Flapianski’ given his deplorable record between the sticks. But he proved us all wrong and repaid Wenger’s overstretched faith in him finally, finally paid off. The penalty save apart, he looked a very different goalie altogether as he saved a clumsy Squillaci backheader and parried two goalbound shots late in the game that would have made life very awkward for us if they had gone in. Probably, who knows, the sight of bitter-rival Wojniech on the bench drummed some sense into the older Pole. Fingers crossed on him, but a good night all the same.
• Sagna(7/10) – The old, reliable Sagna that we all knew. Upped his game from the horror show against West Brom and dealt with all that came his side of the field. Linked well with Rosicky in front of him.
• Squillaci (7/10) – A survivor from the West Brom debacle and methink he acquitted himself well. Gets a high rating on account of his 82nd minute goal that sealed the game for us. Almost gifted Partizan’s Camerounian striker Pierre Boya, a cheap goal with his weak header to Fabianski, but all in all he did well.
• Djourou (7/10) – Also did well, considering this was his second start in about 16 months for us. Wenger clearly thinks highly of him and wants him to be a mainstay of the defence. Did well on the night and though found out by the pace of Cleo and Boya sometimes, he held his own.
• Gibbs (7/10) – Very surprised to see him in the starting line-up. After his Carling Cup injury scare from last week, he was the last person I expected to start this game. But start he did and surely now, there is real competition going on between him and Clichy for that leftback slot. Gave away a needless penalty late in the game which Fabianski turned away.
• Song (7/10) – His usual buccaneering self. Laid the pass that brought about the first goal from Arshavin. Apart from his DM duties, he quite fancies himself as some sort of attacking midfielder and is eager – sometimes too eager – to go forward.
• Denilson (6/10) – An average night for an average player. He was preferred to the absent Abou Diaby and frankly, I still regard him as a weak link. Gave away a needless penalty in the second half when he had all the time in the world to adjust his body and avoid contact with the ball.
• Wilshire (8/10) – Does he ever have a bad day at the office? So far, the answer remains a resounding No! This bloke is a pocket battleship in the mould of Diego Maradona at his prime. Rode and bossed the midfield like an accomplished veteran and surely now, we simply cannot do without him in games. For an 18 year-old that is quite a statement. He was instrumental to almost everything we did last night.
• Rosicky (8/10) – Our captain on the night. Surprised me with his energy and drive after the washout that was West Brom just three days earlier. Hs the West Brom defeat forced everyone of them to start fighting for their places? Looks like that in Belgrade. He almost scored a clinical goal off some good work by Arshavin.
• Arshavin (8/10) – This was by far his best game for us this season so far. He struck up a good understanding with Wilshire and they conjured all manner of tricks around the Partizan defence. Unlucky not to have added to his tally in the first half and his missed penalty apart, was our star man on the night. Not being stuck out on the left wing, I think, helped his game a lot. Hope the real Mr Arshavin has now finally arrived.
• Chamakh (7/10) – Our battering ram upfront and he seems to relish it. Goes about his job professionally and at last, it was a delight to see him score away. Has clearly settled down well into the team and will give Bendtner a very good fight for the second striker shirt.


Subs
• Nasri (5/10) – His low rating had more to do with the fact that he came on late in the game to take pressure off Wilshire and with the Chelsea game on Sunday in mind. Steadied the ship as best as he could.
• Vela (5/10) – Came in for Arshavin, who was tiring after a yeoman’s effort on the night. Didn’t do much as nothing much was required from him.

Nobody Wants Lukasz

In case u've not seen it yet, there's a damming poll on Arseblog, which asks readers and fans alike to vote for the one man that should be our Number one goalkeeper for the rest of the season.
It lists all the four goalies we have and as at 10am(Central African Time), 279 fans had voted. An overwhelming 187 thumbed for untested, untried rookie Wojciech Szczesny.


Man of the people? Obvious

 Current number one Manuel Almunia managed a second spot with 47 votes; the same as current number three Vito Mannone. It is no surprise that Lukasz Fabianski, current number two has the fewest fans with just 2 votes. Two votes!
The surprise for me is finding anyone at all who voted for him. Those two fans must be from his own nuclear family.
These are clearly not the best of times to be an Arsenal goalie.
For a club that produced one of England's greatest and most-accomplished in David Seaman, our goalkeeping situation is a pig's breakfast. A fine mess.
Bearing in mind last Saturday's capitulation to West Brom, most fans who would have given Almunia some benefit of doubt since the start of the season, have now given up.
Szczesny's blast at Wenger last week clearly shows that strange things are happening behind the scenes. Not a man to give too much away, Wenger would surely have been hit below the belt with that tirade.
Not a man to be cowered into anything either, it may amount to a burning-of-the-bridges for the young Pole. If nothing, Wenger is as stubborn as a Texan mountain goat and would never, ever be seen to be brow-beaten into any action. Least of all by a 20 year-old upstart who owes all his footballing pedigree to Wenger himself. Interestingly and quite unlike anything we've seen since Adebayor, Wojciech looks and sounds like a very confident bloke.
But, for a man of Wenger's experience, he must know that you cannot alienate fans in an industry like football. Whatever happens form hereon, it might mean the end of Wenger's rigid hierachy structure and time to move Wojciech up the ladder.
Because whichever way you may interpret it, the arseblog poll is the fans talking.
And very loudly indeed!

Arsenal 2 West Brom 3

Opinion from the stands....Really?

Like the final result between England and the USA at the 1950 World Cup finals which read 1-0 to the Yanks, you had to look again and again to be sure this was the right result. As footballing tsunamis come, this was a vintage one.
The roof fell in big time last Saturday at the Emirates as we got found out on a day that nothing worked. As much as it would have been wonderful to mark the previous day’s announcement of mouth-watering profits from the boardroom, this was a complete kick in the teeth.
Unfancied, unheralded and a few faces apart, largely unknown West Brom came calling and left a resounding call card that embarrassed all Gunners and shook the premiership to its foundations. Even West Brom, not even the ex-Gunner, Thomas, in their midst could believe the outcome of last Saturday’s game.
We were quite simply outfought all over the park. After that soul-lifting win over Spurs in the midweek, we simply expected (and demanded as a matter of right) to kick-on from there and swamp West Brom.
Rather, the opposite happened and it was heartbreaking watching agonised fans screaming and almost begging for an equaliser as the clock ran down and the life of this most-abominable match ebbed away. 90 minutes earlier, no one in the stadium would have imagined us in the desperate position of praying for an equaliser against West Brom.
Tragically, even that was not to be as we lost all three points along with any dignity we had left. It was shades of Hull City in 2008 all over again.
Wenger, let down by his players and lost for words like we all, rightly concluded that we deserved to lose. I concur as well. There was nothing in the players’ attitude and body language that suggested they wanted a win against West Brom.
“We were not up for it, quality-wise and concentration-wise”, he pointed out. “I don’t think any of the players were up to their usual level today...we had a lack of concentration today and at this level, you pay for it”.
And how dearly did we pay.


The ratings below may therefore better qualify as a pimper’s procession because in all honesty, we didn’t turn up for this game.
*Almunia (5/10) – After his heroic penalty stop, it was customary for us to expect that it would be the platform to push on and claim all three points in the second half. Right? Wrong. We imploded spectacularly in the space of five, second half minutes with Almunia allowing Gonzalo Jara's shot squirm past him for the second goal. Funnily, I’m not holding him responsible because he was let down by his defenders. His penalty-stopping abilities remained unquestioned though and that was one of our very few positives from the game.
• Sagna (4/10) – Never thought he could receive such abominable rating, but there we go. Quite what overcame our dreadlocked French warrior, we’ll probably never know. Directly responsible for their first goal as he allowed himself to be skinned by the impressive Jerome Thomas on the right before he laid it on for the best player on the pitch, Nigerian livewire, Peter Odemwingie. Sagna never recovered from that and was also culpable for their last goal as he lost his bearings yet again. Arguably, his worst game in a Gunners shirt.
• Squillaci (6/10) – Not directly at fault for any of their goals but as part of a woeful defence, he shares the blame. Did well, along with Koscielny in the first period to contain the twin threats of Thomas and Odemwingie but couldn’t stem the tide when the goals started raining in, second half. Almost nicked a goal for himself off a corner kick in the second half.
• Koscielny (5/10) – Just when we thought we had unearthed a gem, he goes and have a shocker. I say that quite reluctantly though. Laurent was swept away by the West Brom tide, along with all the rest of the defence, but the signs were there in the first half. He was left for the dead by Odemwingie’s pace in the 37th, which forced Almunia out and led to the penalty. Probably, just probably, three frenetic games in seven days proved too much for him and it was not surprising that he was substituted in the 72nd minute. But he is still a fine defender all things considered.
• Clichy (6/10) – A very ordinary performance by Gael. Responsible the third goal as he got skinned too easily in the build up by Chris Brunt. It must be said though that his partnership with Arshavin on the left isn’t working. In truth, that part of our team needs looking into as in the days of Ashley Cole and Robert Pires. We need an effective leftwing outlet and in the absence of that, Clichy’s work will remain unassisted and mediocre.
• Diaby (5/10) – He wasn’t up to this game. Never got going. Never really involved. He huffed and puffed all through the 55 minutes he was on the pitch and never found his bearings. Couldn’t click with Song, his partner for the day and as the game wore on, he became more and more detached from proceedings.
• Song (6/10) – Returned from his one-match suspension to give his all. One of the warriors in the team and Saturday was no different. Sadly, the rest of his teammates did not share his enthusiasm and he was left alone to do all the dirty jobs. Almost turned into an emergency striker at some point but in a sinking ship, there’s so much a single sailor can do. Top marks though for his never-say-die attitude.
• Eboue (4/10) – Did nothing of note all game and it was no surprise at all he was the first man to be substituted early in the second half. Funny enough, I was watching a compilation of his grace-to-grass-and-back-to-grace-again saga with Arsenal fans on Youtube during the week. Looks like another compilation will soon be made to his unfolding story as an Arsenal favourite. On Saturday’s showing, the knives are out for him again.
• Nasri (7/10) – Our best player on a forgettable day. Never stopped believing in a miracle. Never stopped probing and finding a way through the black-and-white wall erected West Brom. He was our answer to the irresistible Odemwingie and his two goals culminated those spirited efforts. Sadly, his heroics were not enough to salvage something, but fans love a fighter and he cemented himself into our hearts Saturday.
• Arshavin (5/10) – A stop-start season continues for the unpredictable Russian. To start with, methinks he’s not happy on the left wing and is protesting silently by his erratic game. Wenger needs to drop this experiment and get a proper winger. Arshavin was his usual anonymous self and though this was one of the few games he started and completed in recent memory, it would have been better if he wasn’t on the pitch as regards his contribution.
• Chamakh (5/10) – Due to his newness to our team and the league, he can be forgiven for a pedestrian outing. Missed a half-chance header in the second half when we raised our game but all in all, he wasn’t at the races like most of the men around him.


Subs
• Wilshire (5/10) – He was the first off the substitute’s bench in the 56th minute and it says alot about us that we have to turn to an 18 year-old in times of crisis. By then though, we were two goals down and in danger of conceeding more. Did his best, but it wasn’t a day for gallantry as all else was crumbling around him.
• Rosicky (5/10) – Not much expected, absolutely nothing delivered. In my opinion, Rosicky is on his last season with us from all indications. He may still have some days left in the game, but his legs look to have gone and despite what may count as desire on his part, very little is seen as end product these days from the “little Mozart”. Picked up a caution for his pain.
• Vela (5/10) – I said it earlier this season that the Mexican thrives on being part of a goal frenzy – or better still a feeding frenzy. He isn’t the man to look up to if you are desperate for a single goal or a last-minute saving grace. When the going gets tough, don’t look to Vela and Saturday was a very tough day all round.


As you read this, the boys would be readying for a trip to Belgrade, where we face Partizan, Tuesday night in the Champions League. It’s not a game to look forward to with much optimism and it’s naturally hard to be positive after the events of Saturday afternoon.
Clearly, Wenger needs to do something different at Belgrade if we are to avoid another humiliation. One of the things might be to restore Vermaelen to the middle if he is fit. The sight of him sitting next to Fabregas and Walcott behind the bench on Saturday with the halftime smiles wiped off their faces in the second period wasn’t pretty viewing at all.
He’s needed in the cauldron, where warriors belong.

Tottenham 1 Arsenal 4(aet)

All in all, this was a consummate performance following quickly on the disappointment of Saturday night at the Stadium of Light.
We breezed into the 4th Round of the Carling Cup after silencing the Tottenham crowd – albeit in extratime. The score of 4-1 very much reflected the pattern of play and in addition to our 54% possession, including our 19 shots at goal as against Spur’s 9 shots, our dominance was crystal clear.
At no time in the game were we under sustained pressure, unlike the constant barrage we unleashed at the other end. That the game dragged onto extra time was largely due to uncoordinated finishing on our part – rather than any stalwart resistance by Spurs.
It turned out to be our biggest win at White Hart Lane since 1980 and credit must go to all the players, who put on a show to compensate for the banishment of Wenger from the bench.

The Three 'Gunner' Musketeers had a fine night

Quickly, below are the ratings.
*Fabianski (5/10) – Easily our worst player on the night. What Wenger sees in him, we all will never know. Was largely responsible for Spur’s equalizer as he failed to hold onto Robbie Keane’s weak shot. Despite his mistake and general lack of confidence, I must say this was the first game I’ve seen us win with him between the sticks. Little wonder fellow-Pole, Wojciech Szczesny is threatening showdown talks if he isn’t given a run.
* Eboue (7/10) – Did very well as deputy to Sagna. Denied Spurs any real in-road from the right and though caught out a couple of times by the sneaky David Bentley, he recovered well to ward of his threat and even marauded regularly into the Spurs’ half. It’s a measure of what a fine time a fullback is having, when he spends so much time in the opponents’ half.
*Koscielny (8/10) – Another five-star performance from the new boy. Dealt very well with all of Spur’s forays and commanded the defence admirably. Pulled off a glorious tackle in the 70th minute as the dangerous Aaron Lennon was poised to shoot at goal. There never seems to be an off day for him. Quality defender indeed.
*Djourou (7/10) – Did quite well for someone who has been out for ages. Slotted smoothly beside Koscielny and helped keep the marauding Pavlyuchenko and Keane at bay. Was clearly rusty due to the length of time he’s been out but did well and ticked all the right boxes. If he stays injury free, we should see more of him.
*Gibbs (7/10) – His stature clearly has improved and it is apparent why Wenger was willing to sell Armand Traore and hang onto to Gibbs. Forced the substitution of the speedy Giovanni and also stood up very well to his replacement, Lennon. Limped off late in the extra period with an injury which was later confirmed to be a mere bruising.
* Denilson (6/10) – Not a very convincing night for the little Brazilian but he was adequate for the occasion. Still cannot fill the boots of Alex Song but on the night, he put in an average shift. I reckon no way is he a defensive midfielder.
* Lansbury (7/10) – Manned the right side of midfield and did his case no harm at all. Got us off to a great start in the 13th minute with a goal at the end of a five-man move. Wenger says he reminds of him of Ray Parlour and from last night’s heroics, he surely has set his eyes on emulating the one-time Gunner great.
*Nasri (7/10) - Took his time to get into the game and it later emerged why. A thigh strain restricted him through the greater part of the match. He was to play a pivotal part as he won the penalty in extratime that restored our lead and scored again to make it 3-1. Took over the captain’s band from Rosicky and it seemed to propel him as the game wore on.
*Rosicky (6/10) – Led the team out and battled bravely until he was withdrawn after picking up a knock in the second half. Was clearly intent on appeasing the fans after Saturday’s penalty miss at Sunderland. Went a long way in achieving that.
* Wilshire (8/10) – Is there a better 18 year-old in the game anywhere in the world at the moment? I doubt it. Lionheart Jack, simply put, ran the show on the night. Full of running, trickery and an eye for a pass, he effortlessly slotted into the Fabregas position and tirelessly ran rings round the Spurs players. Their response was to kick him endlessly but he still found time and space to lay on goals for Lansbury and later for Arshavin late in the game. What a legend he’s growing to be!
* Vela (5/10) – A disappointing night for the smiling Mexican. He seems to prefer coming off the bench and putting on cameos than starting games and taking full responsibility for the attack. Wasn’t given any leeway by the Spurs defence and didn’t do enough to merit one. Withdrawn in the second half for Chamakh.


Subs
• Arshavin (7/10) – The Russian came on for Rosicky and galvanized our attack at a very crucial time. Scored the final goal off a quick freekick from Wilshire.
• Chamakh (6/10) – Didn’t do much except win a penalty for the third goal. Full of running and enterprise as always.
• Clichy (5/10) – Came on in the extra period to replace a limping Gibbs. Helped soak the little Spurs pressure as the game petered out.
This competition now looks very much wide open with big guns like Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea all dumped out. It might turn out to be our year in this much-maligned Cup, often used as breeding ground by Wenger. Fingers crossed on that.


Next up, we welcome a tricky West Brom to the Emirates on Saturday afternoon as attention shifts back to the premiership. After the heroics at Spurs, appetites are now very much whetted in anticipation of more wins. Also welcomed back would be Wenger after serving his one-match ban as well as Song for the two cautions against Sunderland.

Gunnertalk: Conversations from an African Pub

I watched last Saturday’s drawn game with Sunderland in the dark confines of an overflowing pub in downtown Johannesburg and was quite ‘priviledged’ to sit-in on an exchange between a cross-section of soccer fans also there for the occasion.



Enjoy the session with me.


Its 6.25pm local time and we are all perched on rickety stools scattered around seven tables. The music is naturally too loud to hear the Skysports commentators of Efan Ekoku and Peter Drury, so some over-enthusiastic types do the honours as the teams file out of the tunnel.
Cameras close up on the faces of Cesc Fabregas, Kieran Richardson and referee Phil Dowd as they lead both teams out onto the well-manicured lawn.
To my right, a beefy, Nigerian-looking, dark bloke pipes up.
“Oh yes, they’ve given them a Man U referee. There’s no way Arsenal can win this game”
To my left, a little, subdued fella, clutching a sweating bottle of transparent something responds: “Why are they wearing yellow? Whenever we don’t wear red, we don’t win!”.
“Don’t start making excuses my man”, beefy Nigerian fires back. “Just accept that you can’t win anyway”.
“What do you mean, making excuses?”, little fella turned around, eyes darting like a squirrel’s. “Who are Sunderland that we have to make excuse for?”
“Oh, so you don’t know they have Gyan now, the Ghanaian? You will be surprised that he will finish you today. Remember Van Persie and Bendtner are not there. And Walcott too. And of course, you guys don’t have a keeper”, beefy Nigerian boasted with glee obviously pleased with himself for this unsolicited team update.
“My friend, so there’s no one in goal for us. Is that what you mean?”
“Ah, Almunia is not a keeper now, you know”.
Little fella clearly was a Gunner. His sparring partner wasn’t a Sunderland supporter, just someone who backed anyone playing against Arsenal.
The match kicks-off and Sunderland launch opening forays into Arsenal area, winning an early corner kick.
“You see, I told you, Arsenal will die today”, beefy Nigerian sang with a wide grin, as if Arsenal was a human being.
Corner kick comes to nothing. Ball is cleared and we momentarily string passes in the middle much to the distaste of beefy Nigerian.
“Everytime one touch, one touch. Wenger thinks this is Champions League where they can play and score as they like”.
No response from little fella who pretends he did not hear. The music from the loudspeakers go up an octave for some reason and a fat lady in jeans mini-skirt brushes past me on her way to the bar. She attracts lots of attention as she jiggles her behind in a sleazy attempt to attract even more attention.
“Give the ball to that man!”, beefy Nigerian yells at the screen as Sunderland break into our half of the pitch. My eyes return to the screen in time to see El Mohammady attempt a pass to “that man”, which was blocked by Song.
“Ah, this Song. Is it Wenger who told him to cut this hairstyle?”, beefy Nigerian asked sheepishly, in reference to Song’s new hyena chops-dyed look.
Little fella, who looks a cross between a Malawian, a South African and a Zimbabwean glances over at his sparring partner and just shakes his head sadly. As if to say, what an irrelevant comment that was.
Suddenly; “GOAL, GOAL, OH, WHAT A GOAL!”
Little fella shot from his stool and did a jiggy-dance on the floor, joined by several apparently undercover Gunners.
“Ah, ah”, a stunned-looking Beefy protested as the replays of Fabregas’ fluke goal were repeated from several angles. “Ah, ah how can that be a goal? It was deflection and the keeper was not in the post and because of that they should count it as a backpass”.
I smiled inwardly at this new, bizarre interpretation of football rules. There was no pacifying Beefy however as Phil Dowd restarted the game.
“This Man U referee…how can he allow that? They are the ones killing football. What kind of goal is that? How can he allow that? Did he not see that the ball hit Fabregas’ hand?”
This latest intelligence stirred a new voice.
“My friend, what do you mean handball? Can’t you see the replay? What handball? You better finish that beer quickly so you can see clearly”. General laughter at this attack on Beefy.
Looking overwhelmed, Beefy stayed subdued for a few minutes as he contemplated this new turn of events. Like a wounded dog, he sat silent on his stool with sad eyes following the action on the big, overhanging screen.
Soon it was halftime and the referee blew the half over.

True or False..."when we don't wear red, we don't win?" 

I went out to make a call and check if my vehicle (a minibus) was still where I left it. Being a very notorious neighbourhood and also being a weekend where the streets were overflowing with drunken revellers, undesirables and what-have-you, one could not be too careful.
I returned to a heated debate between Beefy, little fella and an assortment of other faces. The fat lady in miniskirt who was now being cuddled around the waist down by a hefty, half white, half black bouncer-looking type. The category of people generally known as coloureds here. Coloured man, who apparently had no interest in football was trying to tell all those assembled that he once watched Man United play at Old Trafford and there was no way the Fabregas goal would have stood at the famous Theatre of Dreams if it was scored by an away side.
He was immediately shouted down by a group of excited, clearly Arsenal-supporting sorts who were obviously pleased with the events of the first half.
Fat lady looked from one face to the other, basking in the attention from her new boyfriend as she slurped the liquid contents from the brown bottle in her chunky left hand.
Commercials over on the big screen, the teams came out again to commence hostilities for the second half. Meanwhile I had to stand now since my stool had since been re-possessed while I was out checking my vehicle. Here, you don’t go asking questions.
“This man sef”, in reference to Sunderland coach, Steve Bruce, “when will he bring Gyan now?”, Beefy wondered. “If Gyan was here, by now they would have scored three against that your keeper”, he predicted, directing his tirade at little fella.
“I thought you said we didn’t have a keeper. Why haven’t the others scored since?”, little fella attempted to shut him up.
“Ah wait now, you will see what will happen when Gyan comes. I’m sure they are reserving him for this second half”.
Game resumes and ten minutes later, Song sees red.
“Eh, eh, I told you...that Song”, Beefy celebrated. “He thinks this is African Cup of Nations where you can push people around on the pitch and referee will not say anything. Ah, I trust this referee, he will not take nonsense”.
“What did he do?”, little fella protested, looking around him for support. Something which I momentarily considered offering him as I also seethed at the injustice of the Song sending-off.
Fired up now, beefy offered a steady stream of encouragement to Sunderland players as he saw the chanceof beating ten-man Arsenal.
Then came the 76th minute and the penalty for Arsenal.
Oh God, this referee!”, lamented Beefy. “See how they are killing football in England. What did that guy do now?”. ‘That guy’ being El Mohamady who had brought down Nasri in the box.
“Ah, ah I thought you said he is not like an African referee that allows pushing. So now he has shown that he won’t allow kicking as well”, little fella taunted him as he smiled, obviously pleased with this golden chance to seal the points.
Moments later, the smiled vanished from his face as Rosicky skied his shot into the crowd.
“Ah, I told you. Didn’t I tell you? I said they can’t score wayo penalty”, Beefy danced on his stool as huge moans and invectives were directed at the screen and Rosicky in particular from around inside the pub.
Little fella, clearly taken aback by this unexpected setback, couldn’t muster any form of reply.
Soon, finally, Gyan was introduced and Beefy serenaded his entry.
“Eh, eh, now this is the end of Arsenal. My friend, you will see football now. Classical football, not this thing you people have been doing since. Let them just give the ball to Gyan and your keeper will be in trouble”.
Well, the game drifted to its closing minutes and still ‘trouble’ refused to happen. Gyan himself saw very little of the ball as we warded off attack-after-attack.
“This referee should blow this game off now”, pleaded little fella as the clock showed the 90 minutes were up.
“What do you mean blow this game?”, Beefy reacted sharply as he sought to cling to the fading hope of Sunderland salvaging something. Anything. Now, with the minutes all but gone, he looked disturbed and dispirited.
I for one, was quivering with nerves as the game drifted into extra time. We hadn’t been our scintillating selves but surely now, after all the yeoman’s work done by our defenders, we weren’t going to chuck it all away.
Then in the 95th, new introduction, Boudjewin Zenden crossed into our box. The ball was headed out; someone headed it back in and after and almighty ding-dong, it fell to Bent who smashed it home.
Pandemonium, bedlam broke around me. The noise that erupted swallowed up the strains of Congolese music that had all along provided a backdrop in the pub.
I made my exit, crestfallen.
On my way out, I saw little fella with hands deep in his pockets crossing the busy road. Poor guy. Wish I could say or do something to lift a fellow Gunner; who had single-handedly defied a garrulous opponent and almost made him eat all his words.
Well, it is the lot of the fan. Helpless and forever hostage to the mistakes and failings of players thousands of miles away.
I headed to my vehicle, which thankfully was still standing where I left it.
At least we didn’t lose, I told myself. If only Rosicky had scored that penalty. If only…

Sunderland 1 Arsenal 1

In view of the fact this looked more like two points dropped, it must have been disappointing. But on further perspective, quite a handful of positives emerged from this heated game. All the rage and hype was how Sunderland came back at the death to snatch a so-called “well deserved point”. Considering how much application and effort they put into the game, they probably deserved to take something out of it.
On the other side of the coin, this same fixture last year was a 1-0 defeat to us but at a ground where we have never had much luck, a point was something to savour.
Steve Bruce spoke before the match of how much respect and admiration he had for the work done by Wenger both at Arsenal and in the game. Complimentary as it looks, such comments before a meeting between sides, often helps to lull opponents into a false sense of security.
It looked to have been case as the game kicked off in the Stadium of Light late in the day. The hosts swarmed over us and launched attack after attack. They set out their stall quite early and were intent on denying us all the space, latitude and ‘respect’ that Braga showed during the midweek.
Good enough. Until the 13th minute that is.
All Sunderland’s efforts yielded were cornerkicks after cornerkicks until the 13th minute when a goal of unbelievable dimensions changed the face of the game.
A harmless ball was played back to Anton Ferdinand in the Sunderland defence and all he needed do was to pass it on or hoof it upfield. Instead, he dallied and dallied until at the last minute, he attempted a clearance with Fabregas closing in.
The now-hasty clearance rebounded off Fabregas’ right peg and sailed high into the air, over and above the retreating Simon Mignolet in goal for Sunderland and straight into the hosts’ net. Comical was too inadequate to describe it.
Steve Bruce’s hands-on-the-head pose captured the disbelief around the stadium and as he explained post-match, such a goal only happened in the “old school days kickabouts”. Well, this was the premiership; edition of 2010.
Fabregas must have tweaked his hamstring because ten minutes later, he departed the pitch.
Sunderland continued pressing with huge doses of cornerkicks but we repelled everything and actually upped our game in the second half. Two decent chances fell to Arshavin which he fluffed (customarily?) and one to Chamakh after a fine interchange between Nasri and Rosicky but Mignolet saved at his feet.
Then in the 56th, events turned against us as Song was shown a second caution and sent off. Down to ten men, we still fought on bravely and kept Sunderland at bay. It got even better for us when El Mohammady scythed Nasri in the 72nd and the referee promptly pointed to the spot.
Up stepped Rosicky, wearing the captain’s band in Fabregas’ absence, who skied the ball into Row Z.
It was backs-to-the-wall stuff again for us as Sunderland poured forward in droves to nick something. We were doing a very good job of it though until the 95th minute when a high ball was lifted into the box and fell between Squillaci and Wilshire. Before both, or any of them could respond, up popped Darren Bent to smash the ball past the diving Almunia for their equalizer.
A true test of wills this was, but one I believe we emerged from with heads held high. And a precious point away from home as well.


Turning point...Rosicky blasting away his penalty kick that gave Sunderland hope






 Below are the ratings.
*Almunia (7/10) – Was impressive throughout and commanded his area well despite the onslaught of cornerkicks. Looks to have really upped his game and there seems to be a better understanding now between him and the defence. Stopped everything that came his way until Bent’s late, late show. No fault attached to him for that at all.
* Sagna (7/10) – Did his usual bit and ran his socks off for the team. It was going to be a night of top defending if we were to get anything there and he stepped up to the mark admirably.
* Squillaci (8/10) – Coped very well with all of Sunderland’s onslaught and emerged with his reputation very much intact. The wisdom in his acquisition is quite clear for all to see. His experience proved vital throughout the game as we had to defend for long stretches. Him, along with other members of the defence were my men of the match.
* Koscielny (8/10) – Another hero for us on the night. He enhanced his growing reputation by combining with Squillaci to keep Bent, Wellbeck, Henderson & co at bay. Very assured on the ball and had a great game despite the late equalizer. His performance since the start of the season clearly bodes well for our defensive record this season.
* Clichy (7/10) – Also dealt will all that came his way and kept the dangerous Kieran Richardson very quiet. Couldn’t combine effectively with Arshavin in front of him though but did his bit in the back four. Headed a goalbound ball off the line in the second half.
* Song (6/10) – Was overrun by Sunderland’s five-man midfield in the first half but stepped up his game as the match unfolded. Picked up unnecessary cautions that led to a red card in the 55th minute but should be back for the West Brom this weekend after serving his suspension against Tottenham in the Carling Cup.
* Wilshire (8/10) – After the defence duo of Squillaci and Koscielny, he was our next most-impressive player. Was almost everywhere on the pitch; passing, running and tackling and being tackled. Got a lot of rough treatment from the Sunderland players but was not faved. Always got up, dusted himself and ploughed in again. A true lion heart, this Jack.
* Fabregas (6/10) – He won’t score another goal in his career like the one he got in the13th minute. But kudos to him for persistence. Not afforded time on the ball as he would want. Eventually succumbed to a tight hamstring and departed early. Bad news now is that he may be out for a month.
* Nasri (7/10) – In the circumstances, did quite well. Absent was the time and space enjoyed by us against Braga, nonetheless, he took the game to the Mackems and supported Chamakh upfront. His determination drew the penalty that would have sewn up the three points for us. Sadly, it was not to be.
* Arshavin (5/10) – Poor, poor game by his standards. He seems to have his mind elsewhere half the time. At the end of two very good balls in the first half and another from Song early in the second. Made nothing out of both and was (almost expectedly now) sacrificed for Denilson after the Song red card. Doesn’t appear to be happy about something.
* Chamakh (7/10) – You got to love this guy. Battled bravery all through 90 minutes with complete dedication. He has already shown what a handy purchase he is. Saturday wasn’t one of his good days, but you could never fault him for attitude. Kept running and troubling the Sunderland defence pair of Ferdinand and Titus Bramble, though the lack of support eventually wore him out.






Subs
• Denilson (6/10) – Clearly now, he is seen as a defensive midfielder and sidekick to Song. Came on after the Camerounian was sent off. Tried to stem Sunderland’s forays through the middle and almost nicked a breakaway goal late in the game. Not the first choice though in a starting line-up.
• Rosicky (6/10) - At the centre of the game’s biggest talking point. Had the chance to seal the points with a penalty kick, which he bungled spectacularly for a player of his considerable experience. Heads dropped a bit after that, but for Bent’s late intervention, he would have got away with that costly miss.


Next up, we go to White Hart Lane on Tuesday night as Carling Cup season kicks off. It’s bound to be a tough night ahead and with Wenger traditionally giving the kids and squad members a run out, anything could happen there. Unconfirmed early rumours have it that the Polish sensation Wojciech Szczesny will be preferred to ‘Calamity Lukasz’ in goal. That for me, is positive and hopeful enough.