Happy New Year, Grovers

Complacent Arsene gives away two points

Wigan 2 - Arsenal 2

A game that should have been won easily goes crazy and we end up losing two points. What the fuck? What was Arsene thinking when he sent out a team with 8 changes to face Wigan?

From the kick off itself, we found it very hard to keep the ball and create any kind of chances. We lost the ball very easily and when you compare that to the way we started against Chelsea, its utterly dissapointing. Djourou should have started with Squillaci and instead the Koscielny was given the chance again. Why should you drop a defender who kept Drogba silent thtoughout the game and play an inexperienced defender? I have no clue.

Then another defensive error and they were awarder a soft penalty. Some twat converted it too. Arshavin was playing the usual lazy game and when Bendtner's shot rebounded, I never expected the Russian to finish off the ball with a beautiful hook shot. Then he became the provider for the second goal, playing a through ball to Bendtner to finish nicely.

The come back must have instilled some confidence to this team, atleast that is what I expected. But, the way we started the second half talks a load about this team's mentality. Instead of playing hard for the third goal and kill the game earlier, the team became complacent and content with a risky one goal lead. N'zogbia was sent off due to some drama with Wilshere and then I thought, atleast the points are secure now. But they didn't give up and kept trying for the equaliser. The players didn't undestand the danger and played more lazily. Squillaci headed home in the wrong net and cheaply gave them the one point.

Nasri and Walcott who came on later couldn't find their grip too and the game ended in a disappointing draw.

I have nothing more to say other than that, this team is not going to win any leagu unless the manager strengthens the defensive aspect of this side. Reins are in his hand, not mine.

Bye lads.

Consistency is the key

Consistency, is the key according to our manager. Very true. If a team wins the league this season, that team would be the most consistently winning team in the league.

There would not be any pleasure at all if Arsenal do not win tonight at Wigan, after a massive win against Chelsea. All the good work done in that game will be undone if we can't win today. The team has to consider Wigan as equal opponents as Chelsea and play the game they did against the blues. Three points today is as important as Three points against Chelsea. So no room for complacency today lads.

Team news now-

• Cesc is suspended owing to the fifth yellow card of the season
• Diaby could start
• Arshavin also could start. Maybe he has understood what it takes to win big games
• Squillaci is also in contention.  

 Nothing else guys. The game is not live on TV, so tune in to ATDHE.NET to get good streams.
Chao.

Kick on the teeth for Chelsea

No doubt gooners, that game was the best performance by this Arsenal team this season. What a game, wow!!

From the second the game kicked off, we were all attack. The team selection seemed sensible to me ofcourse.
 Arshavin was replaced by Theo, who played on the right wing and Nasri on the left. Robin starting the game instead of Chamakh. And my choice, Djourou replacing Squillaci.

Arsenal kept the ball neatly and passed with clear instincts. The determination of the players to win the ball back was superb. We did not allowed Chelsea to play their game at all. It was all Arsenal. Though we created lots of chances in the first half, the goal came from Alex Song. He had the best game in an Arsenal shirt yesterday. The goal came as a result of some nice play between him and Wilshere. The ball came to Cesc, who was fouled but the ref waved play on and when the ball came to Song, he buried home with his left foot. A thoroughly deserved lead indeed.

I hoped that the momentum would be kept in the second half and my wish was granted. In the 50th minute, Robin was fouled in front of the box and Essien tried to pass the ball back to Cech, but Theo was the first to reach there and squared a beautiful ball for El Kapitaan to fire home the second goal. The third came within two minutes when Cesc returned the favor by sending Theo clear, and my oh my what a finish from the English lad...gorgeous.

  Chelsea got a consolation goal from Ivanovic, and that was that. Then there were clear chances for both Nasri and Diaby to humiliate Chelsea futher but it didn't happen.

The reason why we won yesterday was -

• The defending was good, Djourou and Song had their best games ever and they tamed Drogba well..
• The whole team had the desire to win the game and they did the basics right.
• Pressing for the ball was awesome and the opponents were made to chase behind the ball.
• The whole team focussed for the 90 minutes and never were sloppy.

I was laughing when the TV pundits were trying to defend Chelsea by saying that they were not getting forward enough, whereas the actual fact is that they never got the ball to do so. If Arsenal can repeat this kind of performance in every game, then the league would be ours to lose.

  Afterward Wenger said -


''It was a double impact. Mathematically, it keeps us in touch with the leaders of the league. And psychologically, it was important. We were questioned about our capability of winning big games. I’m happy with the desire in the team. We kept good discipline in the team for 90 minutes and put in a real team performance. It can be a very pivotal moment, but we have to respond away at Wigan on Wednesday night in a game where we want to turn up and take points. We know to beat the big teams at home will have an important impact on this league''

Theo Walcott was selected as the Man of the Match, no arguments there.

Trip to Wigan tomorrow and Cesc will miss that trip owing to squiring five yellow cards. Wigan preview tomorrow guys. Batter some Chelsea fans in the meantime.

Enjoy.

Chelsea preview

Busy day today gooners. We will talk after the game and hopefully some positive result today.

Cheers

Arsenal pushed to third place!!

Hope all of you had a memorable Christmas day.


Three points to both the Manchester clubs means, we are pushed to the third place with Man City second. A win tomorrow would be absolutely essential to go back to second place. While City have played two games more than us, Manchester United are level on games played and already have a five points lead. That itself makes tomorrow's game a must win.

Though we would be expecting a win, the players would be under much more pressure as they are facing yet another big club tomorrow. And we know what happens when Arsenal plays a big team,,gulp!!

Arsene says-

"It is just for us to get over that hurdle. As long as a team has not won, they wonder 'can we win?' It is a mental thing because the quality of the squad is there. We are still young but not so much now." 

He also talks about the Drogba (asshole) threat. I hope Squillaci breaks both his legs tomorrow. A detailed team news and preview tomorrow.


In other news, Arsenal are behind another ''wonderkid'' by the name Connor Wickham, nice name though.

Till tomorrow..

Merry Christmas !!!

That is all I have to say, particularly when there is no games on the weekend. But today is Christmas and why should one be sad?

Enjoy whole day...

Ho ho ho.....

Happy Christmas Eve Gooners

Our First Christmas together, good feeling indeed!

Only little news concerning Arsenal. First, we got Chamakh talking about Chelsea game, the need to win in such games and about the cunt Drogba. Why should he be concerned?

Then we have Le Boss, asking the English FA to decide as to whether Jack Wilshere is a first team player or an under 21 player.

And lastly, the Stoke game has been rearranged on Feb 22, 2011.

Thats all for today. Enjoy a glorious Christmas folks.

Bye..

Chamakh, Vermaelen and Samba?

"I am in the club of my life. I don't count on staying in football forever. I will go till the end of my contract. That leaves me with four good years. I played at my favourite club in France and I played now with the club I have loved since I was little. For some, it is Real Madrid or Barcelona. Me, it has always been Arsenal. You have to see that I leave the pitch worn out after every match. I am very proud to be a Gunner."

Words of our new striker, the Moroccan. There is more good stuff that he talks, including the relationship with Nasri, Fabregas and Wilshere. Click here if you want to read more. 


Arsene talks about the injury status at the club in his weekly press conference and says that Vermaelen will not be back until late January. That date is expected to extend further. He also said that it would be difficult to find proper players in the January transfer window because of the players being cup tied and the clubs not allowing their best players to leave. I have always wondered why it is difficult for Arsenal only to buy players? Money is not the problem, it is the manager's decision and he is simply against it. What can we do then?


 It also seems Fabianski is back and will face Chelsea, oh nooooo. Poor Szczesny.


The manager also hit out at the big mouthed Nani who commented that we won't win the league. He said-


"I personally don’t know who will win the league. I have managed 1,600 games so if Nani knows he must be 1,600 times more intelligent than I am."


There are stories in newsnow regarding a possible bid for Cristopher Samba. Personally I don't see it happening and if it does happen then I am glad, because a backup for Vermaelen would be just fair.


Here is a video for all Arsenal fans, enjoy.


Hope Monday comes quick and advanced Christmas wishes.

Jack Of Wilshere

He was born and brought up at Arsenal, that is in short about Jack Wilshere. We came to know of his huge potential as an attacking midfielder, and here he is talking about his new role in the first team. Though one cannot fault the manager to make him play in a more defensive role this season, it is hard to forget the kind of goals he is capable of scoring.

No doubt he is a husge talent and the new role has helped him to be aware of his defensive duties as well. He talks about his preference and his duties here.


“I think it’s good for me to play in that position,” Wilshere told the Official Arsenal Magazine. 

“It helps that I can work on defensive things as well as my attacking game. This year I’ve become, if not a holding player as such because I still like to get forward, more aware of the defensive aspect.

“Alex and I both know how it works and it doesn’t even need that much talking. If I go upfield, Alex is clever enough to see that he needs to stay and vice versa – if he goes I can see that I need to hold. And the centre-backs help us as well, they’re always talking because they can see what is happening in front of them. 

"Perhaps at the start of the season I was holding back a bit, getting to know the role, but recently I’ve been getting forward more often – I got that goal against Aston Villa and I’d like to score a few more now.

“At the beginning of the season the boss told me he sees me playing in that position but the defensive side, my heading from goal-kicks and my tackling for example, needed to be worked on. And I think it’s improving all the time. 

"Certain things come naturally and tackling wasn’t one of them, I’d sometimes go a bit over the top when I was younger. Everyone’s going to get some wrong through – I certainly did against Birmingham, but it’s getting better and in the position I play it’s an important side of the game.”




The role he says Alex is playing is quite not suited for him. If Song plays the game the way he did last season, most of the defensive issues can be corrected.


It also seems as if Arsenal have dismissed a bid for Bendtner to Lazio. Good job. What he needs to do is stay fit, wait for his chances and score some good goals forcing the manager to automatically make his selection. 


Will talk more gooner stuff tomorrow.
Chao...

Some vague transfer rumours and Szczesny

Our new rookie goalkeeper talks about the horrible injury he had to suffer -
“I was in the gym doing squats when I lost my balance and the weight fell on my hands and broke both of them,” said Szczesny. “It was a little bit bizarre.

“There was actually a few people in the gym at the same time and they said they were about to laugh before they realised my arms were not quite straight.”

 Le Boss is full of praise for Henri Lansbury who is currently on loan at Norwich and says that the young lad will surely be an Arsenal player.

Arsenal could be set for a surprise swoop for Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano. Whether that is true or not I am not quite sure, but one thing I am sure is that he would be a great addition to our squad. If Barca are looking for an exchange deal for Cesc, then they are super cunts, yup.

Not much happening gooners, see you tomorrow.

Fear Facror is the problem !!!

That is what Cesc says, and I think he is right. Talking about the Manchester United game, he said -

"I think the difference on the night was that we were scared of losing but they were not scared of winning. That was a big difference that played in our heads. Sometimes we seem scared of losing these big games – we don't really go for it and we're tempted to drop back and see what the opposition do. We look to see if we are capable of beating them by what they are doing and how good they are on the day, instead of us going forward, causing them problems and dominating the game ourselves."

 The fear factor is something which I think is not just restricted to the big games alone. Once the opposing team scores, then this team loses all the faith in their ability to come back and win the game. This happens in all the games and not just the big games. Five or six seasons ago, this was not the case. When we were down in the game and were looking for the equaliser or the winner, all the players used to push forwards and cause problems for the opponents. One could easily feel that we would definitely score, atleast in the injury time. Now things have changed. We pass the ball in the other half and then give the ball away cheaply allowing the other team to counter attack. And the standard of defending this season is that any team could score against us and they just need one chance for doing so.

The real problem this season is the poor defending which is worsened by the role in which Alex Song plays. He has become more of an attacking player which doesn't suit him at all. The team needs to build some confidence and DEFEND better as a team. The laziness to win the ball back once you lose it should be avoided. Once you win against the so called big teams, then it would definitely help the team in the rest of the big games as well.

I can write loads of what to do to win games, but it's the manager's job to identify and correct the issues and fast.

£11m move has beeen lined up for Denilson to Wolfsburg. Don't know whether that is going to happen or not. And young Jack Wilshere says he want to become Arsenal captain one day. Cool !!!

Another full week remains till we play again, oh god..Hopefully we can start our good run against the big teams starting next Monday.

Bye.

Gloomy Sunday

Today we were supposed to talk about how awesome Nasri's goal was against Stoke, and instead I'm finding it difficult to find something to write about.


As already mentioned yesterday, we have confirmed that young Japanese winger Ryo Miyaichi will join us in January. Arsenal Manager Arsène Wenger said:

“I am delighted Ryo will be joining us in the New Year.

"He trialled with us in the summer and has raw ability which has attracted many clubs around the world.

"I look forward to helping him fulfil his potential here at Arsenal.”  

In other news there are some stuff about Barcelona increasing their bid for our captain to £85 million. Absolute bollocks. Please don't follow that story, there is nothing in it to be followed.


Arsenal’s Head of Youth Development Liam Brady is full of praise for Johan Djourou, saying that the Swiss player also likes to play ahead of the back four as a defensive midfielder.


Without a game this week, the players would be happy to have a good rest ahead of the crucial match with Chelsea. 

Good day Grovers...

Arsenal vs Stoke match postponed !!!

Awful isn't it? Heavy snowfall is the reason. The rearranged fixture has not yet been disclosed.

Arsenal.com also confirms that Japanese forward Ryo Miyaichi, 18 will join us in January 2011.

Hope the match will be played tomorrow.

Stoke Visit Emirates

The game kicks off at 3 pm, and three points are absolutely essential. This game also gives us a chance to go back to top of the table.

I would like to see Theo starting this game on the right. Nasri, Song  and Cesc on the middle, Van Persie replacing Arshavin on the left  Djourou along with Squillaci, Clichy and Sagna. Szczesny on goal. This is what I want, but I am sure the manager would stick with Koscielny, Arshavin and Fabianski if he is fit.

Today also sees the return of Ryan Shawcross to Emirates, who is going to be the target of the crowd. Arsenal have to show today that the horrible and reckless tackle he committed on Ramsey is still fresh in our minds. The most ideal way to hurt him would be to beat them without any mercy and not by kicking him all around the pitch.

Cesc talks about the Barcelona draw,
              
''This is not some mission impossible. We can win this. Barcelona are not unbeatable. If they were invincible, they would win the Champions League every year''

Then there is an article in which Arsene says he was scared after the horrible injury Szczesny suffered two years ago when he broke his two arms while working at gym and compares him  to the legendary Manchester United keeper Peter Schmeichel. In that article the boss reveals that the young pole had broken both his forearm while lifting weights, and that he was out for six months. It is nice to see him perform all the basics right after such an injury.

Nothing much going on, here is to three points tonight.
See ya..

Arsenal to face Barcelona in Champions League

It had to be Barcelona again isn't it? The game at Camp Nou early this year was pathetic. You can only pray to god for Arsenal to go beyond the Catalan giants this time. Although if we were to succeed in doing that, then it would instill the kind of confidence that will help the team to go on and win the Champions League and create history.

In other news, Szczesny could retain his place as keeper because of an injury to Fabianski. On the same page there is a video of Arsene's press conference regarding the team news. He says that it would be too early for Diaby to play on Saturday, and that Fabregas might play on the weekend.

The boss also played down talks of Almunia leaving this January. He also says that the decision would be Manuel's to make. If Almunia does leave us next month, then the manager will have to call back the Italian Viro Mannone, who is currently on loan. Bendtner on the other hand is going to be a father and will not be available for the Stoke game.

The goblin coach of Stoke comes up with some shrewd ideas ahead of the clash saying that Arsenal have more red cards and stuff like that, crap. Someone needs to shut him up, and fast.

I have started to think about the Barca game already, can't help it. The game they played against Madrid in the El Classico is enough to scare the life out of you. They are a good team, and so are we, right?

Namastey...

At Arsenal: Team news, transfer rumors

At Arsenal: Team news, transfer rumors: "Tough game coming up this Saturday, Stoke at home. Every home game this seaason has been tough for us , and I can only imagine how we ..."

Team news, transfer rumors

Tough game coming up this Saturday, Stoke at home. Every home game this seaason has been tough for us , and  I can only imagine how we are going to defend against the cunning and ugly Stoke.

There is some report suggesting the return of Abou Diaby to full training and the possibility of him playing on Saturday. It does seem like a long time since he played. Jack Wishere took the chance and really established himself as a first team player this season. Another interesting point to argue with the manager would be the selection of Koscielny ahead of Djourou. The Swiss defender has really played well every time when he was called up. Arsene should try some changes and do what is good for the team. I think Djourou has done well when he had played and looks really comfortable with Squillaci. All we can do is to hope for Vermaelen's quick return, which is not expected till next month. But till then the Swiss player looks a better option compared to Koscielny.

Some good news here as Samir Nasri was voted the player of the year by France Football Magazine. The 23 year old Frenchman has really stepped up this season bagging some goals of real beauty. He alson talks about his relation with William Gallas. He says that there is nothing wrong with him not shaking hands with the spurs player simply because he doesn't like him. Even the spurs players don't like him, hah. What a crap he was, oh I don't want to remember his face anymore. Thank god we offloaded him to spurs and maybe that is the reason why Nasri has emerged as the playmaker this season. Here is a nice video of Samir being interviewed by his girlfriend, mind you this one was made before the United game, But still a must watch.


Some transfer news now. there is talk about Eboue going to Roma and also Almunia leaving this January. Nottingham Forest want to extend Ramsey's loan spell there. Here is a nice video of Samir being interviewed by his girlfriend, I am sure most of you guys would have seen it already and mind you, this one is pre United

Which reminds me of the cunt Shawcross who according to his manager has overcome the Ramsey incident and has no fear of Emirates. Its as if Ramsey had broken the cunt's foot. Come on Arsenal break the spine of that cunt or score atleast 7 goals against them (without conceding please!!)

Stoke preview tomorrow, till then bye.

At Arsenal: Players responses, post United

At Arsenal: Players responses, post United: "Rookie goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny comes up all guns blazing after his Premier League debut saying that MU were lucky to win against Arsena..."

Players responses, post United

Rookie goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny comes up all guns blazing after his Premier League debut saying that MU were lucky to win against Arsenal. He said, 
  
"We feel we can beat pretty much everyone, that we can recover for the game on Saturday and be back in the race.
"I think the team performance was quite good. We just didn't get as much luck as United did.
"I don't think Park actually meant to head the ball. It just hit him on the head and went into the top corner. 

Oh I just love the last line he said. According to me he is more than capable to take Fabianski's place in the team this season. I'm not jumpong into that conclusion after just one game, maybe I have seen enough of Fabianski already.




Samir Nasri said, that he doesnt care whether the team is playing flamboyant football or not, as long as the team wins. And I agree to that 100 percent. It seems everyone in this team knows what to do and how to do it, but on the pitch they behave like they are not interested anymore.


The Russian winger says,


There is no time to be melancholy or sad, we need to forget this defeat and start thinking about the next match

He too thinks that the team didn't deserve to lose the game, as if there is nothing wrong with what the team is doing at the moment. The whole team should work a little bit more to stay on top of the league throughout the season  There is definitely a lack of desire to win, that is to win in any manner whatsoever in this team. Once they develop that kind of attitude, then it would be very hard to stop this team winnig all the trophies out there.

Just talking about trophies make me sad ;-(. The draw for the knock out stages of the Champions League takes place on Friday. Lets hope for FC Schalke; More draw news and other stuff tomorrow, okay.

Chao 

At Arsenal: Manchester United 1 - 0 Arsenal, Yet again

At Arsenal: Manchester United 1 - 0 Arsenal, Yet again: "Arsenal proved again that they are not so good when they play against big clubs. A glorious chance wasted yet again. At least a draw would have been a decent result..."

Manchester United 1 - 0 Arsenal, Yet again

Arsenal proved again that they are not so good when they play against big clubs. A glorious chance wasted yet again. At least a draw would have been a decent result.


They didn't create much chances in the first half apart from a Nani shot which went just wide. The goal came as expected because of defending lapses allowing Ji Sung Park to loop a header over our keeper. I can't really remember us troubling Van Der Saar in the first half. Chamakh had a header straight at the keeper and some vague shots from Arshavin from outside the box, thats it.


In the second half Szczesny made some good saves from Anderson and from a frustrated Rooney. The rookie keeper seemed really cool and much more assured than Fabianski and he took the chance he was provided with both hands. Nasri had a left footed attempt blocked by Van Der Saar which then fell onto the path of Chamakh who was late to bury it home. The introduction of Fabregas Van Persie and Walcott did make some improvement in our attacking. When you are playing against a team like United you have to take the chances and convert them.


From about 65 minutes onwards Arsenal kept the ball and passed it around in their half, but the final ball and the ability to finish off the chance was lacking. They simply stood back, watched us pass the ball and defended very well and took every opportunity to counterattack. I was biting my fingers off waiting for the damn equaliser but it never came, booo.


Rooney missing the penalty was hilarious though the decision to give penalty was very harsh indeed. It would be unfair to point out names in this defeat but I have to say Clichy was so horrible. Arshavin was a waste as a winger and Song as a CDM. Only positive note from last night was the performance of Szczesny. He did exceptionally well (maybe because I am comparing him to Fabianski and Almunia) yesterday and would definitely give the manager some serious issues. The Boss had some things to say too.

No time to waste now, up next is Stoke City. Oh wouldn't it be cool to put 7 goals up their arse, nice. See you tomorrow gooners.

Monday night battle at Old Trafford

Morning all,

Big game tonight lads, we have the best chance to stay on top of the table and to gain huge confidence and the mental strength that a young team like us need to win the league. Three points tonight would also silence the critics and show that this team is capable of winning big games as well.

Regarding the team news there is still doubt as to whether the captain would play or not. Other than that there is some news on Sun that Szczesny could play tonight because of injury to Fabiansky. Djourou should be picked ahead of Koscielny to partner Squillaci and I am sure that would make a huge difference in our defending. Jack Wilshere also could play with Song in the middle and our top scorer this season Samir Nasri should be allowed a free role on the pitch. Clichy should be more cautious tonight as he comes to face Uniteds best player Nani.

Arsene Wenger says -

Its a big game for us because we know that we have to convince people that we can do well in the big games. At the moment we are in a strong position in the league.We go away fot a big game. One or two of the big games we need to win away from home. That is what is at stake for us.

The only way we can win there is to stay focussed for the whole 90 minutes. Every player should understand the importance of this game and will have to work their hardest for a result. Hopefully it goes all well.

Fingers crossed for this one. Come on Arsenal.....

Day one at Arsenal

Here goes my attempt to blog about ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB. Only the relevant Arsenal news here guys, thing that you should know as an Arsenal fan and no more.

First day of my blogging and I am going straight into the big match preview without any nonsense. It would be awesome if the game goes well tomorrow, the big one this season, yeah its Manchester United. An away trip to Old Trafford, might have come at the right time because of the fantastic form that Samir Nasri is at the moment. The superb Frenchman has come with up with some confidence boosting stuff ahead of the big clash.
He says that without Ronaldo and Tevez, United are not so good offensively and that the team is confident of getting a result.



Only Arsene  Wenger knows wether Cesc would play tomorrow or not. I would say he should not be rushed back from his injury unless he is fully fit to play. The manager needs to keep in mind of the other tough fixtures this month too.




I have no intention to make the first day to be a lengthy one.


 More tomorrow