There has been a great deal of criticism concerning Arsenal recently. Player selection, tactical decisions and the failure to replace departed players adequately are all topics on the lips of Arsenal fans. The captivating 4-4 draw with rivals Tottenham Hotspur portrayed all the strengths and weaknesses of a side that remains very much a work in progress.
The midfield and its workings have been subject to great criticism. Initially, there were doubts that Walcott, Nasri, Fabregas and Denilson could withstand a physical battle. Soon afterwards, the balance of the quartet was called into question. There are doubts concerning the defensive capabilities of Nasri, still only 21 and adapting to a new country and intensity of football, and Walcott. Both seem to shirk from aerial battles and occasionally do not press their opposing player. This seems to have exposed their respective full backs in Clichy and Sagna. Yet the biggest debate remains with the central pairing.
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Many have claimed the Champions League is losing the ethos of attacking football or even questioning whether it was ever present in the first place, with sides very concerned over conceding an away goal. Yet teams don’t need to worry about this in the Group Stage and it showed on Tuesday night. The games were played in a similar spirit to that of Euro 2008.
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It has been a long time. Actually it’s been eighteen years to be precise since Liverpool won their eighteenth league title. Since then, Manchester United’s dominance of the Premier League has threatened to overthrow the Merseyside club as most the successful domestic side in the country. Yet after a number of years, that has seen the style of play change, managers come and go and the club itself change hands to Americans, is 2008/09 finally the year in which Liverpool win the title?
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Mastering the art of commentary and punditry is a rare feat these days. Too often the man behind the microphone is pigeonholed as a caricature. Since the days of Barry Davies and Brian Moore, the quality has diminished. The voice of a great commentator encapsulates the crowning moment of a football match perfectly. These days, many stunning goals, immaculate tackles and finely-threaded passes are not appreciated for what they are by the summariser on television.
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Enter the top ten defeats of all time. Naturally many matches are remembered for incidents occurring of and on the pitch, perhaps with violent clashes, technical master-classes and shifts in power concerning who rules the footballing world.
No.10 France (4) 3-3 (5) West Germany 1982 World Cup Semi- Final
An epic football match marred by Harold Schumacher’s tendency to rush out to take out man or ball, in a mindset where the end justifies the means, as it did for the Germans. The match was level between the two sides with Littbarski rifling in a shot and a Platini penalty to equalise. Then Schumacher took out substitute Battiston (whose attempted shot went just wide), knocking him unconscious and leaving him with two less teeth. Later when Platini went for a header, when Schumacher came to claim the ball; Platini was left clutching his shoulder. Tresor scored with a hooked finish for France, followed by a thunderbolt from Giresse, Rummenigge pulled one back, before Fischer sent the match to penalties – a first in the World Cup. Schumacher made the headlines, by moving early off his line (a ploy not noticed by the officials) and saving twice from Six and then Bossis. The great French team of Platini and Tigana could not progress ‘because the officials did not do their job’ as the BBC commentator put it.
No.9 Real 0 -5 Barcelona 1973 Primera Division
After being voted out of the captaincy at Ajax, Cruyff left for a club that too was valued on playing beautiful football. In this match he crossed superbly twice to result in goals, and scored a gorgeous goal. Receiving the ball in the edge of the area from the left he burst forward to the left past the despairing lunge of a Real defender, running towards another defender, he quickly shifted the ball onto his right then again onto his left, always shielding the ball from the defender. To top off a superb performance, he finished with aplomb, blasting the ball through the keeper’s legs. To this day Cruyff and his Barcelona team-mates hold the record for Real’s heaviest defeat in the Bernabeu in an El Clasico, an astonishing achievement.
No.8 Arsenal 4-5 Man Utd 1958 Old Division One
The Busby babes came to North London, with a brand of exciting attacking, youthful football. They raced up a 0-3 lead in the first half, and the match seemed to be as good as over. Yet in the space of three minutes The Gunners came racing back and clawed back to a 3-3 score-line. The reputation of the Manchester United side came through, showing mental strength to score twice through the devastating Denis Viollet and Tommy Taylor to an unreachable 3-5 lead. Yet in the dying minutes The Gunners pulled a goal back, leaving a tense finish in which Vic Groves almost equalised. A few days later, the Red Devils flew out to Belgrade to meet Red Star in the European Cup. After a victory, their plane stopped to refuel in Munich. Therefore the game at Arsenal’s historical Highbury was to be the last arena where the famous ‘Busby Babes’ strutted their stuff in England.
No.7 England 3-6 Hungary 1953 International Friendly
The first defeat at Wembley by a team outside of the British Isles broke an undefeated streak since 1901 against such teams. Finally showed how different styles had evolved in contrast to the stereotypical gung-ho British football and it was no fluke. The Hungarians played a pass and move style, with a strike-force of ‘that fat little chap’ (The England player who referred to the Hungarian legend would later live to regret his words) Ferenc Puskas and Nandor Hidegkuti, who played in a revolutionary half-striker role, ghosting between the lines of midfield and attack, impossible to pick up. ‘The Mighty Magyars’ were seen to many as the influence to Rinus Michel’s ‘Total Football’ concept with their fluid formation and interchange of positions. The return game in 1954 was even more one-sided with Hungary annihilating England 7-1.
No.6 Real 11-4 Barcelona 1943 Kings Cup Semi Final
The words Generalissimo or Franco will crop up in remembrance of this semi-final. 3-0 up from the first leg, the Catalans were favourites to meet Bilbao in the final. Yet before the start of the second leg, they were paid a visit by the director of state security, who emphasized the unpatriotic Catalans were only living in Spain on behalf of the generous Franco. Therefore they were forced to throw the match, and even with ten men at half time, it is believed that only such a reason would cause such a loss. The conspiracy theorists continue to look to this dressing room visit. Real still managed to lose the final to Bilbao, after all of their favourite dictator’s help against their arch-rivals.
Continuing on from yesterday, here is the next five, which were influenced by pieces of magic, the event and social and moral talking points.
No.15 Real Madrid 0-1 Ajax 1973 European Cup Semi-final second leg
According to David Winner, author of ‘Brilliant Orange’ the greatest moment of Ajax’s ‘Golden Age’ was not a goal or a great save. It was a simple piece of juggling by a player who had idolised the legends which had graced the turf of the Bernabeu before him. Gerrie Muhren had the 110,000 fans applauding, rather than the customary white handkerchiefs away teams were used to. It was said to be the moment Ajax took over from Real Madrid as the true Kings of Europe. Having already won the two previous European cups, Ajax strolled to their third successive European Cup victory, having raised the Bernabeu to applaud the brilliance of totaalvoetbal.
No.14 Italy 3-2 Brazil 1982 World Cup Second Round
This was truly an occasion was for a phoenix to rise from the flames. His name blackened from a betting scandal and his critics rounding on the poor performances of his and the national’s teams poor ‘aimless’ play. They reached the second round on the back of three draws to meet a Brazilian side that truly brought back beautiful football. Falcao, Zico and Socrates, formed a midfield of vision technique and unlimited flair. Yet it was Rossi who struck first blood, ghosting in to score a free header. John Motson said the Brazilian school of footballing philosophy shows ‘how to play when you’re behind’. He was proved right when an awesome turn by Zico allowed him to release Socrates with a threaded pass. Yet Rossi replied with a brace, and even with a Falcao thunderbolt, Italy prevailed with Dino Zoff making crucial saves. ‘Thankfully skill will still prevail even though teams try to destroy it’. In hindsight, Motson’s words truly marked the ‘death of joga bonito’ as one internet forum member put it. Brazil’s light, glowing football did not prevail and it was loss for football in the long run.
No.13 Arsenal 2-1 Sheffield United 1999 Premier League
The unwritten rule can have a strong influence and it did until the English FA decided to ignore it from this previous season and onwards. Kelly was putting a ball out, so that his team-mate could receive treatment, or rather so that Bergkamp didn’t score. The resulting throw-in, was taken by Parlour to the Sheffield United players, but was intercepted by Kanu, who crossed for Overmars to slot home. The fact that giving the ball back is seen as an unwritten rule, no-one cannot be sure if all 22 players are playing to the same rule! The match was followed by a generous offer by Arsenal to replay the match, which Steve Bruce ‘expected’, yet in truth he had no right to. Arsenal won the return match 2-1, with no controversy.
No.12 Peru 0-6 Argentina – 1978 World Cup Second Round
The situation: Argentina needed to win by more than four goals to reach the final. Why? Brazil’s superior goal difference was blocking their path to World Cup glory. The conspiracy theory: The game was fixed. The Peruvian keeper had only let in 6 goals in his previous five games; He had Argentinean nationality too. Argentina had only scored 6 in their previous games; the exact margin they won this game by. Argentina progressed to the final where they used stalling tactics to unnerve the Dutch team in Estadio Buenos Aires, a cauldron of blue and white. The greatest mystery of all: they were winners of the FIFA Fair Play Award.
No.11 Germany 2-1 Holland 1990 World Cup Round of 16
After the second World War, the Dutch had moved away from it and had rebuilt. A few generations later, books were released about concentration camps, and trials were held for war crimes. Thus the new youth, which included the footballers, coached by Cruyff, in van Basten, Gullit and Rikjaard saw Germany as the enemy. This boiled over onto the pitch, with Rikjaard spitting at Rudi Voller, and this settled the match. Another aspect to the rivalry was the setting. Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. The AC Milan team of the nineties had a Dutch spine, and in contrast the Inter team, contained a number of Germans. Thus the match reflected a rivalry that was on a number of planes; club and international. The defeat also caused violent clashes on the Dutch-German border.
Following on from exploring more unusual reasons of defeat, indulge yourself in an ‘epic’ list of defeats, which have caused a great impact in the course of footballing history. Here is the first five…of which most have been chosen of the circumstances and the drama involved.
No.20 Inter Milan 0 – 5 AC Milan 2005 Champions League Quarter Final
One of the most infamous Milan derbies in recent history, with a 2-0 lead from the first leg, AC were set to win, with a 1-0 lead from Shevchenko when the unruly Inter Ultras struck in protest to a goal from Argentine Cambiasso ruled out by referee Markus Merk. The objection consisted of bottles and debris being thrown onto the pitch and soon escalated to lit flares, one of which hit Milan keeper Dida on the shoulder, suffering first-degree burns. Therefore, the game was abandoned and Milan were awarded a 3-0 win, and the Nerazzurri fined €200,000, a UEFA record.
No.19 Bayern Munich v Manchester United 1999 Champions League Final
Three minutes of injury time had changed the outcome of this game. Man United had played poorly in Barcelona and it seemed to be Bayern’s trophy. The Bavarian club’s ribbons had been attached onto the cup, and it was only till after Munich substituted Basler and Matthaus that United came back into the game. A scuffed Giggs shot reached Sheringham, who scored from six yards. Then came another Beckham corner as ITV commentator asked: ‘is this their moment?’ Sheringham headed the ball down and Solskjaer instinctively swung his boot at the ball and lashed it into the roof of the net with virtually the final kick of the game. Having played an effective counter-attacking game-plan and hit the woodwork a number of times, against all the odds, the Mancunians completed the infamous treble and rival fans would never hear the end of it.
No.18 AC Milan 3-3 Liverpool 2005 Champions League Final
An impossible defeat. A Milan side, who scored inside a minute, and tore Liverpool to shreds through the clever running of Kaka, the smart passing of Pirlo and the killer instinct of Crespo and Shevchenko. It should have been four, if not for a poor decision by the linesman to deny Milan a fourth before the half time whistle. Then inside a six minute period, doubts crept into Milanese minds, when Gerard scored with a looping header. Reminders of previous matches against Deportivo La Coruna and close scares against Lyon and PSV Eindhoven cropped up. Even after the score was level, now cult hero Jerzy Dudek made to awesome saves from Shevchenko in the dying moments of extra-time at point-blank range. The penalty shoot-out brought out a Grobbelaar-esque instinct in Dudek who won the cup for the Merseyside club. Milan took revenge two years later.
No.17 USA 1-0 England 1950 World Cup First Round
Dubbed ‘Miracle on Grass’, it also has a film made after it released in 2005. This defeat finally took away the English belief of superiority in the game of football, and it displayed an urgent need to change the outlook upon the English game. New styles were being developed; most were tactically and aesthetically superior. Having refused to play against countries against whom they had fought in the war previously, and arguments on bonuses amongst other things, they finally arrived in Brazil, ready to prove their dominance. Or so they hope. Gaetjens scored against in defiance to the English dominance. It was beautifully summed by victorious American footballer Harry Keough in the aftermath through, ‘Boy, I feel sorry for these bastards. How are they ever going to live down the fact we beat them?’
No.16 Liverpool 0-2 Arsenal 1989 Division One
It was the final game of the season. The situation to George Graham’s Gunners was clear. They had to win by two clear goals. For Liverpool defeat was unthinkable and not a possibility against an Arsenal side with a defeat and a draw in their previous two home games. Enter Michael Thomas. Arsenal was leading by a goal through Alan Smith. Appeals of offside were waved away, and the final seconds are remembered by Brian Moore’s commentary: ‘Thomas, charging through the midfield… it’s up for grabs now… Thomas, right at the end!’ Liverpool had lost in unbelievable circumstances.
“In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love; they had five hundred years of democracy and peace and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.”
Orson Welles, The Third Man, 1949
Is controversy and change what Italian football needs right now? Because that’s probably what it will be getting. The prospective break-away will shape the future of Italian football, having suffered many twists and turns over the past few years, from corruption to fan violence. Will it rise out from the dark and produce the goods on the big stage as other Italians have done in the past?
In an attempt to emulate the success of the 1992 Premier league formation, Serie A is set to break away from Serie B. Realising how the English top division has prospered through the ability to negotiate its own television deal and how it has become the most lucrative competition in the world, the top Italian division is looking to bring more money into the division to enable it to compete on a level playing field with the other top football leagues.
The major factor in the move is the disagreement with Serie B over television rights, with a final offer of 65 million euros, but second tier clubs are widely expected to refuse that deal in a meeting later this week. Serie B clubs have struggled with a lack of a television deal last year and falling attendances but feel the money offered does not represent value. In comparison to England’s Coca Cola Championship, the Italian league is not even close in terms of money, while attendances are also much higher in England, despite inflation ticket prices, with QPR pricing some seats at a landmark £50 recently.
 In February 1992, the old Division One broke away from the English League in a bid to compete with foreign opposition, with Serie A the leading competition in world football at the time. The clubs decided to sell the rights to BSkyB, a move which proved correct over time, and raked in the pound notes, with even more profitable deals being negotiated until present day for broadcasting rights at home and abroad. Unsurprisingly the competition seems as healthy as ever, with 50% of the television income split among the clubs, while another 25% depends on the number of broadcast matches a club is involved in. The final quarter is determined on merit, with Manchester United earning up to £50m last season for winning the title.
While there is a disagreement between the top tiers of Italian football, another issue is the fragile situation concerning how television money is split. With 26 of the 30 million (87%) football supporters supporting one of the ‘Big Three’ sides (Juventus, AC and Inter), there is little left for the other sides. The household names negotiate their own deals, earning huge sums in the process. This means roughly three quarters of the league, excluding Lazio and Roma, have an income of up to 10 times less then their rivals. The huge gulf in monetary terms subsequently causes another one in footballing quality. It does not help that Inter and AC Milan both have billionaire owners backing their cause.
If Serie A is to compete with its rivals, a joint deal much first be made to increase internal competition to help more sides break the stranglehold over the Scudetto. After all, money from European competition, gives the big clubs an advantage anyway, and to promote Serie A, this has to be done. After the Calciopoli scandal, and the emigration of Italian international abroad after the 2006 World Cup success, the popularity of the league was at an all time low. But with big names returning, it has undertaken a renaissance. With Jose Mourinho arriving in the black and blue half of the San Siro, the media have gone into overdrive, with the Portuguese manager criticising Claudio Ranieri amongst others before boasting of his annual salary of 14 million euros. On the other side, the Rossoneri have brought in fading superstar Ronaldinho. The name alone drove season ticket sales through the roof.
 Other sides seem to be building on youth to compete, with Napoli and Fiorentina prime examples. Young talents such as Hamsik and Lavezzi signal a different approach to bridge the financial chasm in the league between the big sides and the chasing pack. Juventus have returned and should give a challenge for the title this time around, despite currently languishing in mid-table. Even if the Serie A revolution goes through, Europe now remains a number of years away. With England emerging as a major rival, even if the Italians can compete on a fiscal level, in footballing terms, their teams have been comprehensively beaten by the youth and pace that typifies English football.
Arsenal and Liverpool beat both Milan sides with ease, and they weren’t even the strongest sides in the league. That honour went to European Champions Manchester United and runners up Chelsea. Roma lost once again to Manchester United in last season’s competition, a year after losing 7-1 in the quarter final at Old Trafford. This year they face Chelsea in the Group Stage. If the idea of the big clubs is to bridge the European gap, which already seems huge, despite an Italian side winning Europe’s premier competition just in 2007, then they may be mistaken.
The Milan owner Berlusconi, now serving his fourth term as Prime Minister of Italy, doesn’t seem to be a fan of a shared television deal. In 2006, before he was defeated in the general election, he refused to pass legislation which would make such an agreement become reality. The action prompted Maurizio Zamparini, president of Sicilian team Palermo, to speak his mind, upon seeing Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party refuse to sanction the deal.
“Democracy doesn’t exist in Italy. All there is is a group of powerful clubs that try to get their hands on something that will suit them and help them win for the next few years. We are constantly reinforcing the power of the big clubs at the expense of the smaller ones.”
The controversial president with a penchant for going through managers like a serial womanizer had a point. If the Italian league is going to reach its previous heights, maybe corruption and internal warfare is not what the game needs, irrespective of what similar conditions in the nations’ past produced. Orson Welles’ character Harry in the 1949 film may have had a point but it isn’t relevant for modern Italy and its football.
The decision later this week will be pivotal for the European game. And more importantly, more money will be pumped into the game. As if it needed it.
Arsene Wenger spoke of change, but there was little in terms of personnel, but only Samir Nasri came in for a much improved Emmanuel Eboue. While he appealed to the media’s demand for drastic change in his words, the boss knows what he wants and that was focus from his team. Fabregas showed this focus with a sharp tackle to stop any chance of a Porto spell of possession. There were signs of anxiety with the ball being given away twice in quick succession, but both Porto attacks fortunately broke down for the nervous Arsenal defence.
The first Arsenal move saw the ball being switched from left to right, with Adebayor feeding in Walcott, whose near-post shot was saved by Helton for a corner, which as usual was unsuccessful, despite causing some danger. Arsenal were playing at a high tempo and some good possession culminated in a curling Van Persie effort, which was palmed away by Helton, who cut an imposing figure. Porto showed their threat in a counter-attack on ten minutes, with birthday boy Christian Rodriquez finishing a sharp attack, by heading against the bar, with Almunia well beaten.
Patient possession by the home side resulted in Fabregas spotting a Van Persie run and supplying the Dutchman with a lofted ball, which Van Persie drove into the ground and the ball looped over the bar, as the Gunners began to exert their influence on the game. Fabregas was on form, with a one touch pass straight into the path of Walcott whose subsequent cross was blocked for a corner. A well-worked corner by Arsenal happened again, with a short pass to Van Persie was followed by a drop of the shoulder and a swift turn, but his cross was met by a weak Adebayor header.
Once more, William Gallas raided forward, but Nasri was unable to feed him. The Gunners were sold short at the back once more with Almunia forced into a diving save against Lisandro Lopez. The resulting corner highlighted our set-piece difficulties, with Clichy having to clear off the line and Toure forced into a last ditch clearance. The threat was evident and to quell it Arsenal would have to remain concentrated, with Denilson’s pointless flick and loss of possession deviating from the focus the manager called for.
Yet the attackers were focussed and clearly in the picture, unlike on Saturday, as Fabregas fed an onside Adebayor, who paused and waited for the near post run of Robin Van Persie who stabbed the ball home for a 1-0 lead. The strikers combined well, with criticism of their inability to link up in attacking play notable in recent days. The officials were consistent in their ability to give corners on two occasions where the goalkeeper did not get a touch on the ball (first from Walcott’s effort, then from Costa’s shot). Yet from a corner which was rightly given, the other criticised striker in Emmanuel Adebayor headed down into the ground, with the ball bouncing in off the bar. Arsenal finally scored from a set-piece, after being awarded a huge number of corners this season.
Nasri continued to lift the mood on his return from injury, escaping the attentions of two Porto players with a delightful turn and nutmeg. The first half ended with Arsenal leading, but it was not without worrying moments for the Emirates outfit. Porto reacted by bringing on club talisman Lucho Gonzalez, who missed the weekend game through injury. I’ll admit, I was very critical of Robin Van Persie over the weekend, but having taken Walcott’s pass, he ghosted past Bruno Alves and prodded the ball into the far corner. This is the striker we want to see, and even on a bad day, he needs to at least impress through work rate. Soon after, Walcott sprinted down the flank and crossed for Nasri, who was beaten to the ball by the defender. Arsenal toyed with the Portuguese champions, who created havoc in their on box, due to some desire not to clear their lines. Soon after Toure, who stayed up from the resulting corner after a strong period of pressure, fed Walcott, who shot wide, with the whole goal to aim at.
Nasri had a similar attempt, after a remarkable counter attack from a shanked clearance from Toure, which soon ended up at the feet of Walcott. The young winger outpaced his marker with much to spare and cut back, but the ball arrived at an awkward height for Nasri. The Marseille favourite knocked the ball wide with his thigh as he tried to outdo Walcott’s miss, which was considerably worse. Soon after Adebayor volleyed Sagna’s low cross wide. Then both clubs made a number of changes, with Nasri and Van Persie off for Eboue and Bendtner. On the Porto side, Hulk came on for Raul Meireles. Arsenal continued to knock on the Porto door as Helton spilled a Fabregas shot, but the big Brazilian recovered well to block Adebayor’s follow up. The goals continued as Guarin made an impatient hack on Bendtner, with Adebayor sending Helton the wrong way to make it 4-0.
Surely the celebratory jig between Adebayor and Eboue was worth the entrance fee alone. Walcott came off having taken a knock a few minutes earlier and on came the fans’ latest hero, Carlos Vela. The brilliant Mexican dribbled past a number of players in the box and laid it off to Bendtner, who had his initial effort blocked and having fallen off balance, he swung a leg at the ball and his effort went out for a throw in. Even Arsene Wenger could see what there was to laugh about in a comic high point of an assured second half performance. There was even an Adebayor offside and it took 81 minutes!
Bendtner showed direct, aggressive running as he drove into the box and slipped in Adebayor who slid his shot wide. Eboue comfortably added his name into the award for the worst miss of the evening whilst also attempting a trick and forgetting the ball. At least there’s never a dull moment with the Ivorian. The game ended 4-0, but should have been more. The Champions league campaign will rely on the home games and this was a good start and an antidote to THAT game.
It was Arsene Wenger’s twelfth anniversary in charge of the club, Hull City were the opponents. The fans were expectant of a cricket score. Yet as has been seen in a number of games in the past four years, the players became complacent. They did not respect Hull City in this game. They played at a snail’s pace in terms of tempo, didn’t fight for any ball, and were beaten by the better team. The second half, after our goal, was shambolic.
What was ominous about the Hull game was how Fabregas spoke of the Champions League in the build up to the Hull game, a telling sign that the players were supposedly saving themselves for the bigger name. After a week, where the club was in the headlines consistently, with first the side taking the three points for the third game running at the Reebok, and then the youngest ever side thrashing Championship side Sheffield United, the players bought into their own hype, as has happened many times over the past few years.
The excuses have come out, with it being quite ironic for William Gallas to speak of complacency. It seems he has regressed in his defensive capabilities and is infatuated at playing a Beckenbauer role, in setting up attacks from deep, and often finishing. Yes, he has scored three goals, which have led to some key results in the Champions League, but his main occupation is to defend. And it seems that he is slow to pick up his marker, complacent on the ball and poor when attacking an aerial ball. While he may not be one of the most vocal leaders, he has to lead by example in his play. There is no doubt that some smug pundit will mention the incidents at St. Andrews last season, but it isn’t a matter of his speech-making capabilities this time, but simple defending. And it appears he can’t do that either.
Even more surprising was Kolo Toure’s admission that the pressure of the fan’s overwhelming expectation affected him. It is these sorts of situations a Champions League-quality player should thrive on. It is a part of the job a player has in dealing the media attention and if it affected him, he should seriously look at his career prospects. This was Hull City, no disrespect to a Tigers side who fully deserved their victory, not Real Madrid. No doubt this was just another pathetic reason, which the players are forced to come out with upon closer scrutiny by the media in the press conference.
Tonight’s game against Porto is another chance to make this a memorable 12th anniversary for the Arsenal boss. Wenger claimed there were elements of the game which made him physically sick. While he will never admit it in front of the media, there is no other word instead of complacency to describe the Arsenal mentality seen on Saturday. Most fans will be glad to hear that a number of changes will happen but it is very likely that some of the poorest performers will remain. Toure, despite the more consistent central defender should make way for Johan Djourou, who is taller and perhaps more capable with an aerial threat. Gallas’ errors make him the obvious choice to be banished to the bench, but having the armband makes him unsusceptible to demotion. Hopefully this view is proved wrong by the boss, but the idea of making substitutions and team selection based on seniority is a major flaw in Arsene Wenger’s tactical arsenal. If this flaw lives up to its reputation, than we could even see the veteran Mikael Silvestre start.
Samir Nasri is fit and if he starts, he should provide balance and elegance to complement the direct runner on the right flank, be it the improving Eboue or an unpolished diamond in Walcott. The latter showed his indecision in front of goal when given time to make a choice. When only given one option, he has shown the direct attitude, which has suddenly made him a worldwide star. The assisting dribble and pass for our scrappy goal was one of the few instances in which our most dangerous player was able to exert his influence. On a number of other occasions, he flashed in decent crosses, which our non-existent strike-force didn’t bother to attack. Walcott should start but do not be surprised to see Eboue, whose partnership with Sagna makes the full-back much more effective and provides further defensive security.
Unfortunately Alexandre Song is still feeling the effects of a knock from the Carling Cup victory, and despite making the bench on Saturday, will not take any part in a game where his strength and tactical nous would have been vital. His exclusion has opened up a spot on the bench possibly for one of the younger players, such as Aaron Ramsey or Jack Wilshere. What must be done, however, is a change in the striking department. While Robin Van Persie may be technically superior to most footballers, his selfishness is an attribute that is affecting the team negatively. The over-reliance on power, with accuracy sacrificed, when shooting, and some reckless challenges out of frustration are reasons why he should be benched. He has the hallmarks of a certain Arsenal Dutch legend but he must iron out these flaws to reach his pinnacle.
The enigmatic Dutchman is not effective to the side as Adebayor is currently. Both will improve but for tonight Nicklas Bendtner must play some part. One assumes the home encounter will result in a 4-4-2 formation. Yet Wenger has been known to spring some surprises and a 4-5-1 with Nasri in the half striker role is not at all inconceivable. The game is the first Arsenal group stage game on ITV since the 1-0 success against PSV Eindhoven courtesy of an Alex goal in 2004. Let’s hope the terrible football analysis (see: camera shots showing Andy Townsend using a computer to make his point) is overshadowed by a great game of football.
As for the opponents, they have endured a shaky start to the league season. Yet a success against Fenerbache on the opening match-day, which currently has them heading the table, and a narrow victory against Paços de Ferreira, courtesy of a Raul Meireles strike, has turned fortunes around. They have lost the marauding full-back Jose Bosingwa to Chelsea and the man who is eternally in Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadow, Ricardo Quaresma has signed for Inter, with his last performance an anonymous 90 minutes in the Milan derby. Lucho Gonzalez, the Argentinean maestro, returns having missed their weekend fixture, while Lisandro Lopez, scorer of 24 goals last season, is also available. The 2004 winners are a much more attacking line up now, yet some argue they lack the cutting edge to pose a huge threat to the English dominance of the competition.
If nothing eventful happens in the game tonight, keep an eye out for the wonderfully named Hulk, a 22 year old Brazilian striker (real name: Givanildo Vieira de Souza). He is likely to start as a substitute to Argentine attacker Farias. Euro 2008 star Raul Meireles will also look to start in Jesualdo Ferreira’s side that Arsenal should approach with respect. Arsenals are at their best when there is no media attention or on the end of a defeat and heavy criticism. There will be a reaction on Tuesday and Porto will prove a huge test. Fabregas talked of its importance, now they have to deliver.
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