Reasons to be cheerful

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Date	Time	C	Opponent	F	A	R	S
13 Jan	5:15 PM	P	Blackburn Rovers (A)	2	0	Win

So ... the morning after the night before and this young Arsenal side continue to slay the ghosts, confound the critics who think they don't like it up them.

If the last week has been all about unexpected Cup glory in Liverpool - and still they said, these critics, well Liverpool play football, let's see how Arsenal cope when they're getting kicked across a wet and windy northern pitch - then last night could be a watershed for Arsenal's future Premiership aspirations.

Down to 10 men after 12 minutes at Blackburn, Arsène's fourth great side in the making didn't panic, they didn't get aggressive, they just carried on playing their football and came away with a 2-0 win which some believe to be the result of the season to date.

Before I continue, though, I had quite a reaction on my last piece regarding Emmanuel Eboue.

Seems some of you agree, some of you think I'm a closet Manchester United fan, some of you think I think I'm "Mr. Perfect" and some of you even think it was the worst article of the year, whilst someone invited me to consider Robért Píres' contribution to the Unbeaten season.

I can assure you that I'm not a closet Red Devil, nor does Paul Williams think he's Mr. Perfect and if you think it was the worst article of the year - though this year is but 14-days old - that's cool, it's your opinion.

Which is all my original piece was, an opinion. As for Robért Píres, no, no defence here, he dived against Portsmouth 4 years ago, and I despise it now as I did then. Okay? Let's move on.

In another piece last week, I noted that Arsène's tactics were generally perceived to be spot-on in the first game at Anfield.

He got it right again last night, after Gilberto went off. Rather than taking a forward off and leaving one, who would probably have been Henry up on his own, he allowed van Persie and Henry to alternate between being the top man and helping out in midfield, and I think it worked really well. Only reverting to a four in midfield to close down Tugay, with the 1 goal cushion.

A word about the sending off, I'm not sure that the referee had any other option. A kick, no matter how hard is a kick, and by the letter of the law Gilberto had to go.

What infuriates me, and I guess some of you, is that what he did was minimal compared to Savage's initial "tackle", Lucas Neill's foul on van Persie or Tugay's disgraceful foul on Francesc Fabregas, and yet all three of them were allowed to stay on the pitch.

A change in the laws would surely make sense because there's no way Gilberto's kick was more dangerous than Tugay's "tackle", which incidentally led to the predictable and moronic chants of "Same old Arsenal, always cheating". No, you muppets, it was your lot cheating, which is why Fabregas was replaced by Djourou.

No thumbs-up for Rob Styles, but what can we expect from this clown of a referee?

In any case, as I was saying to Jo whilst we sat and watched the game unfold last night, the Karma Police would probably take care of Robbie Savage last night. They must have done, as how he failed to score from that header only he will ever know. Seems the Karma Police also made sure Neill didn't completely get away with that foul - as our first goal came from it. Great header by Kolo Touré, but what about the delivery from Thierry Henry? Magnifique!

Better was to follow from Thierry, a goal so good it had Gary Lineker drooling as Match of the Day approached.

The strike in itself was jaw-dropping, but the work to get there was phenomenal. Remember we had been down to ten for the best part of an hour at this point, yet it didn't stop both Henry and Fabregas running the length of the pitch, Fabregas in support, before playing a perfect one-two to give Henry the space to shake off the defenders left in his wake and fire home the killer goal.

I think we can safely say Thierry is back, and we certainly look better for it. Let's hope he can fire us to victory next weekend.

I thought Gaël Clichy was superb last night, he really worked that left-flank, and the midfield three in the absence of Gilberto were all magnificent particularly in the way they just got on with playing their football. Alexander Hleb, was for me the pick of the bunch, but they all deserve huge credit for the way they battled and passed their way about the pitch.

Reasons to be cheerful? You better believe it!

User Comments

Aussie Fan

Posted on 18 Jan, 2007 at 12:12 AM - Reply

Jean Louis, i am referring to the team needs. Being from Australia, and having loved the English game for as long as i can remember, Eboue does not embody that. English soccer is not renowned for diving, feigning injuries and Cheating. I Love to win as much as any other Gooner, but not to the point of where we have to cheat. When was the last time Lauren ever dived, feigned a injury or even Justin Hoyte or Kerrea Gilbert when he played last year? Skill alone Eboue is ahead of them, but down to heart and desire and playing the game in the right spirit he lacks.
When the boss set his sights on playing ecstacy football, it did not include diving or playing it in the wrong spirit. We are the most blissful professional Football team the world over, and he doesn't want it to be overshadowed by Diving allegations.
Eboue does not embody our team ethics, although his skill, speed, Strength and technique does. He is a World Class RB i agree, but not good enuff if he keeps diving to wear and embody the Red of Arsenal.

AC

Posted on 17 Jan, 2007 at 08:39 PM - Reply

Just want to make an observation about part of the game which hasn't gotten much attention (not to say that this is in any way more significant than any other event last saturday, but it is nevertheless just an observation i made)

Hleb's skill on the ball was sublime. I recorded the game, and apart from the 2 goals, I was drawn to his remarkable control of the ball. I don't know if he ever lost possession that game, but simply watching him dribble the ball around 2-3 defenders at close distance was a joy to behold. at some points he was moving around defenders with the ball between his legs. terrific stuff!

Matt Moore the GOONER!!!!

Posted on 16 Jan, 2007 at 10:04 AM - Reply

Look to the future because Arsenal have only just begun
Arsène Wenger, a person with a hawkish eye on the future, has the team with the greatest potential in England.

The glamour of the 2006 Champions League final offered badly needed therapy for Arsenal. It might even have been preferable to relive Barcelona's late fightback that night than to dwell on the disappointments of the domestic season. Wigan knocked Arsène Wenger's team out of the Carling Cup and Bolton polished them off at the Reebok in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Any Premiership euphoria was stoked by relief and nostalgia.

In the last fixture at Highbury Thierry Henry scored a hat-trick against Wigan as Arsenal ensured a return to the Champions League. Others were left to wonder whether they would have been quite so rosy-cheeked had Spurs not succumbed to a bout of illness before they took on West Ham that afternoon. There is no answer to that question, but other matters were utterly clear. Fourth place was the worst finish Wenger had known.

For this perfectionist, life had been unsatisfactory for a while. Following the season of Premiership invincibility, he had collected just one trophy and not all that much pride was taken in the 2005 FA Cup. Wenger was so annoyed by the penalty shoot-out victory over Manchester United that he found himself driving to his office that summer just to study the footage and reflect on a misconceived battleplan.

It is not merely in his interest that Arsenal's strategy should flourish. The Premiership is always sleeker when one of Wenger's teams is at its most productive. The odds have seemed to be against him, with Chelsea taking transfer spending to unimaginable levels, while foreign ownership elsewhere could bring echoes of Roman Abramovich's policies. That sort of outlay is not remotely possible for Arsenal, whose transfer budgets continue to be smaller than that of several clubs in the Premiership.

There was, and perhaps still is, a possibility of Wenger being left behind. That outcome did not call for any great leap of the imagination when the side lost to Sheffield United a fortnight ago. Subsequently, however, Arsenal have twice beaten Liverpool at Anfield and overcome Blackburn despite being down to 10 men at Ewood Park. Wenger, a person with a hawkish eye on the future, now has the team with the greatest potential in England.

Despite the ascetic look, Wenger is at least as much a creature of compulsion, emotion and anger as, say, Sir Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho at their most demonstrative. While the crowd yelled briefly last month at the award of a free-kick from which Portsmouth scored purely because of feeble defending, Wenger was more enraged than any spectator and now faces an FA charge of improper conduct.

His preparation may be exquisite and the scouting network is a masterpiece, but it will be the obsessiveness behind the intelligence that gives Arsenal a chance of getting back to the very top of the Premiership in the next year or two. For Wenger the youth policy is an expression of ruthlessness. With Emmanuel Eboué established at right-back, he is very clear about having no further use for Lauren.

It has always been like that at Wenger's Arsenal, where the partings with Sol Campbell and Robert Pires were recent episodes of an old story. Back in 2003, the manager's eyes were cold when others' moistened at David Seaman's great save in an FA Cup semi-final with Sheffield United. The veteran still knew he would have to depart.

Wenger has again been busy clearing space for newcomers. The most notable element of the rest period granted to Thierry Henry was the fact that he was not badly missed. Valuable as the captain is, Arsenal have twice hit six goals without him this season. Concerns do go on niggling away, with the cover at full-back unconvincing and the suspension of Gilberto Silva potentially leaving Arsenal exposed against Manchester United on Sunday, unless Mathieu Flamini rises to the challenge.

In the longer term, though, Wenger does not depend on veterans, as Ferguson does to a degree in the cases of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs. Neither do Arsenal suffer from the internal conflicts that could be so devastating at Chelsea. Wenger, indifferent to the advantages of more moneyed clubs, has always gone his own way. That route may yet put him in front of his rivals in the years ahead.

kingsley

Posted on 16 Jan, 2007 at 07:43 AM - Reply

i'll be very happy when the team give man u a good beating

Jean Louis

Posted on 15 Jan, 2007 at 08:53 PM - Reply

Aussie Fan you're so wrong... I was watching the Liverpool game the other day here in Argentina and during the match the match narrator said that Eboue is one of the Best RB year 2006 have had along with Willy Sagnol and I agree... do you really think Eboue is a third choice RB? you must be crazy then cause he is a superb player.

Luka666

Posted on 15 Jan, 2007 at 05:45 PM - Reply

Great article.
Que_T: I would rather have lost a few games a year, than have a team of winning and cheating divers....

Human being

Posted on 15 Jan, 2007 at 05:28 PM - Reply

Good article Paul. People have critised Wenger for being 'tactically inept' in the past, but the last week has shown his quality in the tactics department. Many managers would have taken a striker off when their team goes down to 10 men, but Wenger showed courage under fire.
Rafa Benitez is always hailed as a tactical mastermind, but i think Wenger may have taught him a thing or two in the past 7 days.

Up next is Mr. Ferguson. Should be another fasinating encounter between the two heavyweights of British football managment.

maina mwangi

Posted on 15 Jan, 2007 at 02:25 PM - Reply

I think Paul Williams is just too emotional. You cant talk bout an Arsenal player the way you talked about Eboue. Or then, talk bout Rooney

DT-Vzi

Posted on 15 Jan, 2007 at 12:41 PM - Reply

Good Article Pauly,

Too bad you won't get as good a reaction from this as you got from the Eboue one. Good thing you got some attention though, but Mr Williams, how about this: Eboue has been very fantastic over the season, so much so, every Arsenal fan will rise to his defence. who can forget those killer crosses? Especially the one in the CL?

Yeah, Eboue the young player needs to tinker certain aspects of his personality, but Eboue the Arsenal player is simply the best RB we have right now, one of the best in the EPL and beyond.

Aussie Fan

Posted on 15 Jan, 2007 at 11:30 AM - Reply

Was a great game, Eboue is i believe a Joke, and should be down to third on pecking order. He is not that great a defender, and is lucky to have Hleb on the right flank who is always making the crucial cut off tackles when Eboue gets lazy to track back. And whats worse he is a Diver. But if Arsene has managed to get that Simulation part of the game out of VP I Think there is hope yet for Eboue!!

Que_T

Posted on 15 Jan, 2007 at 10:51 AM - Reply

That serves you right. Maybe next time you won't give us a load of toss juice like you did in the last article. At the end of the day i want to see them win every game and i don't care if they dive to do it.

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