CL: Arsenal vs Dinamo Kiev | 25/11/08

[ricky1985]

Re: Arsenal vs FC Dynamo Kyiv, Tuesday Nov 25th 7:45 GMT

Dotn you reckon the main thing that stands out with Wilshere, way above every player on the pitch tonight barring Fabregas was his intelligence?

I absolutely adore the way, even at 16, he comes on in the Champions League, looking so cool, and then as soon as he comes on he starts floating around all over the pitch like he owns it.

There is no fear with him. He thinks what is the best thing for me to do right now to influence play in a positive way, and he does it without hesitation. His confidence is frightening. Very similar to Cesc in that respect. He will be incredible in time.

 

[SimplyFabregas]

Re: Arsenal vs FC Dynamo Kyiv, Tuesday Nov 25th 7:45 GMT

Wengers comments.

'Winning this game is the first step for us'

On leaving it late against Dynamo Kyiv…
“Yes we left it late but I felt that it was a more steady than spectacular performance and for us it was important to come back to win the game. I believe that Kyiv defended very well and until now they had not conceded a goal away from home in the Champions League. They drew 0-0 at Fenerbahce and won 1-0 in Porto and you could see why tonight. They were very well organised and they gave us no time on the ball. At the moment the fact that we were less spontaneous in our game gave us a big problem.

“Winning is a first step for us because the team needs a bit of reassurance and at least the win will give us that.”

On Nicklas Bendtner’s impact from the bench…
“It is a great goal and it is not handball you can see that on the replay. It was not taken on his arm and it is not handball like Kyiv complained. It was a great goal because first, it was a fantastic ball from Fabregas, and then it was a good touch and a good finish.

“I am very happy for him because I felt he was a bit disturbed recently, maybe because of a lack of confidence. That will give him the needed confidence.”

On Cesc Fabregas’ first outing as club captain…
“He was very good tonight, he was focussed for 90 minutes and he worked hard both offensively and defensively. It was not easy in midfield because they closed us down very well there. I expected Kyiv to drop a little bit in the second half but they didn’t and overall I think Cesc had a very good game.

On the performance of William Gallas…
“I believe that his focus was great and he wanted to do well. You could see that he was completely committed at the back and it was not an easy performance for the defence tonight. Overall I feel he did well.

“The crowd responded very well and that means that they acknowledge that he was a committed captain. I was very happy that the crowd responded in a positive way to him.”

On the role of the younger players…
“Aaron Ramsey worked very hard and Carlos Vela looked good during his hour and he worked very hard. Afterwards he did drop a bit physically because he is not used to playing at that level. Jack Wilshere, when he came on, did extremely well. He has big composure on the ball and he doesn’t look fazed at all and he has done very well.”

On Manuel Almunia’s crucial save at 0-0…
“It was a turning point in the game I feel. In this kind of game, the keeper always has to make a save and he did just that at the right moment.”

 

[Captain]

Re: Arsenal vs FC Dynamo Kyiv, Tuesday Nov 25th 7:45 GMT

Just got back. Ramsey was better than some are suggesting. Cesc was class.

RvP stunk the place out. He never makes runs off the ball and his game-sense is so bad that he makes others look stupid.

The number of times that RvP killed Ramsey on the right was ridiculous; stupid runs, lack of vision and too slow to release the ball.

Vela was much better in what is probably just a cameo. Vp has to step up soon.

 

[IBL]

Re: Arsenal vs FC Dynamo Kyiv, Tuesday Nov 25th 7:45 GMT

I missed the last 25 mins but a good result considering the dire performance. I'm quickly losing hope with Denilson and Song, Denilson has an excuse at least but Song is so inconsistent its unreal. He'll do some good defensive work only to lose the ball cheaply a minute later. His distribution is laboured and doesnt have much range. In posession he's too slow in the final third and starts panicking & giving the ball away, then he usually ends up fouling when trying to win back the ball.

Our defense is still a farce. Positives were Cesc and a nice cameo by Wilshere

 

[Captain]

Re: Arsenal vs FC Dynamo Kyiv, Tuesday Nov 25th 7:45 GMT

Dotn you reckon the main thing that stands out with Wilshere, way above every player on the pitch tonight barring Fabregas was his intelligence?

I absolutely adore the way, even at 16, he comes on in the Champions League, looking so cool, and then as soon as he comes on he starts floating around all over the pitch like he owns it.

There is no fear with him. He thinks what is the best thing for me to do right now to influence play in a positive way, and he does it without hesitation. His confidence is frightening. Very similar to Cesc in that respect. He will be incredible in time.

His performance is a bit overrated, he did well but he also made some poor decisions. His first touch is still very good and he can obviously pick a pass but it was nothing more then a small cameo that nobody should get too excited about.

 

[ricky1985]

Re: Arsenal vs FC Dynamo Kyiv, Tuesday Nov 25th 7:45 GMT

Dotn you reckon the main thing that stands out with Wilshere, way above every player on the pitch tonight barring Fabregas was his intelligence?

I absolutely adore the way, even at 16, he comes on in the Champions League, looking so cool, and then as soon as he comes on he starts floating around all over the pitch like he owns it.

There is no fear with him. He thinks what is the best thing for me to do right now to influence play in a positive way, and he does it without hesitation. His confidence is frightening. Very similar to Cesc in that respect. He will be incredible in time.

His performance is a bit overrated, he did well but he also made some poor decisions. His first touch is still very good and he can obviously pick a pass but it was nothing more then a small cameo that nobody should get too excited about.

I disagree. For a 16 year old to show that sort of composure on the ball, and confidence to move where he knows he can hurt team, without fear of making a mistake is astonishing.

 

[Mbaki Mutahaba]

Re: Arsenal vs FC Dynamo Kyiv, Tuesday Nov 25th 7:45 GMT

Wilshere cameo shows exactly what we are missing at Arsenal..and its not really "flamini". We are missing the helb..basically another player who can create chances for others. We have become way too dependent on Cesc..as our creator. So when he is closed down..the rest cant do much. Hleb used to relieve him of that burden..and when i look at our team now i think Wilshere is the closest we will get..or maybe Nasri if he is played inside. But we desperately do need another creative midfielder and not the one on the flanks. Wilshere could be just that...at least one can expect a through ball whenever he touched the ball. Am not criticizing our other midfielders here but they are not the creative ones. Its not really a matter of composure but an eye for an opening. They keep the ball longer cos they are continuously looking for that little hole or run. We sill see more of Wilshere am sure.

 

[lagos]

Re: Arsenal vs FC Dynamo Kyiv, Tuesday Nov 25th 7:45 GMT

Wilshere had an ok cameo, nothing spectacular. But I have seen enough of him to know this boy is destined for greatness, so long as he doesn't go off the rails off the pitch, It's only a matter of time. And yes ricky this is what you call a boy genius. I hope you can recognise the difference between him and our favourite subject.

 

[oasis_gooner]

Re: Arsenal vs FC Dynamo Kyiv, Tuesday Nov 25th 7:45 GMT

Just off topic but SAF said Rooney has been watching a lot of Robert Pires lately when questioned about Rooney's dive today. It's funny when you consider that Rooney trains with Ronaldo everyday.

 

[number_0]

Re: Arsenal vs FC Dynamo Kyiv, Tuesday Nov 25th 7:45 GMT

Wenger thinks that the Kyiv players were complaining of a handball, but i read in reports that they complained about the manner of cesc's ball to nik before.

 

[ricky1985]

Re: Arsenal vs FC Dynamo Kyiv, Tuesday Nov 25th 7:45 GMT

Wilshere had an ok cameo, nothing spectacular. But I have seen enough of him to know this boy is destined for greatness, so long as he doesn't go off the rails off the pitch, It's only a matter of time. And yes ricky this is what you call a boy genius. I hope you can recognise the difference between him and our favourite subject.

I see what you are saying Lagos. They are two completely different types of players though, and not only one kind is successful.

To be honest Wilshere, and players like him are the main reason I adore football. Intelligence is an attribute I rate so highly. Walcott is a player who relies more on his physical attributes. His God-like speed, and highly technical finishing ability are what can make him a world class footballer. He also has intelligence though, demonstrated by his incredible movement and timing of runs. He falls sinto the category of C.Ronaldo, Ronaldo, Henry, Pele etc. Players who have phenomenal physical attributes and high levels of technique.

Wilshere on the other hand is a genius, in football terms. For me he falls into the category of Bergkamp, Zidane, Maradona, Messi, Fabregas. Players who were never blessed with incredible physical abilities, but are so inately intelligent that they can do virtually anything on a football pitch.

I live for that moment when these players produce. You know what I mean. Fabregas tonight, Bergkamp against Newcastle, Zidane against Leverkusen and many more from those aforementioned great players. Its when they do something in one moment, that even after you have watched the replay 57 times you cannot see how it was possible, or ever dream you'd think of doing that yourself.

I see that in Wilshere.

P.S - I am glad we agree this time. Makes our discussion on the subject a little easier.

 

[ricky1985]

Re: Arsenal vs FC Dynamo Kyiv, Tuesday Nov 25th 7:45 GMT

Just off topic but SAF said Rooney has been watching a lot of Robert Pires lately when questioned about Rooney's dive today. It's funny when you consider that Rooney trains with Ronaldo everyday.

Further confirming what a stupid **** he is.

 

[oasis_gooner]

Re: Arsenal vs FC Dynamo Kyiv, Tuesday Nov 25th 7:45 GMT

Just finished watching Wenger's post match conference. Adebayor, Sagna amd Nasri are rated 50-50 for the Chelsea match.

 

[Illusion]

Re: Arsenal vs FC Dynamo Kyiv, Tuesday Nov 25th 7:45 GMT

I got back a little while ago and all I can say is I'm glad we won as it was quite a frustrating night. Those sitting around me were positive and supportive of the whole team throughout the match, although it noticably declined around the 60 minute mark with misplaced passes and poor control continually frustrating our attack.

People were not happy with Denilson's performance and he was the victim of a fair amount of criticism, not that some of it wasn't deserved as I felt he was poor. He looked much like a boy in a mans game, always pushed off the ball, not giving it 100% in his challenges and giving the ball away often.

When you're at the stadium you have the ability to watch the players off the ball and we were analysing Fabregas' first stint as captain closely. He wasn't really rallying the troops when the chips were down as far as we could see, but he was definitely trying to make things work. Fortunately at the end he had his trademark vision and Bendtner delivered, although his control looked very handballish I don't think it really was. We went ballistic when the ball went in and all the frustration was taken away in one moment.

Bendtner was not fully applauded or cheered when he came on and I heard a lot of groans, but those same people were happy he managed to deliver in the end.

I had a nice night and enjoyed the game although it was a frustrating game to watch. I thought the support was good enough and the players seemed to get a little lift from it. No one jeered Gallas until he managed to clear one of our shots effectively off the line, but it wasn't really his fault.

The result sent us home happy but doesn't hide the glaringly obvious flaws in this team.

Oh and Wilshere got the biggest cheer of the night when he came on and duly delivered a good performance, he strolled around like he owned the place and reminded one of a younger Cesc to be honest.

 

[lagos]

Re: Arsenal vs FC Dynamo Kyiv, Tuesday Nov 25th 7:45 GMT

He falls sinto the category of C.Ronaldo, Ronaldo, Henry, Pele etc. Players who have phenomenal physical attributes and high levels of technique.



.

Oh lord help me! seriously mate I give up!

 

[DC Gunner]

Re: Arsenal vs FC Dynamo Kyiv, Tuesday Nov 25th 7:45 GMT

Just off topic but SAF said Rooney has been watching a lot of Robert Pires lately when questioned about Rooney's dive today. It's funny when you consider that Rooney trains with Ronaldo everyday.

and with stevie G @ the national level :wink:

 

[McIntyre]

Re: Arsenal vs FC Dynamo Kyiv, Tuesday Nov 25th 7:45 GMT

When you're at the stadium you have the ability to watch the players off the ball and we were analysing Fabregas' first stint as captain closely. He wasn't really rallying the troops when the chips were down as far as we could see, but he was definitely trying to make things work.

As far as I'm concerned the perfect captain leads both by example AND being pretty vocal, but you don't necessarily NEED both to be a good captain.

Cesc can do his best to try and dictate things football wise, but it's obvious that other players will have to chip in to keep the team functioning.

Gallas is quite clearly one of the loudest characters we have in the team and hopefully he won't shrink into complete obscurity having lost the captaincy. Hopefully he'll still aim to command the defence, defend his teammates and contribute substantially to the team.

Also I get the feeling that, as when Henry was captain, there are those characters in our team who were too afraid or too constricted by Gallas's captaincy. There may be a few more players who are prepared to speak up if they're not having to try and speak over Gallas every time they do.

We'll have to wait and see how things work out, but I just hope they can get all their problems in check, all pull in the same direction and get us on a decent run that can get our season (but maybe not our title challenge ) back on track.

 

[dutchMasta]

Re: Arsenal vs FC Dynamo Kyiv, Tuesday Nov 25th 7:45 GMT

His performance is a bit overrated, he did well but he also made some poor decisions. His first touch is still very good and he can obviously pick a pass but it was nothing more then a small cameo that nobody should get too excited about.

Really? I thought he made great decisions, just the execution didn't come off. The pass to Cesc who made a run was the right thing to do, just needed to get the angle better, same with whoever made the run on the right a few mins later. He looked more composed and was more direct compared to several of our players that night, and for a 16 year old, that's pretty special. Seems Wenger's really protecting the guy, how he doesn't get the nod over some out-of-position players, I don't really get, but good to see some of him finally.

 

[Zico]

Re: Arsenal vs FC Dynamo Kyiv, Tuesday Nov 25th 7:45 GMT

I'm happy with the slow integration of Wilshere. He's only a kid. I also do not want him to pick up bad habits from Denilson, Diaby and Song and be frustrated by these lesser players. He showed good energy and playmaking ability today. I wish that pass to Fabregas had gone through. The kid is bold, fast, not scared to get stuck in, and skillful. Clearly, I would like to see more of him before making an absolute judgment, but he seems the biggest talent we've unearthed since Cesc.

 

[Clrnc]

Re: Arsenal vs FC Dynamo Kyiv, Tuesday Nov 25th 7:45 GMT

Ramsey is super amazing for a 17 year old. He looks twice the player than Denilson ever been to me.

And SAF is a ****ing ****