Ally
Active Member
Manchester City 1
Lauren (og) 10
Arsenal 2
Wiltord 47, Ljungberg 70
Fire alarms going off in your team hotel at 4 in the morning might well be construed as the work of the devious, evil Siw Awex, or perhaps even Sam Hamann trying to make sure a bet at his Ladbrokes on City at 4/1 came through...dunno. Don't really care as long as the job gets done. Although the way it was done today was perhaps unorthodox, and rather more in the manner of a desperate scramble for points at the back end of a season, we've won our first four games for the first time since about 1947 – 100%, and just now, I think we'd settle for that. Don't you?
I have to say that all of this was eerily similar to the trip to West Brom on Boxing Day 2002. Having to dig deeper than our superficial arrogant halo to find something more against technically inferior players who were throwing themselves at us at a hair-raising tempo, laying out their stall and going ahead early on. Wiltord's goal was suspiciously identical to Jeffers' equaliser at the Hawthornes, even coming at more or less the same time. And then late on there was a power break straight through the middle, an opposition error and a passed finish into the inviting goal.
It must be said that we were utter shat first half, frankly. Just as West Ham did at Upton Park last season, Man City in their utterly stunning new stadium pressured, worried, harried and forced a hatload of errors in midfield which told in terms of early possession, and whilst chances were at a premium, because Arsenal can do a fair bit of ugly fighting for the ball when the mood seizes them, Citeh took one of two possible options (Either score a fantastic goal – a la Joe Cole's hooked bouncer on the stroke of half time, or hope something very unfortunate and hilarious happens). Distin hammered a clearance way downfield and Sinclair on Lauren's heels gave the Cameroon a push in the back as he tried to take the ball down instead of heading it back to Jens (Initially appearing slow to venture off his line, but blameless for the goal on second glance), he swung an awkward foot in the general direction of the ball and shinned a perversely beautiful bobbler right into the side netting. It's at moments like this when all you can do is sit back and laugh. They're all well and good when they don't involve you of course. (I've sat doubled up laughing at Enckleman allowing the ball to roll ever so gently under his studs, and even tried to analyse which individual factors in particular make the incident quite so hilarious). The fairly crucial dunt in the back by Sinclair is no excuse, by the way. Sorry.
“I know Keegan likes to play quick passing and quick movement but today was more direct, and we couldn't come out from the back.”
From where I was sitting I'd say they were playing a damn damn good game of football. However, like us, it was confidence-based and temporary. They couldn't add to their lead, thanks to a stunning reactions block from Mad Jens down to his left to tip away Anelka's clever drive which was intended to catch the German out on his near post when a low strike across the face of goal (FA Cup Final 98, anyone?) would have been more predictable. Lehmann's adjustment and solidity were top rate.
As the first half petered out, Arsenal got the opportunity to show off some nifty footwork and pass the ball around the back four. It's a case of having to sit there and watch a load of innefective shimmying about before Vieira gives the ball away. I said at the time (Many times, in point of fact), that today in the first half was the worst I've ever seen us play. I dunno about that, but it was definitely a contender. Everything was just horribly wobbly and insecure – threaded through-ball after threaded through-ball was cut out (The ideas were good enough, the execution patently wasn't); as far as chances went, we could list a volley on the turn from Sylvain that was, to be fair, very well hit, but it skimmed straight at Seaman who dropped and gathered routinely. There was also a floating chip to the far post that was totally misjudged by Sun; it dropped over his head to the unsighted Henry who couldn't control. Most notably, there was a rare moment of true fire from an Arsenal player when Gilberto decided that enough was enough, dived straight in on a rebound on the edge of the area, lost the ball, dived in again, and it broke to Ljungberg who tried to find the postage stamp corner, and would have done had it not been for a fine tip-over from some guy in the other goal. Dodgy, like. He got megged, you know.
“Man City surprised us with a very direct game and we were not sharp enough. We decided at half time to go for a more direct game and play in their half and it worked. We were more physical.”
Dunno about that. Although Arsène's right about which elements which contributed to the win, we just scored straight away, quietened the stadium and took the sting totally out of the game.
City are the kind of team who will run themselves into the floor for 90 minutes, but will always be susceptible to real, isolated moments of quality. Or failing that, a left back getting a break and giving a poacher a tap-in. Not to devalue Ashley who was to be seen haring up and down his wing, cutting inside and delivering a fine and varied range of crosses (Check his chip back to the edge of the area where Pires slightly misjudged the drop and didn't catch his first time volley at the correct height – a sublime idea nonetheless). The delivery that counted came straight after the restart. Ash failed to control Pires' lay-in, but didn't let his head drop and slid in brilliantly after there was fatal indecision in the City backline. This time it was a good old fashioned, low cut back straight into Wiltord's instep who rode his balance and scored. Let the record show with a hint of glee that the ball went through Seaman's legs. Heehee! As I say, this was basically just the same as Franny's leveller on Boxing Day in the Midlands. Superb work on the left and good adjustment from an underrated tap-in man to slide the ball in from close range.
“Well, I thought we were a little bit within ourselves. I didn't question our desire [At half time] but I felt we didn't really go for it.”
The game had changed, even with us quite obviously not anywhere near our best – Henry had a stinker and Vieira kept giving the ball away (Although he redeemed himself with some magnificent covering work for the centre backs when Citeh's inevitable late bombardment arrived). Still, there were two chances firmly in the heart-in-mouth-and-pray-your-keeper-saves-your-arse school of defending – firstly, a drilled Anelka pass deflected off Toure and straight to Sibierski, who was thankfully even more unfit and knackered than Thierry was, and given a glorious opportunity running at Mad Jens he just toed it abjectly straight at the keeper. The Anelka drove clear and opted for a long range piledriver that was parried out as Toure dived in to narrow the angle.
“You never know in football because we played a physical game against Villa on Wednesday, and overall, it was more mental resources rather than physical resources.”
If it's a mental block that prevents us playing Wengerball on a week-to-week basis, then that's sad. However, I'd argue that if we looked bad today, then Citeh made us look bad. They just played a solid game of football.
That's not to say we're lost at sea when faced with the problem of trying to break down such opposition. We can score for fun if we want to, but got lucky for the winner. A defensive shambles – yes. A mistake by Seaman – debatable, but the tabloids should have a field day with this. Pires, for once, didn't distribute the ball on the overlap out to the wings – he took Wiltord's chip on, powered through and overran the ball. Seaman dived, there was an almighty scramble, and as the keeper lay on the floor frantically trying to reach the ball which was lying stationary about an inch away from his glove dead centre in the penalty area, Freddie Ljungberg appeared from nowhere to seize the moment and score. Fantastic to see what it meant to him, and he was booked for his celebrations by Graham Poll, noted bent fascist.
The final twenty minutes were spent watching Citeh's forwards pound up the pitch in the astonishing space Lauren was leaving in the right back position, but Mad Jens was just fantastic, bleeding confidence (Growing, at that), flowing distribution and totally assured claiming of swirling set pieces. Additionally, Keown and Toure had the offside trap working quite, quite beautifully.
Seeing as it was offside, I won't go into the 'off the underside of the bar' incident (And how's that for shameless 'I don't really know how to describe such a monumentally farcical occurance properly, so I won't'. I was dangerously close to having an effing cardiac, that's all I'm saying. The sad thing is that they would probably have deserved it. The last act was a header that dropped inches over the bar and onto the top of the net off a corner. It was the kind of game where you find yourself in serious need of air afterwards.
So, 3 points clear of the other Mancs. Yeah, the 'not proper' ones. This was just a nasty assignment that was a marked banana skin, and we got out by riding their pressure and taking two chances in a way I find reassuring – scrappilly, messily. We're scoring tap-ins this season. Instead of trying for 30 yarders into the top corner. We're proving that we can, after all take guilt-edged opportunities. And Sylvain Wiltord is a major, major part of that. And one more thing to consider. If David Seaman had produced the kind of display that Jens turned in today, just what would the reaction have been? Patronising, almost sympathetic and probably verging on hysterical praise, that's what. And that's two highly reassuring things we're gonna take from today.
Man of the Match
TH14 was crap enough not to even venture out onto his wing. Today, Ashley Cole played the Thierry Henry role. Wow.
Moment of the Match
Erm, final whistle? It was torture at times, face it...
Moan of the Match
Freddie getting booked for that? It's fast becoming a very sad footballing world to participate in.
**12 points. [Breaks into broad grin] Absolutely superb. Enjoy your night.**
Ally Winford
Lauren (og) 10
Arsenal 2
Wiltord 47, Ljungberg 70
Fire alarms going off in your team hotel at 4 in the morning might well be construed as the work of the devious, evil Siw Awex, or perhaps even Sam Hamann trying to make sure a bet at his Ladbrokes on City at 4/1 came through...dunno. Don't really care as long as the job gets done. Although the way it was done today was perhaps unorthodox, and rather more in the manner of a desperate scramble for points at the back end of a season, we've won our first four games for the first time since about 1947 – 100%, and just now, I think we'd settle for that. Don't you?
I have to say that all of this was eerily similar to the trip to West Brom on Boxing Day 2002. Having to dig deeper than our superficial arrogant halo to find something more against technically inferior players who were throwing themselves at us at a hair-raising tempo, laying out their stall and going ahead early on. Wiltord's goal was suspiciously identical to Jeffers' equaliser at the Hawthornes, even coming at more or less the same time. And then late on there was a power break straight through the middle, an opposition error and a passed finish into the inviting goal.
It must be said that we were utter shat first half, frankly. Just as West Ham did at Upton Park last season, Man City in their utterly stunning new stadium pressured, worried, harried and forced a hatload of errors in midfield which told in terms of early possession, and whilst chances were at a premium, because Arsenal can do a fair bit of ugly fighting for the ball when the mood seizes them, Citeh took one of two possible options (Either score a fantastic goal – a la Joe Cole's hooked bouncer on the stroke of half time, or hope something very unfortunate and hilarious happens). Distin hammered a clearance way downfield and Sinclair on Lauren's heels gave the Cameroon a push in the back as he tried to take the ball down instead of heading it back to Jens (Initially appearing slow to venture off his line, but blameless for the goal on second glance), he swung an awkward foot in the general direction of the ball and shinned a perversely beautiful bobbler right into the side netting. It's at moments like this when all you can do is sit back and laugh. They're all well and good when they don't involve you of course. (I've sat doubled up laughing at Enckleman allowing the ball to roll ever so gently under his studs, and even tried to analyse which individual factors in particular make the incident quite so hilarious). The fairly crucial dunt in the back by Sinclair is no excuse, by the way. Sorry.
“I know Keegan likes to play quick passing and quick movement but today was more direct, and we couldn't come out from the back.”
From where I was sitting I'd say they were playing a damn damn good game of football. However, like us, it was confidence-based and temporary. They couldn't add to their lead, thanks to a stunning reactions block from Mad Jens down to his left to tip away Anelka's clever drive which was intended to catch the German out on his near post when a low strike across the face of goal (FA Cup Final 98, anyone?) would have been more predictable. Lehmann's adjustment and solidity were top rate.
As the first half petered out, Arsenal got the opportunity to show off some nifty footwork and pass the ball around the back four. It's a case of having to sit there and watch a load of innefective shimmying about before Vieira gives the ball away. I said at the time (Many times, in point of fact), that today in the first half was the worst I've ever seen us play. I dunno about that, but it was definitely a contender. Everything was just horribly wobbly and insecure – threaded through-ball after threaded through-ball was cut out (The ideas were good enough, the execution patently wasn't); as far as chances went, we could list a volley on the turn from Sylvain that was, to be fair, very well hit, but it skimmed straight at Seaman who dropped and gathered routinely. There was also a floating chip to the far post that was totally misjudged by Sun; it dropped over his head to the unsighted Henry who couldn't control. Most notably, there was a rare moment of true fire from an Arsenal player when Gilberto decided that enough was enough, dived straight in on a rebound on the edge of the area, lost the ball, dived in again, and it broke to Ljungberg who tried to find the postage stamp corner, and would have done had it not been for a fine tip-over from some guy in the other goal. Dodgy, like. He got megged, you know.
“Man City surprised us with a very direct game and we were not sharp enough. We decided at half time to go for a more direct game and play in their half and it worked. We were more physical.”
Dunno about that. Although Arsène's right about which elements which contributed to the win, we just scored straight away, quietened the stadium and took the sting totally out of the game.
City are the kind of team who will run themselves into the floor for 90 minutes, but will always be susceptible to real, isolated moments of quality. Or failing that, a left back getting a break and giving a poacher a tap-in. Not to devalue Ashley who was to be seen haring up and down his wing, cutting inside and delivering a fine and varied range of crosses (Check his chip back to the edge of the area where Pires slightly misjudged the drop and didn't catch his first time volley at the correct height – a sublime idea nonetheless). The delivery that counted came straight after the restart. Ash failed to control Pires' lay-in, but didn't let his head drop and slid in brilliantly after there was fatal indecision in the City backline. This time it was a good old fashioned, low cut back straight into Wiltord's instep who rode his balance and scored. Let the record show with a hint of glee that the ball went through Seaman's legs. Heehee! As I say, this was basically just the same as Franny's leveller on Boxing Day in the Midlands. Superb work on the left and good adjustment from an underrated tap-in man to slide the ball in from close range.
“Well, I thought we were a little bit within ourselves. I didn't question our desire [At half time] but I felt we didn't really go for it.”
The game had changed, even with us quite obviously not anywhere near our best – Henry had a stinker and Vieira kept giving the ball away (Although he redeemed himself with some magnificent covering work for the centre backs when Citeh's inevitable late bombardment arrived). Still, there were two chances firmly in the heart-in-mouth-and-pray-your-keeper-saves-your-arse school of defending – firstly, a drilled Anelka pass deflected off Toure and straight to Sibierski, who was thankfully even more unfit and knackered than Thierry was, and given a glorious opportunity running at Mad Jens he just toed it abjectly straight at the keeper. The Anelka drove clear and opted for a long range piledriver that was parried out as Toure dived in to narrow the angle.
“You never know in football because we played a physical game against Villa on Wednesday, and overall, it was more mental resources rather than physical resources.”
If it's a mental block that prevents us playing Wengerball on a week-to-week basis, then that's sad. However, I'd argue that if we looked bad today, then Citeh made us look bad. They just played a solid game of football.
That's not to say we're lost at sea when faced with the problem of trying to break down such opposition. We can score for fun if we want to, but got lucky for the winner. A defensive shambles – yes. A mistake by Seaman – debatable, but the tabloids should have a field day with this. Pires, for once, didn't distribute the ball on the overlap out to the wings – he took Wiltord's chip on, powered through and overran the ball. Seaman dived, there was an almighty scramble, and as the keeper lay on the floor frantically trying to reach the ball which was lying stationary about an inch away from his glove dead centre in the penalty area, Freddie Ljungberg appeared from nowhere to seize the moment and score. Fantastic to see what it meant to him, and he was booked for his celebrations by Graham Poll, noted bent fascist.
The final twenty minutes were spent watching Citeh's forwards pound up the pitch in the astonishing space Lauren was leaving in the right back position, but Mad Jens was just fantastic, bleeding confidence (Growing, at that), flowing distribution and totally assured claiming of swirling set pieces. Additionally, Keown and Toure had the offside trap working quite, quite beautifully.
Seeing as it was offside, I won't go into the 'off the underside of the bar' incident (And how's that for shameless 'I don't really know how to describe such a monumentally farcical occurance properly, so I won't'. I was dangerously close to having an effing cardiac, that's all I'm saying. The sad thing is that they would probably have deserved it. The last act was a header that dropped inches over the bar and onto the top of the net off a corner. It was the kind of game where you find yourself in serious need of air afterwards.
So, 3 points clear of the other Mancs. Yeah, the 'not proper' ones. This was just a nasty assignment that was a marked banana skin, and we got out by riding their pressure and taking two chances in a way I find reassuring – scrappilly, messily. We're scoring tap-ins this season. Instead of trying for 30 yarders into the top corner. We're proving that we can, after all take guilt-edged opportunities. And Sylvain Wiltord is a major, major part of that. And one more thing to consider. If David Seaman had produced the kind of display that Jens turned in today, just what would the reaction have been? Patronising, almost sympathetic and probably verging on hysterical praise, that's what. And that's two highly reassuring things we're gonna take from today.
Man of the Match
TH14 was crap enough not to even venture out onto his wing. Today, Ashley Cole played the Thierry Henry role. Wow.
Moment of the Match
Erm, final whistle? It was torture at times, face it...
Moan of the Match
Freddie getting booked for that? It's fast becoming a very sad footballing world to participate in.
**12 points. [Breaks into broad grin] Absolutely superb. Enjoy your night.**
Ally Winford
