The Perfect Pitch

Finally something good to write about. We completely outplayed Bolton, which is not that uncommon, but we actually got 3 points from it, which is uncommon.

The game started like almost every other game this season - we conceded a goal. It really was sloppy marking, and I have to see it again to see who is to blame, although maybe I’ll skip the blame when the result is so good.

Cesc scores, genuine relief and delight

Rosicky score the equaliser, and Cesc the winner. These two deserve special mention, since they worked hard and for once, their hard work paid off. I’ve always liked Rosicky and I think he can be a special player for us much in the same way as Pires. His shooting technique is great except for the actual aiming, but at least he’s shooting. You can also see the genuine relief and delight when Cesc scored - he’s such a special player. He hasn’t had the best of form recently, and he stuck in there and finally got what he deserved.

Adebayor worked hard too, but he needs to work on his finishing (his other abilities, like holding up the ball, passing, are pretty good already). What a pass by Gilberto too. I’m not his biggest fan since he does misplace passes a bit too often for a central midfielder, but there is no denying his importance to the team. Ljungberg played well, but it looks like he might be injured again, which as I mentioned earlier is one of the three reasons why we don’t need him anymore (the other two being not scoring and not assisting).

We are still making it too difficult for ourselves at times - our intricate passing and one though lay-offs are great to watch, but only if we manage to pull them off. We did manage to pull most of them off during this match, but there are often more direct and easier things that could have been attempted. People will criticize Diaby for not scoring, but he’s not a striker.

Hleb - I thought he played well compared to recent performances. He drove the ball forward, and didn’t misplace his passes as often as he usually does. He still can’t shoot, and that’s not good enough for our current team which already lacks goals. He will be useful when we have other goalscorers in the team, but right now, it just highlights his deficiencies.

Eboue - Lucky not to be caught out for a handball. Possibly at fault for their goal. I also thought that handball apart, he played reasonably well. Was sulking at the end for some reason (some have suggested it’s because Diaby didn’t pass to him for him to score a easy tap in goal at the very end), his mental attitude is strange to say the least. It’s almost as if he is seeking attention and trying to get others to feel sorry for him all the time (hence the diving, and the overreaction to injuries).

And just wanted to add that the entire Bolton team, in the vocabulary of Arseblog, are cunts. Kevin Davies in particular. I would also like to add that if we get rid of Aliadiere and got Anelka back in, it would not be the worst piece of business in the world.

For those that want to download highlights of the game, you should always take a look at the SoccerPulse forums. They have a dedicated Video forum where you can see highlights of almost all the games. You need to register for the forum to read the posts, but it’s free and it’s worth it. The video thread for this game is here. Another great place to download highlights and even full match torrents is at MaXxed Football Forums. Again, you need to register (for free).

Anyway, Man City at home next. A win will most likely secure Champions League football for next season, so let’s hope that’s the case (and also hope that Blackburn win the FA Cup, AC Milan wins the Champions League - I know it’s pathetic and Tottenham-fan-esque to wish for the failure of others, but that’s what being an Arsenal fan in 2007 is like unfortunately - still, our “failed season” might result in a CL place, something that Tottenham has never ever achieved).

A good Friday the 13th to you. [INSERT JOKE ABOUT BLACK CATS, BROKEN MIRRORS AND WALKING UNDER LADDERS]

We play Bolton tomorrow, on the 95th anniversary of the Titanic striking an iceberg - this shouldn’t really concern us, since the good ship Arsenal has already been sinking since February. Unlike the Titanic, Arsenal can still be salvaged, although like any sinking ship, there are already reports (check out The Rumour Mill) of rats abandoning ship (most likely just paper talk + a bit of lost in translation).

A must win, like every other game we have left. If we do win our next two home games, that should be it for 4th place, and we can relax a bit for the game against the scum (go Malbranque!!) and score a few dozen goals against them. Can we beat Bolton? Yes. Will we beat Bolton? Umm…

Stan Kroenke of America is now an 11% shareholder in Arsenal. His intentions, I think, are clear and that is to purchase Arsenal outright. Whether Fiszman, Dein and Bracewell-Smith sells or not, that’s another question. I for one welcome our new Yank overlord. I’d like to remind him that as a trusted Internet personality and devoted Arsenal fan, I can be helpful in the transition from Arsenal Football Club to the London Gunners Soccer Franchise. Go Americans!!

So no fourth defeat in a row. Normally a good result to go up north and get a point, but given that we needed 3 points and the way we played, it was not a very good game to put it mildly.

The players seem to be more afraid of losing the ball, than to actually do something with it. This is perfectly understandable though, due to our habit of allowing the opposition one chance => one goal - nobody wants to be the person to lose the ball and cause us to be one goal down (that is, nobody wants to be another Hleb).

It certainly was interesting to have Diaby play up front. And by interesting, I mean desperate. I feel for Arsene at the moment. Clearly he has a talented squad, and we did play some blinding stuff this season with some very memorable wins, and then everything collapsed. It must be hard for someone so scientific and precise to see well made plans fall apart, partly due to bad luck. It used to be that creating chances was the hardest thing about attacking football, but with us, it’s finishing off the easy chances that seems the hardest. This must make no sense to Arsene, and I can understand his frustration and desperation. Now is not the time to second guess yourself though, because second guessing is when you can turn a bad situation into a much worse one.

I watched last night’s match (I’m in Australia, so the match lasted from midnight to 2am) on the Internet using one of those P2P video streaming services (TVAnts to be precise). These tools stream Chinese TV stations, including sports stations, and they use P2P/bittorrent technology to do so. You know how bittorrent allows you to download files really quickly because you are downloading from hundreds of other users at the same time (while uploading the parts you have downloaded to others)? Well, P2P video streaming works the same way. There is a delay in the stream as you wait for available parts, but the quality is great, and unlike traditional streaming, the more people watch, the faster the stream. The only real problem is that it saturates your net connection due to the massive number of connections, so you can’t do much else at the same time.

Going to keep this nice and short. I hope we play 4-5-1 because we need the extra security in midfield and it’s not as if any of our strikers will score anyway, so no difference between playing 1 or 2 of them. Diaby-Gilberto-Cesc in the middle, Rosicky and Ljungberg on the flanks.

I’m going to stick my neck out and say we’ll win by 2 goals. It’s pure blind hope, but at times like this, hope is all we have.

What I posted 2 days ago:

I hate being right. Things are getting a bit ridiculous now. It wasn’t so much as an “Arsenal Special” as it was an “Arsenal Spectacular”. 30 shots on goal with 14 corners and nothing to show for it, amazing saves by the opposition goalkeeper, hitting the post twice, and then to concede an offside goal in the last seconds (literally) of injury time in the first half.

Here’s a more detailed analysis:

Lehmann: Didn’t have much to do, positioning is always questionable when someone manages to lob you though. Got into a bit of shoving towards the end, which wasn’t what we needed.

Gallas/Toure: Kept on getting into each other’s way, even when doing simple things like passing

Clichy: Somebody teach him to cross the ball please. Or better, use those skills of his to take the ball into the box occasionally

Eboue: Did better than the last game, but still passing to the opposition (the “Hleb effect”), and decision making up front was questionable

Gilberto: Did well, showed what we were missing the last game

Cesc: Better game than recently, still going though some bad form. Needs to work on his shooting

Rosicky: A real spark, but again shooting needs work. Very quiet in the second half

Hleb: Oh dear. Like the rest of the team, played better than the last game, but the “Hleb effect” was in full flow as he kept on passing to the other team. Still passing when he should be shooting.

Ljungberg: Full of running and movement, one on one saved, might have done better. As much as he looked good and full of energy, he’s only scored 1 league goal in his last two seasons, not that many assists, plenty of injuries. An attacking player that doesn’t score goals and provide assists? So what use is he?

Adebayor: Another good game from him. Great header, unfortunately great goalkeeper to deny him as well. He needs to play with a real forward/striker, and unfortunately, we don’t have any at the moment.

Wenger: Diaby substitution was questionable. Should have put on Aliadiere a bit earlier for the ineffective (for our team anyway) Hleb.

Crowd: Far too quiet for most parts.

So that’s that. Another depressing few days, and Newcastle away next - we usually don’t do well up there, and with our current form, it’s hard to see us getting anything from the game. 4 losses on the trot, I hope not.

My first Arsenal blog entry.

So Arsenal play again after what seemed like an eternity - avoiding football news sites after a bad result can have this effect. The kids (and their slightly older brothers) are great sometimes, like against Liverpool this season. But sometimes they are not good enough, like against Liverpool this season. Oh well…

During the week, Liverpool comfortably beat PSV, who knocked us out comfortably. Typical. The Mancs fought the law and the law won (repeatedly, on the head with a police baton it seems), Chelsea looked average against Valencia (go Edu!!) and Tottenham lost 2-1 to Seville courtesy of a dodgy penalty and a headed goal by possibly the shortest guy in the penalty area.

Sol Campbell, seen here not running away to Belgium at half time

So we play West Ham again. A must win, if not for the points, then for pride and a stop to the slide towards relegation. Eboue is out again, which might not be the worst news considering his recent form (due to the injury perhaps). What are the odds of Arsenal having all the possession, 20 shots on goal to the Hammer’s 1, and we still lose 1-0? Surely bookies must be calling this the “Arsenal Special” by now.

We’re at home, so I would like the team to stick with 4-4-2. The “Beast” might need to make way for Aliaidierererere, and please play Diaby in the middle Mr. Wenger (hoping Gilberto is fit). Rosicky must start. And hopefully the defence can sort itself out in time. We are as likely to lose 3-0 as we are to win 3-0 at the moment, so anything could happen.

Come on Arsenal!!!!!!