Burnley 1 - Arsenal 1: Arsenal are scared and don't have balls.

Ahhh, just as we thought we were ready to show we really wanted the championship, we go and drop 2 points away from home. I won't write a lot on what happened last night, it was clear we needed 3 points, and whilst we took advantage of last weekend, this week we haven't and we have given 2 points basically to the leaders.

If we cannot cope with such a crucial point of the season, there is no hope for us winning the championship, you cannot say 1 point is good because Burnley beat Man Utd there, who cares, Man Utd beat us, so we have to win there, we need 3 points, 1 point does nothing for us.

What also irritates me is that the players never stood up and showed they wanted 3 points. Fabregas did, but he probably realised the others didn't and walked off with injury, awful mentality from the players. Champions always give their best, always force the issue, always go for a win, always find a way to win. Sadly we never.

8 points behind Chelsea, we better concentrate on Aston Villa for now, they are hot on our heels right now, if we aren't careful, they could cause us trouble again. We need to finish 3rd to ensure automatic qualification to the CL, that gives us an extra week or two off next summer (already talking about that, how sad for us fans).

As for player ratings, they all sucked apart from Fabregas who showed lots of quality before his injury, the type of form that commands a transfer war in the summer. Whoever fights that war will win as the rest of the players tonight never wanted a win. The worst offenders, Almunia, what a joke of a performance, he can't even kick the ball properly, and Walcott, if England take him to the World Cup and start him, they will get no goals created from him, he shouldn't be at any World Cup anytime soon until he can shoot or has more tricks.

Hull, oh well, lets hope for the best, and hope others drop points as well.

Liverpool 1 - Arsenal 2: Arshavin is a super Sniper.

Back in business, well the result means we are, not so sure about the first half. On a weekend where Man Utd and Chelsea dropped points, anything less than 3 points today would have been a failure, and know what, it seems Wenger was able to transmit this to his players who came back for a change, more of the same please.

During World War II, there were many snipers aka designated marksmen to kill the Axis soldiers, one has been shown in English media with Jude Law in Enemy At The Gates, as Vasiliy Zaytzev. The one least known but very deadly was Ivan Sidorenko who had a confirmed 500 kills. Arshavin is following in this rich tradition, Liverpool can't handle his accuracy, his goal was so precise, no goal keeper would have had a chance, not Banks, not Zoff, not Kahn, not Buffon, and surely not Reina.

The first half really sucked and had me cursing the television at the under performance of the whole team. Liverpool had more desire to win, and knowing we needed 3 points, this for me was unacceptable, and with stories of Wenger losing his cool, he must have thought so too. We need to stop such silly performances, I don't care who the opposition is, because there is no footballing talent reason for our players to not do well in every game, at the very least, they should run and show determination and not look feeble and accept mediocrity.

Even though the team as a unit won, there are still major problems that need to be fixed immediately. Almunia is struggling, and may need to be put out of his misery soon, he is costing us goals and points, what the hell was he thinking of yesterday? There was another thing that made me angry, he threw the ball straight at Liverpool when he had Vermaelen as a short option but he went long, ridiculous.

Sagna crosses, if there is no one in the box, even if it is a nice cross, it is a bad cross because it is giving the ball away. Do you really expect Arshavin to get a header vs Agger? Get real, don't cross if there is no real chance of a conversion. Walcott sucked again, even if he was there for the Johnson goal, he added no value at all. He needs to work harder and add more to his game, not just his speed is good enough, we need a real footballer, not a sprinter.

Player Ratings:

Almunia 2: Cost us a goal, gave the ball away cheaply as well. Routine Save from Torres though.

Sagna 5: Solid in defence again, but crosses still leave a lot to be desired.

Gallas 3: Horror show, he needs a breather. Caught cold in midfield when Torres shot at Almunia, gave away a potential penalty, poor set piece marking, oh boy.

Vermaelen 4: Better than Gallas, but still not the rock we need, how many chances did Liverpool have in the first half, waaaaay too many.

Traore 5: Johnson never got much action, neither did Kuyt, so he did a decent job.

Song 6: This guy is a thoroughbred when the play is in front of him, his ball manipulation skills are on point, player of the season I think. Needs to work on gaining more speed though.

Fabregas 4: Bad passing, not much defensive work, not what we expect from him.

Denilson 5: Not visible, but effective, was the extra barrier required, especially in the second half.

Walcott N/A: That bad I won't grade him, won't waste any more words on him either.

Nasri 4: Cross for the Johnson goal, apart from that, he is no winger, he needs to be in midfield, not wide, please change it Wenger, this guy is the future of France and we are killing him.

Arshavin 6.5: Quiet first half, stunning goal, and done more than Eduardo and Vela have all season as a striker. One of the teams potential game changers.

Diaby 4: Not on long.


Trainer Rating

Wenger 5: He gets points for the half time rollicking, apart from that, he needs to read the game better, had Liverpool had luck and their shooting boots on, they would have been 3-0 at half time for sure. The continued deployment of Arshavin is good, but Walcott has no effect, he shouldn't be starting, I'd rather have Eduardo than Walcott, at least he has some vision, Walcott is just fast.

Liverpool vs Arsenal: Time To Test The Will of The Team

Simply put, this game is a MUST WIN. Man City have done Arsenal a very big favour in beating Chelsea, and to fully profit from that, we need to take 3 points from Anfield, something we haven't done for a very long time. Should Chelsea win against Everton today, that gap will be 11 points with us having 2 games in hand, I won't take us winning those matches for granted, the only thing that counts is the points on the board, not the points that may or may not come.

I do worry though, Liverpool are supposed to be having an awful season, but they are only 4 points behind us, a loss and draw and them winning, and we are where they are right now, so Liverpool are not as bad as people think.

What is impressive about them is they will have already devised a tactical plan for Arsenal, with or without Gerrard-Torres-Aquilani, they will know what they want to do and how to do it. I suspect they will isolate Fabregas from who ever our point striker is and that could be enough to shut us down unless we adjust things, as if the space between Fabregas and the striker is big, we have no one else who can step up.

This is also a big test for our mentality, we need to play our lives out for 98mins, we need to realise we need to WIN, 3 points is absolutely required and anything less is a failure. I hope Wenger transmits this to the players and he also ensures he reacts for a change, and not by throwing on Walcott and Vela to run around aimlessly, but for them to take shots from any range, or long balls so we can strike off those second balls they head out, passing will get us nowhere if we are behind.

Up the Arsenal.

No To Carlton Cole

I'm hearing many rumours and people wanting Carlton Cole.....what planet are you on? What do we need Carlton Cole for?

Arsenal need a player who can score first and foremost, now look at Cole's stats and tell me is a goal machine? We need a player who Arsene Wenger called 'a killer' after Man Utd laid the smack down in their 3-1 win last year. Carlton Cole is not a killer, so we don't need or want him.

Arsenal are supposed to be fighting for titles on 4 fronts, Carlton Cole isn't a player for titles, look at the strikers amassed at our competitors, Torres-Drogba-Rooney-Anelka-Barbatov, and we want to buy Carlton Cole? Are you serious? This guy has never scored more than 10 goals in a season?

He may be English, but the English player of high profile in our squad Walcott hasn't improved as we had hoped, so that shows don't just buy a player because he is English. Carlton Cole should go to Aston Villa and join Heskey, there is no place for him at Arsenal.

Wenger needs to get real, he needs to spend big cash, and if that means finding it by not renewing Rosicky's contract, so be it. To get the best, you need to pay for it,you sold Adebayor for peanuts in my view, £25m when other players were going for more like Gomez and Benzema, and you never spent that money, so you should have enough for Dzeko, or a double swoop of Oscar Cardozo and Andre-Pierre Gignac.

Arsenal 2 - Stoke City 0: Eureka, Arshavin can play centrally!!

What a welcome result, and lets be honest, a wholly expected one, 2-0 win at home in the midst of the worst run this season where the team had had 3 losses on the trot domestically. Without the star striker Robin Van Persie, and the injury of Bendtner, two strikers were used before today, Eduardo and Vela. In those three games, both never looked like they knew what central striking was about, not able to make runs, not able to hold time and create space, they both played stinkers against Sunderland, Chelsea and Man City where the team scored a mighty 0 goals.

So, it seems Wenger has had his eureka moment, and tried the Russian dwarf Arshavin as the point man. Against giant defenders of Stoke, Arshavin who this week complained the team lacked anyone to hold the ball, walked the walk and showed Vela and Eduardo what can be done when you use your intelligence and try find solutions inside a game.

Whilst Vela and Eduardo kept doing the same things and had the same results, Arshavin would see what would work and keep doing it. The Stoke defenders sat deep and close to each other, so Arshavin dropped deep and looked for when they split their lines. He scored one goal with a combination with Fabregas, and had he had his shooting boots on, he would have scored another 2 certain goals.

Fabregas also found time to miss a penalty and let his head drop for the rest of the game. Ramsey made certain of the points with a late goal.

Still there are weaknesses, Sagna is still crossing to nobody, and the team always looks to attack, even when the opposition are regimented and showing no sign of breaking their ranks, so why attack and hope you get through? Be patient and draw the opposition out, especially if you have the goal, why press for more if the opposition are sitting deep and playing on the counter, let them come try get the ball, we have the players who can keep it, so they should keep it.

Player Ratings

Almunia 3: Suspect on crosses, sort it out.

Sagna 4: Crosses are useless, stop it please.

Gallas 5: Not much action, decent, although no need to keep charging up field.

Vermaelen 5: Same as Gallas on all fronts.

Traore 5: Decent attacking play, but needs work on defending, which is his primary duty.

Denilson 4: Not awful, but never helped in ball retention.

Fabregas 4: Many bad passes, although set up Arshavin.

Rosicky 2: Poor performance,looks tired, and is now injured for a month.

Nasri 5: So so, not able to do what he does best in finding killer passes.

Eboue 4: Not an attacker, shouldn't be playing there, no end product.

Arshavin 6: Showed the strikers how to play centrally, now show the same attitude in every game please, no time for sulking.


Trainer Rating

Wenger 5: Made the most of the players at his disposal, although why keep playing Eboue anywhere other than right back is a mistake, he has no end product. Also why use Rosicky who looked bad for the 45mins he played? Also he needs to be the voice of the team, tell them to retain the ball better and not over exert themselves, conservation of energy will be key, so many games are coming up and the players need as much energy as they can get.

Man City 3 - Arsenal 0. No One Takes Us Seriously Anymore.

As expected, the Carling Cup has been thrown away, in meek fashion I must add. Not only did the team lose, they played awfully as well. In 3 games, we have conceded 7 goals and scored 0, so much for spanking teams like Everton 6-1.....


The first goal, a catalogue of errors. Tevez took the ball from midfield, found a pass in-between Song-Billong and Eboue for Bellamay to exploit, Bellamy's cross was intercepted by Song-Billong who then passed out to Rosicky. Tevez was still hungry to chase Rosicky down, hustled the ball, played a one-two with Bellamy, then in 7 seconds, was able to waltz past Eboue-Song Billong-Silvestre before firing into the top corner. Wehere was the pressure, where was the tackle? There was none.


The second, Silvestre came forward with the ball, fed Merida who missed his pass to Rosicky, Richards fed Wright Phillips who ran on the outside of Silvestre, came inside, Silvestre simply backing off him and Wright Phillips smashed a shot into the far corner, Fabianski beaten again, 2-0.


The third, Ireland fed Bellamy who fired straight at Fabianski, Arsenal broke away with Rosicky who fed Merida. Merida lost the ball on the edge of the City box, Toure fed Ireland, Ireland swept it right to Bellamy who sped past a first Wilshere challenge, then sped past Billong-Song and Wilshere who bumped into each other, got into the box, squared right for Weiss to nip in ahead of Traore and make it 3-0.

Horror show when analysed like that, then again some said we were unlucky, rubbish. This team has no mentality or desire and can't tackle. This isn't Pro Evo where the button X works as a tackle, you need to take the ball or the man, period, not let them go past you.

Also, Fabianski sucks, two of the goals are his fault, the first, he got his angles all wrong. He covered the near post which had a very small angle and Troare had it covered anyway, leaving over 85% of the goal to be aimed at for Tevez, easy stuff for Tevez.




The second goal, again he got his angle wrong, the direction that Wright Phillips was coming from, there was no way he could hit the near post as the anglewas too acute, instead Fabianski closed that post down leaving Wright Phillips over 85% of the goal to aim at, that is easy to do. Fabianski needs to go on loan, and maybe for 3 years to learn how to keep goal, these are elementary mistakes.



Player Ratings

Fabianski 3: One good save, hard to criticise the third goal, poor technique and intelligence for the first two goals.

Eboue 2: A senior player, lacked energy, lacked desire, and never defended. Unacceptable.

Song-Billong 3: What kind of a tackle was that for the first goal? And for the third, he bumped into his own player, and picked up a cheap yellow card so is banned for Stoke.

Silvestre 2: He was ASDA for Man City, every little helps. Gave them loads of chances, he MUST NOT play in the first team.

Traore 2: You see Weiss is bombing in and you relax, what did you expect him to do, pass the ball, he was coming to score, wake up please.

Eastmond 1: Out of his depth today, simple as that.

Rosicky 1: A senior player, and he was lethargic, never led the midfield, and cost the first goal. You are a hero of mine, but this was awful 'Dumpling'.

Ramsey 2: Invisible, no combination play, no leading, awful.

Merida 2: Cracked the bar, but gave the ball away twice and it was costly, created nothing either.

Wilshere 1: Created nothing, and for the third goal, let Bellamy run for 45m and never once put in a tackle, just jogged with him, what is that?

Vela 2: Never came to get the ball, never had any shots, another bad game.


Trainer Rating:

Wenger 2: I don't care about the hand shake, if he doesn't want to he doesn't have to, at least he won't be a hypocrite. What I have a problem with is his fielded a team of kids against a top team, he is paid to win games, and this team was never going to win. The formation was inept, the midfield was over run and he never changed it. His selection also ensured if we went behind, we never had the players to change the result with out of form players like Nasri-Walcott-Eduardo kept at home, why? What do we do in training if we don't work on where we are weak? We don't know how to defend, and if you can't defend, which is the easiest thing in the game, it makes it harder to score, and scoring is the hardest thing to do in the game.

Man City vs Arsenal, Carling Cup, Wenger and his 18.

Seeing the squad nomination list today for the away game at Man City reminds me of Leonidas and his 300. Leonidas was a man of honour, a man of glory, and he went down a path thinking it was right whilst knowing it would be his ultimate fall. How did he expect to contain a legion of continents with only 300 of his finest soldiers in the final stand at Thermopylae? The Persians had more weapons, more soldiers, and even if they were less skilled, the sheer numbers alone would make them win through intimidation.

Our squad today are lambs to the slaughter. We only have Rosicky, Song-Billong, Silvestre, Eboue who are players with experience and ready to take on the expensively assembled hoard of Man City. Where is Senderos? If he has been dropped, Wenger is playing a very dangerous game, we are 1 injury away from calling him to be on the bench, especially with Song-Billong going away at the end of the month, he needs as much match preparation as possible, this is bad management if he isn't injured or has a family problem.

Also, where are Nasri and Walcott? They need practice as they haven't played much and are regarded as first team players. Eduardo could do with a game too, to find his shooting boots.

One thing for certain, we will concede a goal, and when you know that, you know you may not win the game, I don't expect us to, and this is a trophy simply thrown away. What a shame for us Arsenal fans who pay top dollar, and for the travelling support too.

Arsenal 0 - Chelsea 3: Lightweights Squashed.

Another smashing at home to Chelsea, last season, 4-1, this season 3-0, not even a goal to celebrate? The true value of Arsenal was shown last evening, to win championships, you need to show you can derail your opponents. Instead, Chelsea have shown us where we need to get to if we ever want to be champions again, especially in the short-medium term. Ashley Cole must have thoroughly enjoyed this, two assists, and Drogba put the icing on the cake with a thunderous freekick.

1) Solidarity.

Chelsea had easy pickings yesterday, they were all united in what they wanted to achieve, they attacked as one, the defended as one, no weak links, and when Obi did mess up, even Anelka would come back to help. Contrast that to Arsenal, the whole team never operated as a single unit, clear divisions in how the midfield, attack and defence play, no synergy at all. When facing a formidable opponent, you need to be one, otherwise you will fail.

2) Tactics.

This is something that needs to be addressed. prior to the game, Fabregas and Wenger said, "we'll play our game and see how it goes," compare that to Ancelotti who said after the game, "We knew that Arsenal like to play in the opponents half and we prepared very well our defensive positions, keep control of zones." Is it any wonder why Chelsea knew exactly how to win, and we never? You can't stick to 1 scheme in every single game, it is easy to plan for. We never prepare for the opposition, and only ever had 1 striker on the pitch at a time, so where will the goals come from? And since when did random crosses become a method of playing? We may be a small sized team, but with the right tactics, we can negate that deficiency.

3) Champion mentality.

Once we go behind, we never come back, especially against such big teams. The team feebly tried to come back by running hard and applying pressure, but they had no method in that madness, Chelsea are ready for high impact, you need to be intellectual to open them up, we sent in crosses for Eduardo, thinking Terry and Carvalho are short..... The team needs to react quickly, once the first went in, we should react, not after 2 goals have gone in. And this business of giving up after 70 mins sucks, Liverpool and Man Utd have shown in the Champions League that nothing is ever a lost cause. We need to stop giving up, and give our all for 95mins, I thought the players said they had learned to concentrate for a whole game after the Liege, AZ and West Ham games?


Player Ratings

Almunia 3: One good save, after that, the rest he could have at least reacted. The Drogba free-kick was because he decided to move and not be confident.

Sagna 2: Rotten crosses as usual, and two goals came from his side. Once upon a time, Sagna was a rock at the back, what has happened to him?

Gallas 3: Costly errors for the first two goals, couldn't handle the Chelsea attack.

Vermaelen 3: Latest Arsenal defender to fail to contain the Drog. Own goal and awful defending for the first goal.

Traore 3: Sent spiralling by Drogba when they fought for the ball, and Ivanovic did a similar thing to him. Got forward but with no quality.

Song-Billong 3: Carried the ball well and compressed space, only had 45mins, injury or tactical?

Fabregas 3: No invention, and as captain, gave up very easily again, becoming a ritual. In tough times, the captain should stand up tall.

Denilson 3: No passing, not much defensive work either, what value did he add?

Nasri 3: Not a winger, but still played there, why? Not able to unlock the doors for his team. He is best behind strikers, not on the flank.

Arshavin 2: Much is expected from him, but not on the same wavelength as his team mates.

Eduardo 1: No confidence, not a lead striker, got nothing from Terry and Carvalho.

Walcott 1: No technique or intelligence, very very very predictable, Cole and Ferreira had an easy time with him. Speed is not everything.

Vela 2: No right foot, and runs into blind alleys, never let off any shots, what was the point?

Rosicky 1: Made a few nice passes, but cowardly kicks on Obi, if he had shown as much ambition in his attacking play as those kicks, we may have actually scored.


Trainer Rating

Wenger 1: His marriage to one formation is killing the team yet again. Never deployed his players where they are best, Eduardo is not a lead striker, Nasri is not a winger, and why keep Rosicky on the bench for so long, he is one of our most intelligent players with experience against big opponents.

No tactical variation, Chelsea knew exactly what was coming,and he never changed it. Why not use 3 defenders and have two strikers on? Instead we kept with a 4-3-3 with inadequate players for it for 90 mins. Does he also approve of aimless crosses? He never told them to stop it, if he approves, he needs to stop this tactic, it doesn't work.

Time To Go To Work.

On Sunday, Arsenal need to clock in for work and get a job done, it doesn't matter how, they simply HAVE TO WIN. This is where we can really judge if we are ready to box with the top teams for a domestic championship.


Last season, the players never went to work and were destroyed 4-1 at home, in most instances, such a result should lead to questions on the trainer, especially as the team sucked all season. I called it '11 employees contracted for 90mins', this time round, all 18 members of the matchday squad need to stick together and be ready to bleed, or as Gallas said in 2007 after the Man Utd 2-2 home match where he scored a last minute equaliser, "We had to fight. We said if we had to die we would die together on that field."


The players need to understand, allowing Chelsea to extend their current 8 point lead at our expense is out of the question, as seen by other teams losing 9-1 in the league, we cannot rely on others to do the job for us, if you want something done, do it yourself. This means we need to chase goals, and unlike last season where Wenger elected to use 1 striker and have 2 on the bench, this time, use Vela and Eduardo together from the start, where else do you expect the goals to come from if they don't start?


Tactically, Wenger needs to change some things. This Ancelotti side is very narrow, but they can also change instantly to become a more wider team because Ancelotti has done a lot of tactical work with the players. We need to pressure who ever is at the base of their midfield and stop the ball coming out, and by doing this, we also leave ourselves open for Chelsea to run at our defence or shoot from range. As a keen watcher of Serie A, the way to beat Milan under Ancelotti was not stifle Kaka or Pirlo, but ensure Gattuso and Ambrosini never made the primary pass to them, Wenger needs to do this and whoever does it must be fit and concentrated for 90mins.


Silvestre has been a common denominator when we have lost heavily, and he seriously needs to have a good game, it is matches like this where we need him most, and if he doesn't have a good game, I expect the other 9 out field players to help him out and not leave him in the cold to freeze, if they do, we will lose.


I won't predict a result, but I'm certain we will lose if we don't force the issue and tell Chelsea we are willing to die, Chelsea have nothing to prove, nothing to lose, only everything to win, a loss and they won't lose top spot for another fortnight, a win and they have daylight over an opponent allowing them more room for error. We lose, we have no room for error, and are fighting for nothing for the rest of the season.

Sunderland 1 - Arsenal 0: Horrible

No match review, all I'll say is the team never showed personality, Wenger gets a -10 for his tactical knowledge, and Gazidis gets a -10 for his transfer dealings, we sell a striker and don't replace him? Get real, to win a title, be it the FA Cup or the Championship, we need a squad for it, all it took is an injury to one player and we froze up, disgrace.


Almunia 0
Sagna -2: (Don't attack if you don't know how to, and fix your stamina and technique damnit!)
Traore 0
Gallas 0
Vermaelen 0
Song-Billong 0
Fabregas -2: (Where is a captain when the tough times come?)
Ramsey -3: (Don't expect a first team start in a bigger match after this performance)
Nasri 0
Rosicky 0
Eduardo 0

Wenger: -10. Read a book on tactics, your 4-3-3 or 4-1-4-1 or 4-2-3-1 is commonly seen as a boring 4-5-1 today. Why buy Vela and not play him from the start? You see the crosses aren't working, and you put Walcott and tell him to put more crosses in? You see your 4-5-1 isn't working, and that Sunderland are only have 1 striker, have you heard of using 3 at the back? It is better to lose 2-0 on the break than losing 1-0 without attempting to change. Without changing tactics, we will not win titles, please buy a book on them, I'm getting tired of sticking to one style of play all the time.

Arsenal 2 - Liverpool 1: Vibrant attack, still bad defending.

As we have become accustomed, a win in the Carling Cup in mostly sparkling fashion. It is very refreshing to see some of the younger players bring such an attitude to their game, no fear,and playing as if it is their last game......in an attacking sense. In terms of defending, that is another issue.

Arsenal took a deserved lead when Merida smashed home after a good passing move, then Liverpool equalised with a stunning dipping shot, something that wouldn't have happened if he was closed down and if Fabianski reacted and got his distances right, nice goal, poor defence. The winner in the second half was really good, nice passing and evading before Bendtner smashed home from close range.

The good, well the passing was good and incisive, but this has to be expected. Nasri made his return, and fitness still looks an issue, he needs to get back into his rhythm, and coming after Wenger said that Ramsey and Merida were close to the first team, playing like this, they should be 1st choice subs, and the trainer really needs to ask why those ahead of these two don't replicate these performances, and are better? How must they feel not playing and other with lower performances at times ahead of them.

The bad, well defence again sucked big time. It really SUCKS how easy it is to carve our team up and create a chance, it is way too easy, i'm struggling to see what our defence scheme is throughout the club. Silvestre and Senderos were dragged out of position too easily and were not proactive in how they defended, we better hope Vermaelen and Gallas don't get injured, if they do, Wenger better use 3 defenders at the back as one of these two will cause big trouble, especially as we don't have a dedicated defensive midfielder.

Fabianski may've returned from injury, but Arsenal need a SPECIAL goalkeeper. He is a capable shot stopper, and will save the shots he has to, that is what any keeper should do, what differentiates a standard keeper from a star keeper is one who saves shots he shouldn't. The Insua goal was very preventable, there is no excuse for that ball to dip over his head.


Match Ratings:

Fabianski 4: Bad goal to concede.

Gilbert 5: Decent performance, covered for the rest of the defence.

Senderos 4: Needs to up his game to displace Gallas or Vermaelen.

Silvestre 4: For an experienced player, needs to perform better and lead the rest of the unit.

Gibbs 4: Didn't tuck in when required, not anticipating very well either.

Eastmond 5: Steady from the youngster, nothing special though.

Nasri 5: Not fit, not on his A-game either, more to come we hope.

Merida 7: Continue like this, and a first team berth is close.

Ramsey 7: Needs to play like this in the league, will become a useful player indeed.

Bendtner 6: Well taken goal, needs to play like this in the league more.

Eduardo 5: Good performance, must wonder why he is always playing in this competition instead of the bigger matches.


Trainer Rating

Wenger 6: Decent performance, good tactics, although could have subbed Nasri who was a bit of a disruption to the team as he wasn't fit.

Welcome to the Futures Present, Samir Nasri

The French midfield playmaker has recovered from his injury, and will take his place in the team, in midfield. Samir Nasri is the future of Arsenal, and deployed in central midfield, Arsenal will see why he his name is still sung on the Velodrome terraces. He has a greater physical capacity than captain Fabregas, and is able to use both feet, both for the pass or the shot.

Having spoken to him after the 3-1 massacre against Man Utd, he indicated that players needed to take responsibility, and he is one of the players who can take responsibility. He needs to also secure his position in midfield for Arsenal, because with the World Cup looming if France qualify, he will not get into the side on the flanks, and the emergence of the likes of Moussa Sissoko and greater calls for Benoit Cheyrou in midfield, if Domenech is to ditch his double pivot system, he is a prime candidate to be the link man.

If the captain is to leave this summer, this is the man who will hold all the keys to opening the doors for Arsenal, I am a big fan of the Maghreb descendant, Arsenal, be prepared to be thrilled as he did at the Velodrome, bienvenue Samir.

West Ham 2 - Arsenal 2: Arsenal have learnt nothing, mistakes costs points.

Well, 2 points given to West Ham for nothing, and Arsenal deserved only 1 point, what a shame. Wenger and his boys are not behaving like championship winning candidates,we may play nice football (not today), we may have to score over 3 goals a game to win (we scored 4 goals twice last year and never won either game), we still suck defensively as a unit, players are not taking responsibility, no one is reacting, no one wants to win a major title.

The team took a deserved lead, Sagna decided to learn how to cross properly (only two good crosses in 94 mins), Green missed the ball and Van Persie was obliged to tap into an empty net. Then Gallas headed home the second goal, all before half time, and it looked liked curtains for a team in despair.

However, as any opponent should now know, try a little, and Arsenal will encourage you to score, Diaby gave away a cheap freekick (He gave away at least 3 in dangerous zones), Diamanti launched a shot, Mannone elected to palm it up when it should have been put wide, and it fell to Cole to bundle home, very easy, no reaction from the whole defensive unit in the box. The second, Billong-Song clipped Cole in the box, even if it was a dive or not, no need for that, and it was a penalty which Diamanti fired past Mannone, 2-2, two points given away, and it is not even Christmas.

Again, as this blog reluctantly points out, the team doesn't relish keeping clean sheets, and in relation to improvement, last season the team won here, this year they have drawn, so they have regressed in the result. The team was ahead by half time, and again took it very easy and casual, do we need 3 goals to win games now? The midfield and attack never looked to score a third goal, and went through the motions, and we have paid the price. On a day when our rivals have slipped up, we have failed to take the initiative and improve our prospects.

Player Ratings:

Mannone 2: Should have pushed that ball out for a corner, not into the direction of a striker, and cheap yellow card to get.

Sagna 4: Decent cross for goal, but now I can see why on France Telefoot1, the fellow Arsenal players labelled him and Silvestre the least technically gifted.

Gallas 4: Nice goal, but untidy and unstructured defending as a whole.

Vermaelen 4: Decent, but struggled aerially, also untidy defending.

Clichy 4: Did his job defensively, not much offensive work.

Song-Billong 3: Over run at time, not willing to tackle when he should, and costly clip for the penalty, not on song today my friend.

Diaby 4: Bad tackling ability, good technical ability, needs to take responsibility more.

Fabregas 4: Off colour, never made the passes he likes to make. Never took responsibility.

Eboue 4: Good link up with Sagna for the goal, but nothing else except wasting chances.

Arshavin 2: Never made any impact, never brought his A-game yet again, what is up with this guy? Arsenal need the real Arshavin, not this one, not the first time he has underperformed.

Van Persie 4: Decent, nice goal, not much after that, needed to take the lead and show he is the one to make the difference.

Bendtner and Eduardo NA: Both late subs, both came on far too late.


Trainer Rating

Wenger 3: On a week he celebrated his birthday, a catalogue of errors has cost the team 2 points. First, why select a right back as a forward winger, when he has two strikers on the bench? Secondly, why persist with a rookie goal keeper and keep our best keeper on the bench? Thirdly, why did it take the opposition to score twice for him to bring on bigger weapons to try win the match?

I don't get Wenger sometimes, we don't have the players for a 4-3-3 today, is it too much to ask for some variation to stifle the opposition, especially when we were 2-0 up? We have players like Ramsey who we could use in a 4-5-1 if you are worried about Nasri's fitness, or a 4-4-2 with Eduardo coming on? I thought the team was told to learn from conceding late goals, one in midweek, two this weekend, I thought our defensive patterns would have been rectified this year? Why is Almunia on the bench? Will it take the team dropping points with a rookie before he is reinstated? This has cost us today.

Arsenal will pay for same mistakes.

This blog takes a lot of heat for being overly critical, but it is critical for one reason, the team has made the same errors for the past 5 years and not won, so if they make the same ones, they will continue not to win.

Even when Arsenal were scoring freely and beating teams by 2 goals or more margins, I have been critical at how some of the goals let in have happened. Finally,the chickens came home to roost on Tuesday. Let me catalogue the lapses:

1)Saha vs Arsenal, when Arsenal are 6-0 up. A goal the team had no need to concede, even if winning, you cannot let up, you defend with your life to the final whistle. Defending is a collective art, so why when Clichy has to come inside, why doesn't a midfielder take his spot?

2) Kaboul vs Arsenal, when Arsenal are 2-0 up. Again, after storming ahead, Arsenal never crushed Portsmouth, stepped off the gas, and allowed a very soft and preventable goal, and let us not forget, Portsmouth rallied well in the match until Arsenal scored a third.

3) Donati vs Arsenal, when Arsenal are 3-0 up and 5-0 up on aggregate. Again, the team relaxed, knew the tie was off, and decided to coast, and Sagna never applied pressure, Almunia never even tried to save the goal.


4)N'zonzi and Dunn vs Arsenal, when 0-0 and 1-1. Again, lack of dedicated focus, lack on concentration especially on the second, why was Sagna and Clichy both forward and none of Diaby/Fabregas dropping deeper to help Billong? Where was Vermamelen?

5) Bowyer vs Arsenal when 2-0 up. Again, when it looked like Arsenal would smash the opposition, the team relaxed, lost focus and a match that they should have seen out very early, became nervy until the dying embers of the game.

That is 5 preventable matches where Arsenal have shown they lose focus, so it is no surprise they couldn't see out the last game. West Ham may be in bad form, but without full focus, even when ahead, could rouse the team to fight back, putting Arsenal in a position they don't have to be in. This week, Bacary Sagna said the team had to learn to concentrate for the whole game. There were 5 instances already where they never concentrated, and were punished, why didn't they take those lessons? Please learn now, you are all professionals, this is a prerequisite.

Alexandre Song is a real Hardman now.

Many are still hoping for the return of a snarling and aggressive holding player in the Arsenal midfield, but they should be very proud they have one of the best players around in midfield. Alexandre Song-Billong after February has becoming one of the key components in the team, and when he was 'rested' in some matches last season, many openly questioned why he was rested when the team have so dearly needed him.

Alexandre Song-Billong has now shown he can hold his own for the team, and this comes after a very impressive outing in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations where he was elected into the team of the tournament, playing and aiding his team all the way to the final, and his presence was missed after he was injured in the final and Egypt took control of the midfield.

Now he has shown he has a true side of a winner, not taking any nonsense. There is a saying, 'a man who can sacrifice even his best friend is a man without weakness', and Alexandre Song-Billong is one who this applies to. Despite Emmanuel Adebayor crying when he left and some of the squad regretting his departure, his actions when he played Arsenal and his team won 4-2 has drawn a clear line between him and and Arsenal squad.

In the game, Alexandre Song-Billong never acknowledged his former team mate during the game and after it, and this exploded further during the last World Cup Qualification match in Yaounde, which Cameroon won 3-0, Alexandre Song-Billong imposed his stature on the Togo captain.

During the match, Alexandre Song-Billong picked the pocket of Adebayor at least 4 times cleanly to show he is a player of the top level, but this descended when Adebayor landed on Alexandre, and then proceeded to try unnerve Alexandre, kicking him twice, to which Alexandre retaliated by kicking him back. One thing the players of Cameroon are not guilty of are backing down, and his uncle Rigobert came to his aid to ratchet up the pressure on Adebayor.

Adebayor was then shaken up, and like a scared captain, demanded to be substituted, leaving his team rudderless whilst Alexandre went on to dominate the rest of the game. It must be said, that without Alexandre in the team following his 3 game ban, Cameroon had won 0, lost 1, drawn 2, since his return, they have won both games, and are now back in serious contention to qualify.

This has been taken further by Adebayor admitting in open, he doesn't speak to Alexandre anymore, and that he 'lost his cool' at they way he was being pick pocketed by the Arsenal enforcer, and head trainer Paul Le Guen has also stated that Alexandre is his second name on the list after captain Eto'o-Fils. His persistence in the Togo game outshone those of seasoned veteran Makoun. Arsenal fans should be proud of their young intelligent warrior in midfield.

It is a far cry from the days when Alexandre and Adebayor were close buddies, even appearing on a music video on French TV with Bacary Sagna last season.

Arsenal 3 - Birmingham 1: 3 goals, 3 points, Team Defence sucks.

A win is always welcome, and based on the last time B'ham came for a league match at the Grove, it is an improvement on the draw they shared last time. The goals today were nicely executed, as expected, with the technicians the club has, this has to be expected rather than hoped for as a surprise. Van Persie slipped in a shot, Diaby rounded off a routine move, and Arshavin guided his goal home. Nice, obligations met, 3 points in the bag.

However, as all will have seen, there were so many errors made today, the first by Mannone, knowing Almunia is back, he needs to ensure he keeps him on the bench, the error today should not be tolerated, this is the big time, no room for such elementary errors. He had two choices, either catch the ball or punch it clear, he did none with conviction, and Bowyer shot into an unguarded net.

Then there were a string of missed passes, Gibbs is another who needs to bring his A-game to the table, with Clichy out injured, this performance was not one that will keep Clichy on the bench. Defensively, he lost his composure after a few missed passes and the error for the goal.

As a team, after B'ham scored, the team never reacted quickly to push ahead, and B'ham had many opportunities to score an equaliser, the midfield wasn't compact, the defence pushed up in suicide fashion for one B'ham chance that needed a fine stop by Mannone to keep it at 2-1. The midfield need to improve on regaining the ball quicker and constricting the space.

Arsenal were 2-1 ahead, why should we be the ones who have to soak up the pressure? Do we want to show we are a class above? There is no need to wait 84 mins to put a game to bed the way we did today. Do we not understand we face tough opponents every week, with Champions League as well, if you are 2-0 ahead after 20 mins, the game should be over, you should impose yourself on the opposition to know that there is no way back into the contest. I hope we learn from this, it is a long season, and with energy being sapped, players injured, errors we make every game, we need to stake everything in our favour to win matches, no need for such performances.


Player Ratings

Mannone 4: Bad error for the B'ham goal, he needs no praise for the other save as he was simply doing his job, that is what he is supposed to do.

Eboue 6: One of the better players, never arrowed in aimless crosses like Sagna loves to do, kept the ball well and created space on the offence.

Vermaelen 5: Decent performance, not much more.

Gallas 5: Decent performance, although when the line was very high, he should have been the one to set the depth, would have been very costly.

Gibbs 4: Many missed passes, lacked composure in defensive motions, not a good showing, won't displace Clichy playing like this.

Song-Billong 5: Decent performance, nice passing mostly, not compressing space however.

Diaby 5: Worked very hard, we all know he has good technique, but needs to improve decision making, improved performance though.

Fabregas 6: More involved defensively, however as a captain, needs to ensure the team are in charge all the time, came very close to having a draw.

Rosicky 5: Decent performance from the experienced man, although fitness was an issue, allowed B'ham to break past him very easily.

Walcott 4: Only saw 32mins of action, brutal follow through tackle ensured he played no more.

Van Persie 6: Looking decent as a leading striker, nice technique and distribution and variety of attacking positions.

Arshavin 5: Not able to get into the rhythm of the team, looks an individualist at times, needs to bring his collective A-game all the time. Nice goal though.

Sagna 4: Misplaced pass led to a corner, that the team is never comfortable defending. He also needs to stop crossing, simply gives the ball away.


Trainer Rating

Wenger 6: Obligated 3 points, deployed his assets in decent fashion, but why did he allow the team to suffer for so long? The team was 2-0 up very early on, do the pragmatic thing and ensure the mentality of the team is that of being an immovable object, B'ham were allowed into the match way too easily. The fixture list is going to be crunch time soon, we need to conserve energy and get a right attitude for such matches, because with this attitude, we will lose crunch matches.

Arsenal 6 - Blackburn Rovers 2: Irresistible flaws.

13 years under the Wenger administration, the Arsenal fans have become used to attacking football painted by artists. This afternoon, the same applied, the football that was produced was akin to football produced on the continent. This team is filled to the rafters with midfield technicians of the high quality, Rosicky-Arshavin-Nasri when he returns-Diaby, and the chief protagonist Fabregas. On this display, it is no wonder the team has been able to score 24 goals in 7 matches. All praise for the attacking style shown.


The downside though is probably something I keep mentioning, the midfield is not compact in defensive motions. The opposition seem able to pass easily around the halfway and 10 m behind, with no applied pressure around them and sufficient space to think for a pass. The use of a 3 man midfield also has repercussions for the defence, the prevalence of one-on-one duels, which if the opposition win, they are in on goal. The full backs as well today were not in good form, the crossing poor as usual,and lax defending, especially Sagna, who of late looks like he is in a comfort zone with the casual approach he takes at times.


In terms of the championship race, the result today means little, Arsenal beat Rovers 4-0 twice last year, so they were expected to smash them again today and pick up the obligated 3 points. Wenger needs to rectify the faults though on show today if he wants to get a team to be consistent and efficient unit able to attack and defend in equal quantities.


Player Ratings


Mannone 5: Two goals let in, probably his last match for a while as Almunia 'recovers'. Not much he had to do.

Sagna 4: Bad crossing, bad defending, what has happened to the Sagna of Auxerre and two seasons ago? He has become casual in his approach and isn't looking to improve his level.

Gallas 5: Not as commanding as he can be, probably thinking of skippering France in the upcoming matches as Henry may not play.

Vermaelen 6: Defensive lapse allowed a cheap goal, stunning strike to equalise, after that coasted through, lets hope he tries to maintain his level for a very long time.

Song-Billong 6: Good link man today, however needs extra work tactically to compensate for his low mobility. Needs to work with Fabregas and Diaby, you need to defend as a collective, not individually.

Diaby 5: Flashes of skill, but today he has seen what he is up against with the performance given by the other attackers, and with Nasri to return, this is another chance he has spurned. Needs to work as a collective when defending.

Fabregas 7: 3 assists, 1 goal, top performance by the captain. However needs to show the same aptitude in defensive motions where all the work is being left to Song-Billong. If he works on his defensive game, he will be a much better player.

Rosicky 6: Getting close to full fitness, however his maturity and genius influence is there for all to see. Get fully fit and he will be a major asset.

Arshavin 6: Nice goal, and more involved today than he has been all season, maybe warming up for the German invasion next week.

Van Persie 7: Nice goal, varied the points of attack, some nice build up work too. Will need to work on his poaching skills though in the future.

Walcott 5: Not on long, but long enough to score. Bigger thighs as well.

Ramsey 5: Also not on long, but some really delicious passing and appreciation of space.

Bendtner 5: Also not on long, 2 chances, 1 goal. 1 aimless run showing he wasn't on the same wavelength as his team mates.



Trainer Rating


Wenger 8. Deployed all his weapons where they should be, never interrupted them in the game as well, and some good substitutions. However maybe he could tell the team to close down more aggressively to ensure the opposition have no breathing space. Also could have instructed them to slow the game down more after the 4th goal and to be more compact and see the result out. Gets extra marks as well today for staying as long as he had, 13 years is a long time, lets hope the trophies come back soon.

Arsenal 2 - Olympiacos 0: Lots of cooking, no taste.

In the Champions League, any win must be congratulated as you play opponents that have earned their national federation right to play abroad. For most of the game, Arsenal were the better side in an attacking sense, and by attacking relentlessly, they had little to defend. A taste of what may be enjoyed if all players remain fit, all the clubs premier technicians were on show bar Nasri, Fabregas-Rosicky-Diaby-Arshavin-Van Persie.

Inevitably, this led to lots of very good approach work, and against Nikopolidis who did a 'Mannone' saving everything, it took Arsenal 78mins to get past the Greeks. Whilst all the approach work was very good, where was the finishing? Do Arsenal require a finisher in the box still? Also the opposition were able to breach the lines a few times, why can't the team become more compact when an attack breaks down? This is something I keep seeing, the midfield not becoming compact and constricting the oppositions chances. Onwards and upwards then.


Player Ratings.

Mannone 5: Did his job when required.

Eboue 6: Good attacking.

Gallas 6: Very firm performance

Vermaelen 6: Very firm performance, no need for his all action style today.

Clichy 5: Can still improve yet in all departments.

Song-Billong 6: Never looked in trouble, infact got others out of trouble.

Fabregas 6: A bit like we are used to, although bad shooting, needs to mark better though.

Rosicky 5: Nice work, but fitness and not tracking back, hopefully once he has been fully rehabilitated he will get back to his Dortmund levels.

Arshavin 5: Still not getting into the matches enough for my liking. Nice goal though.

Diaby 5: The real Diaby never came out, the Diaby Arsenal need, the Diaby that can dominate a match with his technique. He is setting the bar very low for himself, what a shame for both player and the club.

Van Persie 6: Works hard, but Arsenal require a finisher in that role. Good for him to score as well though.


Trainer Rating.

Wenger 7. Deployed his resources where required, good tactical scheme, made changes when required, not many complaints when things go well. Maybe he may have to find a way to get Eduardo or Vela into the side as the team needs a striker that can finish all the creativity the side creates.

Green Light for Diaby.

Samir Nasri-injured, Denilson injured, Tomas Rosicky rehabilitating, the time has come for Abou Diaby to stand up and emerge as an Arsenal player. If there ever was a do or die moment for an Arsenal player, this is it. In a 3 man midfield, Fabregas and Song-Billong have laid their claims, and unless Diaby does something special, he will relinquish the last posting to Samir Nasri at the end of October when he returns.


As pointed out in my early season preview, Abou Diaby has the tools to cement a place in the Arsenal team, what he hasn't done yet is apply himself mentally to becoming an elite champion. He cannot become a holding player for Arsenal, but he has the abilities to act as buffer to teams passing and breaking at Arsenal through his technique. As for his assertiveness, he showed it against Portsmouth by scoring two powerful goals to compliment his good performance.

Also, in the French set up, he is a certainty to be called up on Saturday in the France matches against the Faroe Islands and Austria, and is a dark horse to start as Raymond Domenech looks to add more attacking ability in midfield and the word is that Toulalan will be 'rested' as he hasn't been on form for Lyon, partly because he has had to play in defence, but also to find a new solution to having two pure holding players.

The time for Diaby is now, I personally feel he can rise up and declare himself to the Arsenal fans. He has the ability, few players get called up for France just after playing two matches, Diaby has done that in one of the most fiercely competitive positions in the French team that has a long queue in midfield. If Abou realises that he must apply himself mentally to using his abilities, and to produce performances over 90mins and not just 5-15mins a game, then he will have solved a few of the problems that Arsenal face.

Fulham 0 - Arsenal 1: Mannone fights alone.

Oh well, 3 points is what matters they say, but another performance for me that was not convincing. We are coming accustomed to misplaced passes, especially in midfield, lack of cohesion in midfield as well. That Mannone was the stand out player for Arsenal today by far shows that the rest of the team never took responsibility and tried to make the result easier for the young stopper. Arsenal have to improve and control matches better.


Match Ratings:

Mannone 7: Did far too much work, and congratulations to him for not shirking responsibility. Now look to improve, 1 good game doesn't make a career.

Sagna 5: So/so, would be nice if he could come off the axis instead of always head down and cross.

Clichy 5: Better from the left back, although still commits himself too much, it will cause trouble if he doesn't change that.

Gallas 5: Needs to be more proactive, why is the goal keeper having to make so many saves?

Vermaelen 5: Same as Gallas, also at set pieces, if you are not tall enough and can't jump high enough, find a solution like putting the jumper off.

Song 5: Not dominant as at the start of the campaign, he needs to step up and be the master, otherwise the trainer is obliged to find a new player.

Diaby 3: he has immense talent, but without mental application to it, you get nowhere. The best keeper of the ball at Arsenal and for France, and he turns in performances like this. When you get dropped, don't make noises, you will deserve it.

Fabregas 4: Misplaced passes, not enough defensive work. A top player when he combines it all, he isn't at the moment. Also needs to guide others around him to elevate their levels.

Arshavin 1: Clearly unfit, so why play him? Get fit then play, Arsenal doesn't need passengers this season.

Van Persie 5: Still not convincing as a central striker, at least he has a goal to his name now. Shoot from range more often.

Bendtner 5: Maturing, always plays with guts. Now needs refinement, not sure he will get that on the flank.

Rosicky 4: Not much time to show his true worth.

Eboue 4: Same as Rosicky.

Manager Rating.

Wenger 4: Why start an unfit Arshavin? Why keep an ineffective Diaby on for so long? Why not make changes to ensure that not many shots are aimed at the goal keeper? You can't keep the team under pressure for so long. Also why play youngsters in the Carling Cup, and then not promote them to the league, and instead use unfit players like Arshavin, when will Wilshere start in that case? Ramsey plays well mid week, then is on the bench for Diaby? I hope you have taken note of under performers, and make changes accordingly on Tuesday.

Game to measure improvements: Rosicky to start.

A key to Arsenals hopes for domestic success will hinge on reversing negative results they incurred last season. Last season, Arsenal drew at Old Trafford, this season they lost, last season they lost at Eastlands, this year they repeated the result, last season they drew at Goddison Park, this year they won.

Next on the list is Fulham, the team that exposed what was to come during the season, beating Arsenal off a corner 1-0, in one of the worst displays of the campaign. Fulham are not playing as they were then, and Arsenal are in a better rhythm in this moment than they were last year, so the scope for a better result is there.

This match could examine how Arsenal will fare this term, Fulham are a team that have some ability, their defence and midfield synergy is impressive, in that they can defend deep and spring on the counter at the right moment. Arsenal will have to be brave and persistent to get the openings and also be compact in midfield to constrict the game in their favour. Another important aspect, post that game, the trainer Wenger admitted to the team not having the mental preparation and application to meet the challenge on the day, we saw this against Liege, a repeat and his team could face problems again. Walcott will be on the bench, Tomas Rosicky will make his full return to the starting line up as well.

Arsenal need to get 3 points from game, they need to reverse the negative results last year to gain the points they dropped so easily last season.

2 Wins, 1 disaster, 1 redemption

Post the double defeats in Manchester over the last 3 weeks, Arsenal went to Belgium, fell behind to 2-0 after 5 minutes against Standard Liege, played horribly, but managed to win 3-2, 1 good Bendtner goal, two other scrappy and questionable goals. A win is a win, but it is a glimpse of prospective poor performances this side is capable of. Not to be focussed from the first whistle is a sin on both the trainer and the players. Against stronger and more mindful opponents, there will be no way back.

I won't do match ratings for that match, as all of them were rotten.

Today, 4-0 win over Wigan, first clean sheet of the season, long may it continue.

Mannone 5, Sagna 5, Gallas 6, Vermaelen 7, Clichy 5, Song 4, Fabregas 5, Diaby 5, Eboue 5, Eduardo 5, Van Persie 4, Bendtner 5.

Paid back with Interest, 4-2 loss to Man City.

Some may have been happy with the sale of Adebayor, I for one was not, especially at £25m to the worlds richest club. The numbers do not lie, he scored 24% of the teams league goals in the last two seasons. Some may be angry at his celebration and provocation, but some Arsenal outlets were proud to say he was a cancer and we never needed him now that the goals were being shared around the team. The fact remains, unless you have players who can score every game, and in the tight games, you need a striker, Arsenal lacked that today. We should not have given Man City and Adebayor the platform to do what they did today.


As for the match, well, a very very very poor performance. With the squad already being stretched with injuries, we cannot employ the new 4-3-3 to the same effect if the primary players are not playing. The goals we conceded, well all collective mistakes. The first, why did the team allow a routine ball into the box, have they not learned that this is a weakness that time on the training ground will fix? Almunia was very casual as well, and put the ball in his own net, a big shame.


The second, a very lazy pass from the captain, and Clichy being over enthusiastic set the pieces in motion, there was complacency again collectively in not all going back to stop the impending danger, and another goal, very simple.


The third, Clichy went diving into a tackle, he never came out with the ball, then Gallas and Vermaelen never spotted Adebayor in acres of space, the dive by Almunia was in slow motion as well, another easy goal.


The fourth, Clichy over ran the ball, had it stolen, Man City jogged with the ball up the field on a counter attack, Rosicky who was fresh never tracked the dangerous runner, and Wright-Phillips chipped home. Where were the covering runners in midfield? See a pattern?


For these goals, were Arsenal undone by extraordinary skill or moves? No, basic elementary mistakes, lack of team work as well. Collectively they never fought back to show who was boss. To be a champion, you give your best to the end, and yet again, we already saw the players give up with 10mins to go. Fabregas should be the last one to give up hope, yet again he was the first. Collectively, if Arsenal do not defend as an entire unit, we will continue to leak goals, we are already on 8 goals against, not good at all.

Ratings.

Almunia 2: Very poor the the first, no authority over team mates, could have done something for the third and fourth strikes.

Sagna 3: Still crosses to nothing, until that changes, he should stay at the back and not come forward, it is simply losing possession with his crossing ability.

Clichy 2: Three goals have his fingerprints all over them. He needs to calm down and measure his game, you will never see Evra give up such incidents that lead to goals.

Gallas 3: Comes forward looking for goals, but as the last line of defence that ships 4 goals in one match, you can never be praised.

Vermaelen 3: His poorest display in an Arsenal shirt. Maybe the hammering by Spain last week is still in his system.

Song 3: On the counter, we were skinned, he needs to fall deeper if he knows he has no pace. Also beaten very easily by Richards for the second.

Fabregas 2: Poor pass that led to the second, not at the races. As a captain, we need him to fight to the 95th min, he looked like he gave up at the 80th min. Is the captaincy a burden too much for him?

Denilson 3: Not much to say, not visible, but not a disaster unlike others. Still plays with guts.

Diaby 2: He needs to bring his A-game, we saw glimpses of his undoubted ability, but he is not good enough to play well for 10 mins out of 95mins. He needs to play well for 95mins.

Bendtner 3: Played well over the internationals as a central striker, deployed on the flank for his club. Lots of effort, not much quality output.

Van Persie 3: Not involved, keeps smacking the woodwork. Not sure he can be the central striker the team needs to score goals.

Rosicky 2: Nice to see the talented player back, especially with a goal, but watch the second and fourth goals, he was fresh and never bust a gut to get there before the attacker. We need the whole package Tomas.

Man Utd 1 - Arsenal 0.

Arsenal have lost their first match of the season losing 1-0 to the English Champions. Compared to the second match loss in the Champions League, there was a big improvement, and today, there was a clear building from the 0-0 at the end of last season. So where did the team go wrong?

1. Failure to manage the match. Arsenal went 1-0 up, and poured forward for a second without abandon. Arsenal were the team in command, and as a team in command, they should have forced Man Utd to work hard to come back into the contest and earn their goals. Instead, they gave Man Utd cheap chances, and as champions, they took them. Arsenal should have killed the game early, they never managed the game in their favour, and the balance swung the other way. Utd went 2-1 up, became more compact in midfield, forcing Arsenal to work and they played on the break, good managing of the match.

2. Response. Arsenal failed to find the resources to respond to going behind, and this meant they could not get back into the contest. Champions find a way to get back into a game, I don't think we gave every single ounce possible to get the result.


Ratings:

Almunia 4: Needless penalty to give away, could have reacted a bit better to the Diaby goal.

Sagna 4: Still needs to work on crossing, on accuracy and necessity of them, either way, it gives possession away.

Gallas 6: Proving again he is a defenders defender.

Vermaelen 6: A good acquisition thus far, good reading, good passing.

Clichy 4: Bad crossing like Sagna, needs to refine his game more.

Song-Billong 5: Did good defensive work, although he could have used his good passing to more use to create more openings.

Denilson 4: Moved around, never created or looked like leading a charge to make the difference. Steady though.

Diaby 4: He never played to his high potential, ignore the own goal, he looked a bit fatigued until that goal where he tried to make ammends. We are still waiting for him to arrive, he has the capacity, just not done it.

Eboue 4: Steady, but not ready to make the difference in a key position that should yield goals.

Arshavin 3: Good goal, but nothing more, way off form, he needs to put himself at the disposal of the collective. He is good, but not good enough to be a passenger which he is at the moment, especially since we know he can help the team make the difference.

Van Persie 5: No goals yet, lots of work, but needs to be a killer in front of goal, and to take more chances, you don't score if you don't shoot enough.

Make Hay While The Sun Shines.

For nearly 8 months of this calendar year, the trainer, and board have been asked to seriously evaluate the deficiencies in the team and invest in new players. However since June, Arsenal have sold Adebayor and Toure for £40m, while bringing in only Thomas Vermaelen for £10m. This is not what many supporters including myself had in mind for this summer.

However once the season has started, and your team has scored 12 goals in 3 games and only let in 2, all is 'forgotten'. It was not long ago since the team had a disaster end to the season after bad play and squad status, and only after Vermaelen has come into the starting line up and a better balance and playing to the squads strengths have the supporters forgotten about the last 9 months.

The truth is the squad still needs to be augmented. We all know that Arsenal always have players injured at any one time, 7 players at the moment, what is to guarantee that that list will not grow? However even discounting injuries, we have sold a defender and not replaced him, we have lost a striker who scored 24% of our league goals in the last two seasons and not replaced him. These are significant gaps that have been 'erased' by the destruction of Everton and Portsmouth, will they be exposed when the teams points ratio falls as it will throughout the season? Is that the time to then bring up these issues?

If we analyse our Champions List squad list, we have 3 slots still available for acquisitions, and if we do not prepare for when the rain comes, we will only have ourselves to blame. Adapting to the Arsenal ethos takes some time, even for the best players, only addressing these issues in January may be too late where every point is vital in the Premier League these days. For my money, I'd still like to see a central defender capable of pushing both Gallas and Vermaelen for a spot, I'd like to see another striker come in to replace Adebayor, and possibly another genuine wide player if Wenger intends on pursuing with an expansive wide counter attacking style. Central midfield as yet is the least of our worries, we have 7 players all ready to play there, and if we continue with the attitude of collective play, and if Denilson-Diaby-Song are all struck down,we can deploy Djourou there.

Please Arsenal, don't set yourselves for a needless fall, make hay while the sun shines.

6-1 win, Real or Fake?

6-1, what can I say? I never thought we'd score so many goals, well done to the team and to the trainer for a good start to the season. We scored two goals off set pieces (Gallas and Vermaelen), two from the skipper Fabregas, a curling effort by Denilson, and a poachers goal by Eduardo after Arshavins shot hit the post. We took all the opportunities that came our way, that is very positive.

However, I find it hard how to view this result, it is a one off for sure, but Everton were so bad than we were so good, they plain and simple looked off colour, even the trainer alluded to them 'not having the high physical energy' they usually do. Defensively, Vermaelen and Gallas look a good fit, they seem to take their defensive work very seriously, which is good to see, they held a good and consistent defensive line. The full backs still need to improve their attacking play, Clichy is not yet at top rhythm.

The midfield was our most dominant feature, as a collective they played very well, Song-Billong, Denilson and Fabregas were really on their bit, and played a good game as a unit. The attacking trio up front were okay, but were not 'killers', we will need them to fire soon in a big way if this new formation is to make the difference.

The negatives, call me a cynic, but still no clean sheet, we need to be switched on for 95mins, 1 goal given up breeds bad habits, especially a goal that Everton did not deserve, also the reaction of the players to it shows they never took the task of keeping a clean sheet seriously enough. We let up too many easy goals last campaign, we must not accept this.

We also need to be more compact in midfield, strangle the opposition of possession, Everton created chances they did not deserve. Finally, why chase 6 goals and play full tempo for 95mins? We don't have a winter break, the game was dead at 3-0, why not keep the ball and conserve energy? If we do this in every game, we will be worn out by January, we all saw Barcelona were jaded in January/February, and they had a winter break in a less combative league, we need to play with our heads, 3 points is all we need, not goals galore, when Rosicky returns, he will tell the players to calm down, conserve energy.

Next up Celtic Park, lets hope for a favourable result.

Phoney War is nearly over.

The Emirates Cup has come and gone, and we have regained the title we relinquished last year. It has been some decent workouts, some facets of the team are improving, some still show clear flaws that if they aren't rectified, will haunt the team at the business end of the season.

The use of 3 central midfielders is something i have personally always prefered in a 4-3-1-2 or 4-3-2-1, precisely because the bulk of our best players are comfortable in central midfield, they are not then asked to perform roles like playing on the flank which reduce their effectiveness. The midfield 3 so far has been decent, i won't praise it more until we show we can maintain it over a period of time without getting scared of our opponents.

In attacking motions, it means the ball is worked around well, however in defensive motions, there is big trouble, sat in the Directors Box yesterday, we come under pressure so easily, attacking teams are able to fly at our defence easily, and you wonder why at least one of the 3 players does not try eliminate this, preferably all 3 will make haste to prevent any pressure on the defence. This needs major refinements yet still, if it cannot be solved internally, then maybe externally will be a starting point.

The defence still showed they are not capable of keeping clean sheets, the goal we allowed Atletico to score was bad defending, and the second half against Rangers was comical to be kind. we assume Vermaelen is a quality starter, we still need a quality backup player, Silvestre-Djourou-Song Billong should not be first in line, last season showed all it took was 1 injury to Gallas for the floodgates to open.

Also a special mention for Wilshere, what a talent he is, but expectations must be reduced, i am not sure he is ready to be the player we rely on to make the difference, defenders in a competitive arena will wear him down physically to reduce his impact, we need to wait another 2 seasons at least before the team can count on him to make the difference.

RIP Bobby Robson

This is not Arsenal related, but i can trace my love for football due to a few instances, all linked to the World Cups of 1986 and 1990, all in epic matches involving England and Robson.

Although i was far too young for 1986, the 1990 World Cup is more a memory, growing up in Southern Africa, the whole continent was behind the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon. That they took England to the break, a team which Robson trained, i was compelled to watch more of that England team. The tears of Gascoigne are also a memory, and of Robson consoling him.

The 1990 England team doesn't get the respect it deserves, Robson was able to get a technical team as far as they have ever gone since 1966, not forgetting his stint as Newcastle trainer in the late 90's-early 00's. It is a shame that he was not lauded enough during his lifetime, not many other English coaches have had any success on the continent, having trained and mentored real legends like Ronaldo and Figo, and bringing on Mourinho.

REST IN PEACE ROBSON.

Hannover 0 - Arsenal 1

Just a short one, the first half was very good indeed. I won't read too much into the possession and attacking work, Arsenal are renowned for being able to pass triangles against anyone, and although we only scored 1 against the worst defence in Bundesliga 1 and 2 (69 goals let in in 32 games tells it's own story), we should be scoring more than once. In the 4-3-3, we looked good.

What really was good in the first half, COLLECTIVE DEFENDING, and the team being COMPACT and a good DEFENSIVE LINE. The defensive duo were very good in the defensive work, holding a good line and intelligent defending. The midfield spacing between attack and defence needs more work towards the forwards, but they were very compact and compressed space very well.

Second half was different, Djourou needs serious work defensively, he never held the line well and so many long or through balls came in. If Arsenal want trophies, we need a top rate defender as 1st choice sub, on this form, Djourou still shows his genesis as a midfielder in bad positioning.

Next up Atletico Madrid, the true indication comes vs Rangers on Sunday. Then we have a cleare picture what is required.

New Arsenal Leaders

I was fortunate enough to speak with a former Gunner and present player, both French after the 3-1 hammering by Man Utd in the Champions League. That one player said there was a lack of leadership, and that it was up to the new players to make a stand showed that Wenger is evolving his Arsenal team.

The old guard is nearly out, the new Arsenal is taking shape. Adebayor-Toure-Fabregas represent the past, and i will not be surprised to see Fabregas leave the club next summer after the World Cup. One player who should have been in this camp, Robin Van Persie, has been waiting to see where he stands, and he has not been in the same camp as the old guard, and he should now side with the new guard.

Who are the new guard? Andrey Arshavin-Manuel Almunia-Samir Nasri represent the big influences both on and off the pitch now. These are the players who will be the future of Arsenal.

Kolo Toure has been a good player to the club, a symbol for anyone arriving that dedication will ensure you get a chance at Arsenal. Forget his performances in the last few years, thank you Kolo, and best of luck at Man City.