Arsenal 0 Sunderland 0 - A Golden Chance Wasted

When Arshavin WASN'T offside and scored.

 
     So, as you may have noticed, Arsenal has once again dropped points at home to a side that we shouldn't have had too much trouble with, even with some important players injured.
     Of those players, Cesc, RvP, Theo, and Song. As a result, Bendtner was put up top with Nasri and     Arshavin.
     In defense, we were back to the normal line-up; it was good to see Koscielny back, and he will definitely be fit for Barcelona.
     In the midfield, Wilshere took up Cesc's spot and Denilson and Diaby were the two holding players. Personally, I was not happy with that. I can't remember the last time I've been happy with a Denilson performance. Defensively he is poor, and going forward he is nonexistent. At times I feel he just sits at the center circle and picks his nose. Just a theory, though. None the less, I was happy to see Wilshere in the central attacking midfield role. It's his future position, and I looked forward to seeing how he would do.

     I was disappointed. In the first 20 or so minutes, we didn't create much going forward, and I think that was down to Jack. He didn't check to the ball enough, he didn't drop back far enough to pick up the ball, and simply did not get involved with the play. Some say that this was down to the players around him. I think not. Wenger put him in his "natural" position, but I believe that Jack left his "comfort zone" and therefore wasn't exactly sure on how to play this position, believe it or not. I understand that his natural position is central attacking midfield, but he didn't really show it.

     For nearly the entire first half, we created little and never had tempo to our play. A Nasri shot here and a Bendtner shot there was all that we managed to muster, really. Late in the first half though, we finally seemed to find our feet. A nice ball from Wilshere sent Nik into the penalty area and his tight angled shot was saved by Mignelot. Lovely.

     So half time came and I was worried. It was poor on our part and we needed a goal fast to get rid of the nerves.
     One of the main reasons why I think we didn't attack well was a result of the partnership of Diaby and Denilson. Diaby can go forward well, but he didn't do so that often. When we have our regular midfield partnership of Cesc-Wilshere-Song, and we go forward, Song sits deepest, Wilshere joins the attack and Cesc does his thing. So, it kind of looks like this:

                         Cesc
Wilshere

                Song

     When we do defend, Song and Wilshere are square. Wilshere is good defensively, despite his physical stature.
     What we as Arsenal fans like most about Wilshere is how good he is at going forward. He effects our attack so much not only because of his creativity, but also because the timing of his runs forward. He knows when to join the attack and when to play the simple pass or to take a risk to play the defense splitting ball.
     Diaby meanwhile is a different story. Defensively, he is better than Wilshere solely because of his physicality, not because of his tactical awareness. But when Diaby goes forward, his runs are sporadic and his timing is off. I felt that against Sunderland he upset our attack and because of his runs forward we had trouble finding fluency. As a result, we didn't upset Sunderland's defense, and distort their shape. Poor decision from Wenger I feel.
     Anyway, onto the second half.

     We seemed to continue with the shit play we had from the opening minutes of the first half. Sloppy in possession, and unable to hold onto the ball to create an organized attack.

    Therefore, Wenger unsurprisingly replaced Denilson with Chamakh. Hence, Chamakh went up to the central striker role, Bendtner went to the wide right, and Nasri took up his most natural position as the central attacking midfielder.
     Immediately, we created a chance. Chamakh squared the ball into the box for Arshavin, and his shot was straight at Mignelot. Had Chamakh's pass been better (lighter and not bobbing off the ground like a fucking rabbit) Arshavin may have been able to get a better shot off and scored.

     Koscielny was then fouled by Sessegnon right outside their penalty box, Nasri took it and once again Mingelot was there with a fantastic save. Bollocks. To respond, Wilshere put a beautiful ball into the box which Chamakh headed onto the bar. In all honesty, he should have buried that. It was a somewhat simple chance and being a player with his heading ability, there aren't many excuses.

     Then was the first moment of real controversy. Nasri played Arshavin through, and the Russian was away. Bramble was holding Arshavin back, but he shrugged the challenge off. THEN, Bramble fell to the ground and in a last ditch effort pushed Arshavin in the back right when he took his shot. The shot went wide naturally, and the referee gave no penalty. Is that a fucking joke? How can you be a Premier League official and miss a straight push in the back? Absolute nonsense.

     As a sympathy gift, Arsenal went under real pressure. Welbeck had a brilliant volley that was miraculously turned behind for a corner by Szczesny. On the resulting corner, Henderson found himself completely unmarked and his volley was somehow saved again by Szczesny. It was very, very poor marking from Arsenal, and I don't think Szczesny knew much about Henderson's shot. It hit him square in the chest. If that had gone in, we would have been screwed.

     Immediately after that, we got fucked over AGAIN. The second moment of controversy. Bendtner played an brilliant ball to accompany a PERFECT run by Arshavin, which the Russian took past Mignolet and put in the back of the net. But the goal was never to be. Right from when the pass to Arshavin was made, the linesman put his damn flag up, and he put it up like a rocket. Why, I don't know, because Arshavin was clearly onside. For Christ's sake.

     We applied some late pressure still, with a free kick played in and Nik had a very, very tame header that he really should have done better with. Big Game Bendtner? The name lives in vein.
     After that, a last minute corner which came to Koscielny was headed wide, and the match ended. Two points dropped, and again Arsenal was unable to take advantage of United slipping up.

     As I said previously, we cannot continuously rely on United to drop points. WE need to be in control of this league for once. If we are to win the title this year, I don't want it to be in the fashion where I sit with a radio next to me while I watch Arsenal play and bank on United dropping points. That just shows Arsenal won the title via a last minute Manchester United slip up, not a prestigious Arsenal-underdog-comeback-win.

     The refereeing today was horrendous. I didn't mention it in the second half review, but Anthony Taylor made a lot of poor calls other than the two Arshavin incidents. He handed out a yellow card to Nasri for a nonexistent challenge, while Sunderland continued to make late tackles and on some occasions they got away without a booking. For example: There was an incident where Djourou was up-field and sandwiched between two Sunderland players, one of them Silly Muntari. Muntari challenged for the ball but lead with his elbow. You can't do that! Whether there was any intent or not, as a match official you cannot allow players on "your" pitch to go around elbowing the opposition and getting away with it! God bless me.

     But even with the poor officiating and our poor first half midfield trifecta, you'd have to say we've blown another chance to make up real ground on United. When United lost at Molineux, the "Newcastle Incident" occurred. When they lose to Chelsea, we come up short against Blunderland.
     We CANNOT make a stupid slip up like we did today to side that we should've taken three points off of easily.
     But Dirk Kuyt has given us another bite of the apple. United lost at Anfield earlier today to give us hope. The goal difference between us and the Mancs is just three goals now, and just three points divide us, with a game in hand to the Arsenal.
     Our next match in the league is against West Brom, a side you would expect us to take the three points. This time we have to, and if not, I'm afraid to say it will be much, much more difficult to win this league.
     But we never do things the easy way, do we?

     Anywho, on to player ratings:

• Szczesny - 8.5 - He had a very good game. Although he wasn't called upon often at all, when he was late in the match he made two brilliant saves to keep us in the match, and you could say the title race as well.

• Sagna - 6.5 -  Defensively, he did alright. Early in the match he had some very good chances to put a good cross in, but they were shit. He didn't go forward very well.

• Djourou - 8 - What a rock he was. He too saved us from defeat, and quite simply had a very good match.

• Koscielny - 7.5 - It seems he shrugged off all the nerves we expected him to have from the cup final. Defensively he was slightly above par, but he went forward on many occasions and it seemed very effective because it distorted Sunderland's defensive shape.

• Clichy - 7.5 - I thought he had a good and bad game. Defensively, I thought he was very poor. He let Sessegnon get the better of him on a few occasions, but when he went forward he looked very confident.

• Denilson - 6 - I want him out this summer, and I think he will be once Benik Afobe, Henri Lansbury, and others come back. Defensively he was poor and he didn't go forward enough. He just slows us down I feel. He gave the ball away in our own half far too many times to be an Arsenal player.

• Diaby - 6.5 - He too was poor. I was expecting a good performance based on what he did on Wednesday night, but he let me down. His runs forward weren't productive, and he took too long to get rid of the ball.

• Wilshere - 7.5 - A good but slightly disappointing performance. I expected more from him when he played in Cesc's position, but he looked uncomfortable and confused. However, when he dropped back to his normal position once Denilson went off, we really applied pressure on Sunderland. Hardly a coincidence.

• Nasri - 8 - What a waste to have him play wide. When he drifted inside he was deadly, and looked our most likely to score. When he played in the central role we were dangerous.

• Bendtner - 7 - Big Game Bendtner? Not as I hoped. He had some half chances, and didn't take them.

• Arshavin - 7.5 - In the first half he was very quiet, credit to Anton Ferdinand. In the second period he was pushed in the penalty area which should have resulted in a penalty. Not only that but he scored a legitimate goal that was wrongly ruled offside.

• Chamakh - 7.5 - When he came off the bench he had an immediate impact. We were a different side when he came on, but he really should have scored his chance instead of hitting the woodwork. If he scored, he would be a hero.

• Rosicky - 7 - Hard to judge. When he came on our passing was better, but you could say that was due to Wilshere and Nasri.

• Wenger - 7 - Dissapointing. His side failed to win the match, and his half time team talk seemed to have little effect. He shouldn't have started Denilson and Diaby together, but his substitutions were smart and we immediately pressed Sunderland for a goal. But in Arsene We Trust.

     Speaking of Wenger, after the match he was interviewed by BBC and asked about the two controversial calls. He said that he was too disgusted to speak about them. He didn't say anything offensive towards the FA or the match officials, unlike "Sir" Alex. That just shows the class of Wenger and Arsenal as a whole once again.

     Also, those of you that were worried about Jack, he is fine, and will be fit to play against Barcelona. on the other side of the pond, Puyol is injured and will miss the match. Why? Because they rushed him back into the fray. We took an extra precaution with Cesc, and now he's fit to play. Stupid Barca.

     In other news, Kyle Bartley scored for Rangers to earn them three points. He starts and has played in the Old Firm derby and against Sporting Lisbon. It looks like his development is coming along nicely. I can't wait to have him back next year.

     That's that I think. We now have Barcelona on Tuesday, which I feel may be why we dropped points. Perhaps the players had one eye on Camp Nou, when both of their eyes needed to be on defeating Sunderland. All the same, let's put the game behind us, move on, and prepare for Barca.
     Be sure to check back for a preview of that match, and don't forget to comment and tell me your thoughts on the match, or the post. Or both! Your choice.
     'Till then.

Arsenal 5 Leyton Orient 0 - Ol' St. Nik With The Treble

Hehehe

   
     What a response.

     I can't say I expected to win by five goals, but I think we all knew that those lads have the potential to but five past a League One side. They did so in brilliant fashion, with Bendtner snagging a hat-trick.

     Like the scoreline, out starting XI was unpredictable. In stead of Arshavin starting, Colin Henderson came into the side from the reserves, a 19 year old central midfielder. Instead of playing centrally, he moved to the left hand side. So our lineup looked like this.

                    Chamakh

  Henderson                    Bendtner

                      Rosicky

             Denilson     Diaby

Gibbs     Miquel     Squillaci     Eboue

                      Almunia

     I want to say we started brightly, but the match as a whole wasn't very bright. We commanded the entire match, and seven minutes in we found the back of the net.
     A deflected Henderson pass found Rosicky who drove into the box and squared it for Chamakh who's shot found the bottom left hand corner. Great to see him score, but great play from Rosicky. Hopefully his goal will wake him from his slumber and start some good form.

     The match continued to be played in the Orient half, but Arsenal didn't seem to have the desire to score more. It was all simple, conservative probing, without the final ball.

     Apparently it wasn't needed, though. In the 30th Gibbs put in a cross for the Big Dane and his towering header found the far post, and it was 2-0. Fantastic from him, he needs goals to really set him up for the run of games he's about to have with van Persie out injured.

     But he didn't stop there. In the 43rd Rosicky made a tackle in Orient's final third, and Bendtner picked it up on the left hand side. On the edge of their penalty box he waited for an opening and when he found it he curled his shot into the far post to make it 3-0. A brilliant goal from a confident striker, and it was similar to the one he scored against Ipswich, minus the control from the long ball and cut inside. None the less, it was brilliant and let's hope he continues with his great form.

     Half time came and went and from the restart we continued from where we left of. Diaby and Rosicky were still bossing the midfield with ease, but there wasn't much for the highlight reel. Diaby had a give and go with Chamakh and the frenchman put his shot inches wide. Unlucky for the man who completed all of his 69 passes against the O's.

     Then Rosicky came off injured, looking like someone dropped an anvil on his head. Wenger said this regarding Rosicky:

"He is good, he had an elbow on his head. He was a bit dizzy so we took him off."

     Haha. He looked a little more than "a bit dizzy".

     So Nasri came on to replace Tomas and my god I was scared shitless. I think Wenger knows how lucky this Arsenal side is regarding injuries, so why risk Nasri with such imortant matches ahead? We could've put Clichy on instead and played with a 4-4-2; we were 3-0 up and cruising.

     Immediately after the substitution we were awarded a penalty. Gibbs drove into the box via great play and was taken down right before he was going to pull the trigger. Bendtner stepped up to finish his hat trick, and he did so. His penalty was brilliant and he buried it with confidence.

     In the 66th Wilshere and Clichy came on for Diaby and Bendnter. Now i thought we were really pressing our luck. Three starters on the pitch in a match we were winning 4-0? I could see Bendtner coming off, but I saw no need in bringing WIlshere on. DIaby could do with 90 minutes under his belt.
With the dominant Wilshere and Nasri on the pitch, pace was injected into the match and the team looked to get in behind Orient's defense for once.

     In the 75th, Eboue was down the right flank and fizzed a ball across their penalty box. It was behind Nasri, Chamakh dummied it which Wilshere by suprise so he missed the ball, and it fell to Clichy at the back post. His one timed shot was one of a striker's as his driven shot found the inside of the far post. It would've been very easy to rocket that ball over the bar, but well done Gael. And i was surprised he didn't go bonkers with his celebration; it was his first goal at the Emirates. After he had scored, he just stood there. I suppose he didn't really know what had happened.

     After that, the game was over, and no real chances arose. Luckily there were no injuries to the first team players, via me knocking on wood when they came on. Five nil to the Arsenal, and a mature performance from the Gunners.

     Tonight I saw a different Arsenal than usual. Their passing was very, very good, despite any real intent to split the Orient defense in two. In fact, more passes were made in this match than the Barcelona match. Strange when a second string side plays a League One side.

     Some were afraid that we would struggle because of what happened Sunday. I see it like this: Most of the players that played tonight did not play Sunday, and they are all players that are fighting for a starting position. As a result of the first team's poor display, they really wanted to show what they were made of and prove that they are worthy of a starting position. It almost seemed as if the entire starting XI (barring Miquel and Henderson) thought on the same wave length.

     Denilson: "Alright. The lads played like shit Sunday. Let's show the gaffer we're better than them."
     Rosicky: "It's about time Arsene realizes i'm better than Cesc."
     Bendtner: "I am the best striker in the world. You are all nothing to me."
     Squillaci: "Arsene doesn't play me because I am a corpse. We need to make a stand"
     Eboue: "I stampede into the opposition and throw myself to the floor. What more does Arsenal want from me?"
     Diaby: "Joey Barton is a cunt."
     Almunia: "I swear I don't smoke pot Wenger, I just look like I do."
     Henderson: "..."
     Miquel: "..."
     Chamakh: "Cluck cluck cluck"
     Denilson: "This isn't how I planned this conversation to turn out"
     Cesc: *Yawn*

     Cue player ratings...

• Almunia - 6.5 - Had nothing to do all night really, but made a poor decision in the first half to come out and pressure an Orient player with no foreseeable danger, and his mistake forced Miquel into a goal line clearance.

• Eboue - 7 - Ebullient Eboue. Went down the right hand side well, but was caught out of position on the rare occasion by Cox. Other than that, he defended well when he had to.

• Squillaci - 6 - Seemed to be on a different planet. Always slow to react and looked like a nervous, inexperienced player, oddly enough. Despite earning a clean sheet, his defending was very poor.

• Miquel - 8 - Had a very good match, I was very impressed. He read Orient's attacks well, and snuffed out the danger.

• Gibbs - 7.5 - Went forward and defended well, his brilliant dribbling in Orient's penalty box earned us a penalty and Bendtner's hat trick.

• Diaby - 8.5 - Completely bossed the midfield, with his physicality and passing. We were camped out in Orients half thoroughout the match and you can mostly thank Diaby for that. He completed every single one of his passes last night - you cant argue with those stats.

• Denilson - 7.5 - Had a good match. His passing was okay, and his defensive positioning was better than I'm used to.

• Rosicky - 8 - The highest rating you'll ever see me give Tomas, I think, but he deserves it. He set up the first goal to get us rolling, and made the tackle/assist for Bendtner's second. Also, he helped Diaby dictate the play. I would've liked to see him be a little more direct next time and deliver some Cesc-esque passes.

• Henderson - 7.5 - I'm being a little bit generous to the young lad, being his first start for Arsenal and what not. His delivery from set pieces looked good, and looks like a very intelligent player. I also understand he was being played out of position, so that probably factored into his performance along with nerves. I hope to see more of him though.

• Chamakh - 7.5 - His rating is only this high because of his goal. Other than that, I thought he had little effect on the match. He didn't hold the ball up well, and we lacked a real target man for us to play off of and get behind the Orient defense. He's looked very tired, actually. It's all odd.

• Bendtner - 9 - He had a brilliant match. Not only his goals, but his overall play was fantastic. His passing was great, his movement was great, and his confidence was clear. Well done Nik.

• Nasri - 8 - Hard to judge him, but his prescece upped the pace of the match which lead to better possession on our part, and Clichy's goal.

• Clichy - 8.5 - He played well in an advanced position, and put some good crosses in the box. And of course, his goal was amazing for a left back.

• Wilshere - 8 - He helped our passing game, but I just wish he would shoot more!

• Wenger - 7.5 - He put this side out with a mission, and despite the pain the players would have felt after Sunday, they played very well and got the job done. My only complaint was that he put three starters on, when perhaps only one was needed. His gamble payed off though.

     Anyway, we're on to the quarter finals of the FA Cup! We now to got United immediately after our match against Barcelona. Brilliant. Either the squad will be on an emotional high, or emotional low. Either way, it will be interesting to see Wenger's team selection for that one.
     Also, I forgot to mention that on the poll I put up on the site, many of you said van Persie is our most important player after Fabregas. Whats funny is that he's injured now.

     I'm not too worried. Nik can get goals as he proved last season, and his confidence is erm... fairly high.

     I myself would have chosen Djourou, because the partnership that Koscielny and Squillaci has is very vulnerable. We have other players that can score goals, but only a couple that can defend well, with Vermaelen out injured.

     Oh and Kolo Toure has been suspended by City because he tested positive for a drug test. Hahaha. Good stuff.
     Also, if any of you have heard "Sir" Alex Ferguson's kind words regarding Martin Atkinson, he's been handed a two match ban, on top of a two mach ban already handed out last year for other stupid comments he's made. If the FA proves him guilty, the bans will come into effect and he'll miss the match against us in the FA Cup. Hahaha. Brilliant stuff.

     That should do it for today. I'll have a preview for Sunderland soon, so check back, or follow me on twitter for updates- @TheProudGooner

     Cheers.

Leyton Orient 1 Arsenal 1 - Be Thankful For the Replay



Well done Tomas.


   Alright, today's match analysis will be a little shorter than usual. Why? Well there isn't much to review really.
     We started the match with this formation:

                       Almunia

Sagna     Squillaci     Miquel      Gibbs

                 Song      Denilson

                       Rosicky

  Bendtner      Chamakh      Arshavin

     Arsene put out a defense that had never played together before, introducing Ignasi Miquel, the captain of our U-18's. Even so, we had a side that was fully capable of getting the job done.

     We settled in well, but no real chances arose. A couple half chances here and there, but nothing to note, until a couple of minutes before half time. Gibbs fired a low cross into the box, and Chamakh, from 6 yards out, unmarked, missed the target. We went to the break at nil nil.
     My thoughts at halftime -

• Attacking department - Arshavin was working his ass off, Chamakh was unproductive, Bendtner was playing well but his shots were shit.
• Midfield department- Rosicky was playing better than I’m used to seeing (he wasn't making me pull my hair out), Song was very poor, and Denilson was playing better than I'm used to seeing.
• Defensive department - Sagna was rarely included in the attack, Squillaci was doing alright, Miquel was doing better than Squillaci, and Gibbs wasn't getting enough of the ball.
• Goalkeeping - Almunia looks like such a druggy.

     So not the best half by any means. The passing was OK, but we lacked decisiveness in the final third. That's understandable though, these players don't play together week in week out.

     The second half kicked off, and eight minutes in, we scored. Who scored?
Nope, not him. Nope, not him either.
     It was Rosicky. The very last man I’d put my money on to score, besides Almunia. Not only did he score, but he scored with his head. And not only that, but his header was from 14 yards out. I couldn't believe it. The cross from Bendtner was perfect after a long passing move from Arsenal, and Rosicky's header tucked inside the far post. Brilliant.

     Up to that point, Orient was happy with sitting back and keeping their defensive shape. But our goal forced them to attack more, which stretched the game. As a result, Rosicky was given a golden chance. Arshavin reached the byline and turned it into the middle, where from about two yards out Rosicky's shot was brilliantly saved by Orient keeper Jamie Jones, and his follow up header was also saved.

     Minutes later Arshavin was away on the break, and his shot slipped out of play off their far post. Unlucky for him. But a brilliant play all the same.

     But once again, Arsenal was punished for not converting their chances. In the 87th, Orient striker Tehouhe split Miquel and Gibbs, and from just inside our box fired a shot straight at Almunia, who simply did not save the ball.
    
     First of all, it was poor tackling and miscommunication from Miquel and Gibbs. Miquel - We'll let this one go. Gibbs - You could've done better. But Almunia - What the hell.

     Despite the fact that the shot had pace, there is no forgiving Manuel. The ball went straight under him. I'm sorry, but as an Arsenal fan, am sick and tired of letting games go due to poor goalkeeping. He has to go this summer. James Shea is promising, Fabianski won't be injured next season, and we all know about Szczesny. So thanks for everything Almunia... But what is everything? We haven't won anything ever since he became number one. Coincidence? Maybe. You decide.

     And the match ended all draw. Fantastic, because what this Arsenal team needs right now is more fixture congestion.

     Some of you are complaining about the fact that Wenger didn't throw on any subs. To be completely honest, every player that was on the pitch last night was and is perfectly capable to complete 90 minutes. I would've liked to see Song come off for Wilshere though, to improve our passing game, and save Song for upcoming matches. Other than that, our side was completely second string.

     Our replay match will be on March 12th or 13th, right after the second leg of our Barca tie. Those of you are worried about fatigue, don't be. I hope that Wenger puts out the same side he did last night, because, as I said, they were more than capable of winning that match. A second try at the Emirates should be interesting.

     If we beat Leyton Orient (but let's not get ahead of ourselves) we play Manchester United away. The very last side we would’ve wanted, but you can't be that upset. After getting Leeds, Huddersfield, and Leyton Orient, we're long over due for a top side. And plus, we'd probably have to play them eventually, so why not beat them early?

     And it may be better for us to have a replay with Leyton, believe it or not. If we had simply won, we would have had to play Man United right after Barca. Not favourable, is it? Now we'll be able to give the lads a rest at least, WHEN we beat Orient, right? So thanks Almunia, for not saving the goal. You knew what was best for us all along, didn't you?

Alright, player ratings -

• Almunia - 4 - He had nothing to do really, throughout the entire match until the goal. The shot wasn't perfect, and he really should've saved it.

• Sagna - 5.5 - Defensively, he coped well with a pacey Dean Cox, but did not impose himself when in the attack, slightly due to Rosicky.

• Squillaci - 7 - Was fairly solid. Not at fault by any means for the goal, so basically he had a very good game. Made an important block to prevent an Orient goal.

• Miquel - 6 - Also played well, but was at fault for the goal. Other than that, a very good match for his Arsenal debut.

• Gibbs - 5.5 - When he went forward, he was effective, but he didn't go forward enough. Was also at fault with the goal.

• Song - 5.5 - Gave the ball away much too easily, and did not defend very well. A night to forget.

• Denilson - 7.5 - My man of the match. His passing was very good, and defensively played much better than he has in recent weeks. Of course he plays well after I call him out.

• Rosicky - 7 - Also played well, and of course, he finally scored. Kudos to him, but he could've done better with an easier chance that would've secured Arsenal a place in the quarter finals. My main problem with him though was that he did not spread play well enough, which lead to a lack of width.

• Bendtner - 6.5 - Did well overall, but his shooting was terrible and was a little slow at times when he took players on one on one.

• Chamakh - 5.5 - A very bad match. He had some oppurtunities which he didnt capitalize on. Didn't impose himself enough.

• Arshavin - 7 - Like I said before, he worked his ass of. Looked our most likely player to score/create. Unlucky when his shot hit the post.

• Arsene Wenger - 7 - Did nothing wrong really, their was no reason why the player he sent out couldn't have gotten the job done. I'm happy he picked Miquel, but dissapointed he didn't take Song off.

     So that's about it for the Leyton Orient match. Now on to some happier news -

     Victor Valdes picked up an injury in training on Saturday, and is expected to be out for approximately six weeks. Therefore, Pinto will be his replacement. Based on my knowledge, Pinto isn't very good at all. The Almunia of Barcelona.

     I'll be back tomorrow, make sure you check back.

Arsenal 2 Barcelona 1 - "Barcelona, the best team in the world...", Player Ratings

     I don't even know where to begin with this. My heads buzzing.
Ah yes, how about the start of the match.

     So Nasri was chosen over Arshavin to play, and the rest of the squad stayed the same. It was our full starting XI (without Sagna) against their full starting XI (without Puyol).

     We started very well. RvP  had a chance early on as a result of fantstic close control from Walcott, and a fantstic chip from Cesc.
     Then Messi, the best player in the world, found himself one v one with Szczesny and put it wide. It really was fantastic keeping from Szczesny. Messi was waiting for the Pole to go to ground, and Szczesny didn't buy Messi's fake shot. He stayed big, which led the Argentinian to put his golden oppurtunity wide.

     However, we were holding a very high line. I was pleased and worried with that. I was pleased because Barcelona likes to posses the ball right on the edge of the oppositions penalty box and make short, quick clever passes. The Arsenal did not want that, and stopped that from happening.
     The downside to playing a high line is that Messi is a firebolt, along with Villa and Pedro. So if a good enough ball could be played into their patch, we'd be screwed.

     Then Song made a silly challenge on Messi.  A definite yellow card, and as a result he'd have to be careful the rest of the night.

     In the 26th minute, Messi played a perfect ball through for Villa, and he megged Szczesny with ease. One nil to Barcelona, and Arsenal heads began to drop.  After that Arsenal didn't pose any real threats on Barcelona, however Barca continued to pressure Arsenal.

     As a result of the pressure, Song was forced to make tackles in midfield. Unluckily, he wasn't winning his tackles despite the Barcelona falling down like feathers. A real concern for the Arsenal - If Song were to be sent off we'd be in a real hole.

     Then, right before half-time, Messi bundeld in a goal with his head. Luckily, the flag ruled him offside.
In the second half we started very, very brightly. We commanded the game. Not often do you see that against Barcelona. We pressured them well. We choked them until they said "Sorry for aimlessly passing the ball, here ya go". We were dominant. Our passing was better. Our movement off the ball was better and we held the ball for much longer than we did in the first half.

     The Catalan side had stints of pressure, however Koscielny especially snuffed out any hint of goal they dared smell.
     One sight of goal they did get was a break. Pedro was through and Koscielny tracked back to make the tackle. It was very important, because if he mistimed the tackle it would've been a red card and a penalty.  But it didn't matter. Pedro handeld the ball, and the (fifth?) official (hopefully) would've spotted it.

     But Barcelona is Barcelona, and they weren't going to stay quiet. Messi had two chances and his final shot hit the side netting. A close call.

     In the 68th Wenger made a fantastic switch. He put Arshavin on for Song, who was living on the edge after his yellow card. Therefore Wilshere was out only holding midfielder and Nasri and Cesc took up the creative positions as Arshavin played in his usual position.
     A real gamble, with Wilshere not exactly being the most solid defensive midfielder, but risks had to be taken as we were trailing by one goal.
     Walcott was ineffective during the match, despite most of the danger for Barcelona lying in his fast legs. As a result, Bendtner replaced him.

     By that time, i thought the match was lost. We had possesion in their half but no real goal scoring oppurtunities arose.
     But then RvP gave us hope.
     Clichy played a lobbed through ball for van Persie, who, from an absurdly tight angle, smashed it past Valdes's near post. It was fucking brilliant.  That strike was world class, and only a striker on as great form as himself could score a goal like that. It lifted the hearts of the players and the fans, and we were back in this match.
 



Bam



     Five minutes later, in the 83rd minute, we struck again. After suffering some pressure from Barcelona, Bendtner played a inch perfect square ball for Wilshere, who's quick thinking one-timed it to Cesc, who then played a brilliant ball over the top to set Nasri free. The frenchman then waited for support to arrive and he found Arshavin, who's one-time shot found the back of the net. A truly fantastic goal.
     The goal was very similar to the one van Persie scored against Wolves this past weekend. From our penalty box to theirs in just seconds. World class.
     At that time my head hurt from screaming in delight.




We scored an Arsenal goal, not a Barcelona goal.


     Barcelona applied some lat pressure, and questions arose when Arshavin looked to handle the ball in our own penalty box. However the replay showed that the ball cam off Arshavins head and his his hand, so it was clear that there was no real intent to play the ball with his hand.

     And that was that. We beat Barcelona.
     Not only did we beat Barcelona, but we came back and beat them. It shows real character to come back from one nil down to beat Everton, but to come back from one nil down to Barcelona is an entire different story.
     This result tonight really shows what Arsenal is capable of, and how far the swuad has gotten in just one year. And it's not even as if Barcelona played poorly, they played brilliantly. We just played better than them.

     One thing I am very upset about is that people have been saying that our second goal was a "Barcelona goal". Arsenal and Barcelona have similar types of play, however they are not the same. Arsenal has scored many goals like that, and we should be fully credited for it. It was a brilliant goal, scored by the Arsenal, so wouldn't that make it an Arsenal goal?

     Something I am happy about other than the result was the home support. It was fantastic. The Arsenal faithful never gave their lungs a rest and created a fantastic atmosphere. Hats off to those of you that were in the Emirates belting your lungs out.

Alright then, on to player ratings -

• Szczesny - 8 - He was fantastic today. He made himself big on many occasions to stop Barca from scoring, he was commanding in the box, and showed no nerves for his Champions League debut.

• Eboue - 5.5 - Defensively was able to keep Maxwell quiet, but when going forward he was poor and lost the ball on many occasions.

• Djourou - 6 - Not one of his best performances. Made some sloppy mistakes and gave the ball cheaply away. Outshined by his partner.

• Koscielny - 9 - Man of the match for me. Defended superbly. He read nearly all of Barcelona's moves, was not undone by their pace, did not commit many fouls, and kept Messi fairly quiet in the second half.

• Clichy - 7 - Did not defend to the best of his ability; his mind switched off at times, and positionally was caught out by Dani Alves's positioning, However, he made up for it with his fantastic assist for van Persie's goal, and his ability to keep David Villa fairly quiet at times.

• Song - 6 - Put his side in a very tough position when given a yellow card early on in the match. As a result of his poor tackles and likeliness to be sent off, he had to be replaced by Arshavin.

• Wilshere - 9 - Absolutely brilliant. Made 10 of his 11 passes in the final third, and rarely gave the ball away.  Tackling was timely and important, as he was the only holding midfielder in the second half. Played a big part in the second goal. Went past everyones expectations. As Piers Morgan tweeted him, he played better than Xavi, Iniesta, and Messi.

• Fabregas - 8 - Not everything came off for him tonight, although he helped create the match winning Arshavin goal, and managed to keep his side in focused after allowing the Barcelona goal. Great leadership.

• Walcott - 6.5 - Looked bright in the first opening minutes, but then died down as the match wore on. He did not trouble Maxwell as many anticipated, and did not live up to the expectation many set for him. However, he tracked back very well and helped give Eboue a lot of much needed cover.

• Van Persie - 8 - Started off well, but then died down. Wasn't a great influence on the game. But then in the second half his goal was vital and fantastic.

• Nasri - 8 - A fantastic match, especially after coming back from an injury. Covered Clichy well to a certain extent, and made the fantastic pass to Arshavin for Arsenal to win the match.

• Arshavin - 8.5 - Came on as a sub and showed the boss that he's back on form and is worthy of a starting position. Scored the fantastic goal to win the match.

• Bendtner - 6.5 - When he came on, he didn't really have an effect on precedings except for taking part in Arshavins goal.

• Arsene Wenger - 9.5 - Set his team out to do a job and get it done. At half time his team talk must have been excellent because the squad came out of the locker room with more intennstiy and class. Took a risk by taking Song off and leaving Wilshere as the sole holding midfielder. Arsenal could have let in another goal or two, but the gamble worked and Arshavin scored. fantastic.

     Well that's that. A fantastic win and one to remember, even if we do lose at the Camp Nou.

     I'll be back tomorrow. Rubbing this win in the faces of my Barcelona supporting friends is the main prioroty.