[K3V0]

Absolutely this mate.

The depth in each update is fantastic and the match reports are spot on

Keep this up and it will be in the Hall Of Fame no doubt about it.

[shanghai_nobody]

By David Ornstein

Wolves and Arsenal put on a stunning performance today, perhaps not one for the purists but for the neutral viewer it was a game awash with attacking football and a staggering nine goal haul.

Arsenal fielded a reserve side and French playmaker Samir Nasri made his return, after suffering a broken leg during the pre-season. Despite a reserve side it was still a strong starting eleven demonstrating a strength in depth that Arsenal have apparently lacked, despite this Wolves were the first to strike early on.

Castillo backed the first goal of the evening putting Wolves in front just five minutes into the game, Jones swung in a corner and Castillo’s first touch was to seemingly bring the ball down but instead he sent it straight past a diving Almunia, hounded by Ramsey he chased the ball down to make sure it crossed the line.
At the half hour mark Arsenal were two down as Zubar struck, it was a corner that undone Arsenal once again to the fury of Arsenal boss Mark Cook. This time Zubar nipped in unmarked at the near post to nod the ball home.

Some angry words from Cook and the teams own pride at stake led to Arsenal clawing a goal back just two minutes later. Joao Moutinho scored his first goal in an Arsenal jersey. It was a reply straight from kick off, Arsenal seemed to finally settle spraying around a total of 14 fluid passes before Moutinho drilled the ball low into the bottom corner from just outside the box.

Four minutes later and the London giants were on even terms as Walcott scored, Arsenal pounced on a poor throw in before slicing open Wolves. Stearman gifted the ball to Song who swiftly dispatched the ball to Ramsey, his inch perfect pass to Walcott put the England striker clean through on goal, there was to be no horror miss from Walcott like he did against Rangers as he coolly slotted the ball past the keeper at his near post, showing the finishing abilities that tempted Wenger to buy him in the first place.

Fifteen minutes into the second half and Samir Nasri scored to cap a fine return to first team action, a swift counter attack led to Eduardo moving out wide on the left the Croatian swung in a low cross to the back post, Nasri timed his run perfectly as he moved into the space to tap the ball home from close range.

Just five minutes after Arsenal had mounted a fine comeback Wolves got themselves back into the game, a stunning long range effort from Milijas gave Wolves their very own comeback, his sweet first time effort on his left foot rocketed the ball straight into the top right corner a sublime finish.

That wasn’t an end to the goals, another three were on offer as Arsenal went ahead only to be pegged back again. Bendtner was worked into the box, Berra attempted a tackle but the Dane simply hurdled the Scotsman before smashing the ball home from close range. A ferocious shot that was destined for the net.

Wolves were not down and out though as seven minutes from time they equalised once again, Almunia who was brought on for the hapless Mannone seen his clearance deflect off Milijas and straight into the path of Halford, with the Spanish keeper stranded out of his box it was a simple pass into the net to level the scores once more for Halford.

Alex Song joined Nasri, Walcott and Moutinho in scoring their first goals of the season for Arsenal, three minutes into added time he scored the final goal in a thrilling nine goal encounter. Nasri swung in a freekick from the right wing, his ball swung deep to the back post where Song towered above a pack of players, his header looped up and over the keeper before plonking into the net.

Mark Cook Arsenal manager “It would have been a fantastic spectacle for the neutral fan. We didn’t defend with any real conviction tonight, but in midfield and going forward we were very strong. A lot of players were coming in for their first starts of the season like N’Koulou and Gibbs at the back, so mistakes were expected. The most important thing is we are through to the next round.”

Wolves Hennessey, Stearman (Foley ’45), Elokobi, Mancienne, Zubar (Berra ’45), Castillo, Kightly, Cesnauskis, Jones (Halford ’54), Milijas, Doyle
Subs Not Used Hahnemann, Henry, Ebanks-Blake, Olsson
Booked Castillo
Goals Castillo 5, Zubar 30, Milijas 57, Halford 83

Arsenal Mannone (Almunia ’76), Eboue, Gibbs, Senderos, N’Koulou (Gallas ’83), Song, Ramsey, Moutinho, Nasri, Walcott, Eduardoa (Bendtner ’58)
Subs Not Used Clichy, Fabregas, Van Persie, Arshavin
Booked Gibbs
Goals Moutinho 32, Walcott 36, Nasri 53, Bendtner 67. Song 90+3

Man of the Match Wolves Nenad Milijas (8.0 on for 90 minutes)

Referee Lee Probert

Molineux 29,303

[shanghai_nobody]

Tastiest fixture drawn today, Tottenham are to take on Arsenal

Fourth round fixtures of the Carling Cup were drawn today, all the big boys were in the tournament including Arsenal. Arguably their 5-4 thriller against Wolves could already be the game of the tournament. Just one League 1 side remained, Huddersfield were in the draw today after beating Premiership big boys Fulham in the third round.

Carling Cup 4th round
Huddersfield v Wigan
Sheff Utd v Aston Villa
Liverpool v Bolton
Portsmouth v Bristol City
Birmingham v Chelsea
Tottenham v Arsenal
Man Utd v West Ham
Man City v Stoke

Arguably the most exciting fixture of the fourth round will see Spurs host bitter rivals Arsenal. The pair have already met this season with Arsenal running out 2-0 winners, Harry Redknapp will be keen to get revenge in the next round of the Carling Cup.

Huddersfield will be take on another Premiership side, this time Wigan are the opponents and the league one side will be hoping to spring another surprise. The only other non-Premiership sides, Sheffield United and Bristol City drew Aston Villa and Portsmouth respectively.

[shanghai_nobody]

K3V0, on 29 December 2009 - 09:18 PM, said:

Absolutely this mate.

The depth in each update is fantastic and the match reports are spot on

Keep this up and it will be in the Hall Of Fame no doubt about it.

Thanks for the comment mate, glad you're still reading and enjoying it as well. I'll be keeping this story going, loving the game. Hope you keep reading.

[shanghai_nobody]

By David Ornstein

In the midst of a congested fixture list for Cook his side took on Everton at the Emirates today, it was just four days ago that they took on Wolves in a nine goal thriller and in three days Arsenal would be taking on Fiorentina in the Champions League.

Two Scottish managers went head to head today and it was the rookie who came out on top, two stunning freekicks from Robin Van Persie were all that separated the teams in a toughly contested fixture. Both sides were fairly even, but with the first team backline restored at Arsenal they were too tough to break down.

Everton showed little threat going forward with the exception of Rafael van der Vaart who seemed exasperated at times with his lack of support. Arsenal who had the best chances going forward were let down by another poor performance from Rosicky, the Czech midfielder has failed to hit form since his return, Bendtner wasn’t much better and again most of the pressure fell on Arshavin and Van Persie to produce some magic.

Van Persie done just that with twenty-seven minutes on the clock, twenty five yards out from goal the Dutchman powered in a stunning strike. With his sweet left foot Van Persie has always been dangerous from that distance and he showed why with this sweet strike.

A five man wall wasn’t enough to stop Van Persie, his vicious strike curled low around the ball before smashing straight into the bottom corner. Howard dived for the ball but never came close to saving, an inch perfect freekick from the in form striker.

Fellow Dutch international van der Vaart was in fine form, arguably he would have been better suited in an Arsenal jersey as he kept play flowing for Everton. His passes sprayed around the park as he brought on attacking moves, sadly Jo was not in any kind of mood to capitalise. Van der Vaart took issues into his own hands when he unleashed a stunning drive from outside the box, only to see Almunia claw the ball away from the top corner with a stunning save.

Despite the scoreline Arsenal did not have it all their own way, van der Vaart constantly ushered and drove Everton forward but was let down by players around him. With just one goal in it Everton always looked able to get back into the match, nerves were not settled until eight minutes from time when van Persie banged in another stunning freekick.

From a similar distance van Persie only had a three man wall to navigate, easy work from twenty odd yards for someone in his kind of form. His shot again was driven low curling around the wall and slamming into Turner’s bottom left corner, the Scottish keeper did not even feign an attempt to save as he stood rooted to the spot.

In an evenly contested fixture it was two magical moments from van Persie that sealed all three points. His two freekicks today are as good as any you’ll see all season and the Dutchman rightfully claimed the man of the match award at the end of the match.

Robin van Persie man of the match “It was a tough game today, the scoreline suggests we had it all our own way but we didn’t. Everton played well but we stayed strong and our backline was impressive, it was good to score two good goals but more important that we got all three points from a tough fixture.”

Arsenal Almuna, Sagna, Clichy, Gallas, Vermaelen, Van Persie, Fabregas, Walcott, Arshavin, Rosicky (Diaby ’45), Bendtner (Vela ’45)
Subs Not Used Mannone, Senderos, Moutinho, Eduardo, Eboue
Booked Fabregas
Goals van Persie 27, 82

Everton Nash (Turner ’61), Neill, Baines, Yobo, Distin, dos Santos (Osman ’56), Bilyaletdinov (Heitinga ’45), Cahill, Neville, van der Vaart, Jo
Subs Not Used Duffy, Fellaini, Yakubu, Rodwell

Man of the Match Robin van Persie (8.6 on for 90 minutes)

Referee Stuart Attwell

Emirates Stadium 60,361

[shanghai_nobody]

Clichy out with hamstring injury

___________________________________________________________________

Paul Doyle
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 27th September 2009 13:41GMT
Article history

___________________________________________________________________

Gael Clichy ruled out with hamstring injury. Photograph: Getty Images

After a hard fought victory against Everton yesterday, Arsenal boss Mark Cook was left sweating as Gael Clichy and Thomas Vermaelen both hobbled off at the end of 90 minutes.

Closer inspection today revealed that Vermaelen was simply suffering a bit of cramp, “He just felt a little bit of cramp, he’s been in and out of the first team this season so that is to be expected. He’ll be fit and ready for training tomorrow.”

But sadly the news for on form full back Gael Clichy was not so good, the young French man was attracting the attention of Real Madrid during the close season. Right up until the transfer window closed Wenger stated he was intent on taking Clichy to Madrid, although no move materialised Clichy has gone on to show why Madrid were keen to bring him.

With Cook preferring a diamond midfield Clichy has been given license to bomb down the left flank, something he has revelled in. The attacking full back has been a constant thorn in the side of opposition, aiding his side in attacks and creating a few goals of his own.

“Sadly Gael looks like he’ll be out for around a month with a pulled hamstring, it’s a blow to lose a player in such good form. He’s been fantastic so far this season but we can’t rush him back into first team action.” Cook said today, the Scotsman has relied heavily on his fullbacks to provide width to his side and will now need to look at other options for the left back role.

The most obvious candidate is Kieran Gibbs who stood in admirably for Clichy at the end of last season, despite his young age and lack of experience. “It’s different for Kieran now, he has some experience and he knows what is expected.

“I’m fully confident at him and he will be Gael’s replacement. I’m sure with his pace and ability he can cause just as many problems for the opposition.”

Clichy will now miss to key fixtures as Arsenal take on Fiorentina and Manchester United in their next two fixtures. “I was really looking forward to the next two games, being at a club like Arsenal you live for the big games especially when we are playing so well.” Clichy said today.

Gibbs who had a horror game against Manchester United last season in the champions league may have a chance to atone for his mistakes. “I’m focussing on the Fiorentina game right now, that is our next match. As for the United game I have no idea who will play, we have a game and a lot of training to do before then and everyone will have a chance to stake a claim.”

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[shanghai_nobody]

While running rampant over Scottish champions Rangers away from home rose no eyebrows for Arsenal, the way in which they dispatched of Fiorentina tonight will surely have people taking notice of the club.

Robin van Persie again shined on the big stage, his last champions league outing seen him bag four goals against Rangers but he could only muster a hattrick tonight. Van Persie has been in lethal form and his three goals took him to a staggering tally of eleven goals in his last five games.

After testing out a 4-3-2-1 formation against Everton Cook resorted to his favoured four man diamond midfield, the result was another sparkling display of attacking football that Fiorentina could not handle.

Six minutes on the clock and Arsenal were in front, with momentum on their side Arsenal continued to play despite Aaron Ramsey laying down injured in the box and the decision paid off.

Eduardo latched onto a pass from young Kieran Gibbs who was thrust into first team action after Gael Clichy was ruled out with a pulled hamstring. Eduardo continued to take play out onto the wings, the Croatian advanced down the left before swinging in a low tantalising ball to the back post. Van Persie was unmarked and in the kind of form he’s enjoying he was not going to miss, a simple tap in for the Dutchman to open the scoring.

Just before half time Arsenal struck, it had been coming for the whole first half and it Van Persie again. This time it was a stunning long range shot, Fabregas worked the ball to Van Persie, with the deftest of touches to set himself up he swung in a beautiful shot that hit the inside of the net before swinging into the net, Frey had no chance.

As the half time whistle came a buoyant mood was all around the Emirates, in a fixture that should have provided Arsenal with a stern challenge they had so far taken at a canter. Not long after the restart things would get worse for Fiorentina as Alberto Gilardino was shown a straight red card.

The home side were once again on the offensive, a freekick was swung in and Senderos picked up the ball on the edge of the box, Gilardino came crashing in with a hideous two footed challenge and before he could pick himself up the referee had the red card out of his pocket.

Minutes later Robin van Persie compounded a miserable night for the visitors as he bagged his hattrick, his second in the champions league so far this season. Again it was another powerful long range effort from outside the box, van Persie rode a challenge from Cenci before his looping driven shot thrashed its way into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

Fiorentina did manage to bag a consolation, but it won’t offer much comfort to the Italians who were easily beaten on the night by an on form Arsenal. Senderos sliced a routine clearance, the ball scuffed its way to Montolivo who immediately exploited the space with a through ball for Palermo. Gallas was caught flat footed because of his team mates mistake and Palermo charged forward on goal, Palermo coolly slotted the ball low past Almunia.

The lack of any kind of celebration showed it all, a terrible night for Fiorentina one in which you could argue not even a consolation goal was deserved.

“The atmosphere was great tonight, the fans really got behind the players and it spurned them on for a great performance. I don’t like to pick out individuals because it is a team sport, but Robin deserves a mention he was outstanding today like he has been so far this season. An absolute joy to watch.” Mark Cook said during his post match press conference.

Arsenal Almunia, Eboue, Gibbs, Gallas, Senderos, Song, Ramsey, Fabregas (Rosick ’85), Arshavin (Nasri ’59), van Persie, Eduardo (Walcott ’74)
Subs Not Used Mannone, Vermaelen, N’Koulou, Bendtner
Goals van Persie 6, 41, 58

Fiorentina Frey, Castro (Sogliano ’45 -> Palermo ’51), Righi, Gamberini, Cenci, Khedira, Mariga (Marchionni ’90), Montolivo, Mutu, Vargasm Gilardino
Subs Not Used Viera, Agostini, Natali, De Silvestri
Booked Montolivo
Red Card Gilardino
Goals Palermo ‘74

Man of the Match Robin van Persie (9.3 on for 90 minutes)

Ref. Cyril Zimmermann

Emirates Stadium 59,756

[JohnTRFCWarrington]

Loving this KIU

[shanghai_nobody]

Robin van Persie was named September player of the month today, the Dutchman who has been in lethal form scoring eleven goals in all competitions during September, has set his sights on Manchester United tomorrow.

A war of words has began to spark between Arsenal the pretenders to the throne and the current champions United. United captain Ryan Giggs kicked things off when he spoke out on Thursday,

“Arsenal might have been impressive so far this season but they haven’t faced a proper challenge yet. We’ll give them one at the weekend, they’ll need to be on top form if they want to get anything at Old Trafford.”

Patrice Evra sparked angry exchanges last season when he said it was men against boys when the two sides met, both sides come into this match with impressive performances in Europe. Manchester United dismantled Partizan 3-0 while Arsenal took apart Fiorentina at home 3-1 with van Persie scoring all three goals.

“We want to go to Old Trafford for all three points, Patrice Evra said it was men against boys last season it won’t be the same this time.” Van Persie stated today, “The manager has added experience in Moutinho and Veloso and they will fight hard in midfield.

“Importantly he has brought a great spirit to the club and a fighting mentality, we go out to play for one another. He demands we go for every ball, we win the 50/50’s and get stuck in.”

Van Persie has stated he would like to continue his run of scoring form, but doesn’t care who scores as long as the three points are secured. “I’ve enjoyed playing up front instead of out wide, but it isn’t about one player in these type of games. It takes a unified side to beat someone like United.

“I don’t mind who scores, as long as we win and that is the most important thing.”

Both managers have been curiously quiet, when asked about that today Cook tried to explain, “I can’t talk for Sir Alex but I don’t feel the need to stir things up before this match, the players are fired up and you can see that in what they are saying during interviews.

“Both sides are hungry for a win, so as a manager I’m happy to sit back and let them get fired up. The new boys have been well versed in how important and big these games are, even they are desperate to get out on the pitch at Old Trafford.”

When asked about his sides chances Cook stated, “We are full of confidence right now, but we have to use that properly. We can never go to Old Trafford and expect to win, that would result in a heavy defeat. Saying that we are hungry and ready and we aren’t going to play for a draw.”

[shanghai_nobody]

JohnTRFCWarrington, on 01 January 2010 - 09:28 PM, said:

Loving this KIU

Thanks bud, hope you keep reading

[Fola]

This is really good mate, KIU

[shanghai_nobody]

By Chris Bevan

If Arsenal are to be taken seriously in their title aspirations then they would have to perform against the other members big four. The gulf in class between champions Manchester United and Arsenal was apparent last season in the champions league, but as two Scots went head to head it would be Cook and Arsenal who were victorious.

Despite Arsenal being on a run of free scoring form and van Persie seemingly unable not to score, it was on goal that separated both sides come the end of ninety minutes. A lack of goals was down to two factors, both backlines were extremely impressive while both strike forces had an off day.

While new Arsenal manager has gained plaudits for his sides attacking football, the Scotsman himself said he was simply tinkering with the vast groundwork left behind by Wenger. Going unnoticed has been the strong and solid defence he has brought in, today was another defensive masterstroke. Kieran Gibbs was not given the left back berth, instead new signing Thomas Vermaelen was employed at left back with Philippe Senderos slotting in at the heart of defence with Gallas.

Many expected Senderos to be immediately slapped on the transfer list upon his return from AC Milan, instead the Swiss centre back has been used if sparingly by Cook in key matches. With the experience of Gallas alongside him, Senderos has been able to use his height and strength to aid Arsenal both defensively and attacking in set piece situations.

Arsenal ultimately took the three points today through an outstanding defensive performance, Andrey Arshavin was M.I.A for large parts of the game, Joao Moutinho and Miguel Veloso were solid if unimpressive but Cesc Fabregas bustled around midfield all on his own charging into tackles and closing down constantly, ultimately his hard work was repaid as the Gunners captain scored the only goal of the game.

United attacked from the start, as they poured forward little chance was afforded to Arsenal to use their own attacking prowess to gain a foothold in the match. As impressive as Arsenal were United were guilty of wasting chances, build up play was fluid and impressive, the finishing was not. Almunia was rarely threatened and when he was the Spaniard was more than up to the task.

Extra time in the first half and completely against the run of play Arsenal took the lead, with Arsenal finally able to venture out of their own half to mount an attack Fabregas was not going to waste his chance. Veloso slipped a nice through ball into the box, Fabregas was simply too quick for O’Shea and got to the ball first. With three players surrounding him Cesc kept his cool and drilled the ball low into the corner of the net. A composed finish before he stormed over to the Arsenal supports in celebration as the rest of Old Trafford was stunned into silence.

The second half was more of the same, United poured forward to no effect. This was in no small part down to man of the match, Manuel Almunia. The Spaniard was solid and spectacular, the confidence seeping into his backline. Just after the hour mark Almunia showed a flash of the spectacular, a short played freekick worked to Berbatov set the Bulgarian up to smash in a vicious drive from the edge of the area, destined for the net until Almunia managed to dive and tip it over.

Arsenal demonstrated the quality many have attributed to United in past seasons, despite not playing well the London side still managed to grind out all three points. Many have stated this is the stuff of champions and today it was the pretenders to the thrown who had the stuff of champions. One surprise was the lack of changes brought about by Ferguson, despite a wealth of attacking options on the bench with Rossi, Valencia and Macheda all waiting it was only Anderson who was brought on. A decision Sir Alex may regret.

Manchester United Foster, O’Shea, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic, Ji-Sung, Giggs, Fletcher, Carrick (Anderson ’87), Rooney, Berbatov
Subs Not Used Kuszczak, Rossi, Valencia, Macheda, Evans

Arsenal Almunia, Sagna, Vermaelen, Gallas, Senderos, Veloso, Moutinho, Fabregas, Arshavin (Nasri ’65), Walcott (Rosicky ’88), Van Persie (Bendtner ’65)
Subs Not Used Mannone, Eboue, N’Koulou, Eduardo
Goals Fabregas 45+2

Man of the Match Manuel Almuna (8.0 on for 90 minutes)

Ref. Matt Goodwin

Old Trafford 76,212

[K3V0]

Gutted that you beat us 1-0 but these things happen in football.

Keep this up mate, hall of fame material

[shanghai_nobody]

Fabianski ready to challenge Almunia after three months out
By Nick Teale

After three months on the treatment table Lukasz Fabianski returned to full time training today. The Polish international missed both pre-season and the first 13 competitive fixtures of the season due to damaged knee cartilage.

Fabianski spoke to arsenal.tv today after completing his first full training session under Cook, “It’s been a strange time for me, with a new manager coming in everyone wants to show what they can do. I’ve mainly been in the treatment room and working with the medical team at the club, so I’ve not had a chance to do that.

“Today I got to show the manager what I can do, it was great to join in with the first team to train again. Spirits are high at the club right now, especially after the win against United it’s a great place to be right now.”

The twenty-five year old keeper is keen to remain fit and push for a place in the starting eleven, “Injuries have hampered me quite a bit since moving to Arsenal, I’m hoping that is behind me now. I felt pretty good after training today but the most important thing is to remain fit.

“Manuel [Almunia] was fantastic against United, he was rightfully given the man of the match award and he’s been in great form. So taking over from him won’t be easy at all, I just hope I get a chance to show what I can do.”

Mark Cook was glad to see the Pole return today, “Seeing him join in was great, it’s never nice to see a player out for a long spell because it can really get them down. Also as a manager it’s great to have him back for cover and add depth to the squad.

“With the current form Almunia is in it will be difficult for him to push into the first team, he just has to train hard and regain full fitness and sharpness and wait for his chance but I know he’ll push hard and competition for a position between the sticks is always good.”

[Thursday, October 04 2009]

[shanghai_nobody]

Fola, on 02 January 2010 - 10:39 AM, said:

This is really good mate, KIU

Thanks buddy, glad to see you're still reading and enjoying it. Going to keep this one up, loving the game.

K3V0, on 05 January 2010 - 12:04 AM, said:

Gutted that you beat us 1-0 but these things happen in football.

Keep this up mate, hall of fame material

Thanks a lot, hearing from you that it's hall of fame material is great. Doubt I'll ever get anything in HOF though haha, thanks for commenting and reading bud.

[shanghai_nobody]

Bendtner out with ankle ligament injury
By Nick Teale

Just as Lukasz Fabianski returned from injury his place on the sidelines has been taken over by Nicklas Bendtner. The Danish striker is looking at three weeks out with strained ankle ligaments.

Bendtner has been in and out of the first team picture so far this season, Cook has constantly rotated his front two to find the perfect partner for Robin van Persie. Bendtners best performance so far this season was against West Ham, a game which seen the Dane walk away with the match ball and four goals in total.

Walcott, Eduardo, Vela and the injured Bendtner have all featured alongside van Persie but now the Dane will have to sit back as his chances of cementing a first team place are gifted to others.

“It’s a blow to have him out for three weeks, it’s no secret I’ve been changing things to see what works best with Robin up front. Nicklas like the others was in the running to make that position his, he’s performed well in the games he has played so far.” Cook said today, “We have enough cover up front, but still I would like to have a full squad at my disposal.”

Bendtner was injured during training, initially Cook hoped it was just an ankle knock but later found out it was strained ankle ligaments. “It’s a difficult injury, we hope it’s three weeks but these injuries can flare up easily or improve quicker than expected. We’ll take our time with him and not rush him back to first team duties.”

The Dane seemed dejected today as he said, “Getting injured is always difficult, I’ve been slowly finding my form this season and added more goals to my game so far. I wanted to continue this good form and become a first choice selection for the manager.
“I still want to achieve this and lead the frontline but I’ll just have to wait till I recover to do that.”

Meanwhile Philippe Senderos was missing from training today,
“He’s just got a bad cold, he came in but we sent him home. We didn’t want it to spread and the lad wouldn’t have been able to give his best. He’ll not be up for selection today, a few days in bed and he should be fine.”

[Saturday, October 10 2009]

[shanghai_nobody]

By David Ornstein

Arsenal may have come away with three points today but they were less than impressive. The poor performance from the Gunners was thinly veiled by a stunningly inept performance from visitors Bolton.

Last weekend Arsenal were just as poor but it was accepted by the boss and fans alike as three points were secured at Old Trafford. Today Cook was less forgiving as he prowled up and down the touchline barking out angry orders at his players, an unusual sight in the Arsenal dugout.

Once again the problem was in midfield, one saving grace last weekend was captain Cesc Fabregas but today he was as abject as the rest. Arshavin continues a worrying slump in form, the Russian has failed to ignite games recently like he did earlier in the season. Alex Song and Joao Moutinho were no better, “We’ve had a few tough fixtures, that can knock you off your stride and out of your game plan. It is our job to get back on form and do what we do best, today we failed to do that.” Cook said post match.

Despite all this Arsenal still dominated the game, that is no compliment to the Gunners rather a scathing review of how poor Bolton were. The visitors were incapable of stringing a pass together, when teams struggle in such a manner it has been custom for Arsenal to take full control of the match, pouncing on loose balls and retaining possession with slick passing and movement. Today that just never happened for Arsenal, everything failed to click.

Again the shining stars of the Arsenal squad was the back four, Sagna and Clichy were rampant down the flanks with Sagna scooping up the man of the match award. Nicolas N’Koulou continued his introduction to first team football, the Senegal man looked formidable alongside Gallas and impressed over ninety minutes.

One goal was always going to win this game, it certainly was not going to come from Theo Walcott who was extremely poor today. The England international has stated his delight in being employed as a striker under Cook, the Scotsman though must be wondering if Walcott simply is not cutting it up front.

So for the goal, step up on form Robin Van Persie. Given the lack of trademark fluid passing in the centre of the park and the deadly final ball from Arshavin, it was a wonder where the set up would come from. It was no surprise that the goal came from a freekick just outside the box.

The Dutchman unleashed a vicious freekick with the outside of his boot, swerving it around the wall before the ball arched once more straight down the centre of the goal wrong footing Jaaskelainen. Van Persie was seemingly just as surprised with his outstanding freekick.

Mark Cook Arsenal manager “We were poor, we can’t hide behind that fact. We should have won by a greater margin, this is a slump no doubt about it, we are still getting maximum points but that will change if we don’t get ourselves sorted.”

Arsenal Almunia, Sagna, Clichy, N’Koulou, Gallas, Song, Moutinho, Fabregas (Ramsey ’70), Arshavin (Nasri ’70), Walcott (Eduardo ’70), Van Persie
Subs Not Used Fabianski, Veloso, Vermaelen, Vela
Goals Van Persie 32

Bolton Jaaskelainen, Hunt, Robinson, Cahill, Knight, Basham, Chung-Yong (Riga ’76), Gardner, McCann, Muamba, Davies
Subs Not Used Al Habsi, Samuel, sh*ttu, Elmander, O’Brien, Ricketts

Man of the Match Bacary Sagna (7.4 on for 90 minutes)

Ref. Matt Goodwin

Emirates Stadium 58,873

[shanghai_nobody]

Gunners boss Mark Cook had stated a big slump was awaiting his side unless they go their act together. They done just that tonight, Cook has targeted his midfield for below par performances and today that was turned around.

Perhaps the surprise was that Joao Moutinho and Miguel Veloso were both out, Ramsey started and was simply brilliant, Arshavin has seemed to hit form again and Fabregas was just as impressive. Standard were swept aside in front of their own fans, not even two injuries could derail Arsenal tonight.

Just twenty-three minutes in Eduardo was forced off, he replaced the misfiring Walcott and it was Vela who came on leaving Walcott to sit on the bench. News after the match stated Eduardo will be out for around ten days with a dead leg, meanwhile Gallas was taken off as a precaution after landing awkwardly just after the hour mark.

Arsenal needed no encouragement tonight and Standard gave them just that, thirty-six minutes they were down to ten men, effectively throwing away any chance of a point from the game. Ricardo Rocha was sent off just after the hour mark, the Standard goal had been under a constant barrage with only some fine goalkeeping keeping the scores level.

This time as Arshavin played Van Persie through with a inch perfect through ball the Dutchman was off. As he cantered towards the box Rocha felt he had no option but to haul him down, the referee was left with no decision he was the last man, a straight red card. The Standard players protested furiously but it was a blatant red, further pain was to come as the breakthrough came from the resulting freekick.

A five man wall was no match for Van Persie, the Dutchman has smashed in several spectacular freekicks and this one was just as good. With the ball staring dead centre down the goal he managed to lift it up and over the wall before he smashed into the top right corner, finally Sinan Bolat was finally beaten.

Standard defended deep in numbers, hoping to catch Arsenal on the counter but that situation failed to arise. Arsenal continued to pile on pressure revelling in their form returning, while a sea of goals could and perhaps should have come just one more popped up and it was Arshavin who bagged it.

Fabregas played the ball across the box to the feet of Vela, the Mexican managed to get a touch before he was hauled down, penalty protests were just about to begin before Arshavin charged in onto the loose ball and smashed it high into the rough from just outside the six yard box. A predatory finish from the Russian who was over the moon to hit the back of the net again.

“Tonight was much better, we controlled the game and took our chances. We’re all pleased to be winning in style again, we want to keep this kind of form up.” Fabregas said after the match.

Standard Bolat, Nicaise, Mulemo, Rocha, Ramos, Defour, Burca, Witsel, Hoseth (Schafer ’90), Camargo, Jovanovic (Dufer ’82)
Subs Not Used Stancioiu, Collet, Dalmat, Ronaldo, Herpoel
Booked Camargo
Red Card Rocha

Arsenal Almunia, Sagna, Clichy, Senderos, Gallas (Vermaelen ’64), Song, Fabregas (Nasri ’64), Ramsey, Arshavin, Van Persie, Eduardo (Vela ’23)
Subs Not Used Fabianski, Eboue, Walcott, Rosicky
Booked Sagna, Song
Goals Van Persie 37, Arshavin 64

Man of the Match Andrey Arshavin (7.5 on for 90 minutes)

Ref. Helmut Fleischer

Stade Maurice Dufrasne 25,019

[K3V0]

Two good wins there even if the performance against Bolton wasn't great.

They are always tough to beat, keep this up mate

[shanghai_nobody]

By Chris Bevan

After a solid performance away to Standard one which Cook believes will precipitate the end of his sides small slump in form, his boys were back to their lethal swaggering best today.

Joao Moutinho was scintillating in his return to first team action, the Portuguese international bossed the midfield, sparked numerous attacks, scored and got himself the man of the match award. Arsenal had been weak in midfield in their previous two domestic encounters but not today, Birmingham were swept aside and Cook piled further misery on his fellow Scotsman Alex McLeish who lurches closer to unemployment.

Robin Van Persie is in the richest goal scoring form of his life, today seen the Dutchman strike for the third match in a row. His goal meant the visitors were behind within the first ten minutes, Birmingham had come to the Emirates to play their own game and as they ventured forward it was a ruthlessly simple counter attack that caught Birmingham out.

Carr was dispossessed easily by Fabregas with an inch perfect tackle, the Spaniard managed to guide the ball to Arshavin who swiftly dispatched to Van Persie. The Dutchman picked up the ball at the half way line and ventured down the left flank, his galloping run took him down the left wing before cutting into the box and smashing the ball across Taylor into the opposite bottom corner.

Another two goals were to come in the first half, ultimately Birmingham were finished off in the first forty five minutes and the second half was less than inconsequential. A nice passing move led to the second goal that came from Joao Moutinho, after a small blip in form the £10million signing seems to be hitting his stride at Arsenal. Fabregas set up him and Moutinho duly curled the ball into the top corner from just outside the area, a sweet finish.

The third goal came as another consequence of Birmingham daring to venture out of their own half. As the third goal came about worryingly for Cook Van Persie was on the sidelines receiving treatment, with five minutes of the first half to go it seemed the Scotsman was keen to leave Van Persie on until halftime.

A poor pass from Queudrue to McFadden was pounced on by Moutinho quickly he fed the ball to Arshavin, the Russian used his vision and a beautiful chipped ball over Ridgewell into the path of Vela. When the young Mexican had pushed to the centre of the field it seemed his chance to drive at goal was lost as the Birmingham defence recovered so instead he smashed it into the same top corner as Moutinho with a vicious strike.

As the second half kicked off Van Persie was seemingly unfit to continue with Theo Walcott coming on in his place. Birmingham had halted any ventures up to the Arsenal area in the second half, they managed to stem a tidal wave of goals and done well to only concede one goal. Another stunning move from Arsenal seem them deftly pass the ball with ease in the centre of the pitch, Birmingham were left chasing shadows as the ball was shifted here and there. Fabregas was to assist once more, effortlessly he swept the ball into the path of Nasri who continued his run from midfield, the Frenchman took it in his stride as he went through on goal, wrong footing Taylor he made it look easy as he passed the ball into the net.

It was a vintage display from Arsenal, the fans were in full voice come the end of ninety minutes and Cook will be hoping for more of the same as Arsenal continue to push for the title. One worry for the Scotsman will be the fact he had to take off on form striker Robin Van Persie at half time, Cook said he had no idea what the extent of the injury was and would not know until tomorrow.

Alex McLeish Birmingham manager “When a team are in this kind of form there is really nothing you can do. It was easy to see the gulf in class between the two sides, we came here trying to play our own game and that just seemed to play right into their hands.”

Arsenal Almunia, Sagna (Eboue ’45), Clichy, Gallas, Vermaelen, Veloso, Moutinho, Fabregas, Arshavin, Vela (Nasri ’81), Van Persie (Walcott ’45)
Subs Not Used Fabianski, Senderos, Rosicky, Ramsey
Booked Veloso, Eboue
Goals Van Persie 9, Moutinho 29, Vela 41, Nasri 87

Birmingham Taylor, Carr (Johnson ’67), Queudrue, Johnson, Ridgewell, Larsson, McFadden, Tainio, Boywer, Martens (Parnaby ’73), Benitez (Phillips ’79)
Subs Not Used Doyle, Espinoza, Dann, Vignal
Booked Carr, Larsson

Man of the Match Joao Moutinho (8.1 on for 90 minutes)

Ref. Lee Probert

Emirates Stadium 60,361