Arsenal Were the Better Team, Whether United Fans Like It or Not

Phew. Just written the player ratings, and now prepare for my Goonerish rant-cum-encouragement…

The fact of the matter is this, Arsenal were the better team, and we deserved to win. Manchester United were just lucky. They scored a penalty which never should have been one, was gifted an own goal, and they need to admit they miss Ronaldo.

Bad Passing

If you ask me, Manchester United lack a good playmaker. They depend on their all-rounded midfielders to do the job. Carrick and Fletcher, no doubt, is good both defensively and creatively, but not good enough. Then we have Ryan Giggs. Perhaps still an asset but Fergie can’t depend on a 35 year-old man to have a “Totti” kind of role. Watch the first half of the match; Wayne Rooney was very lonely. He wasn’t receiving quality balls, United’s passing was atrocious. Most of them were intercepted by Arsenal’s defenders, who did a really good job (we’ll get to that later). It was only during the final 10 minutes of the match that United are stringing their passes together.

Arsenal, on the other hand, was slightly better. But I still felt that Arsenal lacked creativity yesterday. We were better at the passing department but we need that killer through ball, the pass that will split open the defence. And the only player who was actually attempting to do that was Arshavin. Also, if Fabregas played, things would have been very different. But he didn’t. And instead of replacing a playmaker with another playmaker, Arsene Wenger chose Eboue. My guess would be Arsene Wenger felt Denilson and Arshavin provided enough creativity, therefore he deployed Eboue so he can attack and track back to stop Nani when needed. He was wrong when he felt there was enough creativity, but you can’t really blame him. Rosicky hasn’t played a Premier League match in months so you can’t thrust him straight into a rivalry mach. Nasri’s out injured. And Walcott has a slight injury, whom isn’t much of a playmaker though. So think twice before flaming Arsene Wenger of deploying Eboue. Think about what you would have done.

Rock Solid

Yep, rock solid is the word for Arsenal’s defence. They were simply brilliant if you ask me, 1 of the tightest, most composed I’ve seen from Arsenal in years. Gallas and Vermaelen looked tidy for the whole match, especially Gallas, who intercepted, tackled and cleared every ball he could.

When did he become so good?

And believe it or not, the secret to this mean defence, in my opinion, is Kolo Toure.

When Toure used to partner Gallas, Gallas wasn’t that composed and calm. Because I don’t think you can be when your partner is running here and there and getting forward so often. There’s a huge difference in Toure’s and Vermaelen’s style of defending. Kolo Toure, is the type of player to chase for the ball when he sees one. His playing style is based on athleticism, not a big surprise considering he played as a striker when he was young. Meanwhile, Vermaelen is a lot calmer and plays slowly. He doesn’t push forward often and has a good positioning sense. That has benefited Gallas now cause he no longer needs to run everywhere to cover for his missing teammate. He can now play his own game, which I feel suits him best.

To sum it up, our defence yesterday was quite flawless, even though we conceded 2 goals. If this is the defending we’ll be seeing from Arsenal all-season long, they won’t be conceding too many goals.

BUT, don’t be too happy yet. Arsene Wenger needs to sign another defender. Yeah, we’re all happy and excited about the Vermaelen-Gallas partnership but if 1 of them gets injury that’s when the party ends. And I just don’t believe Senderos, Djourou and Silvestre can provided decent backup. It’s like we have 1 of the worst defensive backups among the big 4.

Van Persie, oh, van Persie

Man, what should I say about this guy. To say he’s played badly is a bit too harsh. But I just don’t think he played well against Man Utd. Yeah, he had a few good chances but he was given a lot more and couldn’t take them. What happened to little Robin? It seems like he’s a different player now ever since that injury in the 2006/07 season. He used to be the most exciting striker in the Arsenal squad but now I don’t see the usual turns, shots and techniques from him. His shooting is still superb, but his ball control looks bad. That’s the risk of playing a lone striker. If that lone striker doesn’t perform, then the whole team’s pretty screwed. Van Persie didn’t perform, and guess what? We’re screwed.

RvP, back in the old days

Respect for Wenger

Now this, is a very obvious mistake by the 4th official in the match. All Arsene Wenger did was kick a bottle after his side was denied a goal, and guess what? The 4th official sent him to the stands. It was unnecessary, he was just venting his frustrations and not interfering with play. So why send him off? And I felt Arsene Wenger handled it well. He was professional and acted according to the referee. He moved to the stands when the referee told him to. He moved wherever the referee told him to, in fact. I respect Arsene Wenger in this case.

Arsenal’s Loss, not United’s Victory

Yep, I’m bitter about this defeat which happened so fast, but let’s look on the bright side shall we? It was an excellent match, filled with lots of drama, plus things are looking good for Arsenal. We were the better team, just unlucky. Rivals matches are important but we still have 35 games to play. Now Arsenal’s next important task is to bounce back from a defeat that shouldn’t have been. Many teams tend to have a change of fortune and  drop in form after a painful defeat. If Arsenal can bounce back and continue their terrorizing form, the title is not far away.

So what do you think? Do you agree with my opinions? What would you have done if you were Arsene Wenger? Air your thoughts and perhaps rate my article. Feel free to tell me on how I can improve on the site, writing or presentation etc. Thanks for reading. Keep the faith.

Dariano

Man Utd 2-1 Arsenal Player Ratings

Almunia (6.5) - Good on a few occasions. Could probably be blamed a little for Rooney’s penalty, but beside that mistake he had an okay game.

Clichy (6.5) – Showed excellent pace. I don’t know what happened to his crossing and his passing but his speed at overlapping and tracking-back warrant himself a 6.5 rating.

Gallas (8) – Superb performance. Was a mean colossus in Arsenal’s defence. Intercepted, cleared and tackled every ball he could. Starting to form a real chemistry with Vermaelen.

Vermaelen (7) – Another player who deserves a pat on the back. With Gallas, he ensured a tight Arsenal defence which I’m very proud of. If the defence is as tidy and composed all-season long, I think Arsenal won’t concede too many goals.

Sagna (7) – Good performance. Overlap well, and is a much better defender than Clichy, Link up with the midfield and attack well too.

Song (7) – I’m impressed and I’m starting to like this guy. At the start of the season I was worried he couldn’t cope with the big players like Rooney, Lampard and Gerrard, but from his performance in the match, I believe he’s good enough to hold a permanent defensive midfielder spot. He should try to keep things simple though; his passing aren’t very good but I’ve never believed that a holding midfielder needs to be a good passer. He can leave that job to Fabregas or Denilson instead.

Denilson (6.5) – Anonymous as always, but I don’t see that Samba-creativity being showed in the match. Arsenal lacked a bit of creativity and I believe Arsene Wenger trusted he would handle it. Too bad he didn’t.

Diaby (6.3) – I think we all know now. After watching this match, I’ve come to the conclusion that he’s no longer the next “Patrick Vieira”, instead I would call him the next “Julio Baptista”. His own goal proved that he’s not the best defender or header around. However, he showed immense strength, even beating Wayne Rooney at 1 point (not too many players can do that). Not only that, he’s got quite a bag of tricks, However, I’m still pretty frustrated that he’s holding on to the ball for too long and I said this when Arsenal drew with United last season. I’m going to say it again, “Diaby can try tricks all he want but if he doesn’t deliver the goods nobody will give a shit about him”.

Eboue (6) – Couldn’t emulate his performance against Celtic. Not his best game, and he needs to learn to stop diving.

Arshavin (7) – Provided creativity when the other midfielders or strikers didn’t. The only players who attempted to split the defence apart a number of times. He scored a great goal too; the perfect evidence of why Wenger paid 15 million for him. He has that lethal touch Arsenal has been missing for years. Kudos for him in attempting to shoot.

van Persie (6.5) – I don’t like him in this match. I really think he wasted too many chances and couldn’t hold up the ball well. He’s a different player ever since that injury in 2006. But he’s got a pretty mean left foot.

Substitutes

Eduardo (NA) - Didn’t had enough time to make an impact.

Bendtner (6.5) - Couldn’t change the scoreline but I felt he personally played well.

Ramsey (6) - Given too little time. Got into the action more often than Eduardo though. Provided crosses and through balls but none were very effective.

Thanks for reading. Written by a very frustrated but positive Gooner, Dariano.

Interesting Start to the Premier League

After three weeks, who would have though that Tottenham Hotspur would be sitting on top of the English Premier League ladder? They have won a perfect three from three and this is their best start to a season since the Double winning side of 1960/61.

Chelsea has also been playing some great soccer and won its opening three games. Manchester City has justified its big spending with a perfect two from two and Arsenal has also managed this.

Manchester City hasn’t put a halt to opening up the purse strings and this week finally signed Everton’s Joleon Lescott. Following the decision of John Terry to stay at Chelsea, Mark Hughes has been after Lescott. Despite the constant rebuffs of David Moyes, City upped their offer and finally Everton agreed.

It has been a horror start for Everton who have lost their opening two matches. Arsenal hammered them 6-1 in the opening game and then Burnley defeated them 1-0. It has two wins as does Sunderland.

The season has also been notable due to the stuttering start of Liverpool. Losses to Tottenham and Aston Villa see them with three points from three games. They are in 10^th spot and already spotting a six point deficit to those on top of the soccer league. Its next game is away to Bolton and it won’t care how ugly it is – it will just want to come away from there with three points.

Manchester United have rebounded from their sluggish start and face Arsenal is an absolutely massive clash. This is easily the match of the weekend and will be huge for both sets of supporters. Arsenal has been sliding under the radar and a win at Old Trafford will change all that. It has been playing some great soccer and it will be looking for some form of revenge after United knocked them out of last year’s Champions League. Arsenal have a midweek Champions League clash against Celtic but should be able to take it easy after a 2-0 win in Scotland in the first leg.

Everton’s match against Wigan will be critical for the Toffees and David Moyes will be looking for them to kickstart their season. They are traditionally slow starters and a win here will ease some of the tension. A loss will exacerbate it many times over.

David Wiseman writes for us. When not doing that he is looking forwards to the Caulfield Cup.

Crystal Ball Time

Why Worry About Trophies? I say, Sit Back, Relax and just Enjoy Arsenal’s Good Football

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Before I actually move on to my article, I wish to stress that this article is based solely on my opinions.

All of us watch football for different reasons. And all of us support teams for different reasons too. It’s the start of the season and everybody’s talking about how Arsenal can actually challenge for the title this season after the 6-1 trashing at Goodison Park. Well I admit that I myself too am very excited and looking forward to every EPL fixture. But sometimes it really amuses me how different fans actually worry so much about whether Arsenal can win any silverware or not. For me, I just like to sit back, relax, and just enjoy an art form in Arsenal’s football. Trophies aren’t everything.

You see, the thing is, you just don’t see managers like Arsene Wenger anymore. He insists that Arsenal have to play good football, and he ensures that all the players he develop, from Cesc Fabregas to Thierry Henry to even Jack Wilshere, fit in to the one-touch, attacking, exciting, untouchable brand of football which is the main reason why I support Arsenal. I really feel some of you fans worry too much about trophies. Do you support Arsenal because of trophies? If you do then I suggest you support a football club like Chelsea or Real Madrid, which their main purpose is to win money, trophies and reputation. I’m not going to lie; I started supporting Arsenal because they were winning at that time. But over the years, I’ve seen a lot, heard a lot, about how Arsenal is going to drop out of the top 4 and how Wenger has “lost it”. At the end of the day, I realized, football is more than just winning trophies. It’s about passion, the fans and most importantly, good football. I enjoy watching Arsenal because they entertain me. I support Arsenal because I just love how they play their football. There’s no other clubs that plays like them. If I wanted a club with trophies or a manager who spends millions on players I would have easily supported Barca, Real Madrid, Chelsea or dare I say Man Utd.

That’s why I wouldn’t be bothered if Arsenal loses their top 4 spot, go another trophy-less season, or heck, they get relegated. As long as they believe in and play the current brand of football I would stay a Gooner for life. If everyone wanted a club with trophies then you won’t be seeing fans supporting lower-league teams. If we were to win trophies, we must do it the right way. And when I say the right way, I mean playing beautiful football, developing your own stars and always believing in our philosophy. That would only make our success sweeter. That’s a long wait, but it’s something truly worth waiting for. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I don’t want trophies. I mean, who doesn’t? It’s just that they don’t mean that much to me. It’s a very simple theory. I watch “The Beautiful Game” simply because it’s beautiful.

Hmmm philosophy. Talking about philosophy, Arsene Wenger’s a man of great philosophy; he’s always believed in developing his own stars, not buy them, even if there are a few exceptions. He makes sure that Arsenal will always put the entertainment of the fans at the top of their very list. Which is why I’m worried and very afraid of the day when Arsene Wenger is going to retire. I feel that Wenger is the one who has developed the attacking-football mentality into the Arsenal squad. I’m afraid the day he leaves or retires is the day I’ll look at Arsenal a different way. I just don’t think his replacement will be able to make his team continue our current tradition of beautiful football. I don’t ever want Arsenal to ditch their current brand of football. That’s why I would NEVER, EVER support Chelsea. They have no tradition, no style and no philosophy. Sorry for sounding harsh. Looking at the managers out there, I don’t see any replacement that can carry on Arsenal’s culture. In fact 1 hand is all I need to count the number of managers whom I feel truly believes in stylish football. So to all Wenger haters and for those who think he’s old and should retire, think again. He’s smarter thaan you, he’s wiser than you, and no matter what he does, I trust his judgment. You will regret when he leaves one day. I don’t think you can ever replace Arsene Wenger. His thinking is 1 of a kind. His retirement could be coming quite soon, so cherish it while you still can. I can’t imagine Arsenal Football Club without Arsene Wenger. Yes, Arsenal is the club I support, but Arsene Wenger is the mastermind behind everything that I love and live on.

Arsene Wenger is SO smarter than you.

I actually thought for a long while before finally deciding to write this article. I needed to think, construct and join all the right words and sentences together to make sure I convey what is truly on my mind. Hopefully I’ve done that well enough. My English isn’t super-good so please be kind for the cheap vocabularies. To sums things up, my message in this article is, don’t hate Wenger and be passionate about football, not trophies. Once again, trophies aren’t everything. Good football is.

I know this article would attract lots of controversy. Feel free to air your views about my article and tell me how you feel when I ask you “Which is more important? Trophies or football?” You can criticise or praise my work but please don’t be mean. This is the way the world works; there are many opinions out there, and either you’re happy with it or you’re not. Let me stress for one last time, this article is based solely on my opinions. Different people watch football for different reasons. Tell me your reason. Thanks for reading.

Dariano