Arsenal 0 - 0 Man Utd
Arsenal drew 0-0 with Man Utd at Highbury last night.
That is 4 clean sheets in a row, an 8 point Christmas haul, 4 points from 2 away fixtures included. It's an improvement but the balance is not quite right.
Arsenal miss Ashley Cole as an attacking threat, an option, an outlet.
Cygan did well defensively and kept Ronaldo pretty quiet. When he couldn't Eddie Murphy scythed him into the stands. Lauren is ruthless.
However Cygan isn't a natural left back and cannot offer the same mobility, off the ball running, touch, vision and passing ability as Cole. In the 5-1 win at Inter Milan, Cole was our second best attacker behind Henry, the sooner he returns the better.
Arsenal played quite well, without finding the killer touch. We tired towards the end of each half, particularly in the middle and Utd began to look dangerous but a draw was probably a fair result.
The balance of the midfield is not quite right, and we are still playing too narrow. Sometimes the best way is to try a shot or whip a dangerous ball into the box. It is beautiful when the delicate and precise passing comes off, but when it doesn't work time and time again, and we refuse to try anything else, it is infuriating to watch.
The attitude and work rate have improved and the older players are starting to take responsibility. Campbell and Toure were excellent last night, Gilberto and Pires tackled and tracked back and Lehmann was solid. This allied with the return of Cole, who will give us experience, an attacking option and some natural width, and the results will follow.
We need to win a big game to give us confidence as a team. To allow us to have belief in each other. It is slowly coming back.
The older players need to stand up and be counted like they did last night. Our 1st XI is still class and if we keep working hard, the injured players return, and if any reinforcements are bought during January, we will be in much better shape than the press would allow us to believe.
In all honesty I think most of the signs are positive and we are not too far from a good run.
posted by JoeBoni @ 2:42 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
When we lost to Ch£ls£a on December the 18th, My reaction was to say that Arsenal will go unbeaten until February. I am still confident this will be the case. Cheers, Richard Godden
Joe:
As mentioned we are not far away & the injured players to come-back can only help us out this year, but with the skipper playing @ probably 80-90% every game through injury I think we are still in trouble as to our attaching options.
Cygan had his best game @ LB since AW gave him that nest of vipers for 75mins, but was it just me why could AW not see he had blow his pipe out by 75mins, a yellow card & still lunging-in @ tackles he should have been substituted ?
The Ivory Coast boys will be on their way soon (last game this Saturday I believe). So that's another conundrum for AW to solve still we are not the only team in the league to suffer from that situation.
Anyone got any good rumours with regards to who we are signing this Jan.
Lee.
we had the ammunition and the technical ability and skill to really take this united side and beat them. For all our posession we had in the first half infuriating sums it up. Henry was the same as ever, a few times there were players out wide in acres of space whilst the front man instigated a charged one-two trying to bulldoze thru the congested and impregnable centre. It didnt work it never was going to, and it seems too much like common sense that a player would take this on board and try and get the ball out wide.
Maybe the magician that is Thierry doesnt like it as hes never been one for attacking crosses. Maybe we need a player who does and terrence will have to accomodate.
Gilberto minus Vieira isnt anywhere near as effective, but at home it doesnt matter the pitch and tempo suits us to a t and we really should of capitalised in the first half.
Fabregas, Hleb, Pires, Thierry all unbelievable with their first touch. Brilliant and sublime to watch, why we dont couple this with a wider approach and get players into the box is beyond me. One situation had Pascal a good 5/6 yards free on the left, any sort of ball in from there would atleast create the first bit of confusion for what ultimately was an easy game for the united defence.
Infuriating to have the talent but where was the brain ? We player for player are far more gifted than the Chelski blue.
With Cole back that will help, can Lauren defend ? Maybe he can, maybe he cant.
We need a new CM. Physical CM.
And the age old problem we need to get hte ball out wide and get players in the box, a swiped clearance, a deflected cross, the ball in and around behind defenders, bobby pires BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.
rant over
si
joaquin been bantered about
reyes last nite was superb for work rate really captured the eye and it was something one wishes others wud eminate namely thierry altho his games is to save energy for as and wen and wen ur that good i guess thats key
i say get viera back y beat around the bush, and tell reyes and freddie to adopt wider positions and try take on ur opponents, im sure jose can do it, hes a winger ffs
RANT OFFICIALY OVER
HENRY STAYS
HE LOVES THE CLUB AND COULDNT LEAVE AND WANTS TO LEAD THEM INTO THE NEW STADIUM NEXT YEAR
I DONT LIEK SYAIGN I TOLD YOU SO, BUT IM SO RARELY RIGHT IM GLAD MY FAITH HAS BEEN VINDICATED. I FULLY EXPECT ASHLEY TO FOLLOW SUIT, I ALSO BELIE ARSENE WILL BE BRINIGN IN NEW FACES IN THE WINDOW. COULD THIS BE THE CL YEAR.
WHY NOT
Easy Tiger CL year I think we have a way to go yet.
But hay if Liverpool won it last year then there really are fairies @ the bottom of my garden.
& YEEEEEEESSSSSSSS Henry stays!!!
Please Mr's Hill-Wood/Wenger don't fuck around too much with the negotiations.
Lee.
Post a Comment
<< Home