Robin van Persie scored a hat-trick to lead Arsenal to victory at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea were wide open at the back, and the Gunners quickly filled those holes. John Terry’s slip, which led to the winning goal, will live in the memory of Gooners for years to come.
Let’s start with Terry’s hilarious miscue. Florent Malouda sent a poor pass back to JT, but Terry still should have gathered it easily. Instead, he fell flat on his face while van Persie raced away towards Cech. The Dutchman eased past the Chelsea keeper before showing Fernando Torres how to score in an empty net. The goal was Robin’s second of the day and gave us a 4-3 lead.
Who knows if the comical fall is even a slip? It looked as if Terry just tumbled over for no reason. Maybe he was looking for a phantom call, or maybe he didn’t want to reveal his true pace, or lack thereof. Van Persie still had to finish the chance, which is easier said than done when you have that much time and space. A player of less quality and class (Torres) would have let nerves settle in during that time.
Arsene Wenger must have done something at halftime. We were trailing 2-1 at the break and then scored four goals in the second half to bury the Blues. Andre Santos was a completely different player after the interval. In the first half, the Brazilian left back was exposed time and time again. In the [...]
Arsenal can complete their rise from ruin with a result at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon. Chelsea will be a real test, even without Didier Drogba. Arsene Wenger knows that the next several days are extremely important, dubbing the two matches in this period as “cup finals.”
The Gunners will clash with the Blues in an early kickoff on Saturday. The result will determine whether we have finally recovered from that horrible start. We have played three games (Liverpool, United, Spurs) against the “Big Six” this season and have lost all of them. Any point taken from this match can been seen as a cure to our woes.
I would not be surprised to see Thomas Vermaelen sitting on the bench at the start of the match. At his pre-match press conference, Wenger seemed very hesitant about starting Vermaelen (from Arsenal.com):
“He will certainly be in the squad at Chelsea. I don’t know yet whether he will start, I have to think about that. I feel physically he is not completely ready because he had problems to finish the game against Bolton, but he is close. We play two games in three days and I will have to evaluate the whole situation. But Thomas always wants to play.”
Who will start at right back? Carl Jenkinson may not be fit, and he would likely be torched by the speedy Chelski attackers anyway. Laurent Koscielny could fill in, but he has been great at centre-back recently. If Vermaelen doesn’t start, then Koscielny [...]
Arsenal’s annual general meeting was held on Wednesday. Arsene Wenger gave a powerful speech, while Stan Kroenke’s comments supplied supporters with little insight. Shareholders were clearly frustrated with chairman Peter Hill-Wood. Reports are saying that the Gunners have opened up contract negotiations with Robin van Persie.
Wenger’s speech at the meeting was clearly from his heart. He stood up for the values of our club and the class with which the club operates (from Daily Mirror):
“I believe that the values we defend are highly defendable because we want to do things with class. We want of course to be very ambitious. We want to be very brave. I believe that this club has always been very brave in its decisions. The courage is a quality I admire because it is a highly needed quality in the modern world.”
Arsene believes that the fans need to get behind the team, and together Arsenal can achieve success. Wenger said that he believes that his squad have the right attitude and are ready to fight. He said this near the end of his speech (from Daily Mirror):
“And if I just would like to achieve one thing today it is: trust us, this team has qualities, this team will fight.” Click to read the full transcript of Wenger’s speech at the AGM. Stan Kroenke took a few minutes to introduce himself to the shareholders and supporters. The American majority shareholder has been quiet since his takeover last season. He was interested in several [...]
Arsenal defeated Bolton at the Emirates to advance to their ninth Carling Cup quarterfinal round in nine years. Ju Young Park and Andrey Arsahvin were the goal scorers, while Thomas Vermaelen made his return from injury.
Bolton fielded a strong team, while Arsene went with a mix of young players and little-used experienced players. Arshavin and Park outshined the young talented players like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Francis Coquelin. The little Russian did well playing behind Park, with Benayoun and Chamberlain on the wings. Park played much better than he did in the last Carling Cup game against Shrewsbury. You could see his confidence growing as the match wore on.
Park played right on the edge of the Bolton backline, similar to how Chicharito positions himself for United. Cahill and Knight caught him offside a few times, but the South Korean continued to make intelligent runs. Park made a run, but Arshavin did not make the pass. The little Russian waited for Park to get back onside before releasing the South Korean. Park curled the shot into the side netting in the far corner for the winning goal.
Wenger made a very good point about Arshavin after the match (from Arsenal.com):”Andrey is a player who of course takes a bit gamble on nearly every ball he plays. Sometimes he loses balls he shouldn’t lose but when you look at the end of the game he has always had a big impact. Tonight he scored and made an assist. He had a good performance tonight.”
The Line-up: Thomas Vermaelen is set to make his return to the Arsenal squad on Tuesday night against Bolton. Arsene Wenger revealed that the dramatic loss in the Carling Cup final last season will hurt him forever. This league cup match presents another chance for the young Gunners to shine.
Injury News: According to several reports (Daily Mail, Metro, Mirror), Thomas Vermaelen will be included in the final squad for Tuesday night at the Emirates. He will likely get a run-out as Wenger wishes to rest the overworked Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker. Wenger, who always keeps his team selection secret until the last possible moment, said only this about Vermaelen (from Arsenal.com):
“He is back in full training again, he is alright now.”
Arsene also gave an update on Jack Wilshere: “Everything is going to plan. The next steps will be to have a scan but he is on track.”
Back to Vermaelen. The Belgian defender has not played in two months, and many expected that he would make his return at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. But this Carling Cup tie could provide the perfect opportunity for Vermaelen to regain his match fitness ahead of the Chelsea clash. Maybe he only plays the last twenty minutes, but it at least assures that he will not make his return in the pressure-filled contest at the weekend.
Every Gooner remembers the heartbreak that was felt after Obafemi Martin scored the late winner for Birmingham City in the league cup [...]
Robin van Persie scored two goals for Arsenal as the Gunners defeated Stoke City 3-1. Gervinho was fantastic, scoring one goal and making the other two. Arsene Wenger’s team jumped up to 7th in the table.
Many Gooners were surprised to see that van Persie was not included in Sunday’s starting eleven. Arsene Wenger explained after the match why he decided to keep Robin on the bench (from Arsenal.com):
”He had muscular tightness and I took 19 players [in training] yesterday because I was not sure whether to involve him on the teamsheet. He made a check this morning and he was medically alright to be on the bench.”
Despite the muscular tightness, RvP was the hero again at the Emirates. Wenger inserted the Dutchman in the 66th minute for the ineffective Marouane Chamakh. It was apparent from the minute that he stepped on the pitch. Van Persie was a class above the rest of the players from both sides.
Gervinho slithered to the endline before delivering the low cross to the Dutchman. Van Persie’s strike hit Begovich before nestling into the net. Robin simply stuffed in the cross. It wasn’t a pretty goal, but it was the winning play.
Gervinho connected with RvP for the third goal as well. The Ivorian drove down the wing before sliding in yet another low cross. Van Persie tapped it past Begovic to secure the three points.
What makes van Persie a world class striker is that he can score any type of goal. He is [...]
The Gunners are looking to win their third match of the week and jump to 7th in the table. Stoke City are also trying to win their third game this week, but the Potters have suffered away from home. Ryan Shawcross will certainly be an enemy at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Injury News: Carl Jenkinson will miss two weeks after sustaining a knee injury at the Stade Velodrome on Wednesday night. Bacary Sagna, Kieran Gibbs, Jack Wilshere, Abou Diaby, and Thomas Vermaelen are also out for Sunday.
Arsenal are running out of full backs. With Sagna, Gibbs, and Jenkinson injured, Andre Santos is the only true full back, and he is expected to start at left back on Sunday. Arsene Wenger spoke about his choices at right back (from Arsenal.com):
“That’s what I have to sort out before the game and I have not decided. My options are Koscielny and Djourou.”
Djourou will be the more likely to start because Koscielny excelled in the center against Marseille. Djourou believes he is ready for the challenge of filling for the injured right backs.
We have won five out of the last six matches in all competitions. Another victory against Stoke would push us up to 7th, taking into account Saturday’s results. Three points would put us only two points behind from Liverpool, who failed to beat Norwich City.
Stoke City defeated Maccabi Tel-Aviv 3-0 on Thursday night in the Europa League. In their last Premier League match, the Potters beat Fulham 2-0. Stoke struggle away [...]
Carl Jenkinson will miss two to three weeks due to the knee injury he suffered on Wednesday night. Johan Djourou is the likely candidate to fill in at right back, and he said that he is ready the challenge.
According to The Guardian and other sources, Carl Jenkinson will be out for two or three weeks. The 19-year old hobbled off the pitch at the Stade Velodrome on Wednesday night. Arsene Wenger had this to say about the injury (from Arsenal.com):
“We don’t know yet but it is very unlikely he will be available for Sunday. He is having a scan and we will know some time on Friday.”
Johan Djourou replaced Jenkinson against Marseille, and it was Djourou’s cross that found Aaron Ramsey for the winning goal. But Djourou was awful at right back against Blackburn. The 24-year old defender believes he is up to the task of playing on the right (from The Guardian):
“I am a centre-back first … I love my game, I love playing football and when I can play, it’s a relief. So if I have to play right-back to help the team, then I will do it. It worked out against Marseille because I played the final ball for the goal. But I just want to play football.
“I have played a few times before at right-back and it’s a completely different game. When you play centre-back you can see the whole game in front of you but when you’re on the wing, you have [...]
Aaron Ramsey scored the dramatic late winner for Arsenal at the Stade Velodrome on Wednesday night. The match appeared to be heading towards a boring 0-0 result before Ramsey stunned Marseille. The Gunners now lead the group with seven points.
Arsene Wenger’s three substitutes all touched the ball before the winning goal settled in the back of the net. Johan Djourou, who was brought on for the injured Carl Jenkinson, sent in a good cross. Gervinho, who came on for Andrey Arsavhin, failed to settle the ball, and it fell kindly to Aaron Ramsey. The Welsh midfielder seized control of the opportunity and blasted the ball into the net in the second minute of injury time.
Arsene Wenger spoke after the match about Ramsey (from Arsenal.com): “It was a great finish, you see Ramsey in front of goal and you know you have a good chance to score. He is a goalscorer.”
The referee blew the final whistle only moments after play had restarted. We snatched a victory in the 92nd minute thanks to three players who weren’t on the pitch at the start. Both sides looked to be settling for the point after a sloppy match. Winning changes everything and we have recorded four victories in our last five games.
A missed call from the officials was the biggest moment of the first half. Souleymane Diawara clearly deflected an Arsenal corner with his hand, but neither the referee nor the goal-line official made the call. Both should have witnessed the [...]
Arsenal will continue their Champions League campaign on Wednesday night at the Stade Velodrome. Olympique de Marseille are struggling in Ligue 1, but they have won both their Champions League matches.
Injury News: Kieran Gibbs will miss the match due to a muscle strain in his stomach. Arsene Wenger said that Gibbs will be out for around “two weeks.” Aaron Ramsey is back and has been named in the 18-man squad. Thomas Vermaelen, Bacary Sagna, Jack Wilshere, and Abou Diaby are still recovering from their long-term injuries.
Arsene Wenger is not taking Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the trip to France. The Ox scored in the victory over Olympiacos, and it is surprising that he has not been included. Chamberlain has played very well when given the chance, but Wenger has chosen not to pick him for some inexplicable reason.
Another young, promising player was included in the 18-man squad for Wednesday night. Francis Coquelin, the tough tackling midfielder, will be at the Stade Velodrome. Coquelin was impressive in the loss to Spurs.
Marseille currently sit at 15th in the Ligue 1 table, with only nine points from ten games. Arsenal are not doing much better, with ten points from eight matches. Marseille’s last two results have been draws, including a 1-1 against Brest. Despite this poor form, Marseille have been great in Europe this season. They crushed Borussia Dortmund 3-0 at the Stade Velodrome, and also beat Olympiacos 1-0 in Greece.
Arsene Wenger is very familiar with Olympique de Marseille from his [...]
