After the thrilling 3-5 game, we were just destined to have a nil-nil. Arsenal’s attackers were not clinical enough in the penalty area. On a positive note, Mertesacker and Vermaelen partnered up to hold Marseille to a clean sheet.
Robin van Persie was left on the bench as Ju Young Park got the start. The South Korean striker had very little impact on the match, and the Dutchman was brought on to save the day in the 61st minute. Unfortunately, not even a flaming Robin could play the role of Superman at the Emirates on Tuesday night.
After his stellar performance against Bolton in the Carling Cup, Park blew a chance to move up further in ranks. Arsene Wenger explained his decision to leave van Persie among the substitutes (from Sky Sports): “It was a bit on the edge. It was a gamble that you can say tonight didn’t come off.
“But, overall, he was very tired after the game on Saturday. He has played many games and I took the gamble to rest him first and make him come on.”
One thing I cannot understand is why Robin does not take every free kick. He is a proven marksman from set pieces, but he barely ever gets a chance to work his magic from the dead ball. In stoppage time, Thomas Vermaelen and Mikel Arteta lined up behind the free kick, and RvP was nowhere in sight. He needs to step up and tell [...]
Arsenal have a chance to seal their qualification into the Champions League knockout stage with a victory over Marseille at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night. Stan Kroenke addressed the players ahead of this match, but some of his comments to the press worry me.
Let’s start with the team news. Vermaelen and Jenkinson are good to go on Tuesday night. Marouane Chamakh has a “knee injury” according to Arsene Wenger and is not included in the squad. This could be one of those phantom injuries we see every now and then, because Chamakh has been useless this season.
Yossi Benayoun is fit and will likely start tomorrow. My starting eleven prediction: Santos (LB) , Vermaelen (CB), Mertesacker (CB), Jenkinson (RB), Arteta (CM), Song (CM), Benayoun (CM), Arshavin (LW), Park (ST), Walcott (RW). Wenger may decide to rest both Mertesacker and Koscielny, and go with Squillaci or Djourou. Robin will likely be on the bench as Wenger will not want to overwork him. Arshavin could play behind Park (like he did very effectively against Bolton), and Benayoun could move to the wing. A lot of options.
We need to finish top of the group, and a win against Marseille would go far in securing that top spot. The French side is second in the group, and a victory would put us four points ahead of our closest competitor(s). Dortmund have been dreadful, earning only a point. Olympiacos still have a shot even though they were considered the whipping boys when the [...]
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 [...]
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Andre Santos scored for Arsenal as the Gunners defeated Olympiacos 2-1. The Greek champions did threaten Arsenal, but the Gunners were able to pull through in the end.
“The Ox” scored eight minutes into his Champions League debut. The 18-year old midfielder gathered a wonderful pass from Alex Song and finished in the bottom corner. Chamberlain did well to work his way into space before firing the expert shot.
Andre Santos scored his first Arsenal goal in the 20th minute. The Brazilian left back drove down the flank and his cross was blocked. The ball bounced right back to Santos, and he maneuvered around the defender before sticking it inside the near post. The Olympiacos keeper really should have made the stop, but Santos did a good job of threading the ball into the net.
Arsenal did not waste time in giving away the momentum. A David Fuster header put Olympiacos right back into the match in the 27th minute. Fuster was completely unmarked when he scored. It was yet another example of Arsenal’s terrible marking on set pieces.
Pat Rice was the manager on Wednesday night as Wenger served out his touchline ban. After the match, Rice reacted to the goal the Gunners conceded (from Arsenal.com): “It was soft, yes. From a defender’s point of view it was really poor.”
Many were questioning the Arsenal team selection before the game even started. Robin van Persie, Aaron Ramsey, and Kieran Gibbs all began the match on the bench. Alex [...]
Arsenal will play Greek champions Olympiacos on Wednesday night at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners will be expected to beat Olympiacos, but Arsene Wenger knows it will not be easy. Mikel Arteta is anxious to make his Champions League debut in front of the Arsenal supporters.
Injury News: Theo Walcott, Gervinho, and Laurent Koscielny will miss the match due to injury. Wenger said that all three “have a chance” to recover in time to play Spurs on Sunday. Regarding Theo, Wenger said that he has “more than a 50-50 chance” of playing at White Hart Lane.
Mikel Arteta against Dortmund
Arsene’s mood at the pre-match press conference was much more pleasant than we have been seeing. He looked very positive and even snapped off a few jokes along the way. When a reporter asked Mikel Arteta if Wenger was a different manager than his reputation around football, Wenger said, “Don’t talk too much Mikel.”
Looking at the group (Marseille, Dortmund, Olympiacos), this match at the Emirates is the easiest fixture on paper. But Arsene Wenger said he is not taking this game lightly (from Arsenal.com): “For me, it is difficult to beat anybody. We have a lot of respect for Olympiacos. I have seen their game against Marseille and they played well.
“You never win easy in the Champions League – when you give absolutely everything, you have a chance to win. If we have not learned that from 14 consecutive years in the Champions League, then we are really stupid. [...]
Arsenal were able to sneak out of the intimidating Signal Iduna Park with a draw. Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ivan Perisic scored a brilliant equaliser late on to ensure a point for the home side. Dortmund dominated the Gunners, but Arsenal will be delighted to have earned a result in this match.
Robin van Persie scored the first goal of the game against the run of play in the 42nd minute. The Dutchman went to ground to poke the ball to Theo Walcott. Van Persie quickly stood up and made a darting run, and Theo was able to find him. RVP finished the play off with a ruthless finish.
The Gunners focused on defending in the latter part of the game, but it was not enough to stop a fantastic strike from Ivan Perisic in the 88th minute. A Dortmund set piece was cleared by Arsenal, but Perisic volleyed the ball out of mid-air and into the far corner of the net.
Wojciech Szczesny told Sky Sports: “Sometimes they go in from 20 yards, you can’t do much about it. I didn’t move. I had no chance.”
Gooners will not like to hear the statistics from the match. The German champions had 26 shots (6 on target), while the Gunners had 9 shots (2 on target). Dortmund even bested Arsenal in time of possession (57% to 43%).
Excluding Perisic’s wonder goal, Dortmund’s finishing was dreadful. The home side could have scored two or [...]
Arsenal face a tough test Tuesday night in Germany against Borussia Dortmund in their first match of the Champions League group stage. Arsene Wenger will serve a touchline ban as his team take on the German Champions at Signal Iduna Park.
Aaron Ramsey (ankle injury) and Tomas Rosicky (knee injury) will be absent from the Gunners’ midfield. Ramsey suffered an ankle problem on Saturday against Swansea. The number of Arsenal players with ankle injuries has risen to four (Diaby, Wilshere, Vermaelen, and now Ramsey).
Two key players who have not played for Arsenal in quite a while will return to the squad. Gervinho and Alex Song will likely make Wenger’s starting eleven after missing the last three Premier League games due to suspension.
New signing Per Mertesacker, who just departed from the Bundesliga, said that he believes Dortmund are the best team in Arsenal’s group (from Goal.com):
“Dortmund were the best team in Germany last year, they do a good job passing the ball and have great players.
“Dortmund are the toughest opponent in our group, so we will be very happy if we can take something from this match.”
Arsenal should be pleased to pick up a draw in Germany. The general feeling from Gooners is that they want something from this match. Signal Iduna Park is one of the most intimidating venues to play at in Europe, and the Gunners should be happy with a point.
Arsenal were drawn in Group F of Champions League on Thursday. The challenge will tough for the Gunners, who will have to play Olympique de Marseille, Olympiacos, and Borussia Dortmund. The following is an analysis on each of the three clubs drawn in Group F.
Olympique de Marseille: Marseille became the first French club to win the Champions League in 1993. Their stadium, Stade Velodrome, seats around 60,000 fans. Their last Ligue 1 title came in 2010.
Last season, Marseille finished second behind Lille. They were beaten Manchester United in the round of 16 in the last edition of the Champions League. Arsene Wenger will have plenty of information on Marseille’s squad, as Arsenal are rumoured to be targeting several of their players for potential transfers. Even if the reports are false, Wenger is a known French football expert.
Steve Mandanda is the captain of Marseille, and one of the best keepers in Europe. He was named the top keeper of the 2010-2011 Ligue 1 season. Other key players include Mathieu Valbuena, Andre Ayew, and Lucho Gonzalez.
Olympiacos: The Greek heavyweights are back in the Champions League. Olympiacos won the Greek Super League title last season for the 38th time. Try topping that one Sir Alex! Panathinaikos is their hated rival, and the two clubs compete in the “derby of eternal enemies,” which is possibly the best-named derby ever.
Olympiacos feature former Aston Villa centre-back Olof Mellberg and former Manchester City and Liverpool winger Albert Riera. Their skipper is Avraam Papadopoulos.
Arsenal advanced to the Champions League group stage by defeating Udinese 2-1 on Wednesday night in Italy. Wojceich Szczesny’s penalty save kept the momentum of the match with the Gunners. Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott chipped in with the Arsenal goals, while Antonio Di Natale provided Udinese’s only tally of the match.
The key moment of the game came after the referee handed Udinese a penalty in the 58th minute. The score was 1-1, and Udinese needed two more goals to advance to the Champions League group stage. Antonio Di Natale was the obvious choice to take the penalty. The Udinese captain struck the ball hard but Wojciech Szczesny made a brilliant, stretching save and the ball popped over the bar.
Udinese would have fancied their chances of advancing had Di Natale converted the penalty. It was not a terrible strike from the Italian striker, but Szczesny made a strong, confident block. The shot had tremoundous power behind it, but the Polish keeper denied Udinese the opportunity. The Italian side looked dejected after the penalty, while Arsenal were uplifted by the great stop.
Di Natale opened the scoring for Udinese in 39th minute. The 33-year old put a majestic header into the Arsenal net. The ball floated towards the far corner and popped off the post before settling in the goal mouth. Di Natale had been unlucky early in the match when he had a goal disallowed and also hit the post.
At halftime, Arsene Wenger’s team had a very real chance of dropping [...]
