What a football match! The Gunners fell behind in the first half, but came back to dominate Barcelona in the second half and secure the victory. Andrei Arshavin, who was brought in as a substitute, came away with the winner in the 83rd minute. The Emirates exploded in joy as Arsenal were able to finally beat Barcelona. Barca looked flustered after our first goal, and clearly rattle after the second one. The pressure is squarely on Barcelona for the second leg at Camp Nou.
The buildup to the match was astounding. Everyone excited for the start of the game, awaiting it all week (or month). The pace of the match was set right from kickoff. It was going to be a fast-paced match with many scoring opportunities. Back and forth action ensured as each side earned scoring chances. Arsenal did come out firing, with a number of chances in the opening minutes.
Alex Song was shown the yellow card on first first tackle of the match (8th minute). Song then continued to test the patience of match official Nicola Rizzoli throughout the first half. It was really frightening for us Gooners because it looked like Song would be sent off at any time. Thankfully, Alex stuck around long enough to be taken out of the match by Wenger.
Nasri played a big part in the winning goal
Robin van Persie was off in the first half. He did have a wonderful chance for a volley goal in the 7th minute. RVP let off a vicious shot but it was right at Victor Valdes. The Dutchman missed the target too much. Some of his shots sailed over the goal, not even bothering Valdes. RVP would make up for it later in the match with a superb goal.
Barca started to control the game after the quick start from the Gunners. Messi almost scored in the 15th minute, when his chip shot rolled wide. Their possession and constant prodding of the Arsenal back four lead to the first goal of the match. Lionel Messi slid the ball past the Arsenal defence and unleashed David Villa on goal. Villa is never going to miss a chance like that, and Szczesny had no chance… one-nil Barca.
So we went into the break down a goal, against the best team in the world. It didn’t look very promising, not at all. The Gunners burst out of the break with a purpose. They pushed Barca back and made them defend under pressure. For most of the half, we created chances but weren’t able to take them. Barca looked comfortable just sitting back and defending for the rest of the match.
But then it happened. Robin van Persie found the net when he had no business to score. Gael Clichy sent a brilliant ball to RVP, who stormed down the left with it. He then looked up for a split-second before firing a shot that snuck into the net at the near post. To be fair, Valdes was terrible out of position, but it was still an excellent finish by RVP.
Just a few minutes later (83rd minute), Wenger’s substitution paid off brilliantly. Arsene took off the defensive-minded Alex Song in favor of Andrei Arshavin when we were still down by a goal. Samir Nasri, coming off an injury, set up the goal beautifully. Nasri sprinted by the Barca back four on the right side. Nasri was wonderfully patient, holding the ball off until Arshavin made a wide-open run right into the penalty area.
Arshavin’s finish was first class. He took the shot on his first touch and the ball sailed into the goal. Euphoric screams of passion light up the Emirates as Arshavin pulled his shirt over his face. Two late goals stunned Barcelona. Teams don’t usually put up that kind of fight against them. They underestimated Arsenal’s ability to turn around a match and it cost them.
Arshavin almost coughed up the lead only minutes after he supplied the goal. In the last minute of regular time, a Barca cross floated towards the far post, directly towards Arshavin. All he had to do was head the ball out of the area, but instead he tried to play the ball back to Szczesny. Well, the lightning-fast Dani Alves caught up to the header before it came to Szczesny, but the Polish keeper sheilded the net well, forcing Alves into the corner.
Speaking of Szczesny, he is a real quality keeper. It is so nice to have a keeper who takes command of the ball, whether in the air or on the ground. He is so confident and he never hesitates. Arsene Wenger has found his keeper.
Another young lad who is really impressing me is Jack Wilshere. Even against the “best” side in the world, he shines. Wilshere has a lot of pace, and he’s capable of running past several players. He takes care of the ball, making careful passes to keep possession. Wilshere is clearly blossoming into a great footballer.
Now on to the post-match comments. Here’s RVP: ”Just to play our own game. In my opinion, and in our opinion, if you drop back too much they are so good they will in the end beat you by far.
“We had to beat them in their own style. We got a bit lucky but it was a fantastic win”
The captain ( and Barcelona-born) Cesc Fabregas: “They don’t lose many games. They are the best side in football’s history in my opinion. This is 180 minutes. It’s a nice victory. It will give confidence to the team but that’s all.”
Let’s let Arsene close this match report: ”It is one of the most exciting nights because it was against a special team. The game promised a lot and I think it fulfilled all the promises, it was an exceptional match between two special teams.
“I am proud with the mental strength we have shown because against Barcelona you are sometimes on the border of being exposed. We never gave up and that mental strength allowed us to win the tie.
“In the second half we were tighter in our marking, pushed much more in and played higher up. They dropped a little bit physically and we didn’t and that was in the end the difference.
“We scored two special goals, one an individual piece of skill from Robin van Persie and the other a collective build-up.
“I don’t know how big the chance is (of progressing to the quarter-finals). I am convinced of one thing, the team will give absolutely everything to achieve it.
“We will go there with belief. It is a big boost for the team to know we can beat a side like Barcelona. You could see we are different team mentally, we are now more mature.”
Tomorrow night is the night we’ve been waiting for. The Arselona 2011 extravaganza finally kicks off. The Gunners haven’t faired well against Barca in recent years in the Champions League. In the 2006 final, Arsenal almost became the first side from London to become European Champions. Barcelona ripped it away from the Gunners, who were down to ten men for most of the match. Last season, Barca eliminated Arsenal in the quarterfinals. What will this next chapter hold?
Arsenal will have Samir Nasri available for the match. Nasir was not expected to be fit for the game, but Wenger revealed today that he will be in the squad: “Samir is in the squad and the starting line-up will be decided tomorrow. He’s recovered quicker than expected. I said it would be 21 days but it will be only 17 days.
“Everybody is absolutely adamant that he’s completely medically available. It’s down to me to make the decision.”
Nasri’s importance cannot be overstated. He was definitely the most consistent Gunner before he went down with the injury. Hopefully, he will start and influence the Arsenal attack from the beginning of the match. It will be interesting to see how Nasri works with Robin van Persie, who has been scoring at will for the Gunners recently.
Wenger also said that Tomas Rosicky is available for the match. Let’s hope we don’t have to see him on the pitch. Diaby will miss that match with a calf problem. It looks like Arsenal’s best eleven minus Vermaelen will be on the pitch. Let’s just hope they can give Barcelona a run for their money.
Barcelona on not coming off a particularly good performance. Sporting Gijon held them to a 1-1 draw at the weekend. To be fair, Barca manager Josep Guardiola did not start his best side. Pedro, Abidal, and Busquets were not in the lineup. However Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, and Villa were in the lineup. So, no excuse for not beating the relegation candidates, Sporting Gijon.
Sporting Gijon ended Barca’s sixteen match winning streak. I did not see the match, but from all accounts, Barca were not near their top form. Maybe Arsenal will be able to catch Barcelona in a rough patch and eliminate them from the Champions League. I sure hope so because I’m tired of us losing to Barcelona.
Some Gooners have said that it would be better if Arsenal were to lose to Barca and exit the Champions League now. Their reasoning is that Arsenal will have a better chance to win the Premier League without the European distractions that Manchester United will surely have. I do not agree with this at all. I want Arsenal to win every single match they play in…. period. Arsenal have to win the Champions League before Chelsea or Tottenham (Ha!) do. We have to be the first in London to win it.
I have to be honest. This Barcelona side are the best team I have ever witnessed. Although I missed the Gijon match, I have seen quite a bit of their performances this season. And I mean performances. They put on a show with their passing, like we do, but Barca does it more efficiently. If you let them have too much of the possession, they will bury you. The difference between the way we play and the way Barca plays is simple: Barca score many, many more goals. They finish off their beautiful passes with goals. Something the Gunners could learn from.
Their defence is of course better than our sorry excuse for a defence. Gerard Pique is one of the best centre-backs in the world. Carlos Puyol will miss the match tomorrow, so maybe RVP will be able find enough room to blast the ball with his left foot.
We have to win tomorrow to advance. That’s what I believe. If we can edge out a win tomorrow, than the hope is there. It will be very difficult to beat Barcelona at Camp Nou, but it is considerably less difficult to hold them to a draw.
Arsene Wenger has a tough task tomorrow. Here’s some of what he had to say at his pre-match presser: ”We don’t deny the quality of Barcelona, but what is important for us is we have a good opportunity to show who we are now. Not only that, we also want to show Barcelona we are capable of knocking them out.
“We have the belief and a strong togetherness to show we are a different team now. In the first half of the home game last year we were spectators a little bit and were a bit inhibited.”
I agree with Wenger there. We gave Barca too much respect last year. This year’s team is definitely better and capable of beating Barcelona. We just have to treat them like any big club we play in the league, whether it be Chelsea, Manchester United, or whoever. Wenger doesn’t change his style and he will have his players play the game they always play. But will that be enough?
More Wenger: ”I believe that confidence-wise and mentally we are a completely different team today. We have made our way forward by challenging in the Premier League and we are still in all competitions. If you look at the predictions pre-season, nobody in England predicted we would be where we are today.
“We have made our own way through our own strength and mental belief.
“Losing to Barcelona made us better because we came out of the second game with a lot of frustrations. We are now a stronger team because we have attitude and I have not seen many teams with such consistent focus every day. We are in an ideal condition to face Barcelona. We cannot complain, we have the belief, the confidence and the players available.
“We want to show how good we are. We want to show the belief we have in our game and in our quality.”
“We want to win this competition and we know the only way to do that is to beat the super-favourites. Barcelona are certainly the best team in the world at the moment. If we knock Barcelona out, we straight away have a good chance to win the tournament.”
Everybody expects an exciting match because we are two teams who play quality football. Tomorrow we want to be faithful to our philosophy, to make sure we dominate the game, that we pass the ball and that we have possession of the ball.
“If we do that, we have a very good chance of beating them.”
I have a good feeling about this match, I really do. Last week, I didn’t, but now we have Nasri, they are coming off a disappointing game. They are the best team in a long, but that doesn’t mean they cannot be beaten. They certainly aren’t going to come to the Emirates and dominate. We’re smarter this year. Maybe this will be the year we finally slay Barca.
Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has been the subject of more rumours than a celebrity couple. First, he’s moving to Barca. Next, he’s staying at Arsenal. Well, recently Real Madrid have been rumoured to have interest in the 23 year-old midfielder. Some reports have Real offering €65 nillion for Cesc in the summer. Today, general manager Jorge Valdano denied the reports:
“We never made an offer for him (Fabregas) and we haven’t spoken with Arsenal either.
“We have a good relationship with Arsenal and we don’t want any misunderstanding.”
Of course, there has been some controversy over who is really running Real, Valdano or Mourinho. Jose wanted to bring in a striker and he did in Adebayor. Some say that Valdano didn’t want to bring in anyone last month but Mourinho convinced the directors. Valdona of course, he welcomed Adebayor publicly.
Anyway, I do not think Madrid has contacted Wenger. Why would they? The transfer period has just ended. Why would Valdano make an offer now? If Madrid are really interested in buying Fabregas, surely they will wait until the Summer. At least wait until the Spring!
Fabregas wants to make a move to Spain someday, but not to Madrid. Fabregas is a born and bred Catalan, a Barca boy through and through. Cesc will never play for Real. He wouldn’t agree to it. I believe he’d choose to play for Arsenal over Real. He isn’t really itching to leave Arsenal. He wants to play for Barcelona, and if he cannot, I’d like to believe he’d choose to play for the Gunners, considering how much they’ve done for him.
Every footballer dreams of playing for their boyhood club. This is not just something that Cesc feels. He will eventually move to Barca, but not quite yet. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: Where on the pitch will Cesc play? He’s not a defensive player, so Busquets is safe. Certainly, he will not start ahead of Xavi or Iniesta. Pedro plays too far forward.
Cesc will replace Xavi in the midfield once (if) Xavi declines with age. They are the same type of players.
There is another incentive for Fabregas to move to Barca. He may get to start on the national team. Fabregas was on the bench for the World Cup winners last summer. He didn’t play a huge part in Spain’s success. No one in the Spanish starting eleven played for a club outside of Barcelona and Madrid. David Silva didn’t start. Fernando Torres did start at first, but his form was off and he was soon replaced with Pedro. It’s safe to say that Cesc wants to play more come Euro 2012 and Brazil 2014.
Fabregas is going to have a difficult decision coming up in the summer. Will he want to move to Barca, where he will have to fight for a spot on the pitch? Or will he stay in North London for a bit and maybe wait a while to go back home. Arsenal’s performance the rest of the season may dictate that. If the Gunners can win the Premier League, that may persuade Cesc to stay. Just listen to Alex Song:
“We have to win a big trophy to keep Cesc, that’s what I think.”
“He has progressed even more, everyone can see that, but what’s important is that he has love for the club.
“That’s something I’m sure of, but he can’t wait forever. When I see some of the passes he provides, you have to admire them. I sometimes go up to him and say, ‘How did you do that?’
“I know that if I tried half the things he does they would not work.”
Wenger has a plan just in case Fabregas decides to hop a flight to Barca. Jack Wilshere is a promising, young player. Just ask any footballer, pundit, manager, podcaster, and the like. Maybe Wenger is lining up Wilshere to fill Cesc’s role if the Spaniard chooses to leave the Gunners. Wilshere is clearly capable of playing in that role. We will see.
Check in tomorrow for my preview of the big Arselona 2011 Extravaganza.
The Gunners were able to bounce back from the disaster at St. James Park to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers by two goals today at the Emirstes. Both goals came from Robin Van Persie, who has nine goals in his last five Premier League matches. With United also picking up points at Old Trafford earlier, this was a vital win keeping Arsenal in the title race.
Arsenal dominated this game from the starting whistle until extra time. Wolves never even challenged Wojceich Szczesny. The Gunners did their usual try-to-walk-the-ball-into-the-net routine. Jack Wilshere needs to learn to shoot the ball when he has an opening. He kept trying to get the ball to Walcott, who couldn’t find the net at all today.
Let’s talk about the goals. In the 16th minute, Cesc played in a modest cross to RVP. The Dutchman was able to curl his foot in front of the Wolves defender and volley the ball into the net. It was really quite a brilliant goal. RVP made something out of nothing and gave Arsenal the early lead.
The Gunners just had a lot of trouble adding to that goal. Just chance after chance was wasted. Right after the goal, RVP curled in a corner that Andrei Arshavin just plain missed. Wolves keeper Wayne Hennessey went for the ball put totally misplaced it, leaving a surprised Arshavin with an open goal. The ball just bounced off the Russian’s foot and went out of play.
Arshavin’s form does look to be improving, but not his finishing. He just can’t put the ball in the net. I know he scored that vital goal against Everton, but I’m going to rule that one as a fluke until he can do it again.
Our best chance to extend the came in the 31st minute. Wilshere threaded a pass through to Arshavin, who was left alone with the keeper but didn’t have a shot. Arshavin smartly passed it over to Walcott, whose attempt was saved by Hennessey. The rebound found Fabregas, with the net virtually empty. Cesc shot it right into a Wolves defender and the chance went begging.
So the Gunners go into the half up only by a goal when they should be up by at least three. With the Newcastle debacle still fresh in the minds, no one thought this match was over. Even with the total dominance by Arsenal, they had only managed a goal. This game should have been put to bed in the first half. That’s the problem with this team, they can’t finish the match.
We face Barcelona on Wednesday and they’re not going to give a quarter as many chances as Wolves did. Arsenal just fail to score enough when they have the chance. Quality clubs like Barca take their chances. The Gunners need to simply take more of their chances.
The second half began with a bang. In the 55th minute, we finally went up by two. It wasn’t so much the goal that was worth remembering. It was the beautiful buildup play that lead to the easy finish. The ball movement was just pure class. Fabregas sent a great ball out to a streaking Walcott. It was RVP and Walcott against a huffing-and-puffing Wolves defender. Walcott eased passed him before sending the ball over to van Persie, who put the icing on the cake with the goal.
Still, it’s hard for me to be happy with the performance today. Sure, they got the three points, but the sheer number of chances they threw away was mind-blowing. When they have to play the big clubs, they won’t get nearly that many. Three points is three points I guess, still four off the lead.
Johan Djourou has been wonderful at the back. He is developing into a premier centre-back right before our eyes. He silenced every Wolves attack. Although he did make one challenge in the first half that could have been ruled a penalty, he still played smart tactical football. At age 24, can he be a top defender for Arsenal this year and for the years to come?
Arsene Wenger played his top (healthy) eleven today. He did remove van Persie and Wilshere in the second half, in anticipation of the huge Arselona 2011 extravaganza.
Here is some of what Arsene Wenger said after the match: “We had to stay focused. For us it is important because [on Wednesday] we play certainly at the moment the best team in the world. It is important to go into the game with psychological confidence and as well in a strong position in the league. We are in a Premier League race, we believe we can do it, we have the hunger, and we can focus on every single competition and that is important. For me it was important we showed the focus today and did not have Barcelona in their mind.”
Wenger impressed with the performance of Jack Wilshere again today: “I think he had a very good game. He defends well, attacks well, creates chances, had assists. At the moment I believe he will soon score, he looks very close. He has a hesitation sometimes to finish himself and chooses at the moment to give the ball, but I think when he will be a bit more confident he will score goals. He has not scored yet but Cesc was for a while like that.”
Arsenal were certianly able to bounce back from the Newcastle collapse. Here’s what Wenger said on the lack of carryover from that match: ”There was none. In fact it confirmed the quality of our performance at Newcastle, what was not easy to read in the media, because we had an outstanding game as long as it was 11 against 11. It was confirmed today with the number of chances we created, the quality of our play. We were defensively solid and that was important after the four goals we conceded. We create many chances, the only regret is that maybe we didn’t score enough goals. Part of that is down to their goalkeeper – all the goalkeepers look very inspired here at the Emirates. The keeper had an outstanding game.”
Arsenal are set to play Wolverhampton Wanderers tomorrow afternoon at the Emirates. Wolves are coming off a huge win over Manchester United and look to continue their success against top clubs this season. The Gunners, on the other hand, are coming off a heart-breaking draw against Newcastle where they conceded four goals in the second half. Will the Arsenal defence be able to rebound or will they simply fold up like they did at St. James Park?
Last time these two squads met was November 10th at Molineux. Arsenal were able to secure a 2-0 victory in that match. Despite their disappointing result against Newcastle, the Gunners did gain a point on the leaders United (thanks to Wolves). Manchester United will certainly face a tough challenge in tomorrow’s Manchester derby. If City are able to beat United or hold them to a draw, Arsenal can look to inch closer to the Red Devils.
First and foremost, the Gunners have to focus on Wolves. Kevin Doyle, who scored the winner against United, is really finding some good form and could become a dangerous goalscorer for Wolves. Sylvan Ebanks-Blake hasn’t been on top form recently but he can provide the Arsenal back four with some problems if he can bring his game up.
With Arsenal’s big Champions League match against Barcelona on the immediate horizon, some felt that Arsene Wenger may rest some players for this match. Here’s what Wenger has to say:
“There is no Barcelona in mind. There is Wolverhampton in mind. That’s what is important to us, the championship.”We fought so hard to be in this position now that the most important thing is that we focus on the Premiership tomorrow.”
Tomorrow’s match is very important for the Gunners indeed. It could be another chance to gain points on United and if it isn’t, then they need to keep pace with the Red Devils. Here’s more of what Wenger had to say at his pre-match presser:
“As long as there were 11 against 11 on the pitch against Newcastle we were outstanding and people forget about that. We should get a lot of belief and positives out of that game. When we went down to 10 we were a bit too nervous and we have to learn from that individually and collectively.
“We lost two points we should have got but mathematically we are one point closer to where we want to be.
“The players have a point to prove to themselves because they know they wasted two points. Personally I have a great belief in this team and they can be stronger than ever. They have gained in maturity.
“I like the attitude of this team and I trust the attitude. I don’t deny that we lost our way a little bit in the second half and we want to learn from that. We have a good chance to show it tomorrow.”
Centre-back Johan Djourou has passes his fitness test and will be able to play in the match against Wolves. Whether he will play or not, I’m not sure. It is still great injury news for once. Djourou was forced out of the Newcastle game because of an injury to his knee. Here is Wenger on who is available for tomorrow:
“Yes, Djourou is fit. Diaby has a problem but anyway he is suspended. Denilson is available. Rosicky has a groin problem coming back from the Czech Republic so he is not involved but Denilson is coming back. The rest of the squad will be the same as Newcastle. Cesc and Van Persiewill both be playing.”
On Thomas Vermaelen: “He is doing better and he is in the normal process of rehabilitation. When he will be fit again, I don’t know. It is very difficult to set any time on it. Something like three weeks.”
I’m still not confident that Vermaelen will be able to help this team at all this season. This injury has dragged out for quite a long time, and I really doubt he will be able to come back on contribute. We’ll just have to see.
Speaking of the Barca match (who was?), Xavi has again reiterated that Cesc Fabregas will join Barcelona in a matter time. Here is the Spanish midfielder on Cesc:
If I’d ever gone to another club, I’d have been thinking about Barcelona – the link is strong. The same is happening to him. But now there’s a problem: now he’s expensive. But I think that a footballer ends up playing where he wants. He has to end up here.”
Here is Xavi on being informed about Arsenal supporters ignoring comments about Fabregas moving to Spain: ”Really? I hardly spoke then. I imagine they wouldn’t have liked that. You know, often footballers don’t think. We’re selfish, we don’t realise. I also say it because I’m thinking of Cesc.
“He wants to come here. Barcelona has always been his dream. But of course he’s Arsenal’s captain, the standard bearer, a leader. This situation is a putada[bummer] for him. He’s at a club that plays his style with Wenger who has treated him well, taught him, raised him. Cesc respects him. If he’d been at, say, Blackburn it might have been easier to leave.
“Look, the truth is: I want him to come here. Of course. Barcelona have a very clear style and not many footballers fit. It’s not easy. But Cesc fits it perfectly.”
On Arsenal’s success this season: ”This year they’re much better. I think it’s a disadvantage for us that we played last year. They had [too] much respect for us. It was as if they let us have the ball; we always had it, home and away. The game in London could have been a 4-0 we dominated so much – but it finished 2-2. This year will be different.”
I really don’t see Cesc moving to Barcelona soon. First of all, where would he play? Well, he’d be on the bench just like he was for Spain during the World Cup. Xavi is 31. How many more years does he have left? If Cesc moves to Barca, it will be after Xavi has retired or declined in ability. If anything, Cesc will be the successor in midfield to Xavi at Barca.
Before we can look at the huge Barca match on Wednesday, Arsenal have to beat Wolves tomorrow. A great opportunity could present itself if United struggles against City. Either way, a win is vital.
Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby has said today that he would like to play for Barcelona some day. In Arsenal’s last game with Newcastle (in case you almost forgot), Diaby was sent off for roughing up Newcastle thugs Joey Barton and Kevin Nolan. His sending off was seen as the turning point in Newcastle’s comeback, even though the Gunners were still up by four goals. Here are Diaby’s comments on Barca, who will met Arsenal in a Champions League match next Wednesday:
“At some point I would like to play for Barcelona or Real Madrid, but I would prefer to play for Barca, because I prefer their style.
“We played them last season, and we found them at their highest degree of effectiveness, both individually and collectively. This year will be the same, so we know what to expect. Barca are a great team, and this year they are very strong.
“Messi is the best in the world. We all know that the Argentine is a great player who can make the difference at any time, but we cannot focus only on him.”
Why is Diaby talking about playing for Barca? Doesn’t he know that he has to play against them in the very near future. Fact is, Diaby would be warming the bench for Barcelona, if he even makes it into the squad. He certainly wouldn’t start matches. A 40 year-old Xavi would start ahead of Diaby.
Diaby is suspended for the Wolves game on Saturday. Hopefully, he won’t take the pitch against Barca next week either. Fabregas, Song, and Wilshere are much better choices for the midfield and they will probably get the start. We Gooners are really looking forward (maybe dreading) playing the best team in the world. We don’t need to be hearing one of our own players (not Cesc for once) gushing over the idea of playing for them.
With so many international friendlies today, I will take a look at how some of the Arsenal players did while playing for their country. A total of twelve Gunners are in their country’s squad for today. Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott played for England against Nicklas Bendtner and Denmark. The French team contains four Gunners: Gael Clichy, Abou Diaby, Laurent Koscielny, and Bacary Sagna. Tomas Rosicky scored for the Czech Republic earlier in their 4-2 victory. Marouane Chamakh is suiting up for Morrocco, while Emmanuel Eboue will be on the Ivory Coast squad. Andrey Arshavin is the captain of Russia and Wojceich Szczesny was called up to the Polish squad. That’s it, got everyone.
Let’s start with the game I watched, England vs Denmark. Jack Wilshere started his first international match. Theo Walcott also got the start for England. Theo Walcott set up the first English goal in the 10th minute. Walcott worked his way into the Danish box with some great footwork and agility. He then made a terrific cross that was tapped in by Darren Bent for an easy goal. Walcott was jabbed in the eye by a defender while twisting his way into the attacking area. He was left with a bloody cut under his eye after all the celebration. Don’t worry he’ll be okay.
Next let’s talk about Wilshere. Despite my worry, Jack fit in quite well as the holding midfielder. Fit in a bit too well though. While he didn’t make any mistakes, he didn’t do much to stand out. I didn’t expect him to come out and steal the show. One thing I love about Wilshere is that he doesn’t make many mistakes with the ball like many young players. He once tried to take the ball into the area himself but was quickly denied by the Danish defence.
In the 30th minute, us gooners recieved a scare. Wilshere attempted a sliding tackle and looked have hurt his knee. He did get up and shake it off though, finishing the half. For a few seconds though, I was imagining Denilson in Arsenal midfield against Barcelona next week. Hopefully we never had to experience that. Gareth Barry came in for Wilshere at the beginning of the second half. Ashley Young scored the decisive goal in Englands 2-1 win.
Let’s not forget about our friend Nicklas Bendtner. Bendtner played the full ninety for Denmark, but his was mostly absent in the second half. He did have a very good chance early in the game. He received the ball on the edge of the English box, but instead of passing it to a blatantly open overlapping teammate, Bendtner tried a few step-overs before taking a terribly off balance shot that went well wide.
I caught some of the Brazil-France match after the England-Denmark ended. Only two Arsenal players got in the match. Bacary Sagna started at fullback and had a solid game. Sagna is a consistent player. You know what to expect from him. Abou Diaby was brought in the 6oth minute for Yann M’Vila. He didn’t do much. Brazil was left to play with ten men after an early red card, and Real Madrid striker Karim Benezma scored the only goal in the match…. France 1 Brazil 0
Tomas Rosicky scored in the first half for the Czech Republic. I haven’t seen the goal but this may be a good sign because Rosicky has looked flat lately. Despite Rosicky’s efforts, the Czechs fell to Croatia by a score of 4-2.
Not too much information on what the other Arsenal players did. I will update this post if/when I find out more
Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere will get his first England start tomorrow against Denmark. Manager Fabio Capello said today that Wilshere will play as a holding midfielder in front of the back four. I wonder if he can succeed in this role. Capello talked with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger about where Wilshere should play, but I’m not so sure that the 19 year-old can play well as a defensive midfielder. Here is Capello:
“Jack Wilshere represents the very best of the young players. I saw five or six games at the start of the season and he played well. But he was not as good as he is now.”
”After a lot of games with a really important team like Arsenal he has improved a lot. He has played with a lot of confidence.
“And, players like Cesc Fabregas pass the ball to him all the time because their confidence in him was really clear as well.
“Some players I monitored during this period, who are with the Under-21s, are good but they not ready to play with us. Wilshere will be a really important player.”
“I spoke with Arsene about it and he told me Jack can do it.”
“He is good when the team goes forward and stays in front of the back four. I hope tomorrow he will stay in front of the back four like a centre-back.”
I like Wilshere more as a traditional centre-midfielder who attacks as well as defends. I guess a 19 year-old doesn’t exactly choose where he plays for his country. Wenger certainly believes he can pull it off:
“He can play any position in midfield because he is tactically intelligent,” said the Arsenal manager. For me a midfielder is not exclusively someone who can do one position, it’s a guy who can defend when his team doesn’t have the ball and attack when his team does have it. I never play with a midfielder who does just one thing because that’s what I hate the most.”
Fellow Gunners also see the potential Wilshere has. Theo Walcott, who along with Wilshere are the new “saviors” of England, had this to say about Wilshere:
“Technically he’s an absolute dream to play with. He can spot a ball no-one else could, he’s got quick feet, his left foot is just great.
“I love playing with him, especially being on the right hand side, as being a left footer it’s quite easy for him to play those balls over the top.
“But he breaks down the play as well, he likes to put a foot in, sort of like a traditional centre-midfield player, and I’m sure he’s got a great career ahead of him.”
Who’s next to gush about Wilshere? Looks like it’s Samir Nasri’s turn:
”I like Jack as a player, he is never scared.”I like his attitude and he reminds me a bit of me when I was younger. He is a great, great, great prospect.”
Lots of promise for such a young man. Lots of expectations too. Not just for tomorrow’s friendly, which means just about nothing, but for the entire future of the England squad. Arsenal have long been criticized for their lack of English players, but now it looks like the shoe is on the other foot. Arsenal now have a wealth of young English talent. Walcott and Wilshere are the big names but don’t forget about Aaron Ramsey, Kieran Gibbs, and others.
I really want Wilshere to succeed. He’s looked great in the short time he’s been up in Arsenal’s first team. Wilshere is just a real engine on the pitch, covering the middle of the field. He’s got great vision and shows that with his passing. Okay, now I’ve got to stop gushing.
Here’s newly appointed England captain Frank Lampard on what kind of advice he has for Jack Wilshere:
“I don’t think Jack needs much help! The way he’s been playing, he’s been fantastic for Arsenal. Some people look like they might take time to adjust to the international setup, but he looks like he’s got the mental ability and attitude to fit straight in.
“I’ll try to help him next to me if I need to during the game, but he’s a fantastic player and I’m looking forward to playing alongside him.
“I’m very impressed by him as a player. To come through at Arsenal alongside the likes of [Robin] Van Persie and [Cesc] Fabregas, and fit in as well as he has done, I think it shows the talent he’s got. Like Josh McEachran at Chelsea, he’s the future of England, and it’s great to see him get his full debut and I’m sure he’ll be a big player for England for many years to come.”
So, long story short, everyone in the world thinks Wilshere is fantastic and will someday lead England. He will get his first start tomorrow against Denmark in a low pressure situation (if your first international can ever be “low pressure”). We will all be watching how the team does with Walcott and Wilshere, the starlets of North London.
Many pundits, commentators, podcasters, writers, and football fans have been reacting to Arsenal’s historic collapse against Newcastle on Saturday. But I don’t care much about what they think. Some Arsenal players have been weighing in on the match. Let’s see what they think.
Arsenal keeper Wojceich Szczesny: ”I cannot believe it, it is the worst feeling I have ever had in my life. I can only say sorry to the supporters.
“I have never known anything like it. I don’t understand what happened. With 10 men we were capable of holding the game but there were a lot of things that went wrong.
“The whole back-four unit got changed because if the situation but we were used to playing with each other and we should still have been comfortable playing alongside each other.”
I appreciate the honesty from Szczesny. After the sending off, Arsenal might as well been playing with four players. It didn’t matter. The defence collapsed and their was nothing Szczesny or any keeper could have done about it.
Andrei Arshavin: ”He [Wenger] didn’t say anything at all to us.
“He was disappointed and distraught too, like any man would be in his shoes and under such circumstances.
“Naturally, we were all sad. Only Manchester United being defeated later that night sweetened the pill a bit. But we are not psychologically broken. We just cannot afford to be.”
Wolves helped brighten my day quite a bit as well. With United’s loss, Arsenal are still right in the thick of the title race, only four points back. Wolves will visit the Emirates at the weekend but I’m not too scared of them away from home. They have beaten Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United in recent months so they’re certain not a club you can look past.
More from Arshavin: “If we want to win, we must not be sitting and moaning. We need to analyse that unfortunate match and draw the right conclusions from it. That day is over and left behind. We need to think and prepare for the next match in the Premier League against Wolves.”
”What happened was something unbelievable with a tragic end for us.
“It was as if there was a magnet behind one of the goals because all eight were scored in it.”
Not a magnet but Philip Dowd. Speaking of Dowd, some Gunners commented further on the terrible match official.
Barcary Sagna: ”I asked him for an explanation and he was pretty hard on me.
“I won’t repeat what words he came out with but they should never come from a referee.”
Come on Bacary, pulling the David Moyes card. All Dowd was trying to do was make a decent quid.
More from Sagna: ”I’ve experienced the same problem (with Barton). I was the victim of several attacks and it gets in your head.
“Abou reacted badly but the referee should have taken disciplinary measures.”
Barton is thug who plays football in his spare time.
Here’s Jack Wilshere, criticizing Dowd on his Twitter:
“Inconsistent refereeing needs to stop. It’s killing the game. If Diaby goes, what’s the difference between that and Nolan on our keeper!?? Joke.”
The FA doesn’t particularly like that sort of thing from players, but today they have decided not to act on the incident.
Arsenal need a real bounce back game against Wolves to help heal this vicious wound.
It’s sad to say, but at age 61, Arsene Wenger will not be at Arsenal forever. There will be a time after Wenger, just like their will be a time after Sir Alex Ferguson. It’s hard for many Gooners to imagine, but that time may not be too far away. Wenger talked today about who could fit in as his successor some day
“I’d love Piksi [Dragan Stojkovic] to be my successor.
“There are a hundred reasons for that. His football philosophy is almost identical to mine. Our ideas are the same and we both strive for perfect football.
“I knew he was going to have his teams playing attacking football with many passes. He has done that, showing he will be a great coach.
“I told him that if he could transmit his football imagination to his players he would fly high.”
“Dragan comes to London at least once a year. We meet up, chat and try to outsmart each other.
“It’s a great achievement for him to have won a championship. I was a coach in Japan for two years and didn’t manage it even though I had Piksi, who was the best player in the league, in my team.”
Okay, so who is Dragan Stojkovic (Pilksi). He is the manager of Nagoya Grampus in the J. League. Arsene managed the same club in the mid-nineties before taking command of the Gunners. As a player, Stojkovic is recognized as one of the best ever from Yugoslavia/Serbia. He was captain of Red Star Belgrade and was named best player in the Yugoslavian league in ’88 and ’89.
Stojkovic, as a player for Red Star Belgrade
He then made a big move to France and Olympique Marseille. After not much success in France, Stojkovic moved to Nagoya Grampus. That’s where he met Wenger, then manager of the club. Stojkovic had over 80 caps with first Yugoslavia and then Serbia. Certainly, he was a seasoned player, and Wenger believes he can make a good manager.
Although some Arsenal supporters may disagree with some of Wenger managerial decisions, no one can deny that he is one of the best managers in the world. When the day comes when Wenger finally leaves North London, it will be a sad one. But just like there was Arsenal before Arsene, there will be Arsenal after Arsene. He has started giving hints on who should become his successor, although I’m not sure whether he will have a say. Let’s just hope Arsenal continue to play the beautiful game like we’ve become accustomed to.
