This was a game that Arsenal had to win. We didn't. Full credit to United, which played well all over the field, but the Gunners let themselves down today. The buildups were plodding, the final balls poor, and the defense behind the curve. I may post later on this game, but all I can say now is that Ramsey was as bad as I've seen him this year, and Walcott virtually invisible. The personnel out there should have been enough to get three points, and it couldn't get one.
And of course Spuds get two second half goals to set themselves up nicely for their first title in 55 years. This looks to be a year without a St. Totteringham's Day. I don't want to be rooting for Leicester in May, but I fear that's exactly what I'll be doing.
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Queretaro 2 - 0 DC United
Perfect ending to a perfect Tuesday...DC looked pretty strong for a team playing its first competitive game of the season, but just like Arsenal, got hit for two late goals. I really thought it was an evenly played game, if sloppy, but that's not what the score says. It will be hard to score three in the second leg, but not impossible. The problem will be in keeping a clean sheet--if Queretaro get one goal, we'd need four.
I saw enough to give me hope that we'll compete again. Let's hope Hamid recovers soon.
I saw enough to give me hope that we'll compete again. Let's hope Hamid recovers soon.
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Arsenal 0 - 2 Barcelona
I got the Messi goal, but that's all. I really don't feel bad about this one. The Gunners fashioned some excellent chances, played defense well, and generally looked as though they belonged on the same field as the world's best team. The second leg is unlikely to cause Barca any problems, but I'm sure we'll show up ready to give them all they can handle, and if there's a first half Gunners goal, it'll be game on.
OK, Per was as much at fault as Flamini for that second goal, but why did Wenger put Flamini on? Maybe Coquelin was hurt. I hope not. What a dumb goal to concede. It seems we do this a lot, digging holes too deep to climb out of.
Both sides missed some golden opportunities to score. I love Aaron Ramsey, but if he's going to play that far forward, he needs to put his shots on goal when the opportunities arise. There were too many aimless balls forward, but Barca forced that by playing so high. Once again, Alexis tried too hard on offense, but wasn't he fantastic winning the ball back? I wish he'd have taken a shot or two when he made space. Cech was great again, and Giroud did all anyone could ask. Ozil was watched very closely by the Barca midfield but still got involved. Other than a soft yellow on Monreal early, I thought the refereeing was top class. No excuses there. It was a fair result; now we have to concentrate on the next challenge.
OK, Per was as much at fault as Flamini for that second goal, but why did Wenger put Flamini on? Maybe Coquelin was hurt. I hope not. What a dumb goal to concede. It seems we do this a lot, digging holes too deep to climb out of.
Both sides missed some golden opportunities to score. I love Aaron Ramsey, but if he's going to play that far forward, he needs to put his shots on goal when the opportunities arise. There were too many aimless balls forward, but Barca forced that by playing so high. Once again, Alexis tried too hard on offense, but wasn't he fantastic winning the ball back? I wish he'd have taken a shot or two when he made space. Cech was great again, and Giroud did all anyone could ask. Ozil was watched very closely by the Barca midfield but still got involved. Other than a soft yellow on Monreal early, I thought the refereeing was top class. No excuses there. It was a fair result; now we have to concentrate on the next challenge.
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Arsenal 0 - 0 Hull
That was frustrating, wasn't it? We were all over them, but as often happens, their goalie had a fine game and made all the stops. Hull was well organized and did a good job limiting our chances, too. Clinical finishing is not in our locker these days, and we could not cash in. Hull's shooting was even worse than ours, or we might have lost.
Ospina looks like a lost soul, bereft of confidence and belief. Our center backs were imperious, but Chambers worries me every time he takes the field. Both teams made a lot of changes from their last league game, and I figured our B team should kill their B team. But it was not to be; Hull earned the replay. I think we ought to do better at the KC than the Emirates. (I hope it isn't raining again.) Hull should be a little more open at home, which should help us. We'll see--but when? The fixture list is so crowded that the rules won't allow a replay for weeks. Just as well--we need to forget about this boring game and concentrate on Barcelona and the league. We'll deal with Steve Bruce's wall of beef when the time comes.
Alexis worries me. I expected him to be unplayable when he came in, but he was wasteful. Campbell has not progressed. Walcott was rather effective, I thought. Elneny is solid and seems to be fitting in well. Welbeck is still shaking off the rust. I'm disappointed we didn't win, but the team looked dangerous for long stretches and no one got hurt. Ramsey, Bellerin, Monreal, and Ozil got much needed rests. Twenty five minutes isn't going to hurt Giroud or Sanchez either.
We get to stay in London and await the best team in the world. I say Barca is going down on Tuesday, probably 2-1. The scorers will be Giroud, Messi, and Alexis in that order. I'd give you the minute the goals were scored and credit the assists but my crystal ball is experiencing technical difficulties.
Ospina looks like a lost soul, bereft of confidence and belief. Our center backs were imperious, but Chambers worries me every time he takes the field. Both teams made a lot of changes from their last league game, and I figured our B team should kill their B team. But it was not to be; Hull earned the replay. I think we ought to do better at the KC than the Emirates. (I hope it isn't raining again.) Hull should be a little more open at home, which should help us. We'll see--but when? The fixture list is so crowded that the rules won't allow a replay for weeks. Just as well--we need to forget about this boring game and concentrate on Barcelona and the league. We'll deal with Steve Bruce's wall of beef when the time comes.
Alexis worries me. I expected him to be unplayable when he came in, but he was wasteful. Campbell has not progressed. Walcott was rather effective, I thought. Elneny is solid and seems to be fitting in well. Welbeck is still shaking off the rust. I'm disappointed we didn't win, but the team looked dangerous for long stretches and no one got hurt. Ramsey, Bellerin, Monreal, and Ozil got much needed rests. Twenty five minutes isn't going to hurt Giroud or Sanchez either.
We get to stay in London and await the best team in the world. I say Barca is going down on Tuesday, probably 2-1. The scorers will be Giroud, Messi, and Alexis in that order. I'd give you the minute the goals were scored and credit the assists but my crystal ball is experiencing technical difficulties.
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Arsenal 2 - 1 Leicester
So raise your fist
One more assist
Ozil!
(to the tune of "Brazil")
Most of Mesut's corners and free kicks were very well taken, and he deserved that. The goals came from the unlikeliest of offensive players, two guys who didn't even start, but they sure needed the validation. Where to start?
Martin Atkinson did his best to make himself the star of this game. I hate that. Granted, it was a difficult game to manage. Both teams were flying into challenges and there were big collisions all over the pitch. The ball moved rapidly and possession changed very quickly. Atkinson let almost everything go, including an obvious Leicester handball in the box and Morgan draping himself over Ozil to keep him from receiving a forward pass, starting a move that had Koscielny injuring himself (getting a yellow in the process) and a continuation in which Vardy bought himself a very questionable penalty kick (well taken for 1-0) against Monreal just inside the box. Apparently, Atkinson decided to call things in the seconds between the foul on Ozil and Kos's failed slide tackle. He continued in that vein after the half, brandishing his yellow card and quickly sending off Simpson. His final decision, shortly after taking an obvious corner away from us, was to award the (deserved) free kick that won us the game. I'm surprised he didn't take a lap around the field afterwards with his arms raised.
Both sets of players were magnificent, I thought. Leicester is better than they showed the last time we played. It was a sparkling performance, with chances at both ends, and I wonder what would have happened had Atkinson not involved himself so deeply in the outcome. We'll never know, and considering the result, that's OK with me. I thought we were a little better than Leicester for most of the first half. There was a frantic few seconds in which Schmeichel came way out to deny Ramsey the ball in space, and the rebound got to Vardy who could not beat Cech with a superb header. Thrilling. But mostly, the defenses were better than the attackers. The game obviously changed after the red card, with Leicester trying to hold onto the three points that would have taken them clear top by eight. But they started flagging under the relentless pressure. Walcott came in for Coquelin and this paid off soon after, as Giroud (who was excellent on the day) headed to him for a smart finish. (Frankly, I thought our finishing on the day was pretty bad--Alexis, Walcott, and especially Ramsey blew chance after chance, some of them really good ones.) It looked like a draw was fated, one that I would not have thought unfair, until the 80th minute substitute Welbeck got the merest touch on Ozil's free kick to send the Emirates into delirium.
Strange game, thanks to Atkinson, but a just result, and it makes for a very interesting race. The Foxes have no reason to doubt themselves; they were very very good. But all the others near the top have to feel they can overtake them. Eight points provides breathing space; two points means one bad result and you're no longer leading the league. Pressure.
Mark Clattenburg was not about to let Martin Atkinson hog the spotlight. He awarded Spuds a PK for a clean block of a cross just inside the corner of the box. Disgraceful. Replays showed the ball hit a leaping Sterling's back, with perhaps a faint brush of his upper arm. No way should that ever be a handball. Harry "Open Mouth" Kane hit it straight up the middle to make Joe Hart look like a dunce. City fought back and got a nice goal (Clichy assist!) but got sucker-punched on a fine counter as Lamela assisted Erickson. City had their chances to equalize again but couldn't.
So, Arsenal is in 3rd again on goal difference, just two behind the leaders and four above Man City. Crucially, we're also ten above fifth-place Manchester United, the most likely chaser to nick a Champion's League spot. The team has set themselves up nicely. Alexis is almost 100%, Coquelin is getting there, Welbeck is fit, And Cazorla and Wilshere are just weeks away from playing again. Gabriel has a hamstring issue and Kos hurt himself today (don't know how seriously), which isn't ideal, but we have lots of cover on defense these days. Heck, Monreal has played CB and Gibbs needs a run-in. Chambers did very well today after he replaced Kos.
In other football news of interest to me, Juventus beat Napoli yesterday on a late goal to go first in Serie A. They had a horrible start to the campaign and have been chasing Napoli all season, passing one team after another in their 14-game win streak, and now look as though they'll win their fifth scudetto in a row. I support, in order of preference, Juve, Roma (who won Friday in dramatic fashion), and Fiorentina in Italy, and they're currently 1st, 3rd, and 4th. My goal is to see Arsenal beat Juventus in a Champions' league final. Could happen this year!
Okay, back to the Gunners. They'll want to beat Hull in the FA Cup, of course, and should feel good heading into the Barca game. Let's hope they're on a roll when they resume league play.
Good weekend!
One more assist
Ozil!
(to the tune of "Brazil")
Most of Mesut's corners and free kicks were very well taken, and he deserved that. The goals came from the unlikeliest of offensive players, two guys who didn't even start, but they sure needed the validation. Where to start?
Martin Atkinson did his best to make himself the star of this game. I hate that. Granted, it was a difficult game to manage. Both teams were flying into challenges and there were big collisions all over the pitch. The ball moved rapidly and possession changed very quickly. Atkinson let almost everything go, including an obvious Leicester handball in the box and Morgan draping himself over Ozil to keep him from receiving a forward pass, starting a move that had Koscielny injuring himself (getting a yellow in the process) and a continuation in which Vardy bought himself a very questionable penalty kick (well taken for 1-0) against Monreal just inside the box. Apparently, Atkinson decided to call things in the seconds between the foul on Ozil and Kos's failed slide tackle. He continued in that vein after the half, brandishing his yellow card and quickly sending off Simpson. His final decision, shortly after taking an obvious corner away from us, was to award the (deserved) free kick that won us the game. I'm surprised he didn't take a lap around the field afterwards with his arms raised.
Both sets of players were magnificent, I thought. Leicester is better than they showed the last time we played. It was a sparkling performance, with chances at both ends, and I wonder what would have happened had Atkinson not involved himself so deeply in the outcome. We'll never know, and considering the result, that's OK with me. I thought we were a little better than Leicester for most of the first half. There was a frantic few seconds in which Schmeichel came way out to deny Ramsey the ball in space, and the rebound got to Vardy who could not beat Cech with a superb header. Thrilling. But mostly, the defenses were better than the attackers. The game obviously changed after the red card, with Leicester trying to hold onto the three points that would have taken them clear top by eight. But they started flagging under the relentless pressure. Walcott came in for Coquelin and this paid off soon after, as Giroud (who was excellent on the day) headed to him for a smart finish. (Frankly, I thought our finishing on the day was pretty bad--Alexis, Walcott, and especially Ramsey blew chance after chance, some of them really good ones.) It looked like a draw was fated, one that I would not have thought unfair, until the 80th minute substitute Welbeck got the merest touch on Ozil's free kick to send the Emirates into delirium.
Strange game, thanks to Atkinson, but a just result, and it makes for a very interesting race. The Foxes have no reason to doubt themselves; they were very very good. But all the others near the top have to feel they can overtake them. Eight points provides breathing space; two points means one bad result and you're no longer leading the league. Pressure.
Mark Clattenburg was not about to let Martin Atkinson hog the spotlight. He awarded Spuds a PK for a clean block of a cross just inside the corner of the box. Disgraceful. Replays showed the ball hit a leaping Sterling's back, with perhaps a faint brush of his upper arm. No way should that ever be a handball. Harry "Open Mouth" Kane hit it straight up the middle to make Joe Hart look like a dunce. City fought back and got a nice goal (Clichy assist!) but got sucker-punched on a fine counter as Lamela assisted Erickson. City had their chances to equalize again but couldn't.
So, Arsenal is in 3rd again on goal difference, just two behind the leaders and four above Man City. Crucially, we're also ten above fifth-place Manchester United, the most likely chaser to nick a Champion's League spot. The team has set themselves up nicely. Alexis is almost 100%, Coquelin is getting there, Welbeck is fit, And Cazorla and Wilshere are just weeks away from playing again. Gabriel has a hamstring issue and Kos hurt himself today (don't know how seriously), which isn't ideal, but we have lots of cover on defense these days. Heck, Monreal has played CB and Gibbs needs a run-in. Chambers did very well today after he replaced Kos.
In other football news of interest to me, Juventus beat Napoli yesterday on a late goal to go first in Serie A. They had a horrible start to the campaign and have been chasing Napoli all season, passing one team after another in their 14-game win streak, and now look as though they'll win their fifth scudetto in a row. I support, in order of preference, Juve, Roma (who won Friday in dramatic fashion), and Fiorentina in Italy, and they're currently 1st, 3rd, and 4th. My goal is to see Arsenal beat Juventus in a Champions' league final. Could happen this year!
Okay, back to the Gunners. They'll want to beat Hull in the FA Cup, of course, and should feel good heading into the Barca game. Let's hope they're on a roll when they resume league play.
Good weekend!
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
The FA Cup, and the Rest of the Season
I watched two excellent FA Cup ties this week: West Ham beating Liverpool in the added time of extra time and West Brom beating Peterborough with their final penalty kick after extra time. Great stuff. I've read that this competition has lost its luster, but I don't believe that. For teams that are in relegation battles, maybe it's not a top priority, but that takes nothing away from the drama for me. It's still huge for nearly every team in it, big or small. Arsenal's last two wins were fantastic. None of the players or coaches I saw this week looked disinterested. In fact, these games were as hotly contested as any league contest I saw this season.
Let's not forget the role this competition plays in building and testing the squads, especially at the big clubs where playing time is at a premium for young players and some on the fringes. It's exciting to see someone like Alex Iwobi perform on this big stage, with elimination staring at us. And it's a reminder of how grit, organization, and effort can beat talent and reputation on a given day.I'll be following the FA Cup, as always, even if the Gunners are eliminated.
Okay, here we are, five points back of Leicester and behind Tottenham on goal differential, and just one above Manchester City. I wrote earlier that the Spurs look like a "team of destiny" and I have not changed my mind. They have the league's best defense and GD, and that did not happen by accident. This may be their year, and they will try as hard as they can to break their 55 year silverware drought before they enter their "pay for the new stadium" years. Pochettino has found the magic formula. It seems that he did best by offloading tools like Adebayor and Townsend. I think they're vulnerable, but the fact is that they look pretty good these days and will take some beating.
Sunday is, obviously, key. A loss at home to the Foxes puts us nearly out of touch with the top. Ideally, we'll beat Leicester and City will hold Spuds to a draw, but I'll settle for just a Gunners win. Neutrals all understandably want Leicester to win the league, but I'm not a neutral. If it's down to them and Tottenham, I'll root for the Foxes with all my strength, but Arsenal can win this thing. Here's our remaining schedule, without the matches that we'd play were we to win future knockout contests.
Incredibly crowded, right? Five games in 16 days starting Feb 20, including Barcelona, Man U, and Tottenham! If Giroud breaks his leg or even pulls a hamstring, we're in trouble! But everyone else has similarly crowded schedules, and we have a big squad--and we're as healthy as we've been since October. I'm not optimistic about Champions' League, but you know, we can beat Barca. Really. And the way United is playing, we should win that game. That's our valley of death. If we set ourselves up by beating Leicester, and manage to get to Feb 6 without dropping more than two points, I think we're looking really good. The only top team we face after that is Man City in May, and by then we can put so much daylight between us they can't catch us. Well, that's the way I'm calling it, anyway.
Let's not forget the role this competition plays in building and testing the squads, especially at the big clubs where playing time is at a premium for young players and some on the fringes. It's exciting to see someone like Alex Iwobi perform on this big stage, with elimination staring at us. And it's a reminder of how grit, organization, and effort can beat talent and reputation on a given day.I'll be following the FA Cup, as always, even if the Gunners are eliminated.
Okay, here we are, five points back of Leicester and behind Tottenham on goal differential, and just one above Manchester City. I wrote earlier that the Spurs look like a "team of destiny" and I have not changed my mind. They have the league's best defense and GD, and that did not happen by accident. This may be their year, and they will try as hard as they can to break their 55 year silverware drought before they enter their "pay for the new stadium" years. Pochettino has found the magic formula. It seems that he did best by offloading tools like Adebayor and Townsend. I think they're vulnerable, but the fact is that they look pretty good these days and will take some beating.
Sunday is, obviously, key. A loss at home to the Foxes puts us nearly out of touch with the top. Ideally, we'll beat Leicester and City will hold Spuds to a draw, but I'll settle for just a Gunners win. Neutrals all understandably want Leicester to win the league, but I'm not a neutral. If it's down to them and Tottenham, I'll root for the Foxes with all my strength, but Arsenal can win this thing. Here's our remaining schedule, without the matches that we'd play were we to win future knockout contests.
February 2016
| Show last 5 matches and coverage | Competition | Fixture | Date | Kick-off | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier League | Sun 14 Feb | 12:00 | |||
| FA Cup - Fifth Round | Sat 20 Feb | 12:45 | |||
| Champions League -Round of 16 | Tue 23 Feb | 19:45 | |||
| Premier League | Sun 28 Feb | 14:05 |
March 2016
| Show last 5 matches and coverage | Competition | Fixture | Date | Kick-off | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier League | Wed 2 Mar | 19:45 | |||
| Premier League | Sat 5 Mar | 12:45 | |||
| Premier League | Sat 12 Mar | 17:30 | |||
| Champions League -Round of 16 | Wed 16 Mar | 19:45 | |||
| Premier League | Sat 19 Mar | 12:45 |
April 2016
| Show last 5 matches and coverage | Competition | Fixture | Date | Kick-off | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier League | Sat 2 Apr | 15:00 | |||
| Premier League | Sat 9 Apr | 15:00 | |||
| Premier League | Sat 16 Apr | 15:00 | |||
| Premier League | Sat 23 Apr | 15:00 | |||
| Premier League | Sat 30 Apr | 15:00 |
May 2016
| Show last 5 matches and coverage | Competition | Fixture | Date | Kick-off | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier League | Sat 7 May | 15:00 | |||
| Premier League | Sun 15 May | 15:00 |
Additional FA Cup and ECL games complicate matters, of course, but those are happy complications. We can prioritize, and we have that big squad. I don't really expect Wilshere or Welbeck to contribute, unfortunately, but it would be great if they could. We're going to wear out Giroud and Ramsey. I do expect Elneny to add something positive, and for Coquelin to return to fitness. Iwobi can slot in occasionally, and Walcott may start to become useful again, though I'm not counting on it. We will need some good work out of Campbell and Chamberlain. I have a feeling that Ozil is going to start assisting again; he's putting some good balls in there and our guys just aren't making the most of them.
What do you think?
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Arsenal 2 - 0 Bournemouth
Cech has the most clean sheets in the EPL this season. He made a great double save today to keep the Cherries from scoring late. This was an efficient win for the Gunners. They pressured Bournemouth until they got two goals (withing 90 seconds of each other in the first half) and then kept them mostly far from our goal the rest of the way. I kept waiting for them to overcommit and for Arsenal to score more on the counter, but they kept their shape. Our weaknesses were not much exposed today, despite Bournemouth's tidy yet purposeful play. But Flamini nearly got sent off early for a stupid two-footed tackle. No, it should not have been a red, but it could have been, and what DM wants to pay on a yellow for most of the game? The standout player was Ramsey. He's really good in a lot of games. He shoots too much, but someone has to. He got an assist today on Ox's well-taken goal. He made quite a few tackles and was all over the pitch where he needed to be.
Leicester and Tottenham won yesterday, Man City lost to Leicester, and Man U was victimized by Diego Costa late and drew. So, pretty good weekend. Third place, five out of first, and we play them at home Sunday, while Spuds play City. It ought to be interesting. February has to be better than January, right?
The Chelsea-United game was far more entertaining than ours, but puzzling. United was far better until they scored, then Chelsea totally dominated the rest of the way. Speaking of United, there are rumors about Mourinho going there. That's nuts. If he does, it could only be because Guardiola went to City and United is panicking. But Mourinho, in my opinion, is the last guy they need. He'll demand that they spend another 200M pounds this summer on players and will probably let some of their promising young guys get away.
It's a little early to start lining up a replacement for Wenger, but it won't be an egotistical prima donna like The Special One.
Leicester and Tottenham won yesterday, Man City lost to Leicester, and Man U was victimized by Diego Costa late and drew. So, pretty good weekend. Third place, five out of first, and we play them at home Sunday, while Spuds play City. It ought to be interesting. February has to be better than January, right?
The Chelsea-United game was far more entertaining than ours, but puzzling. United was far better until they scored, then Chelsea totally dominated the rest of the way. Speaking of United, there are rumors about Mourinho going there. That's nuts. If he does, it could only be because Guardiola went to City and United is panicking. But Mourinho, in my opinion, is the last guy they need. He'll demand that they spend another 200M pounds this summer on players and will probably let some of their promising young guys get away.
It's a little early to start lining up a replacement for Wenger, but it won't be an egotistical prima donna like The Special One.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Arsenal 0 - 0 Southampton
Well.
.
.
.
Not the day I was hoping for, that's for sure. Fourth place, behind the Spuds on goal difference (10!). I don't have much to say. Flamini was awful, and I don't understand how Walcott gets on the field anymore. Everyone else played well, but the Saints defense was too well organized and too strong--and Forster made a couple very good saves. It could easily have been worse, had Mane, Long, or another Saint converted good chances. But we had ten shots on target to their three, and dominated the second half. We should have won this. My optimism has evaporated. It's not enough to have most of the players back; Wenger has to play the right ones. We miss Cazorla.
Three points out of twelve. That's relegation form, not trophy form. I guess this is who we are. One point out of Southampton, none from Chelsea...unacceptable. Even a Champions' League place is questionable if Wenger can't turn things around, and quickly.
.
.
.
Not the day I was hoping for, that's for sure. Fourth place, behind the Spuds on goal difference (10!). I don't have much to say. Flamini was awful, and I don't understand how Walcott gets on the field anymore. Everyone else played well, but the Saints defense was too well organized and too strong--and Forster made a couple very good saves. It could easily have been worse, had Mane, Long, or another Saint converted good chances. But we had ten shots on target to their three, and dominated the second half. We should have won this. My optimism has evaporated. It's not enough to have most of the players back; Wenger has to play the right ones. We miss Cazorla.
Three points out of twelve. That's relegation form, not trophy form. I guess this is who we are. One point out of Southampton, none from Chelsea...unacceptable. Even a Champions' League place is questionable if Wenger can't turn things around, and quickly.
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