Naija End Gooner

Wenger: 'We have to find a solution'

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 08:17:00 +0000

Wenger: 'We have to find a solution'

Dear Arsenal supporter,

We were not creative or sharp on Saturday.

Swansea had a lot of possession so we tried to change things and took a lot of risks. In the end it turned against us and looking back maybe we should have been more cautious and at least secured a 0-0 draw.

Overall the quality of our game was not there. It was frustrating because we lacked decisiveness and creativity. It is true that Swansea deserved to win the game.

I knew Swansea were a good side and before the game I was concerned that we could be a bit jaded because we had many players who had played a lot of hard games recently. But we were guilty of losing the game at the moment when we should not have lost it.

It is a challenging time but we are in this job to turn things around, and I am confident we will because of the quality of the players and the spirit we have in the team. It is a good time to stick together.

Away from home we are quite consistent and our results are mainly positive. But at home we have not produced the performances since the beginning of the season that you would expect from us, and that is where we have to find a solution.

I am often asked about the January transfer window and the support from the board is there to spend the money if we find the players. But we have a lot of important games coming up. We'll decide on our targets in January but we have to find solutions before then.

At the moment there is uncertainty among the fans, they do not have complete confidence that we will win the games. But the results show that it is difficult for everybody at the moment - even those who invested a lot of money.

We have to keep the focus, the desire and the ambition, and turn it on. That's how it works during the season. You cannot always jump to definitive conclusions from one game.

Saturday's defeat affects the thinking for Olympiacos. There are many players who need a rest, because they are on the verge of getting injured. Some played with knocks against Swansea.

It's important that we do well in Greece but, away from home, I'm not too concerned. We look like we play a little bit with the handbrake on at home. It's not fluent. There might be a psychological component in there as well.

Finally, I would like to wish Peter Hill-Wood a speedy recovery after he was admitted to hospital on Friday. I hear he is recovering well and my thoughts, along with those of everyone at the Club, are with Peter and his family at this time.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

Wenger: 'We lacked a bit of sharpness against Villa'

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:30:00 +0000

Dear Arsenal supporter,

We expected a difficult game at Aston Villa because it's always tough when you play away after a Champions League game.

Villa fought very hard and they had some chances as well, but I thought we controlled them quite well. I think we had room to win the game but we lacked a little bit of accuracy in our final ball.

I cannot fault my team for the spirit they showed for 90 minutes but it's true that we lacked a little bit of sharpness in the final third.

We had many shots but not many on target and you could see that physically we were a bit jaded. That is because we had a difficult week with tense games against Tottenham and Montpellier.

It's not unusual to draw after a midweek game in Europe. It can happen - and not everyone will go to Villa Park and win.

Jack Wilshere has played three or four games in quick succession so I decided to give him a breather on Saturday.

It's a relief that he's had no setback since he came back. He had a little inflammation but I think the rest will help him to get rid of it.

Apart from that, he's done very well. He's not played for 17 months, people forget what that means - it's massive. I'm very happy with the way he progresses.

I took Olivier Giroud off towards the end of the game because he had given everything and was tired. Like Jack, he has played a number of games recently.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain started the match and he was dangerous in patches. He lacks a bit of physical fitness but he gave his all. He's learning his job, he's a very talented young boy and I believe he will be a great player.

Our next game is on Wednesday at Everton and we will have to be focused and determined to win there. I believe we can do it.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

Wenger Post Aston Villa Press Conference

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 10:09:00 +0000

Wenger's View: The best training for a game is to travel to Panama and back with your national team!

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 09:01:00 +0000

Wenger: 'We showed quality and movement'

Dear Arsenal supporter,

I hope you enjoyed Saturday's win over Tottenham - it was another entertaining game and it will help our confidence.

We were a bit nervous at the start of the derby and a mistake at the back gave Tottenham the first goal and then they had another good chance. But the sending off changed the game.

Emmanuel Adebayor had made a flying start to the game - he tends to play well against his former clubs - but it was a red card offence on Santi Cazorla. Of course there was no guarantee that we would win when he went off.

It is not always easy against 10 men - we have won games with 10 men before - but we had the quality and movement to play through their lines and create chances. There were some outstanding individual performances.

The two results we had against Schalke and Man United affected our confidence, and because we are a team that likes to go forward, your game suffers straight away when your confidence drops.

But this team has something special - they want to do well and they have quality. We have to find stability in our expression and we need some more time to work on that, but there's something special in the team.

Theo Walcott played well again and I haven't changed my mind on him. I always said I want to keep him and we will try to find an agreement. He doesn't play like somebody who wants to go and I don't behave like somebody who wants him to go, because he is playing games.

Olivier Giroud scored again and you can see that he has a presence in front of goal. He is a typical centre forward and that presence encourages his team-mates to cross the ball more.

Santi Cazorla was outstanding. It shows you the best training for a game is to travel to Panama and back with your national team!

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

Arsenal Fans Stop Cazorla's Car To Sing Him An Ode After The Spurs Game

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 22:44:00 +0000

Watch The Great Adebayor Snub At The Emirates Tunnel

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 22:41:00 +0000

Wenger's View: 'Giroud has more self-belief now'

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 23:28:00 +0000

Wenger: 'Giroud has more self-belief now'

Dear Arsenal supporter,

It was frustrating on Saturday because we had the opportunities to win the game.

We were caught in a comfortable position because we did the most difficult thing - we scored the first two goals. But when it was 2-0 we lacked urgency defensively and we paid for that.

In the second half we gave everything and I have to give credit to the players for that. At 3-2 down we didn't give up, we continued to go forward and we had the chances to win the game.

Of course we had a penalty with the last kick of the match but I don't blame Mikel Arteta for not scoring. Missing penalties is part of the game. When it comes to penalties Arteta is No 1 on our list and Cazorla is second.

But I don't know if the penalty should have been given. I would only give them for deliberate handball and I don't believe it was on this occasion. For example, we conceded a penalty for handball at Manchester United, but Cazorla was just trying to protect himself.

There are positives from Saturday, of course. We showed that we can score goals again, and Olivier Giroud had a very good game. He had presence, he won the long balls, he is dangerous and he starts to have belief in what he is doing.

The negatives were to concede three goals at home, and the chances we gave away. Defensively it wasn't a memorable performance although you have to say that Fulham were good going forward. We were most guilty on their first goal - nobody jumped for the ball and it was easy for Berbatov to score.

We have had defensive problems and we just have to keep on working to make it right. We now have the international break and I pray that everybody comes back in good health.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

Wenger Press Conference Pre Fulham

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 12:56:00 +0000

Follow on Twitter@naijaendgooner

Schalke 2 -2 Arsenal | Happy With A Draw | How Sad

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 15:03:00 +0000

My first reaction on seeing the team list about an hour before the game was one of relief not to see Andre Santos. He was replaced at left-back by Vermaleen while Koscielny took his position at center-back alongside the increasingly reliable big German, Mertesacker. On paper it would seem like the perfect call to make under the circumstances especially since Vermaleen plays as a left-back for his country. But given his and Koscielny's bungling forms in recent times, I was wary of having both on the field at the same time.

Vermaleen and Kos both starting. In the bungling form they've both been in, I've got fingers crossed. #SCHvAFC
— Lalah (@naijaendgooner) November 6, 2012

I was also glad to see Theo in the starting line-up because we've lacked verve down the flanks in the past few games and he really is the only one in the squad -fit or otherwise- that can offer any penetrating threat down the right.

The rest of the starting eleven was as good as it gets for us with Wilshere starting in midfield alongside Arteta and Cazorla while Poldi manned the outside-left. Sagna was at right-back while Giroud led the line.

Schalke gave us a pounding inside those few opening minutes and were unlucky not to score. An errant header back in the direction of his own goal by a Schalke player saw the ball fall for Giroud who latched onto the ball and bore down on the Schalke goalie with his phobia for scoring in tow. He scoffed the chance but luckily Walcott's predatory instinct was alive to the opportunity and he latched unto the loose ball and buried it with ease.

We hadn't looked like scoring before that goal so when the second goal came from Giroud -whose phobia had gone off to take a leak and he seized the opportunity- Goonerland went haywire. A quick look at my watch showed the second goal had come in the 26th minute. There was too much time left and the way we've been playing of late we were more likely to concede than extend the lead.

On the stroke of half-time, Cazorla slipped in our own half while on the ball as he tried to wriggle out of a tight spot. Schalke pounced and quickly moved the ball around until it found Huntelaar who placed the ball beyond Mannone. 1-2.

Of course it wouldn't be Arsenal if we don't contrive a way to ensure that our blood pressures stayed high. The way the game had gone, there surely was another goal or more to come but it was important that we got the next one. We didn't.

Schalke got the equalizer in the 69th minute deservedly so after laying siege on our goal for large portions of the 2nd half. There was at least 20 minutes more to play and the momentum was with Schalke.

We did have a chance to steal it in the last minute of injury time but Theo lacked the composure to put it beyond the keeper when he found himself one-on-one with the keeper and the moment was lost.

Despite throwing away a 2-0 lead yesterday to draw the game against Shalke, most Arsenal fans seemed relieved to have come away with a point. This reaction must have a lot to do with our form in recent times and the fact that the opponent had beaten us in the reverse fixture a couple of weeks ago at home to halt our unbeaten home record in the Champions League.

The reaction was understandable considering the trepidation most of us must have felt 10-15 minutes into the game when Schalke appeared ready to annihilate us once again as we ran all over the field as bereft of confidence as we've been in the past few weeks.

I admit I was relieved after the game that we had not lost it but on second thoughts that reaction scared me as it seems that our expectations of the the team are being lowered by the day. Just as our club's ambitions seem to have moved from world beaters to also-rans over the past few years -a state of mind that has slowly but surely diffused into the team. If the club considers a fourth place finish a trophy and is not ashamed to say it publicly repeatedly, it is inevitable that that is the much effort the team will put into the campaign.

Now we expectedly throw away a good 2-0 lead and are happy to get away with a point. We've lost the heart and will to fight till the end.

Let's hope it doesn't get any worse before it gets better.

Follow on twitter@naijaendgooner

Arsene Wenger Press Conference and Exclusive Interview Pre-Schalke 04

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 12:21:00 +0000

Wenger's Views On The United Game

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 06:00:00 +0000

WE HAVE TO RECOVER FROM THIS

Dear Arsenal supporter,

Manchester United deserved to beat us on Saturday.

That is very disappointing, because we had a lot of the ball but we were not very efficient at either end of the pitch. They created more chances, they defended well and they were sharper than us in the duels.

Of course, part of our problem was conceding such an early goal. In a game like that, it's a massive disadvantage.

It didn't bother me that Robin van Persie was the scorer. That doesn't matter because all you want is to win the game. What is most important is that you don't make a mistake at the back and you don't give chances away.

We were poor defensively and there's no obvious reason for that apart from the fact that we didn't start well and that Man United have quality up front. They score goals against everybody and were better than us. It's as simple as that.

Jack Wilshere was sent off and I thought that was harsh. To me his second booking for a foul on Patrice Evra looked like a regular challenge.

I thought about replacing Jack in the second half but we were in a position where we had to attack and I had no offensive central midfielders on the bench. I thought I would leave him on a bit longer and then he got the red card.

At Manchester City, we drew 1-1 and we could have won that game. We didn't suffer from the comparison. But on Saturday we were not firing on full cylinders and we looked much more vulnerable defensively than we did at the start of the season.

Now we must recover from this and find our form for the Champions League trip to Schalke on Tuesday.

Finally, I would like to thank our travelling fans for their support at Old Trafford. They were always behind the team.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

United 2 -1 Arsenal | Santos Didn't Do Anything Wrong| Wenger's Tactical Nous In Question

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 08:06:00 +0000

Saturday's visit to Old Trafford was an opportunity to bury the ghost of the hiding we took in the same fixture last season. But within three minutes of kick-off, no other than the Dutchman we've come to hate hit our net and there was that feeling that if weren't careful we could be on the end of another hiding. Truth be told, the final result was respectable and flatters our overall performance considering the penalty miss and the number of clear-cut chances that United missed on the day. We could so easily have been buried -again.

The greatest harm the club's self-financing policy and in effect that unsuccessful youth development program the club embarked on after the move from Highbury to the Emirates is that it has denied the team of players who understand historical rivalries and what it means to wear the red and white colours of Arsenal FC. That is why Andre Santos would think nothing of exchanging jerseys with the most easily identifiable "enemy" mid-way into a "battle" -a battle we were losing.

But who in that squad could have let him know what was at stake? Who in that squad has historical knowledge of the rivalry between Arsenal and United? Who in the squad lived this feud? Who could have shouted, "THIS IS SPARTA!" to the rest of the team at half time while we were a goal down so that everyone gets back to the field and treats this particular game like a bloodsport?

No one! Not one single person. We sold the only person left in the squad who lived that feudal era to the other side last summer -effectively arming the enemy for the fight against us and did they use that amour? The Dutch piece of shit understands what the fixture is all about that's why he made that tackle on Sagna that earned him that yellow card. He knew this was war. Our side didn't.

As far as Santos was concerned, it was just another day on the job and exchanging jerseys with the opponent even if the opponent is beating you is a perk that comes with the job. The people who should have taught him different failed to do so. To him this was just another routine game.

The never-say-die spirit required to take on fixtures like this is characteristically passed on from generation to generation. But we didn't do that. Year after year for the past few seasons, we sold off players who saw Lauren grab Phil Neville by the throat and threaten to strangle him, players who saw Patrick Viera and Roy Keane brawl and spar from dressing room to tunnel to the field of play, then brawl and spar some more after the final whistle and if necessary hurl pepperoni when you've run out of bullets. That old spirit is dead. Now we just roll over and die.

We may have developed an inferiority complex that comes to the fore when we face United but I think it goes much deeper than that. We go in disadvantaged against a team that's armed with a winning mentality which they draw on for the big occasion even when everyone says their defenders are aging and will struggle to prosecute the campaign. Even though everyone says their midfield is shitty. They still have in their ranks veterans of the feudal days who can pass on the meaning of going up against the old enemy; who understand that failure is not an option. Who understand the meaning of wearing their stupid colours.

Without that same winning mentality, we are never going to win a thing. It is an intrinsic characteristic required to prosecute a title campaign and win it. Without it, you can only be an also-ran when the season wraps up. City and Chelsea didn't have it and have had to buy it off the shelf to become successful again after decades of not winning a thing. We had it and we sold it off one at a time. Problem with buying it off the shelf is it costs a bundle and we just won't/can't spend that kind of money. So what to do?

Arsene Wenger's Red and White Army and His Tactics

Arsene Wenger's red and white army is an oxymoron these days given the kind of performance we saw them put up on Saturday and the last few games in fact. This particular army doesn't seem to have the stomach for a fight these days.

Against United on Saturday, it was not until the dying seconds of the game that we mustered a shot on target. We created little and never even threatened United's lead at any point in time. Against Schalke and Norwich City, it was the same thing. We couldn't create chances and barely had any shots on goal. What the hell kind of army is that?

I think Arsene made a really big tactical error in his selection Saturday. I predicted his selection in Saturday's post to the last man not because I thought it was his best squad despite the injuries but Arsene is becoming increasingly predictable and conservative in his team selection. Like the team that took to the field he did not take any risks in his team selection.

It was exactly the same team he had started with last week that struggled to break down QPR. What chance did they have against a more talented and organised United side?

Ramsey has been largely ineffective on the right wing in all three games he has been deployed there. Why did AW expect anything to change against United? Why wasn't Theo started out there?

Andre Santos' defending has always been questionable and seems to have worsened this season since he has had to relieve the injured Gibbs. His position had been exploited by far less inferior teams since then; why did we expect different from United with the talent at their disposal? Sagna has enough experience to have filled in at left-back while Jenkinson would then start at right back where he has excelled this season. This would have offered us pace down the flanks and these full backs have shown the ability to help offensively and still do their defensive duties.

I questioned why Wilshere was left on the field after his yellow card. Why didn't AW react like Fergie did when he took off Cleverly who was on a yellow card and the most logical assessment of the situation was made by Arseblog,

"We were 2-0 down and needed to get back into the game. Had the scoreline been reversed I have no doubt Wenger would have hooked Wilshere for the more defensively minded Coquelin and a manager has to have some trust in his players too. You can’t take someone off every time they get a booking."

I ordinarily balk at questioning AW's tactics because I believe he's one of the best but questions will be asked when a tactics that has been used repeatedly has not worked and yet it continues to be deployed. Nobody questions a win but a loss will be questioned especially when it happens as often as we are having to endure.

Wenger has had to be innovative in his approach to the transfer market over the past few years given the budget he has to work with. Since he can not afford to bid for the established players, he has had to take chances on prospects. It's been hit or miss. Where he has missed he has had to draw on his tactical genius to find the necessary balance to keep the team competitive. Problem is the bar keeps getting raised every season. The gulf between us and those who spend money to achieve success is growing while those who have had to chase us are closing the gap. A lot more than Wenger's genius and innovation will be required to keep hanging unto that fourth place trophy that we keep targeting.

Finally

It looks to me like a pipe dream to expect that come the end of the season, we will be popping champagne. It is a conclusion that I am very pained to come to with twenty-nine games to go yet. We are cast seven points adrift of the league leaders presently. Not an insurmountable lead but we have not shown the necessary consistency to take advantage of any lapse by those we chase. Neither have we shown the winning mentality and spirit of potential champions.

It is too much to expect three good teams to stumble consistently enough for us to fumble and wobble ahead of everyone to the finishing line.

A lot of noise was made after a few games at the beginning of the season about the Steve Bould influence. Now it seems it was a bit premature. We have a captain that has gone from Voltron to a combination of Squillacci and Djourou rolled into one. And because he's the captain he can't just be dropped and replaced. But replace him with who? Koscielny who is on a mission to finish this season as the top scorer of own goals? Are we in trouble or what?

I hated to dwell on Van Persie and make him the focus of this fixture along with everyone else but he is what he is -a lethal weapon on any given day and he came back to haunt us. When his goal went in, I was mad that the headlines after the game will be all about him once again. Anybody else in that team could have scored and it will be okay. Why did it have to be him?

The most annoying part of Saturday's loss for me was how easy we made it for United. Without really getting out of first gear, United calmly kept us in check for the duration of the game and never really felt threatened by our less than cohesive efforts to build any attack that's worthy of note.

Thumbs up to Per who was outstanding once again on Saturday. Can't believe the much maligned big German is now the most consistent and dependable defender in the team.

And thumbs up to Don Vito ~~Corleone~~ Mannone too. Can't fault him for the goals we shipped. He did well to keep the scoreline as respectable as it was at the end.

Should we lower our expectations now, Gooners?

Follow on Twitter@naijaendgooner

United Away! A Chance To Bury A Few Ghosts | Yes, We Can!

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 07:40:00 +0000

Opta Stats

*ManUre have won seven and lost none of the last eight matches against Arsenal at Old Trashford in all competitions.
*Shrek scored his first Premier League goal, his first in the PL for ManUre and his 100th Premier League goal against Arsenal.
*The Gunners have scored just 10 goals in 20 Premier League visits to Old Trashford, with last season (8-2 defeat) being the only time they have netted two in one game.

This fixture hasn't favoured us in the last few years as the stats show. In fact our last visit to the Old Trashcan was the one that threw up that ignoble 8-2 scoreline for which I have had to see a shrink to see if hypnosis could be used to erase that particular bit from my memory bank. It didn't work.

There are a couple of videos on Youtube that I've had to depend on over the past couple of years for a modicum of perverse satisfaction about this fixture. The first has Viera and Keane in the tunnel at Highbury waiting to lead the teams unto the field. Viera smugly urges the poker-faced Keane to smile and Keane responds with, "I'd be smiling if we were 12 points clear but we are not."

No, it was Arsenal that was 12 points clear. It was the Invincibles season and we went on to win the league.

The second is probably my favourite, where another Dutch %#&% (fill in the blanks) named Nistelrooy got Viera sent off then missed a penalty that would have won United the game in the last minute of the match. I never tire of seeing the manic Martin Keown launch himself at the Dutch #%&# after the final whistle. Who in the current team can do the same to the latest Dutch $#%& who makes a return today to the ship he deserted last summer? Really don't see anyone with the stomach for a good old fashioned scrap when the occasion demands it. That is one of the things I see wrong with this team.

Have seen some really zippy encounters between us and United especially when Viera and Keane captained the teams respectively and I kind of miss the competitive spirits both sides displayed then. The fixture was treated like a blood sport back then and rightly so. One side has wanted it more in recent times and as the stats show they have won it more.

Back to the present. We go into this one without our first choice left back, Gibbs so that Brazilian left-back with a sunny disposition and questionable defensive abilities is likely to start again. It's anyone's guess what the old, wily Scotsman with a red, rubbery nose and an endless supply of chewing gum will instruct his wards to do. "Run at Santos, run at Santos and run at Santos again!"

He's a weak link and they will be looking to exploit that chink in the amour. Many have called for Wenger to use Sagna in the LB position and start Jenkinson on the right. It's a short term solution that I think we should use in this fixture but AW has a way of worrying about hurting feelings and I suspect he will first put into consideration what this will do to Andre's confidence. Be ruthless Arsene, these boys ain't China -they won't break!

Per and Verm start at center half. This should be a given now. Unless injuries dictate different. Koscielny should be doing detention right about now. Write one thousand times, 'I'll never score an own goal again". Every day for three weeks.

Rumours had it Szczesny was going to be making his return to the team in this game but latest team news has him still on the sidelines so we continue with Don Vito in goal. Fingers crossed.

Theo who was magnificent in mid week against Reading is expected to start this one on the right side of mid field hopefully with Ramsey proving really ineffective in that position. Catch is Theo played all of 120 minutes in that game and the manager may be reluctant to stretch him further given his injury record but like I said they're not China. If it doesn't kill him it will make him stronger.

Ox is still out, as well as Gervinho which really limits our options in that position. I strongly suspect we're limited to Ramsey starting out wide while Theo will be brought on as an impact substitute in the second half.

Gnabry should be an option on that right wing but I will be reluctant to use him in a high profile game like this with its attendant pressures. Instead Arshavin should be given a chance. He is experienced and in fact did enough at Reading to merit the chance. Problem will be getting him to stay committed for all of the time he spends on the field. Against United, you stay committed for the whole 90 minutes

Jack and Arteta should start in front of the back four while Cazorla and Podolski make up the midfield while Giroud leads the line.

Mannone, Jenks, Per, Verm, Sagna, Arteta, Jack, Cazorla, Poldi, Ramsey, Giroud. Not ideal but considering injuries et al, that is my predicted starting 11.

United have scored the most goals this season but they have well known issues in their back line and have leaked quite a few goals too while we have conceded the least goals in the Premiership. So this really is a winnable one for us.

A 1-0 scoreline in our favour will go a long way in ridding me of the demons of that Sunday August afternoon last season. In fact, it will cure all the maladies that I've been afflicted with as a result of that bashing.

Let's do this, boys! Yes, we can!

Follow on Twitter @naijaendgooner

Verm, Gibbs and Giroud Test Run The New Electric Citroen

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Arsene Wenger Press Conference Pre Manchester United

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 18:11:00 +0000

Reading 5 - 7 Arsenal | A Fan's Pitch-side Video (Awesome)

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 07:36:00 +0000

Reading 5 - 7 Arsenal | After The Euphoria Comes The Inquest

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 18:19:00 +0000

Every now and then, every football fan will see one game that he will never forget; one that he will remember exactly where he watched fifty years later, who he watched it with and most of the details.

In 1989, the Nigerian Flying Eagles came from 4-0 down against the USSR in the quarter-finals of the Under 21 championships. With 25 minutes to go, the deficit was overturned and we went on to win the game on penalties. No Nigerian of my generation will forget the game that came to be known as the "Miracle in Damman"

The next time I saw such a thriller, I was on the receiving end as I saw Arsenal throw away a 4-0 lead against Newcastle United to draw the game at 4-4. Needless to say, that's one I would rather not remember but it's etched in my medulla and won't be going away any time soon. Yeah! Taking the bitter with the sweet.

Last night's was another such game. Thankfully, I was on the giving end. At 4-0 down, I have to admit I didn't give us a fighting chance of making any kind of comeback. Many fans left the stadium and the ones that stayed back made their anger felt as they sang "We want our Arsenal back". They did get their Arsenal back...

Arsenal Fans Leaving the Madejski at 4 - 0 down

Arsenal fans; close your eyes or log off. It's 4-nil to Reading now.
— Temisan Okomi (@temiokomi) October 30, 2012

The best I could hope for was damage control - don't concede any more and score a couple to make the scoreline a bit more respectable. In my Blackberry group of Gunners, only the man called Giddyz was optimistic enough to predict that the game will go to 4-4. One person out of 30. That's how much the odds were stacked against the lads. But Wham! Bang! Would you believe it, the game ended 4-4 in regulation time.

Into extra time and the game continued to thrill as Chamakh put us 5-4 ahead in the 97th minute. Yeah, you heard right, The Chamakh. He woke up and as if someone reminded him of his responsibilities as a striker, he drilled that one home from outside the 18 yard box finishing a move he had been a key part of its build up after laying a beautifully disguised pass to Giroud before running unto the final ball from Arshavin.

I thought there was still another goal in the game at this time but I thought it was going to be us stretching it to 6-4 after all the momentum was with us at this time. Would you believe it, Reading got another one and took it to 5-5. Then Walcott struck again to take it to 6-5. This had to be it. But no, Chamakh wasn't through with Reading yet.

Reading had no option but to throw everything and the kitchen sink at us and in so doing left themselves light at the back. Chamakh latched unto a through ball and found himself through on goal. Sighting the Reading keeper marooned way off his goal line, he executed a perfect chip-shot to put the scores at 7-5. This was in the 30th minute of extra time. There was no coming back this time for Reading

Truth be told, there is need for an inquest into last night's game despite the final result. I am Arsene Wenger's biggest fan but yesterday I found myself questioning his selection for that game. It's true that any Arsenal eleven selected to play Reading is expected to represent the club creditably well. But we all know that's not the reality judging from the lack of depth that the team has shown of recent in the Premier league with some of the first choice players out injured. Their replacements haven't stepped up to the plate. Rolling out a less than cohesive team against a Premier league side even if that club is a relegation candidate smirked of arrogance. And we so very nearly paid dearly for it.

We've learnt not to put too much heart into this competition since we use it to bloody youth but nothing prepared us for the route that game was headed for just before half time. It was an embarrassing site to see. It turned out well in the end but it could so easily have gone the other way. A lot of fans have developed weak hearts over the past few years following this club and yesterday at 4 nil down may have been the last straw. Sure hope not.

The second issue that inquest will have to deal with is Koscielny: asset or liability? He was culpable for the first two goals we conceded last night. Both due to poor positional awareness. For the first he failed to track Jason Roberts as a cross came into the box. For the second he turned the ball past his keeper into his own net from another cross into the box. He's done this too often. And he always manages to score one in the right net whenever he scores these own goals. He's got worth it takes but like the errant, undisciplined pupil he needs to do detention after everyone else has gone home.

The third issue is Djourou: have not seen him play in a while and seeing him yesterday showed why he is where he is despite the time he has spent at the club. He isn't even decent third choice. Why keep him if we can't count on him when it counts?

There are quite a few questions raised by last night's game but I'll leave you to slot yours in.

Arshavin! One of my favourite players when he first arrived. Now a fringe player. Last night he swayed from brilliant most of the time to terrible some of the time. He was arguably the most influential player for Arsenal last night but I couldn't help the feeling that he will never be the li'l Russian we saw put four past Liverpool at Anfield a few years back. It was the first time I acknowledged this fact.

Giroud's influence on the game can not be over-emphasized. He got the second goal a few minutes after he came on as a second half substitute and looked like he was on a mission to save our hides. He was unlucky not score more. A lot more would have been said about a Giroud goal but the overall thrill of the game eclipsed that bit of news.

Tomas Eisfelds introduction in the first half certainly cranked things up a notch. He was a breath of fresh air in a midfield where Coquelin and Frimong had looked out of sorts and took a firm grip of the midfield once he came on. Couldn't help wondering why Wenger hadn't started him but I guess there was a lesson to be learnt here.

Then to the issue of Walcott who got a hat trick on the night (Sorry Jenks, Theo's ball crossed the line). I have no doubt that the club wants to keep the lad at the club. That really is the sensible thing to do considering that no one else at the club has the influence he does on that right side of the midfield (problem is that isn't where he wants to be). His influence on the field can not be denied. I think the club should do what it can to keep him at the club. It just shouldn't be on the terms being rumoured that he's asking for which includes a 100k/week pay check.

It was a thrilling game, guys and we had the last laugh but the scoreline does not flatter our abilities going into United away at the weekend. So when the thrill wears off, let the inquest begin.

On a parting note, "Walcott, sign da ting"

Follow on twitter @naijaendgooner

Watch Arsene Wenger Post-Reading Interview

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 08:28:00 +0000

Arsenal Vs Reading Highlights (High Definition)

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 08:23:00 +0000

Wenger's View Of QPR: 'We needed to be patient'

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:31:00 +0000

Wenger: 'We needed to be patient'

Dear Arsenal supporter,

We were delighted to get back to winning ways against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.

It was important we won after losing our last two games. We had to wait for our chance and make sure we took it.

I was happy with the result because our confidence was a bit jaded.

QPR have quality and I don't think they will stay at the bottom of the league. We were a bit lucky they had Stephane Mbia sent off, because it made it easier for us to find a winner in the last 20 minutes. We played a serious game against a good team.

I made the decision to start Jack Wilshere and was impressed with his performance. Technically he was excellent and overall he produced a classy performance.

I didn't tell Jack I would be starting him until the morning of the game. Sometimes I think it's better to not have much time to think about the game when you have been out for such a long time. I also included him because I thought a player with his experience and class would give the team a lift.

We'll have to see how he responds from the game. He was kicked on Saturday and had no problem, which is a good sign.

It was also a big positive for us to see Bacary Sagna make his return. He did well and is physically ready.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

Wenger's Press Conference Pre QPR

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 09:51:00 +0000

Ivan Gazidis+Arsene Wenger Address Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2012

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 16:27:00 +0000

Wenger's Press Conference Pre-Schalke 04

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 08:43:00 +0000

Over-analyzing Norwich

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 18:28:00 +0000

Recently, I read an interview in which Patrick Viera was quoted as saying that Arsenal has the ability to beat any team in the world. It was worthy praise from a man that the Arsenal faithful are divided about his current status -legend or traitor. There was a caveat at the end of that quote, "...but they also have the ability to lose to any team in the world too."

Much as I hated to hear it, especially coming from him, I knew deep down that it was the pure, hard, arrant, unadulterated truth. Norwich away, last Saturday was proof if any was needed of what he was talking about. We have gone to Anfield this season and beaten Liverpool convincingly, were unlucky not to come away with all three points from the Etihad, and were unluckier still to lose at home against Chelsea. Then we go off to Carrow Road to face a Norwich side that had not won a game all season and were lucky not to be beaten by more than one goal.

It's a now familiar déjà vu. Beat Chelsea today and lose to Fulham tomorrow. Beat United today and lose to Wigan next. We've seen this way more times than is healthy for a club like ours.

We can spend all week analyzing what went wrong at Carrow Road last Saturday; the unadorned truth is that we went to sleep when it mattered. The team was ill-prepared mentally for the kind of challenge that Norwich put up. At the back of our minds we were facing a team that had not won a game all season and we never thought for a second that they were going to start with us. It wasn't just the team, it was every single one of us who is a fan of this club. Everybody who made a prediction before the game predicted a big win. I predicted 3-0. Damn, those Canaries made us eat our words.

It's a lesson learnt. Let's hope it stays learnt. There are thirty games more to be played in the Premier League. We just simply can not afford that kind of mental laziness going forward. Tomorrow, we face Schalke in the Champions League. No better place to start. And it isn't just about winning Schalke tomorrow, we will need to sustain any positive result by going into the next game as if it was a Grand Finale -that is what Champions do. That is the same spirit that any would-be challenger must exhibit. Nothing less.

Here is The Breakdown -Adrian's Clarke's analysis of the Carrow Road debacle

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Wenger's View On Norwich: It was a shock to the system

noreply@blogger.com (NaijaEnd Gooner) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:30:00 +0000

Wenger: 'It was a shock to the system'

Dear Arsenal supporter,

We gave a disappointing performance against Norwich on Saturday.

I felt that we lacked a bit of sharpness throughout the game. We tried to get into our rhythm after 20 minutes but we missed what makes you successful at the top level - complete focus.

We certainly had a lot of the ball but ultimately we did not create much with that possession. It was an illusionary domination.

The attitude of my players has been excellent this season but Saturday was not at the level that we have produced until now. It was the first time this season that we were way below par.

Norwich were strong defensively, they were focused, committed and sharper than us. Now we have to put that performance behind us, realise that was not good enough and respond against Schalke on Wednesday.

I hope Saturday's result will have a positive impact on the squad. It was a shock to the system, but you have to give credit to Norwich as well. They played well, they were completely committed and they deserved the win.

The Premier League is the Premier League. If you are not ready for the fight then you will always have bad surprises.

Jack Wilshere was back in the squad for Saturday but I decided not to bring him on. We have to be conscious he has not played for 14 months. I would have brought him on if the game had allowed it but it was too intense. He will play on Monday with the under-21s and then we will see where we go from there.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain did come on at Norwich but he got a kick on his hip almost straight away. He will be out for Wednesday but it is not a long-term problem. I don't think Kieran Gibbs or Theo Walcott will be ready to face Schalke either.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

NB:

Happy Birthday, Guv!