I just wanted to get this prophecy out there. Last night, I dreamt about the second leg of the CL semi-final against United. I'm not entirely sure what went on, but we were 3-0 up at one point; I scored two and set up Eduardo for the third but then I was sent off for kicking the ball at one of their players' heads. I reckon we would have gone on to win the match!
Feelin' confident!
Monday, 4 May 2009
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
Gooneriffic Returns? Man Utd Preview.
Back again. Mostly because I can't stop thinking about the match tomorrow night, and I thought writing this might help me concentrate on revision for my finals (which start tomorrow).
Obviously, a good result in this first leg would be fantastic, it goes without saying really. There isn't too much speculation going about the team at the moment; we know who is and isn't going to be fit (Silvestre aside), and we know which players will probably make up the majority of the starting line-up. It seems veyr likely that Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Gibbs, Nasri, Song, Cesc, Walcott and Adebayor will make up 9 of the first 11. Either Silvestre or Diaby will play in central defence alongside Toure. If he is sufficiently fit after his lay-off, I would take Djourou every time. His pace gives him a definite edge over Silvestre, who has not covered himself in glory in recent games.
The final place, in my opinion should go to the much maligned Nicklas Bendtner. I doubt this will be a particularly popular opinion, but it could be a very effective move. Presuming we continue with the 4-2-3-1 formation we have used in recent weeks, positioning Bendtner on the left of the three players behind the striker would help us gain the initiative in this match. Man Utd are likely to be playing Rafael at right-back, and Bendtner's height and power would trouble the young Brazilian, who is certainly more assured going forward than defending. Utd are likely to target Kieron Gibbs at left back and with Rafael overlapping Ronaldo, it would be a huge challenge for the youngster. Playing Bendtner on the left would help keep Rafael pinned back, and thus ease the burden on Gibbs.
If I was the manager, the team would line up thus:
-------------------Almunia----------------
--------Sagna---Toure--Djourou---Gibbs-
-----------------Song----Cesc-------------
---------Walcott----Nasri----Bendtner----
------------------Adebayor----------------
However, I expect Nasri and Cesc's role to be reversed, and on the evidence of our last performance against Middlesborough, this would not necessarily be a bad thing.
We need to gain the momentum early on in this matchin order to prevent Utd taking advantage of our weakened defence. Walcott should be able to prevent Evra from getting forward too often, Adebayor has the capacity to keep Vidic and Ferdinand busy all night long, and the Song-Cesc axis is able to dominate Man Utd central midfielders. If Bendtner is able to restrict Rafael's role on the right, we can cut off the supply to Utd's fearsome forward line and give ourselves the advantage.
Obviously, a good result in this first leg would be fantastic, it goes without saying really. There isn't too much speculation going about the team at the moment; we know who is and isn't going to be fit (Silvestre aside), and we know which players will probably make up the majority of the starting line-up. It seems veyr likely that Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Gibbs, Nasri, Song, Cesc, Walcott and Adebayor will make up 9 of the first 11. Either Silvestre or Diaby will play in central defence alongside Toure. If he is sufficiently fit after his lay-off, I would take Djourou every time. His pace gives him a definite edge over Silvestre, who has not covered himself in glory in recent games.
The final place, in my opinion should go to the much maligned Nicklas Bendtner. I doubt this will be a particularly popular opinion, but it could be a very effective move. Presuming we continue with the 4-2-3-1 formation we have used in recent weeks, positioning Bendtner on the left of the three players behind the striker would help us gain the initiative in this match. Man Utd are likely to be playing Rafael at right-back, and Bendtner's height and power would trouble the young Brazilian, who is certainly more assured going forward than defending. Utd are likely to target Kieron Gibbs at left back and with Rafael overlapping Ronaldo, it would be a huge challenge for the youngster. Playing Bendtner on the left would help keep Rafael pinned back, and thus ease the burden on Gibbs.
If I was the manager, the team would line up thus:
-------------------Almunia----------------
--------Sagna---Toure--Djourou---Gibbs-
-----------------Song----Cesc-------------
---------Walcott----Nasri----Bendtner----
------------------Adebayor----------------
However, I expect Nasri and Cesc's role to be reversed, and on the evidence of our last performance against Middlesborough, this would not necessarily be a bad thing.
We need to gain the momentum early on in this matchin order to prevent Utd taking advantage of our weakened defence. Walcott should be able to prevent Evra from getting forward too often, Adebayor has the capacity to keep Vidic and Ferdinand busy all night long, and the Song-Cesc axis is able to dominate Man Utd central midfielders. If Bendtner is able to restrict Rafael's role on the right, we can cut off the supply to Utd's fearsome forward line and give ourselves the advantage.
Friday, 20 June 2008
I've not posted for a while, for a combination of reasons; work and exams, laziness and the lack of any news that really excited me. I got bored going over the same stories again and again.
Today, I saw something that really caught my eye though. The BBC has an article about Adebayor. It's different though; not claiming he's off to Milan or Barcelona (which he isn't), but rather about his life in Togo before he came to Europe, and the work he does there now. For me, it shows how hard he has worked to get where he is today, and I don't know why really, but it makes me even surer that he isn't about to leave the club. I thought it was a nice change to the normal bollocks-mongering you get from the papers during the summer.
Hopefully I'll be updating the blog more regularly in future, although I am about to go on holiday on Monday, so I'll get back to it when I'm back home.
Today, I saw something that really caught my eye though. The BBC has an article about Adebayor. It's different though; not claiming he's off to Milan or Barcelona (which he isn't), but rather about his life in Togo before he came to Europe, and the work he does there now. For me, it shows how hard he has worked to get where he is today, and I don't know why really, but it makes me even surer that he isn't about to leave the club. I thought it was a nice change to the normal bollocks-mongering you get from the papers during the summer.
Hopefully I'll be updating the blog more regularly in future, although I am about to go on holiday on Monday, so I'll get back to it when I'm back home.
Sunday, 8 June 2008
Apologies...
Sorry for the lack of recent posts, it's exam time, so I have been pretty busy. I'll be finished on Friday, so I'll be posting again after that.
Wednesday, 4 June 2008
Sagna signs new deal and more.
Some very good news today; the best right-back in the league, Bacary Sagna, has signed a new deal with the club. It may seem strange, given that he only joined us last summer, but, considering his performances over the season, he deserves a pay-rise, and thanks to the Webster Clause, clubs will be offering their players new deals with increasing regularity in the future.
Little else has happened today though; Tony Adams has signed a new deal to continue as the assistant manager at Portsmouth, which means he will not be joining us as a defensive coach. For me, Adams would have been a great addition to the coaching staff, and he could really have helped youngsters like Song, Nordveit, Senderos and Djourou to progress, as well as helping the organisation of the first choice back four. This does make the rumoured signing of Lilian Thuram as a player/coach seem more plausible, but we still have no evidence to suggest that this will happen.
One piece of news that I am very pleased to see is a report on how Swiss people view Philippe Senderos. Senderos is a player who attracts a huge amount of criticism whenever he makes a mistake, yet rarely gets credit for his good performances. This season he made a couple of mistakes against Liverpool and people immediately forget his excellent performances when Kolo Toure was away at the African Nations Cup. Admittedly, the Liverpool game was very important, but there is no reason to write him off yet. More experience will only see him coming closer to fulfilling the undoubted potential he has.
Ex-Gunner Freddie Ljungberg has hit out at Arsene Wenger in an interview with the Telegraph today. He complains about having to play when not fully fit and Wenger's strict attitude. This just smacks of bitterness. Freddie has to be careful, he is still held in great affection by most Arsenal fans who remember his brilliant performances before his decline, but if he comes out with more statements like this, he will only alienate himself from the fans. Not that he probably cares that much, but if I was him I'd shut up. He never recovered from his injuries, and Wenger got rid of him. Get over it.
Finally, to end on a positive note, we have a statement by Wenger. He believes that we can win everything next season, and while this might be a little ambitious, I have high hopes that, as long as a few players are brought into the squad this summer, we will end up with some silverware by the end of the season (and the League Cup doesn't count, no-one cares about it). We were so close this time around, and as long as we learn our lessons, the desire that will have given the squad should be enough to see us succeed this time around!
UPDATE: The Freddie quotes may well have been made up. I hope so, as it did seem out of character.
Little else has happened today though; Tony Adams has signed a new deal to continue as the assistant manager at Portsmouth, which means he will not be joining us as a defensive coach. For me, Adams would have been a great addition to the coaching staff, and he could really have helped youngsters like Song, Nordveit, Senderos and Djourou to progress, as well as helping the organisation of the first choice back four. This does make the rumoured signing of Lilian Thuram as a player/coach seem more plausible, but we still have no evidence to suggest that this will happen.
One piece of news that I am very pleased to see is a report on how Swiss people view Philippe Senderos. Senderos is a player who attracts a huge amount of criticism whenever he makes a mistake, yet rarely gets credit for his good performances. This season he made a couple of mistakes against Liverpool and people immediately forget his excellent performances when Kolo Toure was away at the African Nations Cup. Admittedly, the Liverpool game was very important, but there is no reason to write him off yet. More experience will only see him coming closer to fulfilling the undoubted potential he has.
Ex-Gunner Freddie Ljungberg has hit out at Arsene Wenger in an interview with the Telegraph today. He complains about having to play when not fully fit and Wenger's strict attitude. This just smacks of bitterness. Freddie has to be careful, he is still held in great affection by most Arsenal fans who remember his brilliant performances before his decline, but if he comes out with more statements like this, he will only alienate himself from the fans. Not that he probably cares that much, but if I was him I'd shut up. He never recovered from his injuries, and Wenger got rid of him. Get over it.
Finally, to end on a positive note, we have a statement by Wenger. He believes that we can win everything next season, and while this might be a little ambitious, I have high hopes that, as long as a few players are brought into the squad this summer, we will end up with some silverware by the end of the season (and the League Cup doesn't count, no-one cares about it). We were so close this time around, and as long as we learn our lessons, the desire that will have given the squad should be enough to see us succeed this time around!
UPDATE: The Freddie quotes may well have been made up. I hope so, as it did seem out of character.
Tuesday, 3 June 2008
I'm Back!
Hello again readers! Sorry for the long absence, I was away over the weekend and then we had a minor electricity crisis last night, but I'm back and blogging now!
I won't try and cover all the news from the weekend, just a bireif outline of what's been going on today...
The big news is that apparently, we've had a bid accepted for Cardiff's Aaron Ramsey. There's a lot of hype around the kid, who is only 17, but if you ask me, he should stay at Cardiff and play another season in the Championship. If he comes here, or goes to Man Utd, he would be a fringe player at best, and I think he would improve a lot more by playing regularly than by sitting on the bench or in the reserves. It's not like this will be his only chance; if he's half the player people make him out to be, he'll end up in the Premiership soon anyway.
Despite the appointment of Mourinho, it looks like Hleb may still be on his way to Inter. I don't know what to believe, as it seems to change between Barca, Real and Inter on a daily basis. He'll end up at one of the three I imagine, though I can see it becoming a bit like last year's Reyes saga. Let's hope not. The same article also gives information about bids for Nicklas Bendtner from two German clubs, and I must say his loyalty and attitude is very refreshing. I have high hopes for the big Dane next season.
Mad Jens has joined Stuttgart; I'm sad to see him go, but I think it's mostly nostalgia. I wish him all the best and hope the rest of the fans will too.
The Managing Director of Fulham has resigned, and, inevitably, there has been some talk about him joining our board. I know nothing at all about this man, so there's not much I cay say.
We've also been linked today with David Villa, which is not going to happen, and Andrei Arshavin, who could be interesting, but there's no evidence behind this at all. Shame, as from what I have seen he is a very good player who could fit in well here. Still, I'd be very surprised if I saw him at Arsenal at the start of the next season. I really wonder why people continue to go on about the Villa transfer after Wenger said this. It's not going to happen, we don't need any more strikers, get over it.
Finally, just for a bit of light amusement; "Spurs behind in the race to sign Robinho". No shit...
I won't try and cover all the news from the weekend, just a bireif outline of what's been going on today...
The big news is that apparently, we've had a bid accepted for Cardiff's Aaron Ramsey. There's a lot of hype around the kid, who is only 17, but if you ask me, he should stay at Cardiff and play another season in the Championship. If he comes here, or goes to Man Utd, he would be a fringe player at best, and I think he would improve a lot more by playing regularly than by sitting on the bench or in the reserves. It's not like this will be his only chance; if he's half the player people make him out to be, he'll end up in the Premiership soon anyway.
Despite the appointment of Mourinho, it looks like Hleb may still be on his way to Inter. I don't know what to believe, as it seems to change between Barca, Real and Inter on a daily basis. He'll end up at one of the three I imagine, though I can see it becoming a bit like last year's Reyes saga. Let's hope not. The same article also gives information about bids for Nicklas Bendtner from two German clubs, and I must say his loyalty and attitude is very refreshing. I have high hopes for the big Dane next season.
Mad Jens has joined Stuttgart; I'm sad to see him go, but I think it's mostly nostalgia. I wish him all the best and hope the rest of the fans will too.
The Managing Director of Fulham has resigned, and, inevitably, there has been some talk about him joining our board. I know nothing at all about this man, so there's not much I cay say.
We've also been linked today with David Villa, which is not going to happen, and Andrei Arshavin, who could be interesting, but there's no evidence behind this at all. Shame, as from what I have seen he is a very good player who could fit in well here. Still, I'd be very surprised if I saw him at Arsenal at the start of the next season. I really wonder why people continue to go on about the Villa transfer after Wenger said this. It's not going to happen, we don't need any more strikers, get over it.
Finally, just for a bit of light amusement; "Spurs behind in the race to sign Robinho". No shit...
Friday, 30 May 2008
Fabregas and Adebayor Speak Out, Scudamore to be Chief Exec? and Eboue Analysed
Thank God! It's been a while now since we've had any real news to report on, and even though today's isn't anything that special, it makes a change from constant Nasri and Hleb transfer talk. Apologies for the lack of a blog yesterday, but I couldn't face covering new variations on the same stories yet again.
The most important news I have come across today are statements of loyalty from both Cesc and Adebayor. Fabregas is in talks over a new deal at the club, which would take his pay from 60,000 to 90,000 a week. Bear in mind though, that the information comes from the Telegraph's "source at the club", so is more than likely completely made up. What is more cheering is Fabregas' interview with Radio Marca, in which he committed his future to the club, and stated his desire to win the league here. He said:
"I am staying at Arsenal. I have given my word to my coach, he asked me and I told him that he had my confidence 100 per cent and that is the end. He has asked for unity in the team and I am the first one who is going to stick by him so there is no problem. I want to win the league and I am one of those people who fights for what they want until they get it."
And isn't that just music to your ears. Barca and Real can piss off, they're not getting their hands on Cesc! Adeabyor has come out with similar sentiments in an interview with the Sun;
Apparently, Richard Scudamore, current chief executive of the Premier League is at the top of our list for David Dein/Keith Edelman replacements. I don't know if there is any truth in the rumour, but it is an interesting one. One one hand, Scudamore knows football very well, and has been able to increase the profits of the Premiership hugely. On the other hand he does he does appear to be a conscience-free kinda guy, who wouldn't be averse to changing anything for extra cash (witness the 39th game proposal). I think he could potentially do a very good job at the club, but as long as the other directors kept a close eye on him to ensure he doesn't turn out a twat in the mould of Peter Kenyon. I don't know nearly enough about the financial side of football to say for sure what kind of impact he could have, but I would be cautiously optimistic if he was appointed, though slightly concerned he could turn the club into the kind of corporate sponsorship whore Man Utd have become, constantly going on tour around the USA, Far East and Middle East to raise the clubs profile instead of concentrating on footballing matters.
Finally, I have done a bit of work analysing the contribution of Emmanuel Eboue to the club this season. I, along with almost all of the fans, think he has been rubbish for pretty much the whole season, but Wenger has defended Eboue, claiming that he helps balance out the side's attacking instincts. Someone may well have done this before, but I decided to put Wenger's claims that Eboue helps the team to the test. Basically, I have worked out the average number of points the team won in games the Eboue was and wasn't involved in. I have counted him as involved if he has played over 45 minutes of a game. When Eboue was in the team, we got an average of 1.95 points per game, whilst we got 2.5 points per game without him. Obviously there are a huge number of other factors I could take into account, but, honestly, I can't be bothered. Despite this, the statistics do seem to show the negative effect Eboue has on the team. However, the situation isn't as clear as it seems, because Eboue tends to have played in some of our trickier games this season; featuring both home and away against Liverpool, Chelsea and Man Utd, and this is bound to skew the figures somewhat. So there you go, the figures I have come up with are inconclusive, though I suspect lean to the side that says "Eboue is completely useless!".
I may not be blogging much over the weekend, as I am away, but I'll try to find time. I'll be back Monday though, so never fear!
The most important news I have come across today are statements of loyalty from both Cesc and Adebayor. Fabregas is in talks over a new deal at the club, which would take his pay from 60,000 to 90,000 a week. Bear in mind though, that the information comes from the Telegraph's "source at the club", so is more than likely completely made up. What is more cheering is Fabregas' interview with Radio Marca, in which he committed his future to the club, and stated his desire to win the league here. He said:
"I am staying at Arsenal. I have given my word to my coach, he asked me and I told him that he had my confidence 100 per cent and that is the end. He has asked for unity in the team and I am the first one who is going to stick by him so there is no problem. I want to win the league and I am one of those people who fights for what they want until they get it."
And isn't that just music to your ears. Barca and Real can piss off, they're not getting their hands on Cesc! Adeabyor has come out with similar sentiments in an interview with the Sun;
“I came to Arsenal with a mission to succeed, I have assured the gaffer Arsene Wenger I’ll stay because I believe in the team and I want to assure the fans my concentration is here.I have no reason to leave so I’ll stay to ensure that together we’ll win silverware."
It's great to have to players who are both so important to the team state their happiness and loyalty to the club, especially when other players have been more critical. It proves to the doubters that this Arsenal team will not fall apart, and that they will be back, even stronger, next season for another attempt at winning the title.Apparently, Richard Scudamore, current chief executive of the Premier League is at the top of our list for David Dein/Keith Edelman replacements. I don't know if there is any truth in the rumour, but it is an interesting one. One one hand, Scudamore knows football very well, and has been able to increase the profits of the Premiership hugely. On the other hand he does he does appear to be a conscience-free kinda guy, who wouldn't be averse to changing anything for extra cash (witness the 39th game proposal). I think he could potentially do a very good job at the club, but as long as the other directors kept a close eye on him to ensure he doesn't turn out a twat in the mould of Peter Kenyon. I don't know nearly enough about the financial side of football to say for sure what kind of impact he could have, but I would be cautiously optimistic if he was appointed, though slightly concerned he could turn the club into the kind of corporate sponsorship whore Man Utd have become, constantly going on tour around the USA, Far East and Middle East to raise the clubs profile instead of concentrating on footballing matters.
Finally, I have done a bit of work analysing the contribution of Emmanuel Eboue to the club this season. I, along with almost all of the fans, think he has been rubbish for pretty much the whole season, but Wenger has defended Eboue, claiming that he helps balance out the side's attacking instincts. Someone may well have done this before, but I decided to put Wenger's claims that Eboue helps the team to the test. Basically, I have worked out the average number of points the team won in games the Eboue was and wasn't involved in. I have counted him as involved if he has played over 45 minutes of a game. When Eboue was in the team, we got an average of 1.95 points per game, whilst we got 2.5 points per game without him. Obviously there are a huge number of other factors I could take into account, but, honestly, I can't be bothered. Despite this, the statistics do seem to show the negative effect Eboue has on the team. However, the situation isn't as clear as it seems, because Eboue tends to have played in some of our trickier games this season; featuring both home and away against Liverpool, Chelsea and Man Utd, and this is bound to skew the figures somewhat. So there you go, the figures I have come up with are inconclusive, though I suspect lean to the side that says "Eboue is completely useless!".
I may not be blogging much over the weekend, as I am away, but I'll try to find time. I'll be back Monday though, so never fear!
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