Injuries and Suspensions Aplenty as Arsenal Goes to Ewood Park

by Joel Martin

Today we travel to Ewood Park without as many as 10 first team players today in our replay with Blackburn. The Rovers, on the other hand, are much healthier than they were when we played them only two weeks ago. Morten Gamst Pedersen, who is easily one of their best players, and Benni McCarthy should return to a side who showed us how exactly to play the most negative of football. Now that they’re at home, however, they should come at us a little more, which could be intriguing.

Of course many of our absences will be due to the ruckus at the end of the Cup Final on the weekend. Adebayor’s appeal was denied, and Eboue was handed a suspension for what the officials thought Adebayor did in the first place (how the linesman mistook Adebayor for Eboue I have no idea, but then I again I have no idea how he found Drogba to be onside in the 20^th either). Kolo didn’t even appeal his suspension, and he’s sitting out the next three games as well.

In addition, Henry has picked up a foot injury somehow; Rosicky has picked up a groin injury; and Diaby (who has proven to be magnificent when he can stay fit) is out with an ankle injury. Hoyte, Djourou, and Flamini are all uncertainties as well, and I have no idea who will play right back if the three of them are out on top of Eboue’s absence. Clichy also has picked up a slight knock, so young Armand Traore may get a character-building chance on the road in the FA Cup.

Fabregas will get a much-needed and well-deserved rest, so it looks like we’ll pair the two Brazilians, Denilson and Gilberto, together in the middle. I think Denilson will make a difference tomorrow—he’s blossoming into a special, special player.

Other than the obvious problem as to who will play right back, I think our side should look fairly solid. Of course Van Persie is out as well, which makes our choice of strikers pretty slim. I personally would like to see how Walcott could do as an out-and-out striker, but chances are he won’t get that opportunity. I expect the youngster to start on the bench and then sub in for either Ljunberg or Hleb if we need his spark. If Baptista plays, he needs to show the spirit he showed in the first 20 minutes of the Cup Final, because he did absolutely nothing the rest of the game. He is still yet to impress since his goal explosion in January, and he needs to have a game tomorrow, when we need him. Other teams’ reserve score big goals because they need to impress and earn a place in the first team. Oldie Gunnar Solskjaer and Louis Saha, neither of whom are close to the caliber of player Baptista is, showed this resilience and determination by getting goals in ManUre’s thriller of a replay yesterday, we need Baptista to do the same. I think he finally will, simply because he can’t afford not to.

My prediction: a crazy free kick from Gamst Pedersen 35 minutes in, against the run of play, followed by an equalizer right before half from Aliadiere, and lastly Baptista thunders in a header in the 75^th to win it.

The Madness of Spaniards Apparent Once Again

by Joel Martin

According to Sky Sports, Villareal is apparently looking at buying our own reserve goalkeeper Manuel Almunia in the summer. Almunia, who has never really impressed since joining from Celta Vigo in 2004, apparently wishes to become our number one in the near future. The Yellow Submarines would be doing us yet another favor if they brought Almunia off our hands this summer. They’ve already taken in the sulky Robert Pires and the unexplainably-terrible Pascal Cygan off our hands, and now they want Almunia—who is strictly o.k., but only when he can cover the near post (which is never).

Almunia moving back to Spain could result in Wenger making one of two possible positive moves:

1.)He would be forced to keep Lehmann around. He is one of the best keepers in the world, and his presence helps instill confidence in our young defense.

2.) He would be forced to buy a quality keeper. Almunia is not anywhere near a World Class goalkeeper, nowhere near the quality a world class club like Arsenal needs in goal. Hearts’ Craig Gordon name has been mentioned, as well as Celtic’s Artur Boruc—both of whom havwe very promising careers ahead of them and would be good buys. Another route could be to sign Ben Foster or Scott Carson, although ManU and Liverpool may not be very apt to sell their young talents cheaply.

So, Villareal, if you want Manuel Almunia so badly, take him. We only will become a better team by losing him.

In a related story, related solely because it involves Spaniards looking to buy useless players, Rafa Benitez has signed Bayer Leverkusen striker Andriy Voronin on a pre-contract. Rafa is getting unbelievably good at buying players for too much money that are well below Liverpool’s standard, and Voronin is just another name on the list that includes Bodo Zenden, Craig Bellamy, Mark Gonzalez, Javier Mascherano, and that useless giraffe: Peter Crouch. The best complement you can give to Voronin as a player is that he played a good second fiddle to Dimitar Berbatov a couple years ago. He isn’t Liverpool-quality.

If their current squad remains in tact, Voronin would be in the running with Robbie Fowler for the fourth or fifth striker. Combine that with the return of on-loan Djibril Cisse, whom Benitez claims to still have a future at Anfield, and the apparently imminent addition of what Benitez claims he needs to challenge for a Premiership Title: a guaranteed 20-goal-a-season striker (nevermind his horrible goalkeeper or painfully-slow defense). Speculation has been directed at Valencia’s David Villa, but who knows? If Benitez’s spending habits can be characterized as anything they’re unconventional and unpredictable.

Purchases like Benitez’s “capture” of Andriy Voronin show me how lucky we are to have Wenger. Instead of buying 27-year-old second-tier strikers we go out and find wonderkids who grow up and mature in our youth academy into first-team stars before the age of twenty. We’ve got one of the smartest minds in the world managing our club, and his wisdom will only lead to great success in the years to come.

Young Gunners Fall Just Short of an Improbable Trophy

by Joel Martin

The Cup Final was refreshing and unique, one of the strangest games of the season in fact. Our young reserves, the future of the club, matched up against Chelsea’s first team and gave them a hell of a fight. Our boys’ effort was something to be proud of. Although the wheels came off in the end, I am still very pleased with the exertion we put forth today.

The first goal was a product of absolute brilliance from both Walcott and Diaby. Walcott’s finish was mouth-watering, I hope to be seeing many more of those in the years to come. Diaby has been unbelievable since his return from injury, twice the player he was last year. If he keeps playing this well, Wenger will have no choice but to make room for him in the first team. Fabregas and Denilson dominated Chelsea’s big name counterparts the entire game in the midfield. I’m not nearly as worried about life after Gilberto as I was now that Diaby and Denilson both have proved themselves to be class midfielders.

Hoyte finally seems to be playing with more confidence. I've never been a fan of Hoyte because he used to play terrified, like he couldn’t afford to make one mistake. He figured his future at Arsenal was hanging in the balance, and he couldn't handle the pressure. Now that Lauren is gone, however, Hoyte is a needed member of the squad and he knows it. He is much more confident because he knows that he can afford to make a mistake without getting the axe. Today was one of his best performances in an Arsenal shirt, and I expect more great performances to come from him.

Eboue, on the other hand, is an absolute headcase. He was lucky not to get sent off for his role in the brawl at the end of the game. His temper-tantrum after a classic Arjen Robben dive was embarrassing, especially because it was coming from Eboue, who couldn’t stay on his feet if they were glued to the ground. His ability on the pitch is unquestioned, and I think he is one of the top right-backs in the world when he’s on (i.e. against Manchester United). His main drawbacks as a player are all mental. If he was disciplined he would have a positioning sense. If he was disciplined he wouldn’t writhe on the ground every time he took a knock. If he was disciplined he would not throw a fit and he would not hit Wayne Bridge in the head. When he reaches this level of discipline, and only when he reaches this level of discipline, will he reach his potential.

Eboue and Baptista were really the only players to disappoint in Cardiff. Even Senderos faced his demons well and held his own nicely against Drogba. Baptista’s ineptitude, however, is a recurring theme. I can’t see how Wenger will keep him at the Emirates if he keeps playing like this. He’s crap.

In the end, although we lost our composure in the end, and although Drogba looked clearly offside for his first goal, we can take everything from this game other than the trophy. Our reserve side outplayed one of the best teams in the world for 70 minutes, and it took a world-class goal from Drogba and Robben to beat us. We played with heart, which is something we’ve severely lacked in recent weeks, and we could have gone two or three up in the first half. Once we get older the finishing will come, and there will be many more cup finals and trophies in this Arsenal squad’s future.

Carling Cup Final Preview

by Joel Martin

Our first step will be not to concede early. If Drogba, who normally terrorizes our back line, gets going early he could score three or four goals before the game ends.

Our midfield will have to be decisive and strong to hold their own against any combination of Ballack, Lampard, Makelele, Essien, Robben, and Obi Mikel.

Walcott needs a good game; he has been lacking confidence lately. Diaby is coming off a great game against Blackburn, as is Denilson, and both of them will need to keep that form. Gilberto will need to find his after an awful performance in Eindhoven.

If Hoyte passes his fitness test, he should start. Clichy also needs to pass fitness to play, but Armand Traore should get the start anyway.

Baptista (who needs to prove his worth) and the lately-impressive Aliadiere, who is getting better every day, should pair up up front. Maybe Baptista will pull out a four-goal game out of his bag like he did at Anfield.

Gallas, Lehmann, Henry, and Ljungberg are not in the squad. Rosicky, Adebayor, and Fabregas will all be on the bench most likely. If we can keep the game close, Rosicky can come off the bench and be the spark plug he was against Tottenham. In my mind, that’s the key to the game: keeping it close enough so Rosicky and Adebayor can have an impact as substitutes late in the second half. If we can, I think the youngsters have a shot at pulling off a big, big upset. If not, at least we’ll be somewhat rested for the Blackburn replay.

Gunners Get Set For the Long Haul

by Joel Martin

The next few weeks will be Arsenal’s most crucial and most difficult stretch of games they’ve had this year. Starting with the Carling Cup Final on Sunday, we will possibly play five games in two weeks.

The cup final is the least of our worries, and Wenger knows it. Hopefully our young boys can play with the same amount of vigor and enthusiasm they’ve showed this entire cup run. I wouldn’t be surprised with a win if they do.

I don’t know how Wenger is going to handle the two games leading up to our second leg with PSV. He could play half the first team against Blackburn in the replay and the other half against Reading next weekend. Tuesday proved, however, that this might not be the best course of action. We looked out of sync at Eindhoven because the first team had not played with each other in weeks. Part of that was due to Hleb and Gallas’ recent return from injuries, but most of it was due to the fact that Henry, Adebayor, Gilberto, Fabregas, and Rosicky had not played together for several weeks. They need to play with each other and be given a chance to gel in order to play up to their potential. If they indeed are the line-up we want, they need to play together at least against Reading in order to be on the same page come next Wednesday.

The result of this might lead to our exit from the FA Cup, but I think our reserve squad could handle themselves well against the Rovers. Diaby, Denilson, and Flamini have already put in very solid performances for us this year, and Baptista seems to only play well when he’s the main man in the attack. Who knows? We’re talking about a reserve team who went into Anfield and won 6-3, so anything’s possible.

Anyway, that same reserve side should be featured on Sunday in Cardiff, where the youngsters (and probably Baptista and Ljungberg) will be put to the test against the Blues. I have no idea what kind of squad Chelsea will field, but I am pretty sure the Carling Cup means as little to Mourihno as it does to Wenger.

Champions League Round-Up

By Joel Martin

Every English team in the Champions League went on the road this week, and every team other than Arsenal is heading home with a good result. Manchester United and Liverpool needed a degree of luck to get the results they needed, but sometimes that is what these games are about more than anything.

The goal taken away from Lille in the Manchester United game was blown completely. Peter Odemwingie’s hand touching the shoulder of Nemanja Vidic was incidental at best, and Vidic clearly fell because of his own momentum, not the contact between himself and the Nigerian striker.

Giggs’ goal, as much as it pains me to say it, was legit though. I’ve seen Henry do it plenty of times. Quickly-taken free kicks are dangerous, dangerous weapons.

Liverpool had no business going in to Camp Nou and beating Barcelona. Although Barcelona did not play well enough to win, they still had two-thirds of the possession and arguably the best team in the world. The European Champions should not lose to a team like Liverpool at home.

It was nice to see Bellamy score the first and set up the second goal to Riise, the victim of his five-iron tirade. Kuyt could have even added another—hell, it could have been 3-1! If you had told me that Liverpool would have 33% of the possession playing at the Nou Camp I’d say you’d be crazy to think that Liverpool could escape Barcelona with a draw, let alone a win.

This week’s round of Champions League fixtures have proven that luck has just as much a role as anything in this competition. Although Chelsea was unlucky to lose John Terry to injury so early, they were also lucky Quaresma’s swirling rocket sailed over a befuddled Petr Cech and ricocheted off the bar. Porto could have easily won that game.

In the end, the “lucky results” by the rest of our English counterparts make me optimistic about hosting PSV at the Emirates in two weeks, because we’re due for some luck.

Pathetic Arsenal Fail Miserably Against PSV

By Joel Martin

Today’s game was so bad, I still can’t get the awful taste out of my mouth.

We had everything going in our favor at the beginning of the game. Jefferson Farfan, their leading scorer, was out injured, and we created all of the good first half chances. Rosicky should have scored after a brilliant (and lucky) one-two with Henry in the 12^th minute. Henry tried to curl the ball into the far post numerous times, and he scared the Brazilian keeper Gomes a few times. Rosicky and Cesc were dominating the game going into the break, and Arsenal looked like they were on the verge of opening PSV up for a couple goals in the second half.

I’ve never seen us play worse than we did after the break.

Henry was terrible. Even his touch deserted him. His flops and dives are starting to get aggravating, too. When we need him, he looks to the ref to bail us out. We needed Thierry Henry in the second half, not the ref, but, quite simply, Thierry did not deliver. I don’t know what the problem is, but he still isn’t playing up to his standard, and he needs to quickly, for his own sake. The longer he takes to hit his stride the more pressure will be put on him by both himself and the pundits.

I hope Hleb was not fit, because that was easily the worst I’ve ever seen him play. He took too many touches, was bullied around, and never even threatened Salcido, their makeshift left back.

Gilberto was also the worst he’s been this season. His touch was atrocious and he could not make a pass the whole second half. He couldn’t close quickly enough on Edison Mendez, who took advantage of the space and drilled in the winner in the 61^st minute. It wasn’t the first time Gilberto has halfheartedly closed on the ball this season (the Denny Landzaat goal comes to mind), which is a flaw that needs to be addressed.

Gallas still is no where close to fit. He looked terrible and also took too many touches on the ball. We missed Eboue’s attacking mind, even if it is a bit reckless at times. We needed someone other than Rosicky to take the game to the opposition.

Adebayor was out-muscled by Alex the whole game, but Alex really played like a star. If he plays like that at the Emirates we’re screwed.

Baptista came on and did absolutely nothing other than hitting Henry’s free kick straight to Gomes. He is horrible.

If there is anything good to take from the game it’s that we only lost 1-0. For how horribly we played, we should consider ourselves lucky that we even have a shot at advancing. The chances of everyone playing that bad again are very slim, and if we can take our chances well, we should not have a problem scoring at home. Believe it or not, we aren’t out of this thing yet.

Arsenal set for Eindhoven Clash

by Joel Martin

Champions League football resumes tomorrow, with Arsenal traveling to Eindhoven to play a very good PSV side. PSV may be the champions of the Dutch League, but they are not a “Dutch” team. They field a very international side, just like us.

Alex, their Brazilian center-half, is one of the strongest, most menacing players our strikers will go up against all year. He is a beast. His partner in the center, the Mexican Carlos Salcido (who was linked with us over the summer before he joined PSV), is a perfect complement: he is small, yet also quick, skilled, and smart.

Their midfield is experienced and strong. Cocu is a force, as is Timmy Simons. Ecuadorian World Cup hero Edison Mendez rounds out the midfield, who many have regarded to be the best signing in the Dutch League.

So far Arouna Kone has been a disappointment trying to fit in to the big shoes left by Jan Venegnoor of Hesselink’s departure to Glasgow. He has scored 12 goals this year, however, so he is a serious threat. Kone is a big, fast, strong, terrifying striker in the Drogba mold, and he may have a little extra motivation playing against his fellow Ivorian Kolo Toure.

Their other threat to score is the Peruvian Jefferson Farfan. Farfan has already scored 15 goals this year, and possesses great pace. We will have to keep Farfan at bay for us to get out of Eindhoven with a good result.

The most interesting story on the PSV roster, however, is that of Chinese left-back Xiang Sun. After being bought in the January window Sun made his debut this weekend. If he gets another start Tuesday, which he should, he will become the first Chinese player to ever play in the Champions League. He is a converted left winger, and he likes to push forward a lot. Hleb should be able to get behind him and wreak havoc on the PSV defense.

Eboue is still out, and Hoyte picked up a hamstring injury, so it looks as though it will be Gallas, who looked a far away from fit Saturday, or Djourou, who hasn’t looked the same since his injury either, on the right. Either way, we will lose the overlapping run from our right fullback, which does hamper the attack.

Hopefully Wenger does not revert back to the 4-5-1 he used last year, simply because it does not fit our players anymore. If we had a legitimate left winger or even a healthy RvP I think we could get away with it, but Adebayor is playing too well right now to sit out. Henry needs someone to run with him, and Adebayor has been performing superbly in that role; the man needs to play.

It is imperative that we leave tomorrow night with a good result, preferably a win, so keep your fingers crossed. The road back to the final starts tomorrow, in Eindhoven.

Arsenal’s Missing Piece: A Left Winger

By Joel Martin

Arsenal’s ineptitude against a half-strength Blackburn made me ask one question: WHY? Why can’t we beat the teams we are supposed to beat? We are 17 points behind ManUre after taking six points from them. Why are we not ahead of them? Why do we find ourselves behind the rest of the top four, even though we haven’t lost to any of them (we’re the only team in the league who can say that)? Why are we dropping so many points against the lower teams in the Premiership?

There are a couple of reasons, some are obvious, and some are not. One reason is because we are not as tough as the Boltons and Evertons of the Premier League. They outmuscle us and beat us physically, but that will change as our young team matures and grows stronger. Another is injuries. We’ve had a number of unlucky injuries that have hurt our chances severely in many games. That problem is more bad luck than anything.

There is one problem with the squad, however, has nothing to do with luck and will not fix itself: our lack of a left-winger.

The lack of width and balance that Arsenal has shown at times this year is largely due to the Gunners’ need for a true left-sided midfielder. Tomas Rosicky is a fantastic talent, and I am confident he will star at Arsenal for years to come, but he is a central player stuck on the left. Too often he strays to the middle and even the right as he tries to find holes in opposing defenses, and this wrecks our balance and width. He might be best used as a sparkplug off the bench, as he was against Tottenham only a week ago, but he does not seem to be the answer of the left. I hate to say it, but Freddie Ljunberg might be done. His old injured legs just couldn’t keep up early this year, and that was when he was fully fit. He is not the answer, either. Hleb and Walcott are naturally right-sided players, and they both (Hleb especially) do not seem nearly as comfortable on the left. Neither Hleb or Walcott are the answer either, not now anyway. Walcott could be there in a couple years, but even then I think he might be better suited as a right winger or a striker rather than a left winger.

Jose Antonio Reyes, had he not been a whining Spanish prick who couldn’t handle the chilly weather and missed his sunny beaches, would have solved this problem perfectly. He was a great left winger for us last year and propelled us through our Champions League run, but he is gone now, and Wenger is too stubborn to take him back (not that I think Reyes would want to come back).

This is a problem that requires a new addition to the squad. There are a couple of options, some are obvious and some aren’t, but an addition needs to be made.

The first, and most popular option, is Franck Ribery. Ribery has been strongly linked with us since the World Cup, and he and his agent have not exactly been denying the fact that he would like to play for Wenger. Ribery is not naturally adept to the left side, but he showed in the World Cup and for Marseille this year that he can play there easily. The World Cup has driven up his price, which is the reason he isn’t a Gunner already in my mind, but his quickness combined with his toughness and work ethic would be a welcome addition to the squad, in my mind. Unfortunately, Marseille is only two points shy of the French League’s last Champions League spot, which would only make his capture more expensive and less likely.

Another option is Ryan Babel. Babel, who doubles as a striker, is one of the best young talents in the Dutch squad. He is good friends with RvP, which is the reason the Babel rumors in January sprung in the first place. He doesn’t really score or set up goals (only 3 goals and 1 assist in the goal-happy Dutch League this year), but Babel is a good player, and I think Wenger would consider adding him if he indeed only costs 5 million pounds, but I still am not sure he wants to leave. Soccernet.com quotes him as saying:

"I will play at Ajax next season. I have a contract for another one and a half years and as far as I know I will hold on to that.”

Babel would be a good addition, not as good as Ribery, but a good addition nonetheless. 5 million would be a steal, and if the offer is there this summer, I hope Wenger takes it.

The final option, which may seem random as he has not been linked to us at all to my knowledge, is Blackburn’s Morten Gamst Pedersen. Although he is injured right now, Pedersen is one of the best left wingers in England. His left foot is uncanny, both on crosses and on set pieces. He does not stray to the middle and would keep balance to the side. He is a creative passer stuck on a boringly uncreative Blackburn team. He scores goals from the midfield, which would help us out immensely. We haven’t found a goal-scoring midfielder to replace Pires—Rosicky or Cesc could be eventually, but Pedersen would be a genuine threat immediately (6 goals already this year in the Premier League, 8 overall). He’s only 25, which means we’d have at least three good years with him in the squad and we could use those three years to groom Fran Merida into a left winger. His comfort level in England, combined with his ability to score would be well worth 8 to 10 million pounds.

Anyway those are my thoughts, if it were up to me I’d take Ribery at 15mil first, Pedersen at 10mil second, and Babel at 5mil third, only because to me its time to win right now. It is time we started trying to win right now, not three or four years down the line. We are an extremely young team, and the last thing we need is to wait for a 20-year-old Ryan Babel to mature while the rest of the squad is ready to win now. Either Ribery or Pedersen would be better answers, if we indeed are trying to get back where we belong: the top of the Premier League.

Textbook “Negative Football” stops the Gunners

By Joel Martin

Arsenal – 0 Blackburn – 0. The last thing we needed was another replay. From the opening whistle, it was clear Arsenal would have to be the aggressor today, and we failed to step up to the challenge. Blackburn’s 8 defenders never even tried to score.

Nothing really happened in the first half. Walcott had a tough time beating Warnock and didn’t look very good. Ljunberg had no impact on the game at all.

We only looked like a threat when Rosicky and Adebayor came on in the 68^th minute. Rosicky took it to the two lines of Blackburn defence, and was unlucky not to score after a great foot-save from American Brad Friedel stopped him. My heart skipped a beat when Almunia made the most of an average shot by Mark Derbyshire in the 75^th, but that was the only serious chance Blackburn had in the whole game. Adebayor slotted the ball across the ball to Henry well in the 88^th, who in turn tried to set up Aliadiere on the far post but was stopped again by a great save from Friedel, who also managed to save Hoyte’s follow-up.

In the end Arsenal should not be pleased with their performance, but we should not be unhappy either. We looked strong and composed in the defense and Fabregas controlled the game extremely well. It would have been nice to see us as determined to score in the first 15 minutes as we were in the final 15, but no we must win at Ewood Park to reach the next round—another fixture on a list that is getting more and more dubious.

Best to put the disappointment behind us, though, I’m sure PSV won’t show much sympathy on Tuesday.