Partizan Test The Limits

English Referees Take Note

Tuesday September 28th, 2010

Partizan Belgrade: 1 vs. Arsenal: 3

Arshavin 14

Cleo 33

Chamakh 70

Squillaci 82

Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)



As expected Partizan Belgrade gave one hell of a performance on Tuesday night, they simply refused to give in despite being down to ten men for the majority of the second half. All credit to them and their fans as the atmosphere was simply majestic, if only the Emirates could be so full of energy.

The team selected was rather predictable considering the upcoming fixture and the injuries we have sustained. Song and Denilson anchored the middle while Arshavin and Rosicky the width. Interestingly Wilshere was played off the striker as Cesc would, one has to wonder if that is where Wenger sees him after the departure of the aforementioned. Djourou gave Koscielny a bit of a rest and Gibbs filled in for the Clichy. Our favorite nervous Pole deputized for our least favorite Spaniard to fill out the makeshift defense. It certainly isn't the best squad we have but it wasn't one that should shirk from the prospect of this Partizan team no matter how hostile the crowd.

The start of the first half was a bit of a nightmare. We conceded possession rather tamely and our back line was a bit of a mess. We pressed high up the pitch but failed to hold a flat line. In one instance a simple slide rule pass nullified our defense as it seemed no one was in charge. It was a labored quarter of an hour in which we created nothing. Out of that Arshavin struck as he played a neat one two with Wilshere, the latter back heeling it to the Russian to score. With the nerves out of the way Arsenal should have made it four within ten minutes. Each time Arsenal were denied by a combination of mediocre shooting and excellent goal keeping. The most gilt edged being a delightful Arshavin chip that was cleared off the line via a bicycle kick. Our dominance perhaps gave way to a sense of complacency as a simple Partizan cross suddenly led to a goal. A cross from the right was inexplicably handled by Denilson and it was 1 all. The remainder of the half was played out in cagey manner as the nerves crept back in.

The beginning of the second half saw us fail to regain the composure we had for majority of the first. Ten minutes in Arshavin set Chamakh free through the middle before he was upended in the box by the improbably named Jovanivic, the Serbian was rightfully dismissed and a penalty awarded. The diminutive Russian failed to convert with his drive down the middle catching the keepers legs. At that point I felt that a tie was on the cards as their keeper was in simply phenomenal form despite the extra man we had. A couple of saved chances from Wilshere and Arshavin gave credence to the idea but eventually we made the breakthrough. A Rosicky cross was met with perfect power by Chamakh, the keeper parried onto the bar before it found its way back to the Moroccan to slot home from 4 yards. The goal took everything out of our Serbian friends. Our fluency returned as Partizan were reduced to chasing shadows, the killer third came from a set piece. A wicked corner from Nasri found the head of Squillaci allowing the newcomer to power in the goal from the near post.

Moments later the prospect of a nervy finale came about as Gibbs fouled Stevanovic and Wolfgang Stark pointed to the spot for the third time in the match. Cleo once again took it but his low shot to the left corner was tipped around the post by the suddenly improving Flappy Pole. With nothing to lose Partizan continued to press for a consolation but were denied again from Sir Fabianksi in stoppage time.

A bit of a tough road to hoe tonight in all honesty. Large swaths of the game were dominated by the idea of losing the game late on. In the end the make shift team came through and that's all one can really ask for. One must look at that form of their keeper and the rather tame shots we had. the second Penalty miss in 3 games is a bit of troubling stat, misses will come but 95% of the time we should put them away.

The officiating was good for the most part, no complaints about the penalties at all. I would like to query the point of the officials behind the goals. Certainly UEFA has assessed the feedback from last years Europa League and hopefully defined the roles a bit more. If so then I wonder what they were doing the entire game. The only call came in the form of a foul against Gibbs outside the box. For each of the penalties Wolfgang Stark waited for a long time for there to be some sort of call from the officials but none came. Eventually he made the right call but it still mystifies me why they are there. I can understand that none of them have probably officiated in that manner so they are a bit unclear, still it's obvious that UEFA has done nothing to define the lines.

It was a good fill up before the massive fixture on Sunday, especially for our goalkeeper. May his confidence long continue, even if I think him to be a terrible keeper.

Almunia Sinks Arsenal

Manuel Almunia at the Beach

Arsenal: 2 vs. West Bromwich Albion: 3

Odemwingie 50

Jara 52

Thomas 70

Nasri 75

Nasri 90






To be honest there isn't much to say about the loss to West Brom other than things need to be fixed quickly. I'm not really going to go into the match either as for the duration of the game we produced nothing. We failed to make any sort of mark on an excellent Baggies side that managed to out pass us in our own stadium. West Brom's commitment and hunger led them to three points they certainly weren't counting on. Improbably the midlands club now is a mere point off our total. This season is going to be quite difficult.

I'll address the most glaring issue first, goalkeeping. While I know it won't happen and our beleaguered Spanish keeper will probably be in the sticks for the Partizan game, Manuel Almunia should never play for Arsenal again. It is with out question the worst display by a keeper I have ever seen. The only reason our humiliation wasn't greater is that Almunia managed to save a penalty he had conceded. The first goal was Sagna getting out muscled to the byline and the center of the defense not reacting quick enough. The second goal was the blunder of the game as Jara was set free down the right, he out paced our defense and hammered it at the keeper. Almunia managed to get a hand to it but let it slip in the near post which was barely a yard of space. It reminded me of the Champions League final, poor beyond belief and simply there was no way back in it after that. Their third goal should have been pounced on the out rushing Almunia but he hesitated for a moment and let the West Brom player get the ball back across goal. I definitely think that the penalty set it all off, his timing and judgment to come out for it was off. Self doubt took hold then and you could see that every time he made a move for the ball.

Analysis at this point is useless and the rightful conclusion is that he simply cannot play at this level. Almunia has cost us an easy 10 points each of the last three seasons, how can a manager like Wenger just not see it? It also must be said that the only reason he got into the team was because of an aging and erratic Jens Lehmann. Almunia had one decent season and that is not something that anyone should be able to live off of for so long. The only thing more frightening than Almunia in goal is the fact that Fabianski is our second choice. I find it curious that we should find ourselves so bitterly exposed so early on by teams that shouldn't be able to. I think it ridiculous that we managed to spend an entire summer transfer window without making any serious bids for a keeper. Goalkeepers, well good ones, can move you up the table. You just have to look at clubs like, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Man United and Everton for evidence. We of course now find ourselves in the position of not being able to go outside the club for the solutions until the new year. Can Mannone keep us in the race til then? I fear it may be to late by then. In any case the changes need to be rung in. If anything just for the appearance that mistakes such as those on Saturday will not be tolerated.

I of course don't want to give the impression that the entire match was Almunia's fault. Just mostly. With the injuries piling up and the fact that the games are so close together Arsene has been forced to rotate the squad. The all action hero of mid week Jack Wilshere made way for the returning Abou Diaby. The effect was most detrimental. I have a friend who is a big Diaby fan and occasionally I can see where he is coming from. There are however too many days to the contrary in which the fight gets heavy and the hole deep and Diaby seems to give up. When you go down at home you need the middle of the park to pick up the tempo of the game. The recognition of urgency needs to be relayed through the spine of the team. What we got instead was blank stares and listlessness. Absurdly I thought Jack Wilshere and 18 year old boy was going to come on and rescue the team. Wilshere did manage to inject a bit more movement and physicality but it was to no avail. The late show put on by Nasri was too little far too late. In a small way I'm glad that the team wasn't rescued by a draw and the harsh reality about the team's commitment be looked at. The whole team needs to develop a winning attitude not just Cesc, Van Persie and Vermaelen. Injuries to any of those players is inevitable so it is not a valid excuse.

So away to Partizan Belgrade is up next. A game that I think will test this team at the moment. Our tiredness and our current lack of real depth means that it will be a tight game, perhaps decided by the odd, perhaps solitary goal. However it comes though, a win is crucial to entering the weekend in a positive frame of mind as the clash with Chelsea looms.

Tottenham Hammered.

Knocked Off His Perch!

Tuesday September 21st, 2010

Tottenham Hotspur: 1 vs. Arsenal: 4

Lansbury 15

Keane 49

Nasri 91(p)

Nasri 96(p)

Arshavin 106






After the debacle at Sunderland at the weekend, Arsenal had the rather unsavory task of playing Tottenham in the Carling Cup. Last time we faced them in this competition we were soundly beaten in semi's at the Lane and pre-match I was a bit nervous to be honest. The Carling Cup represents a perfectly winnable trophy to the the likes of Spurs while to Arsenal it means very little. I was thus somewhat surprised to see that Nasri, Rosicky, Koscielny all started with Chamakh and Arshavin on the bench. People have commented that perhaps Wenger is taking the competition a bit more seriously. I just think that he takes this Tottenham side with a healthy dose of realism and maintaining local supremacy was deemed too important to lose.


The game started brightly for Arsenal with Jack Wilshere running the entire midfield. His transformation in the early part of the season has been nothing short of extraordinary. He's got almost everything. He has an already superb range of passing that will only get better. His physicality in tackling is something that this Arsenal side needs, all the more amazing considering that he's so young. Perhaps the best part of his game though is his movement through the deeper lying positions of midfield. He picks his runs out exactly when the opponents defense is stretched. He ascension to the starting eleven has given us even greater depth in an already crowded midfield. Long may it continue.

It wasn't much of a surprise that we took the lead at the quarter hour mark. Gibbs feeding Wilshere down the left who in turn grounded a cross to the onrushing Henri Lansbury. A perfect start with a Ljungberg like run and finish, it felt like 2004 all over again. However after the goal we failed to make our possession count and the second goal never materialized. Tottenham wasted a few half chances, the most notable being David Bentley heading wide at the back post. We did have one excellent opportunity chalked off for offsides as Gibbs was clean through. The decision was terrible, Gibbs was more than a yard to the good.

Our inability to double our lead was exposed four minutes into the second half. Keane and Lennon were both brought on at half time to reduce the arrears, sadly it worked to perfection. Keane was allowed to drift off the shoulder of Djourou and into marginally offside position. The same linesman who had halted Gibbs let the Irishman run on. Fabianski managed to get both hands to it but somehow let it trickle in. I can only hope that Wenger who was sitting in the stands saw how utterly shit our Polish goalkeeper is. I'll gouge my eye out if he starts another game this season.

After the equalizer we started to show some nerves as Tottenham had the better of the chances to win it in normal time. Koscielny made an excellent sliding tackle on Lennon as he was clear in the box and Robbie Keane hit the post from two yards out. On came Chamakh and Arshavin but their impact in regulation time was minimal. Extra time beckoned.

All the hard work Spurs put in was destroyed in the space of 5 minutes of the first period of extra time. Both of the Tottenham center backs gave up penalties, the first on Nasri and the second on Chamakh ( he's won us 4 this season). Nasri converted both and the lilywhites filed out of the Lane in due fashion. Arshavin added gloss to the win in the 105th as a quickly taken free kick set him in behind Naughton and he powered one in across the keeper. Ultimately our dominance was reflected in the scoreline despite the extra 30 minutes. It was our largest win at White Hart Lane in 32 years.

No real complaints other than the standard of the refereeing. The assistant on the near side of the pitch was simply dreadful and had two major cock ups. Lee Probert the referee should have cautionedSandro for his tackles on Wilshere but for some reason let him play on. Probert should have also sent off Naughton for his foul on Chamakh as he was the last man. The only relief is that we won despite the horrendous match officials.

The stand out players were both Wilshere and Gibbs during normal time. In the end it was Chamakh and Arshavin that won the tie for us. Gibbs I thought did very well to keep Lennon subdued after the break. He's quite unlucky to have picked up an injury, if he keeps up the form Clichy may find himself on the bench.

In the end it was a lot of excitement for a match that will quickly fade as the season progresses. It is always nice to put one over your rivals but in the grand scheme of things its just the league cup. When we get to the latter stages and push comes to shove this competition will be sacrificed for larger trophies. Still it was nice to return to winning after the fiasco at the Stadium of Light. It also showed the glaring gulf in class between the respective squads, for all that money spent Tottenham have no real depth. That my friends is very comforting thought.

Arsenal Set The Pace

Simply Unstoppable Tonight

September 15th 2010


Arsenal: 6 vs SC Braga: 0

Fabregas 8th

Arshavin 30th

Chamakh 34th

Fabregas 53rd

Vela 67th

Vela 84th



Winning your first game in the Champions League is essential to ensuring you're still in the competition after the new year. As we saw yesterday with Rangers, the only thing one needs to bridge the talent gap is a well drilled game plan. Sporting Braga of course come into the group stages having dismissed the likes of Celtic and Sevilla in the qualifying stages, so form is on their side. Arsenal of course have been in fine form as well notching 14 goals in the last 3 domestic games. With injuries mounting; Diaby, Van Persie, Bendtner, Walcott and Vermaelen all out, our squad would require rotating. Again as in Tuesday's match, we saw how much Man United suffered with out their starting spine of the team.

My pre-match fears were quickly put to rest as Arsenal started the nice match very well. Wenger decided to play a 4-5-1 with Fabregas at the top of a midfield consisting of Nasri, Song, Arshavin and Wilshere. The running from deep positions in midfield immediatly gave SC Braga fits. Fabregas was denied a clear penalty in the third minute as he stepped inside his marker and was subsequently hacked down. Moments later Cesc was sandwiched out at the top of the box as Arsenal continued to get in behind the Portugese. Arsenal's early dominance was rewarded in the 8th minute as Chamakh was released in the box and brought down by Braga's keeper Felipe. The keeper was spared a sending off but was forced to endure the remainder of the match. Cesc made no mistake from the spot despite the keeper guessing the direction of the shot.

For a brief moment after the opener Braga gained a slight foot hold on the match and managed to get a few shots on target. It would take Arsenal twenty minutes to double their lead. Fabregas was once again at the heart of the attack as his mazy run took him past two defenders. His perfect lay off to Arshavin let the Russian in and his powerful shot slipped in at the far post. The game was over after 30 minutes. Four minutes later Chamakh made it 3-0 as he played a brilliant 1-2 with Wilshere, who back heeled it into the path of the Moroccan. Chamakh dug the flick out from under him to pass it in to the right of the increasingly hapless Felipe. The half couldn't come quickly enough for the Portoguese as Arsenal's passing game took hold for the remainder of the period.

8 minutes after the break Arsenal increased the humiliation as Fabregas once again proved key. His lay off to Arshavin was rewarded as the winger lofted the return for the captain to nod home from six yards out. Two goals for Fabregas was just rewards for a totally dominant display, finally his season has begun.

It's hard to express how much we were in control but our 70% of possession was hardly flattering. Vela capped the whole evening off with two well taken goals. The first was assisted by a perfect pass from Arshavin yet again, slipping the Mexican in as Vela finished with his now trademark chip. Vela's second came in the 84th, Wilshere found Cesc in the box who instead of going for a hat trick laid it off for Vela to slot near post. One had to feel sorry for the opposing manager as Sky continued to show him slumped in his seat. His hard work of getting his side into the competition proper certainly didn't deserve this mauling. Nevertheless when you come to the Arsenal at try and play at our level with your provincial squad, you're bound to be put down like a lame horse.

It is I think important to not read too much into this win. For one the naivety of the opponent let our midfield run amok, two SC Braga's keeper was possibly worse than Almunia. But as they say we can only play what is in front of us. While Cesc will get the plaudits the entire team played exceptionally well, Wilshere has improved immensely since the Liverpool game. His ability to hold when Song goes forward and vice versa has given us a shapeless, unpredictable attack. When we throw a fit Diaby into the fold we'll unlock every defense we play.

Chamakh continues to thrive in the lone striker role. His integration to the team has been in typical Wenger fashion. He's scored 3 goals, won 2 penalties and had 2 opponents sent off. With that kind of influence it's hard not to win games. The best part is his movement, with and without the ball. He takes it wide when we need to open up the pitch using the space perfectly. He seems to be the perfect foil to Arshavin, his hard work certainly makes up for the Russians inability to track back.

So another home win, 3 on the trot, 16 goals scored. October 10th is going to be a colossal game, but until then I think I'll enjoy the rest of my beer.

Same Old Bolton

Bolton should have had 3

September 11th 2010

Arsenal: 4 Bolton Wanderers: 1

Koscielny 24th

Elmander 42nd

Chamakh 58th

Song 78th

Vela 83rd




It used to be that the idea of playing Bolton would send any self respecting Arsenal fan into fits of rage. Rage at their tactics, their rugby style of play, the dirtiness, Kevin Davies etc. Grudgingly I must admit that Bolton today are much less of a team than when they were under Sam Allardyce. While the compliment may be oblique in manner, the recent run of results tells a far clearer tale. We have won every single one of last 9 cup and league fixtures against the Trotters.

The game started with Arsenal with putting a decent amount of pressure on Bolton without really creating any clear cut chances. The first incident of note was Kevin Davies somehow escaping a sending off for two quite ugly fouls, simply due to the ball not going out of play. The first was a 12th minute foul on Rosicky in the center circle. Davies challenged for the ball upended the Czech only for the ball to fall to an Arsenal player. Stuart Atwell played advantage, Cesc spread the ball to Gibbs on the flank but nothing came to fruition. Arsenal managed to keep the ball in play for the majority of 5 minutes until Davies challenged late and high on Wilshere. Luckily we gained no advantage from the assault and Atwell was forced to blow for the foul. I find it curious that he should escape a red card considering that had Atwell blown for both foul separately he would have produced a caution in each case. It was the beginning of a long afternoon for the Warwickshire referee.

The breakthrough came courtesy of an excellent Wilshere pass. Wilshere who sidestepped his marker and hooked a delightful ball to the back post where Cesc nudged it on to Koscielny to bundle home. Considering the amount of pressure it was a deserved goal but unfortunately we failed to build on that in the first half. it was of course excellent to see Koscielny get off the mark and again shows signs of him settling well. We should have at least doubled our lead before the break as we let two gilt edged chances go begging. The first was a majestic turn from Fabregas in the center circle who then played a perfectly weighted slide rule pass 20 yards behind the Bolton defense. Arshavin timed his run perfectly but put his shot into the side netting. It was the closest he got all day. The second chance came courtesy of excellent work from Gibbs on the left who's cross eventually found Rosicky twelve yards out in a crowded box. Rosicky went for placement under the keeper giving the Hungarian debutant Bogdan enough time to collect the shot.

That is as good as it got for Arsenal in the first half as Bolton found the equalizer from nothing. Bogdan sent a goal kick 70 yards into the Arsenal half only for it to find Koscielny's head. The Frenchman attempted to head the ball back to Almunia but only could flick it onto the path of the Bolton midfielder Chung-Yung Lee. Almunia left his line to close down the shot forcing Lee wide to the byline. Lee found the time to chip to the back post where Elmander was open to convert. Certainly it's a goal that we shouldn't be conceding and had it happened away from home I'd be a bit more critical. In any event it highlights the problems short central defenders can have, Koscielny certainly needs to take note.

Overall the first half was a bit of both ends for Arsenal. The whole team played and passed well and the attacking ability of Gibbs was in full display. Cesc I felt was a bit subdued in the opening 20 minutes but grew into the game and eventually was back to his best. His range of passing and skill in possession are without parallel in the league. The equalizer is of school boy quality but slightly more forgivable as long as it's not made into a habit.

The beginning of the second half offered little in evidence of the direction the match was heading, Arshavin continued to make runs but failed to beat the offsides trap. Bolton's resistance lasted 12 minutes. Cesc split the Trotter's defense in the 57th minute with another glorious through ball to Chamakh, the Moroccan's well placed shot was pushed around the post by the highly impressive Bogdan. The resultant corner provided the lead, Cesc once again supplied a perfect ball into the 6 yard box the Chamakh headed down and in despite the keeper getting a touch. On the entire balance of play in the first half one could have little argument about the lead.

As exciting as the first half dominance and the second half lead were, the next ten minutes changed the entire direction and tenor of the game. It all began when Kevin Davies clattered head first into Koscielny, the pair stuck heads and both were out of it for a few minutes. How the referee failed to see that as a foul and a caution is ridiculous. Simply because the ball in in the vicinity doesn't mean you can ram your opponent's head. Davies in my eyes escaped the referee's back pocket twice in this match. This set off a series of events which should and could have reduced Bolton to 8 men. Shortly after both Davies and Koscielny managed to stop seeing stars Arsenal began pushing the ball up the pitch in search of the killer third goal. The ball was passed to Chamakh who flicked it back to Arshavin, Gary Cahill sensing the danger went right through the back of Chamakh. He left the ground with both feet, studs up simply took out the Arsenal forward, Chamakh ending up off the pitch. In the only sensible moment of the entire match Stuart Atwell quickly sent Cahill off. Three minutes later Bolton were at it again, the recently subbed on Diaby was on the end of a ridiculous Paul Robinson challenge. The "tackle" was a studs up, mid calf variety. The exact same kind that has broken the legs of Eduardo, Ramsey and coincidentally Diaby. Luckily he didn't break it but was forced to withdraw from the game a couple minutes later. Wenger said afterward it was "quite bad" and that Diaby couldn't move his leg. Both the referee and the assistant failed to spot it and play went on despite the assault. The only plus side of the spell was that one Bolton player saw red and we didn't see anyone stretchered off.

The best goal of the game game courtesy of Alex Song who had been growing as the game went on. He timed a run perfectly into the box with Arshavin in possession. The Russian slipped the Cameroonian the ball, who then nutmegged Zat Knight and chipped Bodan from 6 yards out. A simply splendid goal that highlights the midfielders' rise in 18 short months. Song is just as critical to the team as Cesc is, I'm eating my hat as I type.

The third goal took Bolton down and out for the count. With only ten men a comeback was out of the question and the final whistle couldn't come quick enough. Arsenal still had enough time to rub it in, a 24 pass move ended with Fabregas playing a ball over the top for Carlos Vela. The Mexican side footed the ball home in the 83rd to cap another tough match.

Overall I thought the game went essentially to plan, we dominated the play and got four goals. The nervy moments were on the larger scale fairly minute and we never went behind. It was a game that was an absolute must win and we did it in the end with a fair amount of aplomb. The only concern being the mounting injury list, with Diaby now out we are going to have to rotate the squad which may leave us wanting in a few games. Its a good thing that our Champions League group has been kind, it will give us some time perhaps to mend before the hard winter.

I'm not going to say much about the quality of the refereeing on the day as much has been said already. I will just note that something needs to be done about the tackles made in the English league, certainly a reasonable line can be drawn. One that doesn't include tackles 8 inches off the floor. I am also in favor, as others have mentioned, of increasing the punishment for "serious foul play", breaking someones leg is certainly worth a 6-10 match ban if its done in a intentional or reckless manner. Perhaps the referee could classify it as "violent conduct", which would give the FA to adjust the punishment accordingly.

Bring on Sporting Braga!