Let the Games Begin: Arsenal v Liverpool EPL Match Preview
Is there any place better for Arsenal to play than at Anfield? It really is our own personal field of dreams. Whether it was 1989 for the league title or Arshavin’s solo quad clinic, Arsenal have built some profound memories at that storied ground.
So it is with mixed feelings that I write about our teams kickoff to the 2010-2011 campaign at this field. Its another season and meaningful football can once again be viewed, digested, and discussed. No more silly pre-season antics or national world cup crap. It’s all about the EPL and it’s all about time.
Liverpool start the season off in need of a boost to get this campaign off to the right foot. Last season was a season that saw nothing go right for the merseysiders. The season was so poor that it cost them dearly, loss of a Champion’s League spot and their favoured manager, Rafael Benitez.
Rafa is gone and Roy Hodgson leads the reds. Roy gets the nod to helm the club after successfully building up Fulham’s program and steering them to the Europa Cup Final. But this a different club and it is one with different expectations than Fulham and it remains to be seen whether or not Roy is the type of manager this squad needs.
There are some new faces at Liverpool. The most notable being Chelsea outcast Joe Cole. The oft injured Cole begins a new lease on life. He spent the summer being linked to many clubs, Arsenal included. But for whatever reason – the money – he went to Liverpool. Steve G is so happy he made the mistake of saying Cole is better than Messi. Well Stevie we know Lionel Messi and Cole isn’t him.
Still thought much is needed for Liverpool to succeed they are still made up of the core of players that suffered through last season. And while the summer has seen additional support come in, they still rely too much on either Gerrard or Torres. The latter unfortunately finds himself still trying to recover from a groin injury.
For Arsenal it been another summer of questions and turmoil. From the Cesc saga to whether or not we have enough in the back to do anything serious. As always expectations are high. But the feeling with Arsenal fans is that if Wenger can’t do anything with this club this year, the club will have more than losing Cesc Fabregas to contend with – it will have a very angry fan base.
Still, the attacking portion of the club seems very strong and with the addition of Marouane Chamakh looks to have added a piece of the puzzle they missed when Adebayor flittered off to Money Bags City. He looks good in the air and is very unselfish. If all works out he could be a nice partner for Van Persie.
The dutchman still looks to be short for the match but I expect he could sit on the bench. He had a horrific season with his injury. This season looking to add more pressure to himself he has taken the sacred number 10 – he asked for it – and if he stays healthy (a big if) – he plans alot for himself.
The defence as we all is an issue. I don’t think I need to restate the obvious. While Koosh looks like he will mature into the league he is getting a trial by fire starting. Arsene as early as today went on to say he knows he is short on players on the back but is going with what he has for right now until he can sort a deal out.
The other obvious sore spot is keeper and while it isn’t likely to happen during this match one of terrors in goal will be gone before the end of the summer transfer window. In the mean time you can expect Manuel Almunia to get the nod in goal for the season opener.
If Arsenal are to contend this season they need to come out running exactly like they did last season when a trip to the blue side of the Mersey led to a 6-1 thrashing and showed a star being born as Thomas Vermaelen announced his intentions.
How I Think This Match Will Play Out:
I have a really weird feel for this match. With the transfer activity only just picking up, it still feels like the preseason to me. Its almost like you expect both teams to come out with one team for the first half and another at the second. However, its for real, and this is a place where Andrei Arshavin likes to play. Figure him on at least a brace.
Players to Watch:
Arsenal: Andrei Arshavin. Do I need to say it again, he loves playing against Liverpool.
Liverpool: Joe Cole. He’ll be desperate to show Arsene Wenger what he passed on.
Probable Starting XI:
Arsenal: Almunia, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Sagna, Clichy, Fabregas, Diaby, Nasri, Walcott, Arshavin, Chamakh
Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Agger, Gerrard, Lucas, Cole, Rodriguez, Ngog, Jovanovic
Injuries and Suspensions:
Arsenal: Ramsey (ankle) Bendtner (groin) Djourou (hamstring) Song (calf)
Liverpool: Torres (groin)
Last League Meeting:
Arsenal: 2
Liverpool: 1
Current Form:
Arsenal:
Liverpool:
Match Officials:
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Assistant Referees: Peter Kirkup and Stephen Child
Fourth Official: Phil Dowd
Broadcast Information:
US: FSC 11AM EST
UK: Sky Sports 1 1600BST
Feeds:
www.atdhe.net
GAMEDAY CHAT: It’s Open!!!!!! www.youaremyarsenal.com/gamedaychat
YAMA Prediction:
Arsenal: 2
Liverpool: 2
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truth be told, we all knew what would happen today. where to start that hasn’t already been discussed:
arshavin is too old for wenger to be trying to transition him into something he’s not. he’s a striker, full stop and not a winger. you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. arshavin simply doesn’t fit on the wing in a 4-3-3. neither did hleb.
can someone tell me why rosicky didn’t start today? nasri is learning to play for the team more but, like fred said, lacks the experience to be counted on to lead the team consistently. with rosicky there, atleast he has someone to lean on when he’s unsure. jack’s a great talent but he’s not it. if wenger keeps him central, samir might prove more steady in about february.
we talked about it friday but we only had two cb’s in the squad today. what happens if kosceilny did break his leg? like i said the other day, i’ve never been critical of how wenger manages the team but this seems ridiculous.
i missed most of the game. however, i haven’t heard any praise or criticisms of diaby. how was he?
i’m as disappointed as anyone else with today’s result but i’ll still support the team. i don’t think wenger’s really changed his approach except for being slower to replace players. he’s avoids bidding wars at all costs and i can’t blame him for that.
i think it’s down more to dein being gone. without dein, he’s simpy not as efficient in securing player transfers. before dein left, we always got players signed before pre-season. players like lehmann and van persie were signed before the previous season even ended. vieira was signed before wenger even got to the club. we signed henry like a week after anelka left. pires and wiltord were signed a week after euro 2000. that was david dein, boys.
Diaby was just okay I thought. He didn’t offer much going forward (probably a good thing? a sign that he was disciplined enough to stay back). He rotated the ball alright, giving it to Wilshere/Nasri usually. He tracked back alright a couple of times when Clichy/Sagna were upfield.
Though all in all, Pool did jack all attacking wise (other than some counters when we were chasing- which Kosh dealt with very well) so Diaby wasn’t exactly tested.
I thought Diaby was one of better players on the pitch today and actually defended fairly well. However, he is one of our few players who can go one on one with defenders on a consistent basis, so is totally wasted at DM.
Outside of the unholy triumvirate, Calamity Clichey, Mooney and AA, none of the other players performed badly. We lacked cohesion and inventiveness in the final third during the first half and then turned the throttle back to half pace for the 2nd stanza when we were up a man.
what did Clichy do that was poor?
please tell me?
virtually nobody in our line-up had a “good game”…
there were a few “not bads”… and more “anonymous” players.
Diaby was mostly anonymous… I don’t think Nasri was bad at all, besides not being able to take free kicks…
we were a collective group of mediocrity…
Look on the game again Stag.
Clichey was skinned on quite a occasions, was out of position numerous times and most of the dangerous forays came down his side of the pitch.
I thought Clichy was fine other than the numerous occasions when he was left by himself to deal with both Johnson and Kuyt. And you can hardly blame him for getting skinned in that kind of situation.
agree with Ozi.
I won’t watch that shit game again, but I thought Clichy was just fine.
Saved a ball off the line.
He was not a problem AT ALL yesterday.
Liverpool RARELY had a dangerous foray anywhere in the game.
Of course he was skinned – Arshavin was never around to help him out. Most defenders are going to look pretty bad in a 2 on 1 situation.
There is A LOT of talk of getting emotionally detached from Arsenal. Not just here, but even on other boards and people at the game. Something needs to change prettyyy quick.
On the game:
-Arshavin is horrible at tracking back. So many times, he let Johnson breeze by him to create a 2 on 1 situation with Kuyt against Clichy. Terrible.
– Rosicky is a machine. We HAVE to play him from the start (till he gets injured anyway). I think he is by far and away our most ‘efficient’ player when it comes to attack (along with Cesc- maybe RVP and AA come close).
– Theo looked better than I have come to expect. I don’t know if it’s an improvement or a lowering of expectations. But until he can do that on a consistent basis from the start… we continue to wait and see.
Not much else to say. Game was there for the taking… Mehhh
i mentioned last season that i thought rosicky would be somewhere near his best by the start of this season. while that theory is yet to be proven, i don’t understand why he didn’t start today. likewise, i won’t speculate.
Still got no worries about our goal scoring capacity?
We looked loaded, positively lethal didn’t we.
It took a messy and rare Pepe error on 90 min’s to nick a draw.
Where was Captain Fabregas?
It was obvious the team was clueless when it came to unlocking Liverpool, so why not introduce your better options like RvP and Fabregas with half an hour to go?
Same as it ever was.
Well, well. That was a pretty poor performance. The first 20 we looked bright, maintained control, and pressured ‘Pool quite a bit. TV5 had a nice shot on goal off a free kick. Then we seemed to lose some intensity and when Joe Cole got sent off, we found new ways to be lazy. Instead of putting them under pressure we gift them a goal right out of the gates, of course not too surprising! Memo to Arsenal you are NOT Spain or Barca, you can not lull your opponent into sleep or wear them down through posession. You should maintain the high intensity pressure high up the pitch that creates turnovers and then maybe occasionally capitalize. The focus simply was not there today.
AA23 was a waste of air. Aluminia flapped at the air. Kamchakta (I will forever associate his name with Risk) flew through the air and created some luck. Rosicky when he came on tried to create some urgency in attack and nearly pulled off some decent 1 2s. Reina did a nice impersonation of Alumunia and took the ultimate goat award today. We got lucky.
A draw away at Anfield on the first day of the season would be about all I would have expected, the manner of the draw was (not…) shocking. I can only hope that this might spur our manager into addressing the need for cover at CB and that we clearly need a ‘keeper. That may be a bit optimistic, but one can always dream. It’s going to be a long season, manage your expectations, and enjoy the highs and lows ’cause you know it will be a rollercoaster….
Despite my best efforts, I could not stay away from watching the game. The club is more important to me despite Wenger’s best efforts to sabotage it or use it for his own personal projects. Wenger clearly does not appreciate rich owners’ presence in the game. Sure the rich owners splash money around to get quick success. Wenger wants success too but wants to do it while spending as little as possible. In a way, the rich owners and Wenger are opposite sides of the same spectrum — they want success on their own terms and are using the club as their personal playground.
Rich owners want to buy as many players as possible because they think having the best players in the world (or most expensive) would lead to success. On the other hand, Wenger does not want the best players in the world. He wants to discover the best players so he is fine with having 4-5 crap players for one good one. So rich owners waste money as does Wenger but Wenger spends far less so his wastefulness is not even close to the rich owners.
The big difference is that Wenger’s project allows the Arsenal board to reap a profit every year while keeping the debt under check. The only problem is that Wenger has not been able to convince all the fans of his vision yet.
And he won’t. I will not be convinced. My aversion to Wenger grows by the minute.
you can’t convince the fans of a vision that has no SUCCESS on the pitch.
(thought Arsenal FC sees Top 4 as success, not trophies)
there is great success at the bank, and in the pockets of the investors and board…
but we ain’t winning shit with this team, as is.
If we manage to fall out of the race early, I’d love to see an absolute UPROAR… boycotting matches… etc.
but there are too many people going to the games once or twice a year, as a day out… the real fans, are few and far between at matches, because its not affordable to the average Joe.
Actually, this was not going to be an easy match, because of the rivalry and their new manager’s arrival.
Considering we were missing Song, Cesc, and RvP (most of the match), none of us were confident of how we would play. The partnership of Kocielny and Vermaelen looked effective, and yes we need another experienced signing at CB.
In the 47th minute, Ngog scored a sizzling goal, that took the wind out of our confidence – for the next 20 minutes. I thought our manager made a smart switch, by taking off Wilshere and Eboue and adding Theo and Rosicky. It was the playmaking of Rosicky that re-energized our attack. What Nasri has in talent, he’s short in experience as a playmaker.
The real disappointment (for me) was the lackluster play of Arshavin.
Positively, we pulled out a point at the 90th minute…….and this is a great attribute to take from the match.
The club LOVE you.
You are what they want in a fan.
No matter how shit we are, you think its all wonderful!
Are you Arsene in disguise? ;)
Last points:
1) Was anybody else happy when Koscielny got red-carded?? At least that MIGHT force our twat of a manager to buy a CB … maybe??
2) Our midfield was a creativity-free zone today. Despite what the Nasri-lovers say, the Frenchie is a very poor man’s Fabregas. He hasnt got sh%t on the Spaniard.
1. Alternatively, we make do while he’s out, then he’s like a new signing when…eh.
I thought about that after the red-card… (and possible injury)
WILL IT FORCE HIS HAND?
I thought about that after Almunia let in the goal on the short side, and flapped all over the box…
WILL IT FORCE HIS HAND?
And, Nasri was OK, we did find out quickly that HE CAN’T TAKE FREE KICKS AT ALL…
and we still have nobody that takes a decent corner either.
Oh ya… Like I said in the first post to this thread. In fact, part of me was hoping that he was injured in the first half JUST enough so that he can force a new signing, but not be seriously hurt. Worked out I guess…
I was more impressed with him than I thought. He beat Torres in a footrace a couple of times. Drogba though I feel would have swatted him away and made his merry way…
than i expected*
@ Chicago:
I am 100% with you.
I am going to start weaning myself off of this absolute nonsense. Reducing emotional investment in the club is ESSENTIAL.
As a yank who lived most my life in Europe I never actually invested a lot of time in the major American sports. That changed when Denilson became a starter in midfield!
In the last couple of years I have been really ramping up my “fandom” in football and basketball especially. Watched ALL the home games of the Buffalo Bills last year! Yeah, they suck, but am an upstate NY guy, so let me be. So for NFL, am all Bills and Giants!
Basketball, I’ve been following Knicks and Celtics.
Got into fantasy leagues last season for both … did poorly! Hope to do better this season. Shedding my newbie coat fast!
Already have my season ticket for the Bills and if there is any clash between a Bills game and Arsene Wenger’s sh#t, I would go for the Bills 10 out of 10 times.
As for soccer, no more posting compulsively on Arsenal boards. No more streaming midweek games at work on my laptop! No more ditching any semi important commitments for an Arsenal game. Infact a good rule of thumb should be no more STREAMING of Arsenal games. All the big games will be on TV anyway. The smaller games are the ones that are streamed and the ones that make Arsene FC look good thereby dragging you back into the hype.
And lastly, its a good idea to divest into other teams. Am now looking into Nottingham Forest in the Championship. And am going ALL into the Bundesliga and looking at Werder Bremen and Dortmund.
I see sadness and bitterness for Arsenal fans this season, for me there is just no point continuing to suffer following the Arsene Wenger bullshit.
gotta agree with Fred… until something changes, why invest in pain and suffering.
The Buffalo Bills have great fans, who show up in the cold snowy Buffalo Winters…
There is good football to follow in the Championship and in Europe, as the Bundesliga and France will have legitimate races.
Unless the keeper and CB come in before the window closes, I 100% agree that “sadness and bitterness” will follow for the Arsenal fans. We deserve better. Let’s hope the 60,000 that show up weekly, either riot… or make it known that we are all pissed off.
If they keep showing up like sheep & buying merchandise… Arsenal Football Club will not care a damn.
Because I can’t find anything too funny about our crap performance today. I thought I would share the top 10 things we learned from the 1:1 draw – Thanks Mirrorfootball.com
1) After his gaffe brought back bitter memories of England v USA, Liverpool’s keeper is considering changing his name to Pepe Greena.
2) Despite the hideous blunder, Roy Hodgson refused to give Reina a rollocking. Instead, he gave Weina a wollocking.
3) Meanwhile, Milan Jovanovic started for Liverpool but wasn’t half as good as she was in Resident Evil.
4) In retrospect, it may have been a mistake to hire Tommy Smith as Joe Cole’s new positional coach.
5) Cole’s going to star in a sequel to Joe 90. It’s called Joe 45.
6) Loved Carly Cole – nee Zucker – standing by her man on her Twitter account . Her Tweets included “That so not a red card!!!!”, “He’s not a dirty player! Never has been!” and “Gutted”. Which was more insightful analysis than anything served up by Sky’s heavyweight pundits Jamie Redknapp and – I can barely believe I’m typing this – Paul Merson.
7) No surprise that Kosceilny went off too. According to an anagram of his surname, he’s just a “skiny Cole”.
8) The good news for Arsenal fans: After another Almunia error, Wenger’s going to sign two international goalkeepers. The bad news: They’re Scott Carson and Chris Kirkland.
9) Very surprised at how that previously useless Liverpool striker has turned into a goal machine. I was left A’Gog.
10) We know Andriy Arshavin looks like a meerkat, but was it really necessary for him to disappear into a hole for the entire 90 minutes?
As poorly as we played, we could still have easily beaten them if we actually had a goalkeeper.
After the Joe Cole red card ALL we needed to do was NOT concede for as long as possible … so they go into full defensive mode looking for a draw while tiring out. With a man’s advantage that should be easy right?? But no!
Almunia is the ONLY keeper that consistently gets beaten from such a ridiculous angle. Wenger has seen this for over three years now. Manny lost us the points at Birmingham in late March, YET after that craven performance he is STARTING this season (even though I predicted it).
The worst part of this scene is that Manny, the guy who turned over possession from 90% of his kicks, the one who had three major flaps that could so easily have seen goals conceded is STILL a better keeper than Fabianski. Thats our really fucked up the situation is.
All summer, the French fucker, the bastard of a manager did absolutely nothing about it, because he wants to save a million. The same FOOL who paid 5 million for a random central American striker (who turned out to be overaged). That player who would have to be loaned out for 3 seasons just so he can get a work permit to play for Arsenal … its just incredibly mind boggling its crazy.
TWO points lost on the first day of the season ALL because of the major league TWAT that has held the club hostage.
So, tell me what has changed…
how are we any better, any closer to challenging for anything?
We created virtually NOTHING, even up a man.
Liverpool got ONE CHANCE, and they scored short side on Almunia.
Almunia looked shaky all match.
We get extremely lucky to score the equalizer on an own goal/blunder.
We have this to look forward to all season long.
Koosh sent off, so he misses the next game? a game?
we don’t have any other CB’s available…
he could have been seriously injured as well…
what the feck is the point, if we don’t even have enough defenders,
and the keepers are absolutely pathetic.
one game.
and we’ve already seen all the problems.
I won’t take the first game too seriously, but… I don’t take
Arsenal too seriously in regard to winning a damned thing.
The debt is lower, I guess.
And Arsene is here for 4 more years.
Well boys, you won’t be seeing me around here for awhile. As those who were in the GDC can tell the rest of you, I lost it during the match today. Absolutely lost it. Certifiable. I’ll watch the Blackpool game next weekend (which I think might be on ESPN2 bright and early), but until then I am removing myself from all things Arsenal. I may still check neutral football sites for news and stuff… maybe… but I need to clear my head and stop wasting so much time being pissed off about something that I have no control over and which has no bearing on the real world.
Oh, I completely understand CG.
But take a bit different perspective… that’s all.
I am with you… I’ll watch other leagues more… support QPR in the Championship, Charlton in the First Division, and PSG in France.
If and when Arsenal decide to invest in the team with a new keeper AND a CB, I’ll watch with more interest and intent…
but they aren’t worth the pain and suffering that they inflict on “die hard” supporters.
Up a man for the entire second half and Arsenal not only concede, but also prove themselves incapable of scoring.
Plus ca change.
1-1. Soft goals. Red card bonanza. Comedy time returns once more.
We’ve got fourth place written all over us.
Interesting to see Wenger’s spin on this. Song to start at CB? Kuang Kuang Kuang
We have to endure 4 more years of this ????
nipuna…it is only 4 years :P
Stag’s a prophet:
“one bad defensive lapse, from a corner or long ball, and we’ll
be behind… even up a man.”
comments above echo my thoughts.
Eboue diving and rolling as usual.
Almunia flapping pathetically, not confident at all.
Liverpool have not created much at all, nor have we.
seems like both sides are OK kicking it around a bit.
one bad defensive lapse, from a corner or long ball, and we’ll
be behind… even up a man.
Cole with an IDIOTIC tackle, gets a red…
if Koosh is injured, where does this leave us…
exactly what ALL of us have said… needing 1 or 2 more CBs.
Hopefully Koosh is fine, and the lightbulb goes off in Wenger’s head,
“gee, that might be a problem if we lose a CB”?
ya think?
hope we get a winner somehow… but with Liverpool down a man
for the entire 2nd half, at least we shouldn’t LOSE the match today.
ONLY THE FIRST MATCH… so not wanting to read too much
into it, but not exactly and exciting / inspiring team to watch.
Neither are Liverpool.
yawn.
Why does Arsenal against a 10 man side fill me with dread…well, not exactly dread just now. But, disturbed ennui?
I like it better when we’re the 10 against someone else’s 11.
Ah, THAT’S why.
Didn’t take long at all to remember.
Well I was completely wrong. Joe Cole won’t be getting any winner. Have to see now if Arsenal picked up another injury or not.
Mooney @ 31′. Don’t even need to describe it. You all saw it. Our number 1 is complete number 2.
12′ in and Eboue’s already been rolling around on the pitch twice.
That is all.
can’t see a win today.
hope to be wrong…
but Almunia starting as Captain does not bode well.
one injury to Vermaelen, and the season is fecked.
truly, not wanting to get “too involved” with this team.
will watched, but in a more detatched manner.
Thanx Arsene.
keep making the club all that money.
Starting XI: Almunia, Sagna, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Clichy, Eboue, Wilshere, Diaby, Nasri, Chamakh, Arshavin
substitutes: Fabianski, Gibbs, Song, Rosicky, Walcott, Vela, Van Persie
Interesting that Wilshere gets the nod for the Starting XI. That should be exciting. Also, Torres is on the bench for LFC.
Almunia is captain today. Anyone want to bet that we are no longer getting Schwarzer or for that matter any other GK ?
You better be wrong.
I dont understand why he would play Manny as captain otherwise…especially since the most natural born leader / captain material in the team is Verm
Almunia; Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Clichy; Eboue, Nasri, Diaby, Wilshere, Arshavin; Chamakh
Sub: Ros, RVP, Vela, Wal, Song, Fab, Gibbs
So Cesc and RVP are both on the subs bench. Maybe they will make an appearance.
Cesc did not travel so he is not on the bench. Fab = Fabianski
So I am getting ready for another really long season of meh. No real expectations except I think top 7 is a realistic target, but I am still happy that Arsenal are back on TV. What are the chances of a miracle happening ? Catch you guys on GDC.
Oh and it looks like Cesc did not travel to LFC.
http://www.onlinegooner.com/exclusive/index.php?id=1820
Chamakh will score with a header but so will someone in Liverpool, especially from a corner. And then Joe Cole will get the winner for Liverpool.
There I am predicting a loss for Arsenal. I hardly ever do that. But that is what Wenger has done. He has sucked my enthusiasm out of supporting a team I have loved long before he arrived.
posted this on the previous thread:
Once, I could never imagine Arsenal without Wenger. Now, I rather not imagine an Arsenal with him.
I rather see Arsenal in the hands of a manager who puts the team first. Meaning if a goal-keeper is required, he gets him. Simple. No excuses. Now if this other manager plays the most boring kind of football and never wins anything for another 30 years, I would be fine with that. I just want to see a manager that cares about the football team. I don’t believe Wenger cares anymore. He has his own projects and is happy with having a hierarchy in the squad not based on merit but loyalty or being French. Plus it is annoying that he has a moral point to prove and use it to back up every decision.
Wenger had no problem getting rid of Pires or other great players but seeing him persist for this long with the incompetent members in this squad is nothing but short of insulting the great Arsenal players who have played in past teams.
What I find extremely interesting is that Arsene will pay out 10-15M for a 16 year old (Theo) with potential unfulfilled some 5 years later but will not spend 3-4M (Scwartzer) to fill an immediate and necessary need.
It’s also very interesting that he was able to negotiate and sign his new contract within a week but takes months to get potential players signed.
Not convinced about this game, but will pray for a win.
Regarding Theo’s transfer vs. Schwarzer’s, I was trying to get at the same thing above. Transfers only take “so much time and difficulty” if he doesn’t try as hard.
I do find the criticism of Wenger on the speed and size of the deals interesting.
Take into mind please, that the deals are negotiated not by Arsene but by Gazidis and Dein (in the past). Obviously Wenger is partnering with that but the real in depth negotiation comes from the CEO position.
The time to conclude a transfer has changed exponentially since Dein left and Gazidise took over.
And the Chamakh deal was easy because it was a free transfer – you didn’t need to negotiate with a club. In all the other transfers we have been linked with there is a fee attached to it that is being driven by another club.
Wenger is an easy target on the transfer dealings because he does select the players he wants, he does have input on the deals and he is the most noticeable face discussing the deals. But to place the blame entirely on him is just plan lazy.
You’re right. Just change the word “Arsene” to “Arsenal” in my previous post and the point still remains valid. Whoever is to blame, I still find it extremely annoying.
I don’t believe for a minute that Arsene doesn’t get exactly what Arsene wants…which is why his own deal was worked out so easily.
____________________
“What I find extremely interesting is that Arsene will pay out 10-15M for a 16 year old (Theo) with potential unfulfilled some 5 years later but will not spend 3-4M (Scwartzer) to fill an immediate and necessary need.”
The former would speak to a level of genius and footballing foresight…if proved out.
The latter is something so obvious a bunch of yobs on a football message board could come up with it.
The dots between the two ideas, we’ve discussed to death.
You can always sell the future but not the present.
You can also sell the Brooklyn Bridge if you find a gullible enough buyer.
The other problem is that if there is no present, then there is no future.
I have no expectations of today’s game.
If we win today, I will be happy but not fooled that we will mount a title challenge.
If we lose, I will try to laugh it off. Not take it too seriously.
Basically.
It would feel most natural, if we draw. Just to get season off with a roaring, meh.
But, you know…come on you..etc.
Can someone please suggest me the method to catch the match online tomorrow
I am from India in Iowa right now on a short business trip, so do not have any subscriptions. Hotel has a few ESPNs but they are of no use. Checked their schedule today. Only other sports channel is Comcast Sports.
So, how can I setup tomorrow morning.
PLEAZE !!!!!!! Help me.. !!
SOS
DAG was kind enough to put up 4 links at the end of his match preview. You could also check http://www.veetle.com.
Quite a few hotels carry fox sports which is where the game will be broadcast tomorrow, so you should recheck your hotel TV Guide.
and
http://www.atdhe.net (as DAG lists above) has been reliable this month.
besides hotel bars, most sports bars…….they all carry fox channels.
An encouraging stat: Arshavin has scored 5 goals from only 6 shots on target in his only two trips to Anfield. That’s efficiency. Let’s hope he’s on form tomorrow. He seems to get up more for games against bigger opponents, so hopefully he’ll be ready to go tomorrow.
I really don’t know what to expect. Both clubs are coming off very tumultuous seasons and uncertain summers. I have no feel for it; opening-day games are strange enough without all this extra baggage, and here we have two teams that are starting very uncertain seasons.
I don’t know why it never dawned on me until just now, but you could easily point out to Wenger the untruthfulness of his claims that these transfers “take so much time to complete” by pointing to all the ones that he did quickly. Need a new striker for next season? Chamakh was sealed up before last season ended. Struggling to score goals in mid-season? Bam(!), rush out and pick up Andrei Arshavin in the (comparatively short) January transfer window. It only seems to be on the defensive end that there is so much “difficulty” in making transfers happen; for some reason attacking players’ transfers don’t take “so much time” to work out.
Just pay what Fulham want for Schwarzer and get on with it! If it was some 18 year old attacking midfielder with lots of potential, Arsene would have upped his bid from 3m to whatever it took (and then some) to insure the kid became a Gunner; but when Fulham ask for a little more than 3m for a tried-and-tested veteran EPL keeper, a bid that was apparently made in May has still not been upped by mid Auguast. Sure, maybe (as DAG said) he is waiting to see if he can get his hands on Shay Given. I could believe that. But it’s not just GK- he’s also taking an extremely long time to find a proper CB for some mysterious reason. And we’ve heard the same excuse many many times before this.
So we all realize how ******d we are if one of our 2 healthy CB’s is out for whatever reason. And Arsenal being Arsenal, it is going to happen sooner or later. Is there anyone else who wishes that it happens today, preferably around the 60th minute when we are 5 goals up, so that we can win 5-4 and MAYBE have Wenger’s hand forced?
If worst comes to worst we can maybe do a City and loan a CB outside the transfer window… Sad state that Arsenal are in.