Tis the Season. . . For Consistency – Arsenal v Burnley, Match Preview
It's another David versus Goliath - sort of.
The next coming days and weeks are really where the EPL table starts to get a little clearer. With no international breaks or cup ties to distract teams, the EPL begins to double up on its fun and start its midweek match rotation through the Christmas season. Coming off an impressive come from behind win at Anfield, Arsenal are on the road once again, travelling to Turf Mor home of the Burnley Clarets.
The Clarets are no strangers to Arsenal or Arsenal fans. It was Championship side Burnley who had the honour of vanquishing the young guns last season in the Carling Cup semi-final. The same Burnley who also took Chelsea’s scalp last year and United and Everton’s this year. They also did a fairly decent number to Manchester City coming back from a 3 goal deficit to earn a valuable away point. So any Arsenal fan expecting a pushover team could be in for surprise to a very well coached side try and play some open flowing ball with Arsenal.
But this is an Arsenal squad that is once again inthe title hunt. A fort night ago you’d be hard pressed to find anyone outside your rabid Gooners who would put Arsenal in the title hunt. The red and white army had suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Chelsea to move them 11 points behind the league leaders. All the prognisticators were annointing Chelsea the defacto champions and Arsenal would be struggling for its Champion’s League life.
A funny thing happened however, the top 7 teams with the exception of two sides, were dropping starting to have their own issues and not make any movement in the league. The two sides who were gaining points – Aston Villa and . . . that’s right Arsenal. Out of all the clubs figuring for a CL spot only Villa and Arsenal have been the models of consistency winning both their league matches. Actually Villa won again this Tuesday and until the Burnley match is played they sit 1 point over Arsenal in the table.
Arsenal are going to need to maintain that consistency and work to gain maximum points over Burnley and Hull prior to meeting for the annual Boxing day match against Villa. With a good portion of the squad on the trainer’s table and another portion coming off – the Gunners need to build some momentum in order to push Chelsea and United and to some extent Villa. The next 3 weeks to the end of January, beginning of February will be crucial. With beatable sides set up for them, Arsenal will need to get as many points as possible before they have a run against Villa, Chelsea, United and Liverpool back to back to back to back.
The opponent they face this week is fesity and has played very well on their home turf. They’ve already beaten United and Everton there and are relishing the chance to take it to the Gunners. However, there are weak points and Arsene’s lads will need to exploit them whenever possible.
The primary weak point is a rather slow back 4. They trudge more than run. If Arsenal can press the attack and unlock them early, it could be a long day for Claret ‘keeper Jensen. Andrei Arshavin at 5’7″ is showing everyone that size doesn’t matter when it comes to a striker – what matters – at least to him – is work rate, skill and magical way to score. He’s got a hurt foot right now but according to Arsene – he absolutely demanded to play in this match. If it’s true the legend of Andrei Gunner will only grow – especially if he scores again from the central role.
Thomas Vermaelen will be called on to lock down another attacking threat this time – forward Steven Fletcher. Fletcher has had impressive season with 8 goals in all competitions. Tommy Gunn has had impressive start to his Arsenal career and with the exception of the OG against Chelsea, he has arguably given more than we got him for. If plays this way for the whole season with his new best friend – things look very good for Arsenal.
Again though the real weak spot won’t be the lack of size up front but the lack of heart in the back. Manuel Almunia is the shadow of a number goalie and continues to make blunder after blunder. Whether or not Lucas was offside in the match against Liverpool, Almunia totally misplayed the ball. Manny needs to start showing he deserves the blind faith Arsene has in him. And he does. Arsene lept to his defence in the Tuesday press conference saying in a review of the match tape the ball actually comes off of Lucas who is behind Almunia. AW says he has faith in Manny and that he will play against the Clarets. You have to wonder now – what does Manny have on our fearless leader.
Finally, we also need other players to start stepping up. Ever since the loss of Van PErsie some players have gone into shells. While Fabregas hasn’t gotten awful he hasn’t been as strong or assertive in the midfield as he was previously this season. If the Gunners are going to do anything in the league, the will need him to step it up. Same for Theo Walcott and Samir Nasri. While Nasri is starting to come along, Theo has been a disappointment so far this season. He has the pace but his finishing skills need to be refined. Theo needs to step up and clearly show his fortitude or step aside for someone else. Others like Vela and Eduardo also need to step it up.
Burnley is the perfect place to begin a solid run and build a level of consistency. Rafa said that last Sunday was the beginning of the season for them – well it may have been for Arsenal too. A win at Turf Mor and the season is in full swing with glory in site.
How It Should Play Out:
This match should play out like most matches have. Expect Burnley to come out flying. They have a raucus home crowd and having defeated other big teams will be looking to do the same to Arsenal. I’d rather see Arsenal absorb that early pressure let it dwindle down and then move in to kill. Get a goal within the first 25 minutes and set the tone from there on in. Once Arsenal get that first goal and open up the game, they can user their passing and speed to unlock the Burnley back four.
Players to Watch:
Arsenal: Manuel Almunia. He absolultely needs a clean sheet. He also needs to show that he can be steady and not the flopping git he was on Sunday. A clean sheet won’t silence all of us calling for his head but at least it will reassure us that the team can survive somewhat until a real keeper is brought in.
Burnley: Steven Fletcher. He’s been part of the giant killing brigade and his goal against United showed his class. He will need to come up big if Burnley are to beat Arsenal.
Probable Starting XIs:
LIkley Lineups? You tell me
Injuries:
Arsenal: Bendtner (hernia), Clichy (back), Denilson (back), Djourou (knee), Rosicky (groin), Traore (hamstring), Van Persie (ankle)
Burnley: McCann (knee), Paterson (knee), Rodriguez (ankle)
Officials:
Referee: Mike Dean
Assistant referees: Jeremy Simpson & Richard West
Fourth official: Chris Foy
Recent League Form:
Arsenal: WWLLW
Burnley: DLLLD
YAMA Prediction:
Arsenal 3 – Burnley 1
US Coverage:
Fox Soccer Channel: 5PM (Delayed Telecast)
UK Coverage:
BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 Live, local radio
Possible Streams:
www.atdhe.net
www.iraqgoals.net
www.justin.tv
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Doesn’t Truex’s brother work at MWR and if he does in what capacity? I would like to see him at SHR, but that’s just my opinion. If I’m comparing the 2 teams I see one that is clearly on the upswing and another that is winning and contending for wins each race…..I’m going with SHR!
Here’s another interesting stat: after scoring 36 goals in their first 11 games, Arsenal have manged just five in five without Robin van Persie.
I sure wish the old ‘ice in his veins’ Eduardo would return.
I read something interesting about Arsenal today. We all know the team has major difficulties defending against set pieces, which is infuriating at times since all it really takes is a little discipline.
But did you know that the last time we’ve SCORED from a free kick was October of 2007?
Not a single one since. None for the final 7 months of that season. None during the entire 9 months of last season. And none in the first 4 months of this season. Hmmm… kind of makes you wonder about our lack of a clinical finisher, our players’ small statures, and our indirect build-up style of play.
That must be RvP vs Sunderland at home.
Not surprised at all. Despite all the “technical ability” of the Arsenal players, we suck at free kicks. RvP just blasts them and any keeper not named Almunia can stop them.
I put this down to a lack of practice. I’ve seen Henry become an expert after he came to Arsenal. And at Arsenal, RvP takes them all the time. It is like there is a pecking order. I’ve seen Nasri actually curl the ball over the ball. I think Arsh can do it and so can Ramsey. But will we see them actually try?
I hope the Italian teams prevail.
In my view, Chelsea and Man U are the only major insurmountable road block for Arsenal. For the rest, if we show up we can win.
Drawing Porto is the sweetest draw we could possibly get. It doesnt get any easier and straightforward than that.
We still need a striker and a goalie though.
The good thing about the Man U/Chelsea draws is that no matter who wins, at least 2 solid teams will be knocked out before the quarter-finals. It’s weird not seeing Liverpool in there. Another player returning to an old club is Benzema going back to Lyonnais, though that’s not nearly as intriguing as the Special One/Becks… Mad Jens is missing out on all the fun. I’m also interested to see how CSKA will do. I think they are already the only Russian Club to make it to the Round of 16.
No complaints here. Though Arsene might complain about fixture congestion or not liking Portuguese food or something?!!
We SHOULD beat Porto, and make the final 16 again. No reason why
we can’t… so a very good draw, and far easier than Chelsea’s… and definitely easier than United’s…
Maybe there is a FIX to make sure WE make it to the Final 16?!
Conspiracy!
;)
Would be nice if there was a conspiracy in our favor this time.
BTW – Hull Preview out late tonight. Sorry the holidays and my consulting business and all
no need to apologize… we appreciate all you do, the previews and the upkeep involved…
Champion’s League Draw
VfB Stuttgart v Barcelona
Olympiakos v Bordeaux
Internazionale v Chelsea
Bayern Munich v Fiorentina
CSKA Moscow v Sevilla FC
Lyon v Real Madrid
FC Porto v Arsenal
AC Milan v Manchester United
Champs league draw.. Following it live..
Barcelona vs Stuttgart.. Lehmann’s going to have to work hard if he wants to return to the Emirates
Olympiakos vs Bordeaux
Inter Milan vs Chelsea.. Special one returns.. Should be an interesting game. Probably not too many goals there though
Bayern Munich vs Fiorentina
CSKA Moscow vs FC Sevilla
Lyon vs Real Madrid
FC Porto vs Arsenal- I’ll take that
AC Milan vs United- Becks returns
We’re playing at theirs first. A decent showing there should see us close the tie out at home easy enough. Main thing will be to get a goal or two so that we don’t play our home game too nervously out of fear of conceding. Overall, I’m happy to face Porto.
Would it be too much to ask for Almunia to develop a “chest cold” again?
he says he feel likes he is coming back to form. I’d hate to see what his bad form is then.
Good news on Cesc looks like only the Hull match. Does this mean we get to see a repeat of spit-shakehand gate?
Think we will score goals but not with the frequency we did before we lost RvP. The need for a striker is more evident than ever. Before RvP left averaging 3.5 goals a match. After – 1.5 goals per match.
Still havent seen the Burnley match and will likely skip it. I think I’ve seen the ineptitude before. And here’s me thinking we scored for the first time in the first 15 minutes of the match – it looked like we had improved. Can’t help the PK. Vermie is going to get those called – he is our new tough guy.
On a side note – if you have never seen Green Street Hooligans – DO. It is one of the best movies I have seen about English “firms”.
it was a decent movie, but its powderpuff!
there are some serious hooligan movies and documentaries out there.
Read: AMONG THE THUGS, by Bill Buford
Fantastic book.
Will do – thanks for the reference
I always remember the line from that movie where he’s explaining it to the American:
“Every team in Europe’s got a firm, mate. It’s not just about football it’s about your firm. We havn’t got good football but we’ve got a proper firm… Arsenal, now, great football, but a shit firm!”
Arsesession says, “Its difficult to start the attack when your usual sources (GK and defenders) are inconsistent in keeping possession.” Well, that sounds like a cue for Denilson if I’ve ever heard one. With the little Brazilian, our defenders/GK’s don’t have to keep possession; he comes and takes the ball from them. Then, we have a more comprehensive build-up of our attack from the back without losing the ball. It’s a far from glorious role and he’ll never make Sportscenter doing it, but this game allowed us to see how significant it is to have someone do it.
Diaby’s best quality is his ability to go by people. He loves to do it. The problem is everyone knows this and defends against it. If he improves his passing, which makes hims more dynamic, the sky’s the limit.
Silvestre is our fourth choice LB. Considering that, I think he did fine yesterday. In fact, I think he’s done fairly well in every game he’s played this season. He certainly hasn’t cost us goals or lost us any games. Most teams would kill to have someone with Silvestre’s quality as a fourth choice LB.
I disagree with the primary assessment of Ramsey. I think he was too far away from Arshavin and that isolated the little russian too much. The only time I saw him was when he was standing next to Song/Diaby and the entire Burnley midfield was between him and the goal. If Diaby and Song are holding, we don’t need Ramsey holding too. Bad decisions, but he’s still so young. His time is coming.
It’s easy to say that we should have brought on Vela or Wilshire for a defender. The problem is those guys, while talented, are young, inconsistent, and very unpredictable. You simply never know which Wilshire/Vela are going to show up. Given their unpredictability, Burnley’s counter-attack, and our fragile GK situation, I say Wenger did the right thing not rolling that dice. We had players on the pitch who could have won us the game. A loss to Burnley would have been devistating, certainly not worth the risk.
in the burnley match – diaby does stay back, rarely looking to attack; curious, as maybe Arsene believes Denilson might not be back when Song leaves and gave Diaby specific instructions – defensive role.
Anyway, when Ramsey came on there was Song, Ramsey, and Diaby moving around the midfield / mostly laterally. Song looked more like the schemer than the other two.
As for Vela or Wilshere:
I would have slotted Nasri into Cesc’s position – subbed in Vela, not Ramsey. However, you’re probably right about Arsene not taking the risk – as Vela is not likely to track back and defend like
Nasri does.
Given your assessment of Diaby where would you play him? While he seems to have the ability to sometimes pick (tackle) the ball cleanly without going to ground he doesn’t seem to have much of an appetite for 50/50 high balls, and he often seems to lope back rather than making decisive defensive runs. As such it seems like pushing him further forward might suit him, esp. as we’re so thin on attackers and taller “target men.” Your thoughts?…
I have seen only limited performances over the past 2 season, but from his play this fall, prefer to see him left in midfield.
I see him more of an asset linking and trailing the attack or exploiting space from behind.
Target man – possibly, but regardless of his position, he is confident in his ability to beat opponents on the dribble and take the shot.
From an athletic perspective, he is more of a naturally gifted athlete than those chiseled through training.
Not sure how we’ll win much without Cesc in the line-up… and we have a history of a guy going off with a slight hamstring injury, and he misses 4 weeks.
When Cesc is in the starting line-up, I’ll believe he’s back…
Wenger already cueing up his usually EXCUSES … says the fixture
list is not fair to Arsenal… because Hull didn’t play mid-week.
Oh boo hoo.
When you are in the CL, you play more matches. Everton played in Europe, so what exactly was Hull supposed to do? Scrimmage team USA?
The fixture list is chaos for whomever does it, and there are complaints every year… United gets special treatment, then Ferguson complains because his fixtures are difficult… Wenger complains virtually every year.
JUST GET ON WITH IT. You know there will be difficult patches in the schedule, so GET SOME F’N DEPTH to deal with it.
His excuses are just … yawn… boring.
Better news on Cesc’s hammy…
http://www.goal.com/en/news/9/england/2009/12/17/1693492/arsenal-skipper-cesc-fabregas-injury-fears-quelled-report
Another bullet dodged?…
that is massive, because we are below mediocre without Cesc in there… then not only would we have no strikers to score from his beautiful passes, we’d have nobody to send the passes to the strikers who can’t score!
I want to be optimistic–it’s my nature :-) — but right now it’s tough….And I’d like to be briefer, but I guess that’s not my nature…
Fortunately we’ve got a winnable match in two days time, another opportunity to right the ship and show supporters that we’ve got something (anything?) to feel positive about. And then we’ve got a full week to heal and prepare for a big one against Villa.
Our defensive frailties were on full display at Burnley and they start in goal. Today’s Arseblog (another optimist?) is damning and says it better than I could. http://www.oleole.com/blogs/arseblog I pray that we see a new keeper (Fabianski) Saturday and a new left back (Clichy or Traore) for the Villa match.
Offensively, we have to admit that the goals have dried up since the Int’l break and losing RVP. And the goals we have scored have come from individual moments of brilliance and defensive errors. We have stopped scoring the nice “team” goals. And with Cesc out….well, he simply needs to be available.
As Fred pointed out, it was a violation of the “optimist code” ;-) for me to single out individual players. In fact, after Cesc left the pitch, our lack of cohesive possession made it so we were only likely to score if a player made a moment of magic. You would think that some of the more individually talented attackers might have shown a bit more verve in chasing the result–that nobody did shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
But here I go again…I think an argument can be made that our young guns (Vela, Theo, Ramsey, Wilshere) missed huge opportunities to gain confidence in the(difficult)CC match and the (meaningless)Greek trip, and now when we need their contribution (and their goals) we can’t draw on them, expsosing the callowness of supposed depth. And looking down the line at who might come in and help, names like Clichy, Bendtner and Rosicky will only help if the current squad are already playing with confidence. Backing it up with a “genius” signing or two seems almost essential, respecting the economic realities, of course…even if things go well vs Hull, Villa and Pompey in the interim.
But Saturday (like this morning) is a new day and another chance… to score early and often, show our technical superiority up and down the pitch, bring in some younger or back-from-injury players, AVOID FURTHER INJURIES and build some confidence. But something tastes funny in my coffee…could it be….
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=drink+the+kool-aid
Hey gang. Haven’t watched the match and not sure I Want to at this point.
Fucking Burnley how do we draw with fucking Burnley.
The problem with writing a blog is you knoow you have to write something but writing anything about this team went it screws the pooch like yesterday is difficult.
Anyway, I will turn out the Hull preview tomorrow night sometime. But as for Cescy the article I just read said it is not a torn hamstrng and that while he will miss the Hull match he should be back in time for the Villa match. I will try and catch Arsene’s press conference to confirm.
Keep up the talking lads.
For the first time this season, we scored within the first 15 minutes …
Hamstring injury for Cesc.. Worried that he may be out till about Jan
For a good laugh – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrw4IlKRPmc
That is brilliant! Eboue’s bit was the funniest.. Nice one
Why didn’t Vela come on when we needed a goal?
Eddie came on instead, and Wenger wasn’t about to take Arshavin or Nasri off. Rightly so- Nasri was about the only guy trying to take on a man one-on-one (or two or three as it were). Vela wouldn’t have given us anything different and you never know when Arshavin can burst into life.
If you are desperate to win a game, you take chances.
E.g., drop Silvestre or Diaby. Get Vela or Wilshere on and move Nasri to CM. Do something to make things happen.
On the other hand, IF we win against Hull and Villa (both home games), 10 points out of four games is not the worst return.
IF we win the next two …
You’re right Nip.. But the way Burnley was counter-attacking, Wenger maybe thought 3 defenders wasn’t a good idea. I dunno.. I personally would have liked to see it. Sacrifice a point for the chance of getting 2…
Good observations Nip,
Ramsey came on for Cesc and most of us assumed he would direct the attacks as CM, but his movement reflected play of a AM; so we saw a 2nd half of dysfunction in midfield.
At half-time, Arsene should have told the team; Nasri is our schemer and the player to coordinate our attack.
Almunia and Theo’s play did MOST to cripple our effectiveness against Burnley.
So as one of the optimists, I’ll jump right in and give my 2 cents.
Arshavin – was awful. Too many poor passes, lazy touches, allowed defenders to deny him possession. Fell into his old habit of walking around. He would have been more effective out on the wing.
Theo – 60 minutes of poor touches and poor decisions with and without the ball; he seems to have lost the plot.
Almunia – Ozi summed up his performance with his comment above about his distributions; you would think that a player would notice the result of the kick of the ball. What was he thinking?
Our back line, when they won the air ball, only headed the ball back to Burley in midfield.
Its difficult to start the attack when your usual sources (GK and defenders) are inconsistent in keeping possession.
Diaby – regardless of what others have stated above – Diaby had a decent match, so criticism of his play is more carry over from past impressions. Yes, he did make a couple of passes that lacked force, but he was everywhere making tackles, winning the 50/50 balls, beating opponents with dribble, and making good linking play for 90 minutes…….and rarely was caught out of position by being too far forward.
Silvestre – made very limited runs foward, but his pace and presence did not effect the draw.
Vermaelen – poor early clearance, mentally threw him off; Almunia made a great reaction save.
Ramsey – came on for Cesc, but lost sight that he was suppose to be the CM, not an attacking AM.
It is this level of competition, the EPL or CL – to earn 3 points, you must have all 11 players contributing with positive play – today we struggled because our effort from Arshavin, Theo, and Almunia let their teammates down.
As much as the club wanted the 3 points, Arsenal were only deserving a draw. (and lucky for the point)
On the positive, we only have a short wait for Hull.
Agree on Diaby. He usually has the tendency to hold onto the ball too long which I think he seems to be addressing. His midfield break-up play is improving (though has some way to go). He likes shooting but the Burnley pressure was always swift and he never had any space to shoot.
I think our impotency in attack has made some of our midfielders look worse than they are.
I blame it on the stupid Spurs look alike away kit. Both times we have played in it, we ended up drawing games we were leading. :(
Disappointed with the result. How wrong was I about the scoreline !!
Does it seem like two steps forward followed by one step back?
Nevertheless, if you want to look at the bright side, a win over Liverpool and a draw at Burnley are better than a draw at Anfield and a win over Burnley.
Let us try to continue our winning run with a win against Hull, Villa and Portsmouth. If we manage that, we can continue it against Bolton, Everton and Bolton before the BIG games roll in.
I missed the game, who conceded the PK? Was it legit?
Vermaelen. And, yeah..studs up, reckless.
It was a reckless challenge, quite unlike Vermaelen to do that.
Totally unlike him. I’d like to blame Silvestre. Somehow.
Looks like we won’t be getting any more smug Arsene Knows lists pasted on here after today’s game.
Walcott, Diaby, Denilson. Those who read AA from 07 onwards would know I’ve said from day one those three players are complete garbage, and here we are, they are still belong in the rubbish dump.
As long as they are here, flying as first class passengers on Arsenal Airlines, we’ll always “lack little bit sharpness” or have the “handbrake on”.
Song is getting bumped up from coach.
It must have been Cameroon dribble too long day. Bikey gifted us one early. But Song was absolutely awful. If he touches the ball more than twice, it is too much. He has had a few decent games this year. But he is regressing fast.
“Looks like we won’t be getting any more smug Arsene Knows lists pasted on here after today’s game.”
Now who’s being an optimist. ;-)
Denilson didn’t play against Burnley. He might have actually been an improvement!
Every single time you become optimistic about a title challenge they make sure to dash your hopes conclusively.
I actually spent Sunday afternoon after the Liverpool game charting how many points we would need before going into the “big” games at the end of January! The chart is already obsolete.
If one takes a pop at some of the obviously mediocre players some clowns start bleating about how you dont “support” the team. Sigh!
Silvestre: Is there really anything Silvestre can do that Thomas Cruise cant??? Sure Cruise is our 4th choice and is generally below par … but at least he wont be outrun so often and so easily.
Almunia: I second the idea that any attacker facing us can as well just start shooting at him at random. His record is a goal for every two shots at him. And is distribution is god-awful!
The rest: Meh! No comments for now.
Obsolete though it might be, do you mind sharing some of the things on that chart Fred? Before the Pool game, I was hoping for 20 out of our next 24 points (to take us into the ‘rough patch’).
I think we could well still do that (and we will have to for any sort of shot at the title).
Agree on Silvestre getting outpaced. Eagles massacred us, particularly when he was playing on our left wing. I’m very thankful he didn’t spend all game there.
Oz. You can not seriously believe we could get 20 out of our next 24 points? SERIOUSLY?!
We’ve been playing shit football, have a laundry list of injuries, and are coming into the Christmas fixture list with too many games in too few days.
20 from 24? how? No chance at all.
I had hopes to get 20/24. My personal thinking being if we are able to do that, we will have a shot at the title.
We CAN do it. Our talent isn’t really in doubt, our physicality is. Whether we will do it remains to be seen. We would obviously need to pull our performances up. And after the manner of the Burnley draw, I expect other teams to try and emulate their style against us, in which case we (Arsene) needs to find a plan B somehow.
Yes I do realize the likelihood of 20/24 is not high (i mean, we’ve only left ourselves with a buffer of 2 points after the draw) It is merely what I, as a fan, am hoping for.
as a fan, why not hope for 24 out of 24?
Obviously that would be my primary desire. I go into every game hoping for 3 points, like I’m sure we all do (by which logic you could say that every fan is hoping for a perfect record at the start of every season). Every fan also knows that that is pretty much impossible. Hence, the setting of targets that are within the bounds of realism (although sometimes something unrealistic like our unbeaten season happen), and optimistic- enough that you have something to shout and root for (even though it may require a stroke of luck or a well above par performance to achieve- such as our come from behind victory at Liverpool).
20 is more achievable and more realistic. Teams will drop points over the season and you have to take that into account. Sure you could then ask me why not hope for 3 or 4 points out of 24, That way it is almost impossible not to surpass expectations. But that doesn’t give us a shot at the league does it?
20/24 seems achievable looking at our fixture list, is high enough that we should have a shot at the title, and not so ambitious that it is clear to everyone, including myself, that I have gone off my rocker and am living in la-la land. Makes you wonder whether Spurs fans are in perennial la-la land btw, with their never ending expectation of finishing above Arsenal at the start of every season.
Oh and in spite of the lack of creation, I was happy to see urgency throughout the 90. If we keep that up, that should see us in good stead for the upcoming fixtures. wWe (rightly) did not take Burnley for granted and worked hard.
how is it a positive that we didn’t take burnley lightly, worked hard, worked with urgency, and still could not beat them?
its burnley, 13th in the table… good grief, its depressing.
we are the little train that COULDN’T.
who will arsene blame for this one? refs? the opponent? injuries? the light was in his eyes? dog ate his homework?
It’s a positive because over the past few seasons we have dropped far too many points taking ‘lesser’ teams too lightly and not playing with purpose until we are behind or until theres 20 minutes to go.
We won’t come across too many teams that will put in a performance such as Burnleys and I expect our determination (if it keeps up) to carry us through to 3 points in the vast majority of these games.
1-1 and probably lucky to draw after Silvestre gets away with what looked like a penalty, a good goal disallowed and general good play by them.
Silvestre got outpaced a lot and, in the first half at least, most of their attacks seemed to be down that flank. Eagles really drove them on in the second. They were playing the counter and getting back lightning quick to park the bus when we got the ball. We had noone up top who could physically hold up the ball (until Gallas moved there heh).
If I were facing Arsenal.. I would be taking wild shots the moment I got sight of goal. Almunia is bad enough that you may get a gift, you may win a corner, you may score or if not.. Almunia is just going to distribute the ball straight back at you so you can repeat the whole thing again.
Looking for some positives: Chelsea still have to travel to Burnley, though you get the feeling they won’t be dominated physically as bad as we did. And Adebayor gave me a laugh after getting into an argument with Petrov after he was the one at fault for misplacing a pass.
I’ll probably reassess once I’ve calmed down a bit.
Sorry but we were quite poor there in the 2nd half…nobody to inspire fear in our opponents so they’re able to sit on little Andrey. And some of our guys are looking beyond poor (Almunia, Diaby, Walcott). We need to move forward, of course, but if Cesc is really hurt, I’m gonna need something stronger in my Kool-Aid….
Hold on?? Arent you an optimist??
Why are you picking on individual players? Dont you understand the economic realities? Dont you see their stats? :-)
Weird sensation watching Ade miss another easy chance in front of Tottenham’s goal. On one hand, delighted to see Ade continue to do sweet fa at Citeh. On the other, Spuds pick up two more points on us.
Announcers noted that he WAS on-side…
Ha. I registered that, too. Christmas miracle?
To be honest, I think I detest Adebayor more than I hate Spurs.
Spurs can be counted on never to take top four from us. City with a proper manager might.
1-1 it is. Losing Cesc means we lose all our fluidity in the middle. Vela is not ready to take the Prem by the storm. And Eduardo is still missing that last 10@% of killer edge. At least we didn’t crumble, and there won’t be many other teams who’ll do much better at Turf Moor.
But until things change, our best hope remains third place.
wonderful.
the tease continues.
every time we get close, we drop points.
every time we get far away, the leaders do.
fact remains the same. we aren’t quite good enough.
cue up the “burnley are a good home team” and chelsea played
home to portsmouth. if cesc hadn’t gone off injured.
we still have a game in hand.
this team’s going nowhere fast. praying for us getting to january
and being within a shout, just so i can see “what would arsene do”.
“fact remains the same. we aren’t quite good enough.”
You left out ‘again’.
:-( (Lest anyone think I’m happy typing that.)
Cesc off injured.
That’s about the ONLY player we can not manage without
having in the line-up.
Let’s PRAY that its not a long-term injury, or… we’re in
big trouble.
For you Andez… Lucky to be 1-1 at the half!
LOL!
;)
Burnley have a terrible away record, but a formidable home record. We are the ones who will have to really step up if we are going to get more than a point tonight.
And we desperately need those three points to stay in the hunt, at least until that end of Jan fixture list where our season looks set to implode.
Who can improve the most tonight? Vela as sub? Theo?
Burnley: Jensen, Mears, Caldwell, Carlisle, Jordan, Eagles, Elliott, Alexander, Bikey, McDonald, Steven Fletcher
Subs: Penny, Kalvenes, Gudjonsson, Blake, Nugent, Thompson, Guerrero
Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Vermaelen, Gallas, Silvestre, Walcott, Fabregas, Song Billong, Diaby, Nasri, Arshavin
Subs: Fabianski, Eduardo, Vela, Ramsey, Wilshere, Eboue, Thomas
Drogba injured for Chelsea game (for real this time).. Comeonnn Pompey!
And horseface close to a move to ‘pool? :o Must be rumours…
Silvestre to score tonight.
Hope the lads can grit this one out and in this case, I really couldn’t give a rats about the performance, just the three points.
I won’t be able to watch today, but I hope all goes well. Also, I’ve thought about it and I guess I don’t have as big a problem w/ Silvestre starting on the side than in the center. Centerbacks work in tandem so if you have one that’s bad it’s not a whole lot different than having two that are bad, regardless of how good the other one is. But on the side you are allowed a few more mistakes. Burnley have only lost once at home this year, so lets hope this isn’t a repeat of the Sunerland game, or first half at Liverpool. I don’t think it will be: No int’l break, team should be on a high from coming from behind at Anfield, and they should still have fire in the belly from Arsene’s HT speech. Let’s hope they get it done. Come On Arsenal!
I’m very interested in the line-up we put out there today. We will definitely be seeking to demonstrate our (supposed?) depth now that games are coming every 4 days. We need to see some real contribution (goals) from Theo, Diaby, Eduardo, Nasri, Ramsey and Vela over this next stretch. And I agree that Eboue seems more likely in the home games. For me, Sagna just never puts a foot wrong defensively even if he seems more limited going forward. And what about a headed goal from a set piece, where have those gone? With Silvestre’s head in there (along with Gallas, TV5 and Song) we should actually seem threatening if we win corners or free kicks.
Also agree about Eagles vs Silvestre on the left side. Mikhail has done well so far given his er, limited, talents and it sounds like he’s got the right mentality to play his (hopefully) smaller role on the pitch. Positioning and field sense can make up for lack of pace, perhaps. I agree with Josh D, that a good team has different parts, like a well performing vehicle. Not everybody needs to be the engine (or the hood ornament?) some players (he was talking about Denilson as the oil…) need to play the lesser roles…maybe Silvestre is a lug nut?
Big game today…Gimme 3 points and nobody hurt. And maybe a nice flowing performance for the Turf Moor crowd who can appreciate that sort of football?
Get the feeling Nasri is going to score today..
And I’d take a 3-0 over a 6-2 today. Not as much entertainment value or as big a goal difference but I think it would help settle our mentality better setting us up for the longer run- giving the team a more solid feel rather than a roller coaster feel. Not that I’d complain about a 6-2.
Hey GDC folks….What are you guys gonna do today? (Sounds like Nip’s gonna sleep through this one….) I’ll guess I’ll try to watch on a stream in real time (replay on TV right after). I’m a bit addicted to the virtual pub atmosphere…
I’ll be there. 3.45 AM kick off here and won’t be going to the real pub for that…
I’m at work. Can’t really watch mid-week games most of the time.
Though I might sneak out and join you guys in GDC with my cellphone.
Just found the game on Fox Sports Espanol in real time(here in the states), so I’m there….Here’s to a few Arsenal…
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLs
I watched the Bundesliga highlights for last weekend. Lehmann was sent off for a push on an opposition player conceding a penalty (which they duly scored to earn a draw). I thought the decision was quite harsh because Lehmann hardly pushed the guy. But it did remind me of the Robbie Keane incident when we won the title at WHL.
Continuing on keepers, I am highly impressed by Manuel Neuer of Schalke. Only 23 years of age, but already considered by many as Germany’s #1. His rival for that position, Rene Adler, is also quite impressive. We should be signing one of those. German keepers have always done well.
I mentioned this in the last thread Nip. He stamped on the guys foot- revenge for an earlier foul (heh)
I didn’t see any stamp. I saw a simple shove, hardly a strong one.
Here again is the Youtube vid of MadJens, it’s a fun one and the ending has me crossing my fingers we’ll draw Stuttgart in the CL. (Draw is Friday I believe.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPbD34RE0JY
I can’t think of German keepers (or keepers at all) without thinking of the tragedy of Robert Enke’s suicide earlier this season.
If AW’s gonna stick with him I really do hope Almunia can regain his confidence a bit over this next stretch of games. He seems capable of being a competent keeper but it’s slipping away in his kicking and distribution and other basics, not to mention the decision making about when to come for high balls and whether to catch or punch them. It seemed to me that he got about half a dozen of these things wrong last Sunday, but I’m not the manager….
For the third time in the last five games (Sunderland, Stoke and now Burnley), this game is not on TV in my part of the world. I don’t remember such a thing happening in the a really long time, almost 10 years. Sigh! :(
I won’t be waking up at 1:15 am to see Spurs play Man City. Will catch the replay tomorrow.
Nip,
here is a new internet site – an upgrade option vs. what most of us are accustom. abt 5.6 euro / month
https://www.my-private-network.co.uk/
Interesting site. How does it help us see football?
not free – but you will get a transmission that is not interrupted; nor out of focus;
Thanks for the link. Will try it out if the trend of not showing Arsenal games on TV continues.
Regardless of Burnley’s home record, I feel our defense will limit their chances and our midfield and attack options keeping them on their heels.
Yes, Almunia was ‘out of sorts’ on the Kuyt goal. The balance of the match he made correct decisions.
However, (for me) he is not a long-term solution at GK.
Theo, Eduardo, and Diaby need the playing time – all three are higher up the food chain than Vela and Ramsey.
For our team to put together serious another run of play, Arsenal will need contribution from Eduardo, Theo, Nasri, and Diaby.
Hoping for the 3 points and no injuries!
HT that Lehmann video was brilliant. Strikers must have hated the prospect of ever facing Arsenal after having faced him once and getting shoved over. Esp cuz keepers usually get the referees favour in altercations. I hate play-actors and did not like Lehmann’s dive, though it would have brought a smile to the football world’s face if he had gotten Dropba booked like that.
On the note of Lehmann, does anyone else see similarities in looks between him and Colin Firth (spelling) of Fever Pitch?
Silvestre starting does sound ominous. He will be up against Chris Eagles who I rate pretty highly. he is young, talented and if he continues to grow will move to a bigger club sooner or later in his career (he has the potential anyway). He isn’t the fastest guy around but against Silvestre, his pace should be enough. Along with his trickery and our lack of a wide LM, that flank I believe will play a key role for both teams over the 90 (just like against Liverpool, but worse because we I think Traore vs Johnson (a RB) is a better faceoff for us than Silvestre vs Eagles).
On the plus side, as much as we don’t rate him, I think Silvestre has surpassed expectations this season so far (not saying much I know). Also, he has always been a better LB than a CB and with his experience we can hope that his positioning (and the Verminator covering him) will see us through.
Its true that Burnley like to attack and play football. I have great respect for their manager for that and I root for them everytime I watch them (not against us of course). Can you imagine the psychological advantage Burnley should have vs Wolves knowing they beat Utd (playing good, attacking footie) and Wolves were too scared to even try?
Bikey and Alexander are both CBs more than CMs and I don’t expect much coming down their centre, especially if Song is mopping things up. For that reason, I think Ramsey starting would be good for us as well. I do believe if we shut their flanks out, then set pieces/Almunia howlers are the only way that Burnley aregoing to score (why do I always feel I’m jinxing the team when I make comments like these)? Ramsey would also give us a better penetrating ability through their centre over Diaby I think. Here’s hoping he starts.
We had best NOT play Eboue from the start. I think Sagna’s a better defender and we need a true attacker to work with Arshavin/Nasri.
I think Theo will do well if he starts. His asset is running and I expect Burnley to provide much more space than Liverpool. Carlisle and Caldwell are classic English centre half’s (complete with lack of pace). Arshavin is also capable of keeping up and converting a run and (hopefully accurate) ball from Theo.
The turf Moor fans are very loud (and it is a small stadium). They are very much like Stoke and Pompey fans at home and they will be well fired up for this. After the turnaround at Pool I feel we have turned a corner in the mental department and a professional, clinical performance here will do us nicely to build upon that (particularly our defence if we keep a cleansheet).
Burnley 0-2 Arsenal (with Silvestre and Manny high on koolade)
Wow that went a lot longer than I had intended.. Sorry for the bore guys
Its all good. Nice write up.
I have Eboue starting in place of Sagna just from what AW does during mid week CL matches so far and he has always swapped Eboue for Sagna. So that is where I Was coming from on that one.
DAG, time for me to reel out the stats. :)
Eboue has started as RB in six games. All but one of them have been home games.
That is why I felt that Sagna will start tonight and Eboue at home against Hull.
Come to think of it, Eboue might still start tonight’s game in Walcott’s place.
That would be just wonderful.
You just depressed me at the thought.
We will have to play a LOT better to continue winning. We aren’t always going to get a lucky own-goal to change the match!
LOL!
:)
Really good write-up, oz. Funny punch-line and all.
Cheers. Happy some of you got through to the end.
Okay since we are in this little diversion until game time . . .
We all look at Arsenal or any of our favourite teams from our own little perspective. The unfortunate thing is that our perspective is myopic in terms of really knowing the full picture.
I don’t think anyone would argue that AW has blinders on in some certain situations or that he makes some bad judgement calls. But conversely he also gets a lot right – RvP in the central role, Song in the holding role come immediately to mind.
We as fans don’t have the benefit of the complete picture. We also don’t have the years of experience or the ability to fully evaluate talent that someone who does it day in and day out 24/7/365. Look I hate Almunia I personally think he is all wrong for goal – but for whatever reason – whether its pigheadedness, afraid to admit he is wrong or he sees something else – AW thinks he stays. I have to accept that but just because he makes that one bad decision – I know there are more – I am not going to ignore the good he is doing either – namely keeping this team in the EPL fight – especially when two weeks ago a lot of people – including people on this forum had them for dead.
I get steamed when I see people only take a perspective from view and refuse to take into account other things. But every fan has the right to gripe and I will deal with it but I have the right to call “Bullshit” when I see it.
I’ve also come to learn that some of the people I disagree with I actually agree with from time to time. Like Stag. It is why I am grateful for everyone on this board – I’ve had the benefit of learning something about my favorite club even from people I disagree with.
Now about Almunia. . .
Obviously Arsene gets a LOT of things right. He is a magician at times with what he works with.
But his stubborness and one-track vision might trump the good parts, when it comes to winning trophies.
I am rarely going to get upset or “steamed” by what somewhat believes is true on this site or another. Only personal attacks are out of bounds in my view, as you don’t have a clue who is on the other end of the keyboard.
Sorry to go off topic but i’d just like to say something regarding the kool-aid drinkers (as i am one)
Personally I do not think I am more of a fan then anyone else or I am the only one that enjoys and celebrates arsenal goals and victories. Obviously we all do equally.
I have no problem with people commenting about whats wrong with the team. Of course there are problems and its interesting to read everyone’s opinions. The only problem I have is the image being created of this team and AW. Yes they get it wrong sometimes but it just seems like some people ignore what they do well.
I just think some humility would make us take your comments more seriously instead of just jumping up in arms to defend AW/certain players etc.
Take Maz for example, when he gets it wrong about the team he comes out and admits it and for that reason I have no problem with him complaining about what he feels is wrong with the team because I know at least he will admit it when he gets it wrong.
Whats really annoying about other people is they will completely ignore when AW or a certain player get it absolutely right. Off the top of my head I remember at the start of the season when some claimed VanP was wrong for the central position and that we should be playing bendtner there instead. In the end it seemed AW was spot on putting VanP there but there was no acknowledgment of that.
Anyway maybe I’m being unfair by saying that people should admit when there completely wrong as well but thats what we as kool-aid drinkers really find frustrating and annoying.
Just thought you guys should know our perspective or at least mine anyway
I think most of us who are critical would LOVE to be wrong… I know I would much rather be wrong and Arsenal win, than be right and we lose.
It works both ways. We could get spanked 3-0 at home and there would still be a golden lining about how beautiful our play is and that AW is god.
I rarely rip a player… unless they aren’t giving effort. Wenger is responsible for who is bought, sold, and put on the pitch. It’s not the players fault that we have a collection of young short finesse players!
;)
How about the reverse? I haven’t seen any one of the Kool-Aid set say something like
‘You know, you guys were right about AW relying too much on the Youth Experiment. He’s made major mistakes with his transfer policy, just as you said. He should have signed an experienced DM after Flamini left.’
or any of the numerous things we’ve debated over the last 4 seasons. Chiefly, that the Manager’s policy wouldn’t win us anything. A ‘fact’ that can no longer be debated, even as it was forecast correctly by the ‘bad fans’ who don’t know as much about football as Le Boss. (Or some of our fellow supporters on here.)
Instead, we get defenses of events such as a first half against ‘pool that even Wenger was infuriated by, and a mocking list of reasons why being a ‘doom-sayer’ makes you such a ‘bad fan’.
Wenger’s job is to ‘get it absolutely right’. When something is ‘right’, it’s obvious to all of us. When it’s ‘wrong’, only half of us seem to see that. And when he stubbornly makes the same mistakes over and over again, it’s natural you’ll hear more frustration than praise. Thus, the conversation.
So there’s another perspective.
But, as I believe you said on the last thread (paraphrasing here), if everyone agreed, it would be a boring place.
{Two things I was wrong about…I thought Bendy and Almunia would be better. But it’s only fair to note, Wenger was wrong about them first. ;-) }
{And I only read and learn from the conversations about tactics, because I know most of you know a lot more than I about that.]
The only diff is though in the language and the cheap shots at AW and the team the realists take. I’ve conceded points numerous times to everyone who have disagreed with me even vehemently. Just not with the vitriol that realists spout at times. That’s all the diff is. I have learned though to not get wound up over time – its just a message board as Mazza said once 2 years ago. there..I conceded a point;)
Well said, as usual LDE. You’re right, none of it is worth getting wound up over.
There. I’ve seen eye-to-eye with an optimist.
;-)
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/wenger-i-have-full-confidence-in-almunia
Arsene says Almunia is not at fault for Liverpool’s goal. I don’t remember him defending Lehmann when he made mistakes. I only remember Lehmann being dropped. Oh well !!
Again, i think this message is only an attempt to boost Almunia’s confidence.
January window is not opened yet. Even when it’s opened, it’s difficult to buy a new keeper in January.
So what else could he do? Telling Almunia that you are crap? That’d surely help to build up Almunia’s confidence.
The REALITY now is we have 3 keepers, none of them we are confident they could go and do a good job. And NOTHING else we could do, at least not until January.
So as far as i’m concerned, to come out and give Almunia a confidence boost is the ONLY option AW could do.
Whether he really believes it or not is another issue.
anyway, i think this is gonna be Almunia’s last season as our number 1.
No, there is an option to play Fabianski. If Arsene has no faith in Fab, then why did we offer him a new contract this year? Surely, Fab can’t do any worse than Almunia and at his age, there is at least hope that he will learn and improve. Almunia is set in his ways.
Wenger usually will go with a player with some experience over little to no experience.
(see Silvestre)
There is not a lot of difference between the two … from what little we have seen of Fabianski.
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/wenger-i-will-sort-out-silvestre-contract
I can’t believe it. Arsene wants Silvestre to stay longer !!!!
forget the sugar coated words, I think what AW is really saying – “you can leave at the end of the season if you want to, unless you are happy to play a bit-part role.”
Sorry, but why would we want Silvestre even for a bit part role? Won’t it kill all the youngsters in the team?
Who would play currently with all the injuries without Silvestre?
I don’t think he’s great, but he has experience and can play more than one position.
I’d rather that, than a 17 year old.
I would like to see if Burnley will field their second-string tonight like Wolves did against Man U?
McCarthy has started something very nasty. If every small clubs managers think like him – that we got an important match coming up against Burnley 5 days later, which we have a better chance to get a result. So let’s field a second string side Vs Man U, cos we were likely to lose the game anyway… I wonder how the Premiership will become in the future?
What was he thinking? How he’s gonna face the Wolves away fans (away fans are always the hardcore real fans) who travelled all the way to Manchester just to support their team? If all the away fans share his mentality, that we are going to lose to Man U anyway, why bother…. would there be any Wolverhampton Wanderers away fans at all in the future?
And not like Wolves are involved in Europe. And they have a 5 days break prior to the Burnley match. So their first XI can’t even play 3 matches in succession?
After this incident, I hope Burnley will beat the crap of Wolves the coming weekend, see how McCarthy will like it throwing 3 points away WITHOUT A FIGHT against Man U?
The funniest part for me is he was talking up Wolves chances of getting something from the game and that they would try and take advantage of the defensive injuries to manu haha!
One thing I can’t understand is they had just pulled off a great result Vs Spurs. And on the back of a 2 successive wins.
I think momentum is important, even if it’s a smaller club. You build your confidence based on momentum. If you don’t think u could beat Man U, at least try to get a draw.
3 games unbeaten run would have served as a hugh confidence boost to their team.
Andez. I mentioned it on the previous thread.
The away supporters, 3000 strong, paid for tickets and travel, and showed up to find 10 CHANGES in the line-up. They sang “we want our money back” according to BBC.
Can’t blame them.
I can understand changing 4 or even 5 players… but 10?
That’s ridiculous.
I completely understand the thought process, of Wolves trying to “survive” the season in the EPL… but couldn’t 1 point against a wounded ManU be vital in the fight to stay up?
I don’t know how you can enforce it, managers can do whatever they want… but not sure what the message to supporters is, other than… don’t pay your money to go see football.
Without the fans, especially away support, the atmosphere goes away. That is part of what makes European football, and the EPL special.
I’d rather go to an away Arsenal match than home now… because at least those that travel will be singing.
As we closely follow Arsenal, this type of line up change is probably more common with the smaller clubs – its just not brought to mainstream attention.
I think Hodges (at Fulham) tried to rest most of his starters for an UEFA match last season – to start a fresher line up for a league match, yet it backfired; they lost both.
I believe the Wolves roster is smaller than the more established clubs and depth an issue. If I’m the manager, and staying out of regulation is critical – then you have to target your fixtures that afford maximum opportunity for points and factor in the fatigue factor.
I believe McCarthy was quoted; when the team has a match, after only 3 or 4 days rest, performance drops 40%. I don’t know how he statistically found that percentage, but from what I read, he did.
Happened to Villa last season as well (thank god for us).
And that stat is from the Milan research labs refering to incidence rate of injury. Not performance level. I have always been curious what methods they used to get those figures though. I’m sure Arsene has looked into it.
I hope Sagna starts this one with Eboue starting against Hull as well.
Burnley can provide a serious goal scoring threat at home and add to that our constant need to surrender a goal or two every game and it could be dangerous so hopefully Sagna starts to provide more defensive solidity.
Although we might just end up needing to outscore them in a shootout. Silvester starting has disaster written all over it for me im afraid.
I am not a big fan of Silvestre, but I’ll take experience over stupidity (Eboue) any day.
Agree…….
Silvestre is having a run of some matches in the last month; to date he’s accounted for himself.
If Eboue and Sagna are both fit, I’d rather see one of them fill in at LB than have that clown Silvestre get anywhere near the pitch. Who’s with me?
I am with you but not going to happen.
I’d actually prefer Silvestre … who is less likely to go forward, than Eboue playing out of position, and more likely to go forward and leave a hole at the back.
I want the defenders to worry about defending FIRST.
Will Arsene still go with Almunia? Wouldn’t that be saying to Fabianski that it doesn’t matter how much the #1 goofs up, you don’t get a chance? When Lehmann screwed up, Arsene was quick to drop him and install Almunia. Why not now when much more is at stake?
I think Sagna will start tonight. Eboue will start at home against Hull.