weekend soccer

I watched two games this weekend: Man United V.  and Arsenal V. Wigan. Somewhat similar matches in that both teams played well below their ability for much of the game, but when it counted, shifted into another gear and made quick work of their hapless victims.

Manchester United let Charlton (Charlton?!) make a game of it for the first 45 minutes. Ji Sun Park's brilliant beastly header for the first goal really was counter to the run of play. But I'm sure that at that point the 'Latics realized it was all over. (The RDs really missed CRon on the pitch, BTW)

The game was most notable for 2 plays by the Monster of Manchester, No. 8. In the 1st half, Rooney collared a ball played over the top, by trapping it up over the 2 defenders, who then ran themselves out of play, brought the ball down, and somehow managed to get a shot off prior to the arrival of a sliding defender. It just missed wide, but it was play of remarkable agility and presence of mind.

So, was the 2nd, but it produced a goal. Rooney collected a pass, moving to the left in the box. He found space and shot left-footed. The keeper blocked the ball, which carommed back to Rooney, now clearly far post, as were the keeper and 2 or 3 defenders. MOst players would've cranked up for another shot. Without a moment's hesitation, Rooney chipped the ball up over the defenders into space on the far post, where Fletcher and Larsson were. Fletcher headed home one of the easier goals of the season. Not to get too Shao Lin on you, but this what I love about Rooney. For a bruising goal scorer, he has a remarkable passing instinct and an ability to be that linking player between the set-up and the goal. Brilliant stuff!

Arsenal-Wigan was another ho-hum game from the Gunners: go down a goal early, get religion, then pour a few in the back of the net towards the end as if you can score whenever you get interested in the game. The Gunners looked really rusty against Wigan. Even Cesc Fabregas was awful by his usual standards of play. Silva was anonymous in the midfield. The introduction of Adebayor was what really sparked The Arsenal to life. The spark grew larger with the subbing of Mathieu Flamini.

Wigan fans and Paul Jewell will complain about the reffing on this one, but they've got little real to gripe about. The referee was well within the usual EPL standards of awful, and indiscriminately so. If Emile Heskey did not dive on the disputed play (In which little Flamini supposedly took him down in the box with the gentlest of touches) then they need to get Mr. Heskey's knees examined. Hesky could carry Flamini and Fabregas on his back up and down the pitch at Emirates.

As for the offsides on Flamini on the 2nd goal. Yep, it was offsides. But Adebayor wasn't off on the goal he scored that was disallowed. So, it all balances out.

Special mention goes to Tomas Rosicky who really stood out among the Gunners in this game. Rosicky was aggressively pushing posession into the attack and looking for goals in a hungry way that I had not seen before. His 2nd goal was just pure energy and desire. Let's see more of that.

Jens Lehmann. Jens, there are days you are just an embarrassment (in addition to being a fine keeper). The Jens Lehmann vaudeville show resulted in a 5th yellow card for the season for ridiculous time wasting and results in Arsenal being without a back up keeper for the Carling Cup final. This, more than his age, is why Arsene Wenger is going to replace him.

I liked Thiery Henry's exchange with time-wasting goalkeeper Chris Kirkland. Yes, a captain should probably show better sportsmanship, but it showed a fire that also sets an example for the team.

And while Big Ass correctly points out that Arsenal are a wee bit hypocritical with their complaints about time wasting, he is still a Big Ass.