4 Points From 2 Games. Am I Happy or Sad?

I really don't know the answer. Color me red, white & ambivalent.

There I was, Friday, Boxing Day, bedecked in my new Arsenal scarf and "Property of..." tee that Santa had brought me, all ready for the injury-depleted, character-challenged Arsenal 08-09 to get its rear kicked by Aston Villa. The game started out much as I thought, with a Cesc-deprived midfield unable to do much in terms of possession against a well-organized, purposeful Villa team.

The Gunners really should've been down 3-0 by half, as Villa hit an incredible 3 sure goals off the post. early on Sidwell had a wide open, unmarked header off a corner that epitomized this Arsenal squad's woeful set piece defense. Gallass and Song were having a bit of a discussion about defensive philosophies when the corner was taken and Sidwell marched off goalward while the conversation continued. Sad stuff there.

As it turned out, though, the Gunners were a lucky squad, on offense as well as defense, as Denilson got a late first half goal that was equal parts brave fortune and good work. The Arsenal doubled that nearly an hour in with an absolutely brilliant string of work between Abou Diaby and Emanuel Ay-Boo-Ay (sorry. Nice to see him get the assist).

But, most Arsenal fans knew what was coming. William Gallass saves the day for Villa with a shocking foul in the box (why, Billy, why?!) and more shocking defense (or lack thereof) at the death afforded Villa a 2-2 draw, despite having outplayed Arsenal for much of the game.

Today's match against Portsmouth (and former Gunner great Tony Adams) was not televised and it sounds like that was a good thing. The Gunners eked out a much-needed 1-0 win (with Gallass scoring the winner - this guy drives me crazy. I think he's given up as many winning or equalizing goals as he's scored for us) at home but failed to score until late, late in the day despite playing Portsmouth. Need I repeat they were playing Portsmouth!

From a numbers standpoint, I guess 4 goals in 2 games is decent enough. They're still within 10 of league leaders Liverpool and are very much alive in the battle for what's becoming Arsenal's historical fourth place slot in the league. However, the most recent games underscore everything that's wrong with Arsenal today: crap defense (2 excellent fullbacks, tho), a midfield (again, injury-depleted, I know) that probably is better suited for the Champions League, and strikers (with the exception of the outstanding RVP) who seem to be playing for a different team and on a different pitch, than the rest of the team.

Oh, yeah. And a manager who either doesn't see what's gone wrong with his decisions, or is so busy spinning the fans about how the team is coming together, that he is losing his ability to detect reality from his spin.

Next up is Plymouth in the FA Cup on Jan. 3rd and Bolton the following Saturday. Go Arsenal!

Fabregas Out Four...Who's In?

Arsenal Captain Cesc Fabregas is out for 3-4 months, the club revealed today. With the disappearance of Fabregas as he rehabs ruptured knee tendons, the club will have to find a new source of creativity and playmaking in a midfield depleted of well, midfielders. Tomas Rosicky is out. Theo Walcott is out. (neither of whom are central mids)

Denilson has played the holding role this season, before the injuries piled up. Can he play up the line? I don't think so. He still gives posession away an astounding number of times for a first-teamer.

In the past, people have hailed lanky Abou Diaby as the 2nd coming of Patrick Vieira. Recently, one fan commented that while he certainly looked like the 6'5" Arsenal great, it was a shame he didn't play like him.

Which is all a way of saying that Arsene must check his pockets for spare change and get out there and buy some players. Yet, he still contends that options abound.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger admitted he could now make a move for new players in the January transfer window.

"It is more likely but we also have internal solutions and we are not desperate," said Wenger.

Who? Jack Wilshere? Aaron Ramsey? Maybe, maybe two years from now, but not today.

And lest anyone think that the championship hangs in the balance, this is all about 4th Place. Positions 1-3 have been claimed and Villa is setting up the flag over 4th. With our results so far, and our leaky defense, we will do well from this point forward to fight for and capture 4th.

And I have to be a realist, we're not going to surpass Villa without a legitimate replacement for Fabregas. Even with a healthy Cesc, we were definitely having trouble.

And let's not forget that we still need a legit holding mid (perhaps Goklan Inler), and one or two tall, physical center backs. Amid the Arsenal transfer rumours, are whispers that Arsene is close to snagging Zenit St. Petersburg Midfielder Andrei Arshavin  and ludicrous hallucinations about a swoop for ManUre striker Carlos Tevez (Fergie'd never allow that, unless he'd tucked a time bomb underneath Carlito's jersey on the way out Old Trafford). The Ribery rumours are rife again. This time, with the added bonus of sending Bendtner to Germany (he may score there; I hear the goalposts are farther apart or some such thing).

Inexplicably, Milan, Juventus and PSG are among the clubs seeking the services of The Player Formerly Known As Captain. Let's get those papers signed quickly before they can get their hands on some game film!

I would hate to see Kolo Toure go, but Man City could use a top, athletic defender who occasionally forgets to mark his man and have the money to buy him.

Lee Dixon has an instructive analysis of Arsenal's defensive mistakes against Liverpool.

Costly Draw for Gunners

The Gunners nicked a point against the league leaders
Sunday at the Emirates with a thrilling, infuriating 1-1 draw. Despite a
positive result against table toppers

Liverpool

,
this one really felt like 2 dropped points, though I know I should view it differently.

 

Arsenal went up a goal off a simply brilliant strike by
Robin Van Persie. The Dutch striker made a brilliant run between the Reds’
center backs. Samir Nasri played a smart ball in, which RVP took out of the air
with his chest, directing the ball into the one place it could possible create
a chance, and slashed a right-footed shot past the diving boot of Carragher and
finding net before Pepe Reina figured out what was happening.

While they should've held the lead, it looked to me all the while that the back line was willing to see a Liverpool score. Sleepy? Somnambulent was more like it. Several times Keano got behind the napping Gallass and Djorou. Finally, with a minute to play in the first half Arsenal was made to pay as the out-of-form Liverpudlian striker got in form in a hurry.

I hate to say this about our defense, but it's true: We made Robbie Keane look like Fernando Torres!

Injury was added to insult as Captain Cesc was injured in the closing minutes of the half and looks to be out 2-3 weeks. Not what we needed to see. At the restart, our midfield looked, well, it's unfair  to say they looked like a Champsionship side midline but they certainly weren't the quality Arsenal fans have come to expect. Without Cesc on the pitch, they were shorn of creativity, out of ideas.

Before Gunners faithful had a chance to really worry about that, Howard Webb decided it was time to remind everyone who was in charge of the game, and what a travesty that was for all. Following a quite softer first half yellow to Ade, at around 55 minutes, Webbo gave him a second soft, yellow and ejected the baffled striker. (needless to say, the gaffer was not amused)

Webbhead then entertained the crowd by allowing Liverpool's fullback to continue crash into Arsenal players like a drunk at a New Year's Eve party before issuing his first yellow at 80 minutes. Amusing stuff, old man. Keep it up!

As so often is the case, the indignity of unfairly being reduced to 10 brought the team to a fever that had them looking more likely to notch another goal. The Reds seemed fearful of losing the points and never really re-oriented the lineup or the attach until much too late.

So, 10 men down, napping defense, Cesc gone, and a point is OK. But, this is another Big 4 match we should've prevailed in.

Oh, and now we're going into Aston Villa without Fabregas and Adebayor (and Walcott, Rosicky etc...)

Ljungberg Out Before Season Begins

Man, he hasn't even touched the pitch in a match and he's already out with an injury. I love Freddie for his Arsenal days but 'fragile' is an understatement.

Seattle Sounders FC's run of good news and high-profile

announcements stalled with the news that designated player Freddie

Ljungberg is expected to miss at least part of training camp and

possibly the team's inaugural game March 19 after undergoing surgery to

repair a hip condition.

The 31-year-old midfielder is expected to miss 10 to 12 weeks of

training, the team announced Friday, but is also expected to make a

full recovery. Ljungberg also had a previous hamstring problem

addressed.

Get better quickly, Freddie. I want to see you on the pitch!

Did I say Porto?

Damn American. Can't tell the furr-eneers apart. Of course, I meant Roma. But, I do know they're from different countries!

Aston Villa in a Lucky Win

Villa preemptively kept Arsenal at bay with a 1-0 win at Upton Park. This was an enjoyable game to watch, with great running around on both sides, though little to show in the goalbox. Even the game winner, was an unlikely and unlucky (for West Ham) matter of physics, as James Milner's desperation cross bounced off Lucas Neill and rainbowed over Keeper Robert Green and just under the far upper corner of the West Ham goal.

Really harsh stuff on the Hammers, I thought, as they had outplayed A.V. and looked the more likely to score. But fortune favors the fortunate, doesn't it?

Hopefully, the power stays on over night and I'm watching Arsenal beat Liverpool in the morning, regardless of the impact this game has on the table.

Arsenal Slated to Meet Porto

The final round of 16 (you'd say Sweet 16, if you were a Yank) is set and Arsenal have drawn FC Porto

And Gunner E-Boo-boy Emmanuel Eboue is dedicating himself to getting back on the pitch and winning over the Arsenal fans, including the knuckleheaded dipsticks that booed him off the field in what was admittedly one of the worst performances by an Arsenal player the Woolrich Arsenal factory was open.

sayeth the lad:

He told Arsenal TV Online ahead of Sunday's home game against
Liverpool: "I do not know why the fans did not back me, but that is
football and you cannot do anything about it.

"They pay money to watch Arsenal to win. Then when we do not
play well, not give our best performances on the pitch, they are very
angry.

"I do not blame them, and I hope they will all come out to
support us on Sunday, when we will try to do our best and try to win
the game for them.

It's hard not to like his spirit!

The Long Nightmare Is Over!

Fat Sam is back! Fat Sam is back!

Ferdinand: Gunners Out

ManUre hairstyle fashion victim and sometime centerback, Rio Ferdinand, today called the Arsenal EPL quest over. Shortly after, he noted that the EPL has 20 teams, of which, he expects about 3 to be relegated to a lower league. Seemingly emboldened with each prognostication, the lanky, languid, sometimes conscious defender predicted that football would continue to use a round-shaped ball the coming season, David Beckham still had hairstyles to discover, and ManUre Manager Alex Ferguson might have a bottle of wine before the end of the season...

Rosicky Perma-Crocked!

Cue the transfer window. We need a midfielder (actually 2).

Yank to Arsenal BooBirds: Show More Class!

Yeah, Emanuel Eboue was crap today. But the Arsenal fans at the Emirates who gave him stick at the end of the game and loudly applauded his substitution should go trade their tickets for seats at White Hart Lane. That lack of class doesn't belong on the Arsenal side. Even from my side of the ocean, watching the match on cable, I was embarrassed. Y'all sounded like a bunch of Americans. Really. Pathetic stuff.

I'm not Eboue's biggest fan, and if I'd been at the game, I'd have been muttering to myself about his disastrous play - and yes, I think Wenger was right to sub him off as he was liable to cost us 2 points - but still, he's a Gunner. Show him support not derision. Give him a reason to come back in the next game and kick some ass. Otherwise, as I said before, go cheer for the Tots. Wankers.

Rant off.

There was also a game today, which Arsenal won 1-0, grabbing a desperately needed 3 points. It wasn't a bad game at all, but the Gunners continued to have difficulty scoring. Ade's goal was equal parts blind fortune and graft and we hit the freakin' woodwork twice! Wigan played a very good game, particularly that pesky, hardworking Lee Cattermole. Arsenal had little time to settle and posess in the first half. The game opened up for both sides in the 2nd half and the final ten minutes were nervy, nervy moments for Arsenal fans as Wigan pressed and Arsenal was rocking on their heels.

Over at SoccerNet, the assessment of Arsenal continues to be severe. I can't say I like it. Can't say I disagree, either:

ARSENAL VERDICT: Soccernet's Insider may not be popular with
Arsenal fans again as this was the sort of display that confirms all
the doubts stated in my previous article are justified. Nervous under
set-plays, ready to crack as they clung onto a lead late on and guilty
of missing chances galore, Wenger must know he has major problems on
his hands.

Nonetheless, all's well that end's well. Next up is Port in the CL. Go Gunners!