Arsenal Take The Points At Eastlands, Go to Second in the Table

Here is a phrase I never thought I'd write: Lukasz Fabianski-Man of the Match. The much-maligned young keeper had a strong, consistent and at times outstanding game for the Gunners as they won 3-0 at Eastlands against the megabucks Blues.

While the Mancs had the money, they were short a man early on, as referee Mark Clattenburg rightly ejected defender Dedryck Boyata in the 5th minute for a last-man scything of Marouane Chamakh. If you just checked the scoreline you'd think the Gunners ran away with it from there, but the 3-goal shutout is a bit misleading. Once Samir Nasri scored on a really sharp goal after playing give-and-go with Arshavin, the team receded significantly.

In fact, for long stretches of the first half I watched this from the edge of my futon, certain that Tevez was just about to bust through for a dam-burster. Arsenal grew sloppy in posession and passing through the rest of the half (with the Little Russian the most culpable of the lot) and did not look anything like you'd expect of the Gunners with a man-advantage. It wasn't as if Man City were doing a tremendous amount to complicate things; Arsenal just kept shooting themselves in the foot (or feet, if you will). And when Joe Hart made a smart save of Fabregas' PK, it looked like momentum had turned a pale shade of blue.

This match convinced me that Roberto Mancini will not survive the season. He didn't make any decisive substitutions to change the attacking potential of his side. Our defenders showed themselves to be vulnerable all match long (Djourou and Clichy being the worst of the lot). And yet, he was satisfied to run at us with Micah Richards and Gareth Barry?! I could coach that badly for a quarter of the cost (call me, Sheikh Mansour). The substitution at half was Wayne Bridge (injury to Ya Ya Toure). All that money, and Wayne Bridge is what you have on the bench?

Fortunate for us, as Bridgie's feeble toe-poke clearance provided a perfect set-up for Song's insurance goal blast. By the time, Bendtner came on to score the inevitable third goal in the late stages, Man City were done and toasted.

There was much to concern the Arsenal fan from this match. We were quite sloppy and made poor decisions for large stretches of the game. Djourou never looked like a capable defender until ol' Lazy Legs Emmanuel Adebayor came on. Wenger insists on starting Andrey Arshavin, who continues to fade in and out of games, while coughing up the ball regularly. (Rosicky has earned the chance to start a few matches, IMHO) The entire team was guilty of the over-cooking for which Arsenal has become famous for. Does Arsene not let them practice shooting in training?

We also need some practice tackling. As in some recent league games, several Arsenal players have been guilty of some let's say, Bolton-like tackles, the kind which the Boss has been critical of in the press. Fortunately, the team settled down at halftime and re-focused on Arsenal football.

But, the bottom line is that the Gunners worked hard throughout the game, stayed with their style of football and got an important 3 points on the road in a tough environment. We're getting players back (Bendtner and Walcott got some field time) and we didn't suffer any injuries. And our goalkeeper looked sharp and confident throughout the game. Fabianski started with a low diving save of a goalbound Silva strike in the first minute, and made a number of goal-denying saves throughout. And for me, Fabs is starting to look more confident and definitive on crosses and set pieces. I hope the trend continues. As things stand, I would prefer he stay in goal over Almunia.

Glazers to Buy Wayne the World

...perhaps The Scot wasn't behind all this is some Machiavellian master-stroke to force the ownership into revitalizing the franchise, but it does look as if Uncle Malc has promised young Wayne an awful lot: 300K per week, 11 new players, including Wesley Sneijder, Martin Stekelenburg, Lassana Diarra, Luis Suarez, a new pony, and the Kingdom of Narnia.

Geez, talk about spoiling your kids. Anyways, I'm very interested to see how this all plays out for the 8-15 ManUre players Wayne is implicitly and/or explicitly deeming surplus to his requirements. Plus, the ever loyal Roo, who only wants what's best for the club has ensured there is a buyout clause that could allow him to leave as early as next summer.

Scot 1 Yanks 0?

I must be getting cynical with age, but am I the only one suspicious of Fergie-Rooney collusion in forcing (both squad and salary) concessions from the Glazers? This whole episode smelled rotten from the start.

Fergie even pulled Patrice Evra in on it. Has to be. If the Frenchman doesn't refuse to train with Rooney then you know something's up. BTW, no wonder all of France was 'peesed' off at the French National Team for refusing to train in South Africa. That's so un-French. They should've rioted instead.

Now, I am getting cynical.

MUFC Fans Sour on Rooney

What side will Manchester United fans choose? A couple of signs seen at Old Trafford during the Champions League match against Bursaspor:

Who's the whore now, Wayne?

and

Coleen forgave you. We won't

Ouch.

Fox Soccer Ruins Arsenal V. Shaktar Donetsk Telecast

Fox Soccer Network gets a red card for an idiotic decision to switch from Arsenal's Champions League match at 50 minutes for...(wait for it)...a press conference from the Seattle Mariners to introduce their new manager. First, noone cares about baseball's worst team. No one. And trading live coverage of a real match, with real goals happening, for a frickin' press conference is just dumb. So, big raspberry to to Fox Soccer.

That out of the way, this match was in cruise position for Arsenal early on, as the Gunners won 5-1, with only a consolation score for ex-Gunner Eduardo. Defensive mistakes killed Shaktar. First, Keeper Pyatov dropped an easy catch in front of the goal. Djourou stabbed at it, pushed the ball past the keeper, and Song tried a fancy behind the leg kick that bounced off a diving defender, and Song and into the goal. In the 42nd, defenders failed to win a defelcted Song cross and Nasri smartly played the ball into space and thumped a left-footed blast under the cross bar.

Shaktar showed very little in the game, leaving the announcers to question the strength of the Russian league where they lead the table. Luis Fabiano came out in the 2nd half, either energized or ticked off, as he got a good look at goal early in the 2nd half, that Flappy made a good stop on. A few minutes later the corn-rowed Brazilian ignored the referee's warning on an Arsenal free kick and blatanly wrestled Djourou down in the box, earning a penalty kick for Arsenal. Fabs slotted the 3rd goal.

Not that I saw the 3rd goal, thanks to the networking geniuses at Fox Soccer Network. So, the following comments are from reviewing highlights. Jack Wilshere scored a nice, nice goal after working a 1-2 with Rosicky. Chamakh got goal no. 5 on a funny play. The ball was lobbed over the Shaktar defenders who bet it all on the offsides trap. Chamakh was in clean and actually took time to look at the linesmen to see if he'd raised his flag, before hitting the shot past the keeper.

Bottom line is this is an important victory for the Gunners, near ensuring them of winning the group and going through to the knockout stage of the Champions League. And, the win came without putting too much on the line, allowing the team to prepare for Man City on Sunday without adding anymore injuries.

The standouts for me were Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky (please, Arsene, play him more often!) and Chamakh. The latter player does so much off the ball. Even when he isn't scoring, he is working on both sides of the ball to help the team. A very likable player. Fabregas was not in full game shape, obviously, but was still influential to the team. Nasri also had very positive moments, including of course, his goal, but I'd like to see him working harder on defense and off the ball.

But the player who has to work hardest coming off this game is Fox Soccer. They had an absolute howler and need to work hard to get back in the good graces of the fans.

Bring on the Mancs!

Wazza Wants Out?!

This is shocking news (if true) that Wayne Rooney wants out of Manchester United. Though not a fan of SAF, he is a hell of a manager and is doing everything he can to protect young Wazza from the results of his attempts at self-destruction. If Rooney can't see that, he's dumber than he looks.

Speaking of dumb, or possibly on drugs, some speculate that Rooney could head to the MLS. Really?! I suppose that'll pave the way for Messi, Drogba and all the other international footballers just waiting to come to the US to play in front of 10,000 people in San Jose.

A Win Like Beating Yourself in the Head, Repeatedly

Although Arsenal emerged at the other end of 90 minutes of Birmingham at Emirates today, the 2-1 win felt surprisingly painful and repetitive. The Gunners appeared slow and unconvincing with only rare glimpses of the brilliant football espoused by the club's manager, Arsene Wenger.

Although they dominated possession, the Arsenal looked as dangerous as a rubber chicken. Time after time, ventures into the Birmingham box were over-elaborated with square passes, moving the ball side-to-side, while generously allowing the defense to get organized.

While the opposition did not look very dangerous in possession, they always looked capable of scoring off a set piece. Free kicks and corners had me nervous and mumbling under my breath.

The Birmingham goal, in the 33rd minute, came off a throw-in that was only grudgingly defended. Liam Ridgewell had all day to receive a pass, look up to find the 8-foot-tall (that may be a slight exaggeration) Zigic in the box, smoke a cigarette and then send in a cross that the monster Serbian striker expertly headed around a fully-stretched Flappy-Hanski and into the goal. I don't know if Zigic can really play striker in the EPL, but that was a classic header.

While there was little Flaps could do to stop the shot, both he and the defense deserve criticism on the positioning. Ziggie was sitting deep in the box waiting, ever waiting. Neither Djourou, Squillacci or the Polish keeper thought to push the defense up and deprive Birmingham of the opportunity to loiter so deep in our area. Other than that, Flaps had a decent game, though optimism should be tempered by the fact that he has figured in goal in 7 losses in the last 11 games he's played in.

Arsenal got back in the game before the half on a somewhat light penalty, but there was some contact on Chamakh and it was a bad tackle at best. Nasri did the job to equalize. After that, you could sense it was all coming to naught for Birmingham.

While the 3 points is much appreciated, I found the anemic Arsenal performance more significant. The team never looked convincing, and many of the players looked unhurried, uninterested and perhaps less talented than the sort of players we'd hope to have starting, even again Birmingham. There are more underperformers than not on this side. Players like Djourou, Diaby, Eboue, Arshavin, Song, Flaps, and Clichy just do not look good enough to wear the Arsenal jersey. I know, I know. We have a lot of starters injured, but the results suggest we do not have much strength on the bench.

I hate to be the cynic, and I am proud that Arsenal are a rare beacon of fiscal sanity in the Premiership, but are we pennysise and pound foolish? Are those record profits reflected in every pass Diaby sends astray, every shot not taken, every breath held while fans hope that Flaps doesn't bang the corner kick into our own goal?

Of the above listed players, Diaby and Arshavin are the worst offenders. Diaby is notable because of the long, long rope the manager has given him, and the general consensus by everyone except Wenger that Diaby is never going to be Patrick Vieira. Arshavin, on the other hand, is a high-priced acquisition who is currently giving a Rooney-like performace. That would be the contemporary can't-score-to-save-his-life Rooney. He is careless in possession, passes when he should shoot, and shoots like a blind defender when he does shoot. His high goal total is misleading, as he has largely been a liability for Arsenal this season.

So, while 3 points are welcome indeed, it doesn't mask the deep, structural inadequacies in the Arsenal roster. 

More From the Ashes of the Toronto Game

Catching up on my reading of the Toronto Globe and Mail this morning, and this item caught my eye in Paul James' post-game piece critical of TFC's management and team:

Meanwhile Osvaldo Alonso in the middle of the park displayed one reason why Julian de Guzman has been so poor this season. Athletically he just cannot compete with the Alonso brand of player. And there are plenty in Major League Soccer. But even on the technical side of things JDG and Nick Labrocca were found wanting when compared to the Cuban exile. At an approximate salary of $70,000 Alonso appears to be another bargain within Major League Soccer.

True enough. Ozzie was a terror in the Toronto midfield, harrying players, dispossessing, moving the ball effectively for Seattle. I wouldn't be too hard on the TFC players, though. Ozzie does this to most teams. For my money, the man is definitely the engine room of the Sounders.

McMahon on Arsenal

Bobby McMahon on Fox Soccer Report tonight regarding Arsenal on Sunday:

"As dangerous as a rubber knife..."

Ouch. 

Men V. Boys, Part, Oh, I Don't Know, 20?

I'll just start out by saying that well before this morning's 2-0 loss at Chelsea, (more here) I'd made my peace with the fact that Arsenal will not win any trophies this season. In fact, I'd recognized this painful fact at the close of the transfer window when Monsieur Le Professeur had not signed a top notch keeper, instead electing to throw our fate into the shaky, uncertain hands of Manuel "Spanglish" Almunia and Lukasz Flappyhandsky.

Despite some early signs of the usual Arsenal flair and brilliance for making the beautiful game beautiful, my conclusion had been reinforced by an early and burgeoning injury list, which of course, included Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas. And so I traveled through the stages of grief and had reached acceptance by kick-off time of today's game.

(and yes, I know it's early, and you can never count out teams this early in the season. I'll even admit that Wolves have a chance for the title at this point...mathematically)

Instead of whining on about our failure to beat Chelsea and all that, I want to attend to several growing concerns I have about the 2010 vintage of Arsenal FC.

For the 4th or 5th season going, Arsenal look like boys to Chelsea's men. I'm not talking about age here. In fact, the best Arsenal player on the pitch (again) was 18-year-old Jack Wilshere. No, Chelsea looked confident, assured, composed and efficient. We looked unsure and were wasteful in our possession and finishing. We ran around to no great effect. Chelsea always looked dangerous to score. As the game went on, we grew increasingly impotent (talk about a contradiction in terms!).

Didier Drogba. Thirteen goals in 13 games against Arsenal?! At some point, if we don't stop him from scoring against us, our players will develop Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. God knows, most of the fans have. I can't watch a Chelsea match against any team without breaking into a cold sweat.

Andrey Arshavin. This cat's killing me. He has had a horrible start to the season. He looks uninvolved, uninspired and unconscious at times. He'll rip off a mortar blast of a shot and get you thinking, 'alright now, the little Russian has woke up. Goals are coming.' And that's all he does. At one point, he made a great play to get the ball off Ivanovic, then lazily passed it to Essien. Instead of chasing Essien, he just threw up his arms and stopped playing. Hello, Arsene? We have a problem here.

Arsene's Misplaced Faith. The team has far too many players that have been potential this or that for far too many seasons. Abou Diaby-Doo is a prime example. It's evident he's never going to be Patrick Vieira. At this point, he'll never even be Jermaine Jenas. Yet, there he is on the field for the biggest match of the young season. Add to this list, Almunia, Flappyhandski, Denilson, Bendtner, Rosicky. Yes, it's a great testament to Arsene's abilities to see the team produce a Fabregas, a Wilshere. But surround them with Diaby's and really, what's the point?

Song Sung Blue. Alex Song had a breakout year in 2009 and was a major reason the team did so well for much of the year. His tenacious defense in the holding midfield role provided great cover for what was a fragile defense. He's started the year poorly, though. He's getting beat and giving away possession, leading today to Chelsea's 2nd goal. Add to that his Harpo Marx hairstyle and he's given Arsenal fans a lot to regret during the first month.

The Finishing. Yes, we've knocked in a ton of goals in the majority of our games, but the points we've dropped have come in games in which we had opportunity after opportunity, only to see it thwarted by inaccuracy (Kos' missed header from almost inside the goal still has my head spinning)

Arsene Getting Outcoached in the Big Ones. I haven't done my homework on this one, so I'm going to gut feeling and shoddy memory, but it seems to me that in the big match-ups in the EPL, Arsene is getting beaten tactically by SAF, back in the day Jose Mourinho, and now Carlos Ancelotti. Certainly, Jose Mourinho had the Frenchman's number (and he had Didier Drogba, to boot). The change from previous games was to put Diaby-Doo behind the lead striker, a position he is materially unsuited for by the fact that he either holds the ball too long, or gives it up cheaply. If Le Professeur needed a reminder, well the West Brom game tapes are proably still available.He may have wanted Wilshere back, as he is a better defender than the lacksadaisical French midfielder, but the attack was starved of creativity and sharp passing. When it happened it was usually because jack had come forward.

The defense played its dangerous high line, which usually is all the red meat Drogba needs. It came close to disaster several times in the game, most notably when Anelka scuffed a 1-v-1 with the keeper wide of goal. But seriously, didn't Arsene watch any of the previous Chelsea games? There's plenty of evidence that Chelsea can and will exploit this.

On the 2nd goal, Arsenal either suffered from inattention or simply weren't prepared for Malouda to drop out of the Arsenal line, creating a gap through which Alex blasted a shot that found upper near corner and looked powerful enough to land in the Atlantic. A defender behind Malouda and that goal wouldn't have scored and the game would still be within reach.

These are things to watch, and hope they improve, over the season. It's not all bad, of course. There have been some good things early in this season, and I'll write abut this next.

With A Slogan Like This...

"When you gotta go, but wanna stay."

I'm sure that speaks to so many of us who don't mind the feeling (and likely aroma) of a plastic bag of urine taped to one's calf. The Stadium Pal is marketed mostly towards sports fans. I will definitely be eyeing my fellow Sounders fans differently at the Open Cup tomorrow night. They have a Stadium Gal for the lady sports fan, as well (thus making shopping for a Christmas gift for the wife so much easier this year).

And Biorelief is not just aiming to make a quick buck off the unrelieved masses. They are fighting the scourge of illegal public urination:

As harmless as it may sound, public urination is a crime.   Different jurisdictions have different punishments, but some places like New Orleans can slap a thousand dollar fine on you and even make you spend the night in the slammer- somewhere you really don’t want to have to take a leak. Seems pretty extreme for just answering nature’s call, but nonetheless, the law is the law.   Do you really want to get torn from the party before it is over? 

Not ones to miss out on true business synergy, the folks at BioRelief feature links to a site selling the Beerbelly portable beer pouch, and for ladies, the Wine Rack (oh, just guess).

Sounders Step Closer To Playoffs By Beating Toronto

Pure joy. That was the feeling I experienced for much of the Sounders' 90-minute, 3-goal deconstruction of Toronto FC at Qwest Field Saturday. The team looked as sharp as they every have, moving the ball crisply, getting in for nearly every challenge and defending well, with two notable exceptions. The win moved the team to 42 points in the league table and brought a playoff spot within sight. A win or draw Saturday against KC will clinch the postseason.

Some games come down to key moments, turning points and you might think the 3-2 scoreline saw the game turn at crucial moments. But this was 90 minutes of Sounders soccer. The boys ended the game playing the same way they started, spreading the ball around patiently, dominating possession, testing and teasing Toronto's defensive shape. They moved forward as cracks developed in the Toronto defense, finished strongly, and defended the occasional counterattacks.

Toronto's initial score came entirely against the run of play after 14 minutes. Where this team would've imploded with frustration earlier in the season, they didn't panic and kept playing their game. The first reward for their patience was a thing of beauty. Osvaldo Alonso laid a perfectly weighted pass between the defender and the keeper, and Steve Zakuani's speed brought his feet to the ball just before Toronto's keeper got there. He took a touch around Frei and tapped home the equalizer.

From where I sit in Section 119, the play unfolded directly in front of our seats. Pure joy. To see the pass elude the defender and arrive in no man's land, to not believe the Zakuani could reach it in time. Then to see him look up at the open net and 32,000 people saw the same thing as the winger: the Sounders were going to win this game. And then the ball was in the back of the net and I was jumping up and down, swinging my Sounders scarf around in celebration.

Nobody believed this game would remain tied. Not the Sounders. Not the Toronto players. No one in the stands. This was our day.

Blaise Nkufo extended his recent run of brilliance, powerfully heading in his 5th goal in 3 games for the winner. The half ended with Seattle up 2-1 and all we needed was an insurance goal.

The Sounders continued to maintain possession in the game's latter half, showing a patience that eluded them with the peripatetic Swede in command. In his place, Nate Sturgis quietly commanded the midfield, moving the ball from one side to another, hitting the seams when they opened up, moving the ball to the backfield when Toronto's defense needed to be unpacked. All the while they built pressure, created opportunities. When Toronto defender Adrian Carr turned a vital clearance into a hospital pass through the middle of the area, Gambian Sanna Nyassi stepped into a thunderous left-footed shot to the upper near corner. There was nothing for the hapless Toronto keeper to do to stop the shot; he could only wave wildly, as if he'd just seen his family in the stands.

Nyassi fell to the Qwest Field turf, overcome with emotion at his first MLS goal. As teammates piled on to him, that joy circulated around the stadium.