Newcastle 0 – Arsenal 0: Barton and the Ref the Talking Points Again

By: Homey | August 13th, 2011

Except for the lack of goal scoring, this game reminded us quite a bit of the one at Newcastle last year. So let’s get right to the controversy, shall we? In about the 75th minute, Gervinho made a move in the box, and was clearly fouled. It was one of those where if it’s outside the box, it’s an easy foul call. But yet when it’s in the box, the game quite often rolls on. Anyway, Barton was apparently upset that Gervinho had the nerve to fall down after being tripped, and he grabbed Gervinho by the shirt pretty aggressively. Gervinho responded with a light face slap, which caused Barton to fall as though he were hit by a freight train. It would have made Rivaldo proud, I’m sure. Anyway, the ref got that one wrong on a couple of fronts, and so I’m sure fans will feel aggrieved once again. I don’t feel quite the same way, for reasons I’ll discuss a little later. But if there would have been an immediate penalty call, then I don’t think Barton would have the time or chance to start the melee in the first place. We’d have gone to the spot with a chance for a 1-0 lead. Instead, play continued, and Barton was able to start the fracas while the ref had apparently turned away. So the ref either missed Barton’s initial actions, plus his blatant fakery, or the ref felt all of that only merited a yellow card. Either way, it was a tough result for us at that point. From there on, we made merely defensive substitutions, and basically tried to hold on for one point.

Now, before I’m labeled as too much of an Arsenal homer here, I’ll present the other side of the coin. In the 59th minute, Song got away with a clear stamp on the back of (who else?) Barton’s leg. Song was already carrying a yellow at the time, and I have no idea what he was doing. He easily should have been sent off right there. If the ref had gotten that one correct, then perhaps the game would have changed at that point, and the Gervinho incident would never have happened. Either way, one could argue that the bad calls ended up roughly even, so I don’t want to blame this on the ref entirely. Furthermore, there’s still no excuse for the actions of Song and Gervinho. I get that Barton can be a jerk, and I get that he totally flopped when touched by Gervinho. Still, that sort of thing happens all the time. We have to keep in control of our emotions.
>
We started with a fairly predictable formation and lineup. I’ve heard it described as a 4-2-3-1, along with other descriptions. With Rosicky and Ramsey in the middle, I would probably describe it as more of a 4-1-4-1. Perhaps Rosicky was a bit more advanced in his position than Ramsey, but Song was really our only true defensive midfielder. Gervinho and Arshavin started out on the wings, and switched sides a number of times during the match.

The first half looked like many matches we’ve seen in previous years – generally in control, owning the majority of the possession and chances, but without a real breakthrough. According to ESPN’s stats, we had 70% of the first half possession, with three corner kicks, and the bulk of the chances. At the other end, Wojo looked strong and in control, with a couple of key punches to safety.

Our chances began with a Rosicky shot early on that went a few feet wide. In the 18th minute, RvP fired from close range, but it was deflected out for a corner. I thought our best potential chance came in the 27th, when a pass forward broke Arshavin open for a 2-on-1 with a lone defender back. I thought he should have dribbled forward more, to make the defender commit one way or another. However, he immediately tried the long, forward pass, which was intercepted, and so we wasted that one. In the 31st minute, Koscielny had a header cleared off the line, so that may have been our best chance. And finally, in the 43rd minute, Arshavin made up for his previous wasted chance with a beautiful lofted pass that landed at RvP’s feet, but van Persie did nothing with it. And so the half ended with a whimper at 0-0.

In the second half, rather than creating even more chances, it seemed to me that we fell off the pace a bit. Newcastle had more possession, although still not many clear chances. Their best chance of the whole match may have been Cabaye on a half-chance in the box in the 61st.

Our best chance may have been the RvP free kick in the 55th that went just over the bar. Theo had a decent shot in the 64th that Krul did well to control. And Djourou of all people had a chance to lead a breakaway in the dying moments, but his pass was poor, Theo mishandled it in the end, and the chance came to nothing. Other than that, we didn’t threaten too much. The final stats show 11 Arsenal shots, but only 2 on goal.

Overall, I think we’d have to look at this more like two points dropped, rather than one point gained. While you could argue that with our current injuries and uncertainties, a draw isn’t too bad away from home. But still, much of our roster problems are our own doing, I would have to say. We knew a long time ago the season started on August 13, and I would have liked to believe we would be more ready. There were some positives to take from it, such as the back four plus Wojo. And just the fact we kept an opponent off the scoreboard, which has been a rarity lately. But still, teams that win titles generally find a way past the Newcastles of the world, and this is another indication that our current lineup isn’t suited to win big things. With Gervinho out due to suspension for a couple of key matches, perhaps that will heighten the realization that we need a few more players. But that’s a blog for another day, I suppose.

On to the ratings:

Wojo – 6. I would have rated him higher, because he really didn’t do any wrong. And I’m sure a goalie getting a yellow isn’t cause for alarm in the long run. But still, there is a lack of discipline that pervades the roster at times. Why does he need to run to the other end of the field to get involved in that mess? Anyway, I’m probably being harsh. It was a solid performance, without a whole lot to do.
Sagna – 7.5. A few crosses went off target, and he had a left-footed shot that went way over the bar. Or at least I think it was a shot. Still, for me, if you’re a member of the back four, your primary job is to not allow goals. So a job well done in that area, again.
Vermaelen – 7.5. Same comment as with Sagna and the others. He did pick up a yellow, but at least it was for defending and not anything crazy. It’s good to see him back in the lineup. Dare I say that it’s like a new signing?
Koscielny – 8. Man of the Match. When a game ends 0-0, it seems natural that the man of the match should be a goalie or defender. He had a header cleared off the line in the first half. Other than that, Kos wasn’t super noticeable, but didn’t make any mistakes either. A very assured performance overall.
Gibbs – 7.5. He, like Sagna, did well in defending. The yellow he picked up was a bit harsh. And a few crosses could have been better. Still, let’s hope he stays healthy and continues on like this.
Song – 4.5. He did his role well, in terms of breaking up attacks and such. But still, he should have been sent off, so I’ll rate him accordingly. That’s the sort of thing that costs teams points and possibly titles.
Ramsey – 6. A central midfielder needs to be more noticeable, unlike defenders. He didn’t make any major blunders that I recall, but didn’t slice open the defense either. If only we had a true playmaker in the middle, a “rudder” sort of player…
Rosicky – 5.5. I like the guy, but still don’t think he’s good enough to really create goals. He had a good chance to shoot at the very beginning, but missed by several feet. I don’t remember too many other big moments from him.
Arshavin – 5.5. Subbed off in the 61th minute. As already mentioned, he wasted one good chance, but created another that RvP couldn’t do much with. I don’t recall any other magic today other than that.
Gervinho – 4. Even before “the incident,” I was thinking that he’s probably going to be about like Walcott. Which isn’t a terrible thing, but also means he’s probably not a world class sort of player either. He did a lot of running and trying to create, but time and again, the last ball was off target. The ref did miss the foul in the box, and I can understand wanting to take a shot at Barton in that situation. Still, you just can’t do that. Can’t.
Van Persie – 5.5. It just wasn’t clicking today for some reason. If one wanted to defend RvP, one could argue that the service was lacking. But the few times he had chances, or took corners, there wasn’t much to it. The free kick that sailed just over was the best chance he had, but there wasn’t enough beyond that. We needed him to be our star in the absence of others, but he didn’t get that done for us today.

Subs:

Walcott – 6. He did fire off a nice shot in the 64th that could have created a rebound chance. But other than that, not much from him.
Frimpong – No rating. He came on late to salvage a draw, and didn’t do a whole lot.
Djourou – No rating. He came on very late, and as already noted, he didn’t do well with the chance he could have created. Still, it’s hard to blame a central defender for not opening up the defense on a counterattack.

——————————————————————–
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Galatians 6:7.

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Category: Arsenal News, Match Review, Newcastle

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Smartrip

We are in far worse shape than I thought. I'm going to remain as positive as possible but that performance was quite alarming.
Frankly, I think I've been saying "it'll be ok, we can still do it" too much this offseason. I know this is only the first game but I'll say that I'm quite worried. Hopefully something drastic will happen because I'm not sure we're even going to be close to challenging for the title if this is going to be our "new normal."

Very sad to see Cesc go, btw. I'm not sure if it's for the better but good luck to him - he put in a very good shift as a gunner.
FredJacob

hi there!
no more strict deadlines http://www.mdzol.com/tools/red... talk to you later.
FredJacob

hi there!
no more strict deadlines http://www.mdzol.com/tools/red... talk to you later.
FredJacob

hi there!
no more strict deadlines http://www.mdzol.com/tools/red... talk to you later.
TJ

And he's officially gone: Thank you for your time, Cesc Fabregas.
Dwisol

we showed the same failings in attack as ever,
slow build up, we allow them to get back in to defend almost as it we
think it unfair to score if all their defenders aren't back in place.
Gervihno has some pace but the ball keeps getting stuck under his feet.
And he slowed down a number of quick breaks by having a face-off with
the full back when he needed to either shoot or get a ball in.

Song is an idiot.

Joey Barton can still start a fight in a room on his own, but I would
say he was probably the most influential player on the pitch.

Barton should have gone for grabbing Gervihno, but then Song should have
gone for stamping. So evens there. I think both were missed by the
ref, and while the assistant ref may have seen Barton misdemeanor, by
the time he spoke to the assistants he had already given out the
punishment.

Gervihno deserved a red, but I am mystified by the ref's selective vision.

The defending looked good. Tommy V and Kos could be a decent
partnership if they stay fit. Scz reads the game and reats well,
snuffed out any over the top balls that our high defensive line invites.
Gibbs is the weak link. But lets be clear, Newcastle aren't a top
draw attacking threat so we'll see. The bindippers will provide a
decent test there.

Overall, nothing to suggest that my thoughts on the season ahead are wrong:

- we won't be challenging for the title

- we will finish 4th or 5th

"Spend some fucking money" came over loud and clear so well done again to the travelling gooners.
bobjcanada

I'm sure that Man U, Man C, Chelsea etc, are shaking in their boots after yesterdays' display. (joke).

AW said back in May that he knew exactly what areas needed to be adressed. Unfortunately for us, the most important deficiency was the lack of 17 olds at the club. Notice how fast he fixed that, but as for any meaningful changes (get rid of the dead wood, bring some players with balls), its been the predictable dithering. Did AW make needed changes last summer? No. Did he make any in January? No,

Arsenal are no better than they were at the end of the mess that was the end of last season. We have lots of possession, but cant make any kind of scoring chance (let alone score a goal). Pathetic.

The defence and goalkeeping was good yesterday (playing Newcastle, mind you), but the reserves bench has no backup. Up front the same old, same old. Rosicky tries hard and runs all over but nothing ever comes of it, just like last year.

Fabregas and Nasri are the smart ones. They know a sinking ship when they see one
brenton

Might as well leave, then?

ManU barely beat West Brom. Chelsea couldn't beat Stoke away. Liverpool couldn't beat Sunderland at home.
FredJacob

these are the same side who we couldn't be last year either so guess we are equal to them
Rohann A

you really think so?
still waiting to see your infamous website
Homey_Mills

I can't say I really disagree with you. Perhaps you've just come to this blog since I started with my anti-Wenger rants in the last couple of months. Anyway, good to have you. I know we're all frustrated, but maybe to different levels.
Sophie

Hmm. The officiating was not good, but it was bad on both sides, and I refuse to blame a performance on officiating when a player of ours has made such an egregious error as Gervinho did. Regardless of the circumstances, it was unprofessional. He can shout and all he wants, but he is harming his team in an unacceptable way by losing his temper and touching Joey Barton. Completely agree with the rating.

Overall, lackluster performance. I wasn't impressed, but Liverpool and Chelsea also drew to teams they should have beaten. Points dropped, but deservedly.
Sophie

Oh, and from the Man U game today, Rio Ferdinand is out for six weeks, Rafael da Silva for ten, and Vidic is hurt for an undetermined amount of time. So, the task in a couple of weeks should be a little easier than it would've been.
brenton

Sophie, are you same as the one who comments on the Sounders page?
Sophie

I am indeed. Seattle native
Perry S.

1 game in and the Arsenal world and pundits are talking like Revelations' (that one is for Homey) predictions have come to life for Arsenal. Ease up people, have a look at the rest of the league, week 1 didn't work out too well for most others you'd expect a 'W' from...Man U got lucky (save your "good to be lucky, lucky to be good").

Positives = Defense looked good, though we really weren't tested too often. Keeper still looks confident, and will continue to get better (think we really do have a top flight keeper here). Gervinho will be great, give him time...with that much romance with the ball, he's going to make things happen.

Negatives = We still need a top class playmaker and another option at strike for those occassions when RVP is just not clicking (however rare that is, its a good option to have), and finally, this team needs the two players with no Arsenal heart to leave ASAP so we can all move on & get on with purchasing who we need.

"That cannon on your shirt is worth more than any player’s wishes..."
brenton

Cesc has flown to Barcelona, if you believe some guy who told his friend who then tweeted it.
JG

Apparently he will be presented to the home crowd tomorrow.
You know, as much as we cynically joke that he will be a 35 million benchwarmer (and then proceed to cry in our pillows), he's going to be a hit at Barca, either this season or in the future. A shame that we couldn't have kept him for at least one more year, but those Catalan douchebags couldn't stand to not have Cescies any longer.
Perry S.

What happens when he fails his medical due to a hereditary problem with his hernia? Some fans will say they wish him well, but I honestly have lost so much respect for him through this whole saga, that I could careless of his career moving forward.
Bumblefock

yeah, heard that cesc is gone from the el classico commentator now.
@perry - vertebrae hernia?
Bumblefock

they also said there's some weird payment structure - 14mln up front, 14mln in october - the rest of it nobody can figure out when and where they come from. as for cesc position in barca, i'm pretty sure he won't be polishing the bench. xavi is injuried at today's game again. he's not getting younger, so cesc will get his playtime a plenty
Tfyoung

Totally deflated now like a manic depressive. Agree with most of the comments. A long and boring season awaits. I'll have to go back to supporting my second team... Whoever's playing Manu....
FredJacob

atleast we have better keeper than ManU lol...

hope i still laughing at the end of the season
FredJacob

highlights in case you still wanna watch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
Rohann A

here u are posting another video
that really is all u can do hahahahahahaha
FredJacob

shorten version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
FredJacob

my bad can't show any highlights because of the stuff with barton
Bumblefock

just looked up the stats - how is this possible that barton only got 3 reds in his entire career? fucking awful
brenton

Of all people, Gary Neville is rising to defend Wenger in his column in the Daily Mail. Worth your time, Homey.
degeros

I personally thought Gervinho did pretty badly. Every time he got the
ball on the wing, he tried to pull off a Valencia, i.e. to suddenly
burst pass the defender and put in a cross, but none of them even came remotely close to an Arsenal player. Definitely not what I was expecting of him.
Kent876

Who here really think Arse Wenger will bring in the quality signings we need to challenge in these last 2 weeks of the transfer window? Really? I watched his post match comments and he was more focused on the incident with Barton in an effort to deflect the short comings of our current first 11.
Homey_Mills

I've only been saying the same thing in my blogs all summer.
Kas123

For me, Gibbs was more like a 6 at certain points in the game he disappeared, but did make some connections with Gerv on the left and some decent defending. Gerv was pretty lively, attempted to create some chances but his final product leaves alot to be desired, and he was wrongly sent off, I think he deserved a 6.5. Arshavin had a few good moments including that flick pass to RVP that he wasted, he was bundled off the ball too easy at times, and failed to track back, but in the first 30 mins he was pretty good, I may say 6. Song was pretty solid today, he stomped on Barton, but in retrospect he deserved it. He won balls, cleaned up in defence, held up the ball well, and made intelligent passes a 7 is what i say, but for hugging Barton at the end I give him a 6.5. Thats what I think, but again its all subjective.
Homey_Mills

Well, I commend you for giving me a few of your own ratings, unlike some of the others. But of course I have to respond, right?
Gibbs for me was higher because of the way I view fullbacks. If they defend well, I'm not going to rate them too low. Anything beyond that is more like gravy for me.
Perhaps I was too harsh on Gervinho, but I still think he had a stinker of a game. Even without the red card.
With Song, how would you have rated him if he HAD been sent off for the stomp on Barton? I guess that's how I saw it. I doubt you'd have given him a 6.5. Especially if we'd have gone on to lose the game. He would have been the goat for sure.
And with Arshavin, your rating is only .5 away from mine. That's splitting hairs on that one.
And since you didn't mention any of the other players, that must mean we agree on all of those, right?
Kas123

Song didn't get sent of tho, so why would you rate him based on something that didn't happen? You're using 1 instance to evaluate his whole game, not a good idea in a 90 minutes game. Everyone else I didn't mention, I agree with the rating you gave 'em.
FredJacob

RT @IamYimz I hate Barton now ! Gervinho will get his revenge ! That is Arsenal will win the league !
Rohanl A

hahahahahahahaha
Gigi_man

oooopsie daisy.
Must confess didnt see the 2nd half only from the 85th.
ut what I saw from the first, seemed like an old movie rerun...I was expecting more from everyody, and while it seemed that we got ok ecause of a draw, that wont ring us trophies.
And I say old movie because Wenger should not be surprised: if you dont do much to change a team's results, it wont change much...dont have to be to clever to draw this conclusion.
I stay with the positives cause well, its the 1st day, we started with a draw as visitors, which isnt that bad, as we started last season and it wasnt...oh wait, it was not too good either...
FredJacob

Well on the bright side every one for the past three years we started off the season on fire, may be if we start this one of crappy we can end on fire
Gigi_man

Maybe I am wrong ut I remembered going to Anfield and getting a draw for the opener last season, no?
Kas123

Yep, 1-1, and game we drew because of Chams goal.
FredJacob

you mean Reina's goal, hope he has one next week for us
FredJacob

yea true
Rohan A

another wrong statistic by our dear fred....
FredJacob

in case you wanna watch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
FredJacob

was thinking or doing highlights but was the sense
brenton

Homey, we're going to have to have a talk about your player ratings...
TJ

Unfortunately, I agree. A lot.
Homey_Mills

With Brenton or with my ratings? Sheesh people... please tell me where my ratings went wrong. The only thing I've heard so far is Gervinho was too low.
TJ

I would agree with Brenton. I kinda start at a 6, and if they play average they stick there. That being said, I feel the wide defenders are slightly inflated, they did defend well, but offered very little going forward, so I would have given a 7 for them, we're talking marginal here, no big deal. Mine is Arshavin, Gervinho, and Song. I think Arshavin and Gervinho were our most dangerous players, running at players, taking them on. Arshavin's final ball was decent, and gervinho was lacking, as was his finishing. But those two brought the only semblance of liveliness into the game what-so-ever. At least a 6 for both, I'd say. Song is definitely higher than a 4.5. I think he kept the ball very well, didn't make his normal scrambly north bound towards goal run, but broke up play well and distributed. He could have had a goal, as he made a near-perfect run, if RVP didnt shoot from 50 yards at the end of the game. I think judging his stomp is a little harsh because you wouldn't count a wrongly-ruled offside goal as a positive goal for someones rating, would you? Why detract him for a red card that wasn't? I'd probably flop Rosicky and Rambo as Rosicky was going forward slightly more than Rambo, and Rambo seemed to stall a little much for me. RVP is dead on, Walcott too.
Homey_Mills

OK, talk away. I'm listening.
Orion

Arshavin at 5.5 ? I'd hate to sabotage Perry's job, but I think I have to defend the Russian. He didn't do that bad.
Perry S.

:D He actually would have continued his trend of assisting with skill had it not been for an utter fail by RVP.
brenton

Our defence wasn't that good. And 8 rating for Koscielny? An 8 is excellent, a great game. Koscielny was tidy, and put a header on net. That's it. Gibbs was fine, but put in a few wayward crosses. And so on. Newcastle simply weren't very good in the attack.
Kas123

Homey, You're doing a good job. Ure ratings were a lil bit off, but overall good job. I notice u take a lot of heat for your opinions, but thats what they are, opinions, and you are entitled to them. Keep up the hard work.
Homey_Mills

Thanks for the encouragement. Several have said my ratings are off, but not many have said where they were off, and which ones should be higher or lower. Other than a couple saying I rated Gervinho too low.
Kas123

For me, Gibbs was more like a 6 at certain points in the game he disappeared, but did make some connections with Gerv on the left and some decent defending. Gerv was pretty lively, attempted to create some chances but his final product leaves alot to be desired, and he was wrongly sent off, I think he deserved a 6.5. Arshavin had a few good moments including that flick pass to RVP that he wasted, he was bundled off the ball too easy at times, and failed to track back, but in the first 30 mins he was pretty good, I may say 6. Song was pretty solid today, he stomped on Barton, but in retrospect he deserved it. He won balls, cleaned up in defence, held up the ball well, and made intelligent passes a 7 is what i say, but for hugging Barton at the end I give him a 6.5. Thats what I think, but again its all subjective.
TK

We know have the same issue as Man U; the lack of truly creative central midfielders. This is a worry as they haven't been able to address it for years, and I doubt we're going to get Sneijder. Who are the others? We really should try playing arshavin in that role.
5ten

Now if Arsenal was wise they would've picked up Nuri Suhin before Madrid did as Cesc replacement or even try landing Borja Valero from Villarreal and get Gignac for the striker position, a player RVP can play of easily.
Tomisin

Funny, we could have done with Fabio Coentrao, Nuri Sahin and Hamit Altintop. Just those three players and the team is set. Mourinho has a good eye.
Homey_Mills

Except that Coentrao sold for €30m, which is WAY more than we've ever spent on one player. Not that it wouldn't be great and all...
Westline79

A draw was a pretty fair result of the game.

While Barton is a cunt of Terryian proportions, there's just no excuse for what Song did and I wish our team had more discipline. That said, it was funny after the match when they hugged and shared a few words and seemed to be best friends, almost as if Barton appreciated Song for doing what's his usual trick. Obviously De Barton should've been sent off for trying to manhandle Gervinho (as was the latter's red card deserved) but I guess two bad calls balanced each out here.

Given the nature of this game, I'm fairly hopeful Wenger might unveil a singnig very soon ... I'm thinking 16 year old Bolivian wunderkid goalie one time.

P.S. While I'd love for us to buy some players to replace Nasri and Cesc, I fear Mata isn't the answer. I followed Valencia fairly closely last year and although he's a very talented player I fear he'd find it hard to cope with the physicality of the prem.
Tomisin

I hate to flood the blog this way, but i feel really 'comment-y' today as opposed to just being an observer. So,Anyone notice how last season's League Debutant Laurent Koscielny got a red card in his first game? This year It's Gervinho. A trend? #Okbye
FredJacob

We should make a note and see what happens next year
Homey_Mills

I think that was noted somewhere in the live blog. But I wasn't keeping up too closely with that at the time.
Tomisin

BTW, no news site is carrying it but i think Eboue has left...or am i the only one this is new to? BTW on the website he's not listed along with the other players and their jersey numbers..he's disappeared into thin air
Homey_Mills

Gervinho was wearing Eboue's old number. So yeah, he's certainly going to be gone.
Tomisin

We may not even need a new midfielder AS MUCH as we need a striker. Arsha could play in the centre, RVP could be given a supporting role as he tends to drop deep and we buy a true goal scoring forward, a Falcao or a Benzema, whatever (I know it's just talk, this is Arsenal after all). A few tweaks of the formation, and voila. ....or perhaps, Walcott and Van persie as striker and supporting striker? It's worth a shot i think. BTW having Bendtner around is not looking like such a bad idea now, is it?
Zamil_m10

didnt watch the game but, well, atleast our boys can still pass well, defend well and retain a large amount of possession. and thats a good base to work on if we really are considered a team who will end the season trophy-less and midtable-ish
Zamil_m10

the ref is fucking blind too
Felegy

By the looks of today it seems we should have been crying for a striker instead of a central defender all summer. D looked solid while absolutely nothing was created on the offensive side of things.

RvP is a great player but he is not a true striker and neither is Gervinho by the looks of things. Can RvP be a prolific scorer without service from Cesc&Nasri? When you think about it, RvP doesn't ever really create chances for himself, he just finishes a high percentage of chances created for him. I worry where the goals are going to come from this season......
Gigi_man

A-ha, Homey and co get some of my comments re striking.
I actually thought Gervinho was more of a strker, thats why I was so happy, ut the team hasnt chamged much....helas
FredJacob

that's not down to the striker we need some creation in the midfield Rosicky was creative at the start but faded, Arshavin, Ramsey and Bowl d locks need a little more creative
Bumblefock

good feeling from the defense today as well. never felt like this in a long time )
Bumblefock

arsha was trying widen our play as we tend to shortpass ourselves to death. i think he can be a good creative force if he moves behind the strikers as it's clear that hee sees and reads the game. on the left wing he's much less effective.
Casimir

I've always said Arshavin has very good vision. It's clear that he sees the field and anticipates passing moments well. Just too often last season he would put in a beautiful through ball, only for no one to be making that run. So good vision, but needs to get on the same page with his teammates. The only knock I'll put on him, is that at times near the end of last season, he was always trying to make the killer ball and that leads to a lot of wasted turnovers in the final third. Sometimes it's good to pass square.
Felegy

Agreed, he should have been playing in Rosickys role today. Why exactly is Rosicky getting almost 90 minutes of play? The guy is a bust AW, move on.
Bumblefock

wouldnt agree on rosicky with you. the main feeling i got from the preseason games and this one, is that due to our internal dramas with they key players, combined with disappointment of the last season, our "old guard" is very motivated to take responsibility in their hands and try to make something out of it. i read arsha's interviews in the preseason. this guy is motivated like never before. i strongly believe we will see good stuff from our underrated players this year.
Sahoo

I would be termed a villian but let me write what I feel after watching today's game. We are a team in transition this year as we're about to loose our two inflential mid fielders. But the sorry part here is Wenger does not seem to be keen to replace them, nor does he seem to be hell bent on buying a Centre Half or a defensive mid fielder. Judding by today's performance it's a long hard season ahead but I'm ok with it as long as we're progressing. But we are not, believe me we're going backwards here. So my humble suggestion is to sack Wenger ASAP. Get the new Manager (Rijkard, Coyle ...) quickly and let him have some time to sign a few players before the transfer window closes and let's try and make some progress this season and at least finish in top 4. With Wenger we are doomed, he is become delusional and senile. He clearly does not know what he is doing. So let's stop the crap Wenger knows.
Homey_Mills

Did you read my blog on that very topic just a few days ago? If not, I highly recommend it. =)
Stevenmreina

As much as i know players shouldnt do things that could potentially put the team in a bad position. I like to see players stand up for there teammates and show guys like barton there not there to get pushed around. Song is a guy that doesnt fool around and looking back he did fire up barton but i dont mind when someone stomps on a guy like barton or runs dont the pitch to let everyone know hes there.
Philip

Gervinho 4?? Just like Walcott?? Are you blind??
Tomisin

Walcott of last season was much better than Gervinhho today(I kknow it's unfair to judge so soon as he;s adjusting to the Premier League and all) but Gervinho lacked that final pass...all his fancy footwork ended up in nothing. No pull backs for Van Persie, No end product whatsoever. Right from the first minute. I;m not writing him off however.
Homey_Mills

I still like Gervinho, and I'm not sure why there was a complaint about giving him a 4. Should it be higher or lower? What did he do to deserve a higher score than that?
jeffers

he was our most creative player and the only one that looked like doing anything. he was guilty of being naive in the barton incident, but aside from that was our best player
Homey_Mills

I guess we were watching a different game. When did he create a real scoring chance? When was his last touch a good one? Did he register a shot on goal? Over and over, he had some nice dribbles, and then made a mess of it. At least in the game I was watching.
JG

Oof. Definitely more like Sairax than Martin in terms of ratings. Still, Gervinho did a very stupid thing in matching Barton, and now we're going to suffer. Gibbs impressed me and if he can stay healthy, he's going to have a breakout season. Robin van Persie, where art thou? Koscielny was impressive but I'm going to wait until the Liverpool game to fully assess our CB situation.
With RvP out of the Udinese game, there's going to be a bit of an issue on how Wenger shapes the squad for Tuesday- assuming we don't sign anyone yet.
Overall, the result matched our level of play, and I have to say for a currently unsettled squad still trying to sort itself out, the result could have been worse. If we can come through August with at least 2 more signings and no defeats in any competition, then that would be a massive success imo.
Martin

More like Sairax than Martin how? Did I miss the part where he gave Nasri an 8.5 for no reason?

Just kidding, Sairax, you know I love you...
Homey_Mills

Oops, I misread JG's comment. Still, I don't really know the difference between their ratings. I'm thinking that with four of us now, our ratings will be quite a bit different.
Homey_Mills

Aren't we supposed to be like Martin and Sairax? What do you mean, more like their ratings?
AAA

Haha gave the best player on the pitch a 4, last time I'll read this rubbish.
Homey_Mills

Somewhere in South Carolina, Martin is reading this and laughing, thinking that he's glad it's not him in this position anymore.
Martin

(nodding knowingly)
Homey_Mills

So you're saying you're not going to recommend us to a friend?
TJ

This team, as it is, minus Nasri and Cesc, is not a team that can challenge for the title. With all the talk of a centerback, and I think we need one badly, people forget how atrocious our attack was at the end of the year. Without the 2 gone, we are one inevitable injury away (RVP) from missing our 3 best attackers from last year, in which we were stagnant at the end as it is. We have an assortment of wingers who run at players well (I think Gervs and Arshavin played well minus the final ball), but we need a creative central player and a striker. We don't need to replace both nasri and Cesc with 2 players, we just need one world class central midfielder, a Mata or a Hazard or a fucking anything really, a player that's not afraid to shoot either. That and a striker. Still need a CB to ensure Squizzy never plays, but we need more creativity. Too often did Rambo/Rosicky slow down the attack too much, we certainly missed Wilshere/Diaby's pentrating runs at the D. But a draw isn't bad, and we need to get a player THIS week because we're gonna be out Gervinho and Song for the next three games.
Gigi_man

I remeber talking about a lousy attack at the end of last season, but then I saw videos from the Henry era, and he was a one-goal guy, only our defence didnt allow that much, a lot of games were won 1-0. Of course, you have to score first to get that result...
TJ

Yeah, RVP should be that guy. But he also had a Bergkamp, which we, sure as shit, are missing.
5ten

Honestly a Mata or a Hazard isn't the problem, a player like Gourcuff right now would help your team immensely and a talented striker who can create while also score like ummm Podoski.
TJ

Well, considering he transferred last summer and played like shit all year, I took Gourcuff out of the potential attacking central midfielder list.
Tomisin

You've said it all..there's nothing left to say, The lack of creativity was quite alarming today. Scary.