Hello there, I assume you all have heard about the chance to test Barca. What a shocking draw, eh? But I know we have the chance. However, I have to admit that it won't be easy.
People talk about Inter being able to break Barca heart. However, I think the first leg Inter got lucky with Barca being tired after travelling to Italy by bus. Well, you know the rest of the story. Inter parked the bus and defend desperately for the lead, which was despised by all Barcelona fans as well as Mourinho's haters. And the fact that we can't defend has confirmed me that "Inter-way" is not possible. Well, it's not like we haven't tried it before. We did indeed try to defend Bendtner quick goal at Camp Nou last season. And the result we got was the rage of the "God" in the form of Lionel Messi.
Well, I have prepared for this draw since we failed to finish first. I don't afraid were we fail to progress. But I will be gutted if Defoe's word proved to be true. I guess we laugh at him when he said Spurs will go further than us. Thus, I hope we will beat Barca in this draw solely for this reason, never mind the trophy.
On other news, Nordtveit is likely to be sold after extension deal talk failed to materialize. It is reported he will be sold to a German side, Monchengladbach.
It is also reported that Lech Poznan 22-year-old forward, Artjoms Rudnevs
attracted us. However, I don't think it will happen since we will try offloading forward instead. It was Bendtner who was rumoured to be loan to Everton. Or Vela who is desperate to break through into the senior team.
Moving on to our next match. We will be facing Stoke at Emirates. Not much to talk about. Statistically, we will win comfortably. And I hope the fans won't going to far were they decide to abuse Mr. Leg breaker.
Lastly, it is interesting to see Wojciech start again. I do hope we will see another good game from him. He is going to be our future in my opinion. Arsene even compared him with Peter Schmeichel. He said that the young Polish has comparable presence and personality. Interesting, eh?
Til then, Arsenal Mantap.
Arsenal lost the chance to widen the gap. Instead, we lost the top of the table. I think we played well, but lack of the finishing touch which sees us goaless.
We started the first half unconvincingly having ManU possessed more of the ball. However, either sides didn't create much. Some good attempts were done by ManU, but the chances were straight into Szczney. The young Polish did well to replace his senior, Fabianski.
It was until the 40th minute, the score changed. I would call the goal a fluke by Park, but the effort by Nani created it. It was ourselves to blame for the goal, especially Clichy who let Nani cutting in. Don't get me wrong, I think Clichy played well but a few of his decisions seemed costy. The same goes to Wojciech, the deflection, I mean the header was 'luckily' placed near the far post. Wojciech ,who has come forward to cut the cross, had no chance to reach it.
We started the second half better. We dominated the possession although the opposition seemed more dangerous. That was when Szczney stepped up. He blocked Anderson's 1-on-1 chance and Rooney's lob to keep us in the game. He proved himself worthy of our future no.1. Which also means that Almunia has to find a new club.
Well, we started stepping up too late. The lead made ManU easier. They simply defended the lead and tried to hit back on the break. The defense did well to deny their attempts.
It was no long until seeing them parking the bus. The strategy is always effective to stop our game. We were frustated. We couldn't create much. We lost option. Sagna and Clichy were not good enough at crossing. We also lacked outside-box-shooter. The best chance came when Nasri's attempt from outside the box. It was blocked, but the ball was still wild. However, Chamakh was not quick enough to react for it. It made me long for a proper striker.
Later on, Arsene added Cesc and Van Persie into the game, but nothing changed. Cesc even misplaced passes. There was an interesting moment, which you all have been expected. It was the annual Old Trafford penalty. It was due to an 'unintentional' handball from Clichy. In my opinion, Nani kicked it to Clichy's hand. Well, what could you expect from Webb? He awarded the yellow for Nasri's protest and nothing for Fletcher's push on him. It was just brilliant. He also did nothing for Rio Ferdinand's kungfu kick on Sagna which tore Sagna's shirt.
I thought the game has ended when the penalty was given. Suprisingly, Rooney roo-in it. He skied it though Szczney has guessed the wrong path. Well, it didn't make any difference since we were unable to score.
The manager looked very frustated. I do hope he realized the need to bring in a pure striker. We really need a prolific goalscorer.
With this result, we have to work harder for the league title. We were falling behind. We need to win next match and hoping that Chelsea will help us a little. Not so convenient, eh? Well, what choice do we have.
Til then, Arsenal Mantap.
Yeah, you read the title. We won, but it is not a convincing win. I dare to say it is due to Song and Denilson partnership in the middle. I thought the three middle men with that partnership doesn't work well for us. We become vulnerable at the back. Then, it will end with Koscielny-hunting since he was the one who tend to be exposed.
Well, I guess Arsene didn't have any other option. He must rest the likes of Wilshire and Rosicky for top table clash with ManU. With the remaining resources, the manager managed to get us through. Although we failed to fulfill the expectation to qualify as the group leader.
The players didn't perform like they used to. I thought starters like Andrey have been used too much. The manager seemed to notice it and moved to introduce Theo into the game. He made the right decision since Theo gave us the needed lead. And later on, Nasri once again presented us his moment of brilliance in our third goal which kill the game. Samir has proved himself again that he is an important player for us.
Speaking of Nasri, there is a report informing that a 5-years-deal will be offered and accepted by the French. On the other hand, Arshavin is yet to hear anything from the club.
Back to the Champions League. We finished second which sees us facing one of the group leaders in the next round. Since the rule forbid the teams from the same country to face each other, it leaves Real Mardrid, Barca, Bayern or Schalke for us to beat. Pretty tough, eh? It will be Spain or Germany for us.
But now we need to focus on Manchester United. Although our track record doesn't impress me, I still think we will maintain the top spot. ManU will probably face us without Rio and Scholes. Without Scholes, they tend to lack in creativity. It will be a plus for us. In addition, we will probably have Cesc coming back though the skipper said he won't rush and risk his hamstring.
Well, with or without Cesc, I still believe we have adequate squad to win this. How bout you? :)
Til then, Arsenal Mantap.
PS : It is reported that a 2millions offer for Zagreb youngster, Vrsaljko, has been accepted. The transfer has been claimed a done deal with the feature to loan him back until the end of the season.
I will give short updates on Arsenal.
Thomas Vermaelen is reported to be back in our home match against Chelsea. With Koscielny being injured, I think this is good news. We miss the Verminator badly since the other centre backs haven't performed well. Especially Squillaci who have a problem in facing pacey striker.
On transfer, Ajax has given the green light to Jan Vertonghen to leave the club. It will be good news since Arsenal is reported interested to pair him again with his fellow Belgian mate, Vermaelen. However, January move is unlikely since the defender is reported wanting to win something with Ajax first before leaving the club.
Another rumour is also about Belgian sensation. It was Eden Hazard, the wonderkid who has stolen the attention in the past few years. It is reported that Chelsea has made official approach. The talented youngster has been dubbed as the next big thing. We have to move fast if we want to get him.
From the internal, Vela is reported wanting to leave the club. He hasn't got enough minutes with us this season and seems to drop in the pecking order. Zaragoza is reported as the potential suitor.
Another youngsters were Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Aaron Ramsey. Ramsey is loaned to Nottingham Forest. He will play there to gain matchfit. If he managed to perform well, the manager will consider the option to bring him back in January. On the other story, JET will be loaned to get top flight experience. The youngster will be following Wilshere's path to be loaned first before making into the senior squad. The loan will occur if Arsenal finds the suitor.
I guess that's it. Sorry, it isn't short afterall. Hehe.
See you on the next piece. Till then, Arsenal Mantap !
Another important match is on the way for Arsenal. I guess we wouldn't even bothered by the last fixture of our european group phase after seeing our group-mates. However, the recent away defeats from Braga and Shakhtar has raised the importance of this match. We dropped from the top and finish as the group leader is unlikely. I still fancy our chance to qualify, but I have prepared to face the likes of Barca and co were we indeed finish second.
Well, the odd of Arsenal topping the table is relatively small. I predict Shakhtar will get at least a point at their own home, which means we have to ensure the home win over Partizan to qualify. It is not that hard seeing our home form in the european league. We have already scored eleven in only two home games ! I believe we will win this.
This win will also play an important part in determining our morale before visiting Old Trafford. Thus, I hope Arsene doesn't make significant change in the last winning team. Arshavin and Nasri has proved to be very dangerous recently. I think they will play a vital role in this match. I also hope the likes of Theo and Bendtner will up his game if the chance was given.
I found an interesting piece in Ashburton Grove blog. It was suggested there that Arshavin's and Nasri's form have a relation with their expiring contract. Come to think of it, AG got the point. Andrey and Samir were probably do the contract negotiation on the pitch, which I think will see them having a big raise from the current deal. I hope the extension deal will be sorted shortly since they are two of our most important players right now.
This week is going to be an important part in our glory path. If we win these matches, we will be topping the table and qualify to the knock-out phase. A win at OT will be important. For this weekend league match, we will be having Cesc back. I will be a boost to our morale. Were we win the match, we will be more convinient sitting at the top. And I believe we can do this. Even some of the red devils fans don't fancy their chance although playing at home. So, let's crush them and let's get ready to rumble !
Arsenal sure is Mantap !
