Arsenal 1-1 Fulham: Thoughts and Gary Speed

Santos & RVP showing some love, Arteta bemused

First and foremost, Afrogunner would like to send his condolences to the Family of Gary Speed. I cannot even begin to express my shock when I heard this terrible news. Gary speed was one of those players who was just synonymous with the Barclays English Premier League. A player who was a great credit to football and an even greater ambassdor of the Premier League. Whatever lead such a great man to end his life in this way, may God forgive and grant his soul peace in the yonder world. And may the family find peace and strength in the Lord. May Your Soul Rest in Peace Gary.

Now back to the football. I resisted the urge to post a blog immediately after the game, opting to calm down a little and not write a very emotional blog. But after waiting 48 hours, I'm not sure I won't be emotional, but hey, this is Afrogunner: Blogging objectively on Arsenal while lacking a little bit the sharpness...

What are my thoughts on the game I hear you ask? well, we stunk. Granted we were tired, but still, this was a game where we could have won, had we played at 50% of our ability. The game just needed a moment of magic from one our our attacking players. It needed somebody to just dribble past 3-4 Fulham players and make something happen. But over 90 minutes, the only player who really did anything of note offensively was Theo Walcott.

Vermaelen, scored a freak own goal and like all great players, he rose up to gain us a point. Van Persie was poor. Arshavin really isn't suited to our 4-3-3 system. He would thrive in a more traditional 4-4-2 system. So too Chamakh. Ramsey was the only player running around, trying to make things happen. Arteta was anonymous, in a game where we needed his talent to pick a pass, take a pop at goal, something... General Song did ok, you can't expect him to be possessed by the spirit of Ronaldinho in every game.

a game like that needed a fit Abou Diaby and Jack Wilshere and Gervinho; Players who can dribble past 2-3 players and make opportunities for others or run in on goal. Such players win you free kicks and the occasional penalty because they dribble their way into the 6 yard box. But it wasn't to be. Diaby came on and like an attacking player who hasn't played for over half a year, he did little really. Gervinho came on perhaps too little too late.

To their credit, Fulham closed us down well, held onto the ball well in spells and generally slowed the game down. This was their game plan and it work. Interviewed after the match, Danny Murphy, the Fulham captain said;

We didn't come here to park the bus as it were. We came here to play and we nearly beat them at their own game. In the Last few minutes we were holding on a little but that's to be expected from a good side such as Arsenal

With hindsight, I think a player such as Benayoun, who is a dribbler might have done something special to unlock Fulham. But...

So, two points dropped, but could have been worse. Don't they say that great teams a able to grind out results even when they don't play well? Didn't Arsenal not play well? Didn't Arsenal grind out a result? If Arsenal are not not a great team, based on this saying, then I don't know who is.

We have City coming to town in the Carling Cup on Tuesday. Let's come rested for that game otherwise we are getting knocked out of the Carling Cup.

Onwards march the Arsenal!!

Arsenal vs Fulham Preview: No time for slumber

Forward we go

Saturday evening sees us take on Fulham in the Barclays Premier League at the Emirates stadium. We have been on a very good run of form since we lost to those cunts Tottenham, winning five straight in the League. Now if we add other competitions, our form reads: WWWWWDWWWW. So we have now won 9 out of our last 10 games. It's been a very long time coming I must say.

The early season disapointment is still fresh in the mind and unlike in seasons past, I do not expect to see the same sloppy play, undermining the opposition and thinking we have won before the final whistle blows. Also, I think the mixture of experience and youth is right this time around. We have more than 5 players in the squad who are capable of being captains of Arsenal and their respective countries. Some of them are.

Although I can live with the occasional loss if we put in a shift. Some of the defeats we faced were too painful because we didn't do enough. So it appears thats all in the past... I do I speak too soon?

Fulham is a team that is always tricky to play agaisnt. They are well organised and are good on set-pieces. They can also play some football on their day. However, lets play our football and maintain our humility and we shall win.

Other fixtures see Manchester United take on Newcastle United. United could drop points there. Chelsea, who are still in a funk, based on midweek evidence, face Wolves. Anything could happen there. Manchester City face Liverpool at Anfield and Liverpool may just be the first team to beat them this season. Anything is possible. But lets not bother with how other teams fare until end of the season. Lets focus on winning the game before us, one at a time...

There appear to be no new injuries so lets hope the manager has a good squad to pick from this week. Some players whom I think might be due a game are Arshavin and Benayoun for Gervinho. But then again, taking him out could drop his confidence even lower... eish, tough one for the manager.

The manager says we have been reliant on Van Persie and challenges other to step up and start scoring. I would venture that we are not taking enough shots from midfield. Ramsey should shot more, he has quite a hammer of a right foot. So too Diaby. And Theo. And Arshavin. Arteta needs to do better with Free-kicks. We don't score enough from set plays...

I'd love to see Diaby get some game time, hoping we can seal the game with 20 minutes to play. I expect him to feature more in the cups this season so any premier league game time he gets will prepare him for the Carling Cup clash with City in midweek.

So, lets keep working hard, avoid doing silly things like failing to hack a bouncing ball away from our goal area and then falling over!!! We should get another 3 points.

Onwards march the Arsenal!!

Arsenal 2-1 Dortmund: Job Done

The Man cannot be stopped right now

Arsenal      2-1    Borussia Dortmund

                                                     Van Persie 49, 86                Kagawa 90

Match report here.

How do you stop Robin Van Persie? By stopping the ball getting to him, answered Klopp, the Borussia Dortmund Manager. What he did not realise is that in order to stop the ball getting to RVP, you need to keep the entire Arsenal team from getting the ball. And for over 45 minutes, the Germans managed to hound us in packs and frustrate us. Until General Song decided enough was enough!!

General Song: Enough is enough! He said.

General Alex Song did what only Ronaldinho used to do in his pomp. He collected the ball just inside the Dortmund half, ran to the left corner, was marked by two Germans, he danced between them and picked an inch-perfect cross onto the head of RVP to head the ball into the Dortmund net after 49 minutes. You could sense the wind was knocked out of the German sails.

Before that, Dortmund started very brightly in both halves. In the first half, they looked very dangerous, running in on our goal and forcing some saves from Chezny, our keeper. But for all their huffing and puffing, they never really threatened us. Our defence looked and played very well. I must say the presence of Vermaelen just brings something different to our back line. He is a lot like Nemanja Vidic for Manchester United, but better. 

Arsenal were not allowed any time and space in midfield. Our players were being forced into errors or being robbed of possession. At first I was concerned, but as the game went on, I thought, ugh, lets be patient, they'll get tired. And with their loss of two key players within the first 30 minutes, I just felt it wasn't their day. And it wasn't.

Dortmund came out all guns blazing in the second half, but again, like a dog barking at a bull, we were unmoved. with 49 minutes gone, General Song decided he had had enough, he stood up, produced a moment of brilliance, provided a goal for RVP then went back to his usual hard working self in midfield.

That moment of brilliance by General Song sparked Arsenal into life. The passing became sharper, the movement was quicker, Santos started to show-boat a little, much to my amusement. I am liking Santos more and more. He makes silly passes now and then, but with time, he will be one of the great entertainers of the team, especially when we are winning. He is starting to show his Brazilian side. 

Dortmund: Battered into submission

With 5 minutes left to play, we got a corner on their right. Arteta sent it into the box, Vermaelen flicked it on to the unmarked RVP at the far post. I was shocked with the marking of Dortmund I must say. But I wasn't complaining you see. 2-0 to the Arsenal. By now the game was well and trully won.

Dortmund scored a consolation goal on 90 minutes, but really, that marked their last involvement in this season's Champions League. They need a couple of miracles to progress.

A word too for Gervinho. He had a stinker of a game yesterday. He is really going through a funk right now. Lets hope he keeps his head up and continues to work hard. He'll be back. And back is Abou Diaby. I am really happy to see him back and playing. We have a lot a games coming up and need all hands and feet on deck. He brings something different to our midfield.

So we have secured top spot from our group, a very tough group. Manure, Chelski and Manshity are yet to qualify. We can play our carling cup squad in the final game of the group to give them experience and also rest our big guns for domestic action.

Next up is Fulham in the Premier League at the Emirates on Saturday. Let's be focussed and serious and we should beat them .

Onwards march the Arsenal!!!

Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund Preview

Arsenal v Borussia Dortmund

UEFA Champions League

Wednesday, November 23, 2011, 21:45 CAT

Tomorrow sees us take on the might of the Germans in Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund won at Bayern Munich at the weekend, so they come into this game in very high spirits. The last time we played, both sides were struggling, but I would opine that Arsenal were really crap then.

Be that as it may, we are a better outfit than when last we drew in Germany, conceding a wonder goal in the 93rd minute of the game. 

I do not by any way suggest that we will give the Germans a hiding, but I expect us to win if we put in a shift. One man who could really do better right now is Gervinho. He missed too many chances at the weekend and I hope it doesn't affect his confidence. He is a seasoned and mature Ivory Coast International;- he has enough experience to handle it.

Another player whom people are blowing a lot of hot air about is Per Mertesacker, who made an ass of himself at the weekend. Yes, he made a mistake, but one mistake does not a bad player make unless you are Francis Jeffers masquerading as an Arsenal striker... The guy has generally played well, after coming into the team very late, like Arteta and Santos. He needs some time to come to his very best. So people should keep their criticism in check. 

What of injuries? well, the boss says that everybody from Saturday is fine, in fact it would appear Diaby will make the bench for the game against the Germans, in place of Rosicky. Now, I don't fancy him playing this game, unless we are several goals ahead of the Germans with a few minutes to play. 

I must say I am excited by Diaby's return. I know he is not a first teamer yet, but think back to the times before he was injured. Had he not suffered that broken ankle which has dogged his career since, I think he would be a first teamer. I compare him to RVP. Injuries denied us of getting the best out of him. Let's hope Diaby is over that phase then we shall see the best out of him. He definitely makes our squad stronger when he is fit.

It's not yet transfer time and people are starting to stir shit about Arsenal buying the German rising star Mario Goetze from Dortmund. Arsene Wenger has said

“At the moment in the transfer window we are just interested in keeping our squad,” he confirmed. “We have a big squad and we are not after anybody.
 
“Goetze is a very good player, I can understand there is a lot of interest in him around Europe.
 
“On our side though, I do not think this is the best time to talk about it.”

You can expect to see "exclusive" headlines tomorrow such as;

"Arsenal poised to swoop for German star Goetze in January window" and "Arsene Wenger confirms Arsenal interest in Goetze" and 

"Arsenal have agreed terms for German star Goetze"

This is how the media work these days just so they sell papers or get enough hits on their sites. I hate it when cunt clubs such as Barcelona destabilise our players like that I a don't want Arsenal to do the same to other clubs. It's such a classless act of tapping up and it disgusts me. But such is football...

You can read an extended interview of Arsene Wenger in L'equipe, which interview has had the shit mongers peddling around as the end for Wenger at Arsenal. Thanks to Arseblog for that one. It makes for some interesting reading.

Now I am one of those people who were questioning Wenger's ability to turn our fortunes around at the start of the season. On the evidence thus far, I am very happy to eat humble pie.

So, tomorrow we face the Germans. Lets go put in a shift. For those of you fortunate enough to watch the match live at the Emirates stadium, please bear in mind that there are those of us who would give an arm and a leg to take your place in the stadium and cheer the team loudly. So please, make a lot of noise for the Arsenal!!!

Onwards march the Arsenal!!

Norwich 1-2 Arsenal: Arsenal Continue Good Habit & Other Thoughts

Gervinho misses... RVP scores...

Match report.

Winning is a good habit. Losing is a team being crap. Arsenal are not crap and they have developed a good habit. Long may it continue.

I cannot decide who my Man of the Match was, between Vermaelen, Theo and RVP. I have decided to give it to Vermaelen. Why? Cause I can't put my finger on it. With RVP its easy- he scored. With Theo too it's easy- he provided, was a threat, was denied off the line, his dribble and cross have improved. But Vermaelen? I can't put my finger on it, except to say WOW! What a player.

You see, when Per Mertesacker contrived to make an ass of himself, Vermaelen screamed at him to kick the ball away. If you look at the video replays, you'll see Vermaelen shout and indicate to Per to kick the ball away... But that advice fell on deaf ears... or maybe twas the altitude, what with Per being so tall and Vermaelen being shorter...

The game started very much the same as with most Arsenal games. We had lots of chances, I counted 4 clear chances before Norwich scored. But, for some reason, there was no panic. The players didn't drop their heads like 5 weeks ago. They just kept going, knowing that we could win. I must say, the team is playing much better. And apart from Per making an ass of himself for the 1st goal, Norwich really didn't threaten our goal for most of the game.

Mikel Arteta, for a player who didn't go on international duty, looked tired, gave the ball away too often and got himself into trouble unnecessarily. Song was his usual reliable self, going about his business in midfield.

Why the hell won't people pass the ball to Aaron Ramsey in the final third? I counted 3 different occasions when he was clear and a simple pass to him would have resulted in a side-footed  finish. But Gervinho, Theo Arteta and RVP just didn't seem to want to pass the ball to Ramsey, or they didn't see him?

And talking about Gervinho, he really had a stinker of a game. Passing the ball back to the keeper when scoring was easier... But I must say, Gervinho will become a great player for Arsenal should he continue the way he is going. No, I don't mean missing chances, but his movement, dribble, speed, creating and eventually, he will start to score. It takes some time to find that eye for goal and Gervinho seems to have lost it momentarily, but it will return.

So, we got three points away from home, Chelsea lost (again!?) at home. Manchester City are still looking invincible but I have a feeling Arsenal will be the team that beats them and brings them back down to earth.

In other news, Arsene Wenger says he loves Arsenal. Really? wow. And he also says he'll do his maximum to keep RVP at the club for life. Now that I'd really like to see happen.

Seriously though, lets face forward to our next game against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. If we go about our business professionally, we should beat them and secure our place in the next round. We must aim to finish top of the group so that we avoid getting Barcelona!! I don't mind playing them in the semi or final of the Champions League cause then it's anybody's game.

One game at a time, lets keep marching on and winning. We shall see where we end up. And remember that Wilshere, Diaby, Sagna and Jenkinson are yet to return to the team due to injury. Suddenly you realise just what a decent squad we have. I remain secretly hopeful that we pull a miracle and  go on to win the..... ahem... League... ahem...

Onwards march the Arsenal!!

Arsenal 3-0 West Brom: International Break Comes at bad time

Arsenal on fire... but then came the International Break...

Apologies for posting my blog sooooo late. I've had a dodgy week, with professional and technical hikups ensuring that I fail to update my blog.

You have been in good company with the usual suspects Arseblog and Yogi's Warrior.

The official match report is here.

My only thoughts this week is that the International Break has come at a very bad time for us this time around. We really are on a roll and I sincerely hope that we come back in two weeks time and just kick on from where we left off.

Our entire first team will be away, except for Mikel Arteta (whom I wouldnt be surprised if he finally got a call up to the Spanish Senior Team, now that he is playing for Arsenal...). I have no complaints that he is not playing for Spain. That keeps him rested for Arsenal and probably lengthens his football career.

And so we go through a period of little activity and news at the Arsenal.... aggghh!!

I'll do a full blog in the coming days. Look out for that.

Onwards March The Arsenal!!!

Arsenal 0-0 Marseille: The Inevitable Draw After Big Win

Arsenal: The Strongest 10 Currently?
Match report here.

A game that promised so much for Arsenal delivered little in the end. Three points would have guaranteed us qualification into the knock-stage but in typical Arsenal style, we are going to have to do it late and the hard way, you know the 'Arsenal way'.

Robin Van Persie and rather unfortunately, Laurent Koscielny were rested. The gamble to rest Van Persie didnt pay off, but on the other hand, I'm glad he was rested. The comments made by Deschamps, the Marseille manager before the game about marking and keeping Van Persie quiet made me fear for his safety in the game.

Koscielny has been playing out of his skin in recent games, perhaps knowing that Vermaelen would soon return to claim his position in the team. On current form, I'm not sure whether Mertesacker is better than Koscielny... But I suppose there will be plenty of games in the season for them all to play. These days success is about the squad system, not the first 11.

Vermaelen played to his usual high standard, even though he has been out for a while. Our front man on the day, Park, was disapointing in his performance. I always maintain that the squad players do well when there is no pressure on the team. Had we won and qualified yesterday first, players such as Park can then come in and do a job...

Marseille started very brightly, having a back heel at goal in the first 5 minutes. They looked sharper and full of running. Arsenal gradually started to find their way in the match after 10 minutes. from there on, we created chances that were wasted. A little bit more quality and calmness would have seen us convert them but just could convert. Aaron Ramsey particularly had a chance from a cross which he side-footed wide. Theo and Gervinho for me had average games.

After an hour Van Persie was introduced for the very ineffective Park. Rosicky and Arshavin were also introduced soon after for Ramsey and Gervinho respectively, but we just couldn't produce a moment of pure magic to win the game. Van Persie tried to chip the keeper and on another day, that would have been a goal but not tonight. Arshavin and Rosicky had little influence on the match.

The game ended in a goalless draw. Now, I know this was not the result we wanted, but looking at it in perspective, 4 points off a Marseille team is not something to be sniffed at. We still remain top of the group and in control of our destiny. We didn't concede any goal which is a plus, not only for the group standing, but also for our confidence in games to come. We also haven't suffered any injuries so things are looking up for us. 


With Vermaelen back, we are only two players away ( Wilshere & Sagna) from fielding our very strongest 11. Diaby is soon to return also and when those players do return, all things being equal, suddenly we have a very strong squad. In the past we've always been 5 or six players away from fielding a strong starting 11...Looking at our squad in that perspective, I don't think we are short on quality and experience to compete with anybody. Just a small matter of application...  

After the game Arsene Wenger said:

.....We lacked a little bit the sharpness...

We may not have got the result we wanted after Chelsea, but a draw is a good result. We can only get better. Besides, Chelsea only drew against Genk (know who they are? didn't think so). 

And why would Arsenal want to qualify with two games to go anyway? it's just not the Arsenal way!!

The Arsenal way is to first give the fans and the manager a massive scare, then qualify.

Onwards march the Arsenal!!!

Arsenal v Marseille Preview: Arseblogger Makes My Day

General Song & Arsene Wenger: Plotting Marseille's Downfall

Champions League

Tuesday, 1 November 2011

It is very difficult to come back down from cloud 19 and a half after beating chelsea emphatically on Saturday. But football is a very funny game. You can beat Barcelona and then go on to lose to Birmingham in the Cup final... just saying...

Looking at the team pictures in training, you get the sense that there is a new found team spirit and joy in the squad. After that win against Chelsea, there will be a new found extra belief and togetherness within this group of players. Teams should beware.

At the same time, the feel good factor can very easily evaporate if we go into the Marseille game thinking we have beaten them before the final whistle blows. Arsene himself said that confidence goes away quickly and takes long to return. This is very true and especially for this Arsenal team who have suffered so much over the past few years with self-inflicted, below par performances, its time that they seriously kick on from here.

Didier Deschamps, the Marseille Manager says Robin Van Persie must be stopped. I hope he doesn't mean going to break his leg because thats the only way of stopping him right now. Now, I dont wish any misfortune on our captain, but lets be honest, most managers send their teams out to frustrate and foul the opposition's best attackers. In so doing, injuries tend to happen, some unfortunate but most due to wrecklessness.


Marseille will certainly be more of a threat than when we faced them. I find that, in the Champions League, away teams tend to attack more, perhaps it's due to the away goals rule.. We cannot go into this game and present Marseille with the type of chances that we did against Chelsea, we will be punished. Our midfielders and attackers need to knuckle down and do the dirty work. Defending most start from the strikers.


We should close down their defenders and keep pressure on their goal keeper. We should not allow them time and space in midfield to pick passes and make unchecked runs. And most of all, we should keep the ball. Keep the ball. Keep the ball. There is no way they can hurt us if they don't have the ball. In order to play 'keep ball' our players will need to cover a lot of ground, running, making angles for the pass, interchanging positions and always looking for attacking options.


Our finishing too must improve. I don't expect us to create as many chances as we did against Chelsea. we simply have to put the ball in the back of the net every time we get a chance to score. If we can be efficient with our chance conversion to goals, we will beat Marseille.


Key players for me in this game will be;

1. General Alex Song- He really has to put in a shift defensively. He will also need to be more creative with his passing, if he can spot the runs of Gervinho and Theo, then clip balls over the top early, he can really wreck havoc.
2. Aaron Ramsey- His passing is decent but he can give the ball away too cheaply at times. He will have to take shots from outside the box whenever chances present themselves. He has a fantastic shot on his right foot, which he doesn't use enough.
3. Mikel Arteta- He too can shoot and take free kicks. He must influence our ball possession more. He can really do a Xavi, that (magnificent) Barcelona cunt, in terms of passing.
4. Andre Santos- He really must defend better down that left wing. He has already scored more goals for us in 3 months than Gael Clichy in 8 years. But defending Mr. Santos!!
5. Gervinho- Whereas all attention is on Van Persie right now, Gervinho is the player who can really hurt Marseille because he is very slippery and difficult to mark. He always gets into goal scoring situations and  if he can be clinical with his finishing, he might just start to rake in the goals. Gervinho, for me, is going to be our next Thierry Henry.

In other news, Stan Kroenke was at the training ground to pep the boys up. Have a read. I like what he says. He talks about Fabregas and takes a swipe at Samir Nasri in there somewhere. He says;

Looking back to the summer transfer dealings he said: "I think you know that one of the players who departed had nothing to do with money.  There was a specific personal circumstance that happened. The other you get into an evaluation. That's where being smart and not being smart comes in. You've got one year left on a player's contract. You've got a large sum of money being offered. Can you employ those resources better than you could had you not taken the money, taken a chance on losing the guy for nothing in a year or perhaps overpaying for him now and having less resources later? I don’t know. That's how I would see the evaluation."

I think I really like stan.

And now for the guy who really made my day with his sense of humour, Arseblogger says about Robin Van Persie's contract situation:

And without moving into the realms of what-ifs and speculation, I have been thinking about his contract situation and from an Arsenal point of view I don’t think it could be any easier: give him what he wants. Whatever he wants, give it to him. If he wants £150,000 per week, give it to him. If he wants that money to be paid into a bank in the Cayman Islands using only used dollar bills, then do it.

If he wants Arsenal to sign some other players in January, or next summer, sign them. Wants defensive coach? Give him defensive coach. Frankly, if he wants Ivan Gazidis to wear a dress and sing the best of Gilbert and Sullivan in the style of Sideshow Bob before he presents the contract, then might I respectfully suggest that our CEO start brushing up on his light opera?

Hahahahahahahaahhh!!!! Now that really made my day. Big up to arseblogger.


Lets be professional and win this game. Then we can give squad players a chance in the remaining group games.


Onwards March the Arsenal!!!