Tottenham Dents Arsenal’s Title Hopes: A Disappointed Fan’s Rant

Hello and good bye. Hello to the readers of this article and good bye to Arsenal’s title hopes. What a suitable way to end them though: to lose against one of your fiercest rivals. Nevertheless, I have nothing against the Spurs.

They played their game and won. It makes that win look even more respectable after their hardships in the FA Cup, losing to Portsmouth after having played for a long tiring 120 minutes.

They defended perfectly, in a very organized manner. Well done, Harry Redknapp, and well done, players of Tottenham. You deserved your win.

But what side did you play against?

A side that had 8 days to rest; a side that had to rely on its reserve team after being crippled by injuries. But this is no excuse. All the teams with the title in mind have pretty much the same number of matches. What I was shocked about was how almost the same players who made an inspiring come back against currently the best team in Europe, Barcelona, looked so helpless this time.

Since the beginning of the match Arsenal looked sluggish. Sure, they had more possession of the ball, but the attack was as dull as a stick. They passed the ball in the centre of the park but met the well-organized defense of Spurs with a surprising lack of inspiration and creativity.

It only took ten minutes for the Spurs to exploit their North London rivals’ main weakness.

Manuel Almunia came out to collect what seemed an easy ball, but unknowingly why decided to punch it. The ball was met by the volley of the young revelation of the match Danny Rose. Almunia still had a chance to reach the ball, but slipped and failed to counteract, the ball passing just an inch away from his fingertips and into the goal.

It was one of those baffling mistakes that we have seen a hefty number of times this season. But, hey, Arsenal has come back from behind after similar stuff. Why not now? Well, not this time. It took me some time to perceive that.

Samir Nasri was not himself.

He rarely dribbled or attempted to use that killer dribble that he possesses. His passing was under par. His creativity – in the past.

His team-mate Thomas Rosicky was down there with him. He attempted a couple of shots which turned out to be very disappointing.

Emmanuel Eboue reminded me of that infamous match of his against Wigan in 2008: too many inaccurate passes and unsuccessful dribbles, just far too many mistakes.

Abou Diaby and Nicklas Bendtner were pretty much like twins tonight. Both of them were terribly slow and ineffective. Diaby’s strength was useless against the massive pressure that the Tottenham players amounted every time he received the ball. The Dane up front was almost completely cut off from the rest of the team. He should have tracked back more often. Not to say that his feet were sluggish at best.

The only thing that was exciting about him was his chewing gum. It was fun to watch how calmly he chewed that gum while things were going the wrong way.

The only light beam in all that darkness was the man who returned from a long time out of the game, Robin van Persie. How unfortunate for Arsenal not to have had a footballer of this quality at their disposal throughout basically the whole season.

Immediately after his involvement in the game, the Arsenal attack gained another dimension. A couple of defense-splitting passes reminded us of what the team had missed. But as it most usually happens inspiration can be stopped only by inspiration from an opponent.

Heurelho Gomes is the name. He made three superb saves to keep his team in the lead, two of which from a terrific and on-fire Van Persie.

One goal near the end was not enough to clear the shame off the Gunners’ faces after this terrible performance. Arsenal looked totally clueless and unmotivated for the bigger part of the game.

While some will make excuses with the explanation that key players such as Fabregas, Gallas, Vermaelen, Ramsey, and Song were out, I think slightly differently. This side had to prove themselves. Something they completely failed to do.

What was scarier was the lack of passion, a total lack of passion.

I’m much more willing to forgive my team after losing 3-0 after playing their hearts out on the field. That, however, did not happen tonight. The silly mistakes are part
of the game, but passion is what this game is about.

Come on! You are playing against you fiercest rival in a match that you have to definitely win to get your first title in five years. If that doesn’t motivate you then I don’t know what will.

Not all was hopeless though. I cannot skip to give credit to Gael Clichy for his stamina and to Van Persie for his exquisite skills. Thomas Rosicky was unlucky, and so was Thomas Vermaelen who sustained an unfortunate injury so early in the match. That battle-scarred veteran Sol Campbell was a joy to watch too. He gave his best and tried to rally the troops, unfortunately to no avail.

Another hard-to-swallow year. But hope seems to have become an inseparable component of the soul of the Arsenal fan. So, we’ll wait. Maybe Chelsea will stumble. You never know.

Premier League High-Tempo Style: Arguments For and Against

In the last several years, one league has stood up with its dominant philosophy on the European international stage: the English Premier League.

Why? The answer is simple: higher tempo of playing, the superior fitness that stems from it and the mentality to never give up until the final whistle is blown.

But looking into the prevailing style of this so enormously successful league, we see it has disadvantages as well as advantages.

What are they, you may ask?

Here they are:

Pros

Firstly, it must be noted playing at a higher-than-usual tempo requires almost perfect body fitness. Faced with a strenuous battle with himself, a football player must be well prepared beforehand. The importance of a successful outcome is thus placed on the preparation, or the training.

Undeniably, footballers from the English Premier League are fitter than their counterparts abroad. Constantly pushing for perfection, their bodies begin to resemble those of athletes rather than the bodies of people who simply exercise regularly.

They can’t be blamed. Modern football in England requires for a player to have a totally fat-free body with muscles well used to continuous energy-consuming work.

Alternatively, if one stops to think for a second, it makes perfect sense. The ramifications of the use of such peculiar style are beneficial, both financially and in terms of popularity, for English football.

The higher dynamics of this style will make it much more appealing to eye. Hence, the popularity worldwide will rise significantly.

Another ramification comes from the fact when people recognize this superior fitness of the footballers, they would expect them to fully fulfill that potential. Referees, as part of that group of people, do not differentiate from that opinion.

They allow a more direct, more physical style of play which will lead to less interruptions of the game. I could easily, with a hand on my heart, say that I watch more football – the quintessential meaning of it – in England than anywhere else in the world.

Apart from that, the dynamism of football that is played and the superior fitness the players develop in result of it allow a distinct advantage to English teams on the international competition stage.

How many times have we seen an English club progress to the final stages of an international competition – such as the Champions League, for example?

I am in no way saying that this is the only factor for that to happen, but it certainly is up there with the rest of the defining ones.

However, like everything else, the dynamic style of play has its disadvantages too.

Cons

It has been proven that accession of fitness is in direct ratio with the increase of testosterone in the blood. Testosterone is the hormone responsible for muscle and bone growth, but it also affects the mood.

Most often the more of the hormone someone has the more signs of aggression he will show.

Yes, better fitness, coupled with an approving nod from the referee, equals a more aggressive style of play.

This is one of the main disadvantages of the direct style of play that is worshiped in the Premier League. Not one or two ghastly injuries have we seen following a little more than usual aggressive encounter.

That exertion to the maximum is often the biggest causing factor for lighter injuries even. During every season, in England, an astounding amount of injuries are sustained by players. Especially near the end of the season when almost all have been squeezed out of the athletes and their bodies begin to crumble beneath the cumulated stress.

Despite defying all believes, the human body is not meant to take so much stress, a fact proved annually by the increasing number of injuries that occur.

Another negative effect that stems from the direct high-tempo style of play is the type of battles that occur on the field. A more dynamic game, in which the players move at all times, especially if organized pressure is applied in order to get the ball back in possession, would benefit battles in the sort of one versus two players rather than one versus one. With football being a team game, players must cover for each other, help each other.

In this way, if they have the sufficient fitness to keep burning that energy, we, the fans, would be most likely supplied with one player trying to out-battle the two or three facing him.

This, nonetheless, put the emphasis on defensive football and also restricts the usage of technique and tricks as they are rendered almost useless.

Drawing the Line

Football in England has become a huge commercial business in which rarely the health of footballers is taken into consideration. The satisfaction of the fans and customers has become more important.

High-tempo direct style of play has something tantalizing about it that lures people to enjoy its pure tension-charged atmosphere and pay more and more to watch their favorite teams exert to the maximum while they sit comfortably in their chairs.

As long as money is pouring into the kitty of the FA, they wouldn’t care if a player has sustained an open fracture, a head trauma, or anything else as ghastly.

The philosophy they had undertaken has brought the FA popularity. The English League is one of the most popular leagues in the world. Along with that, its clubs reap success in international competitions. But looking at the big picture, it’s obvious the philosophy is still a work in progress.

Ultimately, the style which the footballers will use on the field is directly influenced by what the fans want to see. Is that good or bad? It’s subjective.

Dissecting Arsenal and Barcelona: What to Expect at Camp Nou

What a memorable night for football Wednesday night was. Both teams, having similarities more than differences, produced a feast for the eyes on this Wednesday night. Drama, in all its forms, entertained us—the beauty of football, just the clean sense of it, glued the eyes of millions glued to the TV screens.

Barcelona showed once again why they instill fear into their opponents, with this style of play, players, and coach. Chelsea and Manchester United will nod their heads in approval when I say Barcelona is drop-dead dangerous.

However, they will have to overcome an underestimated the young yet, I have to say, experienced side.

Arsenal will have their share of problems, but Barcelona will too. What are they exactly? Here are a few of them:


Arsenal’s Pains

Andrey Arshavin, the Russian magician, will probably miss the highly-charged return leg in Spain. Arsenal’s captain Cesc Fabregas will also miss it, along with injured first-team choice William Gallas. That, with the fact the Arsenal’s most dangerous striker Robin Van Persie will be missing, restricts the choices of Arsene Wenger to zero.

No one from the Gunners’ camp would like to see the one dimensional Arsenal that this lack of first team players may cause at the Camp Nou. It will only make life much easier for the Catalans—and they would love that.

On top of that, the vulnerability of the Arsenal defense was exposed by Barcelona—those long balls proved too hard to decode for Alex Song and Thomas Vermaelen.

The fact that the partnership is likely to be the same for the return leg raises the question just how much work do Song and Vermaelen have to do before they reach the level of understanding that existed between the Belgian and Gallas? Zlatan Ibrahimovich’s two goals will certainly ring the alarm bells for Wenger and the players and will push them to improve their game and mutual understanding in training.


Barcelona’s Pains

Barcelona, similarly, will miss both their first-team starters at the back: Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol, hardly a problem you can easily disregard.

The hopes of Arsenal are raised even more by other significant factors.

Despite the razor-sharp attack, Barcelona is vulnerable in the air, as we all saw. The absences of the short Arshavin and Fabregas may prove to be not as important as initially thought.

What matters, and key to exploiting that specific weakness of the Catalans, is the availability of the good headers in the team: Thomas Vermaelen, Nicklas Bendtner, and Abou Diaby. If the team plays a well-organized game, at the back, with precise execution of the crosses aimed at those exact players, and efficient use of set pieces, they might just snatch it away from the current cup holders.

Another potential problem-causing issue for Pep Guardiola’s team is their weaker physiques. We all saw how they pushed themselves to the limit until the 70th minute at the Emirates, and then they crumbled. I would argue the reason they conceded the first goal was more due to fitness than to psychology.

The team’s physical energy limits were drained due to their incessant attempts to win the ball and keep it in their possession. Every time when Arsenal won the ball, or attempted to make a counter-attack, at least three Barcelona players were at them, trying to close them down, and win the ball back.

While being a very effective part of total football, this tactic is very tiring to the players.

Wenger ingeniously kept the extremely quick Theo Walcott for the closing part of the game when the players clad in yellow were beginning to breathe heavier. The potential choice for the England national side was a big pain for the Catalans, ripping through the left side of their defense like knife through butter. The England manager, Fabio Capello, who was watching the match, must have been impressed.

If Arsenal manages to keep things at status quo until 60th, 70th minute favors might start to turn their way in the final period of the game. Of course, the result from the first leg will complicate things a bit as they will have to score to proceed to the next stage, but as the young Gunners have proven with this stunning comeback, it is not out of their reach.


Conclusion

Barcelona are the clear favorites. Arsenal has much to avenge for against this specific enemy, but it will not be about that this time. It will be about proving their worth against probably the best team in the world at the moment.

After Wednesday night’s performance, which is just the tip of the iceberg of a long and strenuous work, it’s a safe bet to say the young players at Arsenal have learnt a lot and have grown enormously, mentally as well as physically. For this reason, I claim they are much closer to winning anything this year than a year or two ago.

It only remains for them to go and give it all at Camp Nou. If they manage to win it, they will deservedly become one of people’s favorites to win this year’s version of the Champions League.

Will Hull City Be Dirty against Arsenal: Let’s look at the Statistics?

Hull City is currently standing 19th with 10 matches to go until the end of the season. Arsenal, on the other hand, is third and in the eyes of many pundits, potential champions. Both teams have all to fight for—different goals but equally determined to achieve them—which further emphasizes the importance of this clash on KC Stadium.

A further glimpse at the statistics also shows that Hull has managed to gain only four of their total 24 points playing away from home. They are strong performers when they are playing in front of their own fans.

Despite that, their defense is also one of the weakest in the league having let the ball roll past their goal line for 59 times so far—only Burnley has a worse defense with 61 goals.

On the other side of the river, Arsenal is flying high at the moment. The Chelsea and Manchester United defeats are surely beginning to fade in the midst of their last four victorious matches in the league.

Their goal-scoring joy against Porto at the Emirates stadium and the qualification for the quarter-finals of the Champions League will give them further moral boost for sure.

Still, the match is expected to be a hard fixture for the Gunners. Hull City are traditionally inconvenient opponents due to their physical no-nonsense style of play—an approach that Arsenal has been having its share of problems with.

In the last match between the two teams in December, when Arsenal won 3-0, the tension was evident.

Hull City’s manager Phil Brown used tactics which aimed to leave no room for the technically-talented Arsenal players. An occasional attempt to provoke the more impulsive players of Arsenal was a bit unconventional but actually made sense from the weaker team’s point of view.

The technically less talented team has no choice but to do exactly that in the hope to snatch some valuable points to help them in their battle for survival.
Logical as it is, however, there are limits and I’m sure most of us know them. Referees are usually the ones who decide what’s allowed or not, what’s right or wrong.

Another interesting statistics that may help us to determine the fashion this match will be played in is the Fair Play table on the official website of the Premier League.

Arsenal are currently placed first, which means they are the fairest team; Hull City are placed 19th, same place as their actual position in the league table. That raises the question: Just how efficient are the physical-approach tactics?

The importance of the match puts some doubts as to whether Phil Brown will deviate from his ordinary slightly-dirty, as I may call them, tricks. Still, as their actual league position reveals the inefficiency of such approach, will we see something different from the Tigers?

Despite his confrontations with manager Phil Brown, Arsene Wenger recently stated that he holds much respect for him as a manager—a statement that shows that Wenger is ready and will prepare his team for the occasional harder than usual tackle that may come out of over-commitment.

But the referee will have the final word on just how much aggression is considered acceptable. The tension is there and both teams have all to play for: the right conditions for an electrifying clash are there. I, for one, hope it all goes in favour of football.

Do you think Phil Brown will adopt the same techniques as last times, or will something change?

Arsenal’s Britannia Stadium Battle: A Catalyst for Reinstating Self-Belief

I am not going to talk about Aaron Ramsey’s injury—all kinds of opinions have flown around the web so far. I am not going to talk about the result and the three points that Arsenal managed to snatch from that battle—and I mean the literal meaning of the word battle—on the Britannia Stadium either.

I am going to talk about team spirit, change, experience, motivation, and mentality.

Just before the game with Stoke, it was believed Arsenal had a chance for the title. And why wouldn’t it? They had the easiest match program of all their title-rivals with only one potentially harm-causing game—the one against fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur on their own stadium.

While it was expected the match against Stoke to be a hard one, no one really believed that it would be much harder than what their first initials impressions were.

Arsenal was, literally, in for a battle.

It did not come as a surprise to see Stoke fighting in all areas of the field, causing all kinds of troubles to Arsenal. Then something happened, something familiarly—if I may call it this way—horrific.

Another terrible leg-break—this time to youngster Aaron Ramsey.

It was an event that revealed the real growth of maturity of the Arsenal players.

Facing yet another shocking sight, it was normal to see scared, distraught, and filled with ghastliness faces. The reactions were expected, but how the players responded was a completely different thing.

Nicklas Bedntner, still visibly shocked, stayed with Ramsey along with Stoke’s Glenn Whelan, and tried to comfort him. Emmanuel Eboue joined him only seconds later. Thomas Vermaelen was holding his face trying to make sense of the horror he had just witnessed. Later in an interview, he said: “I heard a strange noise and after that I saw his [Aaron Ramsey’s] leg.”

The shock was everywhere. Cesc Fabregas, the team captain, was angry at first, then confused, and then worried. Almost all players were holding their heads.

As the commotion of the initial shock started to fade, the players on the field were left with questions. What were they to do now? It is then when signs of maturity and mental strength began to spring up in the Arsenal team.

Gael Clichy, calmness returned, started to rally the troops up. He patted Vermaelen on the stomach saying, “Come on, come on!”

As Ramsey was still being tendered the Arsenal physios, Vermaelen was trying to regain control of himself. What I saw seconds later startled me. Still covering his mouth with his hands, thoughts visibly flying in the Belgian defender’s head, he frowned, picked his head up, and all was gone except determination.

There was not a trace of emotion left on his face. He was once again the Verminator.
The match resumed and there was work to do.

Wenger’s men knew that they had to overcome the shock. Memories from the match against Birmingham two years ago when Eduardo da Silva’s leg was almost split in two still haunted them. They weren’t able to recover from the shock then, played with lack of desire caused by the fear that the sight of an open fracture instilled in them.

This time it was different. They put their fears aside and finished the game off.
Close to the end of the game, Cesc Fabregas demonstrated why he is captain of this team.

He took the penalty that was given by referee Peter Walton with composure that a stone would have been proud of. Later, he even dared to demonstrate just how Tony Pulis’s tactics worked, which earned him a few colorful phrases from the Stoke city manager—an action that might as well have earned him a yellow card.

Thomas Vermaelen capitalized on his determination by scoring a goal. You could see just how much this game meant to the Gunners as they celebrated the goal in a fashion much similar to the celebrations of goals scored in the final minutes of the Champions League final.

It meant a lot. And how couldn’t it?

It wasn’t just goal. The meaning was much deeper.

It was a triumph of their characters over the most difficult of obstacles—the fight with oneself; it was a reinstatement of their self-belief.

The goal was the climax of a test of mentality. Arsene Wenger was right: His team is much more mentally tough than one year ago. The unity is unbelievable.

The smiles were for all to see. Team captain Cesc Fabregas went on to congratulate his team-mates on a job well-done, and then he and Clichy called everyone over and had a group hug.

Britannia Stadium was a battle ground. Arsenal left casualties there, but they came out of the skirmish stronger. Aaron Ramsey is a cause now. And the Premier League title still waits for its next engraved name.

It might just be Arsenal FC.

Chelsea’s Devastating Home Defeat Revives Rivals’ Title Hopes

Today, at Stamford Bridge, we found out just how important really Petr Cech is for Chelsea. The myth that Chelsea is different than the others teams from the Big Four when it comes to the presence of more than one key players in the quad was screamingly busted.

We witnessed just how important the role of the imposing goal keeper of Chelsea is, just how much influence he has on the defense, and how different the team looks without his presence.

Mancester City played it really smart. They used counter-attacks.

In one of those, it was diminutive Carloz Tevez who scored to level the earlier opener of Frank Lampard. The first half was Chelsea’s; well, at least when it came to statistics.

Not much time passed after the second half had resumed and another illogical thing happened: Craig Bellamy took full advantage of his speed on yet another counter-attack by the Blues (light blues) and made Cech’s unfortunate substitute Henrique Hilario look bad for the second time in the match.

Petr Cech’s substitution should have done better—there was no doubt.

Seventy-six minutes of statistic-defying ended when Juliano Belletti deservedly earned a red card by tripping Gareth Barry inside the penalty box. He was the last man – a red card was mandatory. Tevez further strained the nerves of the Chelsea players by materializing the penalty—3:1 for Manchester City.

The final part of the match was basically a demonstration of frustration and inability by the Chelsea side to counter the unfavorable fate that befell them on the day.

Michael Ballack’s nerves gave way, earning him another red, after a hack on double-scorer Carlos Tevez which brought the desperation of his team-mates to a maximum. It was then absolutely logical for Manchester City to score a fourth. Bellamy was the one who did it.

In the end, Mike Dean decided that two red cards were too much and presented Chelsea with a penalty. Too little, too late though. The final result 4-2 is just what Arsenal and Manchester fans (both big clubs) have been waiting for.

In case Manchester United and Arsenal succeed in their challenges this weekend, they will be one and three points, respectively, from the currently-in-pain leaders Chelsea.

The defeat was surprising, but predictable, in a way.

The statistics were firmly in favor of Chelsea, whose Stamford Bridge was like an unconquerable fortress up until now. Other teams have managed to defeat Chelsea in front of their own fans only three times in the last 97 games—defeats at the hands of Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City.

These are numbers that defy the events of today, but numbers that cause both pain and joy to football fans—pain to Chelsea’s fans and joy for those who may see this as an opportunity.

It was also predictable because of Petr Cech’s absence. The stability and calmness that he offers his team-mates will be hugely missed. Chelsea’s player can only hope for his speedier recover for them to keep their title-challenging chances alive.

Chelsea must now try their best to pick themselves up after this serious blow to their confidence, and Arsenal and Manchester United have all to play for, once again.

The title race is not over. It has just began.

Barcelona to Sign Francesc Fabregas in the Summer [Satire]

The headlines tell the whole story: "Francesc Fabregas is leaving for Barca", "Cesc reaches verbal agreement with Barcelona", "Fabregas will leave Arsenal for Barca", "Barcelona set for Fabregas swoop for 50 million."

The day is tedious. The office is tedious. Arsenal lost last night. Barcelona is the same old Barcelona. Francesc Fabregas was born in Barcelona. I have no ideas, but I have to come up with an article until the end of the day.

Hold on! I will write an article about Barcelona’s desire to get Fabregas. It won’t hurt anyone as they want him anyway, and my colleagues have wasted tons of paper on the story already. And it is the truth anyway.

“On Monday, Barcelona announced that they will sign Arsenal’s skipper Francesc Fabregas. The transfer is highly desired by all surrounding the club of Barcelona. The expected transfer sum is believed to be in the region of £27 million.”

Good start. Hey, I have learned my trade well. I could have revealed that Barcelona are to hold presidential elections in June and the Fabregas issue may just turn out to be the potential stimulus for a successful election of a new president.

Hm, how do I continue? Oh, yes, I remember; Xavi Hernandez said something about Cesc a couple of days ago. I can certainly squeeze that in. It will give more credibility to my article. Hey, I’m smart.

“Barcelona’s midfielder Xavi Hernandez urged the Arsenal play-maker to join Barcelona. He said , ‘We demonstrated in the final of the European Cup that it isn’t true [that they can’t play together].

‘I especially hope that Cesc comes. He is a football player with Barca DNA and he is showing at Arsenal that he is on another level."

Good. Oh, here is that new guy.

“Good morning, John...Nothing, writing an article. You know how it is...What are you writing about today? The train crash in Belgium? Oh, good luck with that then, John. Have a nice one.”

Rookie fool. Writing about the truth is an oldie. That’s not where the honey is. He will learn when he gets a couple of knocks on his thick head. Anyway, back to work. Where was I? Yes, Fabregas and Barcelona.

“Fabregas reaffirmed his love for Barcelona, making the possibility of the move highly probable.

"I have never hidden the fact that I want to return to Barcelona. Since I was nine months old, my grandfather would take me to the Barca stadium and all my life I have worn the Blaugrna colors.”

This tiny bit that I excluded about him coming back after he retires may come back at me, but hey, I guess no one will ever notice. And I quoted him in the accepted way. That’s what matters.

“Barcelona’s aspirations for Cesc started when the Spanish U-16 national, at that time, fit the shoes of injured midfield general Patrick Vieira, managing to impress everyone with stable, quality work.

“On top of that, he set a record as the youngest player ever to play first-team football for Arsenal at the age of 16 and 177 days.

“The deal is expected to materialize in the summer.”

Job done. Print this, Mr. Editor and give me my money. I have squash at five. Hell, yeah.