Liverpool vs. Arsenal: Match Review

Match Preview

Liverpool brought an end to Arsenal's 12 game winning streak today, as the Gunners came back from a 1-0 deficit to draw 1-1. Cesc Fabregas' eightieth minute equalizer was enough to put Arsenal back on top of the Premier League with a game in hand, but next Saturday's fixture with Manchester United could see them fall off the top.

Rafa Benitez started with a rather unorthodox lineup which included three forwards, with the not yet match-fit Fernando Torres in the center and Dirk Kuyt and Andriy Voronin on the wings.

Arsene Wenger also played a different lineup than usual with Emmanuel Adebayor alone up front and Alex Hleb in the hole behind the Togo striker.

Lineups:
Liverpool: Jose Reina; Jamie Carragher, Steve Finnan, Sami Hyypia; Xabi Alonso, Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano, John Arne Riise; Dirk Kuyt, Andriy voronin, Fernando Torres

Arsenal: Manuel Almunia; Bacary Sagna, William Gallas, Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy; Emmanuel Eboue, Cesc Fabregas, Mathieu Flamini, Tomas Rosicky; Alex Hleb; Emmanuel Adebayor

The game started with a clash between Cesc Fabregas and Andriy Voronin, resulting in the Ukraine striker picking up a yellow card. Arsenal's free kick was poor though, ending up at the feet of Xabi Alonso who raced towards Arsenal's 18-yard box. Once again, Fabregas was involved, tripping up his fellow Spaniard and resulting in a Steven Gerrard free kick.

The brilliant English midfielder made no mistakes in putting the ball through a hole in the Arsenal wall to put Liverpool ahead in the seventh minute.

Arsene Wenger will not be pleased by the way in which the goal was scored though. Arsenal's wall disintegrated in the face of Gerrard's free kick, leaving Manuel Almunia completely helpless to stop what should have been a blocked shot.

The Arsenal squad showed strength though, and kept fighting, showing great mental strength to muster up a dominating performance which left us unlucky not to have taken away a full three points.

Arsenal pressured Liverpool throughout the first half, with Liverpool lucky to make it into the second still ahead by a goal.

In the seventeenth minute Pepe Reina rushed out to deny Adebayor after a clever move down the right flank.

Liverpool still had their own chances as well, as Steven Gerrard saw a pacy long range shot palmed over the bar spectacularly by Manuel Almunia. The Spanish keeper played wonderfully today making 6 saves, a few of which were of the quality to be expected from a first-choice Arsenal goalkeeper. While I was strongly against using him ahead of Jens Lehmann, I am finally starting to gain some faith.

Arsenal had one more good chance before the end of the first half, as a deflected shot from Emmanuel Adebayor looked as though it would sneak past a wrong-footed Reina. Unfortunately for the Gunners, the keeper recovered just in time to stop the lanky front man from scoring.

Fernando Torres was taken off at the beginning of the second half, as the young striker had looked short of match-fitness all night, following his return from injury. In came Peter Crouch, who, along with Gerrard, seemed like the only one who might be capable of scoring an insurance goal for the Merseysiders.

The tall English striker nearly fired Liverpool further ahead soon after the break, but once again a fine save from Manuel Almunia kept Arsenal in the running.

It was Arsenal who then came close to going ahead. Emmanuel Eboue (who had once again been almost invisible for most of the game) took a shot which ricocheted off Reina's right post. The rebound fell to Fabregas who miraculously fired off target in front of an open goal.

In the sixty-fourth minute Arsenal supporters suffered a scare as a Xabi Alonso header flew goalwards following another Gerrard free kick. Fortunately, the ball had little power behind it, and Kolo Toure managed to clear it off the line.

Liverpool had another chance ten minutes later as Dirk Kuyt saw his dipping volley go just inches above the crossbar.

It was getting late in the game, but Arsenal continued to play passionately, and Cesc Fabregas made up for his earlier miss by netting in the eightieth minute. A picture-perfect pass from Alex Hleb reached the 20 year-old midfielder in the box and he stretched to toe-poke the ball past the onrushing Reina, saving Arsenal a well-deserved point.

The goal gave Arsenal hope, and the Gunners came close to claiming a full three points when Fabregas hit the same post that Eboue had hit earlier in the half. Once again, the rebound fell to an Arsenal player, but this time substitute Nicklas Bendtner made a disgraceful miss.

Liverpool had one final chance to answer, as Peter Crouch sent countryman Steven Gerrard into the box. A last-minute tackle from William Gallas saved what would almost surely have been a goal though, and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Arsenal fans will be a bit disappointed that they weren't able to leave Anfield with the full three points after hitting the post twice. However, the way we played was enough to put us back on top of the Premiership and should give our squad some confidence before hosting an injury-stricken Manchester United next weekend.

Liverpool vs. Arsenal: Match Preview

Match Review

Here it is, Arsenal's first real testing match of the Premier League season. We are currently on top of the league following a run of great form. With only two points dropped this season (at home to Blackburn after a Jens Lehmann clanger) we will be going to Anfield with plenty of confidence. Rafa Benitez's Liverpool side will not have the same morale though.

Whereas the Arsenal squad find themselves on a run of twelve straight victories, and come off of a 7-0 midweek win over Slavia Prague, Liverpool come into this match with only one victory in the month of October. The Merseyside team, which is currently in fourth in the Premiership, suffered a humiliating 2-1 defeat at Besiktas on Wednesday, and have also drawn with Tottenham (who Arsenal defeated 3-1) and lost to Marseillie 1-0 this month. Their only win of October came against their arch-rivals Everton, and even that came only after many favorable calls (a doubtable penalty, as well as two penalty shouts for Everton).

In terms of injuries Liverpool are also slightly worse off. Missing out will be Harry Kewell, Daniel Agger, and most importantly new signing Fernando Torres. Liverpool will find it tough to crack a thus far watertight Arsenal defense without the young Spaniard.

Arsenal are also missing their top striker, Robin van Persie, who was injured on international duty with the Netherlands. The only other injury to Arsene Wenger's squad is Philippe Senderos, who was unlikely to start anyway.

Wenger's lineup will almost certainly feature Manuel Almunia in goal again, and I have to say, I am starting to gain some confidence in the man.

In front of Almunia will be Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure, William Gallas, and Gael Clichy. Our back line has been solid so far this season (conceding only 6 goals in all competitions, with two being Lehmann blunders) so I don't think that we should concede many goals, even against a quality Liverpool side.

The midfield will once again be a bit tough to predict, but I once again suspect that Arsene Wenger may drop Emmanuel Eboue in favor of Tomas Rosicky. On the other wing will be Alex Hleb (who was instrumental in the 7-0 dismantling of Slavia) and in the center will be the effective partnership of Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini. While Liverpool have an impressive midfield lineup (especially Steven Gerrard) I think that Arsenal should be in control for most of the action in the middle of the pitch. Fabregas and Hleb are masterful passers, and Flamini's tough tackling will keep pressure on the Merseysiders. Fabregas, Hleb, and Rosicky will all be potent goal threats, and Hleb, if he plays again like he did against Slavia, will wreak havoc on the Liverpool defense.

Up front, Emmanuel Adebayor will partner either Theo Walcott or Eduardo. Walcott would be my preferred choice, as he was electrifying on Tuesday. However, Eduardo is also a threat, and with goals hopefully coming from midfield I don't know how much help we'll need up front.

Arsenal's offensive players can run rings around even the likes of Jamie Carragher, Sami Hyypia, and Steven Finnan. For that reason, we should be able to create lots of chances, and if Adebayor manages to take a few of his shots well, he should be able to score at least once. With goals also coming from midfield, I think that we will be able to get two past a tough Liverpool defense.

The Liverpool attack has also looked decidedly blunt without Fernando Torres. I think the Reds will step up against the quality opposition provided by our youngsters though, so we will have to look out for Steven Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt, and Andrei Voronin.

This game (and next weekend's game against Manchester United) will be the defining point of our season, and if we manage to win, we can finally silence the pessimists among football pundits. Liverpool will be a stern test, but I believe we can win this one 2-1, with Liverpool's goal coming from a Steven Gerrard set piece.

Let's All Laugh At Tottenham

Martin Jol, the manager who brought Arsenal's cross-town rivals Tottenham Hotspur to two consecutive fifth place finishes in the Premier League quit today, following a home defeat to Getafe in the UEFA Cup.

Straight from the start, the Dutchman's future was in danger, with Spurs allegedly contacting Sevilla boss Juande Ramos to replace Jol. Tottenham's poor performances did little to alleviate the tension between him and Chairman Daniel Levy.

The club now finds itself in eighteenth place, in the relegation zone along with newly promoted Derby and Bolton Wanderers, another team to have recently sacked a boss. The boys from White Heart Lane have collected a rather pathetic seven points from ten games, continuing a poor run of form following their opening day loss to newly promoted Sunderland.

Tottenham also started off its UEFA Cup campaign on the wrong foot after losing 2-1 to Getafe at White Heart Lane.

However, of all of Tottenham's losses this season (and there have been a fair many) the one which would be most appreciated by Arsenal fans is the 3-1 loss suffered at the hands of our very own London-based team.

For those of you who don't remember the game, I'll give you a quick recap: Gareth Bale scored an early free kick goal after a nasty foul from Gilberto on the edge of the box, bringing the White Heart Lane faithful to their feet. Arsene Wenger's Arsenal side refused to give up of course, and after half time, a Fabregas double and a goal from Emmanuel Adebayor sealed an Arsenal victory.

And here's how the two teams stand now:

Arsenal: 1st in the league, 25 points from 9 games, 12 straight wins
Tottenham: 18th in the league, 7 points from 10 games, winless for 7 games

I'd have to say that the irony in the situation is bordering on hysterical. So-called football pundits proclaimed the downfall of the big four in British football, claiming that Tottenham would take the final Champions League spot out from the noses of last season's underachieving Gunners. Arsene Wenger was supposed to be the first coach to leave a club in the Premier League.

Nope. Arsene Wenger is firmly at the helm of an Arsenal team that is first in both the Premier League and the Champions League group. Spurs on the other hand are manager-less and in the relegation zone.

So, if you're having a bad day, have a little laugh at the expense of Tottenham.

Juventus want Gallas and Gilberto

Juventus director Alessio Secco has added William Gallas to his already long wishlist of London-based players. Juventus were already reportedly interested in Arsenal's out-of-favor defensive midfielder Gilberto Silva, as well as Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard from cross-town rivals, Chelsea.

The Brazilian captain, at 31 and the French defender, at 30, are the two oldest outfield players in Arsene Wenger's squad. Gilberto is also the longest serving player at Arsenal, having joined the club from Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro for £4.5 million in 2002.

Gilberto's experience is valuable to a side which features a spine of young players including Cesc Fabregas, Gael Clichy, and Mathieu Flamini - Gilberto's replacement. However, the defensive midfielder will find it difficult to stay at Arsenal if he doesn't reclaim his starting berth soon. While he will want to stay at least long enough to win another Premiership title with Arsenal this year, he may be forced away from the club by up-and-coming playerss like Mathieu Flamini and Summer-signing Lassana Diarra. Unfortunately, I can definitely see this transfer materializing, maybe even as soon as this January.

William Gallas, on the other hand, is Arsenal's first choice partner to Kolo Toure at center-back, and with only Philippe Senderos and a host of midfielders competing for the spot, it doesn't look likely that he will soon lose his spot. However, while the French defender has stated that he is happy at the club, he has also made it clear that he will not stay for another season without silverware. While Arsenal are strong title-contenders (topping the league with a game in hand against our nearest rivals) nothing is certain in football, and I do believe the Frenchman would seek a way out if we fail to win anything this season.

Gallas must also be wondering how long he can last under Arsene Wenger. The Arsenal boss shows a clear affinity for young players, and has an inflexible policy of offering only one-year contracts to players over 30 years old. With legends such as Freddy Ljunbgerg, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, and Robert Pires being allowed to leave the Arsenal captain must be afraid that he will be the next to go, despite the fact that he was signed from Chelsea just last season.

I can't see Gallas' transfer happening any time before the Summer at the earliest, and if he is happy at the club, I would be happy to see him stay for a few more seasons (providing he is able to stay fit).

Arsenal vs. Slavia Prague: Match Review

Match Preview

Arsenal gave manager Arsene Wenger a late birthday gift of seven goals, tying the club's record for biggest victory in the Champions League. Theo Walcott's first two goals in Europe for Arsenal, as well as braces from Cesc Fabregas and Alex Hleb and a goal from substitute Nicklas Bendtner lead Arsenal to a 7-0 victory over Czech league leaders Slavia Prague.

The Gunners will go into next Sunday's game at Anfield with lots of confidence following a run of 12 straight victories which sees the club at the top of Champions League Group H and the Premier League.

Arsene Wenger started with nearly the same lineup as he had in the 2-0 win over Bolton on Saturday, the only change being Theo Walcott in place of Eduardo da Silva. I was surprised to see Emmanuel Eboue starting over Tomas Rosicky after he failed to have much impact on Saturday, and he had problems again today.

Lineups:
Arsenal: Manuel Almunia; Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure, William Gallas, Gael Clichy; Emmanuel Eboue, Mathieu Flamini, Cesc Fabregas, Alex Hleb; Emmanuel Adebayor, Theo Walcott

Slavia Prague: Martin Vaniak; David Hubacek, David Kalivoda, Matej Krajcik, Daniel Pudil, Marek Suchy; Michal Svec, Mikael Tavares; Milan Ivana, Zdenek Senkerik, Stanislav Vlcek

Arsenal once again rushed out of the gates, with Cesc Fabregas scoring his first goal in the fifth minute. A pass from Alex Hleb met the Spaniard in the box, and the 20 year-old beautifully curled a shot around Martin Vaniak from a tough angle.

Nineteen minutes later Alex Hleb got his first goal of the night, after a scuffed shot from the Belorussian midfielder took a wicked deflection past Vaniak in what could have been considered an own goal from David Hubacek.

Emmanuel Adebayor then missed his first of the night, as the Togolese international had a header brilliantly saved by the feet of Vaniak. The African striker, who also struggled to find the back of the net against Bolton, could have scored a hat-trick of headers, but somehow managed not to score on any occasion.

Vaniak, who had just made a smart save from Adebayor, was involved for the wrong reasons in the 41st minute, botching a clearance and gifting Theo Walcott a possession just outside the penalty box. The young striker still had a lot to do, but managed to get past tackles from Vaniak and two Slavia defenders to score his first European goal in an Arsenal shirt.

Arsenal came into the second half confidently after their impressive start to the match, and it wasn't long before Alex Hleb grabbed his second of the day. The tricky Belorussian latched onto a pass from Fabregas just outside the box, faked a shot with his left, and then slotted past Vaniak with his right for his second goal of the night.

Hleb added to his impressive performance by getting a second assist by putting Theo Walcott through. The young England forward then danced past two challenges before prodding the ball past the Slavia keeper and in off the far post.

Arsenal's next goal was wonderfully worked, with Fabregas getting the final touch past Vaniak. Alex Hleb once again masterminded the move, passing the ball to Emmanuel Adebayor, who found Theo Walcott in the box. The 18 year-old made a fabulous first-touch pass to Cesc Fabregas who calmly finished for his second goal.

With the game in Arsenal's hands, Arsene Wenger made a triple substitution, with Rosicky, Gilberto, and Bendtner coming on for Hleb, Flamini, and Adebayor. Personally, I would have wanted to see Emmanuel Eboue taken out, as he had been invisible for nearly the entire second half.

Slavia Prague then had their first real chance of the game, finally testing Manuel Almunia. The Spanish keeper, who was once again started over Jens Lehmann, made to superb saves to keep Arsenal's clean sheet.

Slavia couldn't keep up the pressure for long, and Theo Walcott nearly got a hat-trick, only for Vaniak to make an amazing reflex save to keep out the promising young forward. Arsenal's seventh nearly came through Tomas Rosicky just after Vaniak's save. The Czech captain barely failed to score, his shot deflecting out of bounds off of Vaniak's goalpost.

The night was not over yet though, as Arsenal's seventh goal finally came in the final few minutes of regular time. Nicklas Bendtner refused to give up on a backheel from Eboue, and he managed to tap in his first European goal for Arsenal.

A fabulous seven-goal win for Arsenal will be a great boost ahead of Sunday's Premiership fixture against Liverpool. Theo Walcott finally began to show the kind of talent that made Sven Goran Eriksson choose him for England's world cup squad, Alex Hleb had two key contributions two goals and scored two himself, Nicklas Bendtner scored his first goal in Europe, and Cesc Fabregas got a brace. Arsenal's potential is finally turning into pure talent, and we can really be title contenders this year if we can continue to work this well together.

Diarra Sets Christmas Ultimatum

When I polled this blog's readers in September, regarding this Summer's best signing, Arsene Wenger was (unsurprisingly) the winner. I was shocked, though, to see that Lassana Diarra came in second, with Eduardo in third, and Bacary Sagna in a distant fourth.

Well maybe that will have changed by now. Sagna has been solid at right-back, while Eduardo has only featured occasionally, and Diarra has yet to start a league game in an Arsenal shirt.

Diarra was brought in to cover for Gilberto and Mathieu Flamini as a defensive midfielder, but so far Flamini's impressive form has managed to keep both the Brazil captain and the promising 22 year-old out of the Arsenal squad.

Diarra, who moved from Chelsea because he wasn't getting enough first-team chances under Jose Mourinho, is receiving even fewer chances under Arsene Wenger. The young Frenchman is tired of waiting, and has publicly stated that he will try to leave Arsenal during the January transfer window if he doesn't start nailing down a first-team place by December.

"For the moment, everything is going fine and I'm learning, but I cannot stay like this for ever," Diarra told The Times.

"I'm not going to wait for a year because I changed clubs in order to play.

"I'm not stupid. If I come to Arsenal and my situation is the same as at Chelsea, then I should have stayed at Chelsea. If I come to Arsenal, it's to play. In a few months, I'll have to decide what I want to do.

He added: "I've played more games for my country than for my club, which is ridiculous.

"When I came to Chelsea, I was 19, so to wait for a year is OK, but when I'm playing for the French national team with the European Championship coming, I need to play regular football.

"When Wenger signed me, he knew the player I am. I've been in this kind of situation before, so it's not new to me. I've waited for a long time, but I'm 22 and cannot wait as I have in the past.

"I know Arsenal are a very good team, playing good football and top of the league, but I want to play.

"If I'm not playing by Christmas I may have to go somewhere else."

Personally, I feel as though Gilberto may leave Arsenal in January, seeing as how he isn't getting much playing time at the club, and there is interest from Italy and Spain. If Gilberto does leave, Diarra would have to stay, as we would need back up for Flamini.

Gilberto will be on his way out soon enough (especially after missing out on the captain's armband) so Diarra should stay at Arsenal. The real question is, will he get any playing time?

Arsenal vs. Slavia Prague: Match Preview

Match Review

Group H leaders Arsenal take on third-placed Slavia Prague at the Emirates this coming Tuesday. Arsenal will be confident coming into this match, having won eleven straight games in all competitions. A 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers this past Saturday will do nothing to ruin their morale.

Arsenal would do well not to underestimate the Czech team though. Slavia currently top the table in the Czech league, having collected 25 points out of a possible 30 this season. Slavia are 9 points ahead of Sparta Prague, the team that Arsenal defeated 3-0 to qualify for the Champions League group stage. While they may have lost their last Champions League game (a 4-2 defeat at Sevilla) Slavia do have a bit of pedigree as giant-killers. The Prague team defeated Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam home and away to qualify for the tournament.

However, the Czechs will have to play very well to defeat a nearly full-strength Arsenal squad. Arsenal's only missing players will be Phillipe Senderos and Robin van Persie, and while the loss of the Dutch striker will be lamented, Senderos was unlikely to start anyways, due to the return of William Gallas.

Arsene Wenger's lineup is likely to be nearly the same as that which played Bolton, with only one switch likely - Tomas Rosicky may start over Emmanuel Eboue.

That means that Manuel Almunia will probably start in goal, with the benched goalie being either Jens Lehmann or Lukasz Fabianski.

In front of Almunia will be Arsenal's starting backline of Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure, William Gallas, and Gael Clichy. I can't foresee our defense having any difficulty in keeping the Slavia strikers at bay, and if Kolo Toure can strike a free kick against Slavia the same way he did against Bolton, we may not even miss Robin van Persie.

The most likely midfield lineup (and the best in my opinion) would be Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini in the middle, with Tomas Rosicky and Alex Hleb on the flanks. The Czech national team captain is likely to start over Emmanuel Eboue who struggled to have an impact on Saturday and seems to be losing his place in the Arsenal side. Other options in the midfield include Abou Diaby, Gilberto, and Lassana Diarra; but while Diaby and Gilberto may get some time as substitutes I don't see either of them starting.

Arsenal's impressive midfield lineup should boss around Slavia's midfielders, and I wouldn't be surprised to see some goals coming from the midfield. More likely to score though, would be our front line.

Up front Arsene Wenger still has many options despite the loss of Robin van Persie due to injury. Emmanuel Adebayor and Eduardo started against Bolton on Saturday, and are the most likely candidates to start on Tuesday as well. However, Arsenal's young starlet Theo Walcott has been pushing for a starting berth as a striker, and Nicklas Bendtner will be looking for some action up front as well. No matter who plays, if Sevilla was able to put four past them, we should be able to score a few of our own...

While I urge Arsenal fans not to be too overconfident in this fixture, I do feel that we are heavy favorites both to win this game, and head the group in qualifying for the knockout stages. I'd guess we win this one 2-0.