0-1, Premier League, St James' Park, 29 December 2013
Giroud 65
This game marked the midway point of the season, and claiming the top spot at the midway point is usually a good sign for whoever is to be champions at the end of the season. Nothing but a win would be good enough as both Manchester City and Chelsea won their games, meaning that a win would take us one point ahead of City and two points ahead of Chelsea.
The game had a rather slow start, it took twenty minutes until the first corner of the game was awarded, and it was Sagna who arranged it with a surge forward. Before the end of the first half Newcastle fired wide and Cazorla had a shot on target saved by 'keeper Krul. In the very last minute we were in trouble as Szczesny made a great save from a shot and Wilshere made a save on the goal line in the following corner.
We started the second half a bit better, with a Flamini shot over the bar before getting the winning goal. Walcott took the free-kick that was met by Olivier Giroud, who headed it past Krul to return to the score sheet after some time absent! A few minutes later we came close to doubling the lead, as Walcott got the ball past Krul, only for a defender to head it clear. But only as far as to Giroud, who unfortunately did not get a clean hit and the effort went wide.
During the final minutes we let Newcastle dominate completely and merely defended our lead, which is quite unlike us. Szczesny almost made a huge blunder as he kicked the ball in Remy's face, and the ball bounced inches wide of the post! He then made a comfortable save from a shot on target. During the added time Ben Arfa hit the side netting and in the very final kick of the game Newcastle had a corner. Newcastle 'keeper Krul went up, but fortunately Szczesny beat him to the ball and the win was sealed!
We can now celebrate New Year top of the league, which is quite the relief since we could not do so over Christmas. Nevertheless, it is time to prepare for the clash against Cardiff on the very first day of the year!
Injury Update:
- Ramsey missed out due to the thigh injury he picked up against West Ham.
- Özil was unable to feature in this game due to a shoulder injury.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Thursday, December 26, 2013
West Ham vs. Arsenal
1-3, Premier League, Boleyn Ground, 26 December 2013
Walcott 68, 71,
Podolski 79
Since we had not won for three league games in a row prior to this game, a win was long overdue. Having lost the first place for the first time in months might have proven motivation enough to take the three points and retake the top spot, if only for a few hours.
In the third minute we got an indication of what was to come when Walcott was played through by Cazorla, sadly the Englishman was offside on that occasion. On the other side of the pitch Jarvis posed a bit of a threat in the shape of a dangerous cross that was cleared by Szczesny. Minutes later he was at it again, this time with a free-kick that was taken towards the top corner, where Szczesny made yet another save.
Giroud came close to reaching a great cross by Sagna with a header, and fifteen minutes into the game we had a double chance of header where, following a corner, a header was cleared in front of the goal and then Cazorla reached the rebound with a header that was saved near the top corner by the 'keeper.
We wrapped the half up with a few more chances, but never got quite close enough. Walcott had an effort going wide as he got close to the goal from a steep angle and Cazorla had a shot inches over the bar. Ramsey managed to hit the target, but it was a comfortable save for the 'keeper and to conclude Arteta fired inches wide following a Cazorla free-kick.
In the very first minute of the second half we found ourselves behind. Cole scored for West Ham from close range as Szczesny let a rebound loose right in front of the striker. It was a bit hard to take, but we kept on going and in the end it paid off.
As Cazorla had a shot saved, Ramsey fired from the rebound, only to see the 'keeper make yet another save. The Welshman then picked up an injury to his thigh and was unable to continue the game. Needless to say this is a huge blow for us, we can only hope that it was nothing too serious. However, there was some joy to be seen in this as Podolski was brought on to replace Ramsey. This was the first game for the German for many months, and he looked like he had never been away! Just a minute after being brought on, Podolski got a chance as Walcott got the ball to him in the box, unfortunately Poldi was unable to get a proper shot away and the 'keeper could make the save.
Mere minutes later we finally grabbed the equaliser, and it was none other than an in-form Englishman. Cazorla found the lightning fast Theo Walcott on the edge of the box, and the striker fired a shot that somehow found its way through the box and into the back of the net! Due to the extensive amount of defenders in the box, the 'keeper was unable to see the shot coming until it was too late, and we were back in it! Just three minutes later we took the lead, and once again it was a certain fast paced Englishman who made it happen. Podolski fired a cross into the box, that was headed on by a defender and ended up to be of perfect height for Theo Walcott to head into the back of the net as he ran into an excellent position right in front of the goal!
Podolski would get a perfect comeback before the end of the game, but first he had a one-on-one with the 'keeper where he got too close so the 'keeper could make the save. Then, however, he showed his accuracy. Giroud played the ball back to Lukas Podolski, who scored with a powerful! A brilliant comeback by Podolski!
Writing this ahead of the Man City - Liverpool game, we are once again top of the league (with the hope of remaining there!). On Sunday we face Newcastle away, which will be anything but easy. However, should we play as we did during the later part of this game, I have feeling that we will do quite all right!
Walcott 68, 71,
Podolski 79
Since we had not won for three league games in a row prior to this game, a win was long overdue. Having lost the first place for the first time in months might have proven motivation enough to take the three points and retake the top spot, if only for a few hours.
In the third minute we got an indication of what was to come when Walcott was played through by Cazorla, sadly the Englishman was offside on that occasion. On the other side of the pitch Jarvis posed a bit of a threat in the shape of a dangerous cross that was cleared by Szczesny. Minutes later he was at it again, this time with a free-kick that was taken towards the top corner, where Szczesny made yet another save.
Giroud came close to reaching a great cross by Sagna with a header, and fifteen minutes into the game we had a double chance of header where, following a corner, a header was cleared in front of the goal and then Cazorla reached the rebound with a header that was saved near the top corner by the 'keeper.
We wrapped the half up with a few more chances, but never got quite close enough. Walcott had an effort going wide as he got close to the goal from a steep angle and Cazorla had a shot inches over the bar. Ramsey managed to hit the target, but it was a comfortable save for the 'keeper and to conclude Arteta fired inches wide following a Cazorla free-kick.
In the very first minute of the second half we found ourselves behind. Cole scored for West Ham from close range as Szczesny let a rebound loose right in front of the striker. It was a bit hard to take, but we kept on going and in the end it paid off.
As Cazorla had a shot saved, Ramsey fired from the rebound, only to see the 'keeper make yet another save. The Welshman then picked up an injury to his thigh and was unable to continue the game. Needless to say this is a huge blow for us, we can only hope that it was nothing too serious. However, there was some joy to be seen in this as Podolski was brought on to replace Ramsey. This was the first game for the German for many months, and he looked like he had never been away! Just a minute after being brought on, Podolski got a chance as Walcott got the ball to him in the box, unfortunately Poldi was unable to get a proper shot away and the 'keeper could make the save.
Mere minutes later we finally grabbed the equaliser, and it was none other than an in-form Englishman. Cazorla found the lightning fast Theo Walcott on the edge of the box, and the striker fired a shot that somehow found its way through the box and into the back of the net! Due to the extensive amount of defenders in the box, the 'keeper was unable to see the shot coming until it was too late, and we were back in it! Just three minutes later we took the lead, and once again it was a certain fast paced Englishman who made it happen. Podolski fired a cross into the box, that was headed on by a defender and ended up to be of perfect height for Theo Walcott to head into the back of the net as he ran into an excellent position right in front of the goal!
Podolski would get a perfect comeback before the end of the game, but first he had a one-on-one with the 'keeper where he got too close so the 'keeper could make the save. Then, however, he showed his accuracy. Giroud played the ball back to Lukas Podolski, who scored with a powerful! A brilliant comeback by Podolski!
Writing this ahead of the Man City - Liverpool game, we are once again top of the league (with the hope of remaining there!). On Sunday we face Newcastle away, which will be anything but easy. However, should we play as we did during the later part of this game, I have feeling that we will do quite all right!
Monday, December 23, 2013
Arsenal vs. Chelsea
0-0, Premier League, Emirates Stadium, 23 December 2013
Considering last weekend's game and the fact that Liverpool, having won their game of the round, had moved us to a runners-up position prior to our game, a win felt like a necessity. However, we proved to be slightly short up-front and had to settle for just the one point and a Christmas spent on the second place.
Considering last weekend's game and the fact that Liverpool, having won their game of the round, had moved us to a runners-up position prior to our game, a win felt like a necessity. However, we proved to be slightly short up-front and had to settle for just the one point and a Christmas spent on the second place.
We started the game quite well with lots of possession but sadly too few chances. Nearly half an hour into the game we got our first real chance of the game as Sagna provided a brilliant cross into the box that was cleared right in front of the goal and Giroud by Cahill. Next up was arguably the best chance of the game, and we got extremely lucky to remain on equal terms. Lampard had a shot hitting the bar and then going out. Two minutes later Chelsea had two more chances as Torres had a shot on target saved by Szczesny and Mertesacker made a vital block as a second shot was fired at the goal.
We wrapped up the game with a couple of decent chances. The first was a penalty shout as Walcott was brought down in the 18-yard-box, it was a clear penalty but unfortunately the ref did not see that. In the very last minute Özil had a shot blocked and Rosicky's follow-up went wide.
The second half was much alike to the first one, with chances going both ways to both teams. Lampard had a shot on target saved by Szczesny while, on the other end, Özil had another shot blocked. Terry headed wide following a Chelsea free-kick, then we dominated through the remaining twenty minutes. Giroud fired wide as Cech came out to cover his goal and the Frenchman had another effort as Gibbs provided a great cross, it was somehow but over the bar right in front of the goal due to some decent goalkeeping by Cech.
The second half was much alike to the first one, with chances going both ways to both teams. Lampard had a shot on target saved by Szczesny while, on the other end, Özil had another shot blocked. Terry headed wide following a Chelsea free-kick, then we dominated through the remaining twenty minutes. Giroud fired wide as Cech came out to cover his goal and the Frenchman had another effort as Gibbs provided a great cross, it was somehow but over the bar right in front of the goal due to some decent goalkeeping by Cech.
The last chance of the game came during the added time when we had a header saved on the line by a defender.
While it is very disappointing to have lost the top spot in the table, there is hope of having it returned before long, as Liverpool have a rather tough schedule coming up. For now we shall just have to prepare for the next game coming up on the 26th.
While it is very disappointing to have lost the top spot in the table, there is hope of having it returned before long, as Liverpool have a rather tough schedule coming up. For now we shall just have to prepare for the next game coming up on the 26th.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Champions League Last 16 Draw
We have been drawn against the same team we were drawn against last year, that is Bayern Munich. Needless to say it is one of the toughest (if not the toughest) opponent we could have gotten, but nevertheless there is hope, considering the away game last year and more particularly our autumn. The home game will be played on February 19, and the away game on March 11.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Manchester City vs. Arsenal
6-3, Premier League, Etihad Stadium, 14 December 2013
Walcott 31, 63,
Mertesacker
Manchester City have been solid all year at their home turf, while we have been excellent in more or less all of our away games. While a loss would not be a complete disaster, a win here and we would have been in an extremely good position ahead of Christmas.
The start of the first half consisted of lots of early pressure from Manchester City, with several corners and free-kicks. Therefore it was of no great surprise that their first goal came from a corner-kick, and the identity of the goalscorer was not of a particularly surprising nature either. Koscielny lost track of Aguero in the box and the Argentinian went on to score from close range.
With half an hour to go Walcott had a free-kick cleared by City 'keeper Pantilimon, the ball found its way to Özil, but his touch was too poor and the ball went out of his reach. The following minute we caught a break and got back in the game, through Theo Walcott! Ramsey nicked the ball off Yaya Toure and played it to Özil, who cut it back to the Englishman, whose shot was placed past Pantilimon and into the back of the net!
Mere minutes later we got extremely lucky as Negredo got in a golden position to score as he got past our defence, but fortunately he put it wide. Five minutes later we were not as lucky, Zabaleta was completely free at the edge of the box and played it in to Negredo, who scored from close range. In that situation Koscielny picked up an injury to his knee and had to be stretchered off, a huge set-back for us. Vermaelen came on to replace him.
At the start of the second half things took another turn for the worse as Fernandinho scored. We lost possession in a dangerous area, which cannot happen in these games, and so it fell to the City player who curled a shot past Szczesny.
Giroud then had a trio of chances to get us back into the game, but all of them failed. First he received a cross at the far end of the box, but did not get a proper hit at the ball and it went over the bar. He then miss-kicked the ball, forcing it to go wide rather than towards the goal. Last, but definitely not least, he had a header going inches wide! It was Sagna who provided the brilliant cross that was met by the on-rushing Giroud.
We had a penalty shout denied as the ref failed to see how Zabaleta used his arm to maintain possession. Shortly after that we got back in it for the last time, and once again it was Theo Walcott who scored! Ramsey chipped the ball to him and it was a brilliant finish from the Englishman, curling it into the top corner past Pantilimon!
Merely three minutes later we were once again two goals behind. Silva was unmarked in the box and could score from close range. Wilshere then had a decent shot tipped over the bar by Pantilimon while Navas hit the side-netting on the other end of the pitch. Szczesny had to make a save as Fernandinho fired on target, while Nasri just fired high and wide.
Whatever hope remained died with two minutes to go, as Fernandinho scored yet again. Wilshere lost possession in the middle of the field and eventually Fernandinho put it past Szczesny. Walcott would have scored a hat-trick had not his free-kick been saved by Pantilimon. Instead it was Per Mertesacker who ended up as our final goalscorer of the day. Sagna provided a very good cross, which was met by Mertesacker and headed past Pantilimon.
Then, yet again, we lost possession in a dangerous situation, leading to Szczesny bringing down a City player and them getting a penalty. Yaya Toure scored from the penalty spot, which was the last thing to happen in the game.
A very disappointing result, we were just not good enough and definitely need to step it up against Chelsea next Monday.
Walcott 31, 63,
Mertesacker
Manchester City have been solid all year at their home turf, while we have been excellent in more or less all of our away games. While a loss would not be a complete disaster, a win here and we would have been in an extremely good position ahead of Christmas.
The start of the first half consisted of lots of early pressure from Manchester City, with several corners and free-kicks. Therefore it was of no great surprise that their first goal came from a corner-kick, and the identity of the goalscorer was not of a particularly surprising nature either. Koscielny lost track of Aguero in the box and the Argentinian went on to score from close range.
With half an hour to go Walcott had a free-kick cleared by City 'keeper Pantilimon, the ball found its way to Özil, but his touch was too poor and the ball went out of his reach. The following minute we caught a break and got back in the game, through Theo Walcott! Ramsey nicked the ball off Yaya Toure and played it to Özil, who cut it back to the Englishman, whose shot was placed past Pantilimon and into the back of the net!
Mere minutes later we got extremely lucky as Negredo got in a golden position to score as he got past our defence, but fortunately he put it wide. Five minutes later we were not as lucky, Zabaleta was completely free at the edge of the box and played it in to Negredo, who scored from close range. In that situation Koscielny picked up an injury to his knee and had to be stretchered off, a huge set-back for us. Vermaelen came on to replace him.
At the start of the second half things took another turn for the worse as Fernandinho scored. We lost possession in a dangerous area, which cannot happen in these games, and so it fell to the City player who curled a shot past Szczesny.
Giroud then had a trio of chances to get us back into the game, but all of them failed. First he received a cross at the far end of the box, but did not get a proper hit at the ball and it went over the bar. He then miss-kicked the ball, forcing it to go wide rather than towards the goal. Last, but definitely not least, he had a header going inches wide! It was Sagna who provided the brilliant cross that was met by the on-rushing Giroud.
We had a penalty shout denied as the ref failed to see how Zabaleta used his arm to maintain possession. Shortly after that we got back in it for the last time, and once again it was Theo Walcott who scored! Ramsey chipped the ball to him and it was a brilliant finish from the Englishman, curling it into the top corner past Pantilimon!
Merely three minutes later we were once again two goals behind. Silva was unmarked in the box and could score from close range. Wilshere then had a decent shot tipped over the bar by Pantilimon while Navas hit the side-netting on the other end of the pitch. Szczesny had to make a save as Fernandinho fired on target, while Nasri just fired high and wide.
Whatever hope remained died with two minutes to go, as Fernandinho scored yet again. Wilshere lost possession in the middle of the field and eventually Fernandinho put it past Szczesny. Walcott would have scored a hat-trick had not his free-kick been saved by Pantilimon. Instead it was Per Mertesacker who ended up as our final goalscorer of the day. Sagna provided a very good cross, which was met by Mertesacker and headed past Pantilimon.
Then, yet again, we lost possession in a dangerous situation, leading to Szczesny bringing down a City player and them getting a penalty. Yaya Toure scored from the penalty spot, which was the last thing to happen in the game.
A very disappointing result, we were just not good enough and definitely need to step it up against Chelsea next Monday.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Napoli vs. Arsenal
2-0, Champions League, San Paolo Stadium, 11 December 2013
Ahead of this game, we knew that we were more or less guaranteed to qualify, the question was whether we would finish as runners-up or top of the group. However, at the end of the game we were closer to ending up as neither than we would have liked...
All in all, the game consisted of few clear-cut chances. Ten minutes into the first half Szczesny made a decent save from a shot on target while Giroud's effort on target was saved at the other end. Then Napoli had a shot over the bar and that was pretty much it for the first half.
In the second half things got a bit more interesting, though from our side it was not in a good way. Napoli fired wide before taking the lead as Higuain fired past Szczesny. With fifteen minutes to go Arteta was shown off the field as he received a second yellow card (meaning that he will miss the first game of the knock-out stages) and in the very last minute Napoli scored again, this time through Callejón.
Fortunately for us, they would have needed to win with at least 3-0 in order to qualify, so we made by the smallest possible margin, one goal. We did, however, lose the top spot to Dortmund, meaning that in the ensuing knock-out stages we will face one of the following teams: Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid or Barcelona. I think it goes without saying which team we would prefer and what teams we wouldn't.
Ahead of this game, we knew that we were more or less guaranteed to qualify, the question was whether we would finish as runners-up or top of the group. However, at the end of the game we were closer to ending up as neither than we would have liked...
All in all, the game consisted of few clear-cut chances. Ten minutes into the first half Szczesny made a decent save from a shot on target while Giroud's effort on target was saved at the other end. Then Napoli had a shot over the bar and that was pretty much it for the first half.
In the second half things got a bit more interesting, though from our side it was not in a good way. Napoli fired wide before taking the lead as Higuain fired past Szczesny. With fifteen minutes to go Arteta was shown off the field as he received a second yellow card (meaning that he will miss the first game of the knock-out stages) and in the very last minute Napoli scored again, this time through Callejón.
Fortunately for us, they would have needed to win with at least 3-0 in order to qualify, so we made by the smallest possible margin, one goal. We did, however, lose the top spot to Dortmund, meaning that in the ensuing knock-out stages we will face one of the following teams: Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid or Barcelona. I think it goes without saying which team we would prefer and what teams we wouldn't.
Monday, December 9, 2013
FA Cup Third-Round Draw
Our first game of the FA Cup this year will be a derby, and not just any derby, but the North London Derby!
We will face Tottenham at the Emirates on the 4th of January, in what will surely be a magnificent game!
Arsenal vs. Everton
1-1, Premier League, Emirates Stadium, 08 December 2013
Özil 80
Ahead of this game we were four points clear at the top, and had the opportunity of going seven points clear. However, that proved too great a task against an Everton side, fresh from a win at Old Trafford.
Without a doubt, Everton were the best side at the start of the game. For the first half an hour or so, it was all about the visitors. Five minutes into the game they came forward with speed, but fortunately the cross was not met by any player. Then Mertesacker had to make a vital interception as Lukaku approached our goal.
Our chances of the half were quite limited, at the half hour mark Gibbs was inches away from meeting Cazorla's cross right in front of the Everton goal. Giroud had a decent chance as he got through the defence, only to have his shot saved by Tim Howard in the Everton goal. Mere minutes later Ramsey ended up in a similar situation, going through the defence only to have the shot saved.
Even though the first half ended goalless, it was clear that we were catching up with our usual form by the end of the half...
At the start of the second half we continued with the brilliant play from the end of the first half. First up was Gibbs who had a volley effort going wide from quite a distance. The full-back then crossed the box to Wilshere, who laid it back for Cazorla to head straight at Howard. Stunning play and a brilliant attack, it was just the finished that did not meet top standards. Giroud made a decent run into the box, but his shot was blocked by a defender right before Szczesny had to make a great save from Pienaar's shot.
We continued our pressure, with more from Gibbs as he provided a stunning cross across the box to Ramsey, whose shot was saved by Howard! Then Flamini fired wide as Walcott and Giroud worked together to get the ball to him, before we finally caught a break. With ten minutes to go Rosicky lifted the ball to Walcott, whose header reached Giroud, who missed the ball, but then Mesut Özil popped up behind him to put it into the back of the net!
With that goal it felt as though we were getting another three points, but unfortunately the lead only lasted for four minutes, then Everton equalised through Deulofeu. Szczesny may have let that one slip past him, but he was sure not to let that happen again as Lukaku got through the defence shortly after, making a vital save. We could have had a fairytale ending to the game when Giroud unleashed a sizzling shot in the very final minute, but it hit the woodwork rather than the net! It was such a shame, seeing such a beautiful shot hit the bar and then go wide...
So we had to settle for just the one point this time around, and for the first time in a long time. However, we are still ahead in the table and will just have to keep working had, seeing as we have some rather difficult games ahead.
Özil 80
Ahead of this game we were four points clear at the top, and had the opportunity of going seven points clear. However, that proved too great a task against an Everton side, fresh from a win at Old Trafford.
Without a doubt, Everton were the best side at the start of the game. For the first half an hour or so, it was all about the visitors. Five minutes into the game they came forward with speed, but fortunately the cross was not met by any player. Then Mertesacker had to make a vital interception as Lukaku approached our goal.
Our chances of the half were quite limited, at the half hour mark Gibbs was inches away from meeting Cazorla's cross right in front of the Everton goal. Giroud had a decent chance as he got through the defence, only to have his shot saved by Tim Howard in the Everton goal. Mere minutes later Ramsey ended up in a similar situation, going through the defence only to have the shot saved.
Even though the first half ended goalless, it was clear that we were catching up with our usual form by the end of the half...
At the start of the second half we continued with the brilliant play from the end of the first half. First up was Gibbs who had a volley effort going wide from quite a distance. The full-back then crossed the box to Wilshere, who laid it back for Cazorla to head straight at Howard. Stunning play and a brilliant attack, it was just the finished that did not meet top standards. Giroud made a decent run into the box, but his shot was blocked by a defender right before Szczesny had to make a great save from Pienaar's shot.
We continued our pressure, with more from Gibbs as he provided a stunning cross across the box to Ramsey, whose shot was saved by Howard! Then Flamini fired wide as Walcott and Giroud worked together to get the ball to him, before we finally caught a break. With ten minutes to go Rosicky lifted the ball to Walcott, whose header reached Giroud, who missed the ball, but then Mesut Özil popped up behind him to put it into the back of the net!
With that goal it felt as though we were getting another three points, but unfortunately the lead only lasted for four minutes, then Everton equalised through Deulofeu. Szczesny may have let that one slip past him, but he was sure not to let that happen again as Lukaku got through the defence shortly after, making a vital save. We could have had a fairytale ending to the game when Giroud unleashed a sizzling shot in the very final minute, but it hit the woodwork rather than the net! It was such a shame, seeing such a beautiful shot hit the bar and then go wide...
So we had to settle for just the one point this time around, and for the first time in a long time. However, we are still ahead in the table and will just have to keep working had, seeing as we have some rather difficult games ahead.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Arsenal vs. Hull
2-0, Premier League, Emirates Stadium, 04 December 2013
Bendtner 2,
Özil 47
As all the other top teams won during this round (except for Manchester United and Tottenham, but maybe they don't really count at the moment), it was vital for us to do likewise.
Bendtner 2,
Özil 47
As all the other top teams won during this round (except for Manchester United and Tottenham, but maybe they don't really count at the moment), it was vital for us to do likewise.
Just two minutes (or rather 1 minute and 30 seconds) we took the lead. Scoring early on seems to be a trademark move of ours at the moment, but this time the goal-scorer was not expected. Nicklas Bendtner met Jenkinson's brilliant cross with an excellent header, making its way past the 'keeper! A while later Özil had a shot saved by the 'keeper, but Bendtner reached the rebound. Unfortunately it got too far away from him and he couldn't reach it before it went wide of the goal.
As the half was edging closer to the end Ramsey fired a sizzling shot on target, but the 'keeper made a stunning save, steering it wide. In the very last minute Bendtner provided a cross for Özil, but the header went wide.
In the second minute of the second half we doubled our lead (notice a pattern here...?). Mesut Özil fired into the back of the net without looking as Ramsey unleashed a deadly pass, cutting through the entire defence.
We remained in control throughout the rest of the game, with 20 - 7 attempts in our favour as of the 91st minute.
In the second minute of the second half we doubled our lead (notice a pattern here...?). Mesut Özil fired into the back of the net without looking as Ramsey unleashed a deadly pass, cutting through the entire defence.
We remained in control throughout the rest of the game, with 20 - 7 attempts in our favour as of the 91st minute.
This scoreline means that we have a combined 7-0 from our last three games, which is quite all right! On Sunday we face Everton, who beat Manchester United at Old Trafford in this round, so it will surely prove to be a tough test.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Cardiff vs. Arsenal
0-3, Premier League, Cardiff City Stadium, 30 November 2013
Ramsey 29, 90 + 2,
Flamini 86
We knew that it would be a tough game, and even though the scoreline might not reflect that, it was indeed a very tough game!
Wilshere almost began this game like the previous one, with a goal. Unfortunately his beautifully curved shot towards the top corner of the goal hit the bar rather than the net, but he sure is on fire at the moment. Speaking of players on fire, guess who was back on the scoresheet for this game...? Aaron Ramsey made a brilliant run into the box at the half-hour mark, meeting a cross perfectly with a stunning header into the back of the net! Then he came close to adding a second goal at the end of the half as he showed some slick moves in the box, but in the end his shot went high and wide as a defender intercepted.
Szczesny got to start the second half with a brilliant save from a powerful header that went downwards, towards the line. The majority of the second half was a big battle, one that we, fortunately, came out victorious of! Mathieu Flamini scored with about five minutes to go, a brilliant assist by Özil matched the Frenchman's run into the box. The shot itself was bursting with power and thundered past the 'keeper! Shortly after that the second goal scored by a certain Aaron Ramsey arrived. He wrapped up the game with another great goal, this time Walcott provided the assist.
So we remain top of the league for another week, maintaining consistent good results and playing. So far so good...
Ramsey 29, 90 + 2,
Flamini 86
We knew that it would be a tough game, and even though the scoreline might not reflect that, it was indeed a very tough game!
Wilshere almost began this game like the previous one, with a goal. Unfortunately his beautifully curved shot towards the top corner of the goal hit the bar rather than the net, but he sure is on fire at the moment. Speaking of players on fire, guess who was back on the scoresheet for this game...? Aaron Ramsey made a brilliant run into the box at the half-hour mark, meeting a cross perfectly with a stunning header into the back of the net! Then he came close to adding a second goal at the end of the half as he showed some slick moves in the box, but in the end his shot went high and wide as a defender intercepted.
Szczesny got to start the second half with a brilliant save from a powerful header that went downwards, towards the line. The majority of the second half was a big battle, one that we, fortunately, came out victorious of! Mathieu Flamini scored with about five minutes to go, a brilliant assist by Özil matched the Frenchman's run into the box. The shot itself was bursting with power and thundered past the 'keeper! Shortly after that the second goal scored by a certain Aaron Ramsey arrived. He wrapped up the game with another great goal, this time Walcott provided the assist.
So we remain top of the league for another week, maintaining consistent good results and playing. So far so good...
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Arsenal vs. Marseille
2-0, Champions League, Emirates Stadium, 26 November 2013
Wilshere 1, 65
This game was more or less a "must-win" if we were to have any hope of qualifying, and fortunately there was never any doubt as to whether we would make it or not!
Not even 30 seconds into the game, but 29 seconds, we had our lead. Jack Wilshere was released down the right-hand side, made his way into the box, got past the defender with a quick turn and put the ball into the back of the net with an exquisite shot! Simply just stunning and it left us feeling quite comfortable for the remainder of the game! We almost increased the lead a few minutes later, though, as Giroud passed the ball to Wilshere, who played it in for Ramsey in the middle of the box to finish the move off, but the 'keeper pulled off an amazing save.
Szczesny had to showcase some of his goalkeeping skills, even though we were, indeed, quite comfortably in control of the game. The Polish 'keeper prevented Gignac from getting an opportunity to score by making a quick and early interception.
Towards the end of the half we were awarded with a penalty, unfortunately it was a wrong decision from the referee, since Ramsey was just outside of the 18-yard-box when he was brought down while making a neat and quick turn. Maybe it was fair, then, that Özil's penalty was saved by the 'keeper. However, it was a remarkably poor penalty, lacking in pace and placing.
In the second half we continued stacking up chances, Giroud had a shot deflected inches wide of the post while Özil got in a brilliant position to score, but the 'keeper made the save. Giroud then had another chance as a high ball into the box ended up behind him and he had to make a quick turn, unfortunately it was not quick enough as the 'keeper got to it right before him.
Two minutes later, however, we did score. And once again it was a certain young Englishman who did the deed. Ramsey provided an excellent pass to Özil, matching the German's run into the box, who passed it on to Jack Wilshere, who finished the move off with a confident strike!
Marseille did create a couple of more chances, though, before the end of the game. Monreal had to clear the ball off the line with fifteen minutes to go and mere minutes later Szczesny pulled off an amazing save, getting down fast to keep the ball clear of the line.
These three, vital points takes us one step closer to qualification, with only one more game to go!
Wilshere 1, 65
This game was more or less a "must-win" if we were to have any hope of qualifying, and fortunately there was never any doubt as to whether we would make it or not!
Not even 30 seconds into the game, but 29 seconds, we had our lead. Jack Wilshere was released down the right-hand side, made his way into the box, got past the defender with a quick turn and put the ball into the back of the net with an exquisite shot! Simply just stunning and it left us feeling quite comfortable for the remainder of the game! We almost increased the lead a few minutes later, though, as Giroud passed the ball to Wilshere, who played it in for Ramsey in the middle of the box to finish the move off, but the 'keeper pulled off an amazing save.
Szczesny had to showcase some of his goalkeeping skills, even though we were, indeed, quite comfortably in control of the game. The Polish 'keeper prevented Gignac from getting an opportunity to score by making a quick and early interception.
Towards the end of the half we were awarded with a penalty, unfortunately it was a wrong decision from the referee, since Ramsey was just outside of the 18-yard-box when he was brought down while making a neat and quick turn. Maybe it was fair, then, that Özil's penalty was saved by the 'keeper. However, it was a remarkably poor penalty, lacking in pace and placing.
In the second half we continued stacking up chances, Giroud had a shot deflected inches wide of the post while Özil got in a brilliant position to score, but the 'keeper made the save. Giroud then had another chance as a high ball into the box ended up behind him and he had to make a quick turn, unfortunately it was not quick enough as the 'keeper got to it right before him.
Two minutes later, however, we did score. And once again it was a certain young Englishman who did the deed. Ramsey provided an excellent pass to Özil, matching the German's run into the box, who passed it on to Jack Wilshere, who finished the move off with a confident strike!
Marseille did create a couple of more chances, though, before the end of the game. Monreal had to clear the ball off the line with fifteen minutes to go and mere minutes later Szczesny pulled off an amazing save, getting down fast to keep the ball clear of the line.
These three, vital points takes us one step closer to qualification, with only one more game to go!
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Arsenal vs. Southampton
2-0, Premier League, Emirates Stadium, 23 November 2013
Giroud 22, 86 (pen)
Having left off on a negative note before the international break, it was important to get back to our winning ways right away. Especially with the knowledge that Liverpool had dropped points earlier today, meaning that we had the chance to go four points clear at the top!
We started the game off in brilliant style, at least as brilliant as it can get without scoring, with two efforts hitting the post within the initial twenty minutes. First up was Wilshere, following a neat pass by Ramsey into the box, ending up at the Englishman's feet. The ball may have gone over Southampton 'keeper Boruc, but unfortunately it bounced off the post and stayed clear of the goal line. Next up was Ramsey's cheeky back-heel, he attempted to flick Özil's cross into the back of the net, what a goal it would have been had it not hit the post and then gone out.
Mere minutes later, however, we did find the back of the net. The fashion of the goal was quite unusual and very lucky, depending on whose side you view it. Olivier Giroud nicked the ball off the 'keeper, who got over-confident with his footwork and dribbled just a few times too many, and put it into the back of the net! Really poor play by Boruc, but one-nil nevertheless!
Before the end of the half Szczesny got the chance to show how proper goalkeeping should look like as he conjured a decent save to deny Lallana's shot access to the goal.
The second half started in similar fashion, with Szczesny making a save. This one was far more comfortable, though, as Lallana fired straight at him. Ten minutes later Özil had a shot on target saved by Boruc and then Wilshere headed straight at the same 'keeper.
With half an hour to go Walcott was introduced, his first game for two months, at the expense of Cazorla. Needless to say it is brilliant to have him back, considering his form earlier this season! On a less positive note, Arteta appeared to pick up an injury and Rosicky came on to take his place for the remained of the game.
As Osvaldo produced a shot on target Szczesny had to make another save, but the next effort went wide into a corner. Ten minutes from the end Özil was replaced by Monreal and Walcott fired wide. Five minutes before the end we sealed the game, as Fonte pulled at Mertesacker's shirt during a corner and the referee awarded us with a penalty! Since first-choice penalty taker Arteta had gone off, a certain Frenchman stepped up to take the penalty. Olivier Giroud produced a powerful strike from the penalty spot to double his tally for the game and win it for us!
With these points we are now four points clear of second-placed Liverpool, meaning that we have some breathing space! Furthermore, it was important for the confidence of the team to return to winning ways, things are definitely still looking good! On Tuesday we face Marseille at the Emirates, a (more or less) must-win for us to ensure qualification for the next round in the Champions League!
Injury Update:
- Walcott returned to the squad for this game, starting on the bench.
Giroud 22, 86 (pen)
Having left off on a negative note before the international break, it was important to get back to our winning ways right away. Especially with the knowledge that Liverpool had dropped points earlier today, meaning that we had the chance to go four points clear at the top!
We started the game off in brilliant style, at least as brilliant as it can get without scoring, with two efforts hitting the post within the initial twenty minutes. First up was Wilshere, following a neat pass by Ramsey into the box, ending up at the Englishman's feet. The ball may have gone over Southampton 'keeper Boruc, but unfortunately it bounced off the post and stayed clear of the goal line. Next up was Ramsey's cheeky back-heel, he attempted to flick Özil's cross into the back of the net, what a goal it would have been had it not hit the post and then gone out.
Mere minutes later, however, we did find the back of the net. The fashion of the goal was quite unusual and very lucky, depending on whose side you view it. Olivier Giroud nicked the ball off the 'keeper, who got over-confident with his footwork and dribbled just a few times too many, and put it into the back of the net! Really poor play by Boruc, but one-nil nevertheless!
Before the end of the half Szczesny got the chance to show how proper goalkeeping should look like as he conjured a decent save to deny Lallana's shot access to the goal.
The second half started in similar fashion, with Szczesny making a save. This one was far more comfortable, though, as Lallana fired straight at him. Ten minutes later Özil had a shot on target saved by Boruc and then Wilshere headed straight at the same 'keeper.
With half an hour to go Walcott was introduced, his first game for two months, at the expense of Cazorla. Needless to say it is brilliant to have him back, considering his form earlier this season! On a less positive note, Arteta appeared to pick up an injury and Rosicky came on to take his place for the remained of the game.
As Osvaldo produced a shot on target Szczesny had to make another save, but the next effort went wide into a corner. Ten minutes from the end Özil was replaced by Monreal and Walcott fired wide. Five minutes before the end we sealed the game, as Fonte pulled at Mertesacker's shirt during a corner and the referee awarded us with a penalty! Since first-choice penalty taker Arteta had gone off, a certain Frenchman stepped up to take the penalty. Olivier Giroud produced a powerful strike from the penalty spot to double his tally for the game and win it for us!
With these points we are now four points clear of second-placed Liverpool, meaning that we have some breathing space! Furthermore, it was important for the confidence of the team to return to winning ways, things are definitely still looking good! On Tuesday we face Marseille at the Emirates, a (more or less) must-win for us to ensure qualification for the next round in the Champions League!
Injury Update:
- Walcott returned to the squad for this game, starting on the bench.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Manchester United vs. Arsenal
1-0, Premier League, Old Trafford, 10 November 2013
Prior to this game Chelsea had dropped points in a draw while both Tottenham and Manchester City had lost their games. I guess we can take some comfort in the fact that we have not lost too much ground, but now Liverpool are back to being merely two points behind.
Ten minutes into the first half Rooney had a shot deflected, but it was a comfortable save for Szczesny. Five minutes later Giroud used a wonderful touch to bring down a cross, but Özil was not prepared for the cut-back and United could clear it.
The goal came after approximately half an hour of the game, van Persie headed a corner into the back of the net. We began building some pressure towards the end of the half, Cazorla had a shot blocked and Giroud headed Ramsey's cross over the bar before half-time.
We enjoyed the majority of the possession during the entire second half, all in all it became somewhere around 63 % of the possession in the second half, but we were unable to find an equalizer. Ramsey had a shot blocked at the beginning of the half and the following minute Vermaelen fired a free-kick well over the bar. Özil hit the side netting from inside the box and Ramsey had a shot on target saved by De Gea before Rooney fired wide as our defence opened up completely.
As the game drew closer and closer to the end Ramsey almost found Özil with a great ball across the pitch and Sagna's cross was inches away from being met by one of our players right in front of the goal, but took a deflection into a corner instead. Then Gibbs had a shot on target following a corner saved by De Gea while Giroud had a shot deflected wide minutes later. The final chance was another Sagna cross, almost met by Bendtner in the final minute.
It is immensely disappointing to lose, having completely dominated the second half. But we never reached our full potential, there was always something missing in the final third. Nevertheless we keep the top spot over the international break and let's just hope that we are back to our winning ways after the break.
Injury Update:
- Both Mertesacker and Rosicky picked up some kind of illness prior to the game and were unable to play. This meant that Vermaelen got to start this game, while Flamini also returned to the starting XI.
Prior to this game Chelsea had dropped points in a draw while both Tottenham and Manchester City had lost their games. I guess we can take some comfort in the fact that we have not lost too much ground, but now Liverpool are back to being merely two points behind.
Ten minutes into the first half Rooney had a shot deflected, but it was a comfortable save for Szczesny. Five minutes later Giroud used a wonderful touch to bring down a cross, but Özil was not prepared for the cut-back and United could clear it.
The goal came after approximately half an hour of the game, van Persie headed a corner into the back of the net. We began building some pressure towards the end of the half, Cazorla had a shot blocked and Giroud headed Ramsey's cross over the bar before half-time.
We enjoyed the majority of the possession during the entire second half, all in all it became somewhere around 63 % of the possession in the second half, but we were unable to find an equalizer. Ramsey had a shot blocked at the beginning of the half and the following minute Vermaelen fired a free-kick well over the bar. Özil hit the side netting from inside the box and Ramsey had a shot on target saved by De Gea before Rooney fired wide as our defence opened up completely.
As the game drew closer and closer to the end Ramsey almost found Özil with a great ball across the pitch and Sagna's cross was inches away from being met by one of our players right in front of the goal, but took a deflection into a corner instead. Then Gibbs had a shot on target following a corner saved by De Gea while Giroud had a shot deflected wide minutes later. The final chance was another Sagna cross, almost met by Bendtner in the final minute.
It is immensely disappointing to lose, having completely dominated the second half. But we never reached our full potential, there was always something missing in the final third. Nevertheless we keep the top spot over the international break and let's just hope that we are back to our winning ways after the break.
Injury Update:
- Both Mertesacker and Rosicky picked up some kind of illness prior to the game and were unable to play. This meant that Vermaelen got to start this game, while Flamini also returned to the starting XI.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Borussia Dortmund vs. Arsenal
0-1, Champions League, BVB Stadion, 06 November 2013
Ramsey 62
There are plenty of moments in football that aren't fair. The result a couple of weeks ago at the Emirates was certainly not fair. Judging from the first half and the first part of the second half of this game this result was not fair. But summarising these two clashes, things ended fairly. Makes sense, right?
We were desperately poor in the first half. To sum it up in a sentence: we did not have a single goal during the entire half. Not a single chance to score for an entire half. Can't remember ever experiencing that with the Arsenal before. Hardly five minutes into the game Mertesacker had to clear the ball inches from the goal-line as Lewandowski got close. Dortmund then had a shot through Subotic just wide of the goal before seeing yet another shot going wide. Before the end of the half Dortmund had time for two more goals going wide, one where we got extremely lucky as our defence opened up completely and then Lewandowski had another chance as his shot from outside the 18-yard-box went wide.
The second half started much like the first, with a shot over the bar from Dortmund right before Szczesny was forced into making a brilliant save from a shot and the rebound found Reus who scored, fortunately it was from an off-side position!
Then came the unlikely goal. The goalscorer, however, was not very unlikely. Aaron Ramsey's close-range header, the first chance for us of the game, found the back of the net following a decent cross by Özil, which was headed on by Giroud to the Welsh goalscoring-machine, who threw his head forward onto the ball to get it past the 'keeper! It has been said before, but it bears saying again, who would have thought a couple of seasons ago that Ramsey would be our top goalscorer with so many decisive goals so far this season...?!
Needless to say this spurred a response from Dortmund, who started going even more forward and they got really close shortly after our goal with a cross that went across the goal, inches away from finding one of several Dortmund players in the box. As a result of this new surge from Dortmund, their half of the pitch opened up for us and we could get a couple of more chances. Ramsey's shot from close range was saved by the 'keeper and from the resulting corner Giroud's effort was saved on the goal-line, while the following cross was inches away from being met by Mertesacker.
As we pushed forward ourselves, Dortmund got chances of counter-attacks and they got close in the resulting one from the cross that Mertesacker almost met, fortunately we cleared it right before the Dortmund player fired. With twenty minutes to go it was 12 - 2 to Dortmund in chances (although the majority of them were off-target), this was announced seconds before Mertesacker headed a free-kick just above the goal, though.
With fifteen minutes left of the game Monreal came on for Cazorla to add some stability to our defence, which would prove necessary as Koscielny was completely mangled by the Dortmund 'keeper right after heading Özil's free-kick wide. We should definitely have been awarded with a penalty for that poor goalkeeping, but all that we were left with was for, some time, be reduced to ten men as Koscielny had to get some treatment. We did not concede without him, though, and ten minutes later Gibbs made an important block to deny Dortmund.
Dortmund's final chance came through Lewandowski, who headed a corner over Szczesny and the goal. In the final minutes Bendtner and Vermaelen were introduced and Özil managed to piss off the entire Dortmund team by gaining both throw-ins and a free-kick by their corner flag!
So with this result we redeemed ourselves for the home game a couple of weeks ago, something that was quite necessary. We are now back at the top of the group, with the same amount of points as Napoli (= 9 pts) but a better goal-difference (3 against Napoli's 1). Hence, the Napoli game in a couple of weeks will be quite decisive then! But now it is time to recharge the batteries for the (presumably) epic clash against Manchester United on Sunday!
Injury Update:
- Wilshere missed out on this game as well due to a minor ankle problem.
- Gibbs started this game, recovering from a slight problem picked up at the end of the Liverpool game.
Ramsey 62
There are plenty of moments in football that aren't fair. The result a couple of weeks ago at the Emirates was certainly not fair. Judging from the first half and the first part of the second half of this game this result was not fair. But summarising these two clashes, things ended fairly. Makes sense, right?
We were desperately poor in the first half. To sum it up in a sentence: we did not have a single goal during the entire half. Not a single chance to score for an entire half. Can't remember ever experiencing that with the Arsenal before. Hardly five minutes into the game Mertesacker had to clear the ball inches from the goal-line as Lewandowski got close. Dortmund then had a shot through Subotic just wide of the goal before seeing yet another shot going wide. Before the end of the half Dortmund had time for two more goals going wide, one where we got extremely lucky as our defence opened up completely and then Lewandowski had another chance as his shot from outside the 18-yard-box went wide.
The second half started much like the first, with a shot over the bar from Dortmund right before Szczesny was forced into making a brilliant save from a shot and the rebound found Reus who scored, fortunately it was from an off-side position!
Then came the unlikely goal. The goalscorer, however, was not very unlikely. Aaron Ramsey's close-range header, the first chance for us of the game, found the back of the net following a decent cross by Özil, which was headed on by Giroud to the Welsh goalscoring-machine, who threw his head forward onto the ball to get it past the 'keeper! It has been said before, but it bears saying again, who would have thought a couple of seasons ago that Ramsey would be our top goalscorer with so many decisive goals so far this season...?!
Needless to say this spurred a response from Dortmund, who started going even more forward and they got really close shortly after our goal with a cross that went across the goal, inches away from finding one of several Dortmund players in the box. As a result of this new surge from Dortmund, their half of the pitch opened up for us and we could get a couple of more chances. Ramsey's shot from close range was saved by the 'keeper and from the resulting corner Giroud's effort was saved on the goal-line, while the following cross was inches away from being met by Mertesacker.
As we pushed forward ourselves, Dortmund got chances of counter-attacks and they got close in the resulting one from the cross that Mertesacker almost met, fortunately we cleared it right before the Dortmund player fired. With twenty minutes to go it was 12 - 2 to Dortmund in chances (although the majority of them were off-target), this was announced seconds before Mertesacker headed a free-kick just above the goal, though.
With fifteen minutes left of the game Monreal came on for Cazorla to add some stability to our defence, which would prove necessary as Koscielny was completely mangled by the Dortmund 'keeper right after heading Özil's free-kick wide. We should definitely have been awarded with a penalty for that poor goalkeeping, but all that we were left with was for, some time, be reduced to ten men as Koscielny had to get some treatment. We did not concede without him, though, and ten minutes later Gibbs made an important block to deny Dortmund.
Dortmund's final chance came through Lewandowski, who headed a corner over Szczesny and the goal. In the final minutes Bendtner and Vermaelen were introduced and Özil managed to piss off the entire Dortmund team by gaining both throw-ins and a free-kick by their corner flag!
So with this result we redeemed ourselves for the home game a couple of weeks ago, something that was quite necessary. We are now back at the top of the group, with the same amount of points as Napoli (= 9 pts) but a better goal-difference (3 against Napoli's 1). Hence, the Napoli game in a couple of weeks will be quite decisive then! But now it is time to recharge the batteries for the (presumably) epic clash against Manchester United on Sunday!
Injury Update:
- Wilshere missed out on this game as well due to a minor ankle problem.
- Gibbs started this game, recovering from a slight problem picked up at the end of the Liverpool game.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Arsenal vs. Liverpool
2-0, Premier League, Emirates Stadium, 02 November 2013
Cazorla 19,
Ramsey 59
Ahead of this game we knew that a win would see us five points clear at the top of the league, whereas a loss would send us down to second in the league. So, win or lose would have quite the impact on our position in the league...
Our first chance of the game was a shot by Rosicky that went into a corner via Liverpool 'keeper Mignolet. Not long after that chance we had our lead that we would hold onto for the rest of the game. Santi Cazorla initially headed Sagna's cross into the post, but when the rebound fell perfectly for him, the Spaniard made no mistake and fired past Mignolet into the back of the net! He had an overall brilliant game, and this was quite the goal for the occasion! Two minutes later he was at it again, only this time Mignolet caught his shot.
The Liverpool 'keeper would make another save not long after as Ramsey had a shot on target following some slick play. Before the end of the half Cazorla had another effort, but this time his shot from outside the 18-yard-box went just wide of the goal.
We began the second half not quite as sharp as we had looked for the majority of the first, fortunately we grew into the half and came out as we started it, on top!
Five minutes into the half Henderson had a shot over the bar for Liverpool and five minutes after that Giroud was one-on-one with Mignolet at the other end, unfortunately his chip went wide. He got another chance to score two minutes later after some neat play including Rosicky and Cazorla, but his shot on target was saved by Mignolet.
Then the final score was settled, and it was none other than Aaron Ramsey who finished the scoring of the evening. An incredible, curling shot from outside the 18-yard-box did the trick, it sure was a stunning strike from the Welshman!
Chances continued to be created, though, and full-back Gibbs had a shot inside the box blocked. At the other end Sturridge had a header going high and wide while Suarez's dangerous, low shot across the goal hit the post and then out. Özil had a shot saved by the 'keeper with fifteen minutes to go and a couple of minutes later Gibbs picked up some kind of calf problem and had to be replaced, skipper Vermaelen came on.
With approximately ten minutes to go Szczesny made a couple of decent saves, removing the ball from right underneath Suarez's feet and producing another save the following minute that caused a corner. The Polish 'keeper was brilliant overall this evening and deserves a lot of credit for this win.
For the final minutes Jenkinson came on for Cazorla (who, deservingly, got a standing ovation). Liverpool's final chance was a shot from Suarez that went wide and the very last chance of the game went to Özil whose shot on target was directly at Mignolet, who could make a fairly comfortable save.
This win means that we are now five points clear at the top of the table after ten games! It sure feels brilliant, considering the past seasons where we have had quite poor starts to the season. Next week we face Manchester United at Old Trafford, so it certainly feels good to have a bit of breathing space to second placed Chelsea and Liverpool. (Chelsea also lost today!)
Injury Update:
- Jack Wilshere had to sit this game out due to a minor ankle proble.
Cazorla 19,
Ramsey 59
Ahead of this game we knew that a win would see us five points clear at the top of the league, whereas a loss would send us down to second in the league. So, win or lose would have quite the impact on our position in the league...
Our first chance of the game was a shot by Rosicky that went into a corner via Liverpool 'keeper Mignolet. Not long after that chance we had our lead that we would hold onto for the rest of the game. Santi Cazorla initially headed Sagna's cross into the post, but when the rebound fell perfectly for him, the Spaniard made no mistake and fired past Mignolet into the back of the net! He had an overall brilliant game, and this was quite the goal for the occasion! Two minutes later he was at it again, only this time Mignolet caught his shot.
The Liverpool 'keeper would make another save not long after as Ramsey had a shot on target following some slick play. Before the end of the half Cazorla had another effort, but this time his shot from outside the 18-yard-box went just wide of the goal.
We began the second half not quite as sharp as we had looked for the majority of the first, fortunately we grew into the half and came out as we started it, on top!
Five minutes into the half Henderson had a shot over the bar for Liverpool and five minutes after that Giroud was one-on-one with Mignolet at the other end, unfortunately his chip went wide. He got another chance to score two minutes later after some neat play including Rosicky and Cazorla, but his shot on target was saved by Mignolet.
Then the final score was settled, and it was none other than Aaron Ramsey who finished the scoring of the evening. An incredible, curling shot from outside the 18-yard-box did the trick, it sure was a stunning strike from the Welshman!
Chances continued to be created, though, and full-back Gibbs had a shot inside the box blocked. At the other end Sturridge had a header going high and wide while Suarez's dangerous, low shot across the goal hit the post and then out. Özil had a shot saved by the 'keeper with fifteen minutes to go and a couple of minutes later Gibbs picked up some kind of calf problem and had to be replaced, skipper Vermaelen came on.
With approximately ten minutes to go Szczesny made a couple of decent saves, removing the ball from right underneath Suarez's feet and producing another save the following minute that caused a corner. The Polish 'keeper was brilliant overall this evening and deserves a lot of credit for this win.
For the final minutes Jenkinson came on for Cazorla (who, deservingly, got a standing ovation). Liverpool's final chance was a shot from Suarez that went wide and the very last chance of the game went to Özil whose shot on target was directly at Mignolet, who could make a fairly comfortable save.
This win means that we are now five points clear at the top of the table after ten games! It sure feels brilliant, considering the past seasons where we have had quite poor starts to the season. Next week we face Manchester United at Old Trafford, so it certainly feels good to have a bit of breathing space to second placed Chelsea and Liverpool. (Chelsea also lost today!)
Injury Update:
- Jack Wilshere had to sit this game out due to a minor ankle proble.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Arsenal vs. Chelsea
0-2, Capital One Cup, Emirates Stadium, 29 October 2013
A disappointing game consisting of few chances, we never looked likely to turn the game around after getting behind.
Miyaichi got close to scoring twenty minutes into the first half as he got the ball past the 'keeper, but defender Cahill cleared it before Ryo could get a shot away. Then, mere minutes later, Chelsea took the lead as Jenkinson made a poor header back to Fabianski that Azpilicueta could intercept. Last proper chance of the half went to Monreal who produced a shot that ended up inches wide of the far post.
The second half was no improvement, with more or less all of our shots ending up wide. Ramsey began the half with two shots going just wide before Chelsea scored again through Mata. Giroud had a shot on target saved by Schwarzer and Cazorla ended the game with another shot wide.
Overall the game was simply depressing, there were lots of changes in our squad from the previous game, and we can only hope that we will put on a better display against Liverpool this weekend.
Injury Update:
- Flamini will be out for a couple of weeks due to a groin injury.
A disappointing game consisting of few chances, we never looked likely to turn the game around after getting behind.
Miyaichi got close to scoring twenty minutes into the first half as he got the ball past the 'keeper, but defender Cahill cleared it before Ryo could get a shot away. Then, mere minutes later, Chelsea took the lead as Jenkinson made a poor header back to Fabianski that Azpilicueta could intercept. Last proper chance of the half went to Monreal who produced a shot that ended up inches wide of the far post.
The second half was no improvement, with more or less all of our shots ending up wide. Ramsey began the half with two shots going just wide before Chelsea scored again through Mata. Giroud had a shot on target saved by Schwarzer and Cazorla ended the game with another shot wide.
Overall the game was simply depressing, there were lots of changes in our squad from the previous game, and we can only hope that we will put on a better display against Liverpool this weekend.
Injury Update:
- Flamini will be out for a couple of weeks due to a groin injury.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Crystal Palace vs. Arsenal
0-2, Premier League, Selhurst Park, 26 October 2013
Arteta 47 (pen),
Giroud 87
This game was a tough fight, from start to finish. In a way this makes the victory even sweeter, and we know that we will have to get more hard-fought wins like this one if we are to remain at the top of the league.
Our first decent chance of the game came after three minutes, when Giroud met Sagna's cross with a header. Unfortunately it went wide, and what was even more unfortunate was Flamini having to go off due to some kind of groin problem eight minutes into the game. He was replaced by Serge Gnabry.
Approximately ten minutes after our first chance Crystal Palace had theirs, another header over the bar. Their next chance was slightly better, though, as Chamakh (who has ended up in Crystal Palace since leaving us) had a shot on target saved by Szczesny. A couple of minutes later they had another shot on target saved by our Polish 'keeper and a shot going just wide as well.
On the other side of the pitch Cazorla had a shot inches away from being met by Giroud, which instead ended up going just wide. Then Ramsey had a shot from a steep angle saved by Crystal Palace 'keeper Speroni, before Giroud had a shot saved as well right before half-time.
At the very beginning of the second half we got that desired lead. When Gnabry was brought down in the box the referee did not hesitate to give the penalty, and in the following minute Mikel Arteta scored from the penalty spot with a penalty that was simply too well struck to be saved, even though Speroni went the right way. Minutes later Gnabry created a chance for himself, but his effort went wide.
Disaster struck when Arteta received a red card for bringing down Chamakh in a 'last man' situation, meaning that he could miss our upcoming game against Liverpool. This also meant that Gnabry had to leave the pitch, having come on in the first half, as Wilshere was introduced.
Even though we were ten against eleven we continued to create some chances, Giroud had a dangerous cross into the box almost met by Ramsey at the far post. Huge credit for this win will have to go to Szczesny, though, who made two brilliant saves with fifteen minutes to go that definitely aided in ensuring this win. He tipped one shot into the bar with his fingertips, and in the following minute he made a stunning, one-hand save from a long-distance shot.
Right at the end we secured the win through a certain French striker. Ramsey made a neat run into the 18-yard-box and provided a brilliant pass that was met by Olivier Giroud with a thundering header past Speroni!
With this win we ensure another week at the top of the league, and come next weekend we have a chance of putting Liverpool further behind us as we go head-to-head to with them. For now, however, the focus lies on Tuesday's clash against Chelsea in the Capital One Cup!
Injury Update:
- Flamini returned from the concussion he picked up last weekend, only to go off after eight minutes due to what appeared to be a groin problem.
Arteta 47 (pen),
Giroud 87
This game was a tough fight, from start to finish. In a way this makes the victory even sweeter, and we know that we will have to get more hard-fought wins like this one if we are to remain at the top of the league.
Our first decent chance of the game came after three minutes, when Giroud met Sagna's cross with a header. Unfortunately it went wide, and what was even more unfortunate was Flamini having to go off due to some kind of groin problem eight minutes into the game. He was replaced by Serge Gnabry.
Approximately ten minutes after our first chance Crystal Palace had theirs, another header over the bar. Their next chance was slightly better, though, as Chamakh (who has ended up in Crystal Palace since leaving us) had a shot on target saved by Szczesny. A couple of minutes later they had another shot on target saved by our Polish 'keeper and a shot going just wide as well.
On the other side of the pitch Cazorla had a shot inches away from being met by Giroud, which instead ended up going just wide. Then Ramsey had a shot from a steep angle saved by Crystal Palace 'keeper Speroni, before Giroud had a shot saved as well right before half-time.
At the very beginning of the second half we got that desired lead. When Gnabry was brought down in the box the referee did not hesitate to give the penalty, and in the following minute Mikel Arteta scored from the penalty spot with a penalty that was simply too well struck to be saved, even though Speroni went the right way. Minutes later Gnabry created a chance for himself, but his effort went wide.
Disaster struck when Arteta received a red card for bringing down Chamakh in a 'last man' situation, meaning that he could miss our upcoming game against Liverpool. This also meant that Gnabry had to leave the pitch, having come on in the first half, as Wilshere was introduced.
Even though we were ten against eleven we continued to create some chances, Giroud had a dangerous cross into the box almost met by Ramsey at the far post. Huge credit for this win will have to go to Szczesny, though, who made two brilliant saves with fifteen minutes to go that definitely aided in ensuring this win. He tipped one shot into the bar with his fingertips, and in the following minute he made a stunning, one-hand save from a long-distance shot.
Right at the end we secured the win through a certain French striker. Ramsey made a neat run into the 18-yard-box and provided a brilliant pass that was met by Olivier Giroud with a thundering header past Speroni!
With this win we ensure another week at the top of the league, and come next weekend we have a chance of putting Liverpool further behind us as we go head-to-head to with them. For now, however, the focus lies on Tuesday's clash against Chelsea in the Capital One Cup!
Injury Update:
- Flamini returned from the concussion he picked up last weekend, only to go off after eight minutes due to what appeared to be a groin problem.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Arsenal vs. Borussia Dortmund
1-2, Champions League, Emirates Stadium, 22 October 2013
Giroud 41
This is our first loss since the very first game of the season, and I cannot say that I have missed this bitter feeling... We did by no means deserve to lose this game, especially in the fashion of a late, second-half goal following a spell of where we completely dominated the play...
We started the game as we ended it, behind. Dortmund scored fifteen minutes into the game as Ramsey lost possession at the edge of the 18-yard-box and Mkhitaryan's shot was place out of Szczesny's reach, being buried by the post. Our response to this came quite late, and just before the actual equaliser Rosicky had a shot saved on the goal-line by a defender. Our only goal of the game came right at the end of the half as Ramsey got the ball to Sagna, whose cross created some confusion between 'keeper and defender, so Olivier Giroud intercepted and put the ball into the back of the net!
Overall, the game contained through decent chances to score. The second half was no exception, but we upped our game in it to be in brilliant control of the play to create some more chances. Cazorla hit the bar at one point in the half with a beautifully curved shot, and a while later he almost reached the ball in the box before the 'keeper got to it.
Then disaster struck in the last ten minutes as Lewandowski scored the winning goal for Dortmund. We lost track of him in the box, which proved costly and we certainly should not have lost this game considering how we played in the second half, it was sloppy.
Even though it is immensely disappointing to have lost this game, we have to acknowledge that we do still have a good chance of qualifying for the knock-out rounds. This group stage is by no means over.
Injury Update:
- Wilshere appeared to pick up some kind of problem in this game and had to be replaced.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Arsenal vs. Norwich City
4-1, Premier League, Emirates Stadium, 19 October 2013
Wilshere 18,
Özil 58, 88
Ramsey 83
After a week of international football, the return of the league was anticipated. We left off before the break at the top of the league with a brilliant run unbeaten, and that's how we continue following this win and three important points, leaving us alone at the top of the league!
It took us almost twenty minutes to break the deadlock, but the relief it brought was well worth the wait! Giroud played a clever ball to a Jack Wilshere, whose finished ended up right where it should have, in the back of the net! This is the second league game running in which the English midfielder has scored, and the first goal scored by him at the Emirates!
Towards the end of the half we almost doubled the lead as Gibbs made a great interception, winning us the ball high up on the field and getting the ball to Giroud, but Norwich 'keeper Ruddy produced a stunning save to temporarily deny us a two-goal lead. Before the end of the half Flamini had to be replaced by Ramsey as he got a concussion and Sagna had a volley caught by Ruddy, with Szczesny being called into action in the final minutes, tipping the ball wide all the way to a Norwich throw.
Less than fifteen minutes into the second half we did get that two-goal lead, through none other than Mesut Özil! In a quick counter-attack Giroud and the German play-maker switched positions to link-up and create a goal as the French striker provided the cross that Özil headed into the back of the net!
Then Norwich enjoyed a decent spell where first Pilkington got a chance to score for Norwich as they were four against two defenders, fortunately his shot went wide. Almost ten minutes later, however, Norwich got one back when Mertesacker slightly miss-kicked a clearance, leading to a shot from Howson that went past Szczesny.
Instead of backing home and defending our lead we went for our trademark offensive approach, and it certainly paid off! Our stunning Welshman got back on the score-sheet today through a brilliant solo effort. Aaron Ramsey got the ball from Wilshere, then tricked his way past two defenders in the box before finishing the move off with a cracking shot past Ruddy! A simply brilliant move by a simply brilliant player!
Before the end of the game we would get one more goal, but first Mertesacker had a header gracing the post, sadly ending up wide. But our other German player on the field today would get his first brace for the Arsenal before the end of the game. Rosicky found Ramsey at the edge of the box, whose immensely clever "volley pass" to Mesut Özil was just perfect, and the German then doubled his tally for the game with a decent strike from close range! In the final minute Wilshere made an attempt at getting a brace of his own, but his sizzling shot from the edge of the box went just wide.
So, our stunning run continues with this great result. Not only did we score four goals, we scored four pieces of art! All the goals today included class and finesse, and will be remembered for quite some time ahead! Next up is a Champions League clash against Dortmund at the Emirates on Tuesday!
Injury Update:
- Cazorla was back in the starting XI for this game!
Wilshere 18,
Özil 58, 88
Ramsey 83
After a week of international football, the return of the league was anticipated. We left off before the break at the top of the league with a brilliant run unbeaten, and that's how we continue following this win and three important points, leaving us alone at the top of the league!
It took us almost twenty minutes to break the deadlock, but the relief it brought was well worth the wait! Giroud played a clever ball to a Jack Wilshere, whose finished ended up right where it should have, in the back of the net! This is the second league game running in which the English midfielder has scored, and the first goal scored by him at the Emirates!
Towards the end of the half we almost doubled the lead as Gibbs made a great interception, winning us the ball high up on the field and getting the ball to Giroud, but Norwich 'keeper Ruddy produced a stunning save to temporarily deny us a two-goal lead. Before the end of the half Flamini had to be replaced by Ramsey as he got a concussion and Sagna had a volley caught by Ruddy, with Szczesny being called into action in the final minutes, tipping the ball wide all the way to a Norwich throw.
Less than fifteen minutes into the second half we did get that two-goal lead, through none other than Mesut Özil! In a quick counter-attack Giroud and the German play-maker switched positions to link-up and create a goal as the French striker provided the cross that Özil headed into the back of the net!
Then Norwich enjoyed a decent spell where first Pilkington got a chance to score for Norwich as they were four against two defenders, fortunately his shot went wide. Almost ten minutes later, however, Norwich got one back when Mertesacker slightly miss-kicked a clearance, leading to a shot from Howson that went past Szczesny.
Instead of backing home and defending our lead we went for our trademark offensive approach, and it certainly paid off! Our stunning Welshman got back on the score-sheet today through a brilliant solo effort. Aaron Ramsey got the ball from Wilshere, then tricked his way past two defenders in the box before finishing the move off with a cracking shot past Ruddy! A simply brilliant move by a simply brilliant player!
Before the end of the game we would get one more goal, but first Mertesacker had a header gracing the post, sadly ending up wide. But our other German player on the field today would get his first brace for the Arsenal before the end of the game. Rosicky found Ramsey at the edge of the box, whose immensely clever "volley pass" to Mesut Özil was just perfect, and the German then doubled his tally for the game with a decent strike from close range! In the final minute Wilshere made an attempt at getting a brace of his own, but his sizzling shot from the edge of the box went just wide.
So, our stunning run continues with this great result. Not only did we score four goals, we scored four pieces of art! All the goals today included class and finesse, and will be remembered for quite some time ahead! Next up is a Champions League clash against Dortmund at the Emirates on Tuesday!
Injury Update:
- Cazorla was back in the starting XI for this game!
Sunday, October 6, 2013
W.B.A vs. Arsenal
1-1, Premier League, The Hawthorns, 06 October 2013
Wilshere 65
Considering the recent Capital One Cup clash and the fact that they beat Manchester United last week, we knew that this would be a tough game against West Bromwich Albion. And it certainly was a tough game, one that looked to be heading in the wrong direction for us for quite some time!
The initial fifteen minutes consisted of both teams creating half-chances without really getting anywhere, Arteta had a shot deflected off of Giroud wide and Ramsey sent a free-kick over the bar. The first decent chance to score belonged to West Bromwich as they had a shot on target, fortunately Szczesny was there to make the save. We continued to fire high and wide, however, with Gibbs' effort after approximately twenty minutes going way over the crossbar and Wilshere firing wide from outside the 18-yard-box five minutes later.
West Brom took the lead at the end of the half through a header by Yacob.
Six minutes into the second half Anelka almost made it 2-0, but his shot went just wide as West Brom created another decent chance to score.
With just over half an hour to go Flamini had a shot blocked by a defender and then caught by the 'keeper. The following minute saw Ramsey get replaced by Rosicky. Then, at last, we got one back! Jack Wilshere scored with a powerful strike after a quick round of passes from Giroud, to Rosicky, to the Englishman! It has been quite some time since Wilshere last scored, so it is certainly nice to see him back on the score-sheet.
Szczesny was called into action again with about twenty minutes to go as Jones produced a shot on target. The following minutes Gibbs did well to deny another shot bound for our Polish 'keeper.
Giroud got extremely close to giving us the lead with fifteen minutes to go as he ran past the 'keeper, who somehow managed to get back in time to block the goal-bound shot! The Frenchman was then replaced by Bendtner, the Dane getting five minutes to produce something spectacular. Unfortunately he, nor anyone else for that matter, managed to do so and we had to settle for just the one point this time around, putting an end to our stunning run of consecutive wins.
The one point was enough for us to retain our top spot in the league, even though Liverpool now has the same amount of points as ourselves. So let's remember, a draw at the Hawthorns is no easy feat and we should definitely be pleased with it.
Wilshere 65
Considering the recent Capital One Cup clash and the fact that they beat Manchester United last week, we knew that this would be a tough game against West Bromwich Albion. And it certainly was a tough game, one that looked to be heading in the wrong direction for us for quite some time!
The initial fifteen minutes consisted of both teams creating half-chances without really getting anywhere, Arteta had a shot deflected off of Giroud wide and Ramsey sent a free-kick over the bar. The first decent chance to score belonged to West Bromwich as they had a shot on target, fortunately Szczesny was there to make the save. We continued to fire high and wide, however, with Gibbs' effort after approximately twenty minutes going way over the crossbar and Wilshere firing wide from outside the 18-yard-box five minutes later.
West Brom took the lead at the end of the half through a header by Yacob.
Six minutes into the second half Anelka almost made it 2-0, but his shot went just wide as West Brom created another decent chance to score.
With just over half an hour to go Flamini had a shot blocked by a defender and then caught by the 'keeper. The following minute saw Ramsey get replaced by Rosicky. Then, at last, we got one back! Jack Wilshere scored with a powerful strike after a quick round of passes from Giroud, to Rosicky, to the Englishman! It has been quite some time since Wilshere last scored, so it is certainly nice to see him back on the score-sheet.
Szczesny was called into action again with about twenty minutes to go as Jones produced a shot on target. The following minutes Gibbs did well to deny another shot bound for our Polish 'keeper.
Giroud got extremely close to giving us the lead with fifteen minutes to go as he ran past the 'keeper, who somehow managed to get back in time to block the goal-bound shot! The Frenchman was then replaced by Bendtner, the Dane getting five minutes to produce something spectacular. Unfortunately he, nor anyone else for that matter, managed to do so and we had to settle for just the one point this time around, putting an end to our stunning run of consecutive wins.
The one point was enough for us to retain our top spot in the league, even though Liverpool now has the same amount of points as ourselves. So let's remember, a draw at the Hawthorns is no easy feat and we should definitely be pleased with it.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Arsenal vs. Napoli
2-0, Champions League, Emirates Stadium, 01 October 2013
Özil 8,
Giroud 15
The first half was one of the best halves I've seen us play in a long time, and that's saying something considering our recent run! Within the first fifteen minutes we had completed 100 passes, compared to Napoli's 24 and had had 70% of the possession. Add to that two goals and you could say that we were the better team.
We went ahead eight minutes into the game, and stayed ahead for the rest of the game. Giroud made a cheeky back-heel to get the ball to Ramsey, who created the perfect pass to Mesut Özil. The German play-maker only needed one touch to place his shot out of Reina's reach and thus score his first goal for Arsenal! He has already had an amazing start to his time here, and now he can add a goal to all those assists! He continued providing assists in this game as well, though, as he got around the defence to cut the ball back for Olivier Giroud to tap into the back of the net from close range!
Napoli got quite close to scoring once this half as we had a lapse of focus in the box and Britos was left unmarked during a corner, fortunately his header went wide. Over-all, however, we were great at defending as a team, completely ruling the midfield by winning the ball back quickly whenever we lost it. Szczesny only had to make one save this half, the threat coming in the shape of a daisy-cutter.
Needless to say Ramsey created lots of chances in this game as well. Before the end of the half he had two shots blocked by defenders and, after showing some slick moves to shake off a defender with a quick turn, he had a shot deflected wide.
The second half was more or less all about maintaining the result and thus ensuring the three points. Rosicky almost made it 3-0, though, in the very first minute of the half as he got into a brilliant position right in front of the goal. Unfortunately he missed the ball as Giroud got it towards him. With fifteen minutes to go we had another decent chance of another goal as Özil's cross reached Arteta's head, who played it on to Koscielny, whose effort was saved by Reina.
This win means that we are currently top of the group! Needless to say there is plenty more points to play for and we will need more of them to ensure qualification, but we are off to a good start!
Injury Update:
- Rosicky returned back from injury to start in this game!
Özil 8,
Giroud 15
The first half was one of the best halves I've seen us play in a long time, and that's saying something considering our recent run! Within the first fifteen minutes we had completed 100 passes, compared to Napoli's 24 and had had 70% of the possession. Add to that two goals and you could say that we were the better team.
We went ahead eight minutes into the game, and stayed ahead for the rest of the game. Giroud made a cheeky back-heel to get the ball to Ramsey, who created the perfect pass to Mesut Özil. The German play-maker only needed one touch to place his shot out of Reina's reach and thus score his first goal for Arsenal! He has already had an amazing start to his time here, and now he can add a goal to all those assists! He continued providing assists in this game as well, though, as he got around the defence to cut the ball back for Olivier Giroud to tap into the back of the net from close range!
Napoli got quite close to scoring once this half as we had a lapse of focus in the box and Britos was left unmarked during a corner, fortunately his header went wide. Over-all, however, we were great at defending as a team, completely ruling the midfield by winning the ball back quickly whenever we lost it. Szczesny only had to make one save this half, the threat coming in the shape of a daisy-cutter.
Needless to say Ramsey created lots of chances in this game as well. Before the end of the half he had two shots blocked by defenders and, after showing some slick moves to shake off a defender with a quick turn, he had a shot deflected wide.
The second half was more or less all about maintaining the result and thus ensuring the three points. Rosicky almost made it 3-0, though, in the very first minute of the half as he got into a brilliant position right in front of the goal. Unfortunately he missed the ball as Giroud got it towards him. With fifteen minutes to go we had another decent chance of another goal as Özil's cross reached Arteta's head, who played it on to Koscielny, whose effort was saved by Reina.
This win means that we are currently top of the group! Needless to say there is plenty more points to play for and we will need more of them to ensure qualification, but we are off to a good start!
Injury Update:
- Rosicky returned back from injury to start in this game!
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Swansea vs. Arsenal
1-2, Premier League, Liberty Stadium, 28 September 2013
Gnabry 58,
Ramsey 62
Considering the fact that Tottenham and Chelsea dropped points ahead of this game, as well as the fact that both Manchester City and Manchester United lost prior to our game, we had some important points to gain and a win would ensure the top spot in the league!
Nevertheless, Swansea are formidable opponents and they had a great start to this game, keeping possession and moving the ball around with a good flow. It took us fifteen minutes to get a decent chance, and it is hardly surprising that it was Ramsey who claimed it. Flamini passed the ball to the Welshman, whose shot was just inches wide of the post. Apart from this, there really weren't many clear-cut chances in the first half, the only other coming to mind was in the very last minute of the half when Gnabry (18-year-old German who has stepped in since Walcott's injury) got the ball to Giroud, but the Frenchman's shot went wide.
It was in the second half that all the action happened, with a very prolific start from the young 18-year-old German. He started with a shot on target five minutes into the half, and seven minutes later he found the back of the net! Ramsey provided the assist to Serge Gnabry, who fired past the 'keeper, making him our second youngest goalscorer in the league! In the following minutes Özil got close to scoring as well, but he was denied by the 'keeper, having been set free by yet another Ramsey pass. Three minutes later, the Welshman would claim his eighth goal so far this season and win us the game. Wilshere did great in the build-up to the goal to win the ball and get it to Giroud, who was completely unselfish as he passed it back to Aaron Ramsey, whose finish went over both 'keeper and defender to reach the back of the net! Yet another great goal scored by Ramsey, his incredible run continues and the chants he hears now goes along the lines of: "He scores when he wants, he scores when he wants, Aaron Ramsey, he scores when he wants!"
Things got dramatic towards the end, though, as Swansea got back in the game with ten minutes to go, but we held on to the lead and got the three points!
As mentioned, these three points mean that we are currently top of the league, being two points ahead of Tottenham!
Gnabry 58,
Ramsey 62
Considering the fact that Tottenham and Chelsea dropped points ahead of this game, as well as the fact that both Manchester City and Manchester United lost prior to our game, we had some important points to gain and a win would ensure the top spot in the league!
Nevertheless, Swansea are formidable opponents and they had a great start to this game, keeping possession and moving the ball around with a good flow. It took us fifteen minutes to get a decent chance, and it is hardly surprising that it was Ramsey who claimed it. Flamini passed the ball to the Welshman, whose shot was just inches wide of the post. Apart from this, there really weren't many clear-cut chances in the first half, the only other coming to mind was in the very last minute of the half when Gnabry (18-year-old German who has stepped in since Walcott's injury) got the ball to Giroud, but the Frenchman's shot went wide.
It was in the second half that all the action happened, with a very prolific start from the young 18-year-old German. He started with a shot on target five minutes into the half, and seven minutes later he found the back of the net! Ramsey provided the assist to Serge Gnabry, who fired past the 'keeper, making him our second youngest goalscorer in the league! In the following minutes Özil got close to scoring as well, but he was denied by the 'keeper, having been set free by yet another Ramsey pass. Three minutes later, the Welshman would claim his eighth goal so far this season and win us the game. Wilshere did great in the build-up to the goal to win the ball and get it to Giroud, who was completely unselfish as he passed it back to Aaron Ramsey, whose finish went over both 'keeper and defender to reach the back of the net! Yet another great goal scored by Ramsey, his incredible run continues and the chants he hears now goes along the lines of: "He scores when he wants, he scores when he wants, Aaron Ramsey, he scores when he wants!"
Things got dramatic towards the end, though, as Swansea got back in the game with ten minutes to go, but we held on to the lead and got the three points!
As mentioned, these three points mean that we are currently top of the league, being two points ahead of Tottenham!
Thursday, September 26, 2013
West Bromwich Albion vs. Arsenal
1-1 (3-4 penalties), Capital One Cup, The Hawthorns, 25 September 2013
Eisfeld 62
Unfortunately Swedish television did not broadcast this Capital One Cup clash. Fortunately there are other ways of following a game, as well as ways of watching the highlights the following day!
The first half was quite uneventful, both teams created chances but failed to find the back of the net. It wasn't until about midway through the second half that things got truly interesting. Nicklas Bendtner (back in the Arsenal shirt) played a brilliant pass through to Thomas Eisfeld, and the young German midfielder fired into the back of the net! It did not take long, however, for West Brom to equalise through a header following a corner.
The game eventually reached extra-time, but since no one could find a winning goal it was penalties that had to settle this game, West Brom went first:
1-0 Reid
1-1 Bendtner
2-1 Rosenberg
2-1 Gnabry's effort is saved.
3-1 Morrison
3-2 Olsson
3-2 Dawson misses!
3-3 Akpom scores!
3-3 Amalfitano misses!
3-4 MONREAL SCORES!!
It got quite dramatic, but we made it through all right to the fourth round, where we will face Chelsea at the Emirates!
Injury Update:
- Arteta completed 95 minutes of this game, while Vermaelen played the entire game.
- Cazorla is expected to be back in approximately one week, hopefully in time for the next game against West Brom in the league.
Eisfeld 62
Unfortunately Swedish television did not broadcast this Capital One Cup clash. Fortunately there are other ways of following a game, as well as ways of watching the highlights the following day!
The first half was quite uneventful, both teams created chances but failed to find the back of the net. It wasn't until about midway through the second half that things got truly interesting. Nicklas Bendtner (back in the Arsenal shirt) played a brilliant pass through to Thomas Eisfeld, and the young German midfielder fired into the back of the net! It did not take long, however, for West Brom to equalise through a header following a corner.
The game eventually reached extra-time, but since no one could find a winning goal it was penalties that had to settle this game, West Brom went first:
1-0 Reid
1-1 Bendtner
2-1 Rosenberg
2-1 Gnabry's effort is saved.
3-1 Morrison
3-2 Olsson
3-2 Dawson misses!
3-3 Akpom scores!
3-3 Amalfitano misses!
3-4 MONREAL SCORES!!
It got quite dramatic, but we made it through all right to the fourth round, where we will face Chelsea at the Emirates!
Injury Update:
- Arteta completed 95 minutes of this game, while Vermaelen played the entire game.
- Cazorla is expected to be back in approximately one week, hopefully in time for the next game against West Brom in the league.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Arsenal vs. Stoke
3-1, Premier League, Emirates Stadium, 22 September 2013
Ramsey 5,
Mertesacker 36,
Sagna 72
I travelled to London this weekend to watch this game live at the Emirates, and at last the curse has been lifted! Prior to this weekend I have watched the Arsenal live a total of six times and never have I seen a victory, or a game where we have scored more than one goal, in fact! One 1-2 defeat, three 0-0 and two 1-1 games is what I've had to settle with. But no more! Words can't describe the relief this win brings me, I was even considering not watching them live any more due to the poor results!
The first half began in splendid fashion as we took the lead within five minutes! And who scored if not red hot Aaron Ramsey! Stoke 'keeper Begovic punched Özil's free kick out, into the path of the Welshman who fired it into the back of the net from a fairly close range! His current form is just breathtaking and it definitely promises to be a good season for Ramsey!
Unfortunately we dropped our game slightly following the goal, allowing Stoke to equalise approximately twenty minutes after having taken the lead. However, that was a wake-up call for the team and it did not take long before we played some serious good football again, and with that we got back in front. Once again it was from a set-piece and once again it was Özil who provided the assist. The German's corner found the head of Per Mertesacker, our very own Big Fucking German, who put the ball into the back of the net! It was a relief to be back with a lead and it was certainly deserved!
We continued with the same spirit in the second half, and even though Stoke continuously searched for an equaliser we never allowed it. The game was more or less sealed when the third goal arrived, and from quite the unexpected chance! With the risk of sounding like a broken record, Özil provided with the assist through a set-piece. His free-kick was perfectly met by Bacary Sagna, the short full-back somehow got a header away crushed between two Stoke defenders, for him to score from that situation was quite unbelievable!
So another important victory with three more points, another game where Ramsey scored and another game where Özil shone, creating both goals and chances from his midfield position!
Injury Update:
- Walcott has developed a minor problem with his posterior abdominal wall, causing him to miss out on a couple of games, but is expected back after the upcoming international break.
- Arteta was back for this game! He came on for the final ten minutes and looked very well!
Ramsey 5,
Mertesacker 36,
Sagna 72
I travelled to London this weekend to watch this game live at the Emirates, and at last the curse has been lifted! Prior to this weekend I have watched the Arsenal live a total of six times and never have I seen a victory, or a game where we have scored more than one goal, in fact! One 1-2 defeat, three 0-0 and two 1-1 games is what I've had to settle with. But no more! Words can't describe the relief this win brings me, I was even considering not watching them live any more due to the poor results!
The first half began in splendid fashion as we took the lead within five minutes! And who scored if not red hot Aaron Ramsey! Stoke 'keeper Begovic punched Özil's free kick out, into the path of the Welshman who fired it into the back of the net from a fairly close range! His current form is just breathtaking and it definitely promises to be a good season for Ramsey!
Unfortunately we dropped our game slightly following the goal, allowing Stoke to equalise approximately twenty minutes after having taken the lead. However, that was a wake-up call for the team and it did not take long before we played some serious good football again, and with that we got back in front. Once again it was from a set-piece and once again it was Özil who provided the assist. The German's corner found the head of Per Mertesacker, our very own Big Fucking German, who put the ball into the back of the net! It was a relief to be back with a lead and it was certainly deserved!
We continued with the same spirit in the second half, and even though Stoke continuously searched for an equaliser we never allowed it. The game was more or less sealed when the third goal arrived, and from quite the unexpected chance! With the risk of sounding like a broken record, Özil provided with the assist through a set-piece. His free-kick was perfectly met by Bacary Sagna, the short full-back somehow got a header away crushed between two Stoke defenders, for him to score from that situation was quite unbelievable!
So another important victory with three more points, another game where Ramsey scored and another game where Özil shone, creating both goals and chances from his midfield position!
Injury Update:
- Walcott has developed a minor problem with his posterior abdominal wall, causing him to miss out on a couple of games, but is expected back after the upcoming international break.
- Arteta was back for this game! He came on for the final ten minutes and looked very well!
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Marseille vs. Arsenal
1-2, Champions League, Stade Velodrome, 18.09.2013
Walcott 65,
Ramsey 84
At last the Champions League has kicked off well and truly with the first match of the group stage now completed! Getting an away win in the very first game certainly puts us in a brilliant position to qualify, but there is still many games to be played, meaning many points to play for.
Injury Update:
- Mertesacker was back in the starting XI this evening, recovering from a previous illness.
Walcott 65,
Ramsey 84
At last the Champions League has kicked off well and truly with the first match of the group stage now completed! Getting an away win in the very first game certainly puts us in a brilliant position to qualify, but there is still many games to be played, meaning many points to play for.
The game started with Walcott getting a couple of chances, his header was cleared by a defender and he had a shot saved by the Marseille 'keeper Mandanda. Marseille had a couple of chances themselves, Szczesny was called into action early, making a comfortable save, and later on in the game Ayew headed the ball wide for the home side.
In general, the first half was quite tight with no team creating particularly clear chances. Towards the end of the half Ramsey got a shot away, but it was cleared by a defender. The very last chance of the half, however, went to Marseille. Fortunately for us, Mertesacker was there to make the vital clearance right in front of the goal-line!
Right at the start of the second half Marseille got inches away from scoring again, this time through a slightly wide shot from Fanni. From that moment on, however, our domination became a fact. Özil's cross was cleared by a defender instead of reaching the intended target right in front of the goal, Walcott. The German midfielder would almost create another goal minutes later, as Gibbs passed the ball to him in the box, continued his run and received a clever back-heel back from Özil, only to have the shot saved by Mandanda.
On the other side of the pitch Szczesny had to remain vary, and did well to prevent a low, powerful shot from reaching the back of the net. Minutes later Gibbs headed the ball clear right on the goal-line as Mertesacker and Szczesny had a misunderstanding, the Polish 'keeper caught the header from Gibbs, though.
Nevertheless, one could tell that we were getting closer and closer to a goal. Sagna found Wilshere with a brilliant cross and the Englishman did get a decent shot away, but Mandanda made yet another save. We did find a way past the Marseille 'keeper eventually, and got the long over-due lead. Gibbs created a great cross that found its way to Theo Walcott, who fired on the volley with a brilliant strike past the 'keeper!
After the goal the game opened up considerably, with chances for both teams. Szczesny had to continue making good saves, one particularly dangerous shot came from outside the 18-yard-box with approximately twenty minutes to go. Then Giroud saw a powerful header go wide while Valbuena fired a shot over the bar the following minute. Özil also fired wide, from quite a steep angle.
The game was more or less over, though, when a certain Welsh midfielder scored yet another goal for us this season, granting us the 2-0 lead. Aaron Ramsey put on a brilliant solo effort, shrugging off Marseille players as he advanced towards the goal to fire into the back of the net! He has certainly been the centre of attention recently, and for good reason, proving to be the talent Wenger always saw in him!
However, right before the end of the game Marseille got a penalty as Ramsey brought a player down in the box. The replay showed that the midfielder got to the ball first, but this was not noticed by the ref and Ayew scored from the penalty spot.
Although the very last action of the game was a bit bitter, it does not remove the relief and importance of getting the three points away from home. We have a tough group and will need all the points we can get to qualify!
Injury Update:
- Mertesacker was back in the starting XI this evening, recovering from a previous illness.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Sunderland vs. Arsenal
1-3, Premier League, Stadium of Light, 14.09.2013
Giroud 11,
Ramsey 67, 76
There is no denying the fact that the main focus ahead of this game was on Mesut Özil, especially since he got to start the game despite having been sick earlier this week. It proved to be a good decision, and an even better decision to sign him in the first place, despite the price!
Five minutes into the game we got a corner, which was taken by none other than Özil. He created a fairly good chance with that corner kick, as it led to Walcott getting a powerful shot away, only to be saved by Sunderland 'keeper Westwood. Merely five minutes later, though, our German playmaker would get his first assist in the Arsenal shirt. He controlled the ball at the edge of the 18-yard-box and provided a brilliant pass to Olivier Giroud, who finished the move off with a classy strike into the back of the net! This obviously means that Giroud continues on his stunning goalscoring run, while the first (hopefully of many) assist for Özil came in his debut! Sunderland almost made a quick reply to our goal by scoring themselves, fortunately they hit the bar instead of the net with a header following a corner.
During this game we saw plenty of Özil passes leading to decent chances for Walcott. The first of these game after fifteen mintutes, when the Englishman found himself one-on-one with Westwood due to a great pass by Özil. Unfortunately Walcott could not find a way past the 'keeper, who made the save. Minutes later Szczesny was called back into action as a thumping long-distance shot headed his way, fortunately for us he made the important save.
We got a glimpse of what was to come as Ramsey had a shot deflected wide midway through the half. Westwood them made two decent saves to first deny Özil a goal on his debut from a free-kick and then to yet again deny Walcott a goal. The English winger would get two more chances before the end of the half, the first was a header wide following some great link-up play between Wilshere and Giroud, the former eventually getting the ball to Walcott. Then, in the very last minute of the half, a clever pass by Giroud led to yet another Walcott shot being saved by Westwood, and Özil's follow-up was deflected into a corner.
The beginning of the second half could not have gone much worse for us, in the end we were happy that the scoreline was not 1-3 after the initial fifteen minutes. Right at the start Sunderland got a penalty as Koscielny mistimed a tackle in the box, Gardner scored from the penalty spot. Ten minutes later they scored again, but it was ruled offside, and rightly so, by the ref. Mere minutes after that offside goal they hit the inside of the post with a free-kick, fortunately for us the ball never crossed the goal-line. Considering how we had dominated the first half, this was quite a shock. However, we stepped up our game and overcame the obstacle ahead.
We have recently been able to see the amazing growth within one of our younger midfield players, he has stepped up tremendously of late and he saved us in this game. Within ten minutes he turned the game around for us, ensuring our victory. Aaron Ramsey has truly become one of our more influential players! The first goal came with approximately twenty minutes of the game to go, Jenkinson provided a great pass to the Welshman and the strike produced was just magnificent, containing both power and precision! The second goal was created through some slick play, Özil got the ball to Giroud, who at once played it onwards so Aaron Ramsey could finish the move off with a superb shot!
This result, along with the fact that both Manchester City and Chelsea dropped points, means that we are at the top of the league (even if just for a day)!! Our recent winning streak has ensured a rapid rise in the table, let's just hope that it continues for as long as possible!
Injury Update:
- Vermaelen is back from his back injury! He was brought on towards the end of this game, bringing Özil's debut to a premature end.
- Mertesacker missed out on this game due to illness.
- Cazorla picked up an ankle injury while away, causing him to miss out on this game.
- Rosicky has picked up a hamstring problem and was not available for this game.
Giroud 11,
Ramsey 67, 76
There is no denying the fact that the main focus ahead of this game was on Mesut Özil, especially since he got to start the game despite having been sick earlier this week. It proved to be a good decision, and an even better decision to sign him in the first place, despite the price!
Five minutes into the game we got a corner, which was taken by none other than Özil. He created a fairly good chance with that corner kick, as it led to Walcott getting a powerful shot away, only to be saved by Sunderland 'keeper Westwood. Merely five minutes later, though, our German playmaker would get his first assist in the Arsenal shirt. He controlled the ball at the edge of the 18-yard-box and provided a brilliant pass to Olivier Giroud, who finished the move off with a classy strike into the back of the net! This obviously means that Giroud continues on his stunning goalscoring run, while the first (hopefully of many) assist for Özil came in his debut! Sunderland almost made a quick reply to our goal by scoring themselves, fortunately they hit the bar instead of the net with a header following a corner.
During this game we saw plenty of Özil passes leading to decent chances for Walcott. The first of these game after fifteen mintutes, when the Englishman found himself one-on-one with Westwood due to a great pass by Özil. Unfortunately Walcott could not find a way past the 'keeper, who made the save. Minutes later Szczesny was called back into action as a thumping long-distance shot headed his way, fortunately for us he made the important save.
We got a glimpse of what was to come as Ramsey had a shot deflected wide midway through the half. Westwood them made two decent saves to first deny Özil a goal on his debut from a free-kick and then to yet again deny Walcott a goal. The English winger would get two more chances before the end of the half, the first was a header wide following some great link-up play between Wilshere and Giroud, the former eventually getting the ball to Walcott. Then, in the very last minute of the half, a clever pass by Giroud led to yet another Walcott shot being saved by Westwood, and Özil's follow-up was deflected into a corner.
The beginning of the second half could not have gone much worse for us, in the end we were happy that the scoreline was not 1-3 after the initial fifteen minutes. Right at the start Sunderland got a penalty as Koscielny mistimed a tackle in the box, Gardner scored from the penalty spot. Ten minutes later they scored again, but it was ruled offside, and rightly so, by the ref. Mere minutes after that offside goal they hit the inside of the post with a free-kick, fortunately for us the ball never crossed the goal-line. Considering how we had dominated the first half, this was quite a shock. However, we stepped up our game and overcame the obstacle ahead.
We have recently been able to see the amazing growth within one of our younger midfield players, he has stepped up tremendously of late and he saved us in this game. Within ten minutes he turned the game around for us, ensuring our victory. Aaron Ramsey has truly become one of our more influential players! The first goal came with approximately twenty minutes of the game to go, Jenkinson provided a great pass to the Welshman and the strike produced was just magnificent, containing both power and precision! The second goal was created through some slick play, Özil got the ball to Giroud, who at once played it onwards so Aaron Ramsey could finish the move off with a superb shot!
This result, along with the fact that both Manchester City and Chelsea dropped points, means that we are at the top of the league (even if just for a day)!! Our recent winning streak has ensured a rapid rise in the table, let's just hope that it continues for as long as possible!
Injury Update:
- Vermaelen is back from his back injury! He was brought on towards the end of this game, bringing Özil's debut to a premature end.
- Mertesacker missed out on this game due to illness.
- Cazorla picked up an ankle injury while away, causing him to miss out on this game.
- Rosicky has picked up a hamstring problem and was not available for this game.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Signing: Mesut Özil
During the final hours of deadline day Arsenal secured a club-record signing of German international Mesut Özil. The 24-year-old midfielder allegedly left Real Madrid for no less than £42,2 million pounds. It is reported to be a five-year-deal, and hopefully one that will bring much joy and fortune! It will be exciting, to say the least, to see what our new no. 11 can accomplish in the Arsenal shirt!
Monday, September 2, 2013
Signing: Emiliano Viviano
Italian goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano has joined Arsenal on a season-long loan for 2013/2014. He is a 27-year-old 'keeper going from Palermo to join us for the season. Personally I have no experience of watching him play, but it will be interesting to see him compete for a starting place against Szczesny and Fabianski.
Arsenal vs. Tottenham
1-0, Premier League, Emirates Stadium, 01.09.2013
Giroud 23
This season the first North London Derby came along early, and very much to our liking. We played circles around Tottenham, with all their new signings, for the better part of the game, emphasising the fact that their best player definitely was their 'keeper!
In the very first minute, however, Koscielny had to make an important block to prevent a disastrous start to the game. Two minutes later Cazorla saw his sizzling free-kick saved by Lloris ín the Tottenham goal and the resulting header was sent over the bar by Giroud. Merely three minutes later we got another free-kick in a decent position as Walcott was brought down just outside of the 18-yard-box. Once again Cazorla stepped up to take it and fired inches wide of the post!
Mertesacker was then called into action as he made the second important block in front of the goal for us following a shot from Soldado. Ten minutes then elapsed before what would become the winning goal was scored. Rosicky passed the ball to Walcott, who made a brilliant cross for Olivier Giroud to put into the back of the net! It was not the Frenchman's first goal in a North London Derby, but it could very well be the most important one so far! Needless to say he has had an amazing start to this season, much like Ramsey who shone in the midfield in this game, and this could very well prove to be his (and Ramsey's) season!
The just mentioned Welsh midfielder created our next decent chance to score as he advanced skillfully down the right-hand side and played a great ball to Walcott, whose shot was saved by Lloris. At the half-hour mark our own 'keeper (Szczesny, that is) had to make a save as Townsend fired a fairly long-distance shot away. In the Fenerbahce game earlier this week Ramsey proved to be quite the goalscorer, unfortunately that was not evident in this game as he fired high over the bar when Walcott found him with some space at the edge of the 18-yard-box.
Before the end of the half Szczesny made another decent save following a Townsend shot and for the first time in five years we got to see Flamini take to the pitch as an Arsenal player when Wilshere had to go off due to a stomach bug. The Frenchman provided plenty of experience and showcased great dedication and skill in the midfield, all in all I believe he will prove to be a very good signing!
There was plenty of pace right at the start of the second half, our first chance came along as Ramsey fired a shot wide from way outside the 18-yard-box. A while later, roughly twenty minutes into the half, Giroud finished a great counter-attack with a strike that was deflected wide. Two minutes later Tottenham fired wide as well through Paulinho.
With twenty minutes to go Walcott got in a position he usually scores from, but this time he did not manage to put the ball over the 'keeper, as the ball was just out of his reach. That could have proved costly, as approximately five minutes later Tottenham got ridiculously closed to scoring following a free-kick, the only thing in their way being one of Szczesny's hands! A truly stunning save by our Polish 'keeper!
As we approached eighty minutes played Monreal replaced Rosicky and immediately got close to scoring as Giroud played a wonderful ball to Walcott in the box, whose shot was saved by Lloris (again) and the rebound was placed just wide by the Spanish full-back!
The final minutes included tons of Tottenham pressure, luckily we brought on Sagna at the beginning of the added time to help out with the defensive work and in the end we held firm to grab the win!
There is hardly any need to express the fact that winning this game granted us more than the three points and I dare say that the Villa loss is well and truly behind us. Now there is a bit of a break from club football, our next game being away against Sunderland on the 14th of September.
Injury Update:
- Koscielny was back in action in the league in this game, doing a great job at the back!
- Podolski will be out for two to three months following a hamstring injury picked up in the Fenerbahce game, obviously a huge disappointment.
- The reason behind Sagna starting on the bench was due to a stomach bug (probably the same Wilshere has picked up), but it was nothing severe (which I dare say it won't be for Wilshere either).
Giroud 23
This season the first North London Derby came along early, and very much to our liking. We played circles around Tottenham, with all their new signings, for the better part of the game, emphasising the fact that their best player definitely was their 'keeper!
In the very first minute, however, Koscielny had to make an important block to prevent a disastrous start to the game. Two minutes later Cazorla saw his sizzling free-kick saved by Lloris ín the Tottenham goal and the resulting header was sent over the bar by Giroud. Merely three minutes later we got another free-kick in a decent position as Walcott was brought down just outside of the 18-yard-box. Once again Cazorla stepped up to take it and fired inches wide of the post!
Mertesacker was then called into action as he made the second important block in front of the goal for us following a shot from Soldado. Ten minutes then elapsed before what would become the winning goal was scored. Rosicky passed the ball to Walcott, who made a brilliant cross for Olivier Giroud to put into the back of the net! It was not the Frenchman's first goal in a North London Derby, but it could very well be the most important one so far! Needless to say he has had an amazing start to this season, much like Ramsey who shone in the midfield in this game, and this could very well prove to be his (and Ramsey's) season!
The just mentioned Welsh midfielder created our next decent chance to score as he advanced skillfully down the right-hand side and played a great ball to Walcott, whose shot was saved by Lloris. At the half-hour mark our own 'keeper (Szczesny, that is) had to make a save as Townsend fired a fairly long-distance shot away. In the Fenerbahce game earlier this week Ramsey proved to be quite the goalscorer, unfortunately that was not evident in this game as he fired high over the bar when Walcott found him with some space at the edge of the 18-yard-box.
Before the end of the half Szczesny made another decent save following a Townsend shot and for the first time in five years we got to see Flamini take to the pitch as an Arsenal player when Wilshere had to go off due to a stomach bug. The Frenchman provided plenty of experience and showcased great dedication and skill in the midfield, all in all I believe he will prove to be a very good signing!
There was plenty of pace right at the start of the second half, our first chance came along as Ramsey fired a shot wide from way outside the 18-yard-box. A while later, roughly twenty minutes into the half, Giroud finished a great counter-attack with a strike that was deflected wide. Two minutes later Tottenham fired wide as well through Paulinho.
With twenty minutes to go Walcott got in a position he usually scores from, but this time he did not manage to put the ball over the 'keeper, as the ball was just out of his reach. That could have proved costly, as approximately five minutes later Tottenham got ridiculously closed to scoring following a free-kick, the only thing in their way being one of Szczesny's hands! A truly stunning save by our Polish 'keeper!
As we approached eighty minutes played Monreal replaced Rosicky and immediately got close to scoring as Giroud played a wonderful ball to Walcott in the box, whose shot was saved by Lloris (again) and the rebound was placed just wide by the Spanish full-back!
The final minutes included tons of Tottenham pressure, luckily we brought on Sagna at the beginning of the added time to help out with the defensive work and in the end we held firm to grab the win!
There is hardly any need to express the fact that winning this game granted us more than the three points and I dare say that the Villa loss is well and truly behind us. Now there is a bit of a break from club football, our next game being away against Sunderland on the 14th of September.
Injury Update:
- Koscielny was back in action in the league in this game, doing a great job at the back!
- Podolski will be out for two to three months following a hamstring injury picked up in the Fenerbahce game, obviously a huge disappointment.
- The reason behind Sagna starting on the bench was due to a stomach bug (probably the same Wilshere has picked up), but it was nothing severe (which I dare say it won't be for Wilshere either).
Friday, August 30, 2013
Champions League Group Draw
For the 13/14 Champions League group stage we have been drawn in group F, along with Marseille, Dortmund and Napoli. Hence, we will be facing teams from France, Germany and Italy. Needless to say, it's a tough group. However, we definitely have a good chance of qualifying if we play like we have been playing recently!
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Signing: Mathieu Flamini
Today Arsenal Football Club confirmed the re-signing of midfielder Mathieu Flamini, who has been training with the team for a while now. The Frenchman left the club in 2008, having made 153 appearances, and has now re-signed at the age of 29. It will be intriguing, to say the least, to find out what the midfield-maestro can add to the team for this season!
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Arsenal vs. Fenerbahce
2-0, Champions League, Emirates Stadium, 27.08.2013
Ramsey 25, 72
This was a fairly comfortable win, especially considering the fact that we had the 3-0 win from the previous game.
We took the lead almost half an hour into the game through Aaron Ramsey, who has been brilliant in recent games! Podolski produced a brilliant pass for the Welshman to fire past the 'keeper! Giroud had a couple of chances as well before the first half was over but we had to settle for a one goal lead going into half time.
Early on in the second half Podolski was stretchered off with a hamstring injury and is expected to be out for quite some time. Walcott fired a free-kick onto the crossbar before Aaron Ramsey was at it again, doubling our lead through a classy strike following a brilliant cross by Gibbs. Miyachi was introduced towards the end and showed some quick feet and good passes before the game was over!
So with this we made it into the group stage, as we have consistently for many years, of the Champions League!
Injury Update:
- Koscielny was fit enough to start on the bench for this game.
Ramsey 25, 72
This was a fairly comfortable win, especially considering the fact that we had the 3-0 win from the previous game.
We took the lead almost half an hour into the game through Aaron Ramsey, who has been brilliant in recent games! Podolski produced a brilliant pass for the Welshman to fire past the 'keeper! Giroud had a couple of chances as well before the first half was over but we had to settle for a one goal lead going into half time.
Early on in the second half Podolski was stretchered off with a hamstring injury and is expected to be out for quite some time. Walcott fired a free-kick onto the crossbar before Aaron Ramsey was at it again, doubling our lead through a classy strike following a brilliant cross by Gibbs. Miyachi was introduced towards the end and showed some quick feet and good passes before the game was over!
So with this we made it into the group stage, as we have consistently for many years, of the Champions League!
Injury Update:
- Koscielny was fit enough to start on the bench for this game.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Fulham vs. Arsenal
1-3, Premier League, Craven Cottage, 24.08.2013
Giroud 14,
Podolski 41, 68
Once again we put on a brilliant display, further underlining the fact that the premiere was a one-off. Just as in the Fenerbahce clash we had a great defensive play with fast paced pressure, not granting much time or space for the Fulham players. Due to the extreme weather condition, heavy rain was pouring down, both the pitch and the ball grew quite slippery, leading to plenty of rewarding shots as the grip for the 'keepers was quite poor.
Our first two shots, by Podolski and Cazorla, were both deflected wide, resulting in corners. But before long we hit the target, and made sure that it counted. Ramsey fired a shot towards the goal, which was interrupted by none other than Olivier Giroud, who could then put the ball past the 'keeper from close range! The Frenchman has now scored in all of our three games so far this season!
Just two minutes later Szczesny made sure we kept the lead through a superb double save! He began by saving a shot, then followed up with a second brilliant save as the ball was deflected across the goal and a strike emerged from the other side of the box! It was then time to call the Fulham 'keeper back into action, which Cazorla did with a shot on target.
As the half was drawing to a close we racked up a couple of more chances, as well as another goal! Gibbs fired wide after a decent counter attack, involving (per-usual) a great run by Walcott. With less than five minutes of the half to go we doubled our lead, through Lukas Podolski! Walcott's shot on target was saved by the 'keeper, but the rebound found our German striker who fired a powerful strike into the back of the net! Walcott had a final chance in the very last minute as he almost reached Podolski's cross, but the score-line remained 2-0 in our favour into half-time.
The second half began on a quite even level, Fulham gained in possession from the previous half yet could not quite find a way through our defence. Our first decent chance came approximately fifteen minutes into the half, as Walcott headed the ball back to Ramsey, whose shot was deflected just wide of the target.
With about twenty minutes to go our German striker was at it again with his second goal of the game! Cazorla played the ball back to Lukas Podolski, who did magnificently to fire it right by the far post, out of the 'keepers reach! Unfortunately we did not manage to keep a clean-sheet this time around, as Bent scored for Fulham with less than fifteen minutes to go. Szczesny saved the initial shot from Berbatov, only to have Bent convert the rebound into a goal.
As the game entered the final ten minutes we had three decent chances to score following one free-kick. First Monreal almost headed the ball, but the 'keeper reached it first, only for it to reach ..., whose shot was deflected and wrapping the 3-in-1 chance up was Mertesacker with a shot that was saved and grabbed by the 'keeper. The following minute Sanogo was brought on for Podolski, making his competitive debut. During the added time Walcott had a shot saved by the 'keeper and Szczesny denied Fulham their final chance by catching the cross.
Injury Update:
- Koscielny was suspended in this game, but would have been unable to play anyway due to a deep cut on his cheek from the Fenerbahce game. Hopefully he will recover for the midweek game.
Giroud 14,
Podolski 41, 68
Once again we put on a brilliant display, further underlining the fact that the premiere was a one-off. Just as in the Fenerbahce clash we had a great defensive play with fast paced pressure, not granting much time or space for the Fulham players. Due to the extreme weather condition, heavy rain was pouring down, both the pitch and the ball grew quite slippery, leading to plenty of rewarding shots as the grip for the 'keepers was quite poor.
Our first two shots, by Podolski and Cazorla, were both deflected wide, resulting in corners. But before long we hit the target, and made sure that it counted. Ramsey fired a shot towards the goal, which was interrupted by none other than Olivier Giroud, who could then put the ball past the 'keeper from close range! The Frenchman has now scored in all of our three games so far this season!
Just two minutes later Szczesny made sure we kept the lead through a superb double save! He began by saving a shot, then followed up with a second brilliant save as the ball was deflected across the goal and a strike emerged from the other side of the box! It was then time to call the Fulham 'keeper back into action, which Cazorla did with a shot on target.
As the half was drawing to a close we racked up a couple of more chances, as well as another goal! Gibbs fired wide after a decent counter attack, involving (per-usual) a great run by Walcott. With less than five minutes of the half to go we doubled our lead, through Lukas Podolski! Walcott's shot on target was saved by the 'keeper, but the rebound found our German striker who fired a powerful strike into the back of the net! Walcott had a final chance in the very last minute as he almost reached Podolski's cross, but the score-line remained 2-0 in our favour into half-time.
The second half began on a quite even level, Fulham gained in possession from the previous half yet could not quite find a way through our defence. Our first decent chance came approximately fifteen minutes into the half, as Walcott headed the ball back to Ramsey, whose shot was deflected just wide of the target.
With about twenty minutes to go our German striker was at it again with his second goal of the game! Cazorla played the ball back to Lukas Podolski, who did magnificently to fire it right by the far post, out of the 'keepers reach! Unfortunately we did not manage to keep a clean-sheet this time around, as Bent scored for Fulham with less than fifteen minutes to go. Szczesny saved the initial shot from Berbatov, only to have Bent convert the rebound into a goal.
As the game entered the final ten minutes we had three decent chances to score following one free-kick. First Monreal almost headed the ball, but the 'keeper reached it first, only for it to reach ..., whose shot was deflected and wrapping the 3-in-1 chance up was Mertesacker with a shot that was saved and grabbed by the 'keeper. The following minute Sanogo was brought on for Podolski, making his competitive debut. During the added time Walcott had a shot saved by the 'keeper and Szczesny denied Fulham their final chance by catching the cross.
Injury Update:
- Koscielny was suspended in this game, but would have been unable to play anyway due to a deep cut on his cheek from the Fenerbahce game. Hopefully he will recover for the midweek game.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Fenerbahce vs. Arsenal
0-3, Champions League, Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, 21.08.2013
Gibbs 51,
Ramsey 64,
Giroud 77
A strong performance was needed, not only to qualify for the Champions League, but also to put the Villa game truly behind us. And a strong performance was on display.
Right from the start one could tell that this would be a game more to our liking as we had a lot of possession and put a lot of pressure on Fenerbahce. The game was a bit more cautious initially, though. We had our first chance after five minutes when Wilshere played Walcott in, but the cross was blocked into a corner. After approximately twenty minutes Cazorla played a brilliant ball to Walcott, unfortunately the 'keeper beat him to the ball. We quickly won the ball back, however, and Giroud ended the offensive with a header that went just wide. Then Ramsey fired wide before Koscielny received a severe kick to the head, leaving him bleeding heavily and unable to continue the game. The amount of situations where our players have been left bleeding has been quite unreal, Szczesny received a scratch on the neck later on in this game, also resulting in blood (although quite lightly compared to Koscielny, and Gibbs from the previous game). Anyway, Jenkinson was brought on and Sagna moved to cover as centre-half (which he has been doing during pre-season).
Before the end of the half we put more pressure on Fenerbahce, sadly without it resulting in a goal, though.
It was the second half that provided all the action, goalscoring wise. Merely six minutes into the half we got our lead, through none other than Kieran Gibbs! Walcott provided a great cross across the goal (Ramsey had, in turn, provided the amazing pass to Walcott) for the full-back to reach and score from! It was a wonderful finish from the Englishman and it is certainly not every day that we get to see it.
Gibbs 51,
Ramsey 64,
Giroud 77
A strong performance was needed, not only to qualify for the Champions League, but also to put the Villa game truly behind us. And a strong performance was on display.
Right from the start one could tell that this would be a game more to our liking as we had a lot of possession and put a lot of pressure on Fenerbahce. The game was a bit more cautious initially, though. We had our first chance after five minutes when Wilshere played Walcott in, but the cross was blocked into a corner. After approximately twenty minutes Cazorla played a brilliant ball to Walcott, unfortunately the 'keeper beat him to the ball. We quickly won the ball back, however, and Giroud ended the offensive with a header that went just wide. Then Ramsey fired wide before Koscielny received a severe kick to the head, leaving him bleeding heavily and unable to continue the game. The amount of situations where our players have been left bleeding has been quite unreal, Szczesny received a scratch on the neck later on in this game, also resulting in blood (although quite lightly compared to Koscielny, and Gibbs from the previous game). Anyway, Jenkinson was brought on and Sagna moved to cover as centre-half (which he has been doing during pre-season).
Before the end of the half we put more pressure on Fenerbahce, sadly without it resulting in a goal, though.
It was the second half that provided all the action, goalscoring wise. Merely six minutes into the half we got our lead, through none other than Kieran Gibbs! Walcott provided a great cross across the goal (Ramsey had, in turn, provided the amazing pass to Walcott) for the full-back to reach and score from! It was a wonderful finish from the Englishman and it is certainly not every day that we get to see it.
The following minute or so Walcott almost doubled our lead as he attempted to chip the ball over the 'keeper after a brilliant move by Wilshere, unfortunately the 'keeper made the save, though. Then Szczesny had to make an astounding save with his left, resulting in the scratch on his neck as mentioned previously.
Approximately twenty minutes into the half we more or less sealed the game as Aaron Ramsey fired a powerful shot from outside the 18-yard-box that was steered in by the post by the 'keeper! The Welshman was brilliant in this game (not only due to his goal) and it is very encouraging for us.
Sow had a two decent chances to equalize the game, though, but on both occasions he headed/shot over the bar. Just after those two chances it was Walcott's turn to fire over the bar, only to be brought down harshly in the box two minutes later and rightfully get a penalty. Cool as you like, Olivier Giroud scored from the penalty spot with a strike that hit the goal's ceiling.
That more or less wrapped the game up, Szczesny had to make two saves before the game was over and in the very last minute Jenkinson had a shot over the bar, but a 3-0 victory away was definitely good enough.
Approximately twenty minutes into the half we more or less sealed the game as Aaron Ramsey fired a powerful shot from outside the 18-yard-box that was steered in by the post by the 'keeper! The Welshman was brilliant in this game (not only due to his goal) and it is very encouraging for us.
Sow had a two decent chances to equalize the game, though, but on both occasions he headed/shot over the bar. Just after those two chances it was Walcott's turn to fire over the bar, only to be brought down harshly in the box two minutes later and rightfully get a penalty. Cool as you like, Olivier Giroud scored from the penalty spot with a strike that hit the goal's ceiling.
That more or less wrapped the game up, Szczesny had to make two saves before the game was over and in the very last minute Jenkinson had a shot over the bar, but a 3-0 victory away was definitely good enough.
So I dare say that we will qualify for the Champions League, yet again, as I cannot see how Fenerbahce would beat us by such a margin at the Emirates. Nevertheless, in football everything can happen so it is important to remember that the game is not over yet!
Injury Update:
- Oxlade-Chamberlain is out for approximately three months following the Villa game.
- Gibbs and Sagna both made it back for this game, fortunately.
- It is not yet confirmed how serious Koscielny's injury is, but it looked quite bad and he had to go to the hospital.
- It is not yet confirmed how serious Koscielny's injury is, but it looked quite bad and he had to go to the hospital.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Arsenal vs. Aston Villa
1-3, Premier League, Emirates Stadium, 17.08.13
Giroud 6
The feeling of unbridled excitement ahead of the start of the season couldn't have ended worse, leaving a sour taste in the mouth. Not only did we lose at home against Aston Villa, one of our centre-halves received a red card and our two starting full-backs picked up injuries, forcing them off the field.
The game could not have started better, though, as Olivier Giroud gave us the lead after merely six minutes! Oxlade-Chamberlain provided a great cross as he was released down the left-hand side by Rosicky. The French striker then just steered the ball into the back of the net, granting us that (usually) important early lead. He has been great during pre-season, scoring loads of goals, and hopefully there are plenty more to come during this season of competitive football!
Unfortunately it all went to shit after that, Oxlade-Chamberlain had a shot blocked and Giroud headed the ball wide, but one could tell that we were not in as much control of the ball as we usually are. This was most likely down to the physical play that Villa showed up with, which eventually resulted in a couple of injuries on our players. As the defence lost track of Agbonlahor in the box, Szczesny was forced to go out and brought the striker down. Our Polish 'keeper then saved the penalty, only to have the rebound headed into the back of the net by Benteke.
Mere minutes later Gibbs clashed heads with Weimann of Aston Villa and was left bleeding from the head, unable to continue the game (possibly due to fear of a concussion). Jenkinson was brought on, taking place on the right-hand side while Sagna was moved to the left.
Approximately half an hour into the game Walcott did great to interfere between Villa defender Luna and 'keeper Guzan and win the ball, the pass did not reach a fellow team-mate, though. Unfortunately this was pretty much as good as it got for Walcott this afternoon, he has showed great skill in the pre-season games, so it is naturally disappointing not to see him work wonders when it truly matters. Hopefully that will change before long!
Szczesny gave us all a bit of a fright towards the end of the half as he left the 18-yard box for quite a while to keep the ball from a couple of Villa players, fortunately he found his way back to the goal in time to keep Westwood's shot out.
For the second half Oxlade-Chamberlain (who had had a decent first half) was replaced by Cazorla, and we had a promising start. Giroud got a good opportunity to score as Walcott provided a great pass, but Guzan made the save as two defenders disturbed the Frenchman. The following minute Rosicky fired wide, having been played in beautifully.
Aston Villa had a good chance in the early stages of the half as well, with Delph hitting the post. Then disaster struck for us, as Koscielny made a perfectly good tackle where he clearly reached the ball before the player, yet for some reason the ref decided to award Villa with a penalty and book Koscielny. Benteke scored for the second time from the penalty spot. I would like to take this time to thank the referees for using the new video technology in making important decisions in the box (apparently it only covers the goal-line, which is complete bullshit!).
We got more or less desperate after that, and our cause was not helped as the ref decided to give Koscielny a second yellow with twenty minutes to go, showing him off the field. I am aware that blaming a defeat on a referee never is valid, but there were quite a few dubious decisions by referee Taylor this afternoon and as I just mentioned, they did not help our cause.
The remainder of the game was a roller-coaster of chances. Walcott fired a free-kick wide, shortly after Rosicky made his way through the entire defence, only to have his shot stopped by Guzan. Then Cazorla had a shot deflected by Guzan to hit the bar! With five minutes to go the game was killed. Through a counter attack following one of our corners Villa sealed the game with a third goal by Luna.
As if things couldn't get worse, Sagna had a terrifying fall, landing on his neck, in the final minutes. Fortunately his neck did not break, he remained conscious and able to walk off the pitch. Podolski was brought on in his place for the final couple of minutes.
I was about to write that on a positive note, things couldn't get much worse from this point. Of course that is never true in football. The only thing we can do is move on and be sure to win the Champions League qualification clash on Wednesday against Fenerbahce.
Injury Update:
- From this game, the following players are dubious for the game against Fenerbahce on Wednesday: Sagna, Gibbs, Ramsey (kick on ankle) and Rosicky.
- Vermaelen is out for an undetermined amount of time, same goes for Arteta.
- Monreal will soon return to training, so he is not that far away from making a return to the first team.
Giroud 6
The feeling of unbridled excitement ahead of the start of the season couldn't have ended worse, leaving a sour taste in the mouth. Not only did we lose at home against Aston Villa, one of our centre-halves received a red card and our two starting full-backs picked up injuries, forcing them off the field.
The game could not have started better, though, as Olivier Giroud gave us the lead after merely six minutes! Oxlade-Chamberlain provided a great cross as he was released down the left-hand side by Rosicky. The French striker then just steered the ball into the back of the net, granting us that (usually) important early lead. He has been great during pre-season, scoring loads of goals, and hopefully there are plenty more to come during this season of competitive football!
Unfortunately it all went to shit after that, Oxlade-Chamberlain had a shot blocked and Giroud headed the ball wide, but one could tell that we were not in as much control of the ball as we usually are. This was most likely down to the physical play that Villa showed up with, which eventually resulted in a couple of injuries on our players. As the defence lost track of Agbonlahor in the box, Szczesny was forced to go out and brought the striker down. Our Polish 'keeper then saved the penalty, only to have the rebound headed into the back of the net by Benteke.
Mere minutes later Gibbs clashed heads with Weimann of Aston Villa and was left bleeding from the head, unable to continue the game (possibly due to fear of a concussion). Jenkinson was brought on, taking place on the right-hand side while Sagna was moved to the left.
Approximately half an hour into the game Walcott did great to interfere between Villa defender Luna and 'keeper Guzan and win the ball, the pass did not reach a fellow team-mate, though. Unfortunately this was pretty much as good as it got for Walcott this afternoon, he has showed great skill in the pre-season games, so it is naturally disappointing not to see him work wonders when it truly matters. Hopefully that will change before long!
Szczesny gave us all a bit of a fright towards the end of the half as he left the 18-yard box for quite a while to keep the ball from a couple of Villa players, fortunately he found his way back to the goal in time to keep Westwood's shot out.
For the second half Oxlade-Chamberlain (who had had a decent first half) was replaced by Cazorla, and we had a promising start. Giroud got a good opportunity to score as Walcott provided a great pass, but Guzan made the save as two defenders disturbed the Frenchman. The following minute Rosicky fired wide, having been played in beautifully.
Aston Villa had a good chance in the early stages of the half as well, with Delph hitting the post. Then disaster struck for us, as Koscielny made a perfectly good tackle where he clearly reached the ball before the player, yet for some reason the ref decided to award Villa with a penalty and book Koscielny. Benteke scored for the second time from the penalty spot. I would like to take this time to thank the referees for using the new video technology in making important decisions in the box (apparently it only covers the goal-line, which is complete bullshit!).
We got more or less desperate after that, and our cause was not helped as the ref decided to give Koscielny a second yellow with twenty minutes to go, showing him off the field. I am aware that blaming a defeat on a referee never is valid, but there were quite a few dubious decisions by referee Taylor this afternoon and as I just mentioned, they did not help our cause.
The remainder of the game was a roller-coaster of chances. Walcott fired a free-kick wide, shortly after Rosicky made his way through the entire defence, only to have his shot stopped by Guzan. Then Cazorla had a shot deflected by Guzan to hit the bar! With five minutes to go the game was killed. Through a counter attack following one of our corners Villa sealed the game with a third goal by Luna.
As if things couldn't get worse, Sagna had a terrifying fall, landing on his neck, in the final minutes. Fortunately his neck did not break, he remained conscious and able to walk off the pitch. Podolski was brought on in his place for the final couple of minutes.
I was about to write that on a positive note, things couldn't get much worse from this point. Of course that is never true in football. The only thing we can do is move on and be sure to win the Champions League qualification clash on Wednesday against Fenerbahce.
Injury Update:
- From this game, the following players are dubious for the game against Fenerbahce on Wednesday: Sagna, Gibbs, Ramsey (kick on ankle) and Rosicky.
- Vermaelen is out for an undetermined amount of time, same goes for Arteta.
- Monreal will soon return to training, so he is not that far away from making a return to the first team.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Summer Update
So the league starts tomorrow, and due to extensive travelling I have not written anything since final game of last season! So here goes, a summer update of results and signings:
This summer's pre-season was, like previous years, staged in Asia. The first game was against Indonesia Dream Team on the 14th of July. We won that game 7-0, with goals from Walcott, Akpom, Giroud, Podolski, Olsson and Eisfeld.
Next up was Vietnam on the 17th, this time the final score was 7-1 in our favour. Giroud scored a hat-trick, Akpom got a brace, while Oxlade-Chamberlain and Miquel were on target as well.
Then we travelled to Japan and played two games there. First up was Nagoya Grampus on the 22nd, which ended 3-1. Giroud was once again on target, along with Miyaichi and Walcott. We beat Urawa Red Diamonds as well, with the final score 2-1. Podolski and Akpom won that game for us.
The Emirates Cup was, as always, played in the beginning of August. This year the cup included Napoli, Galatasaray and Porto. We faced Napoli on the 3rd, which ended in a 2-2 draw, with Giroud and Koscielny on target for us. On the 4th we played Eboue's Galatasaray. To our great disappointment we lost 1-2, Walcott scored a great goal in the first half but as Drogba was introduced things went terribly awry for us. This meant that we finished 3rd in this year's Emirates Cup.
The last game of pre-season was played against Manchester City on the 10th of August in Helsinki. We won that one 3-1, thanks to goals from Walcott, Ramsey and Giroud.
Concerning signings, there isn't much to say. The window closes in September, and so far the only new player we've brought in is Yaya Sanogo. He is a 20-year-old striker from France who looks quite promising.
There is also one player who has left this summer, Gervinho has gone to Roma on a permanent transfer.
This is just a quick update on what has been going on this summer, now it's just to wait for the season to begin tomorrow!
This summer's pre-season was, like previous years, staged in Asia. The first game was against Indonesia Dream Team on the 14th of July. We won that game 7-0, with goals from Walcott, Akpom, Giroud, Podolski, Olsson and Eisfeld.
Next up was Vietnam on the 17th, this time the final score was 7-1 in our favour. Giroud scored a hat-trick, Akpom got a brace, while Oxlade-Chamberlain and Miquel were on target as well.
Then we travelled to Japan and played two games there. First up was Nagoya Grampus on the 22nd, which ended 3-1. Giroud was once again on target, along with Miyaichi and Walcott. We beat Urawa Red Diamonds as well, with the final score 2-1. Podolski and Akpom won that game for us.
The Emirates Cup was, as always, played in the beginning of August. This year the cup included Napoli, Galatasaray and Porto. We faced Napoli on the 3rd, which ended in a 2-2 draw, with Giroud and Koscielny on target for us. On the 4th we played Eboue's Galatasaray. To our great disappointment we lost 1-2, Walcott scored a great goal in the first half but as Drogba was introduced things went terribly awry for us. This meant that we finished 3rd in this year's Emirates Cup.
The last game of pre-season was played against Manchester City on the 10th of August in Helsinki. We won that one 3-1, thanks to goals from Walcott, Ramsey and Giroud.
Concerning signings, there isn't much to say. The window closes in September, and so far the only new player we've brought in is Yaya Sanogo. He is a 20-year-old striker from France who looks quite promising.
There is also one player who has left this summer, Gervinho has gone to Roma on a permanent transfer.
This is just a quick update on what has been going on this summer, now it's just to wait for the season to begin tomorrow!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Newcastle vs. Arsenal
0-1, Premier League, St James' Park, 19.05.2013
Koscielny 52
Ahead of the game we knew that a win was the only way to be 100% sure of a place in the Champions League, but is there ever a way for the last game of the season not to equal 90 minutes of nerve-wrecking helplessness?
We had a positive start to the game, but overall the game was quite even. Walcott had a shot over the bar after approximately five minutes, following a free-kick taken by Cazorla. In the following minutes Newcastle striker Cisse fired over the bar as well, as we lost track of him in our box. Before long Koscielny proved both his defensive and attacking qualities as he met a corner well but was unable to direct it towards the goal, so it merely went across the goal and wide. The minute after he was called into action again, making a vital clearance right in front of the feet of Cisse.
Bad news arrived right before the half-hour mark, as Arteta (who was doubtful ahead of the game) had to be replaced due to an injury. Oxlade-Chamberlain came on for the Spaniard. Before the end of the half both teams had more shots going over the bar, this time through Cazorla and Ben Arfa, whereas Szczesny got to make a comfortable as Cabaye got a long-range shot away.
To some up the first half in a few words, we did not seem quite at ease, possibly due to nerves, and we lacked sharpness, not having many (or any) attempts on target.
Whatever Wenger said during the break paid off, though, as we came out firing on all cylinders! In the very first minute of the half Walcott forced a great save out of Harper with a low shot, and then came the goal that sent us into the Champions League. Seven minutes into the half Walcott took a free-kick, which was headed on forward by Podolski and Laurent Koscielny made an acrobatic kick to take the ball past Harper and into the back of the net! As long as we held onto the lead now, the fourth place was assured.
But as one might have expected, holding onto the lead was not an easy thing to do. Mertesacker made an important block to deny Gouffran a chance to score and Newcastle had a penalty shout late on, fortunately for us the ref ignored it. Our final two substitutes came towards the end as well, Giroud being introduced at the expense of Podolski and Wilshere coming on for Cazorla.
So going into the final four minutes we had a 1-0 lead, but as Tottenham scored I found myself at the edge of my seat (or, rather, couch) as this meant that if we conceded one goal we were out. When Walcott ran past one defender and dribbled past the other to find himself free in the area to take a shot, I was sure that the victory was sealed, but his shot hit the post! How devastating would not that have been for us had Newcastle equalised in the last minute...? Fortunately, Cazorla created a corner for us in the very last minute, and relief and joy as the ref blew the whistle was indescribable! Personally, I would say that this win was largely due to our great collective defending, which has really improved of late.
So this means that another season has ended, and considering the circumstances we can be very pleased to have ensured the qualification place for the Champions League. However, next season the aim will hopefully be higher towards the end of the season (and one can only hope less dramatic). At the moment it feels as though a summer break will be necessary, but it won't be long before you start missing the games every weekend... Thankfully they will be back before we know it !
Koscielny 52
Ahead of the game we knew that a win was the only way to be 100% sure of a place in the Champions League, but is there ever a way for the last game of the season not to equal 90 minutes of nerve-wrecking helplessness?
We had a positive start to the game, but overall the game was quite even. Walcott had a shot over the bar after approximately five minutes, following a free-kick taken by Cazorla. In the following minutes Newcastle striker Cisse fired over the bar as well, as we lost track of him in our box. Before long Koscielny proved both his defensive and attacking qualities as he met a corner well but was unable to direct it towards the goal, so it merely went across the goal and wide. The minute after he was called into action again, making a vital clearance right in front of the feet of Cisse.
Bad news arrived right before the half-hour mark, as Arteta (who was doubtful ahead of the game) had to be replaced due to an injury. Oxlade-Chamberlain came on for the Spaniard. Before the end of the half both teams had more shots going over the bar, this time through Cazorla and Ben Arfa, whereas Szczesny got to make a comfortable as Cabaye got a long-range shot away.
To some up the first half in a few words, we did not seem quite at ease, possibly due to nerves, and we lacked sharpness, not having many (or any) attempts on target.
Whatever Wenger said during the break paid off, though, as we came out firing on all cylinders! In the very first minute of the half Walcott forced a great save out of Harper with a low shot, and then came the goal that sent us into the Champions League. Seven minutes into the half Walcott took a free-kick, which was headed on forward by Podolski and Laurent Koscielny made an acrobatic kick to take the ball past Harper and into the back of the net! As long as we held onto the lead now, the fourth place was assured.
But as one might have expected, holding onto the lead was not an easy thing to do. Mertesacker made an important block to deny Gouffran a chance to score and Newcastle had a penalty shout late on, fortunately for us the ref ignored it. Our final two substitutes came towards the end as well, Giroud being introduced at the expense of Podolski and Wilshere coming on for Cazorla.
So going into the final four minutes we had a 1-0 lead, but as Tottenham scored I found myself at the edge of my seat (or, rather, couch) as this meant that if we conceded one goal we were out. When Walcott ran past one defender and dribbled past the other to find himself free in the area to take a shot, I was sure that the victory was sealed, but his shot hit the post! How devastating would not that have been for us had Newcastle equalised in the last minute...? Fortunately, Cazorla created a corner for us in the very last minute, and relief and joy as the ref blew the whistle was indescribable! Personally, I would say that this win was largely due to our great collective defending, which has really improved of late.
So this means that another season has ended, and considering the circumstances we can be very pleased to have ensured the qualification place for the Champions League. However, next season the aim will hopefully be higher towards the end of the season (and one can only hope less dramatic). At the moment it feels as though a summer break will be necessary, but it won't be long before you start missing the games every weekend... Thankfully they will be back before we know it !
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Arsenal vs. Wigan
4-1, Premier League, Emirates Stadium, 14.05.2013
Podolski 11, 68,
Walcott 63,
Ramsey 71
These two final games of the season are must-wins for us, and we are off to a good start with this win over Wigan!
Our first goal came quite early in the first half, but it was not our first chance as Walcott crossed the ball into the box that was met by Cazorla with a header that went wide. Minutes later we got the lead as Cazorla took a corner-kick that was headed into the back of the net by Lukas Podolski from close range! It was quite a relief to get that early goal, even though it would be cancelled out before the end of the half.
There was, however, much action before that. Our two full-backs linked up to create a dangerous chance as Sagna's shot was almost met by Gibbs, who was inches away from reaching the shot by the far post. The left-back was brilliant defensively as well, doing very well against the ever-dangerous McManaman. In the following minute both Walcott and Arteta saw shots blocked, within mere seconds. We may have produced lots of chances, but we had to remain vigilant at the back as well. Koscielny had to make a vital clearance as Wigan striker Kone got close to a one-on-one with Szczesny about midway through the half. The Ivorian striker would also see a shot going wide before the end of the half, and Arteta had to make an important block as Maloney got a shot away.
Before the end of the half we had another decent chance following a corner, once again it was Cazorla who took the corner but this time it was met by Koscielny, unfortunately it was not turned into the back of the net this time. Walcott scored from an offside position before Wigan equalised in the very last minute as Maloney scored from a (very cheap) free-kick.
It proved to be detrimental to our second half, as we were far from as fluid in our passing as we could have been. Wigan had a good start, Szczesny had to make a vital save as Kone got a shot away and the visitors had a goal disallowed due to an offside position within the first five minutes.
Fortunately we made our way back into the game and regained dominance of the play. Walcott provided a brilliant cross that lead to Cazorla getting two shots away, though both were saved by Wigan 'keeper Joel and Rosicky's follow-up effort went wide. The Wigan 'keeper made yet another two saves before we rattled the net again, Podolski had a header saved and Walcott a shot denied by Joel.
Then came the breakthrough, through none other than Theo Walcott. Cazorla sent a cross into the box and Walcott met it by using his lightning speed, which allowed him to put it over Joel from close range. Five minutes later we increased the lead as our German striker doubled his tally. Yet again Cazorla provided the assist, as he headed the ball to Lukas Podolski, who cheekily lifted the ball over a standing Joel! The last goal came mere minutes after the third goal, and no guesses as to who assisted the goal. Yet again Cazorla proved his brilliant passing, but the goal was a stunning solo effort by Aaron Ramsey! The Welshman advanced along the left-hand side and finished the move in quite some style as his shot came from a rather acute angle!
This game was won and sealed within less than ten minutes in the second half, but it felt as though some nerves got to us when the score-line was 1-1. However, it is the three points that matter and now there is just one win missing from completing this season on a high!
Podolski 11, 68,
Walcott 63,
Ramsey 71
These two final games of the season are must-wins for us, and we are off to a good start with this win over Wigan!
Our first goal came quite early in the first half, but it was not our first chance as Walcott crossed the ball into the box that was met by Cazorla with a header that went wide. Minutes later we got the lead as Cazorla took a corner-kick that was headed into the back of the net by Lukas Podolski from close range! It was quite a relief to get that early goal, even though it would be cancelled out before the end of the half.
There was, however, much action before that. Our two full-backs linked up to create a dangerous chance as Sagna's shot was almost met by Gibbs, who was inches away from reaching the shot by the far post. The left-back was brilliant defensively as well, doing very well against the ever-dangerous McManaman. In the following minute both Walcott and Arteta saw shots blocked, within mere seconds. We may have produced lots of chances, but we had to remain vigilant at the back as well. Koscielny had to make a vital clearance as Wigan striker Kone got close to a one-on-one with Szczesny about midway through the half. The Ivorian striker would also see a shot going wide before the end of the half, and Arteta had to make an important block as Maloney got a shot away.
Before the end of the half we had another decent chance following a corner, once again it was Cazorla who took the corner but this time it was met by Koscielny, unfortunately it was not turned into the back of the net this time. Walcott scored from an offside position before Wigan equalised in the very last minute as Maloney scored from a (very cheap) free-kick.
It proved to be detrimental to our second half, as we were far from as fluid in our passing as we could have been. Wigan had a good start, Szczesny had to make a vital save as Kone got a shot away and the visitors had a goal disallowed due to an offside position within the first five minutes.
Fortunately we made our way back into the game and regained dominance of the play. Walcott provided a brilliant cross that lead to Cazorla getting two shots away, though both were saved by Wigan 'keeper Joel and Rosicky's follow-up effort went wide. The Wigan 'keeper made yet another two saves before we rattled the net again, Podolski had a header saved and Walcott a shot denied by Joel.
Then came the breakthrough, through none other than Theo Walcott. Cazorla sent a cross into the box and Walcott met it by using his lightning speed, which allowed him to put it over Joel from close range. Five minutes later we increased the lead as our German striker doubled his tally. Yet again Cazorla provided the assist, as he headed the ball to Lukas Podolski, who cheekily lifted the ball over a standing Joel! The last goal came mere minutes after the third goal, and no guesses as to who assisted the goal. Yet again Cazorla proved his brilliant passing, but the goal was a stunning solo effort by Aaron Ramsey! The Welshman advanced along the left-hand side and finished the move in quite some style as his shot came from a rather acute angle!
This game was won and sealed within less than ten minutes in the second half, but it felt as though some nerves got to us when the score-line was 1-1. However, it is the three points that matter and now there is just one win missing from completing this season on a high!
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Q.P.R. vs. Arsenal
0-1, Premier League, Loftus Road, 04.05.2013
Walcott 1
This was another difficult game as we approach the end of the season and it was definitely vital for us to get back on track with another three points following last week's drop against United.
As the game last week, Theo Walcott scored early on to give us the lead. However, this time around it was not in the second minute, but in the very first minute! Arteta found Walcott in the box, and the striker used his trademark quick feet to fire a powerful strike that found its way into the back of the net! After no more than 21 seconds! (Making it the fastest scored goal in the Premier League since 2006!)
We followed the goal with dominating the initial half of the first half, Cazorla and Walcott both had shots blocked. The latter of the two almost made his tally a brace as he made a quick turn following a pass from Rosicky, but Walcott's shot went via Q.P.R. 'keeper Green to hit the post and stay clear of the goal-line.
However, as the half progressed Q.P.R. gradually got back in the game and at the half-hour mark Ji Sung Park fired a shot above the crossbar. Apart from the goal, though, there were not very many decent chances to score in the first half.
At the start of the second half Q.P.R. continued their good run from the second half, Szczesny had to make several saves. He got his fingers to a cross, steering it clear of the goal, as well as making a good save as Townsend fired a powerful shot from outside the box.
Then we recovered and began dominating the second half as we had in the first. Koscielny forced a save out of Green as he put the ball into the box following a free-kick. The Q.P.R. 'keeper was called into action minutes later, as both Cazorla and Walcott had shots on-target.
Szczesny was called back into action with a brilliant save in the final ten minutes, as Remy fired a curling, goal-bound shot. Fortunately we held onto the lead from the very first minute and got those three, vital points.
This game was all hard work, but that is only to be expected in these final games of the season. To think, there are only two games remaining of the season for us now... Another six points are definitely needed, though!
Injury Update:
- Fabianski is still out with an injury problem.
Walcott 1
This was another difficult game as we approach the end of the season and it was definitely vital for us to get back on track with another three points following last week's drop against United.
As the game last week, Theo Walcott scored early on to give us the lead. However, this time around it was not in the second minute, but in the very first minute! Arteta found Walcott in the box, and the striker used his trademark quick feet to fire a powerful strike that found its way into the back of the net! After no more than 21 seconds! (Making it the fastest scored goal in the Premier League since 2006!)
We followed the goal with dominating the initial half of the first half, Cazorla and Walcott both had shots blocked. The latter of the two almost made his tally a brace as he made a quick turn following a pass from Rosicky, but Walcott's shot went via Q.P.R. 'keeper Green to hit the post and stay clear of the goal-line.
However, as the half progressed Q.P.R. gradually got back in the game and at the half-hour mark Ji Sung Park fired a shot above the crossbar. Apart from the goal, though, there were not very many decent chances to score in the first half.
At the start of the second half Q.P.R. continued their good run from the second half, Szczesny had to make several saves. He got his fingers to a cross, steering it clear of the goal, as well as making a good save as Townsend fired a powerful shot from outside the box.
Then we recovered and began dominating the second half as we had in the first. Koscielny forced a save out of Green as he put the ball into the box following a free-kick. The Q.P.R. 'keeper was called into action minutes later, as both Cazorla and Walcott had shots on-target.
Szczesny was called back into action with a brilliant save in the final ten minutes, as Remy fired a curling, goal-bound shot. Fortunately we held onto the lead from the very first minute and got those three, vital points.
This game was all hard work, but that is only to be expected in these final games of the season. To think, there are only two games remaining of the season for us now... Another six points are definitely needed, though!
Injury Update:
- Fabianski is still out with an injury problem.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Arsenal vs. Manchester United
1-1, Premier League, Emirates Stadium, 28.04.2013
Walcott 2
We certainly cannot afford to lose any more points now, if we are to succeed in finishing at least fourth. Since I watched this game live, naturally I experienced it as intense and thrilling, where the first half was by far the best from us.
To take the lead after merely two minutes was quite astounding. Theo Walcott proved that he can well and truly fire some amazing shots as his effort found the back of the net. And as mentioned, we were great during the first half, creating lots of chances and dominating the play. Unfortunately Sagna did not have a very great game, and when he brought down van Persie in the box at the end of the half and the Dutchman could score from the penalty spot the disappointment was immense.
In the second half we were not quite the same team and suffered from it. Nothing seemed to go our way and we never looked very likely to score another goal. Fortunately neither did United, and if we win all of our remaining games we are likely to play in the Champions League next season.
Walcott 2
We certainly cannot afford to lose any more points now, if we are to succeed in finishing at least fourth. Since I watched this game live, naturally I experienced it as intense and thrilling, where the first half was by far the best from us.
To take the lead after merely two minutes was quite astounding. Theo Walcott proved that he can well and truly fire some amazing shots as his effort found the back of the net. And as mentioned, we were great during the first half, creating lots of chances and dominating the play. Unfortunately Sagna did not have a very great game, and when he brought down van Persie in the box at the end of the half and the Dutchman could score from the penalty spot the disappointment was immense.
In the second half we were not quite the same team and suffered from it. Nothing seemed to go our way and we never looked very likely to score another goal. Fortunately neither did United, and if we win all of our remaining games we are likely to play in the Champions League next season.
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