Some good news, some bad news & petty Moyes

Morning Gooners,


I was trying to think of a gentle, polite and respectable intro to today's blog but all I could come up with is this: uh-hum *clears throat* Isn't David Moyes a ridiculously pathetic, whining little girl!!

The Ginger Scot from the blue side of Merseyside has been having a proper cry stating that he over heard Cesc Fabregas asking how much the referee got paid to not see the three yard gap that meant Saha was offside when he put the Toffees 1-0 up in the week. He said:

"Cesc questioned Everton's integrity by suggesting we had possibly given money to the ref,"

Then when Arsene pointed out That Moyes was talking out of his arse, he responded with this:

"Arsene seems to think that I haven't seen or heard it, but you have to decide who you believe - David Moyes or Arsene Wenger - and I'm happy for people to make their own mind up on that."  

Don't worry you lying petty pillock, we have!!

Moving away from my rant, sad news has been received about on Fabianski. The poor guy has been ruled out for the season after having to undergo surgery. I feel so sorry for him, he has taken his chance this year and proved so many fans and pundits wrong and shown his qualities in the Arsenal goal with only one slight error this season ironically against today's opponents when he misjudged a cross a lost out to now Liverpool striker Andy Carroll. I wrote on a blog months ago that I thought he's be our first choice keeper by the end of Christmas and if he had remained fit he would be strongly established as our number one. Get well soon.

Silver lining though for everyone except Fabianski is that Szczesny has come into the side and excelled. He has only conceded a single goal in his last three games and has looked as solid as keeper twice his age. I really hope he takes his chance and help us towards some silverware.

Good news from the Arsenal camp though is that Vermaelen finally looks like he's on his way back to fitness. Arsene Wenger has said he is "making very good progress so he should (be back in) three to four weeks"
It should bring him back in time for the return leg against Barcelona , I doubt he'll play against "Cesc's club" but it's great to know we'll have TV, Kos and Djourou for the final push in the title race.

Anyway, it's time to start looking forward to today's game against Newcastle. We all know what happened last time we met so there's no need to to go over it again but St James will not be an easy place to visit but if we had to pick a time to play them then 6 days after they have lost their best player  followed shortly by their second choice striker getting injured would be a good shout.

I think we'll see Andrei Arshavin get a rare league start today but I think our 'lazy' Russian is starting to find his confidence again and if he gets the nod I really think he can make the difference for us. With Man Utd almost certain to get the three points against Wolves (probably scoring the winner in the 93rd minute) our boys really need to be on their game and ensure the we keep our concentration and pick up the win.

I'm off to find a decent stream and enjoy the game, you can follow me on twitter for random mumblings.

Till next time,
Goonerfish.

Liverpool to Manchester: Lessons learnt.

Three points, three goals and a fantastic feeling for finally coming out of a weekend beating another top team.

Sunday afternoon almost felt like a make or break game for many fans, had we suffered a defeat after Man U and Chelsea both winning we would have really found ourselves on the back foot for the rest of the season and with the dreaded Christmas period coming up we cannot afford to have to enter a long run of games playing catch up - not because we don't have the quality to get through them but because we would not of had the confidence or 'winner' experience to see those games through.

As soon as Man City went a man down we had to leave Manchester with all three points and our boys did not disappoint. We showed against Liverpool on the opening day of the season that we could struggle to play against 10 men, we didn't spread the play, make Liverpool work hard enough or follow any rules that apply to playing with an extra man. At City we did everything right, they could not cope with our attacking play, we moved the ball over the entire width of the pitch and the boys in blue struggled to keep up with us.

So, what have we learned between Anfield and Sunday?

We have learnt that in Fabianski we have a good keeper who can make those important saves to earn us points. We have learnt that we have two players for every slot of the back four and any one of them can put in a performance. We've learnt that we have a more mature midfield with players showing more defensive awareness and ability, in particular Diaby. We have also learnt that our future is still very bright with the likes Jack Wilshere showing the footballing world just how much of a phenomenon he is going to be.  We have learnt that we have a attacking force within our squad that would make most clubs jealous, the likes of Walcott, Nasri, Chamakh, Arshavin, Rosicky, Bendtner, Vela and lets not forget a certain Mr Van Persie give us plenty of options and all of them are quality options. Can you name another team in the Premier League with options like that? What about in Europe? We have learnt that Arshavin is lazy..... oh hold on, we knew that already but we have, thanks to Wenger pointing it out, learnt that despite his apparent laziness he has a massive contribution to our teams goals. 

Arsene Wenger has also taught us ( a lesson that I hope continues on Wednesday) that he is taking the Carling cup a little more seriously by playing reserves rather than the youth team.

We have learnt that our injury curse is not going anywhere but in all seriousness, did anyone expect it to?

Samir Nasri has taught us that out number 8 shirt has found yet another superb occupant, he showed in pre-season that he had improved as a player and has done nothing to suggest he won't continue to improve.

We have unfortunately learnt that we still fall short against Chelsea but I for one am looking forward to the return leg of that game after Christmas. We outplayed them but failed to finish our chances. We have also learnt thanks to West Brom, we cannot underestimate anyone.

Lessons will continue to be learnt as the season progresses but from what we have seen so far we can be optimistic. The Man City game is not a reason to get over excited or complacent but the difference between that game and the game at Liverpool in performance, attitude and of course result has to be a positive note and a great feeling for everyone involved with Arsenal FC.

Till next time Gooners,
Goonerfish.

Partizan Review, Flapless Fab states his case.

Great result all round for Arsenal, 3 points to take home, good performances to build confidence and a solid goalkeeping performance from Fabianski.

I said yesterday that it would be a tough game, and it was. Partizan Belgrade moved forward well and our defence looked rocky at best. Partizan looked the most likely to score until a lovely run from Arshavin on 14 minutes ended in a ball to Wilshere which was beautifully back-heeled back to Arshavin who finished well to put us 1-0 up.

After the goal we were in complete control, creating loads of chances but failed to convert any. Rosciky had a great chance from 8 yards and was only stopped by a the keeper Stojkovic, who was in great form, and Arshavin had a gorgeous chip over the keeper cleared off the line.

We dominated the play until a cross from Partizan's left hit Denilson's upper arm and although it seemed harsh, if it was us claiming the penalty we would have said it was stone-wall. Cleo stepped up and sent Fabianski the wrong way to make it 1-1.

Partizan then had the best of the ball until half time and to be honest I was happy to hear the whistle.  HALF TIME 1-1.

The second half plodded along quietly until Arshavin slotted a perfectly weighted ball in for Chamakh to move into the area only to be brought down by Jovanovic who was rightly shown a red card as the last man. Chamakh seemed to be away with the fairies for most of the night and he made the most of what little contact there was, but there was contact.

Arshavin stepped up to take the penalty and went for power but Stojkovic saved.

We failed to make our extra man count for a long time after the red card and I was starting to think it was going to be one of those nights and become frustrated at the way we seem to be unable to play against 10 men.

All that frustration went away on 70 minutes when Rosciky, who had a mixed night, floated in a great cross that Chamakh met with his head, the ball took a deflection and hit the bar but Chamakh was switched on enough to be first to the rebound to head it in for 2-1.

Squillaci then picked up his first Arsenal goal with a pin point header from a Samir Nasri corner to make it 3-1 on 82 minutes to secure our first away win in Europe for over a year and to place us nicely on the top of our group.

The ref however, decided that the game didn't have enough drama so he gave another soft penalty against Gibbs just a minute later. Step up FABianski, a fantastic diving save to his right to prevent Cleo scoring his second penalty of the night. Fabianski then made another great save to his left in injury time. FULL TIME 3-1.

A good night for everyone but in particular, Lukasz Fabianski. He was solid in everything he did during the game, comfortable catches, simple shot stops, good positioning and a penalty save just to put the cherry on top.

This result is exactly what Arsenal needed to pick up the mood before a vital game at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Fab or Flap? It's your call Lukasz!

OK, picture the scene.

You are a 22 year old goalkeeper plying your trade playing for a a little club called Legia Warsaw when one of the top clubs in Europe with one of the most respected Managers in the world comes calling for your services, your club accepts the offer and the transfer gets completed, you are now playing for the almighty Arsenal FC under Arsene Wenger, life could not be much better. You wait patiently as keepers sit ahead of you until you become the club's number 2. Then, it happens, your mate Almunia gets injured and you get a small run in the team and even a day out at Wembley in the FA Cup Semi-final. You wake up that morning dreaming of the name you can make for yourself, the game arrives with your fans cheering when your name is announced. LIFE IS GOOD! Then your team go 1 - 0 up. LIFE IS GREAT. Then towards the end of the game, the opposition defender boots a long ball down field, it been a quiet game for you so so you run out to collect the ball and start another attack, you pull your right foot back, swing, and then.............Oh crap, where's the ball gone? Look around and Drogba has just scored while you're in no man's land. You lose the game and the chance of playing in an FA cup final, you have a string of dreadful mistakes, a few more terrible performances pretty much help to guarantee your club ends another season with no silver ware. Another season, another chance, you're still the club's number 2, you failed to take your chance, Now, your third season starts and the number 1 position is firmly up for grabs, your mate again gets an injury and you are called up to play in goal in the Champions League.............. How would you like the story to end?

Unfortunately the only one who can decide that is Lukasz Fabianski. He has a chance to prove how good a keeper he is again tonight as we play Partizan Belgrade. There is a lot of pressure on the young man's shoulders as he has an opportunity to show he should be our number keeper. He shouldn't have too much to cope with tonight but think he'll do enough to keep a clean sheet

I get the feeling tonight will be a harder game than it should be on paper, although no team in this competition should be under estimated, Arsenal should - on paper - be able to dominate all three of the other teams in our group but an away trip to any European team on a cold night will be difficult.

Arsene should field a strong side tonight but I'm sure he will be thinking about Chelsea at the weekend so he'll be hoping for a big lead by the hour mark so he can rest some stars. We need a win tonight but more importantly a decent performance by every one of our players, we can not go to Stamford Bridge low on confidence, if we do we will be beaten before we arrive.

Gibbs is back and I think he'll get a start partly for him to get game time but also to rest Clichy for Chelsea. Chamakh should start and I expect Arshavin will join him up front and Eboue will get the chance to make up for a dismal display againt West Brom. Hopefully Nasri will be given the chance to shine again in the attacking midfield 'Fabregas' role and I expect Wilshere will start along side him.

My predicted line-up

Fabianski


Sagna - Squillaci - Koscielny - Gibbs

Song


Wilshere - Nasri


Eboue - Arshavin


Chamakh



Score: Partizan Belgrade 0 - 3 Arsenal

Now, I admit I know pretty much naff all about Partizan Belgrade but I do know that they are doing very well in their domestic league and will be full of confidence but in fairness they play in an average league at best so we should come out on top. (Then again, I said that on Saturday too)

Come on Arsenal!! Come on Lukasz!!

Goonerfish.