Goodplaya on Friday: Captain Cesc, understrength, club class and a whole lot more
We may just have ourselves a decent captain
What are we to make of what we’re seeing at the moment? On the one hand in four of our previous five league games there has been a fair bit to worry about. On the other, we’re in mid December and if we win our game in hand we’re two points behind United and five behind Chelsea. It could be worse.
The worrying thing is that you feel we’re only one dodgy performance away from things taking a sinister turn.
Much in the way they did when Hull came to the Emirates a year ago and won. On that occasion four wins from five before the game looked good, but two defeats after just six games after the match looked a lot worse.
I love Arsene, but given the side we put out in Greece just over a week ago, I can’t find any possible way to defend him over his charge that the Wolves line-up on Tuesday damaged the integrity of the Premier League. Talking of which, we seem incapable of dropping points without there being some kind of moan!
Watching the Burnley game on the Club Level TV screens was a surreal experience. This was not like everyone gathering to watch a Champions League semi in the Islington Academy because they wanted to be part of a big atmosphere. Instead it resembled a gathering of addicts who were only there because it was the best way of getting their hit. As I understand it, clubs are allowed to screen away games a limited number of times a season if they’ve sold out their away ticket allocation. Surely it’s time to allow these games to be streamed through the official web site?
Those of us at the Emirates on Wednesday got a £5 food or drink voucher and so after nearly three and a half years I finally tried the catering at the ground. I still can’t quite reconcile how the chicken and balti pie with baked beans could ever be worth missing the last five minutes of the first half, but each to their own.
At long last, a goal within the first 15 minutes. Well done Cesc.
Thanks for all of your goal of the decade suggestions. I’m going to draw up a shortlist and voting will start next week.
And if we lose more ground this weekend, that will again be the case.
We’ll miss Cesc, not least because for 40 minutes on Wednesday he put in what I’d describe as his best captain’s performance yet for Arsenal.
He may have been more spectacular against Blackburn earlier this season but on Wednesday he really led by example, driving us forward continually and doing everything he could to ensure it wouldn’t be another grim night up north for us.
Other than the non-spitting storm last Spring against Hull when Cesc came onto the pitch wearing what I’ll generously describe as a Dunlop tyre converted into a jacket, captaincy actually appears to have done him no harm at all.
Gone are the times when he’s looked a few seconds away from losing it and all in all, I think he’s led us fairly well through some not always easy times.
Manuel… not great with his feet either
It’s not that figure that suggests almost half of all shots on target go in with him between the sticks that tells the story. I’d suggest that figure means that people aren’t taking a whole lot of speculative shots.
Were they to, I’d suggest the 18 in 41 figure or whatever it is would soon be something like 20 in 80. So no, it’s not that.
It’s the indecision, the complete break-down of trust with his defenders, the flapping at crosses and the dreadful distribution (kicking and throwing) that puts us right under the kosh. It’s also the nothingy kind or reaction whenever anything goes wrong.
I hold up my hands: at the start of the season I thought a new keeper was third on our list of priorities behind a new midfielder and defender. It’s not. Whether it be Fabianski or someone else, the situation is becoming urgent.
Yes, he may recover and I hope he does but by then it could be too late for us.
Fair fixtures?
I’ve taken a look and in all, there are five sets of midweek fixtures with the latter three (next week, late Jan and mid Feb) all being instead of games the following Saturday, which has been kept clear for the FA Cup. On all those three occasions, if you’re at home on the Saturday you’re then away in the week and vice-versa, so it’s all pretty fair.
This week’s fixtures and those in August were sandwiched in between two sets of Premiership weekend fixtures. Were it not for the CL qualifier, we’d have played Bolton and then Pompey both at the Emirates back to back, cancelling out this week’s toughie.
But that’s not to say it’s completely even – in both August and this week Pompey had back to back away in four days whereas on both occasions Liverpool had back to back home. So there you have it.
A Goodplaya responds special
Old Git says:
Goodplaya says
You’re right. It was just frustrating to watch at times.
Gunnerigors says:
Goodplaya says
It’s a fair point, particularly given that at home we’ve looked very solid on the whole.
Anon says:
Goodplaya says
A very fair point. He was playing a more defensive role than usual and he didn’t actually do it too badly.
West Upper says:
Goodplaya says
Maybe but once he went off we lacked any kind of width, which was a great shame given Eboue, Wilshere and Vela were on the bench.
True Gooner says:
Goodplaya says
It was interesting hearing Arsene saying how tough Arshavin is. Could be seen as a slight at some players, except so many of our injuries appear to be proper long-term ones. It’s baffling frankly.