I am still fuming but having had a few minutes to steam, my head has cleared and I can see the 4-4 result for what it was, a complete freak result. We played terrifically and on another day a fair score would have been 4 or 5-1. We were just rather unfortunate, Tottenham were rather lucky and we should not have been so very sloppy in the final few minutes.
The game was one way traffic, I don't have time to detail all the Arsenal attacks and chances, and frankly it would pain me to do so. A majestic Bentley strike gave Tottenham the lead early on, and there was nothing Almunia could have done, it was just a great strike. A good firm Silvestre header gave us an important equaliser just before half time. The second half was so one sided that it was beyond a joke, we strode to a 3-1 lead but then came a mistake from Almunia. He spilt a Huddlestone piledriver and Bent tapped in, 3-2 and our nerves jangled.
We responded immediately with a lovely RVP goal and we coasted at 4-2 until almost the ninetieth minute. For some reason Gael Clichy decided to piss around with the ball in the left back slot, Jenas robbed him and dribbled forwards, he then hit an unstoppable left foot curler into the far corner, this was a complete freak goal, a Jenas left footer from outside the box. Then came the second freak goal, instead of trying to hold possession Fabregas played a through ball that was intercepted in the central defensive area, Tottenham broke. Almunia had Modric's long ranger covered if it had hit the target but it hit the post and bounced kindly for Lennon who tapped home. 4-4 it was, two freak goals in quick succession, on another day neither would have gone anywhere near the onion bag.
We did not deserve to drop points against such a poor side, however our sloppiness gave Spurs the opportunities for three of their four goals, and that is the thing that has been fuming steam from my ears. We were so far superior to Spurs on a footballing level that it's hard to take not beating them, however we simply have to learn to close out games better, we cannot be so sloppy and casual. Ironically I thought we defended excellently on the whole, Gallas and Silvestre were superb at the back, they cannot be faulted for any of the goals. Just to be the absurd optimist, one point is better than none.
32 comments:
Mate, I applaud your clear thinking there. I too am fuming and need to calm down before i throw my laptop out the window.
But seriously, this isnt a once off thing. We have a serious issue with closing out games. With 10 minutes to go, we suddenly decided to take the foot off the pedal and we simply STOPPED playing. Spurs were dead on their feet and if we carried on playing we would probably have scored our 5th.
We started the game in the same fashion. Watch the first 15 minutes again and tell me how many times we actually completed a pass. We only start playing when they scored.
They may have scored 2 lucky goals but in a season where we have 3 serious challenges to the league title, how can we possibly ship 4 goals to a team bottom of the log - at HOME.
There is no way we will win this league! This result whas proven that.
Are you some sort of idiot? Freak result? we was shit, we will win fuck all this season and instead of the same old crap about " in arsene we trust" its about time we moved him on, he's become stale and we need some fresh ideas.
..... and dont tell me there goals were lucky, if we had scored them you would have called them world class. More limp excuses from arsenal fans that know no better. I am a fan of 45 years and this is one of the worse defences i can remember. we will win nothing this year and im getting pissed off with the same old crap that is spouted off. Face it, our season is pretty much over already.
Who the fuck cares if their goals were lucky or not. The point is we conceded 4 fucking goals - at home against a fucking poor spurs team. Its a disgrace!
how on earth can a team 4:2 up in the 89th minute go on to draw 4:4 think they have a chance of winning anything this season. no defensive midfeilder, no defence, no chance, and always the same lame excuses, a young inexperienced side with bags of potential......well its about time we saw some of that " potential"
Forget potential. This result tells us where we are. We're too young to win, not because we're too young in age, that's irrelevant. We lack savvy and are too mentally weak and indecisive and inexperienced to close out games. There are glaring flaws in the side that can only be corrected in January.
2 think even when we were 4-2 up with 5mins left that i wasnt totaly relaxed says it all realy. u can then picture my face at full time . i have no confendence in this team . AW needs 2 sort this shit out .
we actually defended well on the whole.
The goals were either freaks or down to individual errors.
I do agree though we have to become ruthless in closing down games.
AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH. How did that happen?
I agree that Bentley's goal was a complete freak, but the other 3 came from powerful shots at the edge of our box and directly in front of the goal.
We have now conceded a ton of "wonder goals" at the Emirates. Perhaps the good playing surface makes the 30 yard screamer much easier at the Emirates, perhaps pure bad luck is a factor, but i tend to think we give the opposition a whole bunch of space right in the middle of the park.
Anfield in the Champions league; Stamford Bridge in the Prem; Old Trafford in the Prem; Emirates against Hull; Emirates against Spuds.
Top of my head, those are games that we have dominated and lost. If we had won those we would be champions of at least England, and top of the table now.
That is also an indication of the fact that this team does not learn. Wenger does not learn.
We play lovely, pretty triabgles all over the pitch and score a few goals. But we have no idea of what to do when not in possession, we are scared of having a lead and don't look professional.
It isn't any individual player's fault (too many games and too many errors for that) - it is a deep and ingrained problem in the squad Wenger has assembled and the 11 players he puts on the pitch at any time.
It's not "Wenger out". But I am doubting whether I scream "Wenger Sort it Out" with any faith in his ability to do so.
Obs - we didn't lose.
But it feels worse than any of those other games.
I woke up in the middle of the night, as i was so angry I woke myself up.
You then read Wenger's comments, and it makes you even more angry. The fans were asked to get behind this team, to believe in them and yesterday we did that and more.
And we were all let down. Awfully.
I am not going to write the season off until its mathematically impossible, but of all the teams I have seen at Highbury and the emirates, I have never felt so let down than by the current team. And the current Wenger.
FFS - i know where you are coming from, but we, as fans, don't "deserve" anything. I felt sick to the pit of my stomach. Just as I did at Villa park in 1999, just as I did at the Millenium Stadium in 2001, or the Stade de France in 2006.
That is football.
Sorry. Millenium stadium was 2000 when Owen robbed us blind. The git.
I know fans don't "deserve" anything, and I know it hurts more as it was the Derby, but this feels different to those games.
We lost at Villa Park and in Paris in hige matches, in which we played brilliantly and fought to the end. They were also games we had earned tghe right to be in from playing at a high level over a course of the season, or more.
In the context of those games even, this season so far is even more frustrating. We made a step forward last season, but overall the squad has taken a footballing step backwards - we will entertain and thrill, but we won't win titles.
I know its over-reaction, but I just don't understand how a team can shoot itself in the foot so regularly, and not realise that it's a kind of stupid thing to do.
I remember the double winnning days and just how well we used to close games out, we used to be masters of holding the ball in the corners and grinding out a win.
We need to be more disciplined, yesterday's capitulation was arrogant and sloppy.
Clichy, fabregas and eboue were all guilty in particular and we cannot afford to keep doing it, plain as that really,
it's so so frustrating because spurs were so so piss poor
Agreed. There's more soothing analysis at http://www.upforgrabsnow.co.uk/
Its time to make Cesc Fabregas as captain....this way v can retain him . Gallas is absolutely useless . Wats the point of scoring 4-5 goals if u cant defend any ?? Wenger has to take some hard decisions during Jan transfer window .
I mean score is 4-2 , we all r cheering with joy.....and suddenly boom....the thunderbolt struck...damn...and this is not the first time...it has happened before too....this " injury time " is really injurious to our health [ sigh]...we had them.....we should have killed them then and there itself...instead we let them climb up and gave them confidence boost..wretched wretched mistake !!
I'm not sure Cesc covered himself in glory on Wednesday night. He was he who refused to take the corner short to Diaby at the end of the game and keep the ball in the corner. Gomes caught it and punted it down the park. It was also Cesc that tried to play Ade in when it was 4-3, which lost the ball, rather than playing keep ball.
Gallas is a crap captain, but I'm not sure Cesc is the answer.
Plus the "make him captain so he stays at Arsenal" argument is bollocks. Captain Vieira left as did Captain Henry.
There are muppets on here who are still bleating about freaky goals and the fact that we didnt lose, WAKE UP ! for the past 4 years we have been promised jam tomorrow and got fuck all, we are a laughing stock and embarrassment, its time for Arsene to collect his coat and take the rest of the pssionless foriegners with him, There was only one player that played for Arsenal on wednesday and that was Theo, no wonder teams like spurs fulham and hull are giving us a game, its because they have a backbone of brits playing for them just like chelsea and united and teams like liverpool have world class foriegners playing for them, we have neither. Face facts gooners our love affair with young foriegners will win us fuck all!
Wenger collect your coat and take the lousy bunch of prima donnas with you. You are ruining my beloved club, you have loaded it with foriegners who only have a passion for money, the backbone of any english club should be english or british players just like man utd, chelsea, fulham, hull or spurs and those that dont have too many english players but still more than us have world class foriegners ie liverpool, we have neither and this constant policy of foriegn kids just isnt working. Where are all the muppets that were shouting any dissenters down gone, some three weeks ago they were everywhere on here slagging people like me off, telling us how wrong we were for daring to criticise the manager, well, he's a spent force and its abou time you took your rose tinted glasses off and accept we wll not finish in the top 4 this year and also that these kids are just not up to the mark................."yu win nothing with kids" unless of course they have some passion.
Looks like we have a new pet racist.
What do you feed a pet racist? I bet they're quite touchy....
to those lasy two 'anonymous' comments,
please refrain from your moronic twaddle, upgrade your brain on ebay and come back when you have something intelligent to say, thanks
ps anonymous look where spurs' mighty english backbone got them?
what about stoke, west brom, birmingham, derby and on and on
if you want to harp on about an english backbone they why not constructively suggest some english players who would improve our side, ad please stick to players that would be genuinely available in the transfer market?
silence, i thought you'd struggle with that one....
anonymous,
over the top comments but i agree we wont win anything and its time to get rid of wenger. Too many people on here have got their heads too far up wengers arse, he is "a spent force" and these present players arent up to scratch. We are sleepwalking into mediocrity and the time to realise it is now not at the end of the season when we finish outside the top 4, which any unbiased observer would agree. Lets see how many "in Arsene we trust" idiots are on here tomorrow post rory delap!
Kathryn,
How can anonymous be racist when comments made are about too many foreigners not what colour they are, they also stated that theo was the best player, you should read posts more clearly. You are falling into the trap of denial, its there for all to see, chelsea and united hve a strong english influence and liverpool just have better players than us and thats why they are all more successful than we are. Spurs played with passion as did hull city, fulham just wanted it more than us. Why are Arsenal fans so afraid of critisisng the team? Are you all scared to death that the club will collapse without wenger? Dont be so gooey eyed about the bloke, believe it or not we was around before he arrived.
..........and 1979gooner,
on wednesday tottenham wanted it more than us, their goals wernt flukes and the result wasnt a freak, they played with passion, somthing we've not had for 4 or 5 years, i hate spurs with a vengance but am not so blinkered to ignore the obvious, WAKE UP man, Cesc will be off next season as will adebeyor and a few others, as for english players, well wenger has already missed the boat because of his inability to spend cash, its his fault that we are in this mess and i agree with anonymous earlier on who said wenger should go!
utter rot gaz,
we played excellently on the most part, we dominated and played with a lot of passion, tottenham couldn't get the ball for most of the game,
jumping on the slagging off our players bandwagon isn't sensible and it certaainly isn't in perspective,
I have no problem with criticising the players fairly, however it was an excellent team performance bar one almunia error and a the complacency near the end,
some perspective please
just think how many chances we created compared to tottenham, that shows the game for what it was, a good arsenal performance, one way traffic and bad luck combined with some sloppiness at the end
1979gooner,
The slagging off bandwagon is because they are playing shit, we dont slag them off when they are playing well.You are just another deluded fan who sees every match through rose tinted glasses. I respect your view but its not balanced. Anonymous 14.02 has got it bang on.
.......Dont say i didnt tell you so, This bunch of players are simply not good enough and the manager IS a spent force, we need a complete change from the top down. We have now lost to Hull, Stoke and Fulham, argueably the worst three teams in the prem on paper, we are a disgrace and a laughing stock and about time Wenger got the Sack!!!
Now where are all the "in Arsene we trust" brigade gone? We will not finish in the top 4 this season, we cant even rely on players coming back, this is the best we have as Rosicky and Eduardo cant be relied on. The buck stops with Wenger and he needs to go. Games against Utd, liverpool and Chelsea coming up not to mention Villa, our season is well and truly over!
Grow up. There is plenty still to play for. Yes, we are in a big hole right now but hitting out and demanding sackings is just reactionary bullshit.
The problem with most fans is that they don't remember the pre-Wenger bad times. We have a great team that plays good football.
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