Drogba destroyed us on Sunday.

Chelsea were far too good for us.  We had so much possession yet we couldnt let them pay by scoring a goal.  As the great Alan Davies says, its like the Weakest link, when no player chooses to bank (shoot) instead of trying one more and passing it along the edge of the box.  Chelsea dealt with our crosses all day long and they were just immense in defence.

They probably will go on to win the title and so they should with a team like that.  John Terry is the most annoying one, because by the look of him he should be an awful defender.  He is slow he is technically shite, yet he knows how to defend and how to make a tackle (even if it is a late one on a player who is shooting and he can get away with it).  The team he plays in knows how to defend. I dont know how they do it so well, but they do.

Their two front men give them the release by simply passing it to them and they will win it and out power people in their way and lay it off or have a shot.

Their first two goals came from two Ashley Cole crosses, they were class crosses in dangerous areas which begged to be put in the back of the net.  Drogba accepted Ashleys invitation and made it look so simple by sidefooting the first goal in.  The second was about 2 mins later and the same ball, Gallas missed it and it hit our number 5 for his 1 millionth goal of the season (wrong net though).

Half time and we strangley took off Song who was our only 6ft plus player out on field and replaced him with Walcott, to no doubt keep Ashley a bit more quiet.  Walcott came on ran with the ball too fast and thus couldnt control it all game.  He didn’t impress me at all, give him some games and he might change my mind.  His pace will undoubtedly scare defenders but he has got to remember to take the ball with him!

Whilst speaking about players that annoyed me, I must mention Eduardo.  Whats happened to him?!  He was this calm player who wouldn’t panic at any moment and simply knock the ball into the back of the net.  Now he is a nervous wreck who couldnt get one shot off on Sunday.  He either found himself with the ball on his right foot and not wanting to shoot, or he would have the ball under his feet.  Carlos Vela at the moment seems like a more mobile and calmer player than him, sort it out Eds.

I dont know how the free kick was given for their third goal, but they are not to blame.  Almunia is.  What was he doing? To conceed a goal two foot away from where he is standing is quite bad.  Ive lost all confidence in him and the sooner we get a new keeper the better, Rob Green?  Now I dont want to take anything away from the free kick because it was soooo good, how does he get that much power on his side foot and for it to curl slightly, its something quite special from the annoyingly good Drogba. Grrr him!

The thing is we weren’t that bad, we just aren’t as clinical as the Russian Revolution in Fulham.  They were too too good.  It’s now how we react, we tend to lose to them in a season so maybe we can beat them at home react well and overcome our next dozen opponents and go on a bit of an unbeaten stretch.

Citeh tonight, in the League Cup. Nice to see some youngsters playing there football.  Hopefully we will beat them.  Saying that we will probs draw with them as thats all they seem to be able to do at the mo.   Pens?

I however will only be able to watch the first half of the game as I am going to watch my 5 aside team play tonight.  Back to the place where I broke my wrist.  Hopefully I wont have bad nightmares when I go back there.  Wish me luck!

Ma chi sono Herman Van Rompuy e Catherine Ashton?

Rispettivamente il nuovo e primo Presidente dell’Unione Europea e il suo nuovo ministro degli esteri (mr. PESC).

Avevo già avuto modo di esprimermi sulla conferma di Barroso, e sulla candidatura di D’Alema; putroppo devo constatare che la situazione non è migliorata: vincono gli Stati-Nazione e si continua a scegliere persone di basso profilo perché si vuole che l’Unione Europea abbia un basso profilo.

Che cosa possono fare Herman Van Rompuy, ex primo ministro belga (!!!) e  Catherine Ashton, ministro del Regno Unito (uno stato da sempre avverso all’integrazione e che non ha adottato l’euro) per risollevare le sorti di questa Europa unita che lentamente, negli ultimi anni, si sta avvitando sempre più se stessa? L’impressione è che siano due vasi di coccio tra vasi di ferro (gli Stati-Nazione) e che ben poco potranno fare.

Credo molto al detto secondo il quale “non è il ruolo che fa la persona ma è la persona che fa il ruolo” e proprio per questo ritengo che ci sarebbe stato senz’altro bisogno di una persona con una forte personalità, con la capacità  che potesse dare un imprinting potente e duraturo alla nuova figura di Presidente UE. Poteva andare bene Tony Blair, in questo momento storico con il suo ego avrebbe certo dato un’identità ben precisa alla carica. Ma anche Joaquín Almunia (attuale Commissario agli affari monetari) sarebbe stata una buona scelta, così come Meglena Kuneva (rumena, che ha dimostrato di avere carattere nelle sue vesti di Commissario per i Consumatori) o Neelie Kroes (olandese, Commissario alla concorrenza).

Purtroppo non è andata così.

Che cosa rimane dello spirito che ha animato De Gasperi, Schuman e Adenauer e che ha ispirato intere generazioni?

Se il buongiorno si vede dal mattino, grosse nubi si addensano purtroppo all’orizzonte.

Link

• I commenti su BBC News Service > http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8369730.stm

Ante la situación económica y social que atraviesa el Estado y Aragón, y debido a las graves dificultades de financiación a los entes locales –ayuntamientos y comarcas-, el grupo municipal de CHA en La Almunia ha solicitado en el último pleno –la moción ha sido aprobada con el apoyo de todos los grupos y la abstención del PP- pedir al Ayuntamiento que éste se dirija al Gobierno del Estado para que inicie un debate sobre la financiación de los ayuntamientos, para que ésta sea más equilibrada y que por lo menos garantice un fondo anual de 365 euros para habitante y año.

Asimismo también se ha aprobado instar al Gobierno de Aragón para que actualice el IPC de los últimos seis años de los fondos transferidos directamente a las comarcas, así como la elaboración y diseño de un plan de inversión extraordinario para las comarcas que permitan llevar a cabo obras y proyectos que palien los efectos de la crisis a través de la creación de empleo.

José Antonio Acero, portavoz de CHA, ha indicado que “aprobar estas medidas es muy importante, ya que los ayuntamientos cada vez se responsabilizan de más servicios y el Estado parece olvidar que esos servicios son más costosos en el medio rural, donde los ayuntamiento son más pequeños y tienen escasos recursos”.

José Antonio Acero, Teniente Alcalde por el grupo CHA, ha indicado que con esta medida el ayuntamiento quiere ayudar a las familias y a las empresas rebajando la presión fiscal en tiempos de crisis.

El Ayuntamiento de La Almunia ha aprobado hoy en el pleno congelar todas las tasas municipales en el ejercicio de 2010, para de esa forma ayudar a las familias y a las empresas rebajando su presión fiscal y ayudando a activar el consumo para conseguir paliar de alguna forma los efectos de la crisis.

José Antonio Acero, Teniente Alcalde por el grupo CHA, ha indicado “que esta medida supondrá que el ayuntamiento tenga que llevar a cabo un mayor esfuerzo económico, ajustando el gasto corriente, sin permitir que ese ajuste pueda ir en detrimento de los servicios sociales que en la actualidad se prestan desde el consistorio ”.

Por último Acero ha señalado que el Ayuntamiento de La Almunia, que su partido gobierna en coalición con el PSOE, “es realista y en tiempos como los actuales congelar las tasas no sólo va a beneficiar a las familias, sino también a los pequeños comercios y empresarios de La Almunia”.

Last week after the fantastic win in the Carling Cup, Fran Merida told afc.com that he wanted to stay at Arsenal and that he hoped his contract would be sorted out very soon. Sadly for Fran, his agent Joseba Diaz hasn’t seen the interview or possibly not even bothered to speak to Merida. Diaz has said he has an illness, well a love for Atletico Madrid which all started when he slept on red and white sheets when he was young!!

Firstly, what a load of b***x, secondly, the boy was born in Barcelona so I doubt if he would have adopted a love for any Madrid side, and finally maybe the love is for us, we play in red and white!! So Diaz, you muppet, I think it’s time that Fran Merida followed in Cesc’s footsteps again, this time though by giving you the sack!!

Diaby has decided to speak to the newspapers; he has suggested we can win the Champions League and the Premiership this season. I agree with you Diaby, we can, sadly though with you playing the way you are right now that chance is slimmer!! May I suggest he goes and tells the boss he needs a rest, we get to see Nasri, Ramsey, Rosicky, Merida or Wilshere instead and our chances to win those titles increase!

Another player who has spoken out AGAIN, is Arshavin, this time though the word ‘tax’ and ‘money’ are nowhere to be seen! No, he has finally seen sense and started to talk about Arsenal and football, he also has belief that this season will be our season. He even says he is really happy at Arsenal, good man! Every season I think that, but this season I really believe we are going to win something, as well as the Carling Cup.

We are right up there in the premiership heading towards the crucial stage of the season. Arsene says December is the month where we can push on towards winning things or can absolutely destroy any chance we have. Well, that kind of makes sense really, the good thing is that many of our sickies will be back or very near to be coming back, I just hope we don’t keep adding to the list.

Clichy is now out for a stretch as he has a stress fracture to his lower back, but Rosicky and Nasri were training yesterday so that’s good news.
The Clichy injury is bad news, but also spooky; remember the last season we lost our previous left back for a long period??
Me too, so maybe the same will happen, this time though, no sendings off in the final, and we come away with the trophy in our cabinet.

Talking of which, tonight we play AZ Alkmaar at home. Win this game and we secured qualification so I hope Arsene selects the strongest eleven to start the game, get the game put to bed early on and give a few subs a good run out!

The Mancs and The Russians both secured their places in the next round last night, let’s now make sure we do the same, only by winning and not by having to scramble back for a 3-3 draw having been 3-1 down, and what a lucky goal the third was!

Tonight could and should be a night for celebration in my house, not only because we are going to win, and win well, but instead of Coronation Street on ITV, a different soap, well I rather hope a drama will be shown – yep it will be Liverpool in France being knocked out of the Champions League, eeee’ and I can’t wait!! Have I ever mentioned that I don’t like Liverpool?

AZ will be confident; we will need to be focused. The goal they scored two weeks ago will give them belief, belief that they can come to us and attack from the start. That will be good for us, the game will open and we will able to play ‘our way’.

Almunia needs to be on form, they have said he is our weakness, but I don’t think so tonight. He did pretty well against the Spuds, especially after a long break and having suffered what he has. Tonight Almunia will show us all what he can do, why he is our No1 keeper.

Almunia
Sagna TV Gallas Gibbs
Nasri Cesc Song Rosicky
Van Persie Arshavin
Subs – Merida, Eboue, Senderos, Vela, Eduardo, Wilshere, Mannone

That’s mine, but I know Arsene will have Diaby in there

Have a great footie day, I can’t wait!!

http://www.corriere.it/economia/09_novembre_03/economia-dati-ue_abc91e6a-c85e-11de-b35b-00144f02aabc.shtml

Molto interessante l’articolo di richiamo di cui il link sopra. E’ ormai notorio il caso del debito pubblico italiano, forse un pò meno noto al grande pubblico l’impatto che il servizio sul debito ha sull’economia reale.

Uno stato che non interviene massicciamente nella modernizzazione del paese perchè ha da pagare i debiti del passato è un paese che guarda indietro e non in avanti. Un paese dove le amministrazioni locali e la politica costano troppo è un paese che necessariamente deve liberarsi dalla politica. Siamo in un circolo vizioso: per poter crescere dovremmo avere tassi di crescita dell’economia più alti dei tassi di crescita del debito, ma con un debito cosi alto la crescita è preclusa. Cosa dobbiamo fare allora? Ridurre i debiti!!! Quando un governo seriamente farà una campagna informativa sulle voci del bilancio dello stato che maggiormente incidono sulla struttura patrimoniale dell’azienda Italia?

Quando si avvierà un programma serio di razionalizzazione della spesa e di annullamento delle sue voci inutili?

Apparteniamo alla generazione di italiani che vogliono crescere e non guardare agli anni passati.

E’ necessaria una nuova rivoluzione liberale ed antistatalista….. Ma con questi italiani che ci ritroviamo ….. pochi sono i passi che possiamo fare.

Catch me if you can

Stroke of luck you say? Not in my opinion.

Arsenal continued to have the upper hand over their North London rivals as we convincingly won 3-0 at Ashburton Grove. Many will say that up to the first goal, Spurs have matched Arsenal stride for stride but that cannot be further away from the truth. For a club seeking to break the monopoly of the top four, Spurs did not show the desire and style of play to suit that. They sat back and played a very defensive game which cost them dearly.

Though Arsenal lacked real penetration but the pace of the game was good and Spurs were kept on the backfoot right from the kickoff and were chasing after the ball the whole afternoon. Tiredness soon crept in the Spurs backline and King could not keep up with Van Persie who easily slotted home from Sagna’s low cross. Right from the restart, one time Arsenal target, Wilson Palacios lost the ball to Fabregas who ran past another 2 more Spurs players and emphatically slammed the ball into Gomes’ bottom right corner. 2 goals in 2 minutes, shades of West Ham was running in my mind.

Spurs threatened to make a comeback in the game early in the second half but without Lennon, Modric and Defoe lacked the firepower to threaten Almunia. They were restricted to shots from outside the ball which was covered well by the returning Almunia. If anything, his short stint on the sidelines seemed to have kept him on his toes and generally speaking, he did his chances of continuing in goal no harm with his display today.

The last few games have shown that even 2 goal leads are not enough for us to win matches. Rather fortunately the third goal came. Sagna had the ball at the edge of Spurs’ penalty box when Eduardo was felled by Ekotto but the referee kept the play going. Sagna’s cross pinballed between Gomes and King, leaving Van Persie with an easy tap in. That was the goal which well and truly finished the game off. That was the advantage that Arsenal lacked in their last Premier League and Champions League encounter.

I thought Mark Clattenburg had a horrendous match in terms of dishing out the yellow cards. Early in the first half, Bentley went in with the studs showing and landed the end of it on Vermaelen’s shin but ref thought that Bentley only deserved a harsh talk to. The ref also blundered before that when he gave the foul but lacked the courage to flash out his yellow card when Bentley clearly raised/moved his hands to connect with the ball on purpose. Had both been shown, it would’ve made many Gunners around the world dancing with joy.

Wenger might need a moment with his players after this match. Maybe just to highlight the responsibilities of the squad. Halfway through the first half, Bendtner pulled something in his legs and had to go off but had to wait until the ball was put into touch. There were many occasions during that period in which Arsenal players had the ball but none took the chance to kick it out. It could’ve been costly because Spurs took advantage of the injured player to slip one in behind of Bendtner who was unable to give chase but luckily, the chance came to nothing.

The final scoreline may have flattered to deceive on Arsenal’s part but the result nevertheless still showed the gulf in class between the 2 teams. This will not be the first time that Keane had to eat his own words and judging from his brain capacity, it will not be the last either. HAHA!! You may dream that the gap have been closed but you can never be further from the truth.

Last season we drew this match and lost the momentum in terms of the league. I hope this is not a false dawn. Let’s use this match as the springboard of better things to come.

Lovely win. Revenge served

Bendtner to repeat this act?

As an Arsenal fan, today is the day we wait with abated breath. This is the first fixture I look for whenever the new season kicks-off. For Gooners, it comes no bigger than the North London Derby. Spurs visit Ashburton Grove looking to find the first league victory over Wenger.

Last season’s corresponding was a horror show which incidentally mirrored what was witnessed in the last 2 games though not exactly at the same scale. We threw away a 2 goal lead at home with just 2 minutes to spare in the derby game. That was a result which shook the team and its after effect sent the team tumbling out of the title race.

Hopefully this time around, we will be able to keep our lead without surrendering it. We will have to do that without Fabianski as Wenger tries to make up his mind on who to give the keeper’s jersey to. I suspect Almunia will get the nod ahead of Mannone as this is a fixture in which any Arsenal manager will not want to lose. With that in mind, I think the lineup will resemble something like this.

Almunia

Sagna—Gallas—Vermaelen—Clichy

Fabregas–-Song—Diaby

Bendtner—Van Persie—Arshavin

I have a sneaky feeling that Nicklas Bendtner will start this game with Rosicky still missing with injury. Wenger took the Danish lad out very early in the Liverpool Carling Cup game and was probably reserving him for the bigger and more important match today. Bendtner will come in handy as Spurs are still missing several regulars centerbacks and his height and power during freekicks and corners will unsettle whoever comes in to replace Woodgate and King.

Wenger said that this could be the derby game when Arshavin explodes to life. I’ll raise a drink to that any day. To me, he has been almost anonymous this season bar the couple of goals that he has scored so far. As we come towards a crucial period of the league campaign, we need the Russian to let his foot do more talking than his mouth. His trickery on the ball could set up Fabregas or even Diaby chances to score if he manages to drag the Spurs defenders out with him. More than most, we also need Arshavin to do his fair share of defensive work as Clichy will definitely need all the support he can get.

Here’s to the continuation of Wenger’s dominance over Spurs. Enjoy it wherever you’re watching.

Almunia tornerà titolare?

Arsène Wenger ha già deciso chi giocherà in porta nel derby del Nord di Londra di sabato – ma si rifiuta di rivelare la propria scelta.

Manuel Almunia non gioca dalla sconfitta per 4-2 in casa del Manchester City, a settembre, per via di un’infezione al torace.

Il portiere era comunque già a disposizione da due settimane ma le notevoli prestazione di Vito Mannone hanno garantito a quest’ultimo un posto fra i pali.

Sia i tifosi che i giornalisti stanno facendo ipotesi su cui giocherà in porta sabato ma Wenger non ha fatto trapelare niente.

“Ho deciso chi sarà titolare ma non ve lo dico,” ha detto durante la conferenza stampa del venerdì.

Il manager ha anche ammesso che se Mannone ha avuto la sua approvazione in tempi recenti Almunia, dal canto suo, gli ha sempre dato da pensare.

“Sono sempre tentato di partire con Manuel Almunia,” ha spiegato il francese. “Ma non è stato bene per molto tempo e ci vuole un po’ per riprendersi.”

“I giocatori in panchina vogliono giocare. Il compito di un calciatore professionista è di giocare bene quando ne ha l’opportunità e se non gioca bene di fare di tutto per giocare la partita seguente.”

servizio di Nick Teale per il sito ufficiale dell’Arsenal

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/wenger-i-ve-chosen-my-keeper-for-spurs

Hello Gooners. Hope you are all well this friday. Don’t know about you but I am super pumped up for this north london Derby. Not that I wasn’t pumped for it all these years….

..Living in a place about 200 miles from North london, it used to be pretty hard to develop that aversion for Spurs. I consider myself lucky to only have met and I’m not joking here, about 10 Spurs fans in my whole life. The aversion picked up momentum 3 years ago.

I met up with a few friends from school during the Easter holidays after we played Spurs for the last time at Highbury. One of my friends’ friend happened to be a Spurs fan. I didn’t know about this until the conversation drifted onto football. And then it kicked off (verbally). He began talking arrogantly about how Spurs were finally going to make the top 4 and how our domination was coming to an end. Well mate, its been three years and counting…

Another Spurs fan I met was on Christmas day. He was a distant relative of the family. I was wearing the 2000-2002 home shirt, the first Arsenal shirt I ever owned. So I’m feeling honoured to don the shirt of my heroes, having a lovely time with family and friends. Then suddenly someone points out (as if it needed to) that I was an Arsenal fan and that this would be interesting as he was a Spurs fan. Pretty sure that these guys don’t work for the UN by the way. For a brief moment or two the room went a bit quiet before the dude just shaked his head as if the idea of supporting Arsenal was so morally flawed and never bothered to speak to me (even though we’d never met before).

I do have a bit of sympathy for them. I mean to sing “We are the best” before every home game when they were languishing in mid-table all the time. And now they think they are Top4 material and even better than us just because they are a point behind us with the season not even half way…

Last year’s home result against them was one of the lowest points in my Arsenal supporting years so far. To talk about in any more detail is to sap any existing energy left with me. But what I can say is that result and the comments coming from the Spurs sections should be enough as a motivation tool for our lads.

As atmospheres for derby goes, it has blown hot and cold compared to other derbies in the world. Tomorrow our fans should ensure that we blow hot and the Spurs fans get the shivers.

Regarding team selections, Fabianksi is desperately unlucky as he probably would’ve played tomorrow. To throw in Almunia tomorrow with so little match practice is a bit risky. But it is the ideal opportunity for him to show his class. Rosicky’s injury is a massive blow to the balance of our side. Since he has been injured we’ve looked shaky in our last two games. Co-incidence?

Can’t speculate on what the team make up will be but I suspect it will be the same as last week. Tomorrow is too soon for Nasri to start and unlike Almunia he would have to do a lot of running at a ridiculously high tempo. Better for him to be on the bench and then be that match winner.

Spurs are missing Defoe (admittedly I player I respect for his goalscoring record), Modric and Lennon, both of who had a pretty decent outing last year at the Emirates. Bentley gets his only start this season tomorrow. £17 million, of that 7 million straight to us right? And this guy only plays against us. How sad.

I really don’t want to predict the score tomorrow, so would appreciate your thoughts on that, team selections, your experiences with Spurs fans all over the world and anything else related to this derby.

In whose hands is the future of Arsenal?  This is the question we have all been asking.  Almunia was the number one, but a mystery “chest” infection which has taken a long time to clear up ahs given the third choice keeper Mannone a chance, Fabianski is back from injury and should feature tonight against Liverpool.  Arsene has not taken the opportunity of Almunia’s return to restore him to the first team, so where are we in regards to goalkeepers.

Almunia has been our number one for a couple of seasons, since Lehman’s clangers.  Almunia is a good shot stopper, but he does not command the penalty area as he should.  He is indecisive as to when to come or when to stick to his goal-line.  He does not come out for corners and this helps create a sense of panic in the defence, a goalkeeper should come out for most corners, by staying on your line you are hoping the header will come straight to you. When he does come out, as against Manchester United this season, and most of his errors over the years have been against the big teams, he invariably gets it wrong.  

Fabianski has a chance to stake his claim tonight as he face Liverpool in the Carling Cup.  His injury could not have come at a worse time, with Almunia out; it was the opportunity for the Polish international to cement his place in the starting line-up.  Fabianski has not been without his faults when he has been in between the sticks for Arsenal, most notably in the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea.  His problem is the reverse of Almunia; he comes charging out too often.

Mannone expected to start the season as the third choice goalkeeper and even go out on loan.  With the injury to Fabianski, he was Almunia’s understudy.  When Almunia went down with a chest infection, Mannone stepped in and had a baptism of fire against Standard Liege, when he conceded two goals in five minutes without touching the ball. Since then he has shown to be agile and a great shot stopper.  Mannone comes out to collect the ball from corners, but on a couple of occasions he has opted to catch the ball rather than punch and we have paid.

Wenger has been reluctant to hand the gloves back to Almunia and the Spaniard has had to sit on the bench for the last three games and watch as Mannone has continued to be Arsenal’s number one. Mannone is not the finished article and has made two mistakes, against Birmingham and against West Ham, but he has been solid.  Some pundits claim that it is his continuing presence that is creating jitters in our defence, well this is rubbish.  Most teams seem to buckle when you have ball after ball launched into their area, it is not the goalkeeper.

Saturday is a big game.  Last season we threw away lead after lead to Tottenham and that was with Almunia in goal.  Wenger knows we cannot afford to drop any points at home and will pick the goalkeeper that will do the job for us.  Sod’s law states that if Almunia comes in he will drop a clanger and Wenger will be blamed for bringing in a goalkeeper with no match practice, if however Mannone stays in goal, you can see the press sharpening the pencils ready to slate Wenger about using such a novice in a high-pressure game.

We have three good goalkeepers, Fabianski and Mannone are the future but is either of them ready for the challenge now?

As Wenger ponders on the upcoming Carling Cup fourth round game against Liverpool, he now has a decision to be made regarding the goalkeeping situation. Vito Mannone has done well since he had to step in for then injured Manuel Almunia and the boss had no reason to drop him although the Spaniard custodian has returned, fully recovered from his chest infection.

But since his howler in the last 2 Premier League games, it has given Wenger a choice to reinstall either Almunia or now, give the oppourtunity to Fabianski. Whoever he chooses will definitely have to start in the Carling Cup game for I do not expect someone to come in straight for the North London derby without being reintroduce in the first team. I definitely do not expect Mannone to still be in goal for the Spurs game this Saturday.

Even though Almunia started the season as the clear number 1 for Arsenal, I do think that the time is nigh to promote Fabianski and give him a shot at the position. Since Wenger clearly made a gamble in promoting Mannone when Almunia looked shaky, there’s no reason why he cannot do the same with Fabianski. Considering that Fabianski has already featured previously in the first team and has also consistently been selected for the Polish national side, there will be no shortage of experience on his part and can be relied upon to to accept the pressure of being number 1.

Whatever it is, we need to get this sorted out before the weekend as Spurs visit Asburton Grove having done well up till last weekend’s defeat to Stoke. Mannone should not be entrusted in a game of this importance.  The winning run needs to restart once again and what better way to do it than to be our closest and definitely poorer neighbour (in all sense of the word). The 100% winning record at our home ground this season must also be kept intact.

With all the reserves and fringe players clamouring for a chance at the spotlight in the Carling Cup match, a thought must be spared for Nacer Barazite who lost the chance to feature when he dislocated his shoulders (much similar to what Theo Walcott experience earlier). The Dutchman reminds me a lot of a young Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Quick feet and with plenty of skill, I’d expected him to feature heavily in our Cup run this season but fortune is not on his side.

More on tomorrow’s blog with more complete preview of the Liverpool game. Have a good day.

….and the few after it? Evening Gooners. I hope you are feeling a lot better 24 hours or so later. My disappointment of our Sunday performance was tangible. So much so that I forgot to talk about the goalkeeping issue. However after applying some bonjela , following yesterday’s write up, it is time to discuss this.

Poor Mannone. I’ll be amazed if you didn’t sympathize with the Italian as well. In a way he is a victim of his oustanding game against Fulham. We’re living in a world, where we crave for instant heroes. We live in a world where we give out prizes even when nothing substantial has been achieved. And Mannone is another example of this.  He was already given the honorary title of junior Buffon after one outstanding performance. Heaven forbid a couple of errors later he isn’t labelled the new ‘Taibi‘.

Yes you can highlight the mistakes he made. 3 of the last 5 goals conceded were avoidable had Mannone had the tactical nous and mental determination in perfect symphony. Yet the truth is and (it comes in a series of conditional if-clauses), if Fabianski was fit, despite his high profile mistakes last season, would have got the nod ahead of Mannone in all of those games. If Almunia’s illness had cured then Mannone should never been in the line up against Birmingham, Alkmaar and West Ham. And then there is the question of whether Almunia was ill after all.

This isn’t the first time Wenger has experimented in this crucial position. In Vieira’s final season at Arsenal, there was a period when Almunia and Lehmann only displayed consistency with their howlers. In the end Lehmann won purely on the basis of his reputation in that invincible season. And this goalkeeping merry-go-round surfaced again two seasons ago.

Almunia’s sparring partner Lehmann may have left the club but the Spaniard has more sparring partners now. None of them are better than him but that doesn’t stop him from showing shocking lapses of concentration and poor decision making.

Perhaps Wenger grew tired of seeing the owner of the number one shirt giving anything but the best. Or perhaps he just took the easiest route and made Almunia a scapegoat for our worst ever defensive start.

Either way his experimentation for the man in goal should have ended against Birmingham or Alkmaar. The look on Almunia’s face when the cameras focused on him during the Birmingham match for me suggested a man more than a little bemused by his non-selection. Who knows what thoughts are racing through his head now after being on the bench for another two games?

If a poll was conducted right now, most of us would welcome Almunia and forget his inconsistent performances instantly. On paper he is our number keeper with the most appearances. Experience is priceless, and at 32, the Spaniard is approaching the peak of his abilities. Yet is it so straightforward as that?

In two days time we play Liverpool in the Carling Cup. I’m almost certain Almunia won’t start that game. That is just not Wenger’s style. Instead you will most likely see Fabianski or even Szczesny in the starting line up.

After the Liverpool game comes probably the game of the season on Saturday afternoon against Spurs. Not many times do games in October assume such significance. And considering the closeness of the league it shouldn’t do. However unlike the West Ham game, there is more than local pride up for grabs.

And in an ideal world, you would want to have the issue of the number one shirt sorted sooner than later.

Who is Wenger's next Seaman?

A very good Saturday to all of you. No Arsenal today as they will only be playing tomorrow. So full preview only on tomorrow’s post.

Arsenal held their AGM on Thursday and it was a much relaxed one compared to the one held post the semifinal lost to Man United. There were no one in the party who questioned Arsene Wenger’s actions or tactics. Overall, the performance this season has allowed or at least given Wenger space and time from the even the most pessimistic of Arsenal supporters. The action were more focused on the presence of Stan Kroenke who sat together with the rest of the board members. Though he wasn’t inclined to make any comments about possible takeover. Let’s keep it that way Stan.

When asked in a later interview, Wenger also declined to state that Manuel Almunia will be reinstated as the number 1 keeper at the club. In a way, I do pity the Spaniard. Having spent a couple of seasons behind Jens Lehman learning, he finally got his chance middle of the 07/08 season and has kept his place ever since. He has not made not that many errors in his short numero uno career. That being said, other than first leg encounter at Old Trafford last season, he has not won any match for Arsenal on his own. The same cannot be said of his predecessor, Lehman or even the great David Seaman.

The threat to his spot now comes in the form of Vito Mannone and the returning Lukazs Fabianski. Although we must not forget there’s another jewel in the crown in Wojciech Szczesny. The 2 Polish goalkeepers are probably the most highest rated in Wenger’s mind compared to the other 2. I’m sure in the near future, that might be the case. But for now, Wenger has a good headache to have. It will be slightly cruel to drop Mannone, given that he has not let the team down just yet. Yes, there were the 1 mistake against Blackburn. But for a keeper of his age and experience, 1 mistake in 7 games is a very very commendable effort. I already lost the count the number of times Ben Forster conceded due to his own mistakes. Mannone is more commanding in the penalty box than Almunia can ever dream to be.

Fabianski though has had a stop start career at Arsenal. His incredible double stop last season, still lingers in my mind. But like the outfield players in Arsenal, he has suffered through numerous injuries which have not helped his cause. He will need also to recover from the errors he made during the Chelsea defeat at Wembley. What I do like about him is that, he always attacks the ball during corners and freekicks. Things like this always give assurance to the defenders in front of him. If he learns to decide which other balls that he can stay on the line, then I do not doubt that he can make the first choice spot his own.

Almunia, Fabianski, Mannone or even Szczesny? You got your pick? I know I do. But what is Wenger’s?

The ultimate question regarding Arsenal this season must be whether they are the real deal, or simply flat-track bullies. They have impressed a number of times so far, prolific enough to have put six past their opponents twice already. But do they have what it takes to raise their game when confronted with equally talented opponents?

Arsène Wenger believes they will challenge strongly for both the Premier League and the Champion’s League this season, and it is hard to argue. His squad, previously criticised for lacking the maturity and determination to consistently beat weaker opposition, have turned on the style this campaign. With 27 goals in 8 games, a Premier League record, there can be no question they have the most impressive attack in England.

Looking at their results, however, the only matches that could be considered particularly tough are the two games in Manchester, the game at Goodison Park on the opening day and perhaps the away tie with Fulham.

Victory over Fulham was scraped 1-0 in large part due to an excellent performance from the young goalkeeper Vito Mannone, who made at least six outstanding saves. This win was a good indication of the resilience of the team, especially after the young Italian had looked somewhat nervy in his first two appearances of the season (against Wigan and Standard Liège).

Losses against both Manchester United and City are darker signs for Wenger’s young maestros. Arsenal largely ran the game against United, but were unable to press their advantage, ultimately undone by Manuel Almunia’s careless foul on Wayne Rooney and an unfortunate own-goal from Abou Diaby. After the match, Wenger said of the 2-0 loss: “They have won a game today they should not have won”.

The 4-2 loss to City was a game in which Arsenal again ran the show for large sections. They were overpowered by the raw speed of City’s counterattacking, allowing the home team too many easy chances to score.

Meanwhile, the thrashing of Everton 6-1, whilst a remarkable achievement, should be considered in light of the turmoil at the club at the time. Joleon Lescott’s former team-mates didn’t look themselves at all and Everton have since found their form of last season.

Similarly, when Arsenal beat Blackburn earlier this month, they won 6-2 against a team missing their usual pair of towering centre-backs (Christopher Samba and Ryan Nelsen). It is also possible Wenger’s men were fortunate  to meet Wigan before they found their recent giant-killing form.

Arsenal’s midweek 1-1 draw with AZ Alkmaar in the Champion’s League can be considered an aberration. They are clearly equipped with a strength-in-depth of young talented players and look likely to continue knocking over mid-table and below teams in the Premier League. Were they to do so, they are obviously clear contenders for the Premier League title.

However, while beating weakened teams with displays of flowing football is a glorious thing, it should not be mistaken for the kind of form needed to beat the best teams in Europe. On current evidence, unless Arsenal can raise their game (or is it just raise their concentration levels?) against the likes of United and City, or later in the season teams of Barcelona or Real Madrid’s calibre, the Premier League looks a far likelier prize than the Champion’s League. Manchester United have shown in recent years that you don’t need to have the best record against the top 4 or 5 teams in order to take the Premier League trophy home.

This is by no means to say Arsenal cannot rise to the levels Wenger craves and expects. In Andrei Arshavin and Cesc Fabregas they have two quite remarkably gifted creative talents. Thomas Vermaelen has proved solid at the back and prolific when breaking forward. Betting against them in home ties against the other top teams in England or Europe is not necessarily a good plan.

The young team does have the energy and desire to push the best to their limits. But in order to do so, in order to break through from being a talented team to being one of the best teams around, Arsenal will need to prove they are not just flat-track bullies, equipped with the resources to pound average teams while buckling under the pressure that goes hand-in-hand with playing bigger teams.

Tomorrow’s visit to Upton Park is unlikely to be an opportunity to prove such a thing, but won’t be the easiest of games either. Expect Arsenal to win by at least 2 goals.

Jake’s prediction: West Ham 1-4 Arsenal.

El Patronato de Deportes del Ayuntamiento de La Almunia y las empresas Jalón Gestión Deportiva y Fit4Life, en colaboración con el Club BTT Algairén, organizan este fin de semana la II Jornadas de Bicicleta Villa de La Almunia, que incluyen clases de formación, maratón de Ciclo Indoor y maratón BTT.

José Antonio Acero, Vicepresidente de DPZ, ha indicado que “este evento es uno de los más importantes de España y también de Europa en los aspectos de formación y maratón de bicicletas en sala cerrada, destacando la importancia que jornadas de este tipo tienen para el desarrollo del medio rural”.

Juan José Moreno, Presidente del Patronato de Deportes del Ayuntamiento de La Almunia por el grupo CHA, ha indicado que las jornadas son posibles gracias al trabajo de Jalón Gestión Deportiva, Fit4Life y Club BTT Algairén, explicando que el sábado comienzan las jornadas con los talleres de formación, que en esta edición van a correr a cargo de Luis García Melchor, de los servicios médicos del Real Zaragoza y del formador Arnau Canet. La jornada continuará con el maratón de Ciclo Indoor, celebrándose el domingo el maratón BTT.

Luis Leal, de JGD, ha indicado que en la edición pasada se hizo un único maratón de BTT, mientras que en esta ocasión se han programado dos recorridos, de distancia y dificultad diferente, para permitir el acceso a un mayor número de personas.

Por último Jesús Gallego, de Fit4Life, ha indicado que estas jornadas son unas de las más importantes de Europa y ha destacado que en ellas se busca promocionar la salud y el deporte, destacando el alto nivel de las clases de formación, que son exclusivas para monitores.

In Football Made in UK, publicat in Fotbal Vest dupa incheierea grupelor preliminare din Europa de calificare la C.M. Africa de Sud 2010, am facut o paralela intre traseele unor frati si cele ale unor selectionate…

Nu doar Ryan Giggs cu cetina tot verde inca inscrie, ci si fratele sau Rhodri, in doua runde calificatorii succesive din Cupa Angliei, iar aidoma contrastului intre traiectoriile carierelor lor se evidentiaza si diferenta de la esec la victorie data de sosirea selectionerilor straini la unele reprezentative.   

Sambata s-au implinit doi ani de la o seara amara pentru Albion in preliminarii, Rusia – Anglia 2-1, deznodamant ce ni-l confirma atunci, inaintea aterizarii, capitanul aeronavei pe ruta Budapesta – Londra. Mi-am amintit candva saptamanile trecute de acea reactie parca impacandu-se cu soarta a unor englezi de la bord, tot in aer fiind si dandu-mi-se sah cu o intrebare legitima lansata de o tanara nu neaparat amatoare de fotbal.

“De ce nu interzice regulamentul angajarea la nationale a antrenorilor straini?” M-am fastacit la cat de mult poate fi pomenit fotbalul in avioanele lumii globalizate dar mi-am amintit “momentul Moscova”. N-ar fi rezistat raspunsul asa incat mi-am spus doar in sinea mea ca e lasata astfel o portita nu numai unor selectionate africane in haos tehnico-tactic ci si unor mari si stravechi natiuni pierdute cu firea pe dreptunghiul verde.

Hiddink a pavat atunci nesperat Rusiei calea spre Euro 2008, punand la punct Albionul care-l desconsiderase si dandu-le insularilor idei sa caute un altfel de Eriksson. Olandezul, semifinalist cu esticii la Viena si reamintind de ascensiunea lusitana a grecilor lui Rehhagel, e acum la barajul pentru Mondial, unde Anglia e déjà in carti cu un italian ce a facut uitat rateul lui McClaren. “Dar nu e drept, nici normal!” parca mi-a citit ea gandurile.  

Dar cam ce mai e drept si firesc in lumea asta? Cinstita a fost oare ciopartirea fostei Iugoslavii? Deloc. In plan fotbalistic insa, rezultantele au confirmat potentialul valoric al acelor meleaguri, noua Serbie calificandu-se en fanfare la prima incercare iar Slovenia si Bosnia-Hertegovina stand cot la cot la poarta cu mai potente financiar federatii ungandu-i pe alde Hiddink, Rehhagel ori Trap.    

Ii observam in avionul spre Albion pe sarbii cu Rugby League in piept in lunea imediat urmatoare spumosului 5-0, tineri volubili, dezinvolti si surazatori in ciuda contuziilor de pe maini si fete ori a gleznelor umflate, si-mi ziceam ca putin le pasa de nevoia de vize prin Europa. Srbija. Sunt altfel dar cat de aidoma recentilor lor vecini, croatii, la capitolul darzenie si determinare.

Iar Republika Hrvatska ne va lipsi in Africa de Sud, lasandu-i loc poate unui Shevchenko amintindu-ne de somniferul Elvetia – Ucraina 0-0 si penaltyuri. Va lipsi exuberanta unui chitarist cu cercel in ureche ce din postura de fundas cu 3 goluri marcate in preliminarii califica in premiera Croatia la un turneu final mondial, Coupe du Monde ’98, unde sesarul nonconformist avea sa ia bronzul in numele a nici 4,5 milioane locuitori serband doar 7 ani de la independenta tarii. Lijepa nasa domovino ii cantase de 44 de ori “in iarba” iar dupa nici un deceniu, la nici 40 de ani, acum antrenorul tot cu cercel era si mai mandru pe Wembley. Slaven Bilic isi savura revenirea pe-o insula unde se remarcase in aparare…

Unii, cu “sange” si mandrie, iau bronzul la mondial si apoi inving in Templu, altii, desi cu resurse multiple, asteapta peste patru decenii o medalie, din care in ultimii cam 18 ani abia ca s-au calificat cu autohtoni la carma de doua ori. Asa ramane… Straini ca si Capello sunt necesari dupa retragerea lui Bahramov, fie ca-i drept sau stramb. Babilonie.

Iar pe cand Don Fabio califica la pas Albionul, fratele mai mic al unui fotbalist de zile mari egala pe o scena mult mai restransa, intr-un nestiut joc de Cupa Angliei. Era pentru a doua oara in duelul Salford City – Blyth Spartans, scor 2-2, cand gazdele din liga Unibond North isi ofereau sansa unei rejucari pentru accederea in al patrulea tur de calificare al F.A. Cup si totodata ultimul inaintea primei runde propriu-zise.

Da, Rhodri Giggs, extrema de 32 ani leita lui Ryan, egalase la doi pentru amatoarea din Greater Manchester, dupa ce cu doar patru zile inainte, in minutul 82 al jocului din turul precedent al Cupei Angliei, cu Hyde, marcase unicul gol, suficient pentru calificarea valorand 4.500 lire sterline.

Amintesc suma, maruntis pentru vedetele lui Don Fabio, caci Salford chiar se alesese cu sediul incendiat si istoria de pe pereti cenusa, in opinia localnicilor de mana necuratului. Dar admirabilii fani ai oaspetei Hyde au strans pentru Salford 180 lire in galetusa… fara apa iar Rhodri Giggs & Co s-au aliniat in aceasta marti in rejucarea de la Blyth, cu speranta prezentei intr-unul din cele 32 jocuri ale amintitului tur patru, oferind o miza crescuta, de 7.500 lire. Si tot la 4 zile distanta…

In cursa e si fosta echipa a lui Rhodri, FC United of Manchester, dupa 3-3 acasa si 1-0 in rejucarea de peste doar doua zile, la Stalybridge Celtic, unde a deplasat 1.923 fani. Rezista si Hendon cea in chirie langa Wembley, de care scriam recent, dupa 0-0 acasa si 9-8 la penaltyuri in rejucarea la Ashford. Si vor intra sambata in scena si cele de liga a cincea, printre care nume ca Wimbledon, Luton Town, Cambridge United sau Oxford United.

Cu sau fara Rhodri in Fourth Qualifying Round? Ryan Giggs a cucerit Cupa Angliei de patru ori, a marcat in fiecare campionat de la lansarea Premier League in ’92, a batut recordul de aparitii la Man United al lui Bobby Charlton chiar in finala de la Moscova, dar Giggs nu e numai unul.

Si amatorul Rhodri inscrie pe drumul spre Wembley. Pe aceeasi cale, Ryan a marcat de 10 ori, intorcandu-se intr-un Templu in care juca in ’89 in echipa scolara a Angliei, contra Germaniei Federale. Apoi, peste ani, 12 goluri in 64 selectii pentru Tara Galilor in contul unspearului nascut in Cardiff si cu bunic din Sierra Leone. Anglia n-a putut avea zvarluga ce maine-poimaine face 36 ani, “strainul” Capello nu-l vrea pe unul ca Almunia iar brazilianul nu merge la Mondial. Eduardo.

La baraj, Irlanda v Franta, Grecia v Ucraina, Rusia v Slovenia si Portugalia v Bosnia. In 14 si 18 noiembrie.