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cubeadvance

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Daley

Daley

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Posted
Agree with everything there other than the Almunia hate, I think he's been mainly outstanding this season and I'd have him over van der Sar or Cech.

Denilson always manages to be thoroughly anonymous and Bendtner was diabolically shit again. Instructive that Arshavin never passed to him last night despite him being in reasonable positions a few times. He'll be gone in summer I'm sure.

I don't hate Manuel. I just don't see him as a top, top keeper. I don't feel 100% comfortable with him in goal and I don't feel he really wins us many points. But it's hard to judge with the shower of shit defence in front of him.

I am not sure what Denilson does. I really rated Gilberto. I dig the water carrier role, I get it. But he doesn't really tackle, gives the ball away too much and does nothing special going forward. Song on the other hand is all over the place, getting stuck in and while he isn't unlocking defences he has developed a real confidence on the ball and rarely gives it away and that is all you want from that position really.

I am losing patience with Bendner really. I don't think his effort is up to scratch and that is unforgivable.

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Nate Dogg III

Nate Dogg III

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I am losing patience with Bendner really. I don't think his effort is up to scratch and that is unforgivable.

He just hasn't earned the right to stroll about like that. It's like he thinks that because he's got the haircut and the tattoos and some fancy boots and a shirt with his name on at a big club, he's made it already.

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phresh

phresh

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Last time I watched Arsenal (a few months ago) Song looke dout of his depth and pretty dump but last night he was really good. I thought he had a better game than Mascherano and defensive midfielders don't come much better than that. Not convinced he's the player that will win you trophies but he's the best you've got in that position at the moment. I actually lolled when Denilson came off as I don't think I saw him the entire match.

Bendner was frustratingly pants. Berbatov can look really lazy sometimes but he has a sublime touch and can i) pass and ii) hold the ball up, neither of which Bendner managed yesterday. You might as well have stuck Eduardo or Vela up there

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Daley

Daley

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Last time I watched Arsenal (a few months ago) Song looke dout of his depth and pretty dump but last night he was really good. I thought he had a better game than Mascherano and defensive midfielders don't come much better than that. Not convinced he's the player that will win you trophies but he's the best you've got in that position at the moment. I actually lolled when Denilson came off as I don't think I saw him the entire match.

Bendner was frustratingly pants. Berbatov can look really lazy sometimes but he has a sublime touch and can i) pass and ii) hold the ball up, neither of which Bendner managed yesterday. You might as well have stuck Eduardo or Vela up there

Yea he doesn't do this nearly well enough to play as a lone striker.

Song is the best of what we have in that role but yes he's not exactly world class or anything but he will do.

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Arc'Tan'Gent

Arc'Tan'Gent

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Someone needs to have a word with Arshavin. Four shots, all on target, all goals? Where were the three shots that hit the wordwork, the spooning over an open goal from eight yards, or the unnecessary final pass to a teammate of inferior ability when the shot was on? Some people have no respect for a team's proud tradition.

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rjpageuk

rjpageuk

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Posted
Someone needs to have a word with Arshavin. Four shots, all on target, all goals? Where were the three shots that hit the wordwork, the spooning over an open goal from eight yards, or the unnecessary final pass to a teammate of inferior ability when the shot was on? Some people have no respect for a team's proud tradition.

Arsenal have a weird habit of doing this against Liverpool though!

Remember the 6-3 Carling Cup win? If memory serves me correctly Arsenal had 6 shots on target in that game.

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Lucky

Lucky

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Kind of gutted we didn't win really, I mean to be 4-3 up and it's the 93rd minute really we should have won.

That said, they did absolutely hammer us and I bet they're wondering how they didn't win that game. If it wasn't for Arshavin they would have smashed us.

Apart from the 2nd Torres goal where you've gotta put that down to a world class player doing his stuff, the other 3 were a result of some shocking defending.

After last night I'm even more gutted that Arshavin and Song didn't play against Chelsea as even with a makeshift back 5 we could have actually got a result with these two in the side.

I hope we get Almunia, Djourou and Clichy back for the Utd CL games 'cos last nights back 5, and with Arshavin out of the equation, I bet Fergie isn't having too many sleepless nights.

Anyway enough negative shit.......

Arshavin, what a player. An absolute steal at 15/16mill or whatever it might have been.

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Lost and Found

Lost and Found

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Berbatov can look really lazy sometimes but he has a sublime touch and can i) pass and ii) hold the ball up, neither of which Bendner managed yesterday. You might as well have stuck Eduardo or Vela up there

You've managed to miss iii) be onside every once in a while. Had a chance. Scored. Offside. He'll either shank it at the goalie or time himself out of the attack with poor positioning. Typical Bendtner.

As for Daley's uncertainty about Almunia: it's the hair, isn't it? It's too flamboyant for the pragmatism you wish for from a goalie. At least Almunia not relying so strongly on the punch out as he was a couple of seasons ago. Any cross was a daunting prospect back then. He's gaining true improvement with the added experience of playing games in bunches, and I think he'll do. If he's as reliant as he has been of late with that defence ahead of him: he can only do so well.

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Daley

Daley

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As for Daley's uncertainty about Almunia: it's the hair, isn't it? It's too flamboyant for the pragmatism you wish for from a goalie. At least Almunia not relying so strongly on the punch out as he was a couple of seasons ago. Any cross was a daunting prospect back then. He's gaining true improvement with the added experience of playing games in bunches, and I think he'll do. If he's as reliant as he has been of late with that defence ahead of him: he can only do so well.

It might be the hair. Goalies, and defenders, should be ugly. I don't want someone worrying about their looks, I want them to block the ball with their nose if needed. The uglier the better. Think Keown.

You are right, he has improved since playing regularly and is still way down the list of players to replace. But to win the league you need a special goalie and I am not sure he is. Van Der Sar may be past his best but playing behind that defence it doesn't really matter. Cech is not playing as well as he has in the past but is also protected by a decent defence. And Reina has been pretty good when I have seen him (apart from the OG last week against Chelsea) and Liverpool's defence is (usually) solid. I guess Almunia (and poor Fabianski) get badly let down by what is in front of them.

Does anyone else think Fabianski looks like Joey from Friends?

22443347_12.jpg1FRNag98.jpg

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FATEone

FATEone

Posted
Posted
22443347_12.jpgrobin460.jpg

surely? :)

;) Bang On!

Arshavin is pure class no 2 ways about it, but Nasri was also excellent, so good on the ball, quick mentally and his vision was class, Wallcott when he came on not just with his pace, but delivery as well. Liverpool were playing their usual stuff that we've seen of late, and made 4 mistakes, which may not have led to goals in most games, but Arsenal's forward players capatilised on them with the deadliest efficency, shredding the defence every time and giving the keeper no chance. Song deffinately looked he's got the potential to become a great in that position, and 'course we know he comes from good stock.

Arshavin's left footer has to be the best for me, just for the way he burned up grass behind him to get there for that perfectly weighted ball from Walcott, first touch, at full fuckin throttle, perfect.... BANG with the left as good as the right. Just outstanding.

Torres obviously, we all know he's probably the best striker in the world at the moment, but Benayoun I thought was class again last night. Had that guy in my Dreamteam from day! he's such an intelligent player, but a worker as well. And of course Alonso was on top form again last night.

And there's more on both sides that deserve mentions. All in all that was an evenings entertainment I won't forget for quite a while as a neutral it was fuckin quality!

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Steve007

Steve007

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Flamini interview:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/t...nal/8010235.stm

Exclusive by David Ornstein

BBC Sport in Milan

Criticised by Arsene Wenger and characterised as a mercenary by many Arsenal fans, it seems everyone has had their say about Mathieu Flamini - except the man himself.

Almost a year has passed since Flamini quit Arsenal for AC Milan and, as he arrives for training at the club's spectacular Milanello complex, he could hardly seem more at home.

But sit alone with the Frenchman and it becomes abundantly clear his mind is never far away from the place he used to call home and the people he still refers to as team-mates.

With Cesc Fabregas, another young talent catapulted into the global consciousness by the Premier League outfit, he remains in almost daily contact.

"Arsenal are in my heart and they will be in my heart for ever," Flamini tells BBC Sport. "I will always be an Arsenal fan and leaving was not easy.

"I miss my team-mates. I'm very happy at Milan but after four years at Arsenal we had very strong partnerships and it's normal to miss your team-mates.

"Thankfully I'm still in contact with them all because they're still very important to me. I was very close to Cesc, Tomas Rosicky and the African and French guys.

"Everyone could see on the pitch that me and Cesc were very close and, off the pitch, we still are."

Flamini turned down numerous interview requests from Italian media outlets to speak with BBC Sport as he attempts to put right the image portrayed of him in the aftermath of his departure from Arsenal.

The 25-year-old was particularly unhappy with Arsenal's handling of the whole affair and Wenger's public suggestion that his exit was motivated by money.

Anxious to be suitably recognised for his increased value to the team - and avoid falling out of contract entirely - the midfielder lost patience with Arsenal's hardball negotiation tactics and left to seek this recognition at the club he supported as a child.

Flamini reveals he would have earned significantly more had he accepted an offer from Spain.

He talks of a special bond in the dressing room last season - pointing specifically to the quartet of himself, Fabregas, Rosicky and Alexander Hleb, who left for Barcelona - and does not believe Wenger did all he could to maintain the unique spirit they had developed.

But absence makes the heart grow fonder and any animosity that lingered has since given way to a increasing sense of warmth for his former club and colleagues.

"For me, I left on good terms," says Flamini. "I don't want to comment on what Arsene said - he had to say something to the fans and I don't want to say any more.

"I've been back to London to visit them - in February I went to the training ground to see everyone and even with Arsene I still have a very good relationship.

"My parents live in Rome, which is only about four hours from here, and I wanted to go there when Arsenal were playing Roma in the Champions League, but we were training and I couldn't make it.

"When you work hard and have great results it creates something emotional. I was at Arsenal for four years, I learned so much and I discovered the very highest level of football with them.

"I can't say (if I would go back to England) because I'm here and I'm enjoying every day of my life. I'm having so much fun playing for this team so it's difficult to say. We'll see, you never know."

When we meet in the players lounge at Milanello, Flamini asks for the television to be switched off and the door to be shut, even getting slightly tetchy when a member of staff enters by accident.

This is an individual who is used to having things his own way.

As a child growing up in Marseilles, on the south coach of France, Flamini's parents threatened to ban him from playing football because he was underachieving at school.

When he continued to return poor grades they threw away his youth football licence, but a stubborn young Mathieu, also a black belt in judo, would let nothing get in the way of his dream and the mission was swiftly back on track.

Flamini rose through the ranks at Marseilles and in 2004 he was obliged under French Federation rules to sign his first senior contract.

He may not always have paid attention at school, but was fully aware of a legal loophole that allows players to join a club from another EU country with the transfer fee limited to Fifa-mandated 'training compensation'.

Still awaiting a serious offer from Marseilles in April that year, he negotiated a far more lucrative salary with Arsenal and the French club received just over £320,000 in return.

"I don't regret anything," says Flamini, who was described by then Marseilles coach Jose Anigo as "a traitor" responsibly for "a beautiful treason".

"I left Marseilles for Arsenal and had the chance to play with top players like Henry, Pires, Bergkamp and Campbell," adds the midfielder. "For me it was a great move."

A great move maybe, but Flamini's attitude had shifted considerably by the summer of 2007, when he entered the final 12 months of his Arsenal contract after three years as a bit-part player.

Flamini told the club he wanted to leave but Wenger challenged him to earn a new deal (he was still on the contract his signed as a 20-year-old in 2004) and when he exploded into life alongside Fabregas in central midfield the ears of Europe's biggest clubs pricked up.

He became an integral member of the side but an improved offer on the contract he signed as a 20-year-old in 2004 was not forthcoming, and from 1 January 2008 he was free to negotiate with potential suitors.

Bacary Sagna, Mathieu Flamini and Cesc Fabregas

Arsenal eventually sat down with his representatives but a deal reportedly worth £55,000-a-week was rejected and the player agreed to join Milan on a free transfer with a signing-on-fee thought to be in the region of £4m.

"I supported Milan since I was very young so people must understand it is very special for me to play for this club," he says.

"My dad is Italian and I have lots of family here. I can visit them and I speak Italian now so it has made it easier for us to be in contact. They are all very proud of me and it has brought us all closer.

"It was an important move for me and I'm very happy as a person and as a footballer."

It is easy to understand such happiness.

With 24 first-team appearances under his belt, Flamini is gradually becoming a key component of Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti's side, albeit as an auxiliary right-back of late.

As effervescent around the training ground as he is on the pitch, Flamini larks around with Italian World Cup winners Andrea Pirlo and "Pippo" Inzaghi before exchanging pleasantries with four-time Champions League winner Clarence Seedorf.

Later he retreats to his luxurious city centre apartment, from which he is able to sample a place he already adores for its lifestyle, culture, weather and food.

But it is not until you take a walk around Milanello that it becomes so obvious why any footballer, let alone a boyhood Milan fan, would want to play for the Rossoneri.

This state-of-the-art facility, found deep in a lush green forest near Como, is a footballer's paradise and its cutting-edge medical and sports science facilities have helped prolong the careers of some of the world's leading stars.

After a season in the relative wilderness of the Uefa Cup, seven-time European champions Milan look set to return to the Champions League next season and that will enable Flamini to reignite his quest for glory in club football's premier competition.

"My objectives are simple," he explains. "I want to win the Champions League. I came here because Milan used to win it often. I want to make this happen so much.

"I also I want to win the Scudetto and become one of the top players of Milan.

"I will work very hard and do everything I can to achieve these aims."

Past experience would suggest Flamini's remarkably single-minded approach will take him far.

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Lucas

Lucas

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Lol.

I don't think anyone here ever called him a mercenary? Stupid BBC. I think we all agreed that it was the club's fault for letting his contract run down.

But then again, no-one would have thought it silly if we had sold him to some championship team the season before either.

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phresh

phresh

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Do you guys have any idea what team is likely to be going up against United next week? Me and a mate were trying to work out who United might play and how it might effect the game but we had no idea who would be playing in half of the Arsenal positions!

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Daley

Daley

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Do you guys have any idea what team is likely to be going up against United next week? Me and a mate were trying to work out who United might play and how it might effect the game but we had no idea who would be playing in half of the Arsenal positions!

I would say:

Almunia (if fit)

Sagna Toure Djourou (if fit, Agent Silvestre if not) Gibbs

Walcott Denilson Fabregas Song Nasri/Van Persie

Adebayor

Can't decide between Nasri and Van Persie.

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