When Arsene Wenger didn't sign a striker in the January transfer window (DESPITE ALL OUR PROTESTS), Nicklas Bendtner said the following:
"All I have to do now is show him he made the right choice. I'm sure he has and I've got to show it on the pitch."
Arsenal 3 Burnley 1
A scoreline like that normally reflects a relative easy day out more often than not but like Stoke, it wasn't. Should have been more if not for Bendtner's clear cut missed chances.
This fellow, sure is damn frustrating. To put simply, he's completely full of himself and he thinks greater of his own ability than his actual ability.
4 clear cut as hell chances and he spurned them all, on a day where our CROSSING was the most amazing it ever was this season. The number of fantastic goal-scoring chances those crosses provided was astonishing to say the least, since our crossing has been really bad this term. Nasri played extremely well and he was there pulling the strings, and provided that beautiful lob for Fabregas to get onto and score. When Cesc was taken off for precautionary measures, Nasri stepped up and did a splendid job at driving the team forward. He did it fantastically. Walcott had the ball played to his feet on more occasions and did so much better. He has been in for a lot of stick this week after the England game but he responded superbly. His final balls improved drastically, except that the fellow who was on the end of it decided that strolling onto it without busting your guts to put a good foot to it wasn't needed. Walcott probably decided that he's never ever going to get that assist so he FINALLY made a cut in into the penalty box and got a sweet shot away that hit the bottom corner. Great great great response to his critics.
Despite all the glaring misses of one Nicklas Bendtner, he really brings a different dimension to the team with his height and physicality. When he went off we weren't as much of an attacking threat as before. His crime today was simply his finishing. Gotta cut out that cockiness and get your head down and work hard. Walcott is a testament to that. I'd still start him against Porto and pray those don't happen again. If you swapped Eduardo with Bendtner I'm not sure he would have been able to get on the end of those crosses at all. Since dudu has came back from injury he has been a shadow of the player we all thought he was. He seems to lack the pace to outrun the central defenders and that's pretty important when your job as a striker is to try and get ahead. The defenders close him down with ease and our attack threat is nullified just like that. Bendtner for all his crimes, holds up the ball pretty well and allows his teammates to get forward. The bad part about that is he might have gotten into a great position to shoot and decides to pass instead.
It was a good team performance and although Burnley got the equaliser, I never felt that we were in any danger of not holding onto the lead when Walcott gave us the lead back. They weren't very good going forward and even with the knowledge that Silvestre isn't the best defender in the world. Everyone knows that you take your chances against Arsenal with set pieces but they didn't play with belief that they could have gotten something out of the game at the grove. Never thought that the team could be emotionally vulnerable from Ramsey's horrific injury which only happened a week ago.
Luck was on our side today. I know some people would disagree with Bendtner missing all that but I don't think those missed chances were down to luck - they were down to him and him alone. It's just frustrating because he gets into those great positions and simply don't finish it off. I still can see him being a great player for Arsenal but he really needs to stop being so cocky because pride always comes before a fall.
At this point, even if Arshavin didn't add the third in injury time, I would be happy with the 2-1. All we need is to keep winning, regardless of the score. No need to be greedy. No need for fancy goals. Just 3 points.Labels: Burnley, Nicklas Bendtner
A Little Drunken Madness @ 1:08 AM
Wolves beat Burnley at the weekend to further justify fielding an under strength side against Manchester United.
Arsene Wenger is simply the professor. You could quote him all day long forever and ever and it wouldn't be enough.
"We will have to compete with Manchester United over 37 games instead of 38"
Such brilliance.
If you'd recall, Wolves fielded a full strength side against Arsenal and matched up to us pretty well until, well, it all crumbled. But they started well and if they had gone all the way they would have been able to squeeze out a result. We worked hard to get that 4-1 win while at United, it was practically a walk over.
He didn't consider the long list of injuries United had and perhaps, their heavy 3-0 defeat at Fulham would be indication enough that had they chosen to fight the same way they did when Arsenal visited, they would have had more than 3 points at the end of last week.
That said, I have a new found respect for Burnley who do not lay themselves out to be shot but went for it, and they beat United at the beginning of the season and fought successfully for a point when we visited. Frustrating as it was for us to drop points at Turf Moor, for the neutrals, that is the way the league should be. No game should be a walkover.
When United visit Wolves for the reverse fixture, I don't think there'll be any more to it then United coming away with all the points once more. By then, it'll be 36 games instead of 37.
I don't know the extent of these decisions have mentally on players but it does give them reasons not to step up and show up for the game when they're up against opposition they perceive to be stronger. They can just throw that game and work hard for others against lesser or more similar opponents when they feel like. Being a footballer and wearing the shirt means so much more. You got to strive to outdo yourself every single time otherwise, there isn't a point is it?
If I were a Wolves player I won't put my life in the hands of Mick McCarthy. I would sure as hell put mine in Arsene Wenger. That's what our players do. You so got to get a copy of Sagna's interview in the December issue of Arsenal magazine. Sagna speaks about the boss and how he trusts his players to deal with their trying times. We saw how he allowed Almunia to handle his own personal issues at the beginning of the season. Sagna is pretty endearing. There's pretty much nothing to hate about him. He gets his head down and plays his heart out for the team.
We all saw how Arshavin ran to celebrate with the boss after his goal. We have seen Henry do it too. Fabregas did it at Milan. I'm sure there are more. This is what a manager is. Plus, he makes such witty remarks it's difficult not to jump on his bandwagon.
I tried to imagine him blasting the players in the Anfield dressing room and it made me LOL so hard.
Oh Arsene.
P.S. If Wilshere does go on loan to Burnley under Owen Coyle, it's actually a good thing. I think Coyle is a decent manager and it'll do good for Wilshere's footballing education. It would be some feat if lil Jack played a part in helping them stay up, a team that deserves every moment they have in the top flight.Labels: Arsene Wenger, Burnley, Man Utd, Wolverhampton Wanderers
A Little Drunken Madness @ 4:54 PM
I can't seem to get into blogger new post on my zune and that sucks.
So. I think we're all still ecstatic from the win at the weekend which isn't too long ago. I saw some dude in a Gerrard shirt and I'm quite positively sure he has brain damage. Anyone who likes Gerrard has brain damage and a set of screwed up morals.
Games are now flying in thick and fast. Burnley at Turf Moor is next and we know what to expect, given the manner they knocked us out of the Carling Cup on their grounds last season. With the current number of injuries we have it will be yet another tough game. The lads have to build on the Liverpool win and not do a Liverpool. I mean, they beat Man Utd and went on to lose the next game, making it quite pointless. Burnley pose a stern test and may well have an advantage mentally, having virtually nothing to lose and the last time they faced Arsenal they played very very well.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, there is very little time to ponder these things as they travel to that Godforsaken cold spit of a stadium for the game.
There aren't a lot of good news in the treatment room. I think the one closest to a return probably is Bendtner and that's been earmarked for the new year. One more injury and we'll be more screwed than we know it. I don't know how this very thin squad is going to make it through Christmas and still be in the title race come new years.
This is me, being utterly negative but it you'd imagine, an injury to one of Vermaelen or Gallas, or Cesc, or Arshavin and it's the end. Nasri's picking up with more playing time and I'd hope for something similar with Theo but this season he's just not up to the standard we all expect him to be at. His running at defenders has to improve. No one can rely solely on pace to get in behind and score/create goals. Technique is as important and at the moment, it is not showing. He's been touted countless times to play at centre forward but has never been deployed there long enough for judgments to be passed.
Once again, I think we'll have to rely on the flair of Arshavin to carry the team through. Denilson is stepping it up too, probably under the influence of one Alex Song. They were both crap before, but Song has since elevated his status and is doing extremely well and it should push Denilson as well, although it still drives me absolutely nuts when he chooses to pass sideways or back. The goal's on the other side dude.
January could be a very interesting month but we have December to get through first.
Fingers crossed, fingers crossed.
I'm going to bangkok for a couple of days. Kinda don't want to go but it's yet another family trip. I mean, who goes and books the damn tickets without your consent? Evidently, I'm not a big fan of Thailand. And what bums me the most is missing the next 2 games.Labels: Burnley, Liverpool, oh God please no
A Little Drunken Madness @ 5:08 PM
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