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Review: Arsenal vs Manchester United (5th May 2009) – Emirates Stadium – Semi Final (UEFA Champions League)

by Sarosh Waiz on May 5, 2009 in Arsenal, Football with 8 Comments

A lot was expected and promised with the Arsenal fans for today’s match by Arsene Wenger and the players. The fans were asked to be at the Emirates Stadium and give a Volcanic reception. Arsenal was to give a fight back that Manchester United couldn’t have sustained. Arsenal didnt even prepared for the penalties, since Arsene Wenger boasted to be so confident that Manchester United sounded like a they would not do anything.

Well to start off with a basic analysis, for the first 5 minutes Arsenal looked to score and it seemed that the game might go to the penalities if Arsenal doesn’t win it straight off. Just three minutes after that, Van Der Sar’s goal kick landed in the Arsenal danger zone and Christiano Ronaldo’s cross went straight in to the path of Park Ji Sung because Gibbs was unable to clear the ball since he slipped. GOAL – Manchester United. After that, Arsenal’s free flowing football did not come out that well since the pressure of scoring three goals to go through was building up on them. 

 

Park Ji Sung Taking the Shot

Park Ji Sung Taking the Shot

 

 

In the 11th minute, Ronaldo scored on a 41-yard free kick again, and Arsenal’s dreams of going to Rome for the Champions League Final went down the drain. All the supporters looked upset since the game was almost over. Honestly, I did lost interest at that time because I didn’t know what to do. But still I managed to watch the complete match, knowing that Arsenal was not able to create any chances and now actually they had to score 4 goals to go through. The seats were getting empty at the Emirates Stadium, and all the fans started to return home upset by the game their team couldn’t even sustain. 

In the second half, I did try to keep myself glued to the couch because I convinced myself to watch this game as just another football match, and it started looking better. But on the 61st minute.. Boom!!! 3rd Goal!! 3-) to Manchester United. What a counter attack… there was no one to defend? And what the hell was Djourou doing?  He let ronaldo take the shot and didn’t even try to slide in or atleast block him one way or they other? Poor defending really!

Arsenal did score in the 75th minute from a penalty, that was earned by a red-card challenge by Fletcher on Fabregas. The final score Arsenal 1  - 3 Manchester United. Manchester United goes through with 4 aggregate goals and will face either Chelsea or Barcelona in the Final in Rome. Thousands of empty seats could be seen when Wenger shook hands with Ferguson. At the end of the day, all I can say is well played Manchester United, and they really did. They were quick, fast, determined and they knew they had to score, unlike our superb striker Mr. Emmanuel Adebayor!

Even though this team is young and there is a long way to go, but my question to all the Arsenal supporters out there is that when we are trophy-less since the past 4 seasons, do you think it would be easy to hold on to our star players when other clubs come in with great offers? Now expect to see a few big names leave the club this season, and a few new young ones in the team when the next season starts. Do leave your comments and subscribe to my blog to get further updates on new posts.

A Gunner For Life!

Arsenal vs Manchester Utd. (2nd Leg) Emirates Stadium – Only a few hours to go!

by Sarosh Waiz on May 5, 2009 in Arsenal, Football with 1 Comment

Only a few hours to go before one of the biggest match at the Emirates Stadium is about to kick off between Arsenal and Manchester United. Manchester United won the first leg, and the match was unexpectedly one sided as Arsenal failed to make a mark at Old Trafford on 29th April 2009. Although the Gunners were fortunate to only lose by 1-0 as Man Utd. did waste a lot of chances that could have most certainly knocked Arsenal out of the competition. A lot is expected out of Arsenal tonight, and all the fans are back and ready to support the club. Even the Arsenal players, specifically Samir Nasri have called the fans to be very strong in their support when Manchester United visit the Emirates Stadium tonight. Arsene Wenger has also mentioned that Arsenal has not practiced for the penalties tonight, which should mean we are prepared to beat them with a atleast a 2 goal difference!    

Uefa Champions League
 

Arsenal is going to go in the match as underdogs after the 1-0 defeat at the Old Trafford and they need to balance their attacking options with effective defending. Glad to know that Van Persie is back for today’s game but Sylvestre is injured and is out because of a groin problem. According the my understanding, the following is the team that is going to start today’s game from the Arsenal squad:

Almunia

Sagna – Toure –  Djourou – Gibbs

Eboue – Fabregas – Song – Nasri

Van Persie – Adebayor

  I’m signing off now wishing we can pull it off tonight and beat Manchester Utd. with a good goal difference!! Nothing beats that! Fingers crossed! Goodluck to all the Gunners out there! Hail the Gunners!

Letter to Mr. Wenger: Arsenal vs ManU (Champions League 1st Leg 29th April 09)

by Sarosh Waiz on April 29, 2009 in Arsenal with 5 Comments

This a mail that I wrote to Arsenal. I am very hurt as a fan and I don’t know what else to say. I guess it contains all the frustrations that every Arsenal supporter is facing.

Dear Sir/Ma’am,

This mail is directed to Mr Arsene Wenger and the Arsenal top management. I want this to reach them, and also going to publish them on blogs and news websites to create a buzz so I know they read it one way or the other. This is not a matter of a simple Arsenal Fan writing a mail .. its about the whole Arsenal community which is dis-heartened and broken by all the broken promises by the club.

I didn’t know where to contact Arsenal Football Club and I really want this to go to Mr. Arsene Wenger. The AFC management should better know how all of us fans are supporting Arsenal taking fights from other bull shit supporters of Man U or Chelsea or any other club! We support Arsenal and fight for it to keep its prestige and the high profile image.. And what do we get? Such an insult and shame in front of our opponent supporters telling us on our faces that Arsenal is a shit club and they cant even score? And for some reason.. we cant even try and hold them for long … because we have been trophy-less since 4 seasons … and we don’t even seem hungry for that… not even our team and the players have that hungry attitude of going and getting the job done.. I’m sorry to say but majority of the players ..no matter whoever it is.. are just there for blabbering and not standing up to the expectations of the supporters and other stake holders.. They are taking hell lot of money to just bull shit on and off the field.. and they don’t even seem to GO FOR anything at all.. they just play for fun! And that too… fun of their own selves, passing the ball in a funky way and smiling that what a move they made… they should grow up and start scoring rather then only passing like babies…

We have never won champions league? And we are trophy-less since 4 seasons? Was this the so called “Animal” that the Arsenal players have turned into as referred to by Mr. Wenger?

For God’s sake these players get such high salaries and its their profession to play football.. but these guys cant even do a basic job done? All we wanted was a fight against Manchester United… are we looking forward to win the Champions League with these crappy players? Who don’t even seem to have the hunger to win something? And at the end of the season these idiots complain that we are trophy-less.. If they wont score .. are the fans and supporters going to score goals for them? They just want to make their individual names and get lost to big clubs like AC Milan and Barcelona … taking high salaries and warming their benches…

The following is a simple take-out and my analysis of today’s Champions League Semi Final 1st Leg with Manchester United:

- Arsenal cannot defend
- They don’t have players who are hungry to win.. they only play for the fun of their owns elves… and not the fans… they think that the fans can go to hell!!
- Arsenal never has the rock solid attitude of going out there and just bursting the opposite team apart
- The self belief is hardly their.. and even if they have self belief… they never have the ability of creating something because the ARSENAL Style of play is only successful if the players are good at improvisational passing ..because the old invincibles had the ability of creating funky new things on the field just by improvising and good understanding … these guys don’t have the ability to improvise.. they get the ball and they keep thinking what should they do next and they lose the opportunity
- They never shoot. because they take too much time to think whether to pass left, pass right or shoot.. this is not improvising… it should come as a flow.. and I am sorry to say these guys keep thinking and have lost everything!!!
- Even if they manage to create chances to score a goal, they start thinking .. “Okay we have done this amazingly… now how to further beautify it and score the goal… For God’s Sake just shoot the ball or pass it on the first instinct..
- Last but not the least, other teams play a fixed position game… the CAM would know where the winger would be and the winger would know where the right back or the striker or the CAM would be… they play a fixed position game … and they exactly know the plan and positions before hand that is why they even give passes without seeing and the player who has the responsibility of being in a certain position.. and he always has to be there to receive the ball and make the next planned move in terms of a corner or a shot… this is planned for teams like Chelsea, Man U or Liverpool .. where as Arsenal’s style of play is never planned and is 100% improvisation … but I am sorry, since this team doesn’t have any chemistry …and cannot improvise to create chances.. I would suggest Arsenal to play dirty and planned in order to be sure of at least what they are trying to do … Every Arsenal player stands clueless blaming each other .. we need to score even if we play dirty for now.. we need a trophy!!

I am extremely sorry, I am a die hard Arsenal supporter and its extremely depressing for me to take this… If we don’t win the second leg by hook or by crook … Arsenal Football Club, its long built image, its players and all its fan support will no longer be there …

This is a crises situation for Arsenal .. and if they don’t win the Champions League this Season … they are in the making of another Leeds United ..

A Tired & A Depressed Gunner…

SW