Miserable conditions up in the North West and Arsenal are fortunate to earn the three points.
The team were flat in the first half; there was no energy, no urgency, and the heavy downpour added to the lethargy - of the ball as well as the players. Arsenal offered no cutting edge on offense. Everyone just stood around, content to pass the ball laterally or backwards. In contrast, Bolton were industrious; they needed it to get out of the relegation zone. They clearly had a game plan, harrying the Arsenal midfield and striking on the break. The plan almost worked, and brilliantly too.
A momentary lapse on the left, between Clichy and Diaby, gifted Bolton and ball down the flank. An excellent cross near the by-line by Steinsson was headed in by Matthew Taylor; Almunia could have done better. The goal did not wake the Arsenal players. Instead, a few minutes later, Diaby was sent off for a missed tackle that saw his studs on Steinsson's left ankle. I thought "Great, the FA is starting to give out red cards on dangerous tackles and they start on an Arsenal foul."
Things went from bad to worse; a couple of clumsy short passes near the left edge of the area saw Bolton intercepting the ball and it was Taylor again who shot and the ball went in off Gallas' leg; there was nothing Almunia could do. 2-0 down with 10 men; how much tougher can the Arsenal players make it for themselves and the fans?
They still couldn't generate threat. Van Persie had a couple chances but he kept missing it high. Toure tried a couple of 20-yard shots and made Bolton nervous but couldn't get through the defense. The saving grace was that there was still half a game left to play after all these had happened.
The situation continued to be grim after the restart. Bolton actually were stroking the ball around and threatened to score more. Arsene had enough and he took off Bendtner and Senderos and sent on Adebayor and Walcott and the formation became 333. It was very obvious that the Arsenal players perked up when they saw Adebayor was on. The level of energy visibly increased.
The first Arsenal goal was scored by William Gallas, unmarked at the far post, off a corner kick by Fabregas in the 62nd minute. This was the first time in a long time that this play was successful, and it gave the players a little more belief. They started to keep better possession of the ball and surrounded the Bolton box. Four minutes after the first Arsenal goal went in, Arsenal got their second. The move started from another corner from the left, Bolton couldn't clear the ball, and it made its way to Adebayor who gave Flamini a neat back-heel. Flamini shot but the Bolton keeper palmed it out about 15 yards from goal; Hleb got to the ball and was tripped up by Gary Cahill. The ref awarded a penalty and Van Persie sent the keeper the wrong way to equalize.
The lucky winning goal was scored by Fabregas in the 90th minute. Clichy sent Hleb down the left; he cut back to Cesc who managed to send a shot towards the far post before a tackle got in. The ball deflected off two Bolton defenders and went in. Bolton's hope for a win was dashed.
No doubt Arsene will praise the "mental strength" of the team but it was a torture to see them struggle in the rain; not knowing what to do with the ball once it gets near the opposition's box. I say Arsene must issue a "shoot on sight" order: anyone with the ball within 25 yards of the opposition's goal must shoot if he can see the goal. That's how scoring opportunities can be created and that's how you tell your opponents that packing their own half won't help them.
I'll leave the player ratings to my colleague 433 who is much better and more balanced than I am in that matter but I must say I am impressed by Walcott who created panic in the defense every time he got the ball down the right. He set up Van Persie who skied his shot which could have been the winning goal. Overall everyone worked hard. The midfield were stellar and the defense were solid in the second half. Senderos deserves a lot of credit for playing well. Here is hoping that this fortunate win will spark more confidence in the matches to come.
3 hours ago
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37 deflections:
Don't care how we win at this point, as long as we do.
The Arsenal!
:o) xx
I'd rather be lucky than good, at this point :-)
'I thought "Great, the FA is starting to give out red cards on dangerous tackles and they start on an Arsenal foul."'
That is a joke. The tackle was horrendous and I don't think that Diaby should play again. When these tackles happen, they always say that he is not that sort of player. But you only have to kill someone once and you have a dead person. I knew something like this would happen one day. It goes with the idea that to beat Bolton, you have to kick Bolton. So I knew this would happen. If you look at the tackle again, you can see that the intent is not to get the ball but to get the man. He is saying, 'Let's go for the shins and worry about the ball later.'
Thanks for that, Santos. Thankfully the player was able to continue. Diaby had his own leg broken from a bad tackle so it's surprising to see him put in such a horrendous tackle.
I can see where you're coming from about intent: if you're convinced that Diaby's intent was to hurt the player, I can to see why you'd support a lifetime ban. For me, it's hard to "see" a player's intent, so I tend to put more weight on the severity of the resultant injury, but you're closer to the FA on this who say that proving "Malacious Intent" is required for enforcing longer-than-3-game bans, even if the injured player's career is ended.
just to clarify, that was a word-for-word wenger quote. just substitute "taylor" for "diaby" and "arsenal" for bolton.
cheeky.
Not one of Wenger's better moments, and it came right at the beginning of frightful unraveling for Arsenal. Having just thrown away those 2 points versus Birmingham, they would go on to collect just 3 more points from their next four games.
Would it have made a difference for the team's psyche if Gallas and Wenger had kept their composure?
Santos, I in no way was defending Diaby; that foul was a straight red. But aren't you too quick to jump on the player and say he had the intent? I don't know if you play football (soccer) but if you are kicked constantly in a game, I don't see any human who wouldn't want to retaliate. It's easy for us to sit in our cosy sofas and comment. It's a totally different matter when you are getting kicked around when you're playing on the real pitch.
Contrast the result of Diaby's foul and that of Martin Taylor's ... Oh, you already said that Eduardo was too slow to avoid his injury. Never mind...
ok, once more for good measure...
santos was not saying anything about diaby. that was wenger talking about taylor's tackle, cheekily paraphrased.
it merely illustrates that dangerous tackles are a fairly common occurrence and that arsenal fans generally overreacted after the taylor tackle because of the horrific nature of the injury.
bottom line: taylor's tackle was no worse than diaby's. eduardo was just very unlucky - his foot was planted and his leg snapped.
thank you, red scare. at least someone realizes the unbelievable double standards of arsene wenger and his "special" team. also, glancingheader, i never said eduardo was too slow to avoid his injury... i actually have never mentioned it in one of my posts. good try, though. a little bitter about being in 3rd place? sure seems like it.
I see nothing wrong with Wenger's defending his players. I've forgotten how many times Sir Alex Ferguson has done the same. Wenger did say that the foul was a red-card offense. He did not condone it; rather he was doing the same thing that Alex McLeish did: defending his own player when he knows there was no malice in the foul.
So did you, Santos, give Alex McLeish sticks for what he did, too?
And overreact about a broken leg? I wonder what Santos' reaction would be if Martin Taylor broke Wayne Rooney's leg. I think normal human beings "overreact" to something that bad to someone they care about.
glancingheader:
1. i have never made a comment about eduardo's injury or martin taylor.
2. i think the difference between taylor and diaby's tackles is negligible, aside from the end result.
3. i understand fully that wenger overreacted, but to say a player should never play again, that he is a "joke", and shouldn't be on the pitch is unprofessional, especially when you consider diaby essentially did the same thing. the hypocrisy is ridiculous.
4. i respected mcleish for what he did but again, a ridiculous comparison. have any of his players broken their leg and then he proceeded to go on a tirade about how the offender should be banned for life? no.
5. if taylor broke rooney's leg, i would be devastated but soon appeased after i realized the greatest football player in the world was unhurt and could continue to dazzle with his breathaking football from the dream factory.
Some good points, Santos. I think Arsene Wenger realized that his comments were ridiculous and retracted them. Clearly it would have been preferable if he had never made them in the first place.
Does Arsene Wenger engender hatred among opposition supporters, more so than other managers?
Well said, Santos,
5. if taylor broke rooney's leg, i would be devastated but soon appeased after i realized the greatest football player in the world was unhurt and could continue to dazzle with his breathaking football from the dream factory
Arsene Wenger did retract his initial comment about Martin Taylor; Perhaps you forgot about that?
You said you would be "devastated but will soon ..." I am sure you would feel anger initially (unless you are a robot) but then will find the logical conclusion that accidents happen. That is the same process that Wenger and Arsenal Supporters went through.
Me bitter? Not at all. I am proud of what this team has done. No one gave them a chance (including me) at the beginning of the season and look how long they stayed on top. Some supporters are disappointed because they have been spoiled by seeing the team on top for such a long period. There are still some games to play yet and who knows what can happen? Besides, there's always next season!
a retraction only goes so far. does that mean a manager can say anything they want and then retract it and it's like the comments were never made? 433 said it best when he acknowledged his preference for wenger never making those comments at all.
i do feel the most negative towards wenger as opposed to other managers. i'm not really sure why, whether it is because of how i feel like he thinks he is the ultimate manager incapable of mistakes in strategy or picking a squad. i also hate the way he shelters players for so long. granted he has had many success stories like fabregas, but look at david bentley, as well as walcott's performance on saturday. he was a catalyst every time he touched the ball. then again, i could just dislike him because he is not SAF, clearly the best manager (of the best team) in the world.
I see nothing wrong with Wenger's retraction either. Come on! He is human too and humans make mistakes; they say the wrong things. But he has the decency to retract it publicly. Of course it'd be nice if he hadn't said it in the first place but you've got to give him some leeway for emotions under the circumstance. It's not like SAF has never said or done anything wrong, either.
It's ok to be biased. I have mine too but wouldn't you say targeting only one person or one team all the time seems a little ... obsessive(?)
I'd say deep down, you know Wenger is at least as good as SAF so you feel threatened!
Wenger - David Bentley? What about Ferguson - David Beckham?
i have a ton of respect for the professorial wenger, and he is one of my favorite managers.
but arsenal as a whole (supporters especially) have this terrible chip on their shoulder for whatever reason. always whinging, always the victim.
not sure what the source of this is either, because you have a great young team that plays gorgeous free-flowing football.
and wenger is to bentley as ferguson is to guiseppe rossi, etc. not beckham!
What happened with G. Rossi? He was United's prodigy, right? He also chose to play for Italy over the USA, right?
rossi was sold to villareal (where he is doing great) but in a brilliant stroke, united added a clause to the contract that allows them the option to buy him back at a later date.
(you're a good man, 433. always working hard to diffuse conflicts, subtly shifting the direction of the discussion. the holding midfielder of the blogging world, a moderator of the highest quality. cheers!)
diffuse = defuse
Serving as a platform for airing grievances about Arsenal FC, and entertaining counterarguments, is only a fraction of Wicked Deflection's scope.
Nice catch on the diffuse-defuse homophone. I read a messy compliment-complement mixup recently, and have a war story from work about a really nasty voracity-veracity mixup.
did you just call me a homophone? uncalled for!
How come everyone is so nice to each other? I was away for a day and look what happened?
MU looked unstoppable in the Roma game today.
I am just looking forward to tomorrow's Arse-Pool game. Probably a 0-0 "slug"-fest.
"I will be the first to admit Christiano has been in fine form. But the fact still remains that unless he shows up against big oposition the likes of Kaka and Messi will forever be ahead of him. Dynamo Kiev? Sporting Lisbon? Seriously? Those are his credentials? Or you mean that gifted goal against Lyon? You remember how Kaka single-handedly beat your entire defence last year? You remember how Messi single-handedly matched Madrid (RVN) for goals last year? The great players show up big time against other great teams, not the likes of Sporting Lisbon or Kiev. Or Newcastle or Derby for that matter. I will be the first to say it--unless Ronaldo does a few things special against a big team, he will just be his usual DOST (destroyer of small teams) self."
was yesterday special enough? that's what i thought.
One big game does not a WPOY make.
glancingheader, you've made a fatal mistake...you've exposed yourself as a miserable cynic.
you predict a 0-0 "slugfest" in the big match between arsenal and liverpool, just as most cynics eye any marquee matchups.
but then those very same cynics have the gall to suggest that cristiano ronaldo doesn't show up in such cagey affairs, matches in which standout players are closely marked (and hacked and harrassed, as ronaldo was last night).
defenses are more organized, overall play is more conservative, and it is difficult for individual players to stamp their mark on the game.
we're not talking michael jordan carrying the bulls by dropping 40 points. we're talking about a winger (a winger!) who is so outrageously talented and scores so many goals that it's gotten to the point where he's expected to score in every single match.
here's an exercise: 1)pick any world class player. 2)study all his performances in matches against big teams. 3)slowly realize that even players you consider clutch don't shine on every big occasion. 4)find something else to complain about.
and if you don't think that he is the best player in the world, that's beyond cynical, it's hilarious!
just more sour whinging from non-united supporters because ronaldo is an easy target - he's pretty boy prone to pouting. but to doggedly reject his mercurial talent by flailing about and harping on supposed flaws is childish and overly cynical.
viva ronaldo!
Truth is, I greatly admire C. Ronaldo. His skills are undoubtedly among the best in the world. No one can complain when he has scored 30+ goals two years in a row. He practically carries the team in scoring. MU are not where they are without him.
I don't know who are whining more about the other team and their players, MU supporters or Arsenal's but I'd rather enjoy the beautiful things that these guys (whoever they play for) do on the pitch and talking about them. Did you see Trezeguet's goal in the Juve-Inter match? It's was a thing of beauty.
I must go into media blackout until I see Arse-Pool I. We'll continue this discussion later.
cool, then we're in agreement. i too revel in the excitement and admiration and beauty that accompanies football...
which is why i bristle when enthusiasm (praising ronaldo for his amazing skill) is cruelly met with negativity (dismissing him for whatever reason). it douses sincere passion for the game.
and i realize that the WPOY is a subjective matter, but so are things like the competency of george w. bush.
anyway...that trezeguet volley was sweet! and how about that strike from deivid de souza of fenerbache last night?
My position has not changed (Santos) about Ronaldo. He has been in some very fine form these last seasons. However to argue that the very best players are marked out in the big games is not entirely true. Let's talk about some of the true greats like Zidane. It's hard to recall a time when Zidane failed to perform (at his peak--not when he was old). Fabregas who may not be a contender for WPOY somehow manages to keep his game up even against the big teams. Stop making excuses--truly great players shine--period.
Roma was a good showing. I have always argued that except for his tendency to disappear against good opposition Ronaldo has been by far the best this year. Roma was a good showing. If he has more 'big' games like that, I will be the first to cry fowl if he doesn't win WPOY.
Red Scare, we only partially agree.
You think your club, your team, your manager, your player(s), pick any or all of the above, are the best in the world while I do the same with my beloved Arsenal.
So on the one hand, I admire C. Ronaldo's skills but on the other, I do not think he is the best in the world.
One's praise for one's team or player or manager when met with other supporters' derision can be viewed as cruel negativity or sour grape; one should also understand what the other supporters' point of view.
And I've certainly learned about other supporters' point of view when I see the reaction to the "whinging" of Arsenal supporters.
These things go both ways. And we can agree to disagree while continuing to carry on our discussions about beautiful game that we all enjoy so much regardless of our allegiance.
"Fabregas who may not be a contender for WPOY somehow manages to keep his game up even against the big teams. Stop making excuses--truly great players shine--period."
that is the funniest thing i have ever heard. first of all, fabregas is not a contender for WPOY... not by a LONG shot. i can't even take the rest of your criticism of ronaldo seriously after you make such a ridiculous statement like that. i enjoy watching fabregas and think he is an excellent player, but to say he always "keeps his game up" is simply wrong. where was your beloved fabregas when you were dropping points left and right? oh, that's right, those weren't against the big teams. apparently, the WPOY should only shine against good teams but disappear against the likes of birmingham city and middlesbrough. so based on your own statement of "truly great players", fabregas is not a truly great player.
as for you glancingheader, i have one question. who, if not ronaldo, is the best player in the world? i mean, you are more qualified and do have more experience in football than the likes of paul scholes, bern schuster, wayne rooney, ricardo quaresma, etc. so i'm sure your opinion is more valid than theirs.
kdat:
your obsession with big games is funny. by "truly great players shine" were you reasserting your warped thesis that "truly great players are outstanding in every single big match that they take part in" or did you just mean that it is only players you personally like who have this mystical, magical power?
i myself didn't have the privilege of watching every big match juventus and madrid played during zidane's peak years, but perhaps you could enlighten me with how zidane performed brilliantly in every big match, even during those years when he didn't win WPOY, and even during those champions league final losses in consecutive years. i mean, how could his teams possibly lose an important match with zidane shining like the surface of the sun on every big occasion? blame it on his stupid teammates getting in the way, i guess.
i don't enjoy needlessly criticizing opposing players as much as you do, but it is necessary to point out that your beloved fabregas was anonymous in meetings with manchester united this season, not to mention his lackluster performances against mediocre opposition during that stretch when arsenal was dropping points like the dow jones.
glancingheader:
some of your comments seemed like thinly veiled declarations of unconditional support for your club...
"So on the one hand, I admire C. Ronaldo's skills but on the other, I do not think he is the best in the world." (translation: i stubbornly refuse to acknowledge that ronaldo is the best player in the world simply because he is not an arsenal player)
"...one should also understand what the other supporters' point of view." (translation: some supporters place their club above reality and rationality).
i admire the fact that you are willing to admit such blind allegiance, but please speak for yourself and do not project absurd club bias onto me. there is a big difference between loving your club and taking ridiculous stands in the name of your club. doing the latter ends up reflecting poorly on your club.
i don't think united are the de facto best club in the world. i don't think sir alex ferguson is the "best" manager in the world - even though he is unemployed, mr. mourinho could easily secure that title. when henry and arsenal were simply unstoppable during their unbeaten season, i wasn't blathering on about how about how van nistelrooy was better or trying to detract from henry's scintillating skill by steadfastly refusing to admit that he was the best player in the premiership...being unable to graciously acknowledge would have been classless and immature.
this whole discussion is literally a source of great amusement to me, and i hope that all involved take it in good spirit and keep in mind that it's all in good fun. cheers.
Fabregas by my own admission is not the kind of player who scores 30 goals a season--although he could evolve into one. Granted he had a period after his injury when he was returning to his best form, but he was one of the better Arsenal players even during the slump. Go check out 433's ratings.
Christiano is very quick and tricky. Apparently that doesn't do him much good against a high-class well organized team. Hence he dissappears in such games and scores a ton against the easily confused, perhaps less talented players. That easily explains his huge goal haul.
Besides whether or not Fabregas is a contender for WPOY does not change the fact that Christiano does very little against big teams. I find it interesting that you failed to comment about Zidane. Perhaps he's just the kind of player Christiano is not (perhaps will be one day).
Zidane was outstanding against Brazil in the last world cup. However Henry was the goal scorerer. Had Henry not put that one away, perhaps France may have crashed out. Against Italy, Zidane was great until he got sent off. France lost. But Zidane played really well.
Point is any player, great or small, can have an off day. What sets the truly great players aside from the Christianos of the soccer world is that they have great games against big or small opposition. When without question a pretender dissappears everytime they play a big team, and only show up against small teams (although of course their off days could occur on these occasions) then they are just that--pretenders. The point that I am making is this:
1) Every player has good and bad days.
2) Great players can have bad days against both good and mediocre opposition
3) Great players consistently have good days against both good and mediocre opposition.
4) If a player can only manage good days against mediocre opposition, but not good opposition, then they are not great players.
Starting with the Roma game, Christiano has had a good game against pretty good opposition. Until he consistently shows up against good opposition as well, he is only a good player, but not truly great.
Now take my criterion and apply it to whichever player you wish, to convince yourself that those players who truly are great need not be my favorite (although I tend to appreciate the truly great ones for their talent).
It seemed like Zidane needed a really big game to play at his best, especially near the end of his career. In the Champions League quarterfinal against Arsenal, he coasted. But put him in a big game, say a Champions League final or against Brazil in the world cup, and he would take control. It was great stuff to watch.
Here are some pictures from his visit to Brazil a few weeks ago. The Brazilians seem to agree with kdat.
It's good to be back. I just survived a hellish week of work.
Red Scare, I took all of this discussion in the best of spirit. IT is greatly amusing to me, too. IT is difficult to convey the right tone in writing and the words sometimes seemed heated but I thought it was a good exchange among fans who hold very different views.
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