arsenal

It should have been a different scoreline, both because Adebayor was profligate in front of goal in the first three minutes (He should have chipped it over Hahnemann or rounded the bloated American keeper) and because the linesman erroneously called Adebayor off-sides when a beautiful counter-attack resulted in a disallowed goal. Adebayor continues to baffle me, but he at least looked dangerous after that first goal.

Speaking of baffling, where was Eduardo? Why do we persist in putting Adebayor along in the striker position with Hleb trailing in no-man's land? I'd sooner try pairing Adebayor and Eduardo upfront (Adebayor seems allergic to shooting from anywhere except directly in front of goal from six yards out while Eduardo isn't afraid to shoot from outside the box).… Read more

If I didn't already have a religion, I might set up a new one to worship Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal's amazing midfielder. Humble and yet incredible on the pitch, Fabregas may well be the best player on the planet right now (though Kaka, Messi, and others might beg to differ).

Which makes Fabregas' comments in Sunday's Times so refreshing, and so applicable to open source. Responding to a question as to why he has scored so many goals this season compared with last he notes:

The transformation, if there?s been one, is explained in team terms. "It's true I feel more free to go forward and that's down to [Mathieu] Flamini. He doesn't stop running, chasing the opponent. He has amazing energy....… Read more

David and Goliath played today, and the match ended in a draw. Manchester United has spent easily ten times the amount of money on its players as Arsenal has, yet Arsenal looked dominant throughout the match. With 10 more Arsene Wengers, Manchester United would have to compete with 10 more Arsenals. It showed today that it almost knew how to cope. Almost.

The one place that Manchester United looked more threatening was where it matters most: in front of goal. Arsenal created too few chances to truly deserve to have won, but it did show Manchester United how to hold and move the ball.… Read more

On a day when Chelsea struggled to beat no-name Leicester, inching ahead only in the final minutes of the match (after giving up three goals at home), Arsenal annihilated Sheffield United with Eduardo slotting home two for the Gunners, one of which was an incredible shot that hit 69 MPH before it rifled into the net.

As ever, Arsenal played its reserves and back-ups, and could have beat any first team in the Premiership with the lads. I watched the Liverpool game last night, not having had the chance to watch it when it was first played, and it was … Read more

It was disappointing to see Arsenal draw with Liverpool today, especially since the team hit the woodwork twice and missed two gapingly open goals along the way.

But the game was at Anfield, and Arsenal proved that it's success is not just about playing at home or in playing weaker opponents (though every one of them is, in fact, weaker :-). It's about heart, heart which Arsenal displayed throughout this match. Heart that demonstrates that the Gunners are the team to beat this season, in England and in Europe.

Arsenal have yet to be beaten. It's way … Read more

I'm losing count of Arsenal's winning streak. What is this? Twelve straight wins?

Today's was special, however, because it saw the aspiring, 18-year old Theo Walcott smash home two goals to match Fabregas' two (Hleb had two but one was counted as a Slavia Prague own goal and Bendtner continued to impress with the seventh goal of the night). The team is on fire, and Walcott is finally proving himself as a player.

Arsenal didn't waste any time this game, drilling home a Fabregas goal on five minutes on a brilliant pass from Hleb. Hleb followed … Read more

Arsenal continued its unbeaten streak with a gritty win over Bolton. Bolton came to the Emirates content to sit back with 10 men behind the ball, and Arsenal finally punished them for their boring, defensive play with a drive from Toure in the 67th minute. Watching him anxious to hit the ball, I worried that he was going to knock the ball over the net. But he drilled it low to the ground giving Arsenal the lead.

Walcott then set up the crushing blow in the 80th minute to Rosicky (both of them coming on as substitutions for an erratic … Read more

Thirteen games without a loss, and only one draw. Arsenal continue to prove that determination and youth are more than a match for the overpaid stars of Chelski or the lately resurgent Manchester United. In a 3-2 victory over Sunderland today, Arsenal showed that it still knows how to lose a lead, but then how to grimly put away a game.

Van Persie put the Gunners ahead after only seven minutes, and Senderos put the hosts up 2-0 within 14 minutes on a corner of all things (Arsenal generally don't pose much of a threat on corners). The game … Read more

Not the lads finest performance, but a great result. Arsenal had many near misses, and really should have put the game well beyond doubt, but a win is a win, and all the sweeter when Robin van Persie slots the ball into the net.

I just wish that Walcott could have started. I think he would have brought a hunger to the game that Arsenal were lacking at times. He needs to get more game time to improve and playing against a weaker side like Bucuresti would have been ideal.… Read more