Here we go again....Arsenal 1 Hull 2

Well, it's been a while since my last post on Arsenal.  The new season is well underway and like last year, Arsenal are already up to their old tricks of underachieving and choking.  Unlike last season though, Arsenal are up to it much earlier this year then they were last year.

Arsenal lost at home today to Hull City 2-1.  No, that is not a typo or a joke.  Hull fucking City. Arsenal have now lost two out of their first six games which is one more then Chelsea,  Liverpool, and Man Utd combined.  Arsenal lost just three leagues games all of last year!  This leads me to conclude that once again and for the fifth year running, Arsenal will not win the EPL.  

Arsenal look vastly familiar to the Arsenal of the last third of last season today.  They passed the ball too often and rarely took a clean strike at the goal, routinely passing up an open shot to make the perfect pass.  Adebeyor didn't have a shot on goal and that is poor from your so called premier striker.  Van Persie, did make some attempts but could rarely get a ball past any defender that was within 20 feet of him.  Fabregas was uninspiring and Walcott was sloppy.  The supporting cast was inconsequential - except Gallas who for about the 10th time this season didn't mark his man at all on the winning header.

Arsenal impending failure in this season is now clear for a number of reasons.  I already had much doubt on their season after their loss at Fulham and poor draw away in the CL to Dynamo Kiev.  They once again lack the killer instinct that makes Chelsea and Man Utd perennial champions.  They lack the passion and consistency of their rivals and they defend quite poorly.  Basically, Arsene Wenger, despite his success with the club has not filled the passion, depth, and consistency gap that is widening between the Gunners and the other top clubs.  You cannot roll over at home against the likes of Hull fucking City and expect to realistically contend for the EPL or CL.  With two losses from only six games against significantly inferior opposition, Arsenal are on pace for about a 68 point season that in years past was barely enough to get them into the top four.  Now, Aston Villa, Everton, and Man City are much improved from the team they were three years ago making this the year that Arsenal could finally drop from the top four.  A drop from the top four with no other trophies (the CL is a lost cause already as evident by their opener, the FA cup because we'll have to beat Liverpool, Chelsea, or Man Utd and we've proven we can't do that in recent years, and the League Cup because Wenger doesn't give a shit about this cup) will result in the long predicted exodus of top players from the club because they will see a diminishing chance of winning anything and this, coupled with Wenger's stance of paying competitive wages, leaving top players with the easy decision to leave.

I realize one loss is can not be read into too much but the loss today was loud and clear.  Arsenal are not as good as Chelsea, Liverpool or Man Utd and the earlier in the season that they realize the more ripe for the picking they become for Man City and Villa and Everton to go after them for that fourth spot.  When this happens, the primadonna's that make up Arsenal's club will be crying for the exodus just as Hleb and Flaminni did this past year.  It will suck and it will be disappointing and you will be able to trace their demise back to that dreadful result to an inferior squad.

Just as last years season turned on the dreadful collapse in Birmingham (2-2 draw with City gettting their injury time pk equaliser) this years season's turning point is today against HC.  At least last year supporters had three-quarters of the season where they had a false hope.  This year, it's been six games and I'm not sure how I'm going to spend my Saturday mornings for the next 8  months with Arsenal already out of the race.  

Post-Mortem of a failed season

On the greatest day of the year for sports fans (NHL playoffs, Masters, Man Utd v. Arsenal, Baseball), I take a break from the festivities (and half-time of the TFC v. LA Galaxy match) to write the inevitable post of the official completion of Arsenal's ruefully disappointing season.

A 2-1 loss was not surprising in the least for the Gunner's this afternoon. A typical match really as the team did enough to make one believe they could pull one out only to make the usual idiotic mistakes that are chalked up as nothing but lack of focus (players' fault) and lack of preparation (manager's fault). Arsenal missed the usual 3-4 easy chances in the first half before Adebayor finally was able to put one by the Red Devils and like Wednesday's abysmal performance at Anfield kept the lead for all of 2 minutes before the uninspiring Gallas handled the ball in the penalty area. Then after another couple of missed chances and some bad luck on a couple of deflections that hit Van der Sarr, United finished the woeful Gunner's off with a free kick given in absolute worst place to give one. It's at that point I turned the game off and Arsenal's season was officially turned off (although as I've written here before, the season was over already but they might have had a chance for 2nd which they don't now - hopefully they can hold onto 3rd).

Where did Arsenal's season go wrong? So much promise and quality for the first half of the season in all competitions had fans all over the world marvelling at the quality of Wenger's side only to have all hopes come to multiple crashing halts in all competitions. Arsenal didn't just get knocked out of competitions this year, they crashed out with all the drama and ineptitude of a team in way over their heads.

The first reason for AFC demise is that this team was simply not as good as their headlines. They did win a lot of games early on but to measure quality in European football one must measure how teams do against the big clubs in Europe. Lets start with the big four in England. Arsenal managed a record of 1-4-3 in eight fixtures against the other three in England. The one win was at home against Chelsea in what was the lowest point of the season for Chelsea. Man United beat them twice and Liverpool and Chelsea once each. In Europe, after an easy advancement in arguable the weakest group, their only reasonably remarkable win came against AC Milan in the rd of 16 (2-0 away after blowing countless chances at home to put the game away). But even this win is not that great when you consider that Milan is in 5th place and likely not even to be in the competition next year!

Injuries certainly played an important role in Arsenal's collapse. None other then Eduardo, Rosicky, Van Persie, Sagna, and Flamini missed significant portions if not most of the season with injuries. On a perfect day, all of these players are likely in the starting 11. But all teams suffer their share of injuries and Arsenal's horrific run in the second half really exposed Wenger's inability to bring in depth to the club during the January transfer window. This point speaks to the third reason for the failure this year, Wenger's blind faith in his squad.

Luck, or lack of it played a sizable role in this season's comedy of errors. In addition to the numerous missed chances for Arsenal throughout the season, the non-call in the CL first lag coupled with the bumbles against Chelsea a few weeks back really were not that normal. Even today against United, balls that always go in against Arsenal would luckily hit the woodwork or accidentally hit the goalkeeper. Although it's not the only reason, some lucky bounces Arsenal's way this year would have gone a long way to salvaging something out of this season.

Wenger can't be criticized for much in his tenure as Arsenal's manager but I think he made some fatal miscalculations in his squad during this year. Yes, Arsenal's top 11 can contend with any club in the world on their day but rarely, if ever, was this team together for one match. Wenger also didn't factor in the importance of experience required to be successful in England and abroad. Gallas proved to be not the captain this team needed. His inconsistency and poor attitude did as much harm to this club as his occasional heroics helped it. After him, where do you gain any experience? Where is that Dennis Berkamp or Robert Pires to get a late strike when all else seems doomed? Arsenal didn't have the experience and depth and it showed remarkably in the numerous blown leads and late mistakes this club made. Wenger has come out this week (including after today's game) saying he has faith in this club and won't be spending a lot in the transfer window. This is not reassuring as a supporter. A good portion of this side have been around for the past three seasons of which no silverware has been collected. Sure, there is youth but with the way clubs in England don't wait around for youth to develop, Arsenal can't afford another season of being so far from even sniffing at a trophy. Wenger needs to buy depth up front, add a solid defender or two, and possibly bring in a world-class goalkeeper.

The reality is that if at the start of the season one would have given me the results of Arsenal, I would not have been very surprised. This team simply is not in the same class as a United, Chelsea, or obviously now, even a Liverpool, week in, week out. Improvements need to be made. With the size of this club, and the revenues generated, there is no excuse for not being more competitive.

One could question whether Arsenal is even improving. Last year, they were fourth with a League Cup final and a disappointing round of 16 loss in CL coupled with a similar QF loss in the FA Cup. Two season ago, a disappointing league season was contrasted by a trip to the CL final. The season before, they were runner-ups and FA cup winners. Wenger's "rebuilding" should be graded an average at best when you consider that the club's position and progression through cup competitions, as a whole, seems to be regressing. I mean, how else to you truly measure success of a team other then by how it does in competitions?

As a conclusion, I can see Arsenal relinquishing fourth to Liverpool in the EPL. There is nothing left to play for and 3rd is really no different then fourth. There is really no danger of Everton catching them for fourth (if only because, thankfully, it's almost mathematically impossible). One doesn't want to be too negative but one could see Arsenal evolving into a pergatory of fourth place finished with the occasional run to a QF in some cup competition. The other big three are going to continue to spend the money that Wenger is for some reason reluctant to spend and definately not take the sit on the hands approach of Arsenal. Wenger has to look very closely at himself in the mirror and realize that he is mostly responsible for the epic collapse that this season brought forth. I hope he see's in himself the mistakes that we all do. Finally, at least I can now look to cancelling my Sentanta sports for the summer and get on with watching the remaining, less frustrating sports I enjoy watching. Arsenal gave me some thrills this season but by and large, I was bitterly disappointed with how things have gone down. I truly hope the teams takes some significant, needed steps forward for next season to avoid falling further behind the remaining big three in England.

I was wrong...barely

I did something Saturday morning that I haven't done for a long time. I stopped watching the Arsenal game at half-time because I couldn't bare to watch the humiliating collapse that was occuring on that rain-soaked pitch at the Reebok. Reduced to 10 men after Diaby's idotic tackle and playing like a gang of school boys, I decided I'd best walk away from the television and went to our gym to get rid of some frustration (where a decidely entertaining Fulham-Derby match was on the television). Upon my return, I was pleasantly surprised to see Arsenal had fought back 2-2 and then was even more delighted when we scored in the 90th to win!! A comeback for the ages! My mood changed and it turned out to be a nice day.

However, lets look at this game for what it was - another average effort from Arsenal and quite frankly, a result they were very fortunate to get. Bolton are headed for the Championship next season and were on a run of form that was making Derby look good. In short, Arsenal caught them at a great time. But, on two chances and some horrific defending, Arsenal was down 2-0 and a man after Diaby's brain-cramp. Playing uninspired football and once again missing opportunities that most good teams take (I'm talking to you Van Persie), it was a very bleak view by the half-time whistle. Had Arsenal been playing a team with any sort of quality, this would not have been a close game.

So where does this leave the Gunner's going into this week's massive CL and league fixtures with Liverpool? Well, in the league, we lost ground as United predictably hammered Villa 4-0 keeping their lead in points and growing the goal differential while continuing to play the best football in England. Chelsea also won, narrowly, and perhaps undeservadly, beating an in-form Middlesborough 1-0 after the tee-siders missed many good chances and hit 3-4 posts. Chelsea, like Arsenal, dodged a bullet. Arsenal did good to come back and keep pace with the leaders but I'm not so sure what this means for their form.

Coming back on the road like this has the makings of inspiring the team to greater heights and re-instilling their confidence by just getting the three points they had not gotten in so long. Secondly, RVP also scored (albeit from the spot) and for him this could get him rolling for the upcoming fixtures. Gallas and Fabregas each contributed with goals that should help them-particularly Gallas whose leadership has been under fire (personally, I'm more concerned about his heading ability on defense). Overall, though, the win and the nature of it, can build much needed character coming into the Liverpool games. The team clearly has the ability to beat anyone on their day but ,as happens with young teams, consistency has been a problem. Perhaps getting that winning feeling again can lead the team to positive results this week.

However, the performance Saturday is also full of many negatives. The team once again conceded first, and conceded easily against an offensively challenged team. Diaby took a flagrant red that highlights the lack of discipline evident in the team. In the first half, no one looked good and Fabregas was virtually invisible. Confidence gained from this victory can only go so far. Their form as a whole is still sub-par and Liverpool are playing quite well lately (although narrowly escaped with 3 points in the Merseyside derby). I don't feel any better about Arsenal's prospects now then I did before the Bolton match but I do feel better then I did at half-time at Bolton.

As for predictions, it's difficult to know what Arsenal team will show up. They have been quite good in Europe this year but will the tie against Liverpool feel more like Europe or EPL? Liverpool also seems to find a way in Europe as we've seen over the past few years and Gerrard and Torres are really heating it up. Torres was hurt the last time the teams met so my confidence in our defenders in shutting him down is not exactly solid. Juding by history, I see us pulling out a win in the league game on Sunday (2-1) but dropping the CL tie unfortunately (lets say 2-1 on aggregate). Coming through on all three matches is just too unrealistic at this juncture for this young and wounded Arsenal team.

Northwest Passage.....to Bolton

The Gunners visit the Reebok stadium tomorrow for that always challenging fixture with Bolton. In the past few years I always dread this fixture - generally because in the past few years Bolton, under Sam Allardyce, was a top 8 team and difficult to beat on most days but also because Arsenal just seems to suffer in the Northwest. It doesn't help that Man United are there but Blackburn are usually a challenge and City certainly can have their days. The trip to Greater Manchester rarely yields a result the likes of trips to say, Craven Cottage or White Hart Lane, for example.

I'm not sure precisely why Arsenal struggles so much navigating through the city that spawned the industrial revolution but there are some commonalities of the teams that have played there in recent years. One of the reasons is the physicality of teams that play ther3e. Bolton and Blackburn often kick the crap out of Arsenal leaving they many softer Gunner's less effective. These teams also just air the ball down the field and hope for a flick-on more often they some of the southern English teams and this obviously reveals Arsenal's vital weakness - balls in the air. Finally, it almost always seems to be absolutely terrible weather when the Gunner's visit the Northwest. These are poor excuses on their own ,but taken collectively it helps to explain some of the reason for Arsenal's struggles.

Tomorrow's game is as critical as they come for Arsenal this season. As my previous post indicates, I do think Arsenal's title aspirations are all but finished after last week's heart-breaker at Stamford Bridge, but it's important for this club to find it's form in the run-up to the massive tilt with Liverpool in the CL this week. Arsenal's recent form is really nothing short of abysmal. In the league, they have taken just four of 15 possible points that brought them from a 5 point lead to a 6 point deficit atop the EPL in that time. Now, I'd be less harsh if this five game run had been against the likes of United, Liverpool, etc but short of Chelsea last week Arsenal have dropped the remaining points against teams in the bottom quarter of the EPL. Furthermore, the 4-0 thrashing at the hands of United in the FA cup which was just a couple weeks after the 5-1 humiliation at White Hart Lane in the League Cup have left this team with basically one good result in the past two months - a 2-0 win at Milan in the CL. This is the kind of run that you would expect to see from Newcastle or Derby - not a big club like Arsenal. So, getting a solid, confident win tomorrow will do loads for the team in preparation for Wednesday's game with Liverpool.

As for a prediction for tomorrow's match, well my confidence is so rattled right now as a fan I can't bring myself to predict a win. I see a 1-1 draw tomorrow with Arsenal falling a further behind United and Chelsea and very little confidence being restored. For what it's worth I also predict a 3-0 victory for United over Villa.

Bad day at Stamford Bridge

Today was a difficult day to be an Arsenal supporter. The 2-1 loss to Chelsea was as difficult a loss as I've experienced as an Arsenal supporter in a long time. It hurt for a lot of reasons beyond simply losing. It knocked us out of 2nd place in the table and basically put the cap on our chances for the EPL title. It also came after taking the lead in the 63rd minute and essentially controlling the game until some very bad fortune swung the game in Chelsea's favour. The reality is, on the run of play this should have been at worst a draw between the two teams. Arsenal weren't great but neither were Chelsea. Furthermore, Liverpool once again lying down like a dead dog to Man United didn't help our cause.

Lets start with Arsenal's current form. Outside of a couple of decent games against AC Milan in the champions league they have been quite bad for about 2 months now. I fear that the lack of depth that Wenger has failed to address is catching up with this team. In addition to 4 straight draws against very inferior EPL opponents (Birmingham, Middlesborough, Wigan, Aston Villa) we took a 4-0 thumping from Man United in the FA Cup and a 5-1 loss to Spurs in the league Cup. A club that has serious aspirations about winning the league does not go on a run like that. What's clear is this; Arsenal's offense looks tired and much like they did the previous two seasons when they just couldn't finish. Defensively, we've been average at best and just continue to get dominated in the air, as you seen on the two goals today. I do think fatigue is a factor and because nothing was done in the transfer season to add depth, the team is reeling right now. With the revenue windfall that the Emirates Stadium brings in, Wenger really has no excuse for this (as he might have had in years past). I hope we can spend on some depth players for next season.

Today at the Bridge, Arsenal had pretty good control of the game for about 70 minutes. Then, Sagna turns his ankle, Eboue and Toure run into each other and all of the delay with all this totally takes the flow out of the game and momentum swings to Chelsea. This combined with a lucky bounce on Drogba's first goal (when our defender slipped and the ball bounced our of a crown and right to him) allowed them to get on the board. Then more sloppy heading from Arsenal allow Drogba to push another one past. Up to that point, Drogba actually looked old and slow but after two goals, the commentator is calling him the best striker in England. I will give him his props, as he did what Arsenal has trouble doing and finished on his only two real chances of the game. Also disappointing today was Arsenal's inability to really create much against a Chelsea defense that was very porous against Spurs on Wednesday. I haven't read all the reports on this game but I'm sure some will suggest the title was lost today. I disagree, the title was lost in the collective draws to the four clubs aforementioned above. A neutral will still have the exciting race to the finish as Chelsea went from pretenders to contenders in about 5 minutes today at the Bridge. Arsenal, though, need to focus on finishing strong and hopefully finding some sort of form against Liverpool in the Champions league next month.

There is still much season to be played but for Arsenal it looks like all the hope that existed throughout the first half of this season in all competitions could result in only a slight improvement over the past two seasons. And if so, Wenger needs to reconsider how committed he will be to this collective group of youngsters he's been grooming for the past few years.

David Beckham to USA: Good or bad move?

When a soccer (football for my Euro friends) story is the lead story on not only the sports pages but all news pages in North America in the middle of January, you know its something big. Of course I'm referring to David Beckham signing with LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer. I am a fan of soccer and follow the sport fairly closely. There had been rumor of his foray into the American game for a year or so now but most observors expected it later in his career, say in three to four years. So I must say, the move itself did surprise me a bit. However, when you look at the magnitude of the deal, $250 M for 5 years it'd be more surprising if he'd refused the deal. The question on many observors minds, is what can this deal mean for soccer in America?

Let me begin by saying that there are many minsconceptions regarding Beckham. Beckham is not the best soccer player in the world and never has been. During his career, he hasn't even been the best player in his home country. That being said, he has been a very good player and has been very successful for many years, primarily with his former club Manchester United. He was a long-time captain for England in international play and a long-time starter for them as well. To say he is a poor player is simply wrong. To this day he is still one of tbe best dead-ball players in the world. He is also known for working very hard and being committed to sport and his teamates despite all the the off-field distractions he has had to deal with.

As successful as Beckham has been on the pitch, he's been loads more successful off the pitch. He is a brand and with his pop star wife, Victoria Adams (aka Posh Spice of Spice Girls fame) they are superstar celebrity couple. Beckham's star power is known all over the world and he's one of the few recognizable soccer players in North Ameria. His success off the pitch has probably hurt his reputation on the pitch though. Because he is so famous and visible, his game is more scrutinized then it would be if he was ugly and not a commercial entity. This criticism has become heavier in recent years as his game has diminished somewhat. His performance for England in the past couple years has been average (although he did score in the World Cup) and he was longer a regular starter for his club team, Real Madrid.

My view is that this move is great for North Amerian soccer and a good move for Beckham. Major League Soccer (MLS) is a lower tier professional soccer league based in 13 cities throughout the continent. It has a modest business model but has experienced slow, if steady growth since it's inception 11 years ago. Up until this year, all teams had to abide by a $2 M per season salary cap. However, due to speculation of an impending decision from Beckham to come to the league, they adopted the so called "Beckham Rule" that allows each team to have one player exception to the salary cap. By signing Beckham, the LA Galaxy have guaranteed a sell out for every game they play in this year, home and away. The league will recieve more exposure and therefore, it can't hurt.

A question remains as to how long will the momentum of this signing remain? Well, it could die down but to me it's a no lose situation for the league. Almost all of the value of the deal is coming from endorsements. MLS is on the hook for a very small amount but they get all the benefit of the exposure. In a worse case scenario, the deal flops in a couple of years and the league is back to where it is now - a modest league with small, yet loyal core group of fans and a responsible business model.

This is also a good deal for the Beckhams. $250 M is never bad. However, this deal also suits what I believe is the couple's aspirations post-soccer. It's no secret both of them prefer to be in the limelight. A move to Hollywood will guarantee them the star attention they want. Friends of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, they already rub elbows with some of Hollywoods biggest stars. In fact, Angelina Jolie had reportedly asked Beckham to give her son Maddox private soccer lessons. Furthermore, Beckham opened a soccer academy in LA that he has frequently cited as his reasons for coming to America. Beckham will have some pressure on him to impress in his performance but as a former captain of Englands national team, there is no other higher pressure position in sports then Englands soccer captain so he'll have no doubt handling the scrutiny he'll recieve over here. In fact, it'll likely seem like a walk in the park because the quality of the play in the MLS is considerably lower then in Europe.

I personally hope this deal does help with growth of soccer in North America. I am a fan of the game and although I prefer the European leagues and international games, I know I'll tune in more to MLS this year simply because Beckham may be playing. My interest is more to do with the spectacle then the quality of the soccer as it relates to Beckham but I'm sure the MLS isn't entirely concerned with why people are watching but rather if they are.