Most Memorable Arsenal Matches

It’s just around 3 years since my support for The Arsenal began. At first, it was quite mild and I rarely watched them. But what amazes me is how far I’ve gone from their. Not a single match missed in almost two years(except the first half of CC semifinal 2nd leg ).  There have been good moments, bad moments and those brilliant moments. Along with it have come those awful moments like the Cup Final defeat. But it wouldn’t be fair not to suggest my journey with the Gunners as one hell of a ride.

Here are some of the most memorable moments of MY Arsenal-watching career(as a FIFA 11 commentator would say!). Just to inform you, its only been 3 years since I’ve started watching them, so I’m not counting the matches we’ve played before. This compilation is based on how great I felt when Arsenal finally won the game. Hope you like it:

7. Arsenal-Stoke City 3-1(Britannia)

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah I know about Ramsey’s horrific injury. I was watching it with volume muted and all of a sudden I had the worsts of thoughts. I wouldn’t tell what that was but that moment almost made me cry. But after that, we showed some real grit and ultimately were rewarded with a penalty in stoppage time. That wasn’t all. The Verminator managed to get another one and at that moment, I thought that now the title was ours and our players would win it for Aaron Ramsey. They gave it their all but still ended up finishing 3rd.

6. Arsenal-Bolton 4-2 (The Emirates)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember the game where we were 2-0 down after Bolton scored the 2nd goal off a penalty. I do.Winning that game by more than a one goal margin would’ve taken us to the top of the league. And what I instantly thought after they scored twice was that we’d always crumble under the pressure of being at the top. And an hour later, I was proved all wrong. Goals from Rosicky, Vermaelan, Arshavin and another Arsenal player(c’mon you can’t expect me to remember that much. And if you do please inform me too!). And we ended up winning the match and going top of the league on goal-difference.

5. Arsenal-Hull City 2-1 (at their stadium)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nicklas Bendtner, to remind you, can sometimes finish. And a predatory finish was what won us the game that was level at 1-1 at Hull and probably kept our title chances alive. Denilson(oh all our poor players did well at that moment). He went for a 20-30 yard shot which the Hull keeper failed to hold on. And Bendtner was, for once, there to pick up the pieces and win it for Arsenal.

4. Arsenal- Manchester United 1-0 (The Emirates)

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were missing a number of key players. And with that, we were also missing some key ingredients such as our confidence. The feeling at the start of the match was a bit of worry and tension. All of that was gone when, just after 90 minutes the final whistle blew. We showed grit, determination and passion to win the game. Combine that with our quality and all that was left for Ramsey was to slot the ball home for the winner.

 

3. Arsenal-Barcelona 2-2 (The Emirates)

 

 

 

 

Maybe it was not the whole match, but the last 30 minutes that were too good to forget. Wenger brought on Theo Walcott and he split the Barca defencee like they were….. Arsenal themselves. Goals from him and Cesc at least kept the tie alive which eventually we ended up losing. Still it was a night to remember.

2. Arsenal Chelsea 3-1 (The Emirates)

 

 

 

 

 

 

A match that could be watched again and again by any Arsenal fan. Or a football fan in general. A game that had the biggest impact on Arsenal. We got to know our First-XI. We hunted the Chelsea players in pack and never allowed them enough space. For me, the most important match in the 2010-2011 season for us.

1. Arsenal- Barcelona 2-1 (The Emirates)

 

 

 

 

 

 

This has got to be at the top.  There wasn’t a part of the room where I was watching where I hadn’t jumped around. This match and every single detail of it will stay in my head for a long long time. Bendtner to Jack to Cesc to Nasri to Arshavin to GOAL!!!! The stadium erupted. And so did I.  The best match I’ve seen ever and possibly the best Emirates has ever witnessed.

That’s it for you. Hope you’ve liked the list.Another reminder it’s pretty much based on memory so I may have missed a match or two. Feel free to post yours below.

Arsenal is much like an Indian Daily Soap Opera

The heading might be a bit misleading but it’s true to be honest. The varied emotions an Arsenal fan has to face though the course of a season are unparalleled. You can compare them to a title-winning team or a relegation threatened one but there’s nobody above Arsenal. Much in the same way, an Indian soap creates such numerous emotions that a viewer has a rollercoaster-ride(certainly not Literally) in the space of 30 minutes. A women’s husband dies in a car accident and he appears on the same show after some months having undergone a plastic surgery. Or they might even claim that it was look-alike who was present in the car.

At Arsenal, it is much the same. One day we beat Man United, the other, we lose to Stoke. All these emotions surely do make an Arsenal fan mentally strong, if not a player. Believe me. Most Gooners would know how to cope with pressure and what to do when the going gets tough. But sadly, our players seem to learn nothing. Even beating the best doesn’t help them. Interestingly, whenever we’ve beaten a strong team, we’ve always followed it up with a miserable performance(s).

We beat Chelsea 3-1 at home only to draw to a faltering Wigan. Barcelona were beaten at the Emirates which sadly was followed by a draw against a third-tier side and a Final defeat at the hands of Birmingham. The same has happened over the last week. Exactly the same happens in our soaps. It only takes 2-3 weeks for the story to take a complete U-turn. And all those melodramatic scenes shown in slo-mo with the most important ones shown thrice in quick succession and you’re in for a not-so-mild headache.

I’ve always hated these T.V. shows but the similarities were clearly visible.I sometimes wonder how these shows last for 5-7 or perhaps 10 years. But I guess the fans never get tired of watching them.Just like we Gooners never are. Perhaps their unpredictability is what separates them from the rest. Maybe that’s why we are the Best Club in the World.And maybe it’s India’s unpredictably that prevents my love for it from diminishing.

(NOTE:This article is meant to be a fun read and to cheer all fans who are low at the moment.)

Here’s a picture just to do the same:

Imagine how Wenger would look on similar editing

I had this Bad Feeling about The Game

Getting out of the Delhi Metro,  the public train here in Delhi, I felt relieved that I had made it without much fuss. It may seem an exaggeration but believe me it’s not. I had never travelled alone in a Metro before. I had done so in Taxis or Rickshaws but not in a train. So it was obviously weird for me the first time. I almost screwed it when my stop arrived.I realized I was on the wrong side of the train and the door which had opened was some distance away. I for a moment felt that as always, something bad would happen to me. You know when you get the feeling that why it always happens to you only. But I rushed, pushing other passengers on the side to get out and did manage to come out. It was fine until I thought this could be a bad signal about the upcoming game at the Britannia.

The game as you know was won by Stoke who despite having the biggest game in their history a week later put a hundred times more effort than most Arsenal players who were so poor that Stoke actually looked a decent side. The problem this time was the attack. Sure the defence made some huge errors but how many chances can you remember created by Arsenal.

We lacked the killer instinct of a good team. Not a great team but even a good team. The passing was decent but it was Stoke who looked more threatening than us. Not more than 2-3 chances were created by our so-called prolific attack. And people think we fail because of our defence. Don’t get me wrong, the defence was also poor. Djourou & Gibbs especially. I would even suggest that Gibbs has a lot in similar to Denilson. Sloppy footwork, low commitment levels and his passing. He, much like Denilson cannot make a forward pass. Gibbs is a fullback and at Arsenal ,he’s supposed to provide width and pace on that left-flank. But all he does mostly is cut inside and make a back pass .Clichy’s not great but every time Gibbs deputizes for him, Arsenal become worse. So I’d rather like Cichy to stay or a better player being brought in than play Gibbs.

I won’t like to mention more names but something was wrong. Devastatingly wrong. The loss of Fabregas and Nasri for me wasn’t responsible for this. Just look at the 2nd half of the Man United game to see what I mean. If we’d lost to United on Sunday, it would’ve been far less disheartening because of the players efforts on that day. They were committed, determined and didn’t let their concentration levels drop. But against Stoke, none of that was visible.C’mon you Arsenal Boys, at least show some commitment on the pitch. It was initially believed that it was the pressure that restricted us from winning in the business end. But now the pressure’s gone but today’s performance was still one of the worst of the season.

There are absolutely no positives to take from the game. Nothing. It was quite ironical that it was Stoke who played much better football. I wonder how Tony Pulis got his men fired up but Arsene Wenger couldn’t. There was more purpose from our boys in the second half but still very few opportunities created. Both Chamakh and Bendtner were decent and better than many of our players on the pitch. Koscielny and Wilshere were not great but better than the others. This game disappointed me to the extent that I didn’t even watch the match to the end and switched the T.V. off 4-5 minutes before the whistle. I didn’t so against United in the FA Cup, not against Chelsea at the Bridge and other matches where we had no chance. Not once in the season before. But to sum up,this was Arsenal’s weakest performance both defensively and offensively of the season.