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.

Walcott To Win Arsenal The Title

One major positive in an otherwise disappointing season has been the form of our own speedster, Theo Walcott. He always had shown his talent in bits and pieces(especially against Barcelona) but never looked likely to perform on a consistent basis. This made the fans give him the tag of a “Supersub”. But he proved it all wrong.

Its not that he had an outstanding season with no injury worries. But if I don’t say he’s had a decent statement won’t be justified. His hard-work on the training pitch is clearly visible and if it was not for our striker’s poor finishing(RvP may not read this!), he’d have got an awful number of assists this season. His finishing is amazing. In fact I remember Theo’s goals more than any other Arsenal player. The one against Blackburn was top-notch. Blackpool, Shaktar, Chelsea, Chelsea(brilliant!) and Fulham on the last day. These are the ones that just came even without remembering. There were some others too which I have  forgotten but his tally of 10-15 goals(I hate searching for exact stats!) is great given his injury woes which were less visible this term. But still more than most.

Yeah Theo! That’s The Way To Do It

Walcott is being rumored to shift to play more centrally next season. Yeah I know its just the fans wanting that. I also think the striker role would suit him better as we’ve seen how teams coming to the Emirates and just trying to defend have crowded the right flank making Walcott not-existent. Also given the possible signature of Gervinho who’s a right winger, Walcott’s change of position looks inevitable. And that’ll probably play the biggest role in Arsenal’s title ambition last year.And when he’s not played, we’ve lacked width,pace and ruthlessness. I know Walcott does put some crosses for the ones paying a 100 pounds to watch him do that for van Persie. But still his finishing has been better than our other strikers apart from RvP.

In other news, Barca President Sandro Rosell(due to the Cesc transfer saga I think I know the Barca board more than Arsenal’s!) has questioned Fabregas’ value and said Barca won’t pay over 35-40m pounds. Well I think Cesc’s worth that money. Not more. But that would be in a normal world. And we live in one where Caroll is worth 35m. So that just doubles Cesc’s valuation. Or probably even more.

England crashed out of the Under-21s and Pearce says they could’ve reached the finals. The World Cup problem is still there with England. I guess it’s down to the tough, strong and physical demands from a young player. No one looks at their skills. Oh wait! One club does. And is also criticized for doing that.There is something seriously wrong in there.

Till Then.

Someone Help Jack! Please!

Jack Wilshere has been selected for the Euro Under-21 Championships this summer.This means that he gets no rest for almost 3 years. Having played his first full season in top-flight, he now is an England regular. He goes to Denmark this summer, plays for Arsenal next season, goes with England again next year for the Euro Championship and returns to Arsenal only to play another full season with them.All this is supposed to burn him out and probably waste his undoubted talent.If that’s not what Stuart Pearce or the English FA can understand, then I don’t know what will.

He’s only 19. To put such huge amounts of pressure on a 19-year-old player is something that’s just not acceptable. He’s been exceptional for Arsenal which offers top-quality football.He’s played in the Champions League,the Premier League and even for the England national team. Now Pearce wants him to gain experience at a lower level. Let me inform you, a player cannot perform to his full potential if he’s asked to play at a lower level. I remember Wenger’s comments about how Arsenal players would struggle if they had to play in the Championship rather than the Premier League. It’s not as if Jack would assert his authority in that tournament. Mentally, it might not even be good for him.

Remember there was a boy aged 16, chosen to represent his country at the World Cup. Neither did he play in that tournament, nor did he practice to improve his footballing qualities. It has taken him an eternity to realize his potential which is not yet completely fulfilled.The guy is Theo Walcott. Our own speedy forward whose progress was much affected by the extreme pressure he had to face at 16.

Run Jack Run! But Make sure you've still got legs!

I don’t know what Pearce thinks but people thinking he’s a psycho certainly aren’t wrong.From a personal point of view, I love Jack and wish him good luck. But how the hell can playing at a lower level be a good experience.He’s already played 50-odd games for us and has looked a bit jaded in recent matches. Though Wilshere might not admit himself, no vacation this summer might prove to be detrimental to his progress. I can understand the pride in playing for his country but he’s also got to look at his fitness. To be honest, I’d like Wenger to rest him at Fulham only because of the fact that his performances have dropped recently.

Jack schedule this summer is draining and expect him to miss the start of the next season and even suffer from injuries the same way Cesc Fabregas has this year. Bojan has also been called up but the fact is he’s played a fourth of the minutes Jack’s played. He’s also not a Spanish regular and he’s a case where playing in such a competition would help him. But for Jack, he’s played 4,066 minutes. That’s the equivalent of 45 full 90-minute games. At 19, he’s played like a more-mature player than most in England.

Jack’s a tough lad and probably the toughest at Arsenal. But every player has his breaking limits. And Jack’s getting closer to that mark.It’s up to England to preserve their own gem.Or else he might crack. For his sake, someone please help him!

We Were Better With Chamakh On The Pitch

It was all gloom and doom against Aston Villa for me and other Gooners. One thing’s for sure.I’m not gonna remember this season as a successful one in the future. The recent collapse makes me ponder over the current dressing-room situation at Arsenal and whether Arsene Wenger is doing anything to improve it.I still think he’s the man for us but his frustration of the pitch certainly doesn’t help the players on it. They play well and create numerous chances.But it’s either ends in a mis-placed pass or a shot destined for orbit.We even have a new foe(and it’s not referee!).The goal-post. Arsenal have hit the bar on more occasions than any other team.To be honest, I don’t know if it’s statistically correct but I’m quite sure it will be given our recent bad luck.

I’m referring to yesterday’s match as well as the second half of the season.Hitting the cross-bar is what our players look to practice in training, it seems. I remember a lot of such instances.Man City at home is the primary one.

Coming back to the match, we certainly didn’t deserve to lose given the players determination and the number of chances created. Chamakh finished one, but disallowed for a foul on Petrov. The 2nd half was much much better and our passing was much more incisive.

With Chamakh on the pitch, we  looked more likely to create a chance.In fact, Arsenal have a better win percentage with Chamakh in the team than van Persie. I know that’s completely against the stats and what we’ve seen from van Persie in the 2nd half of the season but it’s true.Arsenal collected 36 points in the 1st half and only 31 in the 2nd(with a game to go). It’s not that Chamakh is any way better but his one-touch passing is always destined to open up organised defences.The van Persie and Chamakh combo worked pretty well yesterday and I wonder why Chamakh still doesn’t start. His shooting has improved and his headers offer us something that any other Arsenal player doesn’t.

Not sure how I will have the motivation to watch the last game. That freshness about the weekends is gone. One thing’s for sure, my relentless support for Arsenal will never die. It’ll always be there, but not so sure about the motivation level.There are some questions I’d like a proper answer to.If any of you could give them, please do in the comments section.Here they are:

• Is Arsenal the Unluckiest Football Club in Europe?
• Is our football still pretty to watch?
• Is Walcott worthy of a start rather than a bench role?
• Is it Arshavin’s talent rather than his commitment that makes him look so bad?
• Why can’t we play both van Persie and Chamakh together?
• Is it the quality of the squad that is not good enough?
• Why the HELL is Bendtner still at our club?
• Does Wenger get paid to throw bottles around?(sorry for that one!)

Current Squad Has Potential,Invincibles Had Pedigree

It was all deja vu again for all Arsenal fans worldwide on Sunday in a match which witnessed Ramsey return to the Britannia after a horrific leg break. Ramsey is amongst many other Arsenal players who have a lot of potential but still have to prove themselves. I’m sure they will but the timings may vary from player to player. Wilshere does it in no time, Denilson takes him whole life. So is it true to suggest that the current Arsenal team only has potential, not pedigree.

Let’s just rewind back to the 2003-04 season. Yes the Invincibles era. Every player playing to his full potential and having proven themselves to the footballing world. The likes of Seaman, Campbell, Toure,Viera,Pires and of course Thierry Henry had it in them to grind out results from the jaws of defeat and were the real title material. All of them have left Arsenal either for greener pastures or for money. Some have succeed, some have not. They have been replaced by young, cheap talent from across the globe. The question is, are they any better than the Invincibles?

Goalkeeper

Invincibles:Lehmann

Current:Szczesny

The young Pole has bags of talent and confidence to boast and is surely destined to be the solution to Arsenal’s goalkeeping conundrum. Lehmann on the other hand was another exceptional keeper with loads of experience.Based on his experience, Lehmann gets the vote here. But I expect to be proven wrong in the next 2-3 years.Not now though.

Defenders

Invincibles: Lauren Campbell Toure Cole

Current: Sagna Koscielny Vermaelan Clichy

The Invincibles had a defence which was solid as a rock and which conceded the least number of goals during the 2003-04 season. The current defence is hugely criticized for its lack of leadership and defending at set-pieces. The only present Arsenal player that I’d chose is Sagna over Lauren. Sagna is Arsenal’s unsung hero and would just edge Lauren.

Midfielders

Invincibles: Ljungberg Gilberto Viera Pires

Current: Wilshere Song Fabregas Nasri(Let’s just take him for simplicity)

Both of them are class. Viera’s fight and determination, Pires’ passing and close-control, Fabregas’ vision and one-touch passing and Nasri’s direct approach and ball control are all world-class.  The Invincibles had the best midfield at that time, we have ours at present.  I’ll chose Wilshere for Gilberto and Fabregas for Ljungberg(not a straight swap though!).

Strikers

Invincibles: Henry Bergamp

Current: van Persie Walcott

Henry and Bergamp had in them one of the world’s best striker partnership. Bergamp with his needle-like pass to Henry who obliged more often than not. Henry was the leading scorer during the campaign and was one major factor in the Invincibles’ achievements. Van Persie is obviously a very gifted player with one hell of a left foot. When he plays, there aren’t many better. But he’ll most likely spend more time on the sidelines than on the pitch. Walcott terrorizes defences with his blistering pace but he’s still not the finished product. His crossing is often frustrating but his finishing has been tremendous this season. Both Henry and Bergamp get the nod here.

So here’s how the combined team looks like:

                                                                                  Lehmann

                                              Sagna            Toure            Campbell            Cole

                                                                    Viera             Wilshere

                                                                   Fabregas           Pires

                                                                    Henry             Bergamp

Formation: 4-2-2-2

Manager- Arsene Wenger

So only 3 out of 11 could make it to the Invincibles team. The defence will only strengthen next year and don’t be surprised if it even becomes better.  I’m expecting a lot of disagreement on this one but bring it on.

(Picture courtesy of Chabbz, a regular here)

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