Jumping Cesc Fab - Re - Gas Gas Gas!
Arsenal 2 - 0 Juventus
1 - 0 Fabregas (40)
2 - 0 Henry (69)
Phew Wow! and for once I'd have to agree with what The Farmers Boys opined. An absolutely storming performance by Arsenal coupled with a truly uninspiring one from Juve meant that the two goal advantage sealed in tonight's first leg could not be argued with. There is simply no way to pick a Man Of The Match from the team - they all deserved it. There were those on top form in defence, midfield and attack and even the ones who did not play to the top of their capabilities - Hleb and Gilberto - just worked so damned hard for the team that their contributions cannot be overlooked.
Wenger said before the game that Vieira would find tonight too emotional and be overawed by the occasion. He wasn't. He was steamrollered by Fabregas. By the seventieth minute he looked shot to pieces and it came as no surprise that he received a booking which now rules him out of the second leg. As a final appearance at Highbury it will be one that Paddy will want to forget and also it looks as if Wenger was yet again spot on when it comes to shifting players on to pastures new.
Not that he will be alone in the stands in the Stadio Delle Alpi next Wednesday as he will be kept company by Camoranesi and Zebina who were both sent off for two yellow cards as Juve fell apart towards the end. Thuram was also lucky not to join them when he whipped Henry's leg away on the edge of the area just as Legend was about to regain his feet and shoot. The saving grace for Thuram was (a) a lenient referee and (b) Zambrotta coming in like an exocet to clear the ball after Thuram's little tug. Ordinarily I would not stoop to pure abuse but tonight I make an exception. Camoranesi is a complete twat. A bigger pillock you will not find this side of Christmas. His applause to the crowd on his slow trudge to the dressing room showed what an idiot he is and reminded me of Joe Worsley's reaction after being expelled from the field of play against Uruguay in the last Rugby World Cup. He learnt his lesson after a bollocking from Clive Woodward. Whether the Italian is so lucky remains to be seen. I would not like to hazard a guess as to what Capello said to him after the game but he deserves nothing less than the full on hairdryer treatment.
In what has been a difficult season for the club, the younger members of the team are growing in stature with every game. Fabregas once again lived up to the hype. For a mere whippersnapper he put two World Cup Winners to shame by outtackling, outrunning and outthinking them. And that is without mentioning the goal and the assist. Senderos was a colossus in defence - KT was outstanding as well. The discovery of the season though is surely Eboue at Right Back. If he continues to play as outstandingly as this, it is hard to see how Lauren will get back in the side as part of the defence. Perhaps he will be used on the right hand side of midfield which was his original position before Wenger converted him to full - back. The last time that I remember seeing any full back play with the gusto, bravery and tactical awareness as Eboue does, would be Stuart Pearce when he first signed for Nottingham Forest. Finally, Flamini may like to consider a permanent change of position, so comfortable does he look now at Left Back. Whilst there is little doubt that Ashley Cole will get back into the side when he is fit, perhaps it would not be the unmitigated disaster that it looked three months ago if he left the club in the summer.
Special mention must go to the patched up defence for equalling Milan's record for consecutive clean sheets in the tournament. Tonight's match was number seven without conceding a goal. The last team to put the ball in the Arsenal net in this years competition were Ajax. The way the back four are playing it would be interesting to see what odds are offered on them being the last full stop.
The older hands were superb as well. Henry chased and harried as if someone was going to shoot him if he stopped. And tonight was also a first for Robert Pires. It's the first time he has put in a tough tackle on someone who is roughly twice his size, won the ball cleanly and then set off on a forty yard run to set up Fabregas goal. A perenial favourite to be substituted after around an hour or so, it is a sign of the level of commitment he showed in the centre of midfield that Wenger let him stay on the pitch for the whole of the match without even considering replacing him.
Hard work still to be done in Turin next week but mix up the performances from tonight and both games against Real Madrid and By George, they may just do it.
Today's Tunes - a difficult choice dear reader / listener. Mentally shattered after the match, it is hard to find the energy to sift through the masses of live tracks, demos and sessions that I have collected. After the event, it's difficult to see why I was so nervous but suffice to say my the nails on one of my fingers have been completely bitten off. Ordinarily I don't post off of official releases but these two are exceptions. Taken from one of my favourite albums, Gorgeous, these two are by 808 State:
Moses (Ian McCulloch vocals)
Plan 9
What the heck - you can have a third one so long as you promise to go and buy the CD tomorrow.
Nimbus
PS John - the tension headache went after about twenty minutes. Not sure if that was the way the match was going or whether it was the third can of beer taking effect...
PPS Mrs Yogi came out with a classic tonight:
"I don't mind the football on telly but do they always have to have that annoying sound in the background?"
"Eh?"
"The shouting"
"What? You mean the crowd?"
"Yes"
1 - 0 Fabregas (40)
2 - 0 Henry (69)
Phew Wow! and for once I'd have to agree with what The Farmers Boys opined. An absolutely storming performance by Arsenal coupled with a truly uninspiring one from Juve meant that the two goal advantage sealed in tonight's first leg could not be argued with. There is simply no way to pick a Man Of The Match from the team - they all deserved it. There were those on top form in defence, midfield and attack and even the ones who did not play to the top of their capabilities - Hleb and Gilberto - just worked so damned hard for the team that their contributions cannot be overlooked.
Wenger said before the game that Vieira would find tonight too emotional and be overawed by the occasion. He wasn't. He was steamrollered by Fabregas. By the seventieth minute he looked shot to pieces and it came as no surprise that he received a booking which now rules him out of the second leg. As a final appearance at Highbury it will be one that Paddy will want to forget and also it looks as if Wenger was yet again spot on when it comes to shifting players on to pastures new.
Not that he will be alone in the stands in the Stadio Delle Alpi next Wednesday as he will be kept company by Camoranesi and Zebina who were both sent off for two yellow cards as Juve fell apart towards the end. Thuram was also lucky not to join them when he whipped Henry's leg away on the edge of the area just as Legend was about to regain his feet and shoot. The saving grace for Thuram was (a) a lenient referee and (b) Zambrotta coming in like an exocet to clear the ball after Thuram's little tug. Ordinarily I would not stoop to pure abuse but tonight I make an exception. Camoranesi is a complete twat. A bigger pillock you will not find this side of Christmas. His applause to the crowd on his slow trudge to the dressing room showed what an idiot he is and reminded me of Joe Worsley's reaction after being expelled from the field of play against Uruguay in the last Rugby World Cup. He learnt his lesson after a bollocking from Clive Woodward. Whether the Italian is so lucky remains to be seen. I would not like to hazard a guess as to what Capello said to him after the game but he deserves nothing less than the full on hairdryer treatment.
In what has been a difficult season for the club, the younger members of the team are growing in stature with every game. Fabregas once again lived up to the hype. For a mere whippersnapper he put two World Cup Winners to shame by outtackling, outrunning and outthinking them. And that is without mentioning the goal and the assist. Senderos was a colossus in defence - KT was outstanding as well. The discovery of the season though is surely Eboue at Right Back. If he continues to play as outstandingly as this, it is hard to see how Lauren will get back in the side as part of the defence. Perhaps he will be used on the right hand side of midfield which was his original position before Wenger converted him to full - back. The last time that I remember seeing any full back play with the gusto, bravery and tactical awareness as Eboue does, would be Stuart Pearce when he first signed for Nottingham Forest. Finally, Flamini may like to consider a permanent change of position, so comfortable does he look now at Left Back. Whilst there is little doubt that Ashley Cole will get back into the side when he is fit, perhaps it would not be the unmitigated disaster that it looked three months ago if he left the club in the summer.
Special mention must go to the patched up defence for equalling Milan's record for consecutive clean sheets in the tournament. Tonight's match was number seven without conceding a goal. The last team to put the ball in the Arsenal net in this years competition were Ajax. The way the back four are playing it would be interesting to see what odds are offered on them being the last full stop.
The older hands were superb as well. Henry chased and harried as if someone was going to shoot him if he stopped. And tonight was also a first for Robert Pires. It's the first time he has put in a tough tackle on someone who is roughly twice his size, won the ball cleanly and then set off on a forty yard run to set up Fabregas goal. A perenial favourite to be substituted after around an hour or so, it is a sign of the level of commitment he showed in the centre of midfield that Wenger let him stay on the pitch for the whole of the match without even considering replacing him.
Hard work still to be done in Turin next week but mix up the performances from tonight and both games against Real Madrid and By George, they may just do it.
Today's Tunes - a difficult choice dear reader / listener. Mentally shattered after the match, it is hard to find the energy to sift through the masses of live tracks, demos and sessions that I have collected. After the event, it's difficult to see why I was so nervous but suffice to say my the nails on one of my fingers have been completely bitten off. Ordinarily I don't post off of official releases but these two are exceptions. Taken from one of my favourite albums, Gorgeous, these two are by 808 State:
Moses (Ian McCulloch vocals)
Plan 9
What the heck - you can have a third one so long as you promise to go and buy the CD tomorrow.
Nimbus
PS John - the tension headache went after about twenty minutes. Not sure if that was the way the match was going or whether it was the third can of beer taking effect...
PPS Mrs Yogi came out with a classic tonight:
"I don't mind the football on telly but do they always have to have that annoying sound in the background?"
"Eh?"
"The shouting"
"What? You mean the crowd?"
"Yes"
posted by Yogi's Warrior at 10:22 pm
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