Henry & Campbell: Friends Turn Foes!

Arsenal v Barcelona is without doubt the biggest draw of the Champion’s League quarter finals, commencing later this month. Henry vs Campbell, Messi vs Clichy, Fabregas vs Xavi, Arshavin vs Puyol, Wenger vs Guardiola, and we can go on & on & on. Almost each position has a rivalry of its own. It’ll be a game of galactic proportions without a shadow of a doubt.

We @11G ( Do Follow Us on Twitter!) decided to commission a Poll in order to try & comprehend which of the aforementioned duels, will after all, be detrimental to the final outcome. Have your say RIGHT NOW:

Nasri Scores A Wonder Goal

“When the going gets tough, the tough gets going..”, and so we heard a long time back. The stakes couldn’t be higher when the Gunners squared up against a resilient Porto side in the decider for a place in the quarters of the Champion’s League, last evening. Trailing by a single goal, an away goal at that, from the first leg, and with home support to cheer them on, Arsenal were doing rather OK going into the match. But when our skipper Fabregas picked up an injury against Burnley at the weekend, there were suspicions on whether we could create enough for the likes of Bendtner to finish. Not forgetting the Dane’s conversion rate in front of the goal-mouth, the situation became all the more precarious. But the display which the Gunners belted out in front of another packed Emirates crowd is what reiterates our faith in Wenger’s ‘Young Guns’ time & again.

The final score read: Arsenal 5 – Porto 0, & we @11G celebrate the same right now..

Arsenal started rampantly & went ahead as early as the 9^th minute when Bendtner latched on a loose pounce from Porto’s custodian Helton. It was Arshavin who came with the initial shot from the left. This meant Porto now had all to do, which they were quick to react on. Both Hulk & Falcao tried their luck & harried our central pairing of Sol & Tomas. But that was that. Another round of Arsenal attacks courtesy a well taken shot from Diaby & another weaving run/shot from the Russian meant it was one-way traffic. The game was as good as over on the 25^th minute when yet another pin-point cross from Arshavin landed straight at Bendtner’s laces, & surely he couldn’t miss from 5 yards out. Arshavin then had the opportunity to rest the pieces when a cut-back from Nasri left him with an open net to shoot at. He narrowly missed the target their, very unlike him not to forget. Before the half time, further saves from Helton off Diaby, Nasri & Bendtner were indication enough that only one team was playing football.

Off went ref’s whistle for the 2’nd half & it was Porto who started brightly this time around. A snap shot from Falcao went straight to Almunia’s grasp & then came arguably the turning point of the match. Rodriguez leapt high to meet a header which was going in, until Nasri made a last ditch off-he-line clearance. From the attack that ensued, the Frenchman scored, which many believe, the goal of the season so far. He danced past three Porto players almost effortlessly & then planted a curvaceous strike straight into the top corner. A strike of beauty is a joy forever, aye!? The goal from Nasri was surely one, & will remain etched in our memories for times to come. The skeptical thoughts on whether he was good/fit enough to replace super Cesc as our playmaker, were undone right their. He came with his finest show in an Arsenal crest & will go long way to boost his confidence in what has been an injury plagued season thus far. We’ll need more such outings from him to cement our credentials in both the CL as well as the Premier League, especially now that the extent of Cesc’s injury is unknown.

To further compound Porto’s angst in what had been an evening to forget, Arshavin produced another assist, this time to Eboue. He wisely wrong footed the hapless Helton, to slot home Arsenal’s fourth. Another player who rose to the occasion, Andrey Arshavin showed glimpses of his stellar form from last season, as he ran riot on the left channel. Often played out-of-position as a central striker, he adjusted quickly to his old favourite left wing. We need more of the same from him in the weeks to come. But As Nasri & Arshavin were producing oozes of raw magic, one Niklas Bendtner completed his first senior hat-trick for the Gunners. Late on in the game, Eboue fell in the box off a rash tackle, & Niklas coolly finished what had been a mauling. Arsenal won the tie leg 5 – 0  & the leg 6 -2. After missing half a dozen at the weekend against Burnley, Bendtner backed words with action. With the supply line we have at Arsenal, he should in fact be getting more. Better late than never you can say!

As Wenger said post match, we are now ready to face the best there is. So United, Chelsea, Barcelona or even Madrid, where ever you are, Beware! The Red Army marches on..

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The Titans Are Back!

Before I even begin with my piece tonight, let’s take a moment & delve into what’s in store for the Gunners over the next two weeks. Manchester United – Home. Chelsea – Away & Liverpool – Home. I have been following the game for some 8 & a half seasons now, and never before in my rather recent memory has any team faced such a daunting run-in of games. Not to forget the stalemate against Aston Villa two days back. By the end of it all, clarity will be restored as to whether they are fighting for the title for the first time in 5 seasons, or it’s back to ensuring a routine top-4 finish. Any which way, it’s gonna be a roller-coaster ride & We@11G are here to guide you through all this.

~So let’s get it started in here..~ <BEP anyone!?>

Let’s analyze the clash against United in detail first up..

Arsenal vs Manchester United

Over the past decade & more, if there has been one fixture in the league which has never failed to ignite passion amongst the die-hard’s & entice the neutrals with equanimity, then it has to be the ‘Gunners vs Red Devils’ showdown. We have seen Arsenal winning the title@OT in ’01, the 0 – 0 draw which saw Van Nistelrooy literally being hacked by the likes of Keown et al, Ruud van Nistelrooy & Co., in turn, destroy the Gunners at Highbury by a flattering score line of 4 – 2, Rooney’s dive which helped United kill Arsenal’s 49 game unbeaten run & the subsequent ‘Pizza-gate’ controversy, whose instigator, to this day remains, elusive! Sources claim it was Cesc who had the privilege to hurl ‘that’ slice of pizza@Sir Alex. Whoever he was, we say ‘Bravo’! Another game worth remembering was the one in which King Henry, with almost the last kick (in his case, head!) of the match, helped Arsenal register a famous victory against their old nemesis. And I can go on & on & on with this one..

Who'll Have The Last Laugh?

Getting back to present times, this fixture has become of paramount concern all over again. Despite Arsenal always remaining a top-4 team through the noughties, it would be foolish to suggest their duels over the past 4 seasons were anything but mere formalities in terms of the overall league table. Agreed the venom & the ferocity were never lost, but something was missing. That ‘something’ is back. Arsenal, like United, is very much in the thick of things as far as the title race is concerned. We were hugely unlucky to have not won, let alone drawn, the game at Old Trafford tie earlier this season. And that effort came without our talismatic captain Fabregas, who picked up an injury just ahead of the game. This time, another charismatic figure will fail to wear the famous ‘red & white’s’. You got it, I am referring to the Dutchman Robin van Persie. His absence, Eduardo’s unavailability, & Vela’s indifferent form, means Arsene will have to thrust the attacking role to the ‘just-arrived’ Bendtner. Again, a physical presence that he is, his technical abilities in tight spaces has much room for improvement.

In the mid-field, despite Rosicky & Nasri’s presence, their slowly getting back to full-flight means, the play-making role will mainly be shouldered on Fabregas. Song & Eboue are back from their respective duties away in the African Cup of Nations, & the former can expect a start in this much-awaited encounter. Theo Walcott makes an interesting case for himself, despite his precarious talent, he has yet not realized his full potential. Something the Professor will have to think about. But let’s not underestimate him, because he has in him to surprise on the big stage. So keeping the fingers crossed with that one.

And finally our defence. We all know how much of Arsenal’s title credentials this term has to do with the dominant pairing of Gallas & Vermaelen right at the back. They have been omni-present & very sound in sorting out our defensive vows. Not since Sol left the club, could we boast of having a tight backline. And how things turn, surely there’s someone writing the script for each one of us. While Vermaelen picked a slight niggle againt Villa, it’s ‘the’ Sol Campbell who is tipped to replace him in his second Arsenal homecoming. His duel with the current hot-shot Wayne Rooney, will be one to watch out for. They have a history between them, & it would make for a telling story if Campbell can out-smart his former English team-mate. Wenger reckons he will be up for the challenge but his team-mates will have to rise to the occasion alongside the veteran. None more than the ‘Russian Assassin’ in Arshavin. United faithful would remember his thunderbolt early this season, & ask anyone who hails from the Kop, they’ll bloody remember him alright! This man has the aura about him to do the unthinkable, come with the unimagined & en route leave the goal-keeper with no option but to pick the ball from his own net.

If Andrey & Cesc have a  solid game, & likes of Song, Diaby or Denilson can do their duties well, given Arsenal’s home advantage, one should expect the Gunners to knick this one by a goal or two.

Arsenal 2 – Manchester United 1

C’mon You Arsenal, Do Us Proud. Go Gunners. Whoop Whoop..

The Assassin Is On A Prowl. Beware.

Read On:

What If..AW Out, SAF In!?

What If..Rooney Had Not Dived??

AW & SAF – From Rivalry To Chivalry..

It's Arsenal..It's United..It's 3D!

This coming Sunday, the battle lines will be clearly ear-marked as the Gunners face the ‘Red Dolls’ on their own turf i.e. the Emirates. Unlike the last few seasons, when the fixture was of not much consequence, it will be this time, if bare statistics are to be kept in mind. Points or otherwise, this rivalry has been the cream of the lot, right through the noughties, & it shall be no different in two days time. 11G looks forward to the ‘big one’ with the latest filtering in..

The times that we live in,  even the street dogs these days know how big a rage has the James Cameron megalith, Avatar, become. The spectacle that it was, experiencing it in 3D was quiet literally an ‘out-of-the-world‘ experience. Keeping that in mind, just imagine what it would be like for us ‘football-fed & bred fans‘, to see the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Andrey Arshavin & Wayne Rooney, come up with those pile-drivers time & again in real-time 3D. Wow, is all that comes to mind.

It’s official folks, for the very first time ever, a football match, any football match for that matter, from any part of the world, would be telecast Live across 9 centres (read: pubs) in UK, in 3D. This is an initiative by BSkyB, a prominent satellite brodcaster, ahead of it’s full-time 3D channel launch this coming April. No better occasion to do a pilot than a ‘Arsenal vs Manchster United‘ showdown. Can’t wait to lay my eyes on one of those sometime soon. Till then, an Avatar re-run can fill in!

Getting serious again, the game also marks the re-igniting of a rather famous all-English rivalry, in the form of Sol Campbell & Wayne Rooney. No one has forgotten the unethical dive Rooney won a penalty from, against the Gunners way back in ‘04, ending their 49 game unbeaten run. Campbell was at the receiving end back then, & those two have been at each other ever since. Although it’s circa ‘10 now, whilst Rooney is at the top of his searing best, having already bolted 20+ goals this term, Sol on the other hand, is slowly easing into his second Arsenal homecoming. After two decent displays against Stoke & Aston Villa, he looks good enough for a start & thus make his 200th league appearance for the Gunners. Injury to Vermaelen might just force Wenger to do that you know. And if that were to happen, it would be his 3rd straight outing in just over a week, something the Professor was quiet apprehensive about in some of the pre-match scribbles that came by. Realistically speaking, it would be Gallas marking the top man, with Sol given charge of the likes of Berba, Giggsy, et al. But you’d bet old-Sol to come to the fore & take command if things go haywire. We know what he is made of alright. Either way you look at it, it will be an intriguing battle, one that might jus live up to the billing ala ‘04.

'That' Dive..

It’s not just Sol who is bothering Arsene at the moment, the likes of Eduardo & Vermaelen, are both out of this important fixture. Just not what the doctor ordered, but that’s how Arsenal’s season has been thus far. They have bounced back each time, defying the skeptics, no point why they won’t in this one. Sol is tipped to replace the ‘Verminator’, whereas Bendtner should cover up for Eduardo. Both Nasri & Rosicky have been injury-starved all season, & despite their availibility, one would be a fool to expect miracles from them. So like most games this term, the onus to lead the line falls on the ‘out-of-position‘ shoulders of Arshavin & Fabregas. Let’s not forget, Fabregas missed the last encounter against United way back in August, he would be raring for this one. We surely are. And I bet, even the Navi’ (from Pandora) would be keeping a tab on this one, after all it’s 3D & it’s as big as the Premiership gets!

“This Weekend, The Red Dolls Will Bleed In Red. C’mon You Arsenal, Gun Them Down. In Arsene We Trust..”

Arsha Silences The Kop: Part II

Two weeks ago Arsenal were 11 points behind Chelsea, 6 behind United, and written off by many pundits and fans who had lost patience. In these two weeks the leaders have lost the ‘Moneybags Derby‘ and drawn at home to Everton. Villa have taken three points at Old Trafford. Suddenly, everyone who had written us off is scrambling to save face.

Desi Gunner, one of the most authentic & insightful blogs on Arsenal, takes time out for 11Gunners in this Exclusive. Enjoy!

One important aspect that most people, especially pundits, tend to forget is the game in hand. I thought that given the tight nature of the league this year and our points disadvantage due to having played a game less, it would be interesting to look at the premier league table in a different light.

The following table focuses on the matches drawn, lost and points dropped. This gives a different perspective to the gap between the teams and shows how close the teams really are. I have taken only the top 7 teams as they cover a broad enough range and are generally believed to be competing for the top spots.

Legend: M – Matches; D – Draws; L – Losses; H – Home; A – Away; PD – Points Dropped; T – Total; GD – Goal Difference; %PD – PD as Percentage of Total Points Available; D+L/M – % Games Where Points Were Dropped; PT – Predicted Tally (Based on Same Form)

All columns are quite intuitive except perhaps %PD and D+L/M. %PD is the percentage of points a team has dropped. Arsenal have dropped 14 points out of a total of 45 (15*3), which is just over 30 per cent. The second last column (D+L/M) shows the percentage of games where a team drops points. Chelsea have 25 percent meaning they either draw or lose once every 4 games. Arsenal, on the other hand, fail to win once every 3 games.

Some people believe that Chelsea are clear leaders. Can any team that drops points every fourth game be ‘Invincible‘? However, we can see their dominance from the fact that if the Blues can maintain similar stats till the end of the season, and drop only 23 percent of total points available, they will reach close to 88 points, which would be an achievement and most likely win them the league.

In this regard Arsenal need to make an improvement as we would only reach 79 points based on our present record. United would be around the 81 point mark. Of course, these percentages can change drastically with a couple of losses or a run of wins.

It’s interesting to note that teams from fourth onwards have a D+L/M value of 50 percent or more. In other words, these teams fail to win one in two games or worse. Villa, who have defeated United and Chelsea, have only managed to win half their matches. Citeh, after spending hundreds of millions, are only winning 40 percent of their games. This is the best reflection of how tight the league is this year.

It’s not difficult to understand why Arsene believes that top teams will drop more points this year. Consider our league position with this perspective and there is enough reason to have faith in Wenger and his young squad. We just need a little more consistency.

The 'Double' Is On..

The season is 19 games old now and we have suffered two defeats thus far. Both coming in the space of a week@Manchester. Only God knows how we deserved to win them hands down given the way we played. But no point sulking now, those two teams su#k and we don’t give a damn about them anymore. What we do give a damn about is the way we have played and dominated the opposition this term. ‘Goals, Goals and more Goals‘, has been our mantra and boy have we flourished doing that or what!?

Star strikers Van Persie and Arshavin believe that this shall be Arsenal’s season and no one can stop us ‘Doing The Double‘ come May. We@11Gunners salute men of such reverence and fully agree to their thoughts..

The Dutchman was a little apprehensive when he agreed that trophies have been something, he has seen a very less of in his time with Arsenal. ‘Just Two’ as he put it. This is what he said:

“So far I have only won two trophies at Arsenal – the FA Cup and the Community Shield. That’s not enough and I would hate to finish my career having won only those here.”

“I desperately want to win the Premier League and the Champions League with Arsenal and I truly believe that’s possible.”

He also took a moment to appreciate his teammates and how much he loves playin football the ‘Wenger Way’. He added:

“I get the chance to play with the likes of Fabregas, Arshavin, Eduardo, Walcott, Nasri and Rosicky – great players who play a beautiful game. “Then I watch some teams on TV and think: ‘Oh my God, this is so ugly!”

“That helps me realise how special it is to be at a club like this. I want to win it all with Arsenal.”

Arshavin too, agreed to the above in equanimity. He heaped praise to the brand of football Arsene believes in and fully backed his Manager’s foresight. He said:

“Arsene is extremely revered at the club, and deservedly so. After all, with Arsenal he has won everything in recent history.”

“There was a time when they were always winning. Maybe this time will come again. Suddenly this season, something could change. I hope this season will be better, but it has just begun. There is no order (from the board) telling us what they expect from us. We all understand well that the task we always face is to win.”

“I feel more than ever that a Double can be achieved with this Arsenal squad we have. Champion’s League and Premier League are the biggest draws and we have it in us to win them both this season. As long as we believe in ourselves, we remain in contention for both.”

Well he can’t be more right. Actually both Robin & Arsha put the words straight and highlighted why this Arsenal team is ‘Special’. We have started the season on fire and are already through to the next round in the Champion’s League. In the League too, we are 5 adrift of the leaders Chelsea, but have a game in hand. Glory beckons..