"Fab"ulous

Emirates was taken for a joyride last night as Arsenal demolished AZ Alkmaar 4-1 to leave their progress to next stage as nothing but a formality. It was an Arshavin’s show and it was a role reversal of sorts. This time Fab was the scorer and Arsha was the provider for a change. Arsenal finally managed to come out of Ronald Koeman’s hoodoo and defeated a side managed by him for the 1^st time.

An 11Gunners reaction of the match..

Last time when we played them, it was saddening if not a disappointing performance. We squandered a 1 nil advantage away from home. It was down to the inexperience in our side and it initiated a short blip in our campaign. We went on to drop points in premiership as well in a similar fashion but normalcy have been restored since North London Derby.

Samir is back!!!

It was Fabregas who kick-started the party @Emirates. He shot the goal from the edge of penalty area in 24th minute. After this it was an Arsha show completely, though he never made it on the score sheet. (but we all know that in an Arsenal team an assist is valued more than a goal.) He fed Nasri down the middle just before half time and it was 2 nil to Arsenal. Nasri is still not match fit after the injury he sustained in the pre season but such is the quality of the Frenchman that it does make a difference in any case. Another example of Wenger’s shopping skills.

There was no respite for the Dutch side in the 2^nd half and Arsenal welcomed them back with a goal from the skipper himself, Francesc Fabregas. Though, it was a continuation of Arsha’s show. The Russian does sleep walk through some inconsequential games but when in mood, he sends shivers down the opposition. He sprinted towards the penalty area before unleashing the Spaniard. Meanwhile Almunia came up with a superb save to deny AZ. Is he our no.1 for the season or we are in for a round of musical chairs for the keeper’s slot.

Wenger decided to replace Fabregas and Van Persie with Ramsey and Eduardo, respectively, with 24 minutes still to go. Eduardo made an impact when he released Arsha through a clever back heel who served it on a platter for Diaby to make it 4-nil at 72 minutes. Thus Arsha show continued and he was involved in 3 goals out of 4. This is the kind of impact the Russian is capable to make and kudos to Wenger who saw it when he brought him in last January.

After all the good work, we could not manage to keep a clean sheet yet again. AZ scored a consolation goal late in the match and it left a bad taste in the mouth. We need to bring in some reinforcements in the defensive part of the pitch so that a clean sheet becomes a regular feature for us. Wenger was pleased after the match. And when asked about the reinforcements, he said that:

“As many on the creative side? Certainly not. We had still Nicklas Bendtner and Theo Walcott who are offensive players who are not available. Denilson, Eduardo, Rosicky did not start, that is why I was amazed when people said ‘buy, buy, buy.’ And Vela as well, I forgot him.”

We can’t agree more Mr. Wenger but what about defence. We are doing well this season and it is more than 1 reason to make us better defensively during January window.

“We are consistent,” the Frenchman added. “This season we look like we’re getting stronger and stronger in each game. It’s important to keep that attitude to progress, improve and play for each other more. Then we are allowed to believe in our future. “We have quality and I believe in this team but it will be down to us to grow and be consistent.”

Fabregas shares our view that good times are set to roll and there is more to come from this side. He said:

“It’s just the beginning of the season, nothing is done, we want to keep going until the end,” Fabregas said.

“I’ll feel it is something special when we win something. We want to win and if we win something at the end we will say we had a good year. We can still do better so we’ll try to improve in the next few games.”

V for Victory...

When asked about Arsha’s impact on the game, Wenger said:

“He was outstanding, “he gave the ball every time a fraction of the second you wanted him to give it and that is top, top quality.

“Our policy is to produce our own and add players of special quality and Arshavin and Tomas Vermaelen are good examples of that. I am not scared to spend money but what we want is to buy the players who have the needed quality to strengthen the team. We have only players here who can play and pass the ball and score – not only goalscorers but also decisive passers of the ball and he (Arshavin) has shown that against AZ.”

He added that:

“It was a brilliant performance because we dominated our subjects technically, tactically and overall were never under threat. Overall I’m very happy.”

All in all a satisfying performance but defensive frailties exist and we need to address that in January. Keep Gunning for now..

The injury list keeps mounting

Three games into the Champions League Group stages and we are optimistically looking at the knockout stages of the Champions League. And in a home game against AZ Alkmaar, we like to do nothing but to seal it. However thwarting us in our attempts is the latest news that Gael Clichy has succumbed to a back injury and could be sidelined for several weeks to come. Looking at our form this season at home, with or without Clichy, we shall book a place in the round of 16  tomorrow. Though Alkmaar proved themselves to be a tough side to beat eventually stealing a point, one wonders if they have enough to challenge us at our own turf.

11Gunners looks at tomorrow’s game and what Clichy’s injury means in the longer run..

Clichy’s injury proves to be a blessing in disguise for young Kieran Gibbs who will have to hold the mantle of the coveted left back position. While he has shown to be capable enough with his pace and alacrity, pressure situations have tested him thoroughly though he has still to pass that test. Gibbs is expecting a call from the English national squad so there can be no better way of proving on the big stage.

Also, Niklas Bendtner who limped off in the first half of the North London derby will be atleast out for 4 weeks. Rosicky and Walcott contiune to be absentees. Even without these warriors, we seem to have enough firepower to dispel Alkmaar for whom it hasn’t exactly been a pretty season, either domestically or in Europe.

But under the tutelage of Ronald Koeman, the Dutch brigade know that any chances of progress requires a positive result tomorrow. So there is no scope of complacency as far as the Gunners are concerned. But with a perfectionist like Wenger in charge, one feels the hunger in this team will be never ending.

Match Prediction

Arsenal 3-0 AZ Alkmaar

Yes on paper or even otheriwse we have too much quality for the dutch side. If we get our flowing game kickstarted, the 3 I have predicted could easily go upto 5 or a number that will haunt Koeman and his boys for a time to come.

All prepared to get blown away as the Gunners welcome Alkmaar to the Emirates!!

We can understand the frustration

We were seconds close to recording our 8th consecutive victory in all competitions but we were denied. In the larger scheme of things, this draw doesn’t appear to be much of a setback but being so close to a victory on the night, it was a disappointment nevertheless. Alkmaar have been a club in distress in the recent past and the last gasp equaliser will boost their confidence for their future endeavours.

11 Gunners reviews the Gunners visit to Alkmaar…

Quite expectedly Arsenal were firm favourites ahead of this one but Champions League away games always come with challenges. Alkmaar seem to be surrounded by a host of financial difficulties but that did nothing to dampen the spirits of the home fans who turned out in large numbers and in full support of the club. Football is not just a sport after all, its a legion of faith for the fans.

However competing against an upbeat Arsenal was always going to be difficult for the home side. Arsenal settled into their groove despite Alkmaar’s valiant efforts. Diaby’s cross found Persie in the eighth minute but the Dutchman’s effort didnt trouble the Alkmaar keeper. Alkmaar tried to fashion something in the 25th minute but were found wanting at the other end but fortunately for them, Arshavin’s shot drifted to the roof of the net.

But the Russian made amends for that by setting up our first goal of the night as he released Van Persie whose pass only required to be tapped in, something that Fabregas did without much fuss, you believe. Alkmaar’s misery was almost compounded by Van Persie but his thunderous effort was palmed away by the goalkeeper.

Van Persie seemed in ominous mood in his own country as he came close from a free kick early in the second half. Alkmaar rallied but Arsenal seemed equipped enough to hold them. Infact the game could have been laid to rest by Arshavin late but fate had other plans. Alkmaar were to be rewarded for their perseverance. Mendes de Silva slotted home a volley that was nodded down after a free kick in the last minute. A momentary lapse of concentration snatched away full points from us.

However it seemed to be a bad day for all big guns. Liverpool are in troubled waters after a 2-1 home defeat to Lyon. Shock of the season was Barcelona losing out to rank outsiders Rubin Kazhan. As for us, we lead our group by a solitary point and in all probability we should carry ourselves through to the next round comfortably.

Will It Be 7 All Over Again!?

Its time to ‘Go Dutch‘, its time we pay visit to AZ Alkmaar, ‘that‘ club in our Group H list of fixtures. 2 losses and a draw places them at the bottom of the heap going into this one but lets not forget they still boast an impressive record of just one home defeat in 34 European ties. Ahh, we were kidding ofcourse! Ronald Koeman is by far the most recognised face in their line-up, and its a shame won’t ever breach the touchline over the 90 minutes!

An 11Gunners preview of Arsenal’s trip to The O.C., the ‘Orange County‘..

TEAM NEWS

Arsenal

Gael Clichy is back to full fitness after missing the game at the weekend.

Samir Nasri (broken leg) and goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski (knee) continue their rehabilitation with the reserves.

Nicklas Bendtner and Eduardo (both groin), Denilson (back) and centre-half Johan Djourou (knee) remain sidelined.

AZ Alkmaar

Koeman has at least one advantage over Wenger going into this match, in so far as AZ have no injury worries at the moment.

Probable Starting Line-Up For Arsenal (4-2-3-1)

Almunia

Sagna-Gallas-Vermaelen-Clichy

Song-Diaby

Eboue-Fabregas-Arshavin

Van Persie

Quotable Quotes

AW

“If we score goals, it is because we have the ball. To have the ball, you need to defend.

That is why I believe we have a good team ethic, a good working attitude together.

We all play on the same wavelength, which is why everybody scores.”

Ronald Koeman

“We know Arsenal are very good and we know what we have to do.

I saw their game against Blackburn and they could have scored 15 times! On the other hand, Blackburn had four excellent chances and scored twice. Arsenal, therefore, have defects.

We must take the initiative, dominate possession and take the chances that come our way.”

Men To Watch

Robin van Persie returns to his homeland in fine form. The Dutch striker has scored in each of Arsenal’s last four matches – and three of the goals were superb clinical finishes. He would love to add to his tally and no better place to do so than his motherland. Carlos Vela too, might get some action late on, and it would be interesting to see what he has to offer to this already goal-greedy Arsenal line-up this season. They have alreasy amassed 27 goals in 8 league outings this term, expect the fireworks to continue.

PREDICTION

Arsenal 4 AZ Alkmaar 0

Looks fair enough to me. I’m sure Van ‘the man’ and Cescy babes will do the honours later tonight. Let the action commence then..