» The Gooner World

The word 'fan' comes from 'fanatic', I guess you know that. Defition of 'fanatic' according to the Oxford Dictionary:

Noun: informal a person with an obsessive enthusiasm for a pastime or hobby.
Adjective: filled with or expressing excessive zeal.

And when even some fans were writing us off, Arsenal do it again. I am not referring to the pundits, because we already know they are cunts. I am referring to the bunch of glory hunters who were not expecting us to win. If you do not expect your team to win, so do you really think you are a true fan? If you say you love Arsenal but do not have faith on your very own club, so, I am sorry, there is something wrong with you. True fans, no matter what, when and where, we are always singing our hearts out, doing what we are supposed to do.

It seems we like to play when we are considered the underdogs. I said before: that was just the most perfect time to prove ourselves, to show the whole world we are able to achieve big things. Captain Fabregas was probably keen on making history by beating the leaders at their very own turf, and he did it. After two humilliating losses, we emerged from the ashes. Yes, I feel like Arsenal are like a phoenix, beucase, in fact, we were dead after those two losses and, most importantly, after the incidents regarding the friendship of the group. And then Wenger appoints a boy as captain, and when we were praying for him to shoulder the pressure, he responds by beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

I woke up feeling a bit strange today. I did not eat my breakfast, I did not eat my lunch. I did not feel hungry, I did not even chat with my rommie: I was fully focussed, concentrated. I decided to leave home early so I could go walking to the Bridge, as I already live in Chelsea (believe me). As I arrived at the stadium, I felt very well because I knew I was not the only one believing in our team. I was surrounded by some exemplar Gooners who, even after the own-goal kept singing their hearts out and backing the lads. Now, being a bit unbiased, we looked very poor during the first 45 minutes. We lacked a playmaker, someone who could link the midfield with the attack. Song and Fabregas were fully committed to defending, and that made Denilson and Nasri our two options, but they are not player like Hleb, who is gifted with superb ball control and great vision. We missed someone with this function today. Denilson had a deplorable perfomance today, both defesively and offensively. He was not effective in the back and nor upfront as he had good chances to kill the game with long shots and he just messed they up.

The second-half begun and Chelsea were again superior. They were outplaying us and despite of the fac that the heat of the game did not let me think properly, I realised something should be done quickly. And then, something did change: the spirit of the players. I will not be able to explain what happened, but suddenly they looked more confident and that made them feel more comfortable on the pitch. And then, thanks to a rare chance upfront, Adebayor found an offside van Persie, who broke into the box and fired to the net. 1-1. But then, the game was not drawn. We were excited, we were not looking afraid as we did during the first-half. And then, when we regained our winning spirit, the spirit every single Gunner must have, van Persie dominated the ball with his chest, turned his body around and scored, courtesy of a fantastic finish. What a comeback. Then, sorry, I can not go any further as I went crazy. I turned to the Chelsea fans, said some bad words I can not say here, and then waited for the final whistle. One thing I would like to highlight: again, like we did against United, we defended very well the result. The Tottenham drawn is totally behind us and the team is more mature, that is clear.

Adebayor is really fabulous, is not he? He had an immense contribution on both goals. Robin van Persie. Wow. He may be arrogant, but who cares as long as he keeps scoring such decisive goals? Our captain, oh, Fabregas, what an exemplar committed player. He was a fighter, essential in the midfield, marking, blocking, shouting, creating. I am proud of him. Clichy had finally a decent game, a solid perfomance with good runs that created some problems to Chelsea. Anyway, today is not a good day to judge anyone as even Bendtner was crucial when he came on. He was mature enough to win some important balls and break the high tempo of the game thanks to his strenght and pace. To sum up: we played like a team. Every single player was crucial and they do deserve to be praised as they went to the Bridge shouldering a hell of pressure and managed to beat the favourites to win the title.

This is the kind of game in which you discover many things. I am completely sure that, from now on, we will be the Arsenal. I opted not to leave the Bridge early so I could enjoy the image of the players hugging themselves, celebrating, feeling happy with each other. Our lack of consistency was down to the lack of self-belief. The Man United game was at our very own turf, but now we defeated Chelsea at their own fortress, place that they were unbeaten for three years until they hosted Liverpool.

Now things will be different, believe me. We not only regained our morale, but we did regain our respect. So, our opponents should better fear us as the good old Arsenal are back.

It is very, very wasy to support a team when it is winning, playing beautiful football and topping the table. True fans are recognised the worst the situation is. Think about that. You are the next, Liverpool. Arsenal forever.

Seriously, I do not know what is going on at North London.

Gallas may have crossed a few lines, but the real problem lay on Arsenal itself. The whole team is making noise when it is still not necessary. We have been pointing at ourselves, blaming anyone as soon as we drop some points. Is it really necessary to come up to the press and make our very own problems public? Why did not Liverpool did the same thing last year, when they had a very poor start of season? Even the Chelsea of Avram Grant had a few disappointing results during the first semester, but at the end of the day they almost stole the trophy from Man United.

It is not the end of the world not to be amongst the big four. It is not the end of the world not to qualify for the Champions League. Everything we fans want is to see our lads playing with pride, honour, commitment and ambitions. I reiterate: I do not mind whether we lose or win, everything I want is the Gunners to fight until the very last second, to show they really care about the club. Should we lose, I want them to say: 'we gave our best', then everything is fine.

But unfortunately that is not happening. I remember the way I felt as soon as Jenas scored the equaliser at the Emirates. It was not angry, not even disgrace. I was feeling sorry for the club I love. I felt disappointed, devastated, because I thought the lads deserved to win and everything went against him. That was a pity. But apart from that, things are different. I can not remember when was the last time our players looked clearly sad on the pitch. And that is the thing to blame.

Now that our season is ALMOST back on track, It's time to worry and look at our old problems again which can be decisive for our season and matches to come. 
We played 4-5-1 against United, and had two defensive midfielders in the form of Denilson and Diaby, with Cesc in the attacking role, and so our midfield covered up a lot of ground. 
But with the impressive form of Vela, or the return of Persie and Ade, we have to revert back to the traditional 4-4-2 Arsenal line up, and things in the center of the park are certainly not good for Arsenal in that formation because in the 4-4-2 we just have one player to partner Cesc in the middle of the park, and who is that one player? I have no clue. I am sure the gooners don't either.Is it Song? Is it Denilson? or is it the impressive Diaby? 
Wenger in a recent article stated that he has Song and Denilson for that role and did not mention Diaby's name, which was a big disappointment for gooners, me in particular, because Diaby's rating would always be higher as compared to our other options.
The center of the park has been a big problem for us since Flamini's departure. 
It's november, we still don't have a proper partner for Cesc, and we surely need someone here or we are in for some serious trouble. 
Lets look at our options.

Denilson

partner Cesc. Despite a few good assists and goals, he could not live up to the hype and was sloppy a lot of times. 
As the season went on, Denilson got more opportunities and he wasn't as good as expected, He lost the ball at times, mis placed a lot of important passes and his attacking traits made Cesc stay back. 
Now Arsene claims that Denilson has had a "fantastic" season in the middle of the park but a few gooners think differently and feel that Denilson is not the right option for Cesc. He has been effective at times and very costly at times as well.

Now option no 2.

ALEX SONG

The cameroon international had a fantastic African Cup of nations. He was one of the best cameroon players, and was also included in the "African Cup of nation best 11".
Alex Song was also one of Arsenal's best players in the carling cup last season with very impressive performances in the defense. A lot of hype was around Song as well after his return to the team. Alex Song impressed late into the 07-08 season when he put up impressive performances against the likes of United and looked assured but since the start of 08-09 season, He hasn't looked like the same player we saw in the Carling Cup and the African cup of nations though. He has been given time on the pitch and hasn't been much effective. At times he's very solid with his tackles, but at times he's out of sorts, and sleeping on the pitch. Wenger says Song has a great future, but in all fairness he hasn't been a flashy player up till now, and this is definitely not the time where we actually "test" different players? , We need someone who can assure Cesc of doing the dirty work behind him which would lead to Cesc getting more offensive. And some Gooners think that man is not Alex Song and cannot be Alex Song. 

Then comes option 3 (the favorite).

Abou Diaby

Abou Diaby, often known as the next Patrick Vieira is the favorite among the options for the gooners. Abou Diaby was always destined for the CDM role but was forced to play at different positions, notably LW due to Flamini's emergence. 
Injuries and other problems led to Diaby getting less opportunities and gave him a less chance to prove himself. Before the season, everyone was assured that Diaby will be the man to partner Cesc if Wenger does not sign a new midfielder, but his injuries costed him the opportunity. 
Diaby returned for the first time this season in the game against West Ham and immediately caused impact creating a good assist for Walcott with less time to show his qualities. Then, Wenger started Diaby in the starting line up against Fenerbache and Diaby was definitely the MOM. Diaby was all over the place, let it be his tackles, long legged skills, or holding up the ball, he was just amazing. He scored a pretty decent goal himself and his work rate was very impressive. Just what was the missing part of the puzzle as per that one performance. Diaby's confidence was high, and then Diaby got his start in the league against United, and Diaby was once again very impressive. His work rate in the game was very good, and he looked very confident going against the likes of Rooney, Ronaldo and Carrick. But we still don't know how consistent Diaby is, it's just 2 games where he has impressed after his return, and he is an injury prone player. And from what i've seen in Wenger's recent articles, I've come up to the conclusion that Wenger is more into playing Denilson and Song in the CDM position and Diaby in more advanced positions. Though in my opinion, Diaby is the best possible option. 


That sums up our BEST POSSIBLE options for the CDM role, which can be decisive for our season, who in your opinion is our best option?
Has the little brazillian lived upto his hype?
Is the cameroonian international worth a start?
or is the next paddy the man to cause the impact?

And the kids do it again. They gave Wigan a proper football lesson on how to pass, finish, build up moves, even tackle. Wigan put up a full strength side (bar Heskey who was injured), so it was Premiership opposition.

1st half
Wigan started off 4-3-3, clearly looking for a win. Aggressive line-up & formation, but they didn’t put enough bodies in the box. Zaki was well handled by Djourou on the few occasions that Wigan looked threatening and Song had a solid game too.

In the first half, Ramsey & Randall gave the ball away too easily under no pressure and that was hugely disappointing. I was hoping that complacency wouldn’t hurt these kids, and that a 6-0 win in the earlier game didn’t have them thinking that this one would be any easier. Randall had a mixed game. He gave the ball away on quite a few occasions but also put in some tough tackles and distributed the ball well.

There was also too much space down the left which Wigan looked to constantly exploit. Kieran Gibbs was caught of position too often but it wasn’t only his fault. He got no defensive support from Merida, or either of the mid fielders in Ramsey & Randall and had a lot of area to cover as a result. Obviously he found himself out of position.

Kirkland made 4 top quality saves in the first half in the usual routine of keepers having a blinder against Arsenal. Merida played a beautiful through ball to Vela down the left who only had Kirkland to beat. Vela tried to round Kirkland, but it was saved well, then Vela took too much time off the rebound, and didn’t take a shot when he could have. The ball went out to Simpson on the right, who only took one touch before loosening off a shot, which went off the crossbar. Good effort.

The next chance came when a quality ball was played by Vela to Gibbs who had made a good run down the left. Gibbs took a shot, instead of passing to Simpson who was clear in the box, but it was a good save from Kirkland who made himself big.

There was a free kick taken by Ramsey taken fromm about 30 yards which was going into the top right corner, but it was tipped wide by Kirkland.

A beautiful curler from Vela which was going into the top left corner was saved by Kirkland, again. Kirkland looked in pain, and it looked his back was bothering him, but that didn’t affect his performance.

Then came the goal. The ball was held well by Wilshere in between 2 Wigan mid fielders, sucked in the 2 central defenders as well, while taking his time before playing a beautiful through ball down the middle in open space. That left only the Wigan full backs to deal with the ball, but both Vela and Simpson had made runs, Simpson getting to the ball and finished excellently with his 1st touch. Deserved lead for Arsenal.

Defensively, there were a few moments of concern. Fabianski looked good, I like his aggressive side, he always looks to come off his line and command the box. His judgment was suspect a couple of time, but I like his attitude and his judgment will improve with time. He has the potential to be much better than Almunia (and I’m a fan of Almunia, so…..:)

Wigan didn’t defend their corners very convincingly and didn’t clear the lines very well. If Arsenal had a stronger physical presence, they could have made Wigan pay more heavily in the 1st half from set pieces.

2nd half
Wigan started off the 2nd half with more purpose and determination. They attacked the ball, harried Arsenal in possession and looked a lot more lively. Song was casual in possession and had the ball taken away near the box which was bad, but he made up for it later with a crunching tackle to win the ball.

Then came the turning point of the game. There was a throw in and the ball was flighted into the Arsenal box. Djourou jumped and attempted to head the ball away, but for some bizarre reason, stuck out his hand. The ref didn’t see that and Arsenal were very lucky to get away with it. A penalty at this stage could have changed the whole complexion of the game.

Ramsey then found himself with the ball, but 4 defenders crowded him giving him no space. None of them tackled him, so Ramsey took his time, waited for Gibbs to make his run down the left and played an excellent through ball. Gibbs' effort was saved well again by Kirkland.

Wigan had a corner which was punched out by Fabianksi, Ramsey played the ball long to Vela, who made a fantastic run down the left and Arsenal were on the counter attack. Vela waited for the keeper to commit, and passed the ball right to Simpson who calmly slots the ball into the net with a defender on the line. Superb counter attacking move, reminiscent of the invincibles ! 2-0.

Djourou then played a good ball to Vela down the middle, with Bramble harrying him, but Vela beat him to the ball and chipped Kirkland from the edge of the box – goal no.3 ! Arsenal had this match well sewn up.

Wigan’s body language had dropped soon after Arsenal’s 3rd and didn’t threaten much. Time for a few substitutions – Lansbury and Bischoff came on for Wilshere (candidate for man of the match) and Simpson (who had a very good game). There was too little time for Bischoff to make an impression, although Lansbury had a couple of good runs down the right.

There was another brilliant move in store for Arsenal, with Merida getting the ball down the left, and lobbing the ball in for an excellent Vela run. His first touch was just slightly heavy which made it easier for Kirkland to make the save. But another excellent effort from the young gunners. Vela was to come off and he looked injured, he was replaced by Rui Fonte.

Late on, De Ridder (Wigan’s best payer of the night) went through 4 Arsenal defenders, with a magnificent run that deserved a goal. However, Fabianski saved well from De Ridders effort. The rebound fell to Zaki, who had an open goal but Fabianski recovered fabulously to tip the ball onto the underside of the bar which was then cleared by Djourou. Top notch save, and the best of the night to ensure that Arsenal kept a clean sheet and wrapped up a well deserved win.

Wilshere is a class act, the more I see of him, the more I am continually impressed. He held onto the ball well, picks his passes precisely, has wonderful vision and good feet. He also defends well, and cannot be bullied off the ball. All excellent signs for the Arsenal. Merida is also excellent offensively, his vision for a pass is sometimes reminiscent of Fabregas but he needs to track back more often to help out his left back. Ramsey and Randall had a good game overall, although they surrendered possession too easily for my liking at times. Ramsey had some good moments to display his class, going forward.

Hoyte had a good game as well, defensively solid and looks to attack. Gibbs had an excellent game offensively, but he has to improve his positioning marginally. Song and Djourou (apart from the handball) had good, solid games. They did their job well without any fuss and put in a professional shift at centre back. Fabianksi had an outstanding game and I really look forward to seeing more of him in future.

Vela is a class act and showed that today with his finish, a beautiful chip over Kirkland. He has excellent pace, a very good 1st touch, and also had an assist for the 2nd goal. He made good runs down the left, didn’t hesitate to move back to get the ball and had a good night overall. Simpson had an excellent game. Before this, I wasn’t hugely impressed by Simpson and had doubts over his quality to remain at Arsenal. Well, not if he continues to perform like he did. He also has good pace and troubled the Wigan defence with his pace and physical presence. Good finishing as well.

Overall, an excellent outing for the Gunners. Pleasing, passing football and Wigan were out played. These kids made me proud, as they uphold all that is good about Arsenal FC. I’m looking forward to the quarter final as always. I hope Tottenham beat Liverpool (the 1st time in my life that I’ve wished for a Spurs win) as we owe them one, big time, for last season.

I always leave my home something about two hours before the kick-off, so I can get into the mood, drink a pint of lagger while chatting with some other Gooners and make the most of what is my favoutire hobbie. Anyway, today I decided to leave even earlier. You know, it is not always that we host Manchester United, especially after being defeated by Stoke City and held by Tottenham and Fenerbahce. That would be a crucial match, and that is why, despite of the kick-off at the lunchtime, I arrived at the Emirates just after the breakfast. I was so nervous, I could not even eat or drink anything, I just wanted to go to the Emirates, to be under the superb atmosphere of such an important derby.And as the match started, I preferred not to predict anything. Arsenal looked as nervous as me. And though we were not missing passes, we looked clumsy and United were pressing us by quick attacks on the wings. Ronaldo was completely unmarked and that was killing me. But suprinsingly, we were being effective defending. We were winning aerial balls, delivering good passes, creating good chances and though we were lacking some concentration up front, I realised the lads were doing well, especially handling the pressure very well.And by the half of the first-half, Fabregas took a set piece from the right wing, crossing the ball to the box. We failed to net the ball with a header, but luckily the ball ricocheted on Berbatov's head and stopped on Nasri's feet. The Frenchman turned his body quickly and fired. One-nil Arsenal. Actually, that was a strange situation. We are used to bounce back, we are used to comeback from behind, and taking the lead was something pretty unusual. Yet, that was a derby. And derbies are about heart and nothing else. And then we dominated the game until the half-time.


The atmosphere at the Club Leve inside the Emirates was priceless. The Gooners were laughing and smiling at everyone. Yet, though I was in heaven by that moment, could not stop flashbacking Jenas' goal in my head. I shaked my head and headed to my seat for the second-half. I could barely remain on my seat as Samir Nasri received a sensational through ball by Fabregas and netted our second thanks to a superb finish. Two-nil to the Arsenal! That was so good to be true. The Gunners and the Gooners looked like only one. Our souls were bounded and that is why we defended that well. By the end of the game, Wenger decided to bring Song and Toure on, and then I did not know what to think. Some people say that the same attitude let Tottenham equalise in the very last second, and that is why I preferred not to say anything, just keep singing my heart out. We kept all whole team behind the ball, inviting Man United to come and bomb our box with crossed balls. Before the 90-minute mark, Rafael da Silva dominated the ball and fired. What a shot by the boy. 2-1, and if I flashbacked Tottenham during the half-time, it is needless to say that I had my hands over my heads by this moment.Anyway, I kept believing and singing. I would sing until the final whistle so I could be sure the game was finally over. But luckily Webb blowed the final whistle after the longest six minuted of my Gooner life. Arsenal 2 Man United 1. The same team that were beaten by Stoke City had just beaten the title holders.I am still shaking and still voiceless. I could not stop singing after the final blow, I stood there for more twenty minutes, singing, celebrating and enjoying the moment. Not that beating United should be consider an achievement, it was just that was the most perfect moment for bouncing back. I said that the game would be tricky, because I could not even think about what would have happened should we have lost.


It was a perfect perfomance. Almunia was brilliant. He finally punched some aerial balls, and that gave us the strenght we needed defending set-pieces. The clash against Carrick was just a proof of his involvement. He is a leader, one of our most experienced players, a symbol of Arsenal. And what to say about Gallas? Simply brilliant. He was as solid as never. He was brave, he was a true leader. Our pointing at something, screaming and giving orders. A true leader, a true captain. Clichy and Sagna were great defending and covering our wingers. Were effective on tackles and great making some good runs up front. Denilson had his best perfomance with an Arsenal shirt. Hw did not miss passes, was a warrior, fighting for every single ball. And that is why Fabregas was also fantastic. He was everywhere, addind his touch of brilliancy in our game. Theo had good runs, created some troubles for United, but had an off day, just like Bendtner, who had some good (but few) chances to kill the game. Yet, the name of the game was Samir Nasri. The pundits were already saying we miss Hleb, but now let me ask them: Hleb who?The most perfect time for such a victory. I can not remember a better day at the Emirates, and that is just what we were in desperate need of.The players were fantastic, the commitment was clear. We could smell the passion on the pitch and that is why that was a hell of a victory. I was sick of those cunty pundits writing us off. I was sick of those glory-hunter fans moaning and booing our players. Now they are all saying good words about them. Yet, I do not blame them. I just want them to know that we are the Arsenal. We are always fighting for the title. We are always fighting with pride and honour.


Hope you all remember this day when you feel pessimistic. Even without Toure, Rosicky, Eduardo, van Persie and Adebayor, we were good enough to beat the European Champions at their best form. Remember, please, we are not a small team. Remember that there is only one Arsene Wenger, and that, no matter what they say, we are by far the greates team the world has ever seen.