» The Gooner World

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.

What a poor poor performance from Arsenal. Wenger said this would be the 2nd part of the reaction after last weekend’s game against Hull, and the team disappointed. The team lacked incisiveness, creativity and width. Song replaced Nasri in the starting 11 from the mid week CL game. The formation however was a strange 4-3-3, or 4-5-1 at times, with RvP out wide left, Denilson slotting in just inside him, Cesc & Song in central mid field, and Ade upfront. Sunderland learned from Hull City last weekend, started with a 4-5-1 with a plan to choke all the play in mid field, not give any space to Arsenal to play their passing game and it worked for large parts of the game. Clichy and Sagna were disappointing as they didn’t overlap and bomb forward, Sagna being defensively suspect having an off day.

Sunderland had more chances in the first half, the first of which came with Malbranque playing a nice through ball to Whitehead. Toure made a fantastic last ditch tackle to get the ball and clear the immediate danger. The first half chance for Arsenal came in the 12th minute, off a corner. RvP played the short corner to Cesc whose cross was headed wide by Song. Arsenal’s passing game seemed to be affected by the weather, with strong winds. The next Sunderland chance came off a poor backpass from Theo which was intercepted by Cisse. His shot was well saved by Almunia who has had some solid games in goal for Arsenal. Sunderland were keeping their shape well and were well-organised, it looked as if Keane had learned some lessons from Hull City.

The only other half chance in the half came off Theo’s cross from wide right which was palmed wide by Craig Gordon and then cleared by the defence. Arsenal created nothing else of note which was poor by Arsenal’s standards. On the break, Sunderland had a couple of chances. Cisse had a good run down the right, and he put in a good cross for Andy Reid, who found himself in acres of space on the left but couldn’t control his header.

The refereeing was a bit rubbish. He blew too often for fouls which spoiled the whole flow of the game, apart from frustrating both teams with bad calls for non-existent fouls. In total, there were 5 or 6 yellow cards dished out and there was not one rash tackle in the whole game.

The second half started off more promising for Arsenal, Wenger probably having a tough talk with the team. They looked sharper in possession, looking to build and create some attacking moves. But that was only for a period of 15 minutes, after which the fizz went out of Arsenal again. There was a corner from RvP which was headed wide by Ade. He did well to get to the ball, but the finishing could have been better. Then came the controversial moment of the game. Theo did well with a run down the right, and crossed from the byline into the 6 yard box which was put into the goal by RvP, making a good run. However, the linesman ruled that the ball went out of play before Theo crossed the ball. Replays were inconclusive on the subject. To me, it appeared as if the ball was still in play, but it was a very close call.

Arsenal made their substitutions, Bendtner and Nasri coming on for Theo and Denilson. The team looked to finally line up in the favoured 4-4-2 with RvP going wide left, Nasri going wide right, Bendtner and Ade upfront. Sunderland could have had more chances. Sagna did poorly and couldnt hold onto the ball from Almunia’s throw, when Reid challenged him. Cisse was in space on the right, but the cross was poor. The best chance of the game then went to Arsenal, the three strikers combining beautifully. Bendtner and Ade played a nice 1-2, and then Bendtner, from the edge of the box, played RvP into the penalty area with a nice looping ball in. RvP's point blank effort was saved well by Gordon. The closest Arsenal had come to scoring all day.

Then came the moment I had feared, a Sunderland goal. It was almost predictable, as Arsenal looked average all day and were always at risk of conceding a late goal to lose all 3 points. Leadbitter found himself in a bit of space, with Song not closing him down quickly enough. He let off a ripping shot on goal, and Almunia had little chance to block it. Sunderland up 1-0 and only had to hold on for a few minutes to earn all 3 points, deservedly so. Wenger then put on Vela for Song in an attempt to save a point. Incredibly it came in the 2nd minute of added time, RvP's corner met by Cesc, of all people. His first goal couldn’t have come at a better time for Arsenal. Arsenal were not satisfied with that and tried hard to get the winner, but there wasn’t any time to score that. Sagna’s cross was met by Ade with his hands up and he fouled Gordon for which he was deservedly yellow carded. So the game finished 1-1.

I thought Arsenal deserved nothing from that game and were fortunate to come away with even one point. A poor performance in general and the different formation (4-5-1, 4-3-3) didn’t help. When the team saw that Sunderland had blocked the mid field, the long ball route to Ade was not tried at all. There was no intelligence in the game, very little creativity and the full backs did not provide the additional option of width. This should count as points dropped by Arsenal, for the second week in a row. This team tends to blow hot and cold and certainly doesn’t look like challenging for the Premiership at this rate.

It was a much better performance from the Arsenal in response to the disappointment against Hull. Wenger only made one change (Nasri starting instead of Eboue), as if to make a point to all of us that he still had the confidence in the same players to do the job. And did they do it well. To be honest, I knew that the 11 against Hull was good enough, so it wasn’t a matter of ability or talent.

The game started off slowly for Arsenal. They looked to keep the ball and build their moves slowly. The Porto defence was well organized and they had put their side out in an attacking 4-3-3. There were 2-3 shots on goal initially for Arsenal. RvP made some space for himself outside the box and curled one in with his favourite left foot which was saved by the keeper. There was a beautiful through ball from Cesc into RvP down the right who managed to volley the ball into the ground and over the bar. There was a shot from Theo down the right, who had created his own space, which was tipped wide by the keeper.

The 2 best chances of the 1st 30 minutes came to Porto. They attacked well on the break and did so with pace. A good cross from the right was headed into the ground by Rodriguez which came off the bar. A good chance for Porto to go ahead. The next good chance came off a corner, the Arsenal defence not picking up the ball in the box. The ball was headed into the 6 yard box where 2 Porto players were unmarked, Lisandro almost scored but the ball was cleared off the line by Clichy. A close shave for Arsenal.

The first goal came on the 30 minute mark. A good ball down the right from Theo, who looked sharp in the 1st half, into the box to Adebayor. Ade took his time, waited for RvP to make his run into the box and crossed the ball from the by-line. RvP managed to poke it in with his left foot. The lead for Arsenal, finally. This was followed by a period of domination for Arsenal and the fear was that Arsenal would relax again. However, on 40 minutes, Arsenal won another corner, RvP swung the ball in nicely and Ade beat his defender to the ball, headed well and into the ground. It bounced into the goal. Arsenal now comfortably 2-0 ahead.

RvP linked up play well which was a sea change compared to Hull. He was willing to come back till the half way line to get involved, good to see. He looked constantly dangerous.
The 2nd half started off well for Arsenal, attacking the Porto goal. The ball rebounded off a defender on the right flank to Theo who passed the ball to RvP. RvP converted well with his left foot. The goalie should have done better but it was a decent finish from RvP, for his 2nd goal of the night. Arsenal 3 goals up.

Arsenal then won one of several corners, which was passed to Toure in the box. He crossed it to Theo who missed an open goal. He really should have converted that for the 4th of the night.
Almunia’s clearance was kept in play well by Sagna which resulted in a great run from Theo down the right. He managed to cross the ball into Nasri but the ball went wide off his thigh. Arsenal looked dominant now, and Porto had no answer.
Wenger made his 1st substitutions when Bendtner came on for RvP and Eboue came on for Nasri.

Cesc took one of his shots Cesc 30 yards, and goalie didn’t hold onto it. Ade tried to chip the rebound but couldn’t. Then came a good break from Arsenal, Theo once again, with the run down the right. His cross was deflected to Eboue off a defender, who passed to Bendtner. Bendtner was taken out from behind by Guarin for a clear penalty in the 70th minute. With RvP off the pitch, Ade converted the penalty for a 4-0 lead.

Theo was then replaced by Vela. Theo looked a constant threat down the right with his pace. His final product was sometimes disappointing, but his overall performance was very good. Arsenal still continued to attack. The build up was good, the ball was passed around nicely. Vela found himself into the box, created space for himself till he ran out of it, then passed it onto Bentner who took a shot into the defender. Porto briefly threatened in the 75th minute, but the shot was wide. The Porto side completely went to pieces in the 2nd half.

Cesc’ delivery from corners poor on the night as against Hull. I think this is still his pre-season as he doesn’t seem to be fully upto speed. Ade had a good game, looked lively, fully involved and finished well. There was a tremendous run by Bendtner into the box, then a beautiful pass to Ade who spurned a hat trick chance, by shooting just wide of the goal. Another chance created from beautiful work by Bendtner again, cut the ball into Vela who cut the ball back for Eboue. Eboue’s shot came off the keeper, who knew nothing about it. What a lucky save and Arsenal should have been atleast 5 or 6 nil ahead !

Bendtner looked really lively and was involved in almost every Arsenal chance after he came on. An absolutely commanding 2nd half performance from Arsenal, a half in which Porto didn’t turn up, to be honest. A solid result, to banish the memory of Hull, for the time being at least.

Well well, this was not the kind of match report I thought I would be writing. Although I expected a tough match from Hull, a defeat was certainly a shock, and certainly, the surprise result of the season so far. I expected a 2-1 result in favour of Arsenal as our defence looked a little suspect.

Arsenal made 11 changes expectedly, from the side that faced Sheffield United mid week with Denilson & Cesc starting off in central mid field. Arsenal started off well in the first 20 minutes, good passing movement and created some chances. Ade passed the ball to Cesc who shot wide from outside the box when he should have been on target. There was another move in which Eboue passed the ball to Cesc in the box who took the ball wide to the right, and instead of taking a shot, passed it to Gallas who then passed it to Ade. Welcome to the world of Arsenal J. To be honest, I would have preferred a few more shots on goal, as the keeper was never really tested in the 1st half.

Eboue had a good run down the left jinking past a couple of defenders, fired a good shot but it was deflected wide for a corner. Adebayor actually managed to score a goal from a good Sagna cross but he fouled a defender in the process. So the goal was disallowed. There was another good move down the left with Eboue getting the ball and should have taken a shot, but preferred to square the ball to RvP but the defender was the first to get to it.

The best chance fell to Theo, from an Eboue cross from the left flank. Theo should have tried to hit it first time with his left foot, but tried to take a touch with his right foot which was too heavy. The half ended with a a good run by Theo down the right, managed a low cross into Ade but good defending from Hull took the ball out for a corner.

Hull defended well, kept good shape after 20 minutes. There were no real chances for them and good defending from Gallas and Toure cut out the few promising moves. Cesc was off colour as were a few other players like RvP and Adebayor. The whole team looked off colour. Initially, Hull seemed to come out with a plan to kick Arsenal off the park. There was a foul on Theo, Eboue was hacked twice and Boateng fouled Cesc. The problem with these fouls was that there was no attempt to play the ball, and it was clear that the man was the target. Theo lost a bit of confidence due to the kicking and this will be an important lesson for the young lad. This showed up later in the half when Theo had a decent shot at goal but preferred to pass it to someone else.
The 2nd half started off better for Arsenal with an excellent run by Theo down the right, his pace really telling. He played the ball in across the 6 yard box which rebounded off Ade and then off Mcshane (I think) for an own goal. Arsenal then continued to put in some promising moves and attack Hull but none resulted in a goal.

Then, completely against the run of play, Geovanni was allowed too much time on the ball just outside the box, hit a sweet strike into the top corner. Almunia had no chance and it was a fantastic finish. That really seemed to lift the confidence of Hull, and from a corner, Cousin put Hull ahead into an unlikely lead. Gallas was at fault for this coz he completely lost his man. I’m extremely concerned about Gallas’ defending, this is not the first time that he has lost his man in the box and he needs to work on his game. Based on current form, Djourou should start ahead of Gallas.

After that, Arsenal pressed forward for an equalizer, but I thought the urgency was missing in the 70th minute. It was only as time progressed that the Arsenal side really sensed that they need to push things up. Wenger threw on Bendtner and Vela in an attempt to force the pace, but Hull defended extremely well.
There were a couple of Cescy shots from outside the box which produced good saves from the keeper. RvP hit wide from a good through ball from Toure. The best chance came off a corner which Gallas headed onto the crossbar, it came down and ricocheted off Vela for a goal kick.
On the whole, Hull deserved the 3 points, although a draw would have also been a decent result. They believed in themselves, had a game plan, kept their shape well even when they were put under tremendous pressure. There are a few questions that Arsenal need to answer. RvP was anonymous in the 1st half, although he came alive in the 2nd, as was Cesc. A disappointing result for Arsenal, and a good lesson for the team. They need to bounce back quickly from this, in the same manner as they did after the Fulham game.

This is something that I've been thinking about and has also been raised elsewhere: Should Wenger play the Carling Cup team for the FA Cup as well ? There are several reasons for this:

1. For some reason, Wenger doesnt priorise the FA Cup anymore. His main targets are the PL & CL, probably partially in acknowledgment that the squad isnt big enough to challenge on 4 fronts. Last season, Arsenal practically threw the game against ManU. Playing the kids will give the first team the rest they need, as I feel we're already a small squad. This will enable excellent rotation.

2. It will give these kids more of an opportunity to play together and heck, they have earned it. I'm not basing this solely on the 6-0 hammering of Sheffield, but the record over the past 3 years reads like this - semi final, final, semi final. Thats consistently good performances and all of them were pleasing ones as well.

3. It may be time to take Wenger's experiment to the next level. So far, the kids have consistently justified all the faith and confidence bestowed on them by Wenger, so you can argue that they have deserved the 'promotion', so to speak.

4. From a fans' perspective, I love to watch the kids play. I said this in my first post of the CC thread - I prefer to watch the CC rather than the FA Cup. There is an unbelievable amount of pride watching these kids passing the ball around, outplaying seasoned pros, playing the exact same way as the first team so there is no let up in the entertainment factor.

5. The CC may not be enough games for a team. Even if the team does well and reaches the semi-finals, its just 5 games in the season and one more, if we go through to the final. A lot of these youngsters need more competitive games under their belt, and perhaps, less of them will be sent out on loan if they get more games with the Arsenal. A few of these kids dont have any more competitive games to play in the 2nd half of the season.

6. There are some who believe that, instead of playing the complete CC team in the FA Cup, a few kids can be played alongside senior pros, to enable them to progress in a better manner. It will be a different experience for the kids and the extra experience on the pitch can help them.

7. An alternate view is that the presence of senior pros on the pitch might hamper the development of the kids, as they might feel inhibited by the seniors' presence. Kind of like the Henry situation, where the team would pass the ball to him and expect him to deliver instead of doing something with the ball themselves. That may have been a factor in the 5-1 defeat to Spurs in the CC last season, as pros like Gallas ad Adebayor played in that game.

8. In any case, I believe that the team will be equally competitive in the FA Cup, as there is a confidence that this team of kids can take on a lot of Premiership opponents. So we will not lose out on the chance to win the Cup. Personally, opposing teams are as competitive in the FA Cup as in the Carling Cup. If you look at the Newcastle & Blackburn sides we defeated last season in the CC, they were as good as their first team, meaning they would play that side even in the FA Cup. Our kids are good enough to take on whatever teams throw at us, including ManU and Chelsea.

Some of the views above (namely, pts 6 & 7) have been picked from a few forums online in order to supplement the original points which I thought of.

Take a bow, Arsene, take a bow! His philosophy of implicit trust and confidence in the Arsenal kids paid off with a comprehensive humiliation of Sheffield United 6-0 in the Carling Cup. What an awesome performance! When the team was announced, it consisted of several teenagers. In fact, at the final whistle, apart from Fabianski, the rest of the team were all teenagers. It was a fantastic vote of confidence in their abilities and the team did not let Arsene down.

The team lined up in their favourite 4-4-2 formation, with Song and Djourou at CB, Gibbs & Hoyte at full back, Ramsey & Randall as the central mid field partnership, Merida and Wilshere wide on the flanks and Vela and Bendtner up front. The first 20 minutes saw Arsenal settling down with their passing game. Mark Randall put in a couple of tough tackles and Ramsey looked comfortable in mid field. This team probably never played together, as it was a mix of a few first team players, reserve players and a few substitutes for the first team. However, it took only 31 minutes for the deadlock to be broken, Vela down the left and Bendtner combining well, with Bendtner curling the ball past Kenny into the right side of the net. A well deserved lead.

After that, it was Ramsey with a good run down the left, eventually crowded in the box with 3 defenders surrounding him, he managed to play a deft little back heel to Bendtner who finished off the chance with ease in the 42nd minute. Lovely play again from the Arsenal! Vela and Bendtner combined well for the 3rd soon after in the 44th minute, this time it was Bendtner with the assist and Vela finished off his chance well. It was 3-0 at half time, with Sheffield United not really testing Fabianski, apart from a couple of corners which he collected comfortably.

The 2nd half started off in the same vein, with Arsenal looking to extend the lead further. Gibbs played a long ball from left back and it was beautifully controlled by Vela with his shoulder, who then rounded the defender, waited for the goal keeper, Kenny to commit himself before chipping over him for his 2nd goal of the night. An audacious finish, and evidence of Vela’s confidence. Soon after, a corner was conceded by Sheffield in the 57th minute. It was taken by Merida and instead of crossing it into the box, it was played to Wilshere who was waiting a few yards outside the box, on the right. He took it well on his left foot and smashed it into the bottom corner. Arsenal were leading 5-0 and it was game over.

Fran Merida who had a good game, played a beautiful through ball down the right to Bendtner in the 64th minute, and he should have scored from an easy chance. He managed to put the ball just wide with the keeper beaten and no defender challenging him. A hat trick chance missed.
Arsenal looked really comfortable at this point and the intensity of the game reduced. The team looked to keep the ball, pass it around and not concede a goal which was important. Wenger made 3 changes in the 69th minute. Song came off with an injury (he landed awkwardly on his left foot while challenging for a header), Bendtner and Merida joining him. Their replacements were Henri Lansbury (normally plays mid field but played right back, I think), Jay Simpson (striker) and Francis Coquelin, the 17 year old French mid fielder.
The team still looked to attack with Coquelin looking sharp, and Lansbury had a shot on goal immediately. They contributed well to the build up. Jay Simpson had a couple of decent efforts on goal, but couldn’t convert any of them. Ramsey and Randall were controlling the game beautifully in the middle of the park. Sheffield had given up a long time back and were waiting for the final whistle.

In the 86th minute, Ramsey picked out Vela down the left who finished well again earning a well deserved hat trick. It was a solid, pleasing performance from the young gunners. The level of praise for each of them can never be enough. The team rarely looked like conceding a goal throughout the match, and always looked likely to score.

The full backs (Gibbs and Hoyte) had a good game. Whenever they had to defend, they tracked back. They overlapped very well with the wide players and were a constant attacking option down the flanks. The central defenders (Song and Djourou) were rarely troubled and dealt well with the occasional Sheffield attack. Fabianski had a couple of corners to deal with, but otherwise, was not called into play at all throughout the game. The central mid field partnership (Ramsey and Randall) was excellent. Ramsey looked real quality and the reason why Wenger paid 5M for him was on full display. He always looked to attack, had 2-3 assists on the night and his passing range was fantastic. I was also impressed by Randall, he showed a tough tackling side of him that I haven’t seen before, and the played the defensive anchor very well. Wishere and Merida were a constant attacking threat, combining well with the overlapping full backs. They preferred to cut in often and were not bullied off the ball.
The Vela Bendtner partnership is blossoming in full force. They looked good in pre-season, but they were simply fantastic on the night. They were both unselfish, setting up chances for the other and really seem to enjoy playing with each other.

Overall, an excellent performance. Its so pleasing to see the kids do well. On the evidence of this, Wenger could play the same team in the FA Cup as well, and progress far. It feels good to be a gooner.