Arsenal are fourth.
Hull are third after winning 1-0 at Spurs.
Phil Brown's tactics at White Hart Lane were : you have the ball, try to break us down. Spurs could not break them down.
Roy Keane's tactics were the same in the 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Rain. He didn't do what I thought he'd do because he played 4-5-1 and said : You have the ball, see if you can break us down. Arsenal couldn't pass or dribble their way through, and then Sunderland scored in 86 minutes.
When Andy Reid got the ball he was carrying it away from the Arsenal penalty area, chased by sub Nasri. As Fabregas closed on him, Reid nicked it to Kieran Richardson, and Song came in and got the ball but allowed Richardson to nudge it to sub Grant Leadbitter, who scored from 23 yards.
It's not that Arsenal were disorganised. They had eight men and the keeper behind the ball when Andy Reid got it. That's why Reid took the ball towards his own goal : because the Arsenal penalty area was so well protected.
But Arsenal don't sense danger as they should. In the crucial moments, there is no sense of emergency. There's nobody in charge of their defence, so they all assumed : We're in position, this is OK, we are safe.
Unfortunately, Gallas was marking Cisse and both players were directly between the keeper and the goalscorer, so Almunia could not see Leadbitter's shot until it came rocketing over those two players. The shot dipped and hit the underside and went in for 1-0 to Sunderland. It was a helluva shot but if Almunia had been able to see the ball earlier, he might have tipped it over the bar.
Van Persie had an early goal disallowed but that was an impossible call for the linesman, who was guessing that the whole of the ball was over the line before Walcott crossed it. The Match of the Day replay showed how impossible the call was.
In truth, Arsenal's re-configured midfield did not function effectively. The addition of Song disrupted a balance that was already precarious, and Song, Gallas and Clichy were responsible for one of the sloppiest goals Arsenal have conceded in this young millennium.
I was very surprised that Roy Keane played 4-5-1. But it worked and Sunderland looked like winning until Cesc Fabregas put on his Superman jersey and rescued the day with a Bryan Robson-type header from a corner in the 94th minute. Good corner by van Persie, rubbish goalkeeping by Craig Gordon
On the previous weekend, Fabregas invited his family over for the Hull game. After Arsenal lost 2-1 at home he felt humiliated. He said he was so ashamed he couldn't look his parents in the eye. He didn't sleep that night. That defeat hurt him. Winners hurt when they lose games. Cesc cares deeply about the club that has given him so much opportunity. The others do not care as much and that shows.
After the Porto walkover I wanted to write about the balance of the Arsenal midfield but didn't have time, so I thought : leave it, do it later, do it next week.
A Nasri-Denilson-Fabregas-Walcott midfield is too flat, too unbalanced, too tame, too small, too young. That's why Arsene has been using Eboue.
Last season the midfield was a whirlwind and a success. The whirlwind started in August and was created by three friends who used to knock around together and enjoyed each other off the field as well as on it. Cesc, Alex and Mathieu were the three Musketeers of Enfield.
While Hleb held the ball, others ran into position. When Flamini won tackles and forced errors, Hleb and Fabregas got the ball and created attacks. That trio dictated games because Flamini generated a high-tempo game and Fabregas flew forward and scored 7 in 11 and Arsenal cruised to the top of the table and stayed there for six months.
Then two of the Musketeers left and their midfield general lost his two lieutenants. And people wonder why Arsenal are not so good? It's obvious why they are not so good ! They've lost the hub of a team that lacks effective partnerships, other than the partnership between Flamini, Fabregas and Hleb.
Nasri says he settled in quickly because it was like moving from one French club to another. And yet he was on the bench at the Stadium of Rain and only came on for Denilson in 74 minutes.
Roy Keane said, "They are a good team and can challenge. But will Arsenal finish first? I don't think so, I think Chelsea and United are stronger."
Predictably, Wenger repeated his mantra : "I still believe we have enough quality to win against the top teams."
He always says that because he has to say that.
Arsenal have slipped down a notch because two of the Three Musketeers moved on to earn more money abroad. If Flamini and Hleb had stayed, there was something to build on. If Flamini had stayed, there was something to build on. Flamini would have tackled Reid or Richardson before the ball ever got to Leadbitter. If Flamini had played, Arsenal would have beaten Sunderland, as they did in their previous seven league encounters. You can't keep selling experienced players and replacing them with kids.
yazeez
** MiYaFuSHi **
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