Dein expected to return to Arsenal

BREAKING NEWS:

Close friends are convinced David Dein will eventually return to Arsenal.


“I know for a fact that he has been given the chance to buy up to five different clubs, both English and foreign, many of which have since been sold,” a rival club chief told the Independent, who is a good friend of Dein and a fellow member of G14, the cartel of 18 all-powerful European clubs which Dein chaired until he was required to give up the role after being ousted at the Emirates.


“I would be very surprised if he doesn’t come back somehow within the Arsenal organisation in the future. It makes sense, with the shares he has, to somehow gain control, or part control.”

Arsenal close in on Diarra

BREAKING NEWS:

The Mighty Arsenal understands Arsenal are lining up a move for Chelsea's Lassana Diarra.

Diarra has informed Chelsea of his desire to leave Stamford Bridge and Arsenal are ready to offer him a move to Emirates Stadium.

The French international is believed to be unhappy with his lack of first-team action at Chelsea and he is well down the pecking order in Jose Mourinho's plans.

The 22-year-old is entering the final year of his contract and he is believed to have told Chelsea he will not be signing a new deal.

The news has alerted Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger who is a big fan of the young midfielder.

The two London rivals are understood to be in talks over a deal and the player is keen on securing a switch to North London as he searches for regular first-team football.

Emirates Cup: Arsenal 2-1 Inter Milan

A dazzling late goal from Robin van Persie helped Arsenal beat Inter Milan 2-1 on Sunday afternoon and, as a result, lift the Emirates Cup.

With five minutes to go the Dutchman collected Emmanuel Eboue’s pass on the corner of the six-yard area, weaved inside Danielle Pedrelliez and rifled a rocket-shot high into the far corner of the net.

It was a satisfying end to exhilarating weekend of entertainment at Emirates Stadium and the late drama only added to the spectacle for the home fans.

PSG’s 3-0 victory in the opening game of Day Two had left Arsène Wenger’s side with a simple equation — win the game, win the trophy.

For an hour it looked like a stroll.

Arsenal created numerous chances but, in a throw back to last season at Emirates Stadium, failed to convert.

In the 62nd minute they were stunned when David Suazo nodded home after a rare Inter attack.

However Alex Hleb equalised five minutes later and then, at the death, Van Persie showed all his ability to hand Arsenal the trophy.

Hopefully it won’t be the last this season.

As expected Wenger’s side was heavily changed from the 2-1 win over PSG on Saturday. Only five starters from that match kicked-off today’s encounter.

Jens Lehmann came in for his first appearance of pre-season and Kieran Gibbs, 17, was promoted into the first XI.

He started on the left wing, in front of full back Justin Hoyte with Bacary Sagna continuing his adaptation to English football on the right side.

Eboue was on the right side of midfield.

Hleb once again offered support to Van Persie.

Emirates Stadium was packed and partying for the final game of this exciting two-day event.

In contrast to Saturday, the home side looked very sharp in the opening stages.

Gibbs was involved quickly and Van Persie stung the hands of keeper Julio Cesar on the half-hour.

Inter were second best.

The closest they came was Cristian Chivu’s free-kick high over the bar.

As the half wore on, Arsenal began to take a stranglehold.

Marco Materazzi felled Eboue near the byline and Van Persie whipped in a free-kick to the near post.

It deflected en route and Cesar did well to bat the ball away.

Then, on the half-hour, Hleb fed Gibbs who laid the ball off for Flamini to run on to.

The Frenchman’s right-foot shot was fierce but too close to Julio Cesar.

Arsenal followed up but Eboue’s low cross was cut out the near post.

Nine minutes from the break, Sagna’s angled low drive was only half-saved by Julio Cesar but Materazzi intervened before Gibbs could pounce.

Then, just before the whistle, Walter Samuel illegally halted Eboue’s mazy run just outside the area and Van Persie fizzed a curling free-kick inches over the bar.

For once, Arsenal made no changes at the break.

As a result they continued to dominate.

In the 55th minute, Fabregas sent Van Persie racing into the area with a clever short ball, Chivu appeared to bring him down but referee Mark Halsey waved play on and keeper Francesco Toldo gathered.

To be honest, it seemed a matter of time until Arsenal would score.

However, last season had proved that the home crowd can never afford to assume anything at Emirates Stadium.

In the 62nd minute, Cesar sent a hopeful ball into the area from the right and Suazo stole in front of William Gallas to send a header past Lehmann and in off the upright. It was totally against the ball of play.

Arsenal almost equalised immediately. Van Persie danced into the area and it took a bevy of Inter defenders to stop him.

The ball ran loose to Eboue who thumped a rising left-foot shot past the angle of post and bar.

As it turned out, the equaliser would come from the next attack.

Eboue fed the overlapping Sagna, who cut the ball back from the right-hand byline. Hleb timed his run perfectly and lashed a shot goalwards.

Toldo saved brilliantly but the ball rebounded to the Belarus international who trickled a shot into the far corner.

Suddenly Arsenal had the glint of silverware in their eyes once more. Hleb has been outstanding and started to make merry down the right flank.

With 14 minutes left he crossed low for Van Persie to stab a shot straight at Toldo.

Seconds later he found Toure in the area but the centre back dribbled a shot wide.

In the 79th minute, Gibbs was replaced by Bendtner.

He got a standing ovation from the crowd and hearty round of applause from his manager.

It has been an impressive debut.

Arsenal continued to strive for the winner but as the seconds ticked were away they became anxious.

However they kept to their footballing principle and — via Van Persie’s cracker- it more than paid off.

Emirates Cup: Arsenal 2-1 Paris Saint Germain

Arsenal lacked fluency but nonetheless beat Paris St Germain to win their opening game of the Emirates Cup at the London club's home ground.

Mathieu Flamini put the Gunners ahead with a neat right-foot finish shortly before the break and Nicklas Bendtner added a second from close range.

Peguy Luyindula pulled a goal back with a near-post finish, while Mickael Landreau saved a Bendtner penalty.

In the tournament's earlier match, Valencia defeated Inter Milan 2-0.

Jamie Gavilan put the Spanish side ahead after 13 minutes, collecting a deep cross from Ruben Baraja before shooting under Francesco Toldo from a tight angle.

Inter wore a strip that resembled the St George cross and almost equalised through Maxwell but his strike hit the post.

David Villa's 20-yard free-kick took a slight deflection as it defeated Toldo for Valencia's second goal.

Flamini's strike for Arsenal came after Bendtner had chested a cross from Gael Clincy into his path.

The ball dropped perfectly for Flamini, although how much Bendtner knew about the cross remains open to question.

Arsenal's second goal came after Bendtner jumped with PSG keeper Landreau as they both tried to reach a corner.

Neither player made a clean contact with the ball and Bendtner reacted quickly to tap home the knock down and score his first goal at the Emirates Stadium.

But his low penalty was saved close to full-time after Alexander Hleb was tripped in the area.
Luyindula dragged a shot wide for PSG in the first half, while Pauleta sent a poor shot wide and was twice denied by the impressive Manuel Almunia.

The Invincibles are dead. Let's move on.

So, after 9 years loyal service, Mr Frederik Ljungberg was finally shown the door this week.

And shown the door he was.

His bleatings of 'broken promises' and a 'lack of investment' are exactly the type of spiel you hear from players who've just been dumped.

Essentially, 'well, I would have left anyway, because you're rubbish now'.

No Freddie, if Arsene hadn't let you go, you would have stayed, quietly cashed your enormous wages, and rolled on the floor feigning injury for another two years.

And Arsene was absolutely right to sell him. £3million in the bank and £60k of the wage cap is no small chunk of change.

Moreover, Freddie has been, on average, rubbish for the last two seasons.Ok, we had the battling champions league performances as he marauded between the midfield and attack; ok, we had the wonderful goal against Bolton last season.

And Ok, don't get me wrong Freddie is a complete legend.

His goals against Liverpool away in 2001-2 and in the cup final against Chelsea are two of the most thrilling moments of my Arsenal watching career, instances which make fans believe that a team is on the cusp of greatness and silverware.

But, the simple facts don't lie.

He didn't score in the league last season; he mustered less than 5 goals in the previous season.

With Dennis gone, and his pace waning, Freddie was a spent force.

A Giggs-esque revival was most definitely not on the cards.

It was his time to go; the glue-factory awaited.Much of the analysis regarding Freddie's transfer has,wrongly or rightly, focused on the end of The Invincibles.

And whilst of that glorious 2004 side, only Kolo, Jens, Clichy and Gilberto remain, Arsene has been right to dismantle it.

Vieira and Henry had peaked at the club.

They were either coasting or had already given their best years to us. Arsene was right to cash in.

Edu and Cole might have been kept if contracts had been better dealt with. However, this was not Arsene's fault, and, especially in Cole's case, he was presented with a near fait accompli regarding their departure.Dennis retired; Bobby and Lauren were past it; Sol had mentally lost his way.

Arsene has been right to let these players leave.

The invincibles of 2004 are dead. Let's move on.Yet whilst Arsene can't be faulted for purging this collection of players from the club, he needs to strengthen the squad. At present, we have an exciting crop of talent.

Yet more bodies are needed.

One, if not two wingers need to come in.

Players over the age of 23 need to bring their experience to the team.

Our squad, as it stands, is one of the thinnest I can remember, positively anorexic in appearance.

It's one or two injuries away from a crisis, especially given the propensity of some of our players to pick up niggles or worse.

So the departure of Freddie continues the destruction of the greatest Arsenal team ever constructed thusfar.

Arsene has been correct to remove the deadweight; but he needs to add some new Invincibles.

Fast.

Red Bull Salzburg 1-0 Arsenal

Arsenal ended their Austrian training camp with a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday night.

The only goal came 15 minutes from time when Vladimir Janocko latched onto a loose ball and fired home from just outside the area.

It was perhaps harsh on Arsenal who did not deserve to lose this lively game. But then the result is never the most important element in a pre-season friendly and there were pluses for the visitors this evening.

Eduardo completed his first 90 minutes in an Arsenal shirt and again looked threatening. Emmanuel Eboue contributed well when he was pushed up into midfield following an injury to Tomas Rosicky.

Meanwhile Alex Hleb was at heart of the most incisive Arsenal attacks.
It was another solid work-out for Arsène Wenger's side.

Even if the result was not welcome.

Tonight's game celebrated the official opening of the Bulls Arena.

It was a not a new stadium just a re-development of the existing one. A extra tier had been built around this compact ground putting the capacity up to 31,000 ahead of next year's European Championships.

With that tournament in mind, Salzburg had also put a grass pitch over their usual synthetic one especially for this game. All in all this game would be a novel experience for both teams and both sets of supporters.

For Arsenal, Johan Djourou's late withdrawl saw Kolo Toure step up from the bench. William Gallas was captain.

The opening exchanges were spirited. In the third minute Sasa Ilic prodded a shot past Jens Lehmann's post.

Arsenal replied immediately when Rosicky spotted Eduardo racing through and keeper Timo Ochs kicked away his drive.

The Croatian looked a live-wire in the opening stages and fired into the chest of the Salzburg No 1 from distance a few minutes later.

By this point, Arsenal were starting to take control, though they were creating precious few chances.

Midway through the half Diaby strode forward, hurdled a couple of challenges and broke into the area.

However Ochs cuts out his cross at the near post.

But, backed by the noisy home support, Salzburg were always in the game.

Alexander Zickler gave them something to cheer about when he hammered an effort wide on the half hour.

Two minutes later, a wincing Rosicky made way for Sagna.

The Frenchman slotted in at full back with Eboue pushed forward in the right side of midfield.
The Czech had enjoyed an influential game until that point.

After the change, the game lost its way before the half-time whistle.

Wenger made a further four changes at the break.

One of them, Nicklas Bendtner, played a part as Arsenal nearly took the lead in the 57th minute.

Hleb breezed past marker and cut the ball back from the ball.

Bendtner helped the ball on to Eduardo who stabbed a shot past the near post when should have hit the target at least.

Five minutes later Lukasz Fabianski came to collect a high swirling cross at the edge of his area.

Although the young Pole let the ball go hastily referee Bernhard Brugger ruled that he had handled outside the box. Fabianski was booked but, fortunately for Arsenal the free-kick came to nothing.

Both sides were starting to chance their arm a little more now. With 20 minutes left, Eduardo tricked himself into a yard of space on the edge of the six-yard box but saw Ramazan Ozcan pull off a sharp save.

Bendtner's follow up was blocked.
Five minutes later, Salzburg got the goal.

The Austrian side broke forward and, somewhat surprisingly, right back Milan Dudic found himself in space eight yards out.

He seemed startled by the opportunity and crossed when it seemed more sensible to shoot.

The ball deflected out to Janocko just outside the area who rammed his shot home past the stranded Fabianski.

Eboue responded with a dip from distance.

At the other end Christoph Leitgeb went close from similar range.

Arsenal gambled in the latter stages as Flamini and Eduardo sent headers wide.

But, in the end, it was not enough.

Arsenal 3-0 Genclerbirgigi

An easy 3-0 win over Genclerbirligi (who?) where the Turkish side managed to hold Arsenal for the first 30 minutes or so but after that the expected domination began.

Can’t read too much into a 3-0 win against an unheard of side but at least the preseason’s off on the right foot.

You could literally see the rust wearing off the players as the game went on, especially RVP who looked sluggish at the start but began to settle down and had some nice cracks at goal. Bacary

Sagna and Eduardo Da Silva (I will never call him Dudu) made their debuts, Sagna seemed pretty shot-happy letting it go from quite far out a couple times, he’ll learn thats not how things are done soon.

EDS is an exciting player to watch, he’ll do the unnecessary step-overs thing but it’s also evident the man has the talent to attack the goal - something he did a few times only to find nobody at the end of his crosses.

Gunners sign two youngsters

Arsenal are understood to have struck deals for South American starlets Angel Di Maria and Pedro Silva.

The news has emerged via Spain, as The Gunners have already agreed a deal with Salamanca to take the two teenagers on loan - in a similar move to the one which saw Mexican Carlos Vela move on a temporary basis last season.

Gilles Grimandi, one of Arsene Wenger's most trusted scouts, cast his eye over both and is understood to have given glowing references.

Di Maria is very highly rated in his homeland and is part of the Argentina Under 20 squad which has made the semi-finals at the World Championship in Canada.

'The Little Angel', as he is known, has scored two goals in four games and is one of the stars of the tournament so far.

It is now understood that Arsenal have brokered a deal with his club Rosario Central and the 19-year-old will link up with The Gunners later this month.

However, because he does not meet work-permit criteria - he is ready to spend the season with Salamanca, who are more than happy to take the left winger following Vela's successful stay at the club.

Di Maria will also have company in the shape of Pedro - a 17-year-old forward from Brazil.

Pedro is currently with Figueirense - who Arsenal have had talks with about a co-operation agreement.

Pedro has already made his first-team debut and was first spotted by Arsenal's South American scout Sandro Orlandelli some months ago.

Some reports claim Pedro has already had a trial with The Gunners, and he now seems to have done enough to earn a move to North London - but he is also set to spend the season in Spain.
Salamanca are hopeful of confirming the arrival of both players later this week.

Comfortable Start To The Season

Goals from Emmanuel Adebayor and Nacer Barazite helped Arsenal to a comfortable 2-0 victory at Barnet on Saturday as Arsène Wenger’s side got their pre-season campaign underway.

The Emirates Stadium side controlled the game virtually from start to finish and were buoyed by goals in each half. Adebayor screwed home a shot in the 18th minute and Barazite completed the scoring just past the hour with a thunderbolt from distance.

Denilson was stretchered off in pain just before the goal but later his injury was reported to be minor.

Otherwise this was the most satisfying - and friendly - of friendlies.

Arsenal named a relatively strong side for this now traditional game against the side who play host to the Club’s Reserve fixtures.
In fact, Wenger’s starting XI would not have looked out of place in the Carling Cup or even FA Cup. Kolo Toure captained the team and the front pairing, fit-again Robin van Persie and Adebayor, may well be employed when Fulham visit Emirates Stadium on August 12. Alex Song was given a run out at centre back and 17-year-old Mark Randall started on the left side of midfield.
New signing Eduardo was present but only in the stands. Debutants Havard Nordveit and Lukasz Fabianksi were named on the bench. There was also a first run-out for the new white away kit.

Barnet included a couple of former Arsenal professionals in their line-up — Nicky Nicolau and Adam Birchall. The Bees also named Dr Richard Evans on the bench. The doctor, in his “late 40s” and from Wembley, had paid £10,000 for the privilege of coming on during that latter stages of the game.

Crowd congestion meant there was a five-minute delay to the kick-off. It did nothing to dampen the party atmosphere however the opening stages were high on intensity yet low on chances.
Jason Puncheon looked dangerous cutting in from the Barnet left and Robin van Persie fired in a couple of pot-shots. Adebayor got the glimpse of an opening only to be denied by Ismail Yakubu. That was the sum result of the first quarter-hour.

The opening goal arrived in the 18th minute. Van Persie surprised the Barnet defence with a low corner to Walcott at the near post. He clipped a cross to the far side where Adebayor hooked home a half-volley through a crowded area. On the balance of play it was hard on the home side.
Barnet had an excellent chance to equalise two minutes later when a cute header from Liam Hatch sent Puncheon clear in the left-hand channel. Almunia was out quickly to smother the shot.

The game was opening up. Van Persie’s right-wing free-kick was nodded on by Barnet striker Liam Hatch and a sliding Adebayor just failed to convert at the far post. Then, in the 25th minute, Walcott’s deep cross was met by the head of Van Persie.

The ball beat the keeper, hit the bar and bounced down but, by then, the referee had blown for offside.

However, perhaps unsurprisingly in the first pre-season friendly, the pace could not be maintained.

Before half time, Denilson let fly from distance and Gael Clichy charged down a clearance from keeper Lee Harrison only for the ball to trickle wide.
Barnet were nearly rewarded for a half of genuine endeavour when Hatch poked a shot goalwards as Song and Almunia dithered. Again the chance came to nothing.

Arsenal made six changes at the break and Barnet made five. Often wholesale changes unsettle a game however in this instance they seemed to improve it.
Walcott made one penetrative run in the opening minutes then Kieron Gibbs flicked wide from Adebayor’s knock back.

In the 53rd minute, Flamini clipped a perceptive ball to the Togolese striker on the edge of the area.
He had plenty of time and the ball was sitting up nicely, however he dragged his shot wide.
A couple of minutes later, Denilson came off worse in a challenge with Puncheon and, after lengthy treatment, was stretchered off. Henri Lansbury replaced him. Later, it was announced over the tannoy that the injury was not serious.
Arsenal were now looking to seal the victory.

Adebayor failed to connect with an inviting cross from Walcott then, in the 66th minute, Barazite doubled the advantage with a rocket shot into the far corner of the net.

There seemed little danger when the former Dutch youth international collected the ball in the right-hand channel.
But his fierce drive flew into the net, leaving Harrison helpless.

The goal killed the game as a contest.
Traore arrowed a shot towards the top corner but substitute keeper Dave Blackmore palmed the ball aside.

In the dying minutes, the dangerous Puncheon whistled a rising drive past the angle of post and bar.

Dr Evans made his appearance late on, much to the amusement of the crowd. He seemed to enjoy his moment - as did the crowd of 5,091.

Bacary At Emirates

C’est fait. After completing negotiations with Auxerre late last night, Bacary Sagna has been registered as an Arsenal player, and will wear the number three. In order to find out a bit more about our new right-back, I asked the good folk of Aja-Net.com, an Auxerre forum, for their opinions. A few of the most useful(/least difficult to translate) are listed below:
“Bak” (his nickname) is a very good player, who plays on the right (he played a few times on the left, but he’s better on the right). He is strong, a very good defender, and also can sometimes give good crosses.
He is a great “espoir” in France, probably the future Sagnol in the French team.I think he’s better than Chimbonda, but he is quite young, so maybe next year, he’ll be far better.
I think Eboue is better offensively, but Sagna is definitely better defensively.
Maybe Eboue will be Wenger’s first choice, but Arsenal has a lot of matches to play, with the Premier League, the Champions League, the Cup, and the League Cup. With 60 matches or more, Sagna will have to play several.
He knows that in less than one year, there will be the European Championships. He was recently called in French Team, and he is taking a risk by moving to England now.
But he is really strong, and if he adapts to English football style, he may become Wenger’s first choice in November or December.
The general feeling is that Sagna was without doubt their best player, much more accomplished than Tottenham new-boy Kaboul, and that he now has a chance to become France’s regular right-back.

Arsene is pleased to have finally got his man, saying:
“We are delighted to have signed Bacary Sagna. He is a very capable defender and has played consistently well for Auxerre in recent seasons. He plays mainly at right back, but can also play along the defence or in midfield. He is strong, quick and enjoys defending but also has a good offensive side to his game. He has a fighting spirit and will be a very good addition to our squad.”
Sagna, meanwhile, will be linking up with plenty of old friends:
“It is great to be joining Arsenal and I’m excited to be playing alongside many great players. I know Abou Diaby from our time together at Auxerre and also Gael Clichy and Mathieu Flamini from the French Under-21 team. Also Arsène Wenger is a major reason why I have signed for Arsenal. He is an excellent manager with a fantastic record and I am really looking forward to working with him. I’m also looking forward to playing at Emirates Stadium and winning trophies for the Club and all the supporters.”
The fee, as reported here this morning, could rise to £7.5m.

I’m really pleased. If we add a winger to the additions of Fabianski, Eduardo, and now Sagna, we’ll have strengthened in all the right areas.

The Mighty Arsenal End of Season Awards 2007

Considering that we play our first pre-season friendly this week, this is probably my last opportunity to look back at the highs and lows of last season. Winners in last years awards, such as the Champions League Final and the last day at Highbury, seem an awful long way away now. Even memories of 06/07 are beginning to drift, so if you think my decisions seem a little odd, that might well be why.

Before we move on to the awards, a brief bit of site news. Firstly, if you’ve been “having fun” this weekend and not sat in front of a computer, you won’t have seen the new look here on Gunnerblog. Don’t forget to get your free wallpaper.
Elsewhere, yesterday’s Sunday Mirror had a piece by the well-connected Steve Stammers saying that a deal for Bakary Sagna would be completed this week. I don’t know too much about him, but arseblogger described him as “Trabelsi with pace”. That’d be nice. Let’s see what happens.

One player we won’t be signing is Florent Malouda, who is set to join Chelsea.
And now, the main course:
Player of the SeasonLast season Thierry Henry’s Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year Award was eclipsed by being named Gunnerblog Player of the Season for the second consecutive year. Well, this season, as you well know, has been entirely different. Henry suffered with injuries and poor form, and just a few weeks ago was sold to Barcelona for £16m.
In his absence, Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor came to the fore. Until a metatarsal break ended Van Persie’s season, he was on course to be our top scorer, and in all likelihood would’ve notched around twenty goals. Either side of a lean streak in spring, Adebayor scored some vital goals and worked harder for the team than just about anyone in the team. However, the failure of either player to maintain form consistently over the season rules them out of the running.

If the team of 05/06 was built around Henry, the current Arsenal team is built around Cesc Fabregas. And yet in many ways last year was Cesc’s most difficult to date. In a team that lacked the incisive running of Henry, as well as midfielders prepared to go beyond the front two, Cesc’s passing was unduly limited.
Henry’s replacement as Player of the Season is likely to be his replacement as captain: Gilberto Silva. This player has had plenty of ups and downs in his Arsenal career, but last season represented the continuation of an upwards curve that began in January 2006, when his deployment in the holding role of a 4-5-1 helped take Arsenal to the Champions League Final. Last season, he was back in a 4-4-2, and responded with 10 goals in a storming season. If the other midfielders can follow his lead next season, we might be on to a winner.
Young Player of the SeasonIf we’re jealous of other clubs’ established stars, they in turn must be green with envy at the array of wonderkids Arsenal regularly have on display. Gael Clichy improved hugely over the course of the season, whilst Denilson showed a Cesc-like awareness and intelligence, and Abou Diaby’s return from injury was one of the highlights of the season.
But still no-one can surpass Cesc Fabregas. Arsenal.com’s Player of the Year, and a nominee for PFA Player of the Year, he continues to show the potential to become one of the world’s top midfielders. Despite often being limited by his team-mates’ ineptitude, he still managed to produce some of the highlights of the season - a beautiful pass for Emmanuel Adebayor at Old Trafford and a stunning strike at home to Manchester City. It’s fitting that our Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season could be next season’s Captain and Vice respectively.
Worst Player of the SeasonHanding out this one always makes me feel a bit cruel, but oh well. Picking this year’s is actually quite tough (Song was out on loan), but prime targets have to be our attacking gruesome twosome: Jeremie Aliadiere and Julio Baptista. While it’s tempting to award it to Aliadiere on the back of his recent comments about Arsene, I’m afraid in this category The Beast is truly unstoppable.
Even on his magical night at Anfield he managed to miss a penalty. Even when he scored two goals in the comeback at White Hart Lane, he clubbed in an own goal and missed from a yard. For whatever reason, he just didn’t cut it, and his return to Madrid can come as no surprise.
Game of the SeasonWhilst we’re talking about Baptista’s four-goal haul, I might aswell just come out with it and say that the 6-3 win at Anfield was undoubtedly my Game of the Season. To be 4-1 up at half-time was crazy - for it to end 6-3 was the stuff of fantasy. Bizarrely, it was a night on which two of our poorest performers this season, Baptista and Aliadiere, were absolutely outstanding. A true anomaly, but possibly the most fun I’ve ever had watching a Carling Cup game.
Worst game of the SeasonThe most boring was probably our 1-0 win at Wigan, but at least we won. For a terrible performance and a horrible result, I’ve got to plump for Sheffield United 1-0 Arsenal. If we’re serious about challenging next year, we must stop dropping points to sides at the bottom end of the table.
Highlight of the SeasonAlthough watching Cesc, Denilson, Diaby and Walcott outclass Chelsea’s midfield in the first half of the Carling Cup Final had a certain delicious savour, the real highlight of the season had to be doing the double over the old enemy, Manchester United. Adebayor’s winner at Old Trafford made him a cult hero, whilst it’s fitting that Henry’s final major contribution was that stoppage time winner at the Emirates Stadium (a moment of curious symmetry with Patrick Vieira, whose final kick in an Arsenal shirt was an FA Cup Final winning penalty against United).
Disappointment of the SeasonLast season I said “Our domestic form”. This season, I’m going to go for our premature European exit. Seeing Chelsea, United, and Liverpool in the Champions League Semi-Finals was sickening, especially when we had succumbed, with the greatest of respect, to PSV Eindhoven.