Arsenal 2 – 2 West Ham, How Did This Happen?
Goals: Van Persie 16, Gallas 37 Against: Cole 74, Diamanti 80 (pen)
Articles tagged with “William Gallas”
Arsenal 4-1 Portsmouth
Arsenal continue an impressive start to the season with a 4 to 1 thrashing of Portsmouth. Two goals scored by Diaby in the 18th (a beautiful flick by Eduardo around the defender to the end line and pass back into the box) and 21st minutes (Eboue break and pass to unmarked goalscorer) were really enough to seal the win. After letting in a Pompey goal by Kaboul in the 37th minute (Almunia should have done better), Gallas (51st minute) and Ramsey (68th minute) put two more past goalkeeper David James. James had to be substituted soon after, certainly because of being shell-shocked by the Arsenal attack.
When Abou Diaby is playing well, I have to remind myself that he’s not Patrick Vieira. His wide gate and prowling maneuvers in midfield sure give the impression that Vieira has returned in prime form. In the post match press conference, Arsene Wenger highlighted his Vieira-like ability to move from box to box very quickly. With Denilson playing the defensive mid role, along with Diaby, there will not be many midfields we do not control by the fact that both have such an awareness of space and positioning.
The troubling thought during the match however was that, even with a 3 to 1 lead, the game was still questionable. We are great at going forward and attacking. The problem seems to be with shutting down oppositions and being able to hold the ball when we’re not going forward. Pompey’s attacks were sporadic but, every time they went forward, its worth asking how they were getting through our defense. These are the mistakes we tend to make when the win becomes too easy.
It’s also time to start asking questions of Almunia. I think its time for a better decision maker between the posts. That Pompey goal should never happen and its one of the reasons why the game never seemed out of reach for them.
After two Premiership games, Arsenal 10, opposition 2.
Arsenal 6, Everton 1 – Is there anything else that needs to be said?
It was systematic. It was precise. It was a demolition. Arsenal’s opening of the 2009/10 Premiership campaign at Everton, August 15th 2009, ended in a final scoreline of 6 to 1. Goals were scored by Denilson (26th minute), Vermaelen (37), Gallas (41), Fabregas (48,70), and Eduardo (89). As the main catalyst, Fabregas scored two himself, but he wasn’t the only one who’s performance assisted on the six goals. Nicklas Bendtner, playing wide right, has some dazzling runs down the side and into the box. Arshavin and Van Persie stretched the Everton defense wide open, and each should have had some goals themselves, in all fairness. Song and Denilson controlled the midfield through out the game. This was a clinical team performance by a team with everything to prove.
While Arsenal possessed the ball well, this game was settled by set pieces. The first goal was a master strike by Denilson to curl Fabregas’ side pass into the upper left corner. But, it wasn’t the dagger that ended the possibility of an Everton comeback. The 2nd and 3rd goals did that. Both centerbacks, first Vermaelen, then Gallas, headed the ball home on well-orchestrated set pieces by Arsenal, not so well defended by Everton. One team has been practicing these, the other not. After those two goals, any confidence left in Everton was gone. The rest of the goals would come on counter attacks, because Everton was pushing forward. This is what Wenger’s Arsenal does best and its been too long since we’ve seen it happen.