Arsenal
Wenger Spot On - It Was Mental Strength
Oh no its Walcott!
By Boris Mellor
March 12 2009
I know how you all hate Wenger's post match talk, actually his pre match ones are pretty infuriating too, but you can't say he was talking rubbish this time. When he paid tribute to his team's mental strength he was 101% right. After all what other explanation could there be. It certainly was not the incisive attacking play of his strikers, stumbledum and stumbledee.
We don't do penalties
When Arsenal got to the penalty knockout stage against Galatasary Hill-Wood congratulated the Turkish Team's Chairman on their victory, the Chairman protested that the kicks had not yet been taken. Hill-Wood replied, "We don't do penalties". The team went to jelly scoring only one penalty - no that's not a typo they lost 4-1 on penalties! That team had no guts whatsoever. Last night Wenger's youngsters scored seven to Roma's six, now that's mental strength.
Arrivaderci Roma
When the Gunners conceded on only ten minutes I thought it was goodnight Vienna, instead it turned out to be arrivaderci Roma. Yet it was Roma that played with the tempo, panache and flair. It was a relief that Arsenal went in only a goal down, and without creating any chance worth discussing. The second- half wasn't a lot different, but they finished 1-0 down and no more. A lot of players were off key, not just the front men, indeed Nasri was trying to win the Alexander Hleb Running Round in Circles Memorial Trophy. Denilson was passing to the opposition on a regular basis.
Mental Strength
However Diaby and Toure were immense, Clichy and Sagna struggled, but the team got to extra time, partly thanks to the Beast, and partly to two Almunia wonder saves. How did they manage it - mental strength. At last in extra time they began to outplay Roma, and even had a few chances. This time the explanation was physical strength, as the old men of Roma began to drop with cramp.
Walcott Scores From the Spot
Incapable of scoring they went to penalties. Did you expect Eduardo to miss? I know I didn't - I felt smug and secure at last the wonder weapon would strike. He missed - let's recap: concede on 10 minutes, play crap for 90, and miss the first penalty. Wow what a way to prepare for victory. Eduardo's miss was devastating, the talisman had missed, and it could have spread dismay to the whole team. Yet the mental strength held them together and took them on to victory.
No Mental Strength
When Harry Redknapp went around the Spuds at the Lager Cup Final for volunteers to take the pens not one volunteered. No mental strength.
Some pundits said that Roma should have won before extra time, yes they should, but Arsenal should have finished it at home. Anyway who cares, what have the Romans ever done for us?
Time to stop whining
Most pundits did not give Arsenal a chance when the draw was made. All the Guardian pundit's, especially Pleat said Arsenal would lose. Yes after a good home result one or two more gave the Gunners a chance. Roma beat Chelsea 3-1 earlier this season, so let's not underestimate what a good result this was.
Yes it wasn't the performance we wanted, and it might be even tougher in the next round, but let's enjoy now. It was a great feat of mental strength, on such feats are legends built. On such legends teamwork and solidarity and spirit grow. Did you hear the Arsenal fans singing in that empty stadium?
What do you think they were singing? "Oh dear we didn't deserve to win, van Persie is pants, oh dear we will go out in the next round".
I doubt it - they were celebrating heroes - heroes who when the going got tough got going. Heroes who scored seven penalties and a hero who saved one. With mental strength like that, a few more returning players, and the return to form of Eduardo and Walcott the world could be our lobster. There again it might not, but that's the fun of football. Have a good laugh at it all, your face won't crack, save the moans for another day. Would you really like to swap with a Roma fan?
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009:03:15:10:56:00 by Padre Pio.
for picking eboue,
a gd pass from him, wld hav givn an easy tap in for nikki b.
wonder how eboue plays ahead of theo,vela,ramsey,wilshere,merida,jay thomas, conquellin,randall, AND ME.
i could do a better job than eboue
Once Walcott is 100% I would like to see him play regularly.
Wenger also has to keep something back for Blackburn and Hull
Or
"the world could be our oyster"
Actually I was hoping Wenger will play 4-1-4-1 knowing that he faced a frantic Roma onslaught right from the start
.................Almunia
...Sagna.....Kolo.....Gallas....Clichy
.................Song
..Eboue....Denilson....Diaby....Nasri
..............Van Persie
But nobody could accounted for Kolo-Gallas both missing that Totti pass.
After that, they were immensed and surprisingly, Kolo had developed a huge spring in his feet and literally outjumped ROma players.
Gallas in his quiet way marshalled the defence well.
As usual, our weakness now is at he flank wiht Sagna and Clichy beign exposed and given a torrid tiem by ROma players.
CLichy ahd too many lapses of cocnentration for my liking.
But Diaby wa simmensed, trakcing back, battling it out in mdifield.
And Denilson was doing all the dirty jobs in bodychecking, breaking up Roma attack from building up a head of steam by fair or foul means.
Diaby is MOTM covering acres of space.
And it is only the class of Totti that made the entire Arsenal midfield looked so ordinary.
SImilarly, when Fabregas is back and match-fit, he will be like Totti, making other midfield look so ordinary.
And when Arshavin, Nasri and Rosicky are fully match-fit and gell into the team, then Fabregas will have a potent "partners-in-crime" to dominate midfield.
And if David Silva joins us.....
Guess Roma macth dmeonstrated the potental fo Diaby which Wenegr sa everyday on the training pitch..adn we see Diaby only during matchday.
DO not rub Eboue as in this kind of match where defensive steel is needed, instead of flair, Eboue serves a very useful function...a defensive player that can drive forward and link-up with attack.
And why so few attacks down right flank is simply that defensive steel fo Sagna-Eboue stopped most of Roma attacks down there.
Oyster's are no good for Crab football
He was good, better than the rest of the average mob, apart form Eboue who looked pretty decent to me, but he was nothing special.
And Merl, I know I will say this again, but Song does not play the CDM role, not a sweeper role, not a third center back or whatever you want, Denilson plays that position. We see that when we watch the matches.
I really like your post's, well thought out and opinionated by yourself, and not the general "ideals", but your formations get too much at times. Repeated over and over again.
As for the BOLD statements, I still don't understand why fans have not accepted that fact. Our attacking players are not good enough. it is not Almunia and Denilson or our back up players in Song, Bendtner, Eboue and Diaby (because they are back up, they come in for injuries, too many times in fact) that are the problems, the first teamers are not up to PL and CL winning standard.
Quote:Padre Pio
Without Diaby we would have lost, again and again he brought the ball out of defence releasing the pressure, true he couldnt make a goal. this was beacuse no players were getting into the box, the strike force was dismal.
Agree Padre. Was watching the replay and an in form Diaby can be a very good box2box player. If only he keeps this up for all games....
Another great night to go on the 'backs to the wall' honours board, with Sampdoria away and the Copenhagen final 94, and the all-time classic Cup Final of 05.
for me when the game was obviously heading to penalties i knew eduardo would miss so i was hoping almunia would save a spot kick to make up.
i never want to watch a nerve wrecking game like this ever.last time arsenal nearly killed me was the game against villareal.
i must agree about the mental strength.missing the 1st spot kick when one played rubblish all night can undo a team of young players but it didn't.even though roma blew their chance of winning this game i have this feeling that if we didn't concede that silly goal due to a defensive blunder it may have ended goaless.
Iw as that confidence that it will be 0-0.
But fortunately they recovered and put to rest all those rubbish about their metanlity fragility which I tend to believe was due to French Spine and November Blip.
And Almunia was correct.
Thsi ROma is a turning point where those youngsters found their self-belief, a new confidence and there is no doubt n their minds that they can take on all comers...and Wenger is continuously instilled this kind of belief into them to play to their full potential.
Guess the answer will be tomorrow if they slaughter Blackburn...or eke out another dreadful 0-0.
I don't think so as imbibed with this new found belief, they will go on a rampage against Blackburn, certainly not 7-0...
There are no shoe ins in a knockout competition, Greece won the European cup and so did Denmark and they only qualified through default for that competition.
Red Star Belgrade won the Champions league, Porto won the CL.
We were bad on Wednesday true, but we can have off days that is the nature of the beast, its not ideal but it is what it is.
Was it Kolos at fault or Billys for the goal ? In my opinion, neither. That shi' just happens in football sometimes and if everyone knew who would win before a ball was kicked nobody would watch the 'Ucking game at all and if they did it would be less interesting than watching "Eastenders" and thats really saying something!
Anyway Rome better prepare for us, cos were coming back !
I wonder if people read very much - Chelsea were beaten 3-1 by them!
They have been in the last 8 for last two seasons.
I believe team spirit was created in the Roma Cauldron, this could be the turning point. Even if it isnt there are times when you just have to enjoy yourself. How many other fans would have like d to be in our place on Wednesday watching youngsters deliver a historic victory.
At 3pm the team has to get back to normality, so do we. But we need to get behind them, as they will find it tough today
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