Arsenal vs. Portsmouth Highlights: 3-1 but Adebayor frustrates
Posted by Arsenalist on September 2nd, 2007
First up, this game was on Canadian TV via Setanta Sports, first time I’ve seen Arsenal on TV since April so it was already a victory before the match even started. I’m not much for indepth analysis and by nature I’m a pessimist so I have to get some shit off my chest. Adebayor really frustrates me, he hasn’t improved an iota since two years in terms of making the correct decision when the ball is played to him in a threatening position. When he has a chance to make a cross it’s usually crappy in quality and leaves so much to be desired. Why he chose to switch to his right foot when Sylvain Distin was on HIS RIGHT after a beautiful pass by RVP had him alone on the flank is mindboggingly inexplicable. Eduardo came into the game and looked rusty, and how do you fix rust? You give him playing time, and at whose expense? Adebayor.
Poor old Senderos, God hates him, he really does. After he blows a header, he gets a red card for a clumsy tackle on Kanu, a tackle which could’ve been made in so many other ways, the referee showed no mercy either and Senderos will miss the next game. Being down to ten men doesn’t matter to us, in fact I think we actually welcome it. We switched to a 4-3-2 with Gilberto dropping back and all Portsmouth could do was muster up some pressure for about five minutes but after that we were back in command. The Rosicky and Fabregas tandem is getting better by the minute, it’s like they’re wearing secret headphones and talking to each other during the game. Even Hleb’s playing smart and laying the ball off proper for Flamini to go down the right. This had to be the best game we’ve played so far, the width of the field was used and Portsmouth was always too stretched to mount any counter-attack, the only danger we faced was when the ball fell to a Pompey player outside the area and Almunia dealt with it briskly.
The game also featured a small dose of Abou Diaby brilliance and of course a moment of “How the f**k did you miss that header?” Diaby’s offensive game isn’t there yet and he’s far from being a midfield goal-scoring threat but he’s trying and he’s trying haaard. The man knows how to use his length to his advantage, can be a terror when defending and knows how to shield the ball from would-be tacklers while actually trying to go forward, something Denilson never seems to be able to do or want to do. As of right now Diaby and Eduardo are two players who I’d like to see in the starting lineup.
Adebayor instead of RVP took the penalty, I thought it was a pretty weak one, David James just went the wrong way, if he had guessed right it would’ve been stopped. I don’t know if it’s a lack of confidence that RVP passed up on the penalty but if it is, it’s not a good sign for us. I want RVP taking the penalty every time. Almunia is our starting goalkeeper, he didn’t have to deal with anything too extreme but there were a couple great saves, one off a freekick which Lehmann surely would’ve made very interesting. The goal he conceded was a complete fluke prompting the commentator to even call it “embarrassing” for Kanu. Almunia’s like the guy at the office who just does his job, doesn’t talk much and delivers on time. Having Lehmann in goal isn’t good for my heart either, nobody wants an adventure every time he touches the ball.
It’s early but we’re second in the table. The goals are below, latch on the Arsenal feed.
Adebayor ’8 (Penalty earned by RVP): Download
[livevideo id=1EB3B760298C49399174B0E8A5E73602]
Fabregas ’35: Download
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Rosicky ’59: Download
[livevideo id=16994DC3A7DB4FFB8AE43868BCB8D7F9]
Kanu ’60: Download
[livevideo id=7E6A61E77CCF462D9C95E34B5E4C7B37]
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September 2nd, 2007 at 8:36 am
After The Arse I love you
September 2nd, 2007 at 8:51 am
Nicely done, great to have you back. I think you’re links are mixed up, though. With the first link going to the second goal and vice versa. Won’t matter once the embeds are up, I guess.
September 2nd, 2007 at 8:58 am
Thanks nolagunner, its fixed.
September 2nd, 2007 at 9:46 am
i wish eduardo was in the starting line-up instead of ade..
September 2nd, 2007 at 2:09 pm
yh eduardo need 90 min to show wot he got not 15 min.
September 2nd, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Sporadic playing time towards the end of games where the result is secured isn’t a real opportunity to play. I think a couple league starts will build his confidence and in a course of 60-70 minutes he is much more able to get opportunites where he can take advantage of his skills. In today’s game he was brought in with 11 minutes to go and the team down a man, not exactly ideal.
September 2nd, 2007 at 4:38 pm
I share the same view with you on Ade. In fact there’re some players in Arsenal shirt I don’t rate at all ‘cos I really don’t think they measure up to the quality needed to be an Arsenal player. I mean players like Ade, Senderos and Song. Can they really be successful? They seem not to be improving at all and Arsene continue to give them chance after chance to correct themselves and still are what they were. It’s just amazing.
September 2nd, 2007 at 4:47 pm
Thanks.
September 2nd, 2007 at 10:42 pm
The reason RvP did not take the penalty was that Wenger has a policy if you earned the penalty you don’t take it. Weird but has been around for quite a while. And that was why the Pires Henry penalty thingy came about. Henry earned the penalty so Pires took it but Henry wanted to score
On Ade’s penalty, it was an ok penalty. Maybe a little too weak but the placement was good. Right at the extreme left of the keeper.
September 3rd, 2007 at 12:20 am
I thought the “don’t take the penalty if you earned it” rule was something only Henry followed, not enforced by Wenger.
September 3rd, 2007 at 5:24 am
er actually im not quite sure. Well it doesn’t really matter does it? well im quite confident if anyone takes our penalty, even hleb.
September 3rd, 2007 at 9:54 am
if you were real arsenal supporters you would know that adebayor has just come back from injury!
thats right a f***ing injury,the guy is not super-human he is human,if you go to the games you would see how he was running the portsmouth defense ragged,they cannot handle his movement,you wait and see when this guy get’s his full fitness back and you talk about hasent improved in 2 years?
what game you watching?
if it was not for ade last season we would have been fuc***.
we had that cu** aliadere and the so called beast up front,know what you talking about before you make bold statements like that.
September 3rd, 2007 at 1:48 pm
Look “dont talk s***”
Adebayor sucks and he does talk s***!!!
Eduardo is our diamond, and we need to start to polishing him now!
Liverpool is 1st on GD, with help from Torres. WTF!
We need goals, this is going to be a tight race with Liverpool.
Why are not playing Eduardo?
Yes Adebayor was injured, he is not anymore.
Eduardo can run laps around Adebayor.
Ask yourself this, what did Adebayor do for us last year when RVP was injured?
NOTHING!!!
Why don’t you go to sleep and have a dream about your friends Aliadere and Adebayor and have a slumber party since you love them so much and don’t live in reality.
Didn’t you see Eduardo’s goal v. Sparta.
I guessed you missed that…
Kisses…
GO ARSENAL!!!
September 4th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
Number 12
Very insulting; you’re the type of fans who won’t like criticism. What was Ade brought in for? A striker or to hold the ball like a midfielder? We already have a lot of midfielders who do what you claim he does best. A striker who waste 6 chances to score 1 is not what Arsenal need. It’s been like that since he came. If you like it, I don’t like it. If he had been good, we would’ve won our game at WHL last season and also the last match of the season with Chelsea. He shoots on sight without lifting his head, he continued same even in pre-season. He will never improve, we should’ve forgiven Anelka and gone for him or Martins. These are strikers who take their chances and both of them could score a lot ‘cos of the way we play. Ade is not one of the best and Arsenal desrve better.
September 4th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
Seems to me that the Adebayor/Eduardo debate primarily depends on who we’re playing and whether or not van Persie is available. If van P is not available, then Ade is a lock. If he is available, then selection depends on the Boss’ views on the other sides defensive vulnerability. If they can’t defend pace then Ed goes on. If a more muscular approach is needed then Ade goes on. And if he’s not available then we’re on to Bendtner.
Better question: where does Diarra play? As far as I can tell, his signing should be the absolute last straw for Flamini and Song….
Glad to see you’re back, btw. Hope things were OK with the family.
September 4th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
for all the ppl who keep bagging adebayor would we have won the first game against man u if he didnt play? but i do think another striker is needed and anelka n martins are great strikers but anelka wont leave bolton so…
September 6th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
I put Diarra in the center midfield with Cesc.
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