Preview: Arsenal v. West Ham United

Denilson gave Arsenal an early lead in this fixture last year. Pic via Daily Mail.

Emirates Stadium, London

Saturday, October 30

15:00 BST, 10:00 a.m. EDT

• Referee: Mike Jones
• This Match, Last Year: Arsenal 2 - 0 West Ham
• All-Time in All Competitions: 52 Arsenal wins, 33 West Ham wins, 38 draws
• Arsenal's League Form: W-D-L-L-W-W
• West Ham's League Form: L-D-W-D-D-L

Predicted Line-Up

guesses in red

Fabianski

Sagna - Koscielny - Squillaci - Clichy

Song - Denilson

Walcott - Fabregas - Nasri

Chamakh

Subs from: Szczesny, Djourou, Eboue, Rosicky, Arshavin, Bendtner, Vela
Suspended: Wilshere (third of three, serious foul play)
Out: Gibbs (knee), Diaby (ankle), Almunia (elbow), Vermaelen (Achilles), Van Persie (ankle), Ramsey (broken leg)

Arsenal News and Notes

• Kieran Gibbs just cannot stay healthy. Gibbs picked up an MCL strain on Wednesday and will miss "a few weeks," the full length of which will be determined by a scan on Friday.
• Abou Diaby drops out of the squad with his ankle injury, having never come back to full fitness after picking up the knock against Bolton in September. We've seen him fit enough to play, but now that most of the midfield is back from other injuries, Diaby drops out as a precaution.
• Manuel Almunia is still one or two week away from returning from his elbow injury, at which point he'll probably have to earn his job back.
• Robin van Persie and Aaron Ramsey will return to full training at the end of next week.
• Thomas Vermaelen is improving ever so slowly.
• This is the final match of Jack Wilshere's suspension.
• Arsenal have won four straight across all competitions.
• The Gunners took all three points from each of their next five fixtures the last time they were played in the league (either last year, or in the case of Newcastle, two years ago.)

West Ham News and Notes

• Matthew Upson has a slight hamstring complaint and might miss this match, as could Frederic Piquionne, who picked up a knock against Newcastle in the league last week.
• Longer term injuries include Jack Collison (knee), Zavon Hines (knee), and Thomas Hitzlsperger (thigh.)
• West Ham needed added time to knock Stoke out of the Carling Cup, 3-1 on Wednesday.
• West Ham sit in last place in the Premier League, level on points with Wolves but three back on goal difference.
• The Hammers have only one league win this season, but they have two in the Carling Cup and have lost only one of their last seven matches across all competitions; this after losing their first four in the league.

Match Facts

• Arsenal played West Ham three times last year: twice in the league and once in the FA Cup. Arsenal won 2-0 in the only match of those three at the Emirates: Denilson scored the winner five minutes in, Vermaelen was sent off for a last man foul, Almunia stopped the resulting penalty, and Arsenal dominated the second half despite being a man short before a Fabregas penalty secured three points.
• Arsenal blew a 2-0 lead and drew 2-2 in the league fixture at Upton Park last year; West Ham blew a 1-0 lead a lost 2-1 at Upton Park in the third round of the FA Cup in January.
• West Ham became the first visiting team to win at the Emirates, winning 1-0 on April 7, 2007. It was the 23rd match in the stadium's history. West Ham were also the last visiting team to win at Highbury.
• That 2007 win was the last time West Ham won at Arsenal, though they picked up a 0-0 draw in January of 2009.

The Referee

• The referee is Mike Jones.
• He took charge of Arsenal's 6-0 win against Blackpool in August. This is his first West Ham match this year.
• Last year, he only took charge of two Arsenal matches: 4-0 home wins against Wigan and Fulham. That means in three matches he's worked, Arsenal has combined to outscore their opponents 14-0.
• For West Ham, he worked a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa and a 1-0 win against Sunderland last year.

Around the League

• Saturday: Blackburn Rovers v. Chelsea; Ewood Park, Blackburn
• Saturday: Everton v. Stoke City; Goodison Park, Liverpool
• Saturday: Fulham v. Wigan Athletic; Craven Cottage, London
• Saturday: Wolverhampton Wanderers v. Manchester City; Molineux, Wolverhampton
• Saturday: Manchester United v. Tottenham Hotspur; Old Trafford, Manchester
• Sunday: Aston Villa v. Birmingham City; Villa Park, Birmingham
• Sunday: Newcastle United v. Sunderland; St. James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
• Sunday: Bolton Wanderers v. Liverpool; Reebok Stadium, Bolton
• Monday: Blackpool v. West Bromwich Albion; Bloomfield Road, Blackpool

Carling Cup: Newcastle United 0 - 4 Arsenal: Up for the Cup!

Arsenal took the lead into halftime, thanks to absolute preposterousness. Pic via Daily Mail.

Newcastle United 0

Arsenal 4: Krul 45+2 (og), Walcott 53, 88, Bendtner 83

It looks like we're going for this one this year. There's been a different feeling around the League Milk Littlewoods Rumbelows Coca-Cola Worthington Carling Cup this season. It's hard to say why Arsenal appears to be taking this competition more seriously. Obviously, the last round being a derby against Tottenham had a lot to do with the squad's strength that night. I feel like the biggest reason behind the strength of tonight's squad was, quite honestly, the quality of Arsenal's second string of players.

But, if you're still wondering if Arsene Wenger is serious about this cup this year, keep in mind that he sent Cesc Fabregas on with twenty minutes to play in a 2-0 game.

With this being a Carling Cup game, it's not really worth discussing the line-up in terms of changes in the side since the last league match (FYI, there were nine changes.) Arsene Wenger decided to start a number of players returning from injuries: Laurent Koscielny, Nicklas Bendtner, and Theo Walcott. Wojciech Szczesny got the nod in goal (as I said in the preview, if he didn't start now, he wasn't going to this season.) Johan Djourou, Emmanuel Eboue, and Kieran Gibbs joined Koscielny on the back line. Denilson, Craig Eastmond, and Tomas Rosicky joined Theo Walcott in the midfield, with the Czech wearing the captain's armband. Carlos Vela joined Bendtner up front.

To fit the non-standard squad into Arsenal's standard 4-2-3-1 formation, Vela appeared to play the left wing with Walcott on the right and Bendtner up front, Rosicky played the central role, and Denilson and Eastmond played the holding roles.

The fact that Arsenal could not score in the first five minutes was a bit surprising, given the number of chances. A Vela shot was stopped by goalkeeper Tim Krul within the first thirty seconds, then Bendtner had about four shots blocked after the ensuing corner. The shots kept coming from Arsenal in the opening minutes, but nothing on target found its way past Krul. After this, the match settled into rusty frustration. Despite the flying start, Arsenal did not continue the match very well, in that touches and passes were off. A ton of first touches were terrible. This was clearly a side that 1) doesn't play together often and 2) doesn't see much playing time anyway and, as such, was rusty. Shaking that rust off was a huge point of this match.

The following ten minutes were all Newcastle. Nile Ranger beat Djourou and Szczesny found himself near the 18-yard-line to challenge and the young keeper missed. He did clip Ranger a bit, but nothing more and Ranger stayed on his feet, clear through with an open goal in front of him. Instead of burying it to give the Magpies a 1-0 lead against the run of play, he checked over to try to shoot from his dominant foot, allowing Laurent Koscielny to get back into position. Then, instead of dribbling around Koscielny, Ranger fired a shot right at him. Crisis averted. Not long after, Alan Smith had a beautiful strike from 25 yards out that clanged off the goalpost for a goal kick, though Szczesny actually got a fingertip to it. Kieran Gibbs left the match in the 18th minute with an injury he picked up earlier after a challenge; when was the last time he played a full match? Bacary Sagna replaced him, with Eboue sliding over from right to left back.

Then, nothing happened for about half an hour, unless you're a fan of crosses to nobody in particular.

Arsenal did manage to take a 1-0 lead into the halftime break thanks to an absolutely ridiculous own goal. Words cannot describe how preposterous this goal was, but I'll give it a shot. Arsenal won a corner in the final minute of the first half's added time. Bendtner flicked the set piece into the six-yard box and all hell broke loose. In the scramble, someone in red got a shot on target that was headed off the line by Ryan Taylor. But, the defender's clearing header landed on the back of the head of the goalkeeper Krul, who was on the ground in the scramble. The ball careened off Krul's head and into the net. No, seriously, that's what happened.

Returning from injury, Bendtner and Walcott have scored four goals combined in two games. Pic via Daily Telegraph. 

Arsenal added a second goal eight minutes after the restart, though this would not come without controversy. From a Newcastle goal kick, Bendtner was slowly jogging back into play, but the Arsenal defense won the ball. The pass sprung Walcott ahead with a brilliant through ball. Walcott was onside, but Bendtner, by miles, was not, so he cannot get involved in the play. Walcott was clear through on goal and chipped a shot over the charging Krul to make it 2-0. The controversy surrounds whether Bendtner impeded a defender, specifically Mike Williamson, from getting involved in the play. Walcott was off the races already and nobody was going to catch him anyway, but Williamson could have made it close. Instead, he was checked out of the play by Bendtner, who was offside.

So, the question is how you interpret the (exceedingly complicated) offside rule. In a split second, the assistant referee would have had to determine both whether Bendtner impeded Williamson and whether Williamson could have become involved in the play in the first place. Since Walcott was onside and running well ahead of everyone anyway, I can see why the goal was given, in spite of the gray area. 

Newcastle started pouring everything forward in a desperate attempt to equalize. They made offensive minded substitutions, bringing on the likes of Andy Carroll, Jonas Gutierrez, and Joey Barton. The Toon threw everything they could at Szczesny, who kept the door shut in magnificent fashion. He's talked the talk before and it's good to see that he can walk the walk as well. As a separate aside, I love that, considering he's got an impossible name for a chant, we at the pub have started chanting his name as "Mr. Smith."

As mentioned in the opening of this post, Arsene Wenger clearly wanted this win, as he brought Cesc Fabregas in off the bench, up 2-0, in the 71st minute. After about ten more minutes of Szczesny slamming the door shut (including a point blank save while on the ground off a corner,) Arsenal nabbed a third, as Fabregas slid a perfect ball for Bendtner, who lashed a shot into the top right corner. Walcott picked up a brace five minutes later, after a similar run straight up the middle of the pitch as his goal earlier in the half.

All in all, a great effort, against a side that certainly came to play, and an enjoyable match on the whole. There's a 6 in 7 chance that Arsenal will play another Premier League side in early December's Carling Cup quarterfinal, and two of those six sides were finalists in this competition last year (that's Manchester United and Aston Villa, by the way.) It's four straight wins across all competitions for the Gunners, a feeling that this team could actually win something this year that is growing with each and every win, and a string of players returning from injuries. Let's just keep this rolling, boys.

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Theo Walcott

Preview: Newcastle United v. Arsenal, Carling Cup 4th Round

Nicklas Bendtner beat the Magpies with this 83rd minute goal in 2007. Pic via Arsenal.com.

St. James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne

Wednesday, October 27

19:45 BST, 2:45 p.m. EDT

• Referee: Andre Marriner
• Last League Match: Newcastle 1 - 3 Arsenal; March 21, 2009
• All-Time in All Competitions: 64 Arsenal wins, 65 Newcastle wins, 36 draws
• All-Time in League Cup: 3 Arsenal wins, 0 Newcastle wins, 0 draws
• Arsenal's League Form: W-D-L-L-W-W
• Newcastle's League Form: L-W-L-L-D-W

News and Notes

• Jack Wilshere will serve the second match of his three match ban for the straight red card he picked up against Birmingham City.
• Arsene Wenger has stated that the side's strength will be similar to the side he sent out at White Hart Lane in the third round.
• A lot of first team players need to get games in, so we're fairly likely to see the likes of Kieran Gibbs, Emmanuel Eboue, Carlos Vela, probably Abou Diaby, and maybe Denilson and Tomas Rosicky at some point.
• Nicklas Bendtner and Theo Walcott, both coming back from injury, will likely see a lot of time.
• Wojciech Szczesny will start in goal; if he didn't start this one, he probably wasn't going to start any this year.
• Henri Lansbury, Craig Eastmond, and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas may also make the named squad.

Match Facts

• Arsenal have met Newcastle three times in the League Cup; all three have been in London and all three were Arsenal wins (2-0 in 2007/08, 2-0 in 1995/96, and 4-0 in 1971/72.)
• Arsenal took all six points from the Magpies in 2008/09, winning 3-0 at the Emirates and 3-1 at St. James' Park.
• Arsenal beat Newcastle in both domestic cups in 2007/08.
• The last time Arsenal lost a cup tie against Newcastle was the 1952 FA Cup Final. At a time where substitutions were not allowed in the game, Arsenal had to finish the match with seven players due to injuries, and conceded late to lose 1-0.

The Referee

• The referee is Andre Marriner.
• This is his first time working an Arsenal match this year; last year he handled the 3-0 loss to Chelsea at the Emirates along with two matches won by Nicklas Bendtner in injury time: 2-1 at Hull and 1-0 against Wolves.
• Earlier this year, he took charge of Newcastle's 1-0 win at Goodison Park. He handled only four Championship matches last year, but one was the Geordies' 0-0 draw at Leicester.

Other Fourth Round Ties
(P = Premier League, C = Championship, L1 = League One, L2 = League Two)

• Tuesday: Manchester United (P) v. Wolverhampton Wanderers (P); Old Trafford, Manchester
• Tuesday: Birmingham City (P) v. Brentford (L1); St. Andrew's, Birmingham
• Tuesday: Ipswich Town (C) v. Northampton Town (L2); Portman Road, Ipswich
• Tuesday: Leicester City (C) v. West Bromwich Albion (P); Walkers Stadium, Leicester
• Tuesday: Wigan Athletic (P) v. Swansea City (C); DW Stadium, Wigan
• Wednesday: Aston Villa (P) v. Burnley (C); Villa Park, Birmingham
• Wednesday: West Ham United (P) v. Stoke City (P); Boleyn Ground, London

Manchester City 0 - 3 Arsenal: Class Over Cash

Roar. Pic via Daily Mail.

Manchester City 0

Arsenal 3: Nasri 21, Song 66, Bendtner 88

Well, that was satisfying, wasn't it? There's been a lot of talk from the pundits about Arsenal's recent inability to pick up three points in big games. Against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United, the Gunners picked up just one point from a possible eighteen last year. After the loss at Stamford Bridge earlier this month, the questions of whether this team is ready to challenge for a title came up yet again. Did yesterday answer that question? Read on...

Arsenal made two changes from the side that beat Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek: Andrei Arshavin returned to his usual spot on the wing as Tomas Rosicky dropped back to the bench and Denilson started in midfield, replacing the banned Jack Wilshere, serving the first game of his three match ban.

Things started nervously for Arsenal as Carlos Tevez sent a cross into the box in the second minute that found the backheel of David Silva and appeared to be destined for the corner of the goal, but Lukasz Fabianski made a diving reflex save to prevent a fast City start. Then, things went south for City, as in the fifth minute, a through ball sent Marouane Chamakh ahead of the defense and the young defender Dedryck Boyata hauled him down. Boyata was the last defender and that's a red card every day. City would be on ten men for 85 minutes. Arsenal, perhaps unsurprisingly, did nothing with the free kick.

The man advantage gave Arsenal the lion's share of possession, but they had nothing for it until the 21st minute except a handful of yellow cards, as the game was getting a bit chippy and out of hand. Then, a one-two between Andrei Arshavin and Samir Nasri sent the Frenchman clear in on goal and Joe Hart was left helpless as Nasri fired a brilliant shot into the top of the net, to put the Gunners up 1-0.

Arsenal led through the first half, but it never felt comfortable, as it always seemed City could draw level on any given rush. An opportunity was presented for Arsenal to score a second goal late in the half, as Vincent Kompany took down Cesc Fabregas in the area, giving the Gunners a penalty. Hart, however, saved the penalty to keep it a one goal match, and while it was great save, it was also a poorly taken penalty in that Fabregas telegraphed where his shot was going with the way his body was turned. Arsenal's lead was still just one at halftime.

A lot of credit has to go to Manchester City for not rolling over into a defensive shell once they were on ten men, especially considering this is a side that has played three defensive midfielders in a 4-5-1 against big clubs in the past. Instead of dropping back into a 4-4-1, City actually played more of a 4-3-2 for the duration of the match. As a result, as mentioned above, City's attack always looked like it could still be lethal at any given moment, especially at the start of the second half. The game was, therefore, to hang on until City fatigued, then pull away.

After twenty nervy minutes of chances, which also saw the introduction of Emmanuel Adebayor for a knackered Carlos Tevez (by the way, who didn't love it when Alex Song pulled Ade's hat off and tossed it to the ground?), Arsenal finally got the breathing room they needed. A Fabegas pass intended for Chamakh was blocked by halftime substitute/left back/cuckold Wayne Bridge, but not cleared, and it ended on the toe of the aforementioned Song, who fired it into the corner of the goal. 2-0, twenty minutes to play, against ten men, and everything was looking rosy.

Rosicky, Theo Walcott, and Nicklas Bendtner got in the action during the later stages of the game and the big Dane got his first goal of the season as well in the 88th. Samir Nasri did a brilliant job keeping the ball from rolling into touch for a throw-in and City stopped for just a second, thinking the ball was out, allowing Nasri to send the through ball to Bendtner, just onside, who powered a low shot past the outrushing Hart. Three-nil to the good.

City tried desperately to get on the score sheet, but Adebayor missed a simple header from six yards out in the 90th, then Fabianski brilliantly saved a hard shot from Jerome Boateng in the 91st. Fabianski had yet another solid game in goal, made a number of critical saves at crucial times, and earned his second straight clean sheet against Manchester City, and Arsenal's first away from home in nine months.

So, did this match answer the question of Arsenal's preparedness to challenge for the title. I'd say yes, though plenty will likely say no based on the red card. The biggest reason I say yes is because the confidence is starting to return and build. The monkey of not winning big games is finally coming off the Gunners' backs. The talent is there and working together as a well oiled machine; just think of Arsenal's depth in that they could bring players like Rosicky, Walcott, and Bendtner off the bench even with Wilshere suspended. The defense is a little shaky, but they're still the part of the squad hardest hit by injuries.

Three huge points; this team could really springboard from a win like that.

Arsene Wenger Is Very Happy it's His Birthday

Happy Birthday to the Boss!

From: http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11670_6447156,00.html

Preview: Manchester City v. Arsenal

I'm using this every time Arsenal plays City.

Pic via Guardian; caption mine, naturally.

City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester

Sunday, October 24

16:00 BST, 11:00 a.m. EDT

• Referee: Mark Clattenburg
• This Match, Last Year: Manchester City 4 - 2 Arsenal
• All-Time in All Competitions: 91 Arsenal wins, 45 Manchester City wins, 39 draws
• Arsenal's League Form: W-W-D-L-L-W
• Manchester City's League Form: L-D-W-W-W-W

Predicted Line-Up

guesses in red

Fabianski

Sagna - Djourou - Squillaci - Clichy

Song - Diaby

Walcott - Fabregas - Nasri

Chamakh

Subs from: Szczesny, Eboue, Gibbs, Denilson, Rosicky, Arshavin, Bendtner
Suspended: Wilshere (first of three, violent conduct)
Out: Koscielny (back), Almunia (elbow), Vermaelen (Achilles), Van Persie (ankle), Ramsey (broken leg)


Arsenal News and Notes

• Bacary Sagna will return from a thigh injury; while Arsene Wenger doesn't usually like to start players coming off injury, Arsenal are a bit light at the back, so it would not be a surprise to see the blond braids starting at right back.
• Laurent Koscielny is probably still out with his mysterious back injury, which he picked up in training. Arsene Wenger puts him at 20%.
• Manuel Almunia is still out with his elbow injury and probably won't return until Fabianski's next blunder. Then again, arm injuries need to be fully healed for a goalkeeper to return.
• Thomas Vermaelen seems like he'll never play again given his rate of recovery. Van Persie and Ramsey will be back next month.
• January 17th's 2-0 win at Bolton: The last time Arsenal won while keeping a clean sheet on the road AND the last time Arsenal won a fixture that was moved to Sunday for British television.
• Their 0-0 draw at Aston Villa two weeks later was the last time Arsenal didn't concede in any match on the road. They have conceded goals in 15 consecutive away fixtures across all competitions. 
• In terms of matches moved to Sunday, Arsenal have lost five and drawn one of out the six since the Bolton away win. The 4-0 win against Fulham doesn't count here since all matches were played simultaneously and the match wasn't moved to be televised (i.e. a big game.)

Manchester City News and Notes

• Former Gunner Kolo Toure has been out of the last two matches with a persistent hamstring injury.
• Jo picked up an ankle injury in training, but came off the bench anyway today...
• City won its Europa League group match against Lech Poznan today 3-1. A former Arsenal player who shall remain nameless had a hat trick.
• Mario Balotelli (knee) and Aleksandar Kolarov (ankle) might be fit to play, both huge surprises.
• City did not lose a league fixture at home until March of last year, but their loss to Spurs in their final home game of the season denied them Champions League qualification.
• Blackburn Rovers are the only league team to take a point from Eastlands this year. Juventus took a point there in the Europa League.
• City have lost only two of 14 competitive fixtures this year. Then again, Arsenal have only lost two of 12. The difference is that one of City's losses was in the Carling Cup and the other came only through a late penalty at Sunderland.
• Joe Hart has only conceded two goals at home in league play this year, in four matches.

Match Facts

• Arsenal have lost three straight trips to Eastlands; twice in the league and once in the Carling Cup last year. Then again, City played their entire line-up against Arsenal's reserves in that one.
• The Gunners last win at Eastlands was 3-1 on February 2, 2008. The aforementioned player who shall remain nameless had a brace for the correct team in that one.
• This fixture last year was a 4-2 Arsenal loss in early September. The reverse fixture was a dreadful scoreless draw in late April.

The Referee

• The referee is Mark Clattenburg.
• Clattenburg was the referee for this fixture last year. How did Adebayor not get sent off for both running the length of the pitch like an attention AND kicking van Persie in the face?
• Also, he officiated both North London derbies last year. I remember one of those going well.
• Hey, remember that 36 match streak when Arsenal was only awarded one penalty because Eduardo destroyed the sanctity of football by diving, or something? Well, Mark Clattenburg was the only referee to award Arsenal a penalty during that streak. Cesc Fabregas took the shot and it was saved. Arsenal beat Stoke 2-0 at the Emirates anyway.
• Why do I have so much to say about this guy? He also worked Arsenal's FA Cup over West Ham.
• For City, he worked a 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers earlier this year.
• Last year, in addition to the win over Arsenal, Clattenburg refereed a 3-3 draw with Bolton, a 1-1 draw with Stoke, and a 3-1 win over Aston Villa for City.

Around the League

• Saturday: Tottenham Hotspur v. Everton; White Hart Lane, London
• Saturday: Birmingham City v. Blackpool; St. Andrew's, Birmingham
• Saturday: Chelsea v. Wolverhampton Wanderers; Stamford Bridge, London
• Saturday: Sunderland v. Aston Villa; Stadium of Light, Sunderland
• Saturday: West Bromwich Albion v. Fulham; The Hawthorns, West Bromwich
• Saturday: Wigan Athletic v. Bolton Wanderers; DW Stadium, Wigan
• Saturday: West Ham United v. Newcastle United; Boleyn Ground, London
• Sunday: Stoke City v. Manchester United; Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent
• Sunday: Liverpool v. Blackburn Rovers; Anfield, Liverpool

Arsene Wenger Is Very Disappointed in You 10/20/10

http://www.skysports.com/football/match_preview/0,19764,11065_3315129,00.html

Champions League: Arsenal 5 - 1 Shakhtar Donetsk: Perfect Day

A special moment at the Emirates. Pic via Guardian.

Arsenal 5: Song 19, Nasri 42, Fabregas 60 (pen), Wilshere 66, Chamakh 69

Shakhtar Donetsk 1: Eduardo 82

Most Gooners secretly or not-so-secretly wanted to see our former Brazilian-Croatian striker Eduardo score a goal on his return to the Emirates Stadium. Of course, since he plays for the other team, we all wanted it to happen while Arsenal was winning comfortably. Yesterday, therefore, could not possibly have been scripted any better. Meanwhile, the Gunners are now three points clear at the top of Group H.

Cesc Fabregas returned, a bit surprisingly, to the starting XI, from a hamstring injury he sustained while scoring a fluky goal at Sunderland a month ago. Tomas Rosicky also slipped into the starting side, meaning Abou Diaby and Andrei Arshavin dropped to the bench in the two changes to the side made since Saturday's win over Birmingham City. With Fabregas returning to the named side, Carlos Vela dropped out of the 18-man team and started for the Reserves (not impressively, I've heard.)

The early going was nervy and the Ukrainian champions had a little too much of the possession. I've heard it mentioned that ever since Arsenal failed to show up at home against West Brom, there has been an uncomfortable air of nervousness around the team until they finally get going.

Then, a gift. In the 19th minute, a Samir Nasri corner should have been handled comfortably by goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov, but, in a moment we would have called an "Arsenal audition" before Arsene Wenger decided not to buy a keeper anyway for some reason, Pyatov dropped the ball. Johan Djourou was there to kick it behind Pyatov, but not far enough sto score; Alex Song cleaned up the mess, picked up his second goal of the year across all competitions, and put the Gunners ahead 1-0. This was, of course, bad news for Shakhtar, a team that came to the Emirates content to steal a point and not more. Arsenal took a 2-0 lead into halftime thanks to a beautiful strike by Samir Nasri, firing home a cross from Alex Song from just outside the box.

Arsenal kept going in the second half and earned a penalty at the hour mark when Johan Djourou was preposterously wrestled to the ground in a headlock while waiting to receive a cross from a Nasri set piece. The fact that Adriano and Shakhtar protested the call and the booking was laughable. Fabregas pounded the penalty home and lifted up his shirt, revealing a happy birthday message to his mother. How sweet. Then, taking no chances with the captain's fitness, Arsene Wenger pulled Fabregas for Denilson. Just after, Eduardo was subbed on for Shakhtar.

Jack Wilshere got on the score sheet, playing his last match before starting to serve his three match domestic ban (oh, also, in the first half, he put in another fairly questionable tackle; get it together, Jack!), his first Arsenal goal since the 2008 Carling Cup and only the second in his career. Jack played a 1-2 with Tomas Rosicky and flicked a shot over the out rushing keeper to make it 4-0. Three minutes later, it was 5-0, when Chamakh was clear ahead of the Shakhtar defensive line while the entire bar thought he was offside. Chamakh actually paused when he received the pass, glanced over to see if the linesman's flag had gone up, then still had time to go clear in on goal.

At 5-0, Chamakh and Nasri were pulled for Arshavin and the return from injury of Theo Walcott, who had been left on the bench on Saturday. There was little left for Arsenal to prove, though it was good to see Walcott still has his pace. The match ended perfectly in the 82nd, with a brilliant half-volley shot into the corner by Eduardo, to make it 5-1. No Arsenal fan could ask for more and I don't think an away goal has ever received such a reception in North London.

Arsenal had a solid shout for a penalty in the 87th when Arshavin was shoved to the turf, but the referee held his whistle, though it would not have mattered. I think the best question is who would have taken the penalty anyway, with Fabregas and Nasri on the bench and Rosicky probably not taking penalties after missing at Sunderland. I think Arshavin is the obvious choice.

Of course, a question we can all choose to ignore is how the English media would portray Arsenal's comfortable win, and I leave you with this parting line from the Guardian's MBM: "The final whistle brings familiar confusion: were Arsenal brilliant or were there opponents deeply inept?"

Shut up, media.

Preview: Arsenal v. Shakhtar Donetsk, Champions League Group Matchday 3

Eduardo Silva, Shakhtar Donetsk's number eleven.

Na-na na-na na-na na-na... Pic via Euro Rivals.

Emirates Stadium, London

Tuesday, October 19

19:45 BST, 2:45 p.m. EDT

• Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (Norway)
• All-Time in All Competitions: 1 Arsenal win, 1 Shakhtar Donetsk win, 0 draws
• Arsenal's League Form: W-W-D-L-L-W
• Shakhtar Donetsk's League Form: W-L-W-W-W-W

Predicted Line-Up

guesses in red

Fabianski

Eboue - Djourou - Squillaci - Clichy

Song - Wilshere

Nasri - Diaby - Arshavin

Chamakh

Subs from: Szczesny, Gibbs, Fabregas, Denilson, Rosicky, Walcott, Bendtner

Out: Koscielny (back), Sagna (thigh), Almunia (elbow), Vermaelen (Achilles), Van Persie (ankle), Ramsey (broken leg)

Arsenal News and Notes

• No new injuries to talk about, plus Cesc Fabregas will return, likely starting on the bench.
• Jack Wilshere's three match ban applies to domestic play only; he can still play in the Champions League.
• Theo Walcott might return to the starting XI, though I'm not positive who slips out of the line-up. Perhaps Diaby?
• Arsenal has not dropped points from a group stage match at home since a 0-0 draw with Fenerbahce in November of 2008.

Shakhtar Donetsk News and Notes

• Eduardo has scored four goals with his new team and have appeared in 11 matches, seven of those off the bench.
• Shakhtar has a number of players who have just returned from or are returning from injury, much like Arsenal. Dmytro Chygrynskiy and Yaroslav Rakytskiy returned for their league match on Friday while Douglas Costa should return for this match.
• Their only long term injury is Brazilian playmaker Fernandinho.
• Shakhtar also has six points from two group stage matches; they defeated Partizan 1-0 and Braga 3-0.
• In 13 league matches, Shakhtar has won 11, lost one, and drawn one. They have a five point lead over Dynamo Kyiv.

Match Facts

• Arsenal and Shakhtar met twice in group play in the fall of 2000. Arsenal won 3-2 at Highbury but lost 3-0 in the Ukraine.
• Shakhtar's last match against English competition came in the knockout stage of the UEFA Cup in 2009, when they defeated Tottenham 3-1 on aggregate, then went on to win the tournament.
• Arsenal's last match against Ukrainian competition came in group play in 2008 against Dynamo Kyiv. Arsenal won 1-0 at home and drew 1-1 in Kiev.

The Referee

• The referee is Svein Oddvar Moen from Norway.
• This season is his first working in the Champions League and this is his first Arsenal match.

England in the Champions League This Week

• Tuesday: Spartak Moscow v. Chelsea; Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
• Wednesday: Manchester United v. Bursaspor; Old Trafford, Manchester
• Wednesday: Internazionale v. Tottenham Hotspur; San Siro, Milan

Arsenal 2 - 1 Birmingham City: Same Old Arsenal...

Sorry I jinxed you in this week's preview, Jack. Pic via BBC.

Arsenal 2: Nasri 41 (pen), Chamakh 47

Birmingham City 1: Zigic 33

When Arsenal plays Birmingham City, discussion always, at some point, goes back Martin Taylor's studs up challenge that broke Eduardo's leg in February of 2008. Saturday, the sickening tackle was provided by Jack Wilshere. But, more on that later... All in all, what we saw Saturday from the Gunners was, on the whole, unsurprising: a few creative plays matched by a lack of creative spark in the final third. Then again, three points are three points, and they were very necessary.

Arsenal made two changes to the side that lost 2-0 at Stamford Bridge two weeks ago, both necessitated due to injury: Bacary Sagna picked up a thigh injury at Chelsea and Laurent Koscielny picked up a back injury... somewhere... meaning Emmanuel Eboue started at right back and Johan Djourou paired with Sebastian Squillaci at center half. In good news, both Nicklas Bendtner (groin) and Theo Walcott (ankle) returned to the side and started on the bench.

The Gunners had a few chances to open the scoring that were unsuccessful; a series of 1-2's between Jack Wilshere and Marouane Chamakh set up the Moroccan with a great shot at goal, which was blocked brilliant by Stephen Carr. Then, in the 17th minute, Arsenal had an open goal canceled out by the assistant referee's flag, as he judged Squillaci to be offside when he headed in a Samir Nasri free kick. Replays were not very convincing. In the 24th, Gael Clichy had a chance at goal slide just wide after getting a look thanks to a defensive error.

Birmingham then picked up the opener against the run of play in the 33rd, as a Keith Fahey cross found the head of Nikola Zigic, who is about eleven feet tall. Zigic nodded home a perfect header, twisting away from Lukasz Fabianski and into the far bottom corner of the net. Brilliant stuff which was, thanks to Zigic's height, practically indefensible. The Blues almost picked up a second a few minutes later thanks to a breakdown on the Arsenal back line (which is happening at least once or twice per game now), but Zigic's shot at a brace was fired over the bar.

Arsenal equalized within ten minutes, but it was not without controversy. Scott Dann barely clipped Chamakh's foot as he passed him and Chamakh went flying; Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot, awarding a penalty. Was there contact? Some, yes. Did Chamakh embellish it? Absolutely. Though, there was nothing wrong with the spot kick itself, with Samir Nasri pounding a shot past Ben Foster, who had gone the wrong way, and Arsenal and Birmingham were on level terms at 1-1 at the half.

The Gunners took over the match right away in the second half and took the lead within two minutes of the restart, thanks to some brilliant footwork from Chamakh, as he dribbled around several defenders, forced Foster to dive, and worked himself to have an easy shot at a gaping net from along the by-line. Classy stuff and a brilliant finish, something Arsenal could really use more often.

And I say that because much of the script of the second half (as in the first) went the same way a lot of Arsenal games have gone this year (hence this recap's title.) For as much possession and control the boys in red and white may have in a match (it was 62% to Arsenal in this one), they seem to get flustered in the final third. When you are without Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, and Theo Walcott due to injury, a lot of that creative spark isn't on the pitch. The mercurial Andrei Arshavin might show flashes of brilliance, though this week, there were none from the Russian. Abou Diaby had a solid game in the central role, but never seems to pick out the right pass once he reaches the 18-yard box. Chamakh and Wilshere have combined for numerous chances this season, and Wilshere picked up the assist for Chamakh's goal. But, other than that, a ton of chances go begging. I've read Birmingham fans talk about how they deserved a point from this match, and they might be right, but this was largely so close because Arsenal often can't finish what they've started.

Now, on to the ugliness. Samir Nasri kneed a guy in the back. Emmanuel Eboue launched a scissor tackle on Liam Ridgewell. Both received only yellow cards. It wasn't all one sided, as Birmingham escaped penalty in the first half, shortly before Arsenal's goal, when Marouane Chamakh took an elbow to the head. But the stories are all coming from what happened in the 93rd as Jack Wilshere went in over the ball, foot raised, and studs showing into a challenge of Zigic. It was a terrible challenge and an obvious straight red card. It's a three match ban for violent conduct and Jack will be back domestically on November 7 against Newcastle (he'll miss two league fixtures and the fourth round of the Carling Cup.) He can play in Europe tomorrow.

As an Arsenal supporter, this is one of those situations you have to talk about while at the same time not being hypocritical. Zigic did not have his leg broken, but he could have. There are a few differences here from what Arsenal has had done to them in the past. Is Jack Wilshere that kind of player? Yes, in that he can occasionally get caught up in some recklessness caused by his youthful exuberance. But he's not flying into challenges solely trying to make sure the other guy can feel it, as we've seen from the likes of Karl Henry, Nigel de Jong, and of course, Ryan Shawcross. There have been too many instances where those players have not acknowledged being in the wrong. Jack has apologized, knows he was wrong, and will learn from this experience. He's come close to having some pretty bad challenges in the past this year, again, because he's young and in some instances, possibly trying to do more than he should. He has to learn not to cross that line. I think he will learn.

Oh, and as a passing note, what ever happened to Martin Taylor after the Eduardo incident? Well, he scored for Watford on Saturday.

Preview: Arsenal v. Birmingham City

Robin van Persie opened the scoring in this fixture last year. Pic via Guardian.
 
Emirates Stadium, London

Saturday, October 16

15:00 BST, 10:00 a.m. EDT

• Referee: Martin Atkinson
• This Match, Last Year: Arsenal 3 - 1 Birmingham City
• All-Time in All Competitions: 57 Arsenal wins, 38 Birmingham wins, 35 draws
• Arsenal's Recent Form: W-W-W-D-L-L
• Birmingham's Recent Form: W-D-D-L-D-L

Predicted Line-Up

guesses in red
updated Friday

Fabianski
Eboue - Djourou - Squillaci - Clichy
Song - Denilson
Wilshere - Nasri - Arshavin
Chamakh

Subs from: Szczesny, Gibbs, Diaby, Rosicky, Bendtner, Walcott, Vela
Out: Koscielny (back) Sagna (thigh), Almunia (elbow), Fabregas (hamstring), Vermaelen (Achilles), Walcott (ankle), Van Persie (ankle), Ramsey (broken leg)

Arsenal News and Notes

• Still no Cesc Fabregas. Maybe midweek in the Champions League.
• Still no Manuel Almunia either, so let's pray for another solid showing from Fabianski. Is three in a row asking for too much from an Arsenal 'keeper with a... ahem, history?
• Thomas Vermaelen and Bacary Sagna are each about ten days away from returning, which could put them short for the trip to Manchester City on the 24th. How lovely.
• Laurent Koscielny has picked up a back injury in training and will not appear in this match.
• Am I more sarcastic than normal in this preview so far? It has been a while since we've posted; thank you, international break.
• Good news is the returning list: Nicklas Bendtner is back! So is Kieran Gibbs! Theo Walcott passed his fitness test and returns as well. Probably at least two more weeks for Striker van GlassAnkle Robin van Persie. Aaron Ramsey is back in training! HUZZAH!
• Arsenal have dropped points in three straight league matches for the first time since dropping points in four straight toward the end of last season.
• Arsenal has lost two straight, a fate they suffered four times last year, but they never lost three straight. You would have to go back to March 18 to April 7, 2007 for the last time Arsenal lost three straight league fixtures. They finished with only 68 points that year, 21 points off the pace.

Birmingham News and Notes

• The Blues only have one injury! I am so jealous! James McFadden is out for a while with an ACL injury.
• Birmingham have only won once in seven fixtures this year, but they've also drawn four.
• Their home loss to Everton two weeks ago was their first such loss at home in over a year.
• However, they have not won a league fixture away from home since a 2-1 win at Portsmouth on March 9.

Match Facts

• Arsenal won this fixture 3-1 last year: Arsenal scored twice in two minutes to take a 2-0 lead, Lee Bowyer pegged one back for the Blues before Arshavin sealed the points in the 84th. Vito Mannone started in goal for the Gunners.
• This fixture also happened to be the exact same weekend last year. How weird!!
• Birmingham City has not won in their last six league attempts against Arsenal, though they have drawn three. The last two of those draws, both at St. Andrews, came with the Blues equalizing dramatically in injury time.
• Birmingham have not won at Arsenal since a 3-1 win on October 19, 1957. Since then, Arsenal has won 17 times at home against the Blues and have drawn nine.

The Referee

• The referee is Martin Atkinson.
• The last time Arsenal saw Atkinson, he was the fourth official at Sunderland, when there were 842 extra seconds was a controversial amount of injury time allowed the Black Cats to equalize. Then, Arsene Wenger shoved him and got suspended for a match.
• He has also been involved in the officiating crew in the last three instances where an Arsenal player has been shown a red card. So, looks like someone's getting sent off Saturday. Any bets? I'm taking Jack Wilshere.

Around the League

• Saturday: Bolton Wanderers v. Stoke City; Reebok Stadium, Bolton
• Saturday: Fulham v. Tottenham Hotspur; Craven Cottage, London
• Saturday: Manchester United v. West Bromwich Albion; Old Trafford, Manchester
• Saturday: Newcastle United v. Wigan Athletic; St. James' Park, Newcastle uponTyne
• Saturday: Wolverhampton Wanderers v. West Ham United; Molineux, Wolverhampton
• Saturday: Aston Villa v. Chelsea; Villa Park, Birmingham
• Sunday: Everton v. Liverpool; Goodison Park, Liverpool
• Sunday: Blackpool v. Manchester City; Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
• Monday: Blackburn Rovers v. Sunderland; Ewood Park, Blackburn

International Gunner Watch - It's Almost Like Good News

Nice scarf, Tommy. Pic via Big Soccer.

With all of Arsenal's injuries, there will only be eight first team Gunners on international duty during this weekend's unfortunate injury period international break. This conveniently gives the wounded the opportunity to spend two weeks training and rehabilitating in London, or just watching pre-season NBA games, as shown in the picture.

Cesc Fabregas will not be playing for Spain, still out with a hamstring injury, but should be set to return immediately afterward the break. Please note that this is usually the exact opposite of how international breaks usually go for Arsenal players. Manuel Almunia should return to action for Birmingham City at the Emirates on the 16th as well. Theo Walcott may need another week, but may return for Arsenal's trip to Manchester City on the 24th. Robin van Persie is a bit behind schedule but could be back by the start of November. Nicklas Bendtner expects to be back in contention by the end of the month. Kieran Gibbs should be back within the next two Arsenal matches as well.

There's two bits of bad injury news and both are on the back line. Thomas Vermaelen's Achilles injury is slower to heal than expected and there is, as yet, no time table for his return. In addition, Bacary Sagna picked up a left thigh injury while training with France and has been dropped from the national squad for this week and sent back to London.

Also, there's the case of Carlos Vela, who was banned from the Mexican team for six months for organizing a hotel party after a friendly with Colombia last month. I think this is something Arsene Wenger, who is known to detest these breaks, should encourage more!

FRANCE: SAMIR NASRI / ABOU DIABY / GAEL CLICHY
Saturday v. Romania; Stade de France, Saint Denis
Tuesday v. Luxembourg; Stade Saint-Symphorien, Metz

France is currently in third place in Group D, thanks to their loss to Belarus. This time around, Les Bleus get to play the 5th and 6th place teams in the six team group. As mentioned above, France will be without the injured Bacary Sagna.

ENGLAND: JACK WILSHERE
Friday with U-21 v. Romania; Carrow Road, Norwich
Tuesday with senior squad v. Montenegro; Wembley Stadium, London

Despite being named to Fabio Capello's senior squad, Jack Wilshere will also be forced to play with Stuart Pearce's Under-21 squad in their Euro 2011 qualification play-off first leg against Romania in Norwich on Friday night. We're all worried he'll be overplayed by England, leading to an eventual injury plagued career, because as you probably know, it's happened before.

CZECH REPUBLIC: TOMAS ROSICKY
Friday v. Scotland; Synot Tip Arena, Prague
Tuesday at Liechtenstein; Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz

The Czech Republic have lost their first and only Group I match and sit in 4th place out of five teams. They had a bye round during the last international break.

RUSSIA: ANDREI ARSHAVIN
Friday at Ireland; Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Tuesday at Macedonia; Philip II Arena, Skopje

Russia is in 3rd place out of six in Group B. They lost to Slovakia and beat Andorra. Both of their matches are away from home in this set of rounds, but their one loss did come in Moscow.

IVORY COAST: EMMANUEL EBOUE
Friday at Burundi; Prince Louis Rwagasore Stadium, Bujumbura

Ivory Coast leads Group I after 3-0 win over Rwanda, during which Eboue scored the third goal.

MOROCCO: MAROUANE CHAMAKH
Friday at Tanzania; Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium, Dar-es-Salaam

All four teams drew in Group D, though Morocco sits in 4th place out of four, since they played a 0-0 draw with a team that comes before them alphabetically (Central African Republic,) while Tanzania and Algeria's draw was 1-1.

ENGLAND U-21: HENRI LANSBURY
Friday v. Romania; Carrow Road, Norwich
Tuesday at Romania; Stadionul Municipal, Botosani

England's Under-21 squad plays a two-legged play-off with Romania to attempt to qualify for the 2011 tournament. The second leg is away from home since England finished second in their group.

POLAND U-20: WOJCIECH SZCZESNY
Sunday v. Germany (friendly)

Arsene Wenger Is Very Disappointed in You 10/06/10

From Arse 2 Mouse:

ZOO: Arsene Wenger looks so serious all the time. Does he ever lighten up and have a laugh?

CHAMAKH: When I came here that was the impression I got, too. But, gradually as you get to know him you do see him smile.
ZOO: But does he ever laugh?
CHAMAKH: Well, I think so once! No, after every win he smiles a lot.

(image from: http://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/article686983.ece/Wenger-talks-a-good-game)

Matches Moved for UK Television

This is a television. Free use image via Wikipedia.

Four Arsenal fixtures in December and early January have officially been moved for broadcast slots on British television. All matches are normally scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m. in England (10:00 a.m. here in New York City) but can be moved if a television network in the UK decides to air it live. Matches are usually moved either earlier or to Sunday/Monday for Sky Sports and are moved to later on Saturday for ESPN. This also alters which television network airs the match in the United States.

The following is the list of Arsenal's upcoming fixtures through January that have been moved for television and will not be aired at the standard Saturday time. This includes all mid-week league fixtures, whether or not they were moved in the first place. As a New York-based blog, all times are Eastern:

Manchester City (away) airs Sunday, October 24 at 11:00 a.m.

Newcastle United (home) airs Sunday, November 7 at 8:30 a.m.

Wolves (away) airs Wednesday, November 10 at 2:45 p.m.

Everton (away) airs Sunday, November 14 at 9:00 a.m.

Tottenham Hotspur (home) airs Saturday, November 20 at 7:45 a.m.

Aston Villa (away) airs Saturday, November 27 at 7:45 a.m.

Manchester United (away) airs Monday, December 13 at 3:00 p.m.

Chelsea (home) airs Monday, December 27 at 3:00 p.m.

Wigan (away) airs Wednesday, December 29 at 2:45 p.m.

Birmingham City (away) airs Saturday, January 1 at 12:30 p.m.

Manchester City (home) airs Wednesday, January 5 at 2:45 p.m.

UPDATED: For the sake of completeness, here's the list of matches that are at the standard Saturday 10:00 a.m. time:

Birmingham (home) on October 16.

West Ham (home) on October 30.

Fulham (home) on December 4.

Stoke (home) on December 18.

Chelsea 2 - 0 Arsenal: Bitter Pill

Why is Drogba practically guaranteed to score somehow against Arsenal, every time? Pic via Daily Telegraph.

Arsenal 0

Chelsea 2: Drogba 39, Alex 85

I'm not one for moral victories, largely because they don't earn you three points in the table. However, I don't think I would be too far out of line here to suggest that Arsenal's fate yesterday was a little undeserved. Arsenal proved they can challenge the champions (something many pundits did not suggest was possible), even with a laundry list of first team players out injured, but in the end, the breaks did not go the Gunners' way. A draw would have probably been a fairer result given the balance of play (by no means am I suggesting Arsenal should have won), but to win at Chelsea, you have to make the most of the chances presented to you; Arsenal still can't always do that.

Four changes were made to the side that started at Marzipan Partizan on Tuesday. Kieran Gibbs's calf injury meant that Gael Clichy returned to his role at left back. Laurent Koscielny, rested on Tuesday, returned at center back in place of Johan Djourou. Samir Nasri, also rested at the start on Tuesday, returned to the line-up in place of Tomas Rosicky, and Abou Diaby started in the place of Denilson. Quite honestly, I don't think Diaby should have started and would have preferred Song and Wilshere in the holding roles, Nasri as the lynchpin in the center, and Rosicky starting out wide.

What is worrying is that Arsenal's early pressure was essentially their only pressure. Andrei Arshavin had a solid first half, but was essentially the only offensive creator on the pitch in red, with Nasri out of his natural position wide on the other side and Rosicky on the bench. Of course, given his mercurial nature, Arshavin disappeared in the second, as did the rest of Arsenal's chances.

Arsenal could have scored twice in the game's first minute. A brilliant header from Marouane Chamakh was barely flicked wide by Alex; then, Laurent Koscielny found himself wide open on the resulting corner after losing his man, then nodded the ball high over the bar. When you're at Stamford Bridge, you need to take every opportunity you get to score, and Arsenal just didn't do it. I don't think they had a chance quite as good as those two the rest of the game. They may have controlled possession for a good chunk of the match (as per usual), but there was no major threat in the final third.

At the time, I thought Chelsea's opening goal was a moment of pure luck and fortune, but on seeing replays, it was largely just Didier Drogba being a world class football player that has a knack for scoring against Arsenal. A Ramires pass found an overlapping Ashley Cole who centered to the Ivorian striker, guarded well by Sebastien Squillaci. The cross was slightly behind Drogba, but he flicked the back of his foot to catch the ball, which ricocheted off the post and into the net for a surprising opener. Not much could have been done from an Arsenal point of view on the shot itself; the build up was a bit frustrating, however. Alex Song was fouled before Ramires took the ball in the first place, Samir Nasri switched off to allow the through ball for Cole to get inside Bacary Sagna, and the rest was history.

Chelsea's insurance goal came directly from a free kick in the 85th, perfectly taken by Alex into the top corner. Against, not much could have been done defensively on the shot itself, but in the build up lies the frustration. You can't blame Laurent Koscielny for the tackle (and yellow card) that led to the kick, he did what he had to do to stop the counter attack and took a booking for the team; I applaud him for that, and he's becoming quite a good Premier League defender. Chelsea's possession in the first place came from a misplaced pass, though I forget who was the culprit.

All in all, Arsenal probably deserved better, but can't be expected to earn it when you miss your chances. Lukasz Fabianski was fantastic in goal (no, really, if you didn't see the match, I am not kidding you) and was not at all to blame for either of Chelsea's goals. Jack Wilshere was, again, promising in midfield. Abou Diaby remains a tremendous source of frustration for me (I believe I said I was "so over him" outside of the bar after the match.) Alex Song had a better match this week than last week against West Brom (who didn't, though.) Arsenal's deficiencies remain the same, though: 1) the back four look suspect at times, which will likely be aided whenever the hell Thomas Vermaelen returns, and 2) the attack is significantly lacking creativity and spark, which will likely be aided whenever the hell Robin van Persie returns.

Optimism reigns supreme in this Gooner's mind. It's only October. There's time and Chelsea don't look that unbeatable. Time will tell.