Arsenal 5-1 Shakhtar Donetsk – 19/10/10 – (Champions League) 20 October, 2010
Posted by lasagnechef in Arsenal News.trackback
So our good start to the Champions League continues, from our first three games we’ve taken nine points, scored fourteen goals and conceded just two meaning we only need one more point from the group to secure our place in the next round. Early qualification from the group has become a bit of an Arsenal tradition in recent years and I don’t expect that to be broken in 2010/11.
Shakhtar were billed as our toughest opponents in the group but last night they were no match at all. In the first half they were very negative and didn’t offer much. We struggled to get into our top gear but still managed two goals in the first 45 minutes. The first came inside 20 minutes when their goalie dropped the ball from the corner and Song was there to put it in. He was a bit lucky not to fuck it up but it went in, in the end so you can’t complain. I just hope he doesn’t do silly flicks like that again at 0-0. Song was involved in the second too just before half time, his cross from the right took a slight deflection and with only Nasri in the box I was surprised it arrived to him and he finished well to double our lead. The away defence really should’ve dealt with that though and they were punished.
We weren’t really free flowing, constant-attacking Arsenal but we were certainly on top. Another chance that comes to mind was a ball over the top played into the box, which Chamakh got down and played to Nasri who had his volley well saved. Not a typical Arsenal move but a nice one all the same.
The away side got a bit of a kick up the arse at half time and came out flying with a much better attitude. One of their best chances of the game came in this spell when they got through in the left hand side of the box but Fabianski stood strong and made a block. Their raise of tempo woke us up a bit too which in the end worked in our favour; We were looking more dangerous in the second half and more ourselves but it took another Shakhtar defensive mistake for us to go 3-0 up. Adriano stupidly wrestled Djourou to the ground in the area defending a free kick and a penalty was awarded. Captain Fabregas stepped up and fired one high into the net. It was the last piece of action for both Adriano and Fabregas, Adriano was replaced by Eduardo Da Silva who came on to a standing ovation and Cesc was replaced by Denilson after an hour with the tie pretty much wrapped up. It was an easy run out for the returning captain, he looked a bit rusty at times but hopefully that will have done him some good before the trip to Manchester on Sunday.
The fourth and the fifth came soon after, Wilshere got no.4 and it was probably the pick of the goals. A lovely little passing one-two move with Chamakh and Rosicky ended in Jack touching the ball over the ‘keeper into the empty net. The 18 year old was man of the match again and was showing just how much we will miss him in this upcoming ban for the red card he received on Saturday. It’s great to see how he has made his push for the first team this year, he had an excellant pre-season but I never expected him to be one of the first names on the team sheets already. It astounds me how he isn’t getting picked for England because he’s pretty much one of our most creative players already. Well done Jack, keep it coming.
Goal no.5 was a bit of an odd one. A ball was lifted over the top of the defence for Chamakh but he and most other people watching thought it was offside, he almost stopped and even turned to look at the linesman before realising he wasn’t flagged and tapped the ball in. Turned out someone on the far side near the lino was keeping him on and it was a perfectly legitimate and hilarious goal. Hopefully he’ll learn his lesson to stick the ball away before looking to the line but you can’t really blame him. Awful ‘keeping again though, their goalie situation makes me feel a lot better about ours.
On the subject Fabianski didn’t do badly but didn’t have a great deal to do. He had that save at the start of the second half but that went straight at him really as his positioning was good. He was denied a clean sheet by Eduardo but I don’t think anyone will complain about that. It was a neat finish from the ex-Arsenal striker and received as much celebration and applause as the 5 Arsenal goals that proceeded it. The stadium announcer even got in on the act, “The Shakhtar goal scorer, number 11, EDDDDD..” …UARDO! It was a nice touch and at 5-0 up it’s alright to cheer an opposition goal now and again! If he scores the opener when we play them again in a couple of weeks I don’t think there will be as great a reception from the Arsenal fans that time!
So 5-1 it finished and a happy night for all. Well, all Arsenal fans. Not the very best of performances but it didn’t need to be, we were clinical and got the job done. A nice emotional return for Eduardo and he can fly back to Ukraine will all of Arsenal’s best wishes and support for the future. Except on 3rd November of course.
Next up it’s Man City away on Sunday. Build up to that one to come. Sorry for the disappearance recently, it’s good to be back. Thanks for reading everyone.
Eduardo… Arsenal’s no 9!
always will be..
Kin up date the blog
fuck off ‘chef..
Just got up: I heard the tape of singing they play during the game broke down at half time. Bit sad wasn’t it?
lasagnechef – what’s for tea?
If we are so bad why are we being copied ?
I hear Arsenal are so bad they can’t win a cup in God only knows how many years. Some say it’s five other six but the general consensus seems to be no one really can remember it, it was so long ago.
So I called for some googling just to know how much we have been trophyless, since nobody seems to know the exact length of time (though we all know we won the FA cup against ManU on May 21st 2005.)
So if my math is as correct as I thought it’s five years 5months and exactly five days since we’ve won a major trophy. (If that is not right its my fault for delaying publication of the article – sorry – Tony).
That must be the longest trophy drought ever known to world football judging by the way it’s been talked up both by the media, the opposition fans and Arsenal’s own supporters or one large section of it.
Last time a Liverpool was trying to have fan at my expense he said “how many years without a trophy is too many?”
I asked him, “when was the last time you lot have won a trophy?”
He started to explain, “Huh… we won the CL in Istanbul not long ago”.
I told him that was 2005 and we won the FA cup that year and the correct answer was 2006 when they won the FA cup so just about a year later than us.
“That doesn’t seem that long. But the way people are talking it up it sounds like an eternity” he said.
So I checked the trophy drought top clubs went through in recent years and I found some astonishing facts :
Barcelona the most successful club in the last five years have gone six years between 1999 and 2005 without a single trophy
Inter Milan the treble winning team of last year have gone eight years from 1998 to 2006 without a single trophy
Chelsea went from 2000 to 2005 without a single trophy
Manchester United from 1985 to 1990 didn’t win a trophy
Liverpool from 1995 to 2001 and from 2006 till now haven’t won any trophy
This just shows there is nothing unique in modern times about the trophy drought of Arsenal. All these clubs suffered a lot more than us, failing to qualify for the champions league or even for Europe. But still people would make you believe we have to be going through the worst ever drought in world football.
But what is really interesting to me is that clubs are copying Arsenal’s model, a model that has resulted in no trophy for five years, five months and five days. The model is built around a strong financial structure, a youth system, an attacking football and a worldwide scouting system even if we haven’t invented any of them we have succeeded in creating the best balance with them.
Clubs have come to realize that “Money does not grow on trees” as said PHW. All those that could only spend, buy the best players they can think of, pay them as much as they would ask and are finding life hard. Clubs are going into administration, clubs are being bankrupt, clubs are being controlled by banks, wages are being hard to support and all that while the revenues have recorded some highs that are difficult to surpass.
On top of all that UEFA came with a plan to stop “financial doping”. So out of necessity football clubs are behaving like normal people, normal companies, normal organizations as we cannot spend and keep on spending way over what we can ever gain.
And as a financial model that can work in football, no one can ignore Arsenal. I remember some years ago when Newcastle’s Ashley was talking about how Wenger and the Arsenal board were working wonders and how everybody should copy only for Keagen to ask money and more money to sign the Beckhams of this world. Now everybody wants to be just like Arsenal in financial terms.
Then comes the youth system, in order to have financial stability, you need to minimize your charges and in order to compete you need to maximize your talent and knowhow. What we know is the players that have shown to the big stage how good they can be are expensive but a year or so before they stepped up they were very cheap. So the idea was simple get them right before they show their entire talent which means get them young, which also means widen up your search field.
That’s why Arsenal has built a world class youth project with the likes of Gibbs, Wilshere, Frimpong the first graduates (who won the first youth double and back to back league titles) and a worldwide scout network that can find any talented young player anywhere. That’s what everybody is trying to do, with Chelsea doing it the wrong way with the likes of Kalcuta and Neymar.
What people should know is it’s a lot more difficult for English clubs, especially now with FIFA regulations on youth player dealings particularly under 17’s, to have a world class youth system. Arsenal cannot put into its academy the best English youngsters if they live outside 90 minutes drive from London Colney. What we see now is every club trying to build a good youth academy, get them through.
This let me wonder why clubs supposedly successful are trying to copy Arsenal if we have been so bad?
so what you are saying fermon is wenger is a good director of football,but as a coach ,by todays standards, the evidence of the last years [no trophies,no team spirit,no character,no tactical advantages,no transfer coups,no pride for the fans]he is crap.or as the french say,shite.
By the time this blog is updated we will have been knocked out by Barca
9 that is so true lol
Hi mate…i read your blog..it’s very nice and well written. I have a similar soccer site, would you like to make a link exchange? visit it and let me know if you are interested. Have a good day and happy christmas to you and to your family
My christmas wish was that some fucker would update this blog. My wish didnt come true