Gunnerrific

Barcelona and Chelsea both passed through to the knock-out round with relative ease on Tuesday. Hopefully we can manage to do the same today. The only way we can’t go through is if we both lose to Porto and Moscow beats Hamburg. It doesn’t get any simpler than that.

I’m sure I’m not the only one hoping that the squad remains largely unchanged from the line-up against those Tottenham wankers. With Rosicky out we’ll see either Theo, Baptista, or Flamini in his place. It’s a good, strong line-up and they played well together on Saturday so they ought to be able to do the same. Of course in this most important of matches we are playing away so it will be much more of a struggle than playing our London rivals at home.

Perhaps the most important decision for Arsene is Senderos versus Djourou. Let’s be honest. Senderoes hasn’t looked like the 05-06 Senderos since recovering from his recent injury. Meanwhile Djourou performed above and beyond the call of duty last match. For me this is obvious and my vote goes for Djourou. Who would you pick?

Thierry Henry has announced a partnership with American clothing giant Tommy Hilfiger. I didn’t see that coming. At last! I’ll be able to wear some Henry inspired fashion that the American public won’t be completely confused about. You see, when I wear an Arsenal jersey out in public, people look at me funny. They don’t recognize the team, they are confused by the sponsor, and they’ve no clue who “Henry” with a hard H is.

As part of the new deal with Hilfiger, the player will help with the design of a unique range of Henry-endorsed clothing.

Swanky. I’m not really sure what this all means except that Thierry is now making some shirts and pants. Hopefully our French star can avoid showing up in the tabloids like the other Hilfiger partner Lindsay Lohan. That girl flashes her vag in public nearly every time she gets in or out of a car. It’s pathetic.

Well let’s all get behind the manager and the boys today! Whoever is traveling to the match, make sure to let them know who you are. I hope to hear you loud and clear over those Porto snobs. American coverage is only available on Setanta Sports at 11:00am PST, although kick-off isn’t until 11:45am. This is a match that is begging to be watched live, regardless of your time zone or work hours. COME ON ARSENAL!

These guys seem to think that Baptista’s latest comments indicate that he will be leaving soon. While I certainly can understand Julio’s comments about wanting play time, I think he must also realize he has no future back at Real. He wasn’t doing well in Madrid and has had a meager start with the Arsenal. However, there is certainly more promise for him at the Arsenal than at Real. Surely he sees this.

There are all sorts of reports about Henry and various unnamed people calling him ‘big-headed’ and ‘difficult to pay with’. I like how any shmuck can step forth to talk about a football star who is basically a celebrity. Why is this considered news?

BREAKING NEWS:

An unnamed American has come forth to the defense of Theirry Henry during the crisis at The Emirates. “Thierry is a fantastic player on and off the pitch. He is a delightful man whose skill is both impressive and plentiful.” The American wishes to be unnamed and uncredited.

END OF BREAKING NEWS.

In the days leading up to Porto away there is certainly some nervousness added back into the mix. With Henry out due to that ridiculous yellow card in Moscow, this match will certainly be a sizable test to the squad. The line-up against Tottenham looked particularly strong and I really wouldn’t mind seeing it again. A 4-4-2 would work well against Porto, assuming that (once again) we can keep up the consistency in the back-line.

Tomorrow there is a huge test for Barcelona as they face a must win situation against Werder Bremen at the Camp Nou (all my Real talk from above had me writing Bernabeu as the cunt in the comments so kindly noted). I’ll be sporting my Germany scarf all day in support of Klose’s side. I know that might be hard for you Brits to swallow, but I’m a Yank, so you’ll have to excuse me. It’s all for the Arsenal.

I’ve updated the Wallpaper section with yet another desktop treat. Enjoy take two of the gunners in arms, this time entitled The Arsenal. It’s a much simpler, classy desktop that I offer now than the previous version. Please enjoy.

Oh and if you’re in for a laugh, give this a read. It’s largely hilarious.

ARSENAL!

The press is having a field day with the supposed Henry and Wenger spat. Thierry very clearly stated his side of the situation and there’s no reason to assume any other version of it. He’s upset that he can’t play, and that frustrates him. As I’m sure it frustrates Wenger, I could see how the ‘media’ at large could blow this way out of proportion. The best part about the Arsenal.com interview with him has got to be the Star Trek reference. Arseblogger summed it up pretty succinctly as well.

If Wenger and Henry really did have a fight, I’m sure it was probably a good one to have. Henry wants to play, but Wenger knows he needs to rest up and get well. That’s that.

And now on to a different treat than I normally offer. Below I present three different videos from the Saturday match. They are from the stands in quite nice seats and offer quite a different take on the goals. I wonder if watching a game like this might be more enjoyable than the regular television broadcasts. Credit is due to the PinnoyGooner, whose videos I also use in my Songs and Chants page.

Adebayor Celebrates with Henry

Gilberto’s First Penalty

Gilberto’s Second Penalty and Celebration with Wenger

And finally, if you are an Arsenal supporter living in United States like myself (or even not), then it would behoove you to check out The 2G’s podcast from Friday the 24th. There’s a nice interview with Richard Clarke, chief editor of Arsenal.com. I know it’s a bit late, but just pop open iTunes, search for ‘The 2Gs’, and give it a download. This episode was a sneak preview of what will be a weekly broadcast in the new year. I’m looking forward to it.

Today was a good day to be an Arsenal supporter. The squad fought hard, played well, and won convincingly. We finished the day 3-0 with two well placed penalties from our captain Gilberto. Tottenham looked completely lost in the midfield and especially in the back, which allowed the Arsenal to apply constant, frustrating pressure.

Cesc Fabregas, Freddie Ljungberg, Robin Van Persie, and Adebayor were today’s stand-outs. Cesc dominated the midfield by constantly showing himself for the defense, holding possession under stress, and jump-starting the offense with decisive passes and movement forward. Ljungberg reclaimed his status as a rugged, determined player willing to do whatever it takes, anywhere on the pitch.

Robin Van Persie and Adebayor partnered together up front and looked very comfortable together. They played smart passes to each other to trouble the defense and create opportunities along the wings. However, the most important contribution from RVP and Adebayor was their constant pressure. Tottenham’s defense never had a moment to relax or even think about how to get the ball out of trouble. This pressure resulted in several turnovers that we successfully turned into offensive counters time and time again.

Clichy was quite strong in both holding up play along his flank and driving forward. On the other side, Eboue worked extremely well with Ljungberg when pressing forward. Unfortunately Rosicky looked a bit lost today, giving up several errant passes and not causing much trouble. He did make the drive that got us our first penalty and second goal though.

Our stalwart captain netted two penalties and otherwise had a very strong game. He cleaned up well in the middle and added extra support to the back line. Djourou and Toure looked confident in the middle and they both put in another great performance. I believe Djourou was cheered while on the ball several times. Good for him.

For more player ratings, I recommend Goodplaya as always.

The determination of the Arsenal in this match is what won it for us. We fought hard for every ball and retained possession well. Add to that a consistent and dominant defensive showing and you have what truly was a magnificent Arsenal performance.

I saw more fans leaving early in the 80th and 85th. After such a thrilling performance against our most despised rivals, you’d think people would stay in their goddamned seats till the end. Oh well, the rest of you lot sure sounded like 60,000 strong regardless, so cheers to the ones that stuck it out.