Gunnerrific

Just one day after I wrote about how I disliked the way Hleb plays he puts on a clinic in Prague. Adding insult to injury he buried the game in extra time with a fine but scuffed strike. Kudos to Hleb and he has done quite well in starting the long journey to earn my trust back. Not that my trust matters much, I’m just a meager knob end. One nil to Hleb.

The volume and range of responses to my post yesterday was a sublime measure of human emotion. Nothing satisfies me more than being called an idiot, a pointless impostor journalist, and a goose *shock* in one foul swoop. If anyone that reads this blog thinks I’m a journalist go back to the stands at the Lane and stop calling me a baffoon. This is where you are supposed to come to listen to a die hard fan, download some cool wallpapers, and talk to other people in the comments.

I hope that my blog occasionally causes a positive stir in the Arsenal masses. Fortunately I have a thick enough hide that when someone calls me a vast turd it only brings a quarter tear to my eye. I would like to think that it is blogs like this that help push the Arsenal agenda forward, through controversy or not. However assuming such things might get me called the devil. Arseblogger led the way, the rest of us are just following suit.

Having 2 wins in 2 games is great! I hope we can keep this up for awhile. Hell why not the whole season. The Premier League is already off to a much more interesting start than last year. Manchester have suffered an injury blow with Rooney out for two months and Ronaldo has received a red card so he will be out for three games. Meanwhile Chelsea are continuing to survive despite being scored on by lesser sides. They’re in a bit of an injury crisis as well so maybe this is our first time in 2 years to be without injury problems. I’d better be careful saying that though because somebody could call me a dumb muppet.

On to other things… I think Gael Clichy’s secret identity is The Flash. I don’t understand how he is capable of running so fast throughout the entirety of the game. His burst of speed are amazing and I hope he keeps this up throughout the whole season. It’s strange to think that he was a part of The Invincibles on ’03-’04 and then to see how far he has come. I don’t even remember how many games he played that season, as far as I can recall just 17 minutes or so for one match. Somebody accuse me of knowing nothing about technique and then give me the exact details.

Our new right back is fitting in quite well. His run through the center of the field to create Hleb’s goal was quite impressive, and he hasn’t made any enormous errors in back. I can’t wait to see how Eduardo does when he debuts.

Oh and just to be clear I didn’t say I hated Hleb, I just hated the way he played. I really do hope he continues to score more goals though. Come on Arsenal!

There, I said it. I’ve never really liked the way Hleb plays football. He takes the ball too close to his feet. When he sprints and runs with the ball it’s right underneath him, so much so that he has to run awkwardly to prevent himself from accidentally hitting it. This results in him becoming off-balance, running into opposing players, and generally losing control of the situation. This of course is why he inevitably gives up possession.

It’s been like this for awhile. Don’t you try to convince me otherwise. His movement off the ball however is great. He knows how to get open and where the right passing lanes will be. But it’s this imbalance in his game that gives me a great lack of trust in him. Every time he gets the ball, I get nervous.

This year, I’m wiping the slate clean. During the off season, and indeed during the Fulham match, he seems different. So, Bon Soir mistrust for Hleb, hello new beginnings. It’s at this point that I hope he will turn his game around, retain possession better, and “be more selfish” to quote the man himself.

Tomorrow we have Sparta Prague. Eduardo will still wait for his debut but we have the same side that beat Fulham so I expect to see a thrashing… of Prague. Come on Arsenal!

I think making Billy Gallas captain of The Arsenal is a great idea. Call me crazy, go on if you must, but I think this is another change in a positive direction. It’s a departure from what we are used to and that’s why I think it will be good.

Gilberto is a great player but he is no captain. I haven’t seen him yell, motivate, or push the team while on the pitch. Gallas however has regularly spoken out against the club. I think it’s poor form that he has spoken out against the youth and inexperience, but it shows that he cares and he wants to make things better. Outspoken people are often great leaders and passionate about what they want. Coupled with the fact that he is a strong central defender and I think that he will lead the team to success.

It’s further proof that this Arsenal team isn’t anything we’re used to. With TH14 and Freddie out, it’s now more about the team coming together than ever. Youth be damned, this one is going to be a team effort.
The biggest key to the season ahead though is not Gallas by any means. It is without a doubt… Robin Van Persie. He must stay fit and he must score goals. It would be nice if they were all magic like his last two in the pre-season. Come on Arsenal!